Barrister and Mann

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.

Mark, the only thing I would disagree with here is for a merchant to drop reviews from his/her site (if I understand you correctly).  Unfortunately, in these days of the anonymity of the internet, people would wonder what the merchant is hiding by not allowing reviews and the poison that might be spilled on the merchant could do irreparable damage.

Hey Will! Been a while since chatting but hope you and your family are doing well. There are only a few soaps I feel can really perform well for me to head shave with. But today I decided to give Le Grand Chypre this afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed the process and results. I don't blame you for changing over to sunflower oil but I must say I really love the formula of the Glissant with Sweet Almond Oil. I think my skin gets along with it really well. I think this will become my new go to soap for head shaving before I start growing out my hair soon. I actually like your White Label as well as Latha for head shaves but haven't had a chance to try out the production Glissant in a head shave.

Hoping to try a couple of the different formulas soon. There was the Soapmakers of Awesometown and now the Reserve formula. Any ones I missed?

Hi Will,

With the release of Le Grand Chypre only a few weeks away I am curious about the packaging. Since this is going to be a permanent offering will it have the same general artwork theme as Cologne Russe, Lavanille, and Seville or will it be similar to the original design? Thanks and as you can tell I am looking forwad to this release.

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.

Mark, the only thing I would disagree with here is for a merchant to drop reviews from his/her site (if I understand you correctly).  Unfortunately, in these days of the anonymity of the internet, people would wonder what the merchant is hiding by not allowing reviews and the poison that might be spilled on the merchant could do irreparable damage.

Freddy you're probably right on that point - it truly is a catch 22 these days with merchants caught between leaving up vitriolic, baseless reviews and removing them and being accused of curating their reviews. I suppose that on the merchant's own site the reviewers would at least have to be logged in to leave a review so the merchant/artisan could try to contact the reviewer to address concerns, however, often there are no legitimate concerns and the person is merely trolling. I find it astounding at how worked up some people can get about soap and razors. Welcome to the modern world.

Hi Will,

With the release of Le Grand Chypre only a few weeks away I am curious about the packaging.  Since this is going to be a permanent offering will it have the same general artwork theme as Cologne Russe, Lavanille, and Seville or will it be similar to the original design?  Thanks and as you can tell I am looking forwad to this release.

A very good question indeed.

And to continue beating a dead horse , about the regularly delayed glissant-ization of your base soap line, particularly Bay Rum, and given that you've essentially decided to more or less permanently or at least for the foreseeable future discontinue the Kyovu line, is there any possibility of some form of Bay Rum aftershave releasing with/after the Bay Rum glissant soap? Sorry for the awful sentence.

Hi - Paula from Barrister and Mann. We have redesigned the label for Le Grand Chypre and we think that you will really like it. It is in the same style as Seville, Cologne Russe and Lavanille. Also, the jars are screen printed as the others. Watch for some shots of them before the launch June 9.

We are hoping to be able to switch over both Bay Rum and Cheshire to the new packaging and jars in the next couple of months. We have also changed the packaging and bottles for our entire classic line of aftershaves and we are hoping to be releasing all of them soon. Please watch for additional details.

We are hoping to be able to switch over both Bay Rum and Cheshire to the new packaging and jars in the next couple of months. We have also changed the packaging and bottles for our entire classic line of aftershaves and we are hoping to be releasing all of them soon. Please watch for additional details.

FANTASTIC!  I used what very little I have left of my Cheshire soap and Kyovu aftershave for yesterday's shave so I'm really happy about the soap.  However, like Marko, I am sorry that you are not bringing back the Kyovu line.  As much as I love my Cologne Russe and Reserve Classic aftershaves, for me, neither comes close to the face feel of the Kyovu.  When I got my sample, it was a real eye opener but, unfortunately, when I wanted to get a full bottle, it was discontinued.  Boy, am I nursing that last half of the sample.  Fortunately, a little goes a long way.

Woohoo!! Just got my 42 pre-order in the mail today!

I actually did some preparation for this release. I got the book and read it just this past week so I could experience the scent as an extension of the fictional world. And I'm so glad I did. There's a wonderful connection between the spirit of the book and Will's creation here: from the scent itself, to the packaging, and the little promotional details, all of which tie together in such a smart way. I'm really impressed.

The scent is wonderful. And it's a bit of a mind-bender, which is very appropriate in this case. The different components of 42 merge well to form a coherent, pleasant scent, yet somehow they manage to maintain their independence, too. This is a bright sunny morning with a twist of lemon and a spot of tea, and outside a bulldozer gets ready to raze your house to the ground. Just before the world blows up. And suddenly you find that life is not what you think.

Tranquil summer meets end of the world. And, of course, a whale. The ambergris inclusion is a bit of genius here.

Will, maybe you could consider a thematic structure to some of your future releases? Can you stick with the whale, add some essence of salt, sea, and obsession and do a Moby Dick release?