Soaps you've hated this year

A note on Xpec.  I've always heard mixed reviews on it.  Typically I do not make rush decisions on soaps, especially expensive ones but on Pannacreama Nuavia Blu/Rossa I got them as gifts.  If there were ever other luxury soaps on my radar, it would be Acua di Parma, Martin de Candre and Xpec.  The first two for me, sound like winners, but I've always avoided Xpec because of the amount of mixed reviews on scent.  It just seems like AdP and MdC do not have that kind of hate for them that Xpec gets.

I don't know... I don't love the scent of xPec but I also don't hate it.

To Claus' point, I think the woody notes of the Thyme [very pronounced to my nose] and Cedarwood/Oakmoss, which are prevalent, throw off many looking for a cologne type scent.

A note on Xpec.  I've always heard mixed reviews on it.  Typically I do not make rush decisions on soaps, especially expensive ones but on Pannacreama Nuavia Blu/Rossa I got them as gifts.  If there were ever other luxury soaps on my radar, it would be Acua di Parma, Martin de Candre and Xpec.  The first two for me, sound like winners, but I've always avoided Xpec because of the amount of mixed reviews on scent.  It just seems like AdP and MdC do not have that kind of hate for them that Xpec gets.

I don't know... I don't love the scent of xPec but I also don't hate it.

To Claus' point, I think the woody notes of the Thyme [very pronounced to my nose] and Cedarwood/Oakmoss, which are prevalent, throw off many looking for a cologne type scent.

Agreed.
I would say Xpec is a scent Will from B&M would be proud to have made for one of his soaps.

It has that B&M vibe to the scent.

A note on Xpec.  I've always heard mixed reviews on it.  Typically I do not make rush decisions on soaps, especially expensive ones but on Pannacreama Nuavia Blu/Rossa I got them as gifts.  If there were ever other luxury soaps on my radar, it would be Acua di Parma, Martin de Candre and Xpec.  The first two for me, sound like winners, but I've always avoided Xpec because of the amount of mixed reviews on scent.  It just seems like AdP and MdC do not have that kind of hate for them that Xpec gets.

I don't know... I don't love the scent of xPec but I also don't hate it.

To Claus' point, I think the woody notes of the Thyme [very pronounced to my nose] and Cedarwood/Oakmoss, which are prevalent, throw off many looking for a cologne type scent.

Agreed.
I would say Xpec is a scent Will from B&M would be proud to have made for one of his soaps.

It has that B&M vibe to the scent.

I actually don't care for it. I respect the engineering, but it is not to my taste. My jar of XPEC is unscented.

I don't know... I don't love the scent of xPec but I also don't hate it.

To Claus' point, I think the woody notes of the Thyme [very pronounced to my nose] and Cedarwood/Oakmoss, which are prevalent, throw off many looking for a cologne type scent.

Agreed.
I would say Xpec is a scent Will from B&M would be proud to have made for one of his soaps.

It has that B&M vibe to the scent.

I actually don't care for it. I respect the engineering, but it is not to my taste. My jar of XPEC is unscented.

Touché

I don't know... I don't love the scent of xPec but I also don't hate it.

To Claus' point, I think the woody notes of the Thyme [very pronounced to my nose] and Cedarwood/Oakmoss, which are prevalent, throw off many looking for a cologne type scent.

Agreed.
I would say Xpec is a scent Will from B&M would be proud to have made for one of his soaps.

It has that B&M vibe to the scent.

I actually don't care for it. I respect the engineering, but it is not to my taste. My jar of XPEC is unscented.

I always thought there was a striking similarity between XPEC scented and Rhapsody. Not exact, but very similar. Both scents grow on you after a bit of dedicated use.

Coincidentally for me it was Caties Bubbles! Un Joir Gris was the scent. Suppose to be a rainy day type scent. Smelled like Febreeze and i hated it! First soap i ever threw away. I didnt even wanna waste money shipping it out to someone. Although, i do love the performance and the 2 oz jars.

I can not say hate, but some burned my skin. Catie's Bubbles and WSP. Simply deception.

My guess is Xpec is one of those scents, that probably will stink to the less advanced noses. I actually did not care for it the first time I sniffed it.

Today I can enjoy it, but it's never going to be a favourite of mine. But I appreciate it for its rather unique and advanced scent profile.

Sort of like B&M Bay Rum and Tabac. Not over the top favourite scents (Tabac does have a nostalgic vibe for me though), but advanced scent composition that I still enjoy highly.

Xpex is definitely not an advanced scent. To me it smells like a public restroom sorry

Have you smelled Dior Privé Leather oud or Serge Lutens Musc Koublai Khan ?
They are definitely what I consider advanced high priced niche scents.
To me they still to this day smell like fecals, leather, musc and manure blended together. Xpec smells like vivid bright flowers compared to that !

But I actually got your reaction the first time I smelled Xpec. But after sniffing the scent more times, Xpec now smells more like dark dusty flowers mixed with a base of woody notes.

Xpec definitely is an advanced complex scent. Its composition is advanced, it has many notes and it gives me the same vibe as Czech & Speak 88, an also quite advanced scent.

Perhaps a better term would be complicated, rather than advanced.

Mystic Water Coconut Sandalwood the scent was great but I can't lather it for the life of me and I've all but given up. coming from someone who whips up MWF like a dream. There's just too many soaps out there to try and play with a finicky soap.

Hate is a really strong word.  Like I hate shitty drivers.  How I feel towards those shitty drivers doesn't match my dislike for certain shave products.  That said, here are the soaps I didn't care for:
- CFG Midnight Stag - couldn't hang with the scent
- DR Harris Rose - didn't perform very well, scent was terrible
- Antica Barbieria Colla - didn't perform very well,  don't like sweet almond scents
- L&L Grooming After the Rain (vegan formula) - performance and scent was meh, looking forward to trying the improved bison tallow formula
- WK Vetivertal - my tub mind as well be unscented ...

I feel that I should follow-up with my previous comments in bold.  

First, I have since received both Cuir et Epices and the Chatillon Lux Champs de Lavande soaps from L&L in the bison tallow formula.  The performance is top tier.  CeE is a very nice, spicy, sweet, smooth leather.  CdL is an awesome peppery lavender (I love the toner).

Second, I've had the opportunity to try a sample of Vetivertal since posting this.  The scent was amazing!  Good strength that I enjoyed throughout and after the shave.  Which leaves me to believe I got a bad soap over the b/s/t.  I know of a few folks that love Vetivertal, so there has to be something with this particular tub.  Perhaps the previous owner(s) left the lid off for too long?   I'm going to try scraping a few layers off the top now that I sniffed the real deal scent.  Or just call it a dud and order the scent in the tallow base when it gets released.