I tried a couple of new soaps this weekend since a few of my others are almost used up. The results were mixed. SV Felce Aromatica: much more of a cologne or perfume type scent than I expected. I'm not super keen on the scent but it faded during the shave and doesn't linger. I have moved from bowl lathering to 90% face lathering. I was able to use a vintage Simms brush with an APShaveco 24mm tuxedo knot to rinse, load, and face lather without any issues. Needs a touch more water then a few of my other soaps. Good lather. Good protection. Good post-shave. This soap makes me feel like maybe animal products could be banned from all soap without sacrificing performance. B&M Reserve Classic. Much more in my preferred scent range than SV. Overall though, this first use was a huge disappointment. I was unable to simply rinse the brush, load the brush, face lather. When I tried, I got a dry, thick, gluey mess. More water needed! So I added more water and quite quickly went to a goopy watery mess. The shave was fine and hair was removed from my face, but it left me feeling raw and balm was a must. Clearly this soap is better than my first experience suggests given its rave reviews, and I will dial it in with use, but this is kinda a negative for me. I guess I am not super interested in dialing in a soap or working to get it right--I want immediate ease of use. With the other B&M products that I have pictured like Latha, Leviathan, and Bay Rum, I can rinse, load, face lather with ease. I don't know which base these are. So, for me, Reserve is a bit of a step back. T&S, and Stirling also required no "dial-in" for me, so I don't know that I will continue with B&M unless future use changes my mind. Best consistent performer in my stable: T&S with B&M Bay Rum as a second. Best post shave in my stable: tie between T&S, Stirling, and SV. Best Scents: Stirling (various) with B&M Taiga and Leviathan in second. Anyhow, as for my two new soaps, I am sure that B&M Reserve will improve with practice--I just resent having to practice lol. SV is great, but the scent profile will likley lead me to look for a veggie soap closer to a scent I really love, and something less expensive. I just wanted to try something high end and triple milled--aka something quite different from anything I have tried before. Frankly, if T&S could produce scents like Stirling or B&M without changing their performance, that would be the magic ticket for me. So...the search will continue once the B&M Reserve and SV are used up. Happy Shaves!
These thoughts "enable" me to try doing this sometime. Probably not in a similar format, but it's wise to "come to grips" with our shaving miscellaneous ponderings. Nice job.
