Originally Posted by
SemperFi
Two shaves in and Nera is a solid performer in terms of lathering and producing a nice, thick lather. Likewise, its after-shave moisturizing properties are very solid as well--my skin feels great, even during this cold and dry winter. It's not quite there in PC's claim that the soap will serve as a full-on aftershave. Had a touch of razor burn after my first shave with the soap and the soap wasn't much help in this dept. However, in fairness, I think a soap or cream also being able to knock out burn is a bit too much to ask.
On to the scent. As Nelson said above, its citrus note really dominates. The bergamot gives it a more bitter citrus top note, and that bold citrus note dominates during the shave, though some heart notes popped in and out during my 2nd pass. About 10 minutes after finishing both my 1st and 2nd shaves, the heart notes, which are much more subtle, began coming through. The flowery scent of the heart isn't cloying or etc., it's solid without being too much--masculine if you will. The heart note then slides gradually into the soap's amber/musk base. Here the soap's tonka bean and vanilla take over and compliment each other well with a soothing blend that is bolder than the heart notes.
This soap's scent is definitely more aligned with perfumes and complex colognes, so I suggest trying an unscented aftershave/balm with the soap to give its scent a chance to open up after the shave. Also, the balm should do the trick for any burn or etc. (Lab Series is a very reasonably priced and solid, unscented balm that I like when I don't want an aftershave to clash with a finish EdC or etc.). I think a more robustly scented balm or finish will overpower the subtler heart and base notes of this scent--they both definitely are more subdued than the citrus top note.
I did a test lather (2 applications) w/o shaving earlier this evening to see what the soap's scent would do. In this test, only the citrus scent came through and dominated, even during the dry down. Near the end of the soap's longevity, which is about 1.5 - 2 hrs, the base just very faintly began coming through. These results were very different than my two post-shave experiences with the soap's scent. Not sure on this test and I will shave the soap a few more times, but my initial hunch as of now is the soap may need to be on the face for a longer time--i.e., a 3-pass shave duration--for it work in and thus allow the soap's scent to open fully through its range of notes.
Final thoughts for now, the soap's performance is excellent. If you're not a citrus fan or a fan of bitter citrus scents, give the soap a pass. The heart and base of the soap is subdued but nice if you enjoy more masculine floral and tonka/vanilla scents. I also suggest not using a scented balm or finish for the first times with the soap, as they may overpower the soap's heart and base notes. I'm still not sure with regard to my test lather...will shave the soap a few more times to see if I consistently get similar scent results as I experienced with my two shaves.