Le Pere Lucien 1st Impressions

Presentation: In the pics I have seen, I loved the idea of a vintage tin jar with the label on top. I liked the smaller jar so much, I decided that it be the one I order. Alas, I received a different looking article. The sticker won't hold, quickly creasing and tearing. I wrote to Cyril and he replied that he has packaging issues and although the general presentation is 'similar', he uses whatever is available and to expect variances with every order.

One thing that ticked me though, was that the inside of the jar's lids were already accumulating black substance, metal tarnish/oxidization I believe. I wet the soap and gave a few swirls with a brush I don't care much for and the black substance came on the top layer or the soap making a mess. I spent a good hour cleaning the soap and the inside of the jar with earbuds and cotton so that it doesn't happen again. I was worried with cutting oneself and open skin, not a good idea.

Scent: At the first whiff, Vicks VapoRub immediately sprung to mind. I got worried and although I had already shaved the day it arrived, I quickly went to the bathroom to lather it. Phew! Better. It's definitely a fougere aroma, I'm thinking a North American woods in the winter. It's much better when thinned/less intense I guess with water, but now I'm thinking Ingram no idea why.

Lather-ability: This soap lathered easily, no issues here. Quite nicely actually, albeit a bit thirsty I have found. Very creamy but very soft, i.e not very cushioning as other soaps I have tried.

Performance: Meh.. I really want to like this soap, help! Alright, it shaved okay. Not the most protective IMHO. I had to be slightly more careful than usual with my ATT R2. A little goes a long way, which is good I guess to continuously apply more lather.

Post-Shave: The scent lingered for a while after my shave. Sometimes, this is a good thing, a nice reminder so to speak. But you would want to match it with a complimenting AS. My skin feels alright.

Conclusion: At £20 delivered to the UK for 200g, considering the above, I would personally say skip it. There are literally tons of soaps out there that cost much less, smell better, clinically tested and give you equal to better performance.

As above discussed, my biggest gripe was with the packaging. You pay for what you see advertised and if changes are expected, I would like to know beforehand. For that amount, I also don't want to be worrying if it is 'safe' to use.

That's not to say that it isn't promising. Maybe with time Cyril will be able to streamline or standardize his craft, bringing the price down or resolving his packaging issues. I would love to see other scents being developed.

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