What soap/cream did you use today?

Barrister & Mann, Cool (Reserve)



As noticed and stated multiple times here, scent-wise Omnibus tends to be the underperformer across B&M's bases. The base's own smell kind of gets in the way of the fragrance. Like a musically ungifted person from the audience of a full house opera show, all of a sudden starting to sing in an unsolicited duet with the tenor. Awkward, just like the scents in the Omnibus formula. Cool is no exception. Omnibus is however a great lather performer.

How's the Overlander treating you?  I've been using it the past couple shaves and can definitively state it's now the #2 razor in the den.

HoosierShave, thanks for asking! The Overlander and I are getting along pretty well so far. I've used it nine days in a row, and most of those shaves were very good. I love crashing through thirty hours of growth. Feels like I'm pulling a bush hog. 

But I find I need to keep it to one pass. This is a heavy razor, so when I'm not careful, it can scrape up a bit of skin. And if I take more than one pass, I'll start feeling some annoying irritation. (This is true, though, of most of my razors. My skin is super sensitive lately.)

So it's turning out to be a good day-to-day razor, especially when I've got extra growth and I'm using thick tallow soaps. But if I start chasing a BBS, or if I want to use a lighter lather, I'm probably better off with a lighter razor.

Nevertheless, we're still in the early days of this trial. I've got ninety-three shaves to go before I offer my final opinion. Let's have this conversation again around Thanksgiving.

(Did you end up ordering the Encre Noir?)

Over the past year or so, I've discovered the joys of not chasing the BBS.  I find myself doing 1 and 2 pass shaves are more and more often.  Part of it is simply due to limited time these days.  But I also like that I have more to shave the next morning.

The Encre Noir should be here within the next week or so.  I ordered through Ebay rather than Amazon...so it's going to take a bit longer

Barrister & Mann, Cool (Reserve)



As noticed and stated multiple times here, scent-wise Omnibus tends to be the underperformer across B&M's bases. The base's own smell kind of gets in the way of the fragrance. Like a musically ungifted person from the audience of a full house opera show, all of a sudden starting to sing in an unsolicited duet with the tenor. Awkward, just like the scents in the Omnibus formula. Cool is no exception. Omnibus is however a great lather performer.

Respect others' take on this but, to date, have not had a whif of base some cite. Admittedly my nose not the best and brightest; sometimes ignorance is bliss....

Beaudelaire (Barrister & Mann) licorice fougère
Shave 7 ・ 177 g left

I’m not sure why Barrister & Mann hasn’t made Beaudelaire a part of their standard collection. It may be the best (or second best) scent Will ever concocted. A smooth combination of spice, leather, and fern, this soap smells amazing. I enjoy it all throughout the year, but I think its dark, earthy richness comes out best in the autumn. Makes me think of hunting for black truffles in September.

Beaudelaire used to be available exclusively at West Coast Shaving, but it’s currently out of stock. Alas.
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Razor Overlander ・ Blade PolSilver ・ Brush Amber Aerolite ・ Hoard 17,716 g ・ 110 consecutive shaves

     

Beaudelaire (Barrister & Mann) licorice fougère
Shave 7 ・ 177 g left

I’m not sure why Barrister & Mann hasn’t made Beaudelaire a part of their standard collection.


     

Because it was an exclusive for West Coast Shaving. WCS needs request a reissue. 

Agreed it pretty damned good

Barrister & Mann, Cool (Reserve)



As noticed and stated multiple times here, scent-wise Omnibus tends to be the underperformer across B&M's bases. The base's own smell kind of gets in the way of the fragrance. Like a musically ungifted person from the audience of a full house opera show, all of a sudden starting to sing in an unsolicited duet with the tenor. Awkward, just like the scents in the Omnibus formula. Cool is no exception. Omnibus is however a great lather performer.

Respect others' take on this but, to date, have not had a whif of base some cite. Admittedly my nose not the best and brightest; sometimes ignorance is bliss....

I'm with you Dan. Granted, I don't have any Omnibus soaps where I've had the same scent in a previous base. Even still, my nose is unlikely to notice a difference. Sometimes I envy those who can pick up subtle notes. Othertimes, like you, I feel ignorance is bliss.

Mike's Natural Soaps - Pine & Cedarwood

Really flawless shave and post, from one of the original artisans.
He is an outlier, seeing as though the formula is probably over ten years old.... and Mike doesn't even post on forums (to my knowledge) or make new scents on a regular basis, and is still in business.

Sunday, Aug 28: My second time using this Omega.
I may have to work on dialling in the right amount of water. It seems to go from gooey to frothy with just a bit too much water, then with a bit more time it settles down to "creamy". Still, I quite like it. 
In spite of "eucalyptus" being listed in the ingredients, I can hardly smell it (which I deem to be a good thing). It's quite reasonably priced too.