(This post was last modified: 07-01-2018, 10:32 PM by Bouki.)
Himalaya (Tallow+Steel) ★★★★☆ woody oriental
Crack a tub of Himalaya, and it's easy to imagine that it's 1840 and you're in the hold of a trading ship just back from Bombay. Along with the smell of salt water and timbers, you pick up the musty aromas of damp tobacco leaves, resins, spices, wax, and some kind of funky flowers that haven't ever grown in your garden. It's alluring, a little confusing, and really quite unlike anything you've ever smelled.
In fact, my first whiff of Himalaya reminded me of Play-Doh, the second sniff smelled of cake batter, and the third of a room in a backpackers' hotel in Darjeeling. What that tells me is there's a lot in this package that at first I just didn't recognize. My nose was bouncing all over my memory searching for a match. Looking through the scent notes, I spotted the source of the confusion: sughanda kokila and palmarosa are two plants I've never even heard of, much less smelled. Rhododendron was there, too. Now, I've lived with these bushes most of my life, but I've never noticed they had a scent.
So this soap's aroma is for me breaking entirely new ground. It's surprising and intriguing, but to be honest, I can't say it smells great. It makes a fragrant, exotic lather, but it's all a bit out of focus. I wished for one clear note that I could easily recognize and hang all the other notes from.
I should mention that the lather itself is remarkable. Dense, slick, and highly protective, it comes together without any effort. I've been using a Fine Angel Hair brush - the limpest, wobbliest tuft in my stable - and it worked wonderfully. A light splash remedied a slight bit of tightness, and as the day wore on the soap's rich oils made for a fantastic finish.
Crack a tub of Himalaya, and it's easy to imagine that it's 1840 and you're in the hold of a trading ship just back from Bombay. Along with the smell of salt water and timbers, you pick up the musty aromas of damp tobacco leaves, resins, spices, wax, and some kind of funky flowers that haven't ever grown in your garden. It's alluring, a little confusing, and really quite unlike anything you've ever smelled.
In fact, my first whiff of Himalaya reminded me of Play-Doh, the second sniff smelled of cake batter, and the third of a room in a backpackers' hotel in Darjeeling. What that tells me is there's a lot in this package that at first I just didn't recognize. My nose was bouncing all over my memory searching for a match. Looking through the scent notes, I spotted the source of the confusion: sughanda kokila and palmarosa are two plants I've never even heard of, much less smelled. Rhododendron was there, too. Now, I've lived with these bushes most of my life, but I've never noticed they had a scent.
So this soap's aroma is for me breaking entirely new ground. It's surprising and intriguing, but to be honest, I can't say it smells great. It makes a fragrant, exotic lather, but it's all a bit out of focus. I wished for one clear note that I could easily recognize and hang all the other notes from.
I should mention that the lather itself is remarkable. Dense, slick, and highly protective, it comes together without any effort. I've been using a Fine Angel Hair brush - the limpest, wobbliest tuft in my stable - and it worked wonderfully. A light splash remedied a slight bit of tightness, and as the day wore on the soap's rich oils made for a fantastic finish.
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