Barrister and Mann

Just splashed on some Lavanille today and noticed for the first time what struck me as a fennel/anise scent. Fairly strong at first, then faded to the smell I expected. I've never noticed this before. Is this a space/time/smell anomaly, or is there actually something in the formulation that for some reason I'm only now picking up on after using this stuff for months?

There is indeed anise in Mousse de Saxe, but I rarely tell people because I have found that, if I were to say anything about it, the power of suggestion would ensure that I would immediately start hearing, "All I smell is licorice! You used too much anise!" In reality, the anise level is very low, though the isobutyl quinoline and seaweed absolute enhance its presence a bit.

Ah, so I wasn't crazy after all. Thanks for confirming.

It's interesting actually, because the scent is so obvious to me now, where before I never took notice of it. Once it dries down the anise element really retreats and lends itself so nicely to the whole. There's a certain quality underlying the vanilla in this that makes it both more edgy and sophisticated than any other vanilla based scent I have used. And I think the anise is a key part of that, in a similar way to how the black lion taken by itself seems kind of unappealing and obvious, but put together in the right combination it becomes the head of Voltron and can shoot lasers from its mouth.

...There is indeed anise in Mousse de Saxe, but I rarely tell people because I have found that, if I were to say anything about it, the power of suggestion would ensure that I would immediately start hearing, "All I smell is licorice! You used too much anise!"...

This is hilarious. The fickle masses.

...I personally love fireside and I hope you find a way to bring it back sometime...

Man, tell me about it. I've hoping to see this again someday. I ration mine out cautiously. I probably have less than 5 shaves left in my tub.

...There is indeed anise in Mousse de Saxe, but I rarely tell people because I have found that, if I were to say anything about it, the power of suggestion would ensure that I would immediately start hearing, "All I smell is licorice! You used too much anise!"...

This is hilarious.  The fickle masses.

...I personally love fireside and I hope you find a way to bring it back sometime...

Man, tell me about it.  I've hoping to see this again someday.  I ration mine out cautiously.  I probably have less than 5 shaves left in my tub.

Definitely time to sound the alarm! It's one of my favorite scents. I mean it when I say I hope it comes back on the schedule next year.

I've even wondered if "Even Tide" is a remix of fireside with slightly different notes. But only Mr. C knows the answer to that mystery.

...There is indeed anise in Mousse de Saxe, but I rarely tell people because I have found that, if I were to say anything about it, the power of suggestion would ensure that I would immediately start hearing, "All I smell is licorice! You used too much anise!"...

This is hilarious.  The fickle masses.

...I personally love fireside and I hope you find a way to bring it back sometime...

Man, tell me about it.  I've hoping to see this again someday.  I ration mine out cautiously.  I probably have less than 5 shaves left in my tub.

Definitely time to sound the alarm! It's one of my favorite scents. I mean it when I say I hope it comes back on the schedule next year.

I've even wondered if "Even Tide" is a remix of fireside with slightly different notes. But only Mr. C knows the answer to that mystery.

I only have a sample of Fireside and it smells great. I'm actually surprised it's not more popular.

in a similar way to how the black lion taken by itself seems kind of unappealing and obvious, but put together in the right combination it becomes the head of Voltron and can shoot lasers from its mouth.

That's one of the best comparisons I have ever seen.

...There is indeed anise in Mousse de Saxe, but I rarely tell people because I have found that, if I were to say anything about it, the power of suggestion would ensure that I would immediately start hearing, "All I smell is licorice! You used too much anise!"...

This is hilarious.  The fickle masses.

...I personally love fireside and I hope you find a way to bring it back sometime...

Man, tell me about it.  I've hoping to see this again someday.  I ration mine out cautiously.  I probably have less than 5 shaves left in my tub.

Definitely time to sound the alarm! It's one of my favorite scents. I mean it when I say I hope it comes back on the schedule next year.

I've even wondered if "Even Tide" is a remix of fireside with slightly different notes. But only Mr. C knows the answer to that mystery.

I only have a sample of Fireside and it smells great. I'm actually surprised it's not more popular.

It's not impossible that we might bring Fireside back, but we did get a lot of crap about the fennel. People post reviews like they're absolute fact and kill sales, so we tend to be pretty careful about what stays and what goes. I was saying on reddit the other day that Fougère Classique and Ferox were victims of something similar, where each got a poor review for a silly reason on Maggard and sales imploded, which was why they were discontinued. The shaving market is EXTREMELY fickle.

in a similar way to how the black lion taken by itself seems kind of unappealing and obvious, but put together in the right combination it becomes the head of Voltron and can shoot lasers from its mouth.

That's one of the best comparisons I have ever seen.

...There is indeed anise in Mousse de Saxe, but I rarely tell people because I have found that, if I were to say anything about it, the power of suggestion would ensure that I would immediately start hearing, "All I smell is licorice! You used too much anise!"...

This is hilarious.  The fickle masses.

...I personally love fireside and I hope you find a way to bring it back sometime...

Man, tell me about it.  I've hoping to see this again someday.  I ration mine out cautiously.  I probably have less than 5 shaves left in my tub.

Definitely time to sound the alarm! It's one of my favorite scents. I mean it when I say I hope it comes back on the schedule next year.

I've even wondered if "Even Tide" is a remix of fireside with slightly different notes. But only Mr. C knows the answer to that mystery.

I only have a sample of Fireside and it smells great. I'm actually surprised it's not more popular.

It's not impossible that we might bring Fireside back, but we did get a lot of crap about the fennel. People post reviews like they're absolute fact and kill sales, so we tend to be pretty careful about what stays and what goes. I was saying on reddit the other day that Fougère Classique and Ferox were victims of something similar, where each got a poor review for a silly reason on Maggard and sales imploded, which was why they were discontinued. The shaving market is EXTREMELY fickle.

It's sad that this is the case. I can understand being critical of the physical properties of a soap, but scent is such an individual thing. It must be tough to balance challenging yourself while maintaining marketability. I compare it sometimes to beer from somewhere like Dogfish Head. Sure, I'll try a beer made with grape musk and ancient yeast. I may or may not like it, but to blast them over it is ridiculous. Someone has to be out there pushing the edge and I appreciate it for what it is. Keep leaning out there on the edge, Wil. It's much more interesting.

I only have a sample of Fireside and it smells great. I'm actually surprised it's not more popular.

I have the initial release and like it. But I don't reach for it often. It's something you really have to be in the mood for like a late shave on a winter's eve where you might have been having a tipple yourself which puts you in mind to use it.

That said, if he did an Islay Scotch with lots of peat I would use it daily (hint! hint!)

People post reviews like they're absolute fact and kill sales, so we tend to be pretty careful about what stays and what goes.

This makes me sad.

Bold and uncommon scents remarkably executed like Roam and Leviathan are why I'm a fan.

Barrister_N_Mann, I understand about what you said of reviews.  Although someone might not like a particular shaving soap (or any other gear), in a review it's just as easy to state that the scent "wasn't for me but you might want to give it a try if you like the scent of roses", for example.  I happen to like straight floral scents but I know others really dislike them.  To state that something is awful because that person dislikes the scent is unfair, in my opinion.  A simple, "It wasn't for me but if you like the scent of roses you might want to give this a try" covers all the bases without saying the scent is flat out awful.  That leaves the decision up to the person reading the review wihout him or her feeling they should dismiss the product because of said review.

I used the Anise & Vetiver today and it was very nice - its definitely anise forward with vetiver in support and I could see how lavender would work well in the mix to add complexity. Its also in the vegan base thats also discontinued - so its double discontinued I've got plenty of shaves left in the tub.

As for reviews I tend not to pay much attention when they're dealing with artisans with whose work I'm familiar - I know what to expect from Barrister and Mann. Top tier performance combined with creative scents and I will buy the product regardless of what some reviewer might say. Reviews on the merchant sites are typically even more unreliable as they tend to be some anonymous buyer who may not know soap from shinola and to think that a few stinker reviews from the likes of them can kill the sales of a fantastic product is truly sad. I would have no problem with the merchants removing that particular functionality as they seem to do more harm than good. There are plenty of other places to find rigorous reviews on line.

Reviews on the merchant sites are typically even more unreliable as they tend to be some anonymous buyer who may not know soap from shinola and to think that a few stinker reviews from the likes of them can kill the sales of a fantastic product is truly sad.  I would have no problem with the merchants removing that particular functionality as they seem to do more harm than good.  There are plenty of other places to find rigorous reviews on line.

The way I see it, the more sources I have for reviews, the better. I try to exercise criticism when reading reviews — usually, itâ€s quite easy to spot when a reviewer is inexperienced or biased. The really regrettable thing to me is how many people today take everything at face value. I think that is the bigger issue, and reflects everything from consumer behavior to politics (which of course is a topic for another forum).

It truly is sad to hear that a few reviews would have such a negative impact on a product that many others could have enjoyed.