Barrister and Mann

It was Spice yesterday, which was lovely and lingered most of the day, and now Cool this morning. First, I have to jump in and say that, while I'm not really familiar with Floid Blue, I can say that Cool does remind me of Aqua Velva, so yep, I'd say they're all of a similar character (and what IS that characteristic bitter note in all of them, Barrister_N_Mann? Myrrh? My guess is myrrh). Thankfully it's a scent I do enjoy. Also I agree, gregcss, that Cool was cooler than expected, but nothing I can't modulate through how much I use. I think I've been a bit over-generous with these first wears.

Verbena, actually. No myrrh.

The meet up I attended was at Maggard Razors. It's held annually in the middle of May. All you have to do is register on the website when they post the announcement.

Vintage Old Spice is hard to find and probably more expensive per oz than Barrister's Reserve, so I would just go with that since it undoubtedly has better skin care properties.

It's been a while since I've used Floid Blue and I remember liking it, but every time I go to a drug store I give AV a sniff to possibly make a purchase, it's a no go.

Ah, as simple as a trip to Michigan, then. Unfortunately, the pain and humiliation of a secret initiation would be an easier price of admission than  having to fly and deal with the headaches that that entails.

Glad I'm not alone with my feelings about AV. I'm like that too though, I'll probably keep re-checking every time I'm in a store on the off-chance that I might have been mistaken about the scent the last time I was there.

I tried Cool and Classic today (with a shower in between each). The scents and face feel on both are excellent. Cool was a little cooler than expected but great nonetheless. I only started using aftershave when I started wet shaving a few years ago. I'm really happy to have these classic scents available. Thanks Barrister_N_Mann  

Did you shower just so you could try both scents back-to-back? If so, that's both reasonable, and a stroke of genius. Too bad that wouldn't work with shaving so I could immediately try a new soap, or brush, or razor....

It was Spice yesterday, which was lovely and lingered most of the day, and now Cool this morning. First, I have to jump in and say that, while I'm not really familiar with Floid Blue, I can say that Cool does remind me of Aqua Velva, so yep, I'd say they're all of a similar character (and what IS that characteristic bitter note in all of them, Barrister_N_Mann? Myrrh? My guess is myrrh). Thankfully it's a scent I do enjoy. Also I agree, gregcss, that Cool was cooler than expected, but nothing I can't modulate through how much I use. I think I've been a bit over-generous with these first wears.

Uh oh, we're back to Aqua Velva as a comparison.... Okay, realistically, I have a feeling that while they might share a similar scent profile, perhaps the comparison is sort of like the difference between the smell of a fresh piece of fruit versus the smell of a car air freshener that's meant to represent that fruity scent. Or something like that. I guess I'd have to see for myself to be sure.

Glad the Spice lasts so long. That's such a nice quality to have in an aftershave. Means I don't have to bother with cologne.

Uh oh, we're back to Aqua Velva as a comparison.... Okay, realistically, I have a feeling that while they might share a similar scent profile, perhaps the comparison is sort of like the difference between the smell of a fresh piece of fruit versus the smell of a car air freshener that's meant to represent that fruity scent. Or something like that. I guess I'd have to see for myself to be sure.

Glad the Spice lasts so long. That's such a nice quality to have in an aftershave. Means I don't have to bother with cologne.

Floïd Blue and Aqua Velva both belong to the same family of high-citrus, coumarin chypres, which is why they're often compared. Floïd (and, by extension, Reserve: Cool) is less dirty and powdery than Aqua Velva, but there are certain similarities. I don't really know of anyone who finds the fragrance profile of Cool to be offensive; it's a light, clean scent with a bit of menthol and is really pretty versatile. Less chemical or harsh than the scent of something like Nivea Balm, but clean in that same sort of fashion.

On a side note, to anyone in the Seattle area, we're in Seattle for Seattle ShaveCon, which will be open from 9 am to 5 pm at the Washington State Convention Center on Pike St. Come visit! We have super cool things to give away, a (limited) stock of Barrister's Reserve, and early stock of Leviathan to show off.

I tried Cool and Classic today (with a shower in between each). The scents and face feel on both are excellent. Cool was a little cooler than expected but great nonetheless. I only started using aftershave when I started wet shaving a few years ago. I'm really happy to have these classic scents available. Thanks Barrister_N_Mann  

Did you shower just so you could try both scents back-to-back? If so, that's both reasonable, and a stroke of genius. Too bad that wouldn't work with shaving so I could immediately try a new soap, or brush, or razor....

Yes and no. I shave in the early evening and shower a few hours later before bed. I figured why not try Classic after the evening shower. Worked well because the scent is light.

Uh oh, we're back to Aqua Velva as a comparison.... Okay, realistically, I have a feeling that while they might share a similar scent profile, perhaps the comparison is sort of like the difference between the smell of a fresh piece of fruit versus the smell of a car air freshener that's meant to represent that fruity scent. Or something like that. I guess I'd have to see for myself to be sure.

Glad the Spice lasts so long. That's such a nice quality to have in an aftershave. Means I don't have to bother with cologne.

Floïd Blue and Aqua Velva both belong to the same family of high-citrus, coumarin chypres, which is why they're often compared. Floïd (and, by extension, Reserve: Cool) is less dirty and powdery than Aqua Velva, but there are certain similarities. I don't really know of anyone who finds the fragrance profile of Cool to be offensive; it's a light, clean scent with a bit of menthol and is really pretty versatile. Less chemical or harsh than the scent of something like Nivea Balm, but clean in that same sort of fashion.

On a side note, to anyone in the Seattle area, we're in Seattle for Seattle ShaveCon, which will be open from 9 am to 5 pm at the Washington State Convention Center on Pike St. Come visit! We have super cool things to give away, a (limited) stock of Barrister's Reserve, and early stock of Leviathan to show off.

Be sure to make your way to San Diego during your travels. Thanks!

Have fun in Seattle!
I did not know AV was a chypre! Thanks for the knowledge! Obviously, my nose is not very sensitive, but I do notice differences between AV and B-M Cool. The latter has a warmer feeling scent, if that makes sense. And I do appreciate the family resemblance.


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Floïd Blue and Aqua Velva both belong to the same family of high-citrus, coumarin chypres, which is why they're often compared. Floïd (and, by extension, Reserve: Cool) is less dirty and powdery than Aqua Velva, but there are certain similarities. I don't really know of anyone who finds the fragrance profile of Cool to be offensive; it's a light, clean scent with a bit of menthol and is really pretty versatile. Less chemical or harsh than the scent of something like Nivea Balm, but clean in that same sort of fashion.

On a side note, to anyone in the Seattle area, we're in Seattle for Seattle ShaveCon, which will be open from 9 am to 5 pm at the Washington State Convention Center on Pike St. Come visit! We have super cool things to give away, a (limited) stock of Barrister's Reserve, and early stock of Leviathan to show off.

Thanks. That bold part is kind of what I expect the main difference will be for me. I think it's not so much the scent profile of Aqua Velva that bothers me, but rather that the chemical harshness kills the scent profile and turns it into something I really don't want anywhere near my face. But I will also note the differences you pointed out between Floïd Blue (And Reserve: Cool) and Aqua Velva. Makes me curious to try all three now, really, just to compare them closely and see what I can detect for myself.

I'm surprised to see that several people are unfamiliar with Floid Blue. I thought that it was (or ought to be) a staple in everyone's repertoire. I'm not going to make any comparisons to the Barrister's Reserve because I haven't got any of that yet but I will say this, in my opinion the only similarity between Floid Blue and Aqua Velva is that they are both blue. I think the Floid is a nicer shade of blue however.
Marko

I'm surprised to see that several people are unfamiliar with Floid Blue.  I thought that it was (or ought to be) a staple in everyone's repertoire.  I'm not going to make any comparisons to the Barrister's Reserve because I haven't got any of that yet but I will say this, in my opinion the only similarity between Floid Blue and Aqua Velva is that they are both blue.  I think the Floid is a nicer shade of blue however.
Marko

I used to hate shaving. So I didn't even bother with aftershave. It's like I stubbornly made myself even more miserable than I needed to be. I washed my hands of cologne for a long time, too. In fact, I still don't use it. But I do enjoy shaving now. And I've begun to enjoy aftershaves a lot, too. But I have to catch up with all the scents I missed while I was making myself miserable. I never got to try Floid Blue, or any Floid for that matter. There's a lot wrong in this world that I need to correct now that I've woken from my slumber, and chasing down the perfect shave is first on my list of things to make right. After that anything should be possible.

That's why I need to collect some samples. If anyone has suggestions for my aftershave safari, please let me know, wherever appropriate - I don't want to clog up Will's bountiful and educational thread here. (Hallows is already on order, and I have Lavanille and Cologne Russe, both of which I hope to never be without.)

The only thing blue I've tried is some Nautica cologne from years ago, which I did like at the time. Does anyone remember that? No idea what I'd think of it now.

I'm surprised to see that several people are unfamiliar with Floid Blue.  I thought that it was (or ought to be) a staple in everyone's repertoire.  I'm not going to make any comparisons to the Barrister's Reserve because I haven't got any of that yet but I will say this, in my opinion the only similarity between Floid Blue and Aqua Velva is that they are both blue.  I think the Floid is a nicer shade of blue however.
Marko

I used to hate shaving. So I didn't even bother with aftershave. It's like I stubbornly made myself even more miserable than I needed to be. I washed my hands of cologne for a long time, too. In fact, I still don't use it. But I do enjoy shaving now. And I've begun to enjoy aftershaves a lot, too. But I have to catch up with all the scents I missed while I was making myself miserable. I never got to try Floid Blue, or any Floid for that matter. There's a lot wrong in this world that I need to correct now that I've woken from my slumber, and chasing down the perfect shave is first on my list of things to make right. After that anything should be possible.

That's why I need to collect some samples. If anyone has suggestions for my aftershave safari, please let me know, wherever appropriate - I don't want to clog up Will's bountiful and educational thread here. (Hallows is already on order, and I have Lavanille and Cologne Russe, both of which I hope to never be without.)

The only thing blue I've tried is some Nautica cologne from years ago, which I did like at the time. Does anyone remember that? No idea what I'd think of it now.

I was just like you, I used an astringent unscented toner as a post shave but now I have discovered a world of wonder and scent - I still don't do much cologne wise though.

If you're using Barrister and Mann soaps and aftershaves / kyovus then you are definitely heading in a very good direction. I was lucky enough to find Barrister and Mann early on in my wet shaving journey. It has become the standard by which I measure all others. Of the many I've tried, a handful come close but none surpass Barrister and Mann. Thats my opinion for what its worth.