Barrister and Mann

Well, thank heavens, you've saved the day, Will. Le Grand Chypre has arrived in the mail today. Beautiful, beautiful scent. And since it's going to be 104 tomorrow, I think I'll use it and finish with the AS and EdT!

So tragedy struck the other day and my bottle of Barrister's Reserve shattered in my toiletry bag. I had Cool, but wasn't sold on that assertive "dry" note it has, and I've been trying to hold off for the release of the Caldey Island Lavender Water version. Has there been any news on that one?

I saw that a fern version is up for September (not officially, just based on posts by other users.)

Thanks for any info, Will!

So tragedy struck the other day and my bottle of Barrister's Reserve shattered in my toiletry bag.  I had Cool, but wasn't sold on that assertive "dry" note it has, and I've been trying to hold off for the release of the Caldey Island Lavender Water version.  Has there been any news on that one?

I saw that a fern version is up for September (not officially, just based on posts by other users.)

Thanks for any info, Will!

Both Lavender and Fern are slated for release in September with their accompanying soaps. I just want to make sure that everything is in place before I put them on the release schedule.

So tragedy struck the other day and my bottle of Barrister's Reserve shattered in my toiletry bag.  I had Cool, but wasn't sold on that assertive "dry" note it has, and I've been trying to hold off for the release of the Caldey Island Lavender Water version.  Has there been any news on that one?

I saw that a fern version is up for September (not officially, just based on posts by other users.)

Thanks for any info, Will!

Both Lavender and Fern are slated for release in September with their accompanying soaps. I just want to make sure that everything is in place before I put them on the release schedule.

Yesssss!

So tragedy struck the other day and my bottle of Barrister's Reserve shattered in my toiletry bag.  I had Cool, but wasn't sold on that assertive "dry" note it has, and I've been trying to hold off for the release of the Caldey Island Lavender Water version.  Has there been any news on that one?

I saw that a fern version is up for September (not officially, just based on posts by other users.)

Thanks for any info, Will!

Both Lavender and Fern are slated for release in September with their accompanying soaps. I just want to make sure that everything is in place before I put them on the release schedule.

Very much looking forward to Lavender and Fern! B&M Cool has been my go to aftershave over the past month or so with the weather warming up, love that kick of Menthol!

Leviathan EdT. YES. This is my favorite cool-weather scent. Heck, I even use it in the summer sometimes.

+1000 on Leviathan.... I would stock up on this for sure. I have to say that I'm more than a little bummed to see the departure of Adagio though.

Leviathan EdT. YES. This is my favorite cool-weather scent. Heck, I even use it in the summer sometimes.

+1000 on Leviathan.... I would stock up on this for sure. I have to say that I'm more than a little bummed to see the departure of Adagio though.

I am too. Not my favorite but one that I'm always glad to have around. I wonder if Wil can start incorporating a "throwback" release every so often like the first snow and petrichor releases. I like the idea of Hallows and Dickens taking a year off. I'm ok knowing they're gone this year but not forever.

Barrister's Reserve - Classic
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)

[Image: LUtgvRf.jpg]

Ever since Barrister and Mann's April Fool's soap, "Soapmakers of Awesometown", I've been anticipating the release of the Barrister's Reserve soaps.  I was pretty happy with Soapmakers of Awesometown even though the reviews were mixed.  I was primarily optimistic about the obvious advances made with hard water tolerance, of which I have some of the worst.  When it was confirmed that Soapmakers of Awesometown was essentially a beta of the base that would ultimately become the Barrister's Reserve soaps, I was even more optimistic.  

I routinely use the Barrister's Reserve splashes, and "Classic" is hands down my favorite.  An apparent clone of Gillette's discontinued 1960's "Sun-Up" after shave and cologne, Classic is indeed classic.  It stands out by being satisfied in the background.  That's not to say it's a low-power fragrance, but rather one that gets along with practically anything.  After the almost medicinal but clean initial notes, it dries down to a slightly powdery bitter citrus rounded out by what I believe is lavender which gets more woody as it fades.  While the frag heads apparently hate this term, as an amateur, I'm compelled to describe Classic as a clean, "masculine" fragrance. With regard to the soap, off the puck and lathered, thankfully the Classic fragrance is not altered in the least.

I started with my usual barely damp knot and loaded just the way I would have loaded Barrister and Mann's Glissant or even Soapmakers of Awesometown.  This was a mistake.  I should have loaded about half that amount because the yield was more than the knot could hold.  It's a good thing I'm a shower shaver, because I made a mess.  Using the same amount of water was also futile.  Barrister's Reserve is obviously quite thirsty.  In fact, it may be the most thirsty soap I've ever used.  However, unlike some, Barrister's Reserve broadcasts it.  There's no wondering if that one last knot dunk was going to be too much.  Until I achieved the right amount of water, my foundation looked like Spanish stucco.  Yet, when I really pushed the water, the stucco popped with a slick and super thick, just short of pillowy, lather.  I simply could not drown this soap.  At that point, faced with an over-abundance of premium lather, I did something I haven't done since my early days of head-shaving.  I lathered my entire head and face all at once.  Typically, I do 2-3 passes on either my head or face, and then I move to the other region.  When I began head-shaving several years ago, I quickly discovered that covering that much territory at one time will inevitably result in some dissipated or degraded lather, unless, of course I blaze through the passes.  With Barrister's Reserve, this is clearly not an issue.  I was able to perform an entire head and face pass in one lather application and at leisurely tempo without even a hint of lather degradation.  In fact, the incredible slickness seemed to get slicker towards the end.  Due to the success of the initial pass, I decided to treat the second pass likewise.  I followed this with a clean-up pass to result in one of the best shaves I've ever experienced.  The post-shave is absolutely stellar.  I can't be more pleased with this soap.  Of course next time, in the interest of conservation, I will be much more stingy with the load, but I definitely intend to perform a full head and face lather application since it worked so well this time.

It's no secret Barrister and Mann's Glissant has been my benchmark soap base for some time.  However, in recent months L&L Grooming, Catie's Bubbles, and Mickey Lee Soapworks have caught up with it, and some others are very close behind.  Noting that this is my first impression, I genuinely feel Barrister's Reserve surpasses Glissant by a small, but notable margin in at least a similar degree to which Glissant surpassed white label.  It's my understanding there's no danger of the Barrister's Reserve base supplanting Glissant, and I believe this is due to the complexity of manufacturing.

There's no question most seasoned wet shavers will at least appreciate Barrister's Reserve's performance and some may even be surprised by the step up.  However, this is also an ideal soap for beginners in that it's quite forgiving and extremely easy to lather in even less than optimal water conditions.

Leviathan EdT. YES. This is my favorite cool-weather scent. Heck, I even use it in the summer sometimes.

+1000 on Leviathan.... I would stock up on this for sure. I have to say that I'm more than a little bummed to see the departure of Adagio though.

I am too. Not my favorite but one that I'm always glad to have around. I wonder if Wil can start incorporating a "throwback" release every so often like the first snow and petrichor releases. I like the idea of Hallows and Dickens taking a year off.  I'm ok knowing they're gone this year but not forever.

I just picked up Adagio soap and AS. I admit I was late to trying B&M so have missed out on quite a few that are no longer available. I now have 3 with plans on getting more but I also have like 10 yrs of soap so something like every other year would be great.

+1000 on Leviathan.... I would stock up on this for sure. I have to say that I'm more than a little bummed to see the departure of Adagio though.

I am too. Not my favorite but one that I'm always glad to have around. I wonder if Wil can start incorporating a "throwback" release every so often like the first snow and petrichor releases. I like the idea of Hallows and Dickens taking a year off.  I'm ok knowing they're gone this year but not forever.

I just picked up Adagio soap and AS. I admit I was late to trying B&M so have missed out on quite a few that are no longer available. I now have 3 with plans on getting more but I also have like 10 yrs of soap so something like every other year would be great.

Right? I need an auxiliary soap storage like I have for razors.