What soap/cream did you use today?

Lisa’s Natural Herbal Soap. Smoked Black Tea. I lathered with the Marco method using a sopping wet badger brush and it produced a wonderfully slick and hydrated lather. I hadn’t used it in about 6 months and was pleasantly surprised at how good it is.

After a 3-day hiatus from shaving, it felt so good to put brush to face with some high-quality soap this morning! 

Mike's Barber Shop

Houbigant Fougère Royale shaving soap (vintage)

After a 3-day hiatus from shaving, it felt so good to put brush to face with some high-quality soap this morning! 

That looks great

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Murphy & McNeil - Nantahala (Kodiak Base)

Manna di Sicilia v. (Saponificio Varesino) woody floral

This soap’s scent didn’t make any sense to me for a long time. It’s way too bitter, and frankly, it’s boring. But my feelings for it are starting to change thanks to a sample of Manna di Sicilia aftershave that Saponificio Varesino was kind enough to include with a recent shipment. This morning I broke it open and discovered that the fragrance behind Manna di Sicilia actually smells pretty good. I got all the eight notes advertised in the scent pyramid: orange, bergamot, sage, rose, cloves, hydrangea, cedar, and patchouli. It’s complete and at first it smells great. But it falls apart fast. The citrus is gone within seconds, and the herb and spice don’t last much longer. What’s left is a musty woody floral that reminds me of Cold River’s Bois Floraux – mostly rose and cedar with some patchouli to the side. Smells good enough in the aftershave, but it doesn't translate to the soap too well. It’s not strong enough to cover the scent of the base, so when you take a snort of the puck, you smell a lot of soap, too. That’s the acrid part that I find pretty annoying. And the citrus and spice are virtually nonexistent. It all comes across as very bare and ascetic. If I ever finish Manna di Sicilia, I won’t replace it. But I’ll hang onto it for a while. It will make a good soap for Lent.