What soap/cream did you use today?

Leviathan sample (Barrister & Mann) leather, sandalwood, coffee, cedar & musk

Interesting idea.  The first "brick book" that comes to mind for me is Robin Buss' translation of The Count of Monte Cristo.  I wonder what soap would go with that?

Unabridged, huh. That takes dedication, HighSpeed. For the Count of Monte Cristo, I might lean toward a new tub of Martin de Candre Fougère. A great French soap for a great French book. Both are built to last. What do you think?

Thank you Bouki.   I'm of two minds on the MdC Fougère.  OT1H, it pairs well with the book in ways that never occurred to me until you mentioned it.  For example, MdC's ethnicity matches the characters' ethnicity; MdC's marketing image fits with their time period and station; and the titular nobility of Houbigant's original Fougère Royale fits too.  And yes, both are definitely built to last!  OTOH in my mind, MdC does not really speak either to the initial treachery, or to the ensuing clever and swashbuckling adventures through which Dantès loses and then wins back his freedom, reputation, wealth, and true love.

But at the end of the day, I think MdC Fougère would do well enough; I'm beginning to see how easy it is to overthink these things; and I thank you again.

You're absolutely right, HighSpeed. Martin de Candre's Fougère might not be dirty enough to suit the darker parts of the tale. Barrister & Mann's Fern is also too bright, but maybe Will's Beaudelaire just might hit the spot? Its fragrance has a French pedigree (sort of), and like the plot of the book, it harbors plenty of curious and unexpected twists and turns, some dark, some bright, but all very interesting.

Used PAA ck6 St. Martin's Land today and had a great shave. Instead of loading from the tub, I just scooped and smeared about a nickel size amount of soap in my loading dish. It worked great and the smell was fantastic. I tried this scent out in a aftershave sample format last year and expected something a little different based on the notes. Was really hoping for a blast of deep sweet green Moroccan Chamomile. That is one of my favorite scents. It's like a strong note of sweet candy apple lollipop or tea.

Anyways, I still enjoyed it (the overall scent) after getting it and ended up buying and using like 6 samples of this scent. I recently decided to buy the shave soap and I think it will get used and enjoyed. It's hard to say what I get, but something comes across light and airy or almost talc like. I don't mind ginger but I'm not the most familiar with it and it's been a while since I have had some ginger essential oil so it's possible that's what I get a good whiff of. Looking forward to using this one again soon. Cheers and happy shaving people

Oleo Soapworks Irving Park

20% off at Pasteur's generally results in a new-to-me shave soap.  A few weekends ago was no exception...

Ethos Grooming Succès shaving soap. Wonderful.