Showing posts with label Shaving Soap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shaving Soap. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Crabtree & Evelyn Shave Soap in a Bowl - Moroccan Myrrh

What do you buy the guy that has everything? Personally I would say a nicer Bvlgari watch but I’d be likely to be punched square in the face by my other half. In the interests of matrimonial bliss instead, and as a second choice you couldn’t do better than Crabtree & Evelyn Shave Soap in a Bowl - Moroccan Myrrh as a stocking filler, or hell, it‘s that snazzy, as just a nice gift for someone who is, or should be into their grooming routine.


Crabtree & Evelyn Shave Soap in a Bowl - Moroccan Myrrh

As a firm convert to shaving soap I had been expecting this to come in paper packaging (I find that incredibly irritating for shaving soap) so when it arrived from their lovely PR people I was shocked by how much it weighed when there was apparently only 100g of the soap - had I developed a muscle wasting disease overnight (not a stretch of the imagination with my health history)? No, much better, as soon as I read the front that it was soap in a bowl I could wait to take a peek.

It just looks so cool - this is something I’d have on display in the bathroom constantly, not hidden away in the cupboard (like the other soggy wrapped shaving soaps I use). It oozes class and the bowl comes with a handy lid - personally I like to leave the lid off for a while so that the fragrance fills the bathroom. Ah, the fragrance, yes……


Crabtree & Evelyn Shave Soap in a Bowl - Moroccan Myrrh
Crabtree & Evelyn Shave Soap in a Bowl - Moroccan Myrrh
Crabtree & Evelyn Shave Soap in a Bowl - Moroccan Myrrh

This smells sooooooo good it’s fine…..OK, a bit more depth you say? Well, most shaving soaps that I’ve come across tend to be either Old Spice replicas or they dominate the room with their fragrance either leaving you gagging or thinking you can smell it lingering on the skin for the rest of the day. Not this, it has a very subtle aroma, oriental with a hint of spice that gives it a warmth on the nose without being overpowering. The bergamot acts as a wonderful balance to the spicy Myrrh. It is a perfect blend and I personally was impressed, having smelt a Myrrh based fragrance once and being repulsed I find myself strangely attracted to this.

This is what that say about the soap at the Crabtree & Evelyn website here:

‘There’s something quite reassuring about shave soap. Our rich-lathering, dermatologist-approved Moroccan Myrrh Shave Soap updates this classic with an intriguing, exotic fragrance. An experience that gentlemen across all ages can enjoy.

Contains skin-conditioning Moroccan Myrrh extract.’

A quick swirl around the bowl with a damp shaving brush and this lathers up brilliantly, although it feels a bit of a shame to ruin the way it looks with the branding on the top. Rich, creamy and long lasting the lather here doesn’t start to evaporate off your face the moment you move on with the brush. Reassuringly thick I have to say it doesn’t seem to clog my safety razor, something I have found when using gels in the past. 

With a touch more oil in this I think the glide would be perfect as the razor passes over the skin, but as it is I have to say it’s good, not great, but good. Maybe I’ve turned into a shaving snob, I’m not sure, but after using a few creams with Argan Oil I’ve found there to be no razor burn or irritation. Using this I feared the worst, but it wasn’t as bad as I feared.

I had a few nicks here and there, but in terms of razor burn and irritation there was none. The nicks probably did come from me thinking so much about how the soap had lathered rather than concentrating on the razor blade running millimetres from my jugular. 

At $25 for this lovely bowl and enough of the soap to keep you shaving for months on end then I think you can do a lot worse, I know I have in the past. This not only looks uber cool (I know it’s not cool to use the term uber anymore) in the bathroom, it smells divine and lathers up better than about 99% of the soaps I’ve tried. As I said at the start, this would make a perfect stocking filler or just a random gift - did anyone say Secret Santa (too early?!?!?)?

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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Primal Man Shave Club

UPDATE: September 2016 - it appears that Primal Man are no longer, which is a shame as I did like their service.

Primal Man Shave Club is about getting back to quality shaving - boom, that's pretty much their ethos and this is reflected in the boxes they post to their members. A monthly kit which arrives through your letterbox featuring a range of different products from soaps, aftershaves, razor blades and so on, essentially everything you need for a wet shave and an idea to make it less of a chore and something more fun with new products to test and try out.

Having been asked to give my views on the box, I was delighted at how well packaged everything came, from the outer box where there is no disguising what it is that is inside, to the positioning and well packed items.



Primal Man Shave Club

Inside this box I have:


Primal Man Shave Club
  • The Razor - a premium Primal Man double edge razor. The razor has a specially grooved handle for maximum grip and provides a wonderfully smooth shaving experience. The Razor has been weighted to perfection and allows you to "let the razor do the work". For me this had an added nostalgia as I first used a safety razor like this to have my first ever shave some..........(gets out a calculator).......twenty five years ago........(holy Jesus I'm old)

Primal Man Shave Club

Primal Man Shave Club

  • After shave Balm - Made by Institute Karite, a brand I have never come across it is described as being a moisturising balm to relieve and soothe the burning sensations of shaving

Primal Man Shave Club

  • The Brush - Made by Kent (whom are by appointment to Her Majesty The Queen) which is great quality, great for creating lather and designed ergonomically to making using it easy

Primal Man Shave Club

  • Supermax Super Stainless Blades - Helpfully included is a pack of blades that should last you for the entire month, depending on how often you shave

Primal Man Shave Club

  • Shaving Soap - Again made by Kent, this soap is Enriched with a fine fougere fragrance with pine, clove and lavender extracts, on a base of cedardwood, nutmeg, sandalwood, vanilla and musk

Primal Man Shave Club

  • Alum Matchsticks - From The Legends of London, these alum matchsticks are great antibacterial sticks for calming razor burn, closing pores and are really soothing when used

Primal Man Shave Club

All of this costs just £24.95 per month, though a three month subscription costs £20.95 per month and so on.  A year long subscription is just £16.95 per month and like other subscription boxes it can be cancelled at any time. Free shipping to: England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They do ship internationally but then you are looking at paying £10.50 on top for shipping per box. 

Now, I have used the products in the box and they warrant individual reviews rather than me listing it all down here (so watch out for those), but even the razor was worth buying the box all on it's own. The retail value of the products far exceed what you'll pay (the razor - without any blades is about £45 to buy in the shops). 

My shaving experience was actually rather good - a little more concentration was needed as it does have the ability to slash your throat (and I did do some prep using a deep cleansing scrub after showering) but it was really close, in fact I can think of only one shave closer at that was carried out by the amazing Darius at The Legends in Holborn.

Minor irritation (more due to me applying too much pressure on the blade) did occur but the aftershave balm calmed this down brilliantly.

I never pass up the chance to have a play around with an old school shaving kit and I'm really quite teary (no really, honest) at the memories this brought back. This emotional connection combined with the excellent high quality products mean that I will happily be signing up for the Primal Man Shave Club on a longer term basis.

Dexter likes the box as well......


Primal Man Shave Club

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