Castle Forbes technique

Hey guys! I'm delighted to have received my first tub of Castle Forbes (in this case, lavender). I got on well with a small sample from Maggards, and noticed from that how firm this stuff is as a cream.

Given that, I'm curious: would you recommend loading a brush directly from the tub (as I do with firmer creams like AdP or SMN), or do people scoop this stuff out and somehow smear it around their face? Or, horrors, palm lather it first as shown in OneBlade's shaving video?

How ever shall I storm this castle?

I load CF in the tub. I find it to be similar in consistency to Latha, which is to say, too firm to scoop some out to use but too soft for blooming. So you don't need to load very long and I also don't try to incorporate any water while loading.

I have done both, in the tub or scooping a bit and dropping it in the bowl. Interesting, it should not be hard at all, but soft, not a la Simpson, but soft enough to scoop.

If I were to face lather CF, I'd probably load it from the tub. However, something about lathering soft creams directly from the tub offends my sense of aesthetics. I'd probably still try to whip up a proto-lather in a bowl, then bring it to my face. This is a truly fantastic cream IMO, and I wouldn't want to contaminate it (with such a high water content, given its consistency) with direct loading, especially if you have a larger rotation.

Consistency is the determining factor for me. I have observed that cream consistency varies significantly even within the same brand. I use a load in the tub method if I find it to be on the firm side and a scoop out of the tub method if it is soft.Case in point, I have used up two tubs of AdP cream (new formula) the first one was super soft, if you'd tried to load in the tub you would have ended up with the entire tub of it stuck in the brush. The second tub was MUCH firmer and while it was certainly possible to scoop some out it just worked far better to load directly in the tub. This has been true as well of my experience with numerous other creams including AoS, T&H, and Trumpers. Although, I have only ever had one tub of CF, which is new to me, so I can't speak to variance in their creams, but it seems to be a trend.
If it was very soft I'd share NeoXerxes concern with incorporating any additional water, as I have seen a tub of cream turn into a tub of soup from too wet a brush. But if you've really wrung out your brush, it likely makes little difference.

In my view it isn't extraordinarily soft Merkur Man, but like you said, water can incorporate into cream very easily. I can see Castle Forbes starting out on the more dense side (but still scoopable and not quite hard) and ending as a soupy soft cream with tub loading.

Consistency is the determining factor for me.  I have observed that cream consistency varies significantly even within the same brand.  I use a load in the tub method if I find it to be on the firm side and a scoop out of the tub method if it is soft.Case in point, I have used up two tubs of AdP cream (new formula) the first one was super soft, if you'd tried to load in the tub you would have ended up with the entire tub of it stuck in the brush.  The second tub was MUCH firmer and while it was certainly possible to scoop some out it just worked far better to load directly in the tub.   This has been true as well of my experience with numerous other creams including AoS, T&H, and Trumpers.  Although, I have only ever had one tub of CF, which is new to me, so I can't speak to variance in their creams, but it seems to be a trend.  
If it was very soft I'd share NeoXerxes concern with incorporating any additional water, as I have seen a tub of cream turn into a tub of soup from too wet a brush.  But if you've really wrung out your brush, it likely makes little difference.

Yes sir, it does vary. Good point and well taken my friend.

I'm also finicky about how store my creams vs. soaps. I guess that would make a difference.

Interesting points. Indeed, it's not hard like a soap, but it's certainly firmer than many creams. I've been successful tub-loading SMN, AdP, and even Tabula Rasa, so I'll try that first with the Castle Forbes. I generally load with a damp but not dripping brush, and leave the soap or cream uncapped long enough for the obvious moisture (the gleam, as it were) to dry off.

When using CF from the sample, I did indeed scoop some out, but since it's firmer, it didn't so readily spread around my face (and didn't stick to the brush easily, either!).

I have owned the Lime and the Lavender, I think both mine were acquired back in 2012, they are still both 50% full, the lime perhaps only 40% full.

They are both croaps, quite gluey in texture, like a semi hard glue, not a hard soap, not a soft cream . so a croap.

I load it like I do with any other product in my den, just load the living life out of it.

I load all my croaps directly from the tub, and I never ever bloom a croap, unless it's really dried out. Then perhaps I may bloom it with 10-15 drops of water, but that's not actual blooming per se.

CF is great stuff.

That's reassuring, CHSeifert. I think I'm going to go with my usual method, then, and indeed load CF directly from the tub. I don't use a sopping wet brush, so it should be safe from too much water being added to the tub.

I have to say, just opening the CF Lavender to sniff is an instant swoon. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.