Thread: Arrived Today

To be honest I only got the MWF because it seemed like it's all people talked about here and in other forums. Thought there must be something to it. The ceramic bowl looked cool too. I didn't open it yet, but I'm.. Hopeful?

I got the T&H Rose because I wanted something fougere or aromatic. It was a pleasant distraction from my other mostly natural dailies

Thing is I'm not a big fan of citrus so I try to avoid anything lime based thought the West Indies like keeps on whispering to me.

Any particular scents you feel that people 'just got to try'?

That's what I have so far:

Originally Posted by ffarouki

To be honest I only got the MWF because it seemed like it's all people talked about here and in other forums. Thought there must be something to it. The ceramic bowl looked cool too. I didn't open it yet, but I'm.. Hopeful?

I got the T&H Rose because I wanted something fougere or aromatic. It was a pleasant distraction from my other mostly natural dailies

Thing is I'm not a big fan of citrus so I try to avoid anything lime based thought the West Indies like keeps on whispering to me.

Any particular scents you feel that people 'just got to try'?

That's what I have so far:

I have a larger range but a very similar collection. I quite like subtle scents mostly, but I do love matching soaps / creams to AS or colognes or occasionally a balm.

For example, the Proraso white sensitive pre shave and shave soap is great when added to the Proraso AS balm in that range, not for going out, but its a great smell for a late night shave before bed.

Tabac is far from Subtle but when used with the cologne, it is a good going out scent, although after a few hours the scent smells a little like stale tobacco to me. I prefer to use Tabac soap followed by Pinaud clubman Bay Rum, but not always.

I love TOBS lemon and lime shave cream, followed by Trumpers Lime Skin food and then TOBS No74 victorian limes cologne, very subtle, not overly citrus. The wife's favourite. However when it's hot and humid I do like to face lather with ARKO instead of a cream. Arko has a lemony smell, thats not overpowering with cold water.

Some things are classics of course, a good sandalwood soap and AS/cologne is a must for example, but there are many more.

I guess experimentation is part of the fun. In the beginning I loved all the strong smells, but nowadays I prefer subtle, and most of my favourites were unexpected like TOBS No74 victorian lime. One of my absolute favourite AS is Cussons original. Amazingly cheap here in Australia. I also like Col Conks bay rum, it may not be a classic bay rum smell but it is very nice.

Oh so many to try…..lol

Oh and of course the other thing to remember is that most soaps or cream scents are gone by the end of the shave so you can use a different smelling AS/or cologne.

Variety is the spice of life…..

My friend.. You are an artist! Lol

You know I have this matching thing always in the back of my mind.. Even before I really got into wet shaving. With fragrances. I think certain EDTs go with certain weather conditions, hours of day and even color of clothing.

But now in shaving, from the beginning I always liked subtle smells so now I'm trying to do the opposite and find a couple interesting smells to spice things up.

I also almost stopped using my EDTs and like everyone obsess with A/S. So far got the Floid Amber, VIBR and Old Spice.

I live a couple of miles away from Green Park, ie Bond Street, Jermyn Street etc. maybe should go pay T&H, TOBS and Trumpers a visit on the weekend.

Originally Posted by ffarouki

My friend.. You are an artist! Lol

You know I have this matching thing always in the back of my mind.. Even before I really got into wet shaving. With fragrances. I think certain EDTs go with certain weather conditions, hours of day and even color of clothing.

But now in shaving, from the beginning I always liked subtle smells so now I'm trying to do the opposite and find a couple interesting smells to spice things up.

I also almost stopped using my EDTs and like everyone obsess with A/S. So far got the Floid Amber, VIBR and Old Spice.

I live a couple of miles away from Green Park, ie Bond Street, Jermyn Street etc. maybe should go pay T&H, TOBS and Trumpers a visit on the weekend.

Wow, My great problem is I have to buy before I try. Not much in the way of retail here. You're a lucky man being able to try the scents in a store before buying.

I certainly agree with you regarding the use of scents and weather conditions etc.

Sound like we are both artists that are on a mission to discover the beauty of scent….

Once you "figure out" MWF, it is great. Buy an extra puck and spend an hour practicing with it. You may be one of the lucky ones that have success right off the bat.

Ya, I think Wayne is spot on here.

For every product, even the creme de la creme, some will say Brand X is great and others will say it belongs in the shower or trash. I always recommend using a new product for AT LEAST a week straight (or 7 shaves) to learn how to use it properly. At least if you give it a fair shake you can honestly say it's not for you and move on.

Incidentally, I intend to try the MWF tomorrow for the very first time. I have 2 nice badgers and one synthetic. I forgot to ask, any risk ruining the badgers by 'trying to hard' and should use the synthetic? Or are the badgers up for the task?

Badger will be up to the task. You don't have to mash the bristles into the puck but do load the brush for twice as long as you would with any other hard soap. It also helps to have the puck pre-soaked so the surface is soft prior to loading.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Ya, I think Wayne is spot on here.

For every product, even the creme de la creme, some will say Brand X is great and others will say it belongs in the shower or trash. I always recommend using a new product for AT LEAST a week straight (or 7 shaves) to learn how to use it properly. At least if you give it a fair shake you can honestly say it's not for you and move on.

Ryan82 and Wayne1963 are right of course.

I have several soaps and creams I just don't use much and I don't rate for me. One is Tabac, is a great soap, a fantastic performer and I even like the smell mostly, but I'm not drawn to use it as much as I once was. Is it a bad soap?, of course not, but for me for some reason its not the best, for some it's the best thing since sliced bread, but not one of my favourites I guess.

MWF was a similar story, we use rainwater here which is the softest water and the lather was amazing, but for me the smell was so, so and I felt it dried my skin more than others, so it is no more for me. I must admit I got fed up with all the "make your MWF better" posts, cos to me it's not worth a dime to throw good money after bad… If it doesn't work move on...

I'll know if I love a soap straight off the bat, the smell, the performance, the feel. If it makes me feel great, it is great…

Some soaps /creams like Tabac come into season and go out of season, some like MWF are no more, some like Proraso Green, or TOBS Lavender / grapefruit / lemon and lime are used every other week, and some like Arko are used on several days a week. All of these make me feel great but Im not "a one soap kinda guy", I like variety.

Most of my favourite soaps / creams didn't take me long to learn to use, sure they are all slightly different, but for me if it's difficult I will give it several days to work it out, and at the end I will either keep it or move on.

Life is to short to be worrying about shaving soaps….love it or leave it….