OSP Aftershave

I tried the soap today and I have to say I loved it, got a great lather by rubbing it over my face like a stick and then attacking it with my TSR Xmas LE Shavemac Sivertip Fan. Took a wee bit to get going but get going it did! Love the scent too, would maybe even displace the Grapefruit and Menthol from the top spot...

Used the AS again also, again I got the slightly cloying smell litteraly just as my hands were hitting my face but that soon turned into pleasant cloveyness, never noticed the tackiness either and skin felt good. I do think a wee bit more alcohol would be good but othrthan that a big thumbs up!
 
With the soap drying in a TSR bowl, my bathroom has a pleasant bay rum fragrance in the air.

I kinda part bowl lathered till the brush was well loaded and then face lathered. I thought the soap very thirsty but hydration critical - make a lovely later but think it a tad dry, add water and the lather became weak - easily fixed with another swirl in the bowl.

I had to re-load for each pass, just a swirl or three. Anything less than a 'full cream' lather and it dried on my skin fairly quickly. It shaved off right down to my skin - very little or no 'after glide', residual soapiness.

First pass was bloodless with a 1924 but my face didn't much like it so I switched to a modern DE and enjoyed an easy, close, comfortable shave, BBS.

I enjoyed the scent and cooling but felt it could do with being beefed up a mite - it's subtle and I like a whack of fragrance.

The a/s went on well in spite of the 1924 (first ever use for a full pass) but didn't evaporate as quickly as I would have liked - no sting, lack of alcohol? - scent was pleasant but understated. I didn't get a real bay rum hit until I put on an American island bay rum balm - the one in the wicker casing.

So I conclude that for me the soap needs more of whatever makes the lather stable so it holds more water and the a/s a little more alcohol (I'm guessing). Both need more fragrance for my nose - not too full of snuff at that time of day.

This was a test shave so I am being hyper-critical. Had the soap and a/s come in retail packaging, I'd have put them on the second or maybe even third shelf down. All that said, I had a wonderful BBS shave and a pleasant face feel afterwards - so it wouldn't take much to move them up a shelf or two.

Many thanks for the opportunity, James. I shall most definitely try again in a day or two, I have plenty of each left!
 
Hi James I received my aftershave yesterday, it smells very similar to Benjamin's bay rum (with the addition of lime?), with around the same lasting power. Will try the soap tonight. May I also ask is it bay laurel you use, if so what concentration and compound is used? I prefer a dirty bay rum if that make sense something more gritty with a light clove base.
 
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Tried the soap sample today. Having read previous reviews and immediately smelling a mentholated kick, I decided to attack it differently. As with my Stirling soaps I used a big blob and very little water really working the brush into the soap. Subsequent lather was stable, very well cushioned and super slick. It did take a long time to work into a lather (8 minutes), but it easily produced enough for 5 passes:

 
Nishy said:
Tried the soap sample today. It did take a long time to work into a lather (8 minutes), but it easily produced enough for 5 passes
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Holy shaving crap overload.....8 minutes? Whew, thet's a purty long time. Seriously, eight minutes of earnest and sincere whisking? Must be magical results......

Meanwhile, your face is exposed the whole time so prep is off a bit unless you do something else before shaving. Do you sing while making the lather? You know, it's tough holding your breath for even 6 minutes and 8 is even longer! Just saying it's a long time is all.

Martin
 
It was decent, plenty slick with good cushion. I'm a menth head so love the kick. If you have any original Sterling Glacial try that for a kick! I did use 3 times more product as is the case with Sterling and little water.

8 minutes has a whole new strategy some music from The Police and some thick pre shave oil, preferably Murdock. The manchurian hairs gave it some welly.
 
Nishy said:
I'm a menth head so love the kick.

8 minutes has a whole new strategy some music from The Police and some thick pre shave oil, preferably Murdock.
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Oh jeez, well thanks for the menth head admission. Excuse my saying "Eeeeks" just once and done deal.

So you got a pre shave marinade going on then with the oil. That should work I guess.
 
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Right, I'm a bit late to the party, but I used the aftershave this morning.

The bay rum scent was very pleasant, not a million miles away from Benjamins. I'd been quite, um, thorough with the shave & the rub over with alum stung quite a bit. No sting at all from the AS and it went on very nicely. Afterwards, there is a slight something. Not tacky like a balm, just not the usual smooth glide across the face that you get with something like Old Spice. That's no problem at all for me and I wonder if it's less drying than an AS that has less glycerine.

A couple of hours later, I can still get a bit of bay rum scent, but not so much that I think it would clash with an EDT. I didn't bother with one today so I could see how the AS lasted.

All in all, pretty good. As I was getting stuff ready, with my OSP bay rum soap, I was thinking it'd be nice to have a pre-shave oil to go with it. Maybe get the AS ready for sale first though, eh? ;-)
 
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