savor – Earl Grey shaving soap

Tags

6/10, bermagot, citrus, earl grey, lemon, savor, shaving soap

The Earl Grey is what prompted me to make a purchase from savor in the first place. I suppose I should have read the description, since it’s not really an Earl Grey scented soap; it’s Bergamot with a dash of lemon, without an attempt to replicate the tea portion of an actual Earl Grey tea. That having been said, it’s still nice and citrus-y.

But it’s fairly weak at that; I’d say barely perceptible when lathered up and applied to the face.

Much like my previous experience with savor, the lather is typical of a decent melt-and-pour with a few tweaks made. Does the trick good enough, as long as you can get the water balance right (to get enough glide while maintaining viscosity). Nothing to write home about, but it’ll do the trick.

• 8/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 6/10 Scent Strength
• 7/10 Lather Quality

Overall, a 6/10. Not terrible, but kinda plain.

• Cost: The 85g / 3 oz puck shown will set you back $5.

Gear used:

• Brush: The Colonel
• Razor: Edwin Jagger DE81BL (Red)
• Blade: Crown Super Stainless
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Once again, the ingredient listing on the website and on the label differed, but this time I went to the trouble of e-mailing the proprietor to clarify which is which, and apparently the listing on the website was correct:

Ingredients: coconut oil x palm oil x castor oil x safflower oil x glycerin x purified water x sodium hydroxide x sorbitol x sorbitan oleate x soybean protein x wheat protein x fragrance x Shea butter

savor – Formula N shaving soap

Tags

7/10, floral, Fruit, Glycerin, Mango, mint, papaya, savor, shaving soap, tropical

AKA, wherein Greg reviews a shaving soap that was never intended to be applied on anything above the waist.

Formula N is a nice fruity scented shaving soap. They bill is as “a completely natural blend of essential oils and floral waters. Like a tall glass of fresh-squeezed juice papaya and mango juice with a sprig of sun-warmed mint and a fresh bouquet of flowers nearby.” I’m not going to argue with that, it’s definitely got a strong tropical vibe to it. Anyways, it’s not exactly a “manly” scent, nor was it intended to be, but I really do rather like it.

Strength-wise, it’s not too shabby. It’s not overtly strong when lathered up and applied to the face, but you don’t see much in the way of fading during the shave either.

The lather is pretty much exactly what I expected out of it. Your typical glycerin-based melt-and-pour. Does the trick good enough, as long as you can get the water balance right (to get enough glide while maintaining viscosity). Which you should be able to do easily enough once you’re used to these soaps.

• 9/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 8/10 Scent Strength
• 7/10 Lather Quality (reflects new scoring as outlined here)

I think it’s safe to say this is a good 7/10. Decent enough shave, nice scent, good strength, and not all that expensive? Yeah, why not.

• Cost: The 85g / 3 oz puck shown will set you back $4.50.

Gear used:

• Brush: The Colonel
• Razor: Vintage Bakelite Slant
• Blade: Gillette 7 O’clock Black
  
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ok, and here’s a bit of an issue. The ingredient listing on their website is different than the ingredient listing on the package. So, I’ll give you both.

Ingredients according to the website: coconut oil x palm oil x castor oil x safflower oil x glycerin x purified water x sodium hydroxide x sorbitol x sorbitan oleate x soybean protein x wheat protein x natural fragrance x color

Ingredients according to the packaging: Coconut oil, palm oil, safflower oil, sodium hydroxide, sorbitol, goat’s milk, sorbitan oleate, soybean protein, wheat protein, color, natural fragrance.

Not massive differences, just the addition of the goat’s milk, and the switching of the order for the color and the natural fragrance.