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Crabtree & Evelyn West Indian Lime Shave Soap

I purchased this soap last week after an anniversary dinner with SWMBO, and I thought I would share my experience with the soap to date.

It has a nice, natural lime scent, not strong at all, and the scent doesn't seem to linger long after the shave.
I have attempted face and bowl lathering with my semogue 830, as well as my cheap badger brush from target, and cannot achieve anything other that a light foamy lather that offers very little protection or slickness, and dries out very quickly on the face. No matter how I load the brush, the amount of water used, or time spent lathering, the results are always the same.

This morning I added a squirt of KMF lime, and finally had something usable.

Overall, I would not recommend based on my experience, especially for the price.

Just wanted to share, especially since there doesn't seem to be a lot of talk about C&E soaps. Anyone else had a better experience?
 
Thanks for your review. I have a bowl of C&E Sienna but I have not touched it yet. You're right, you don't hear too much high praise of C&E soaps, but I was under the impression that they were a little better than what you describe. Your experience with this soap sounds like mine with GFT Eucris soap.

Ben
 
yea i smelled a year ago and actually had to stuff my face in the puck just to get some smell, i hear their formula is differrent on that one- i bought 8 pucks 2 years agao of the , nomad, sienna, sandalwood- best soap around and the scent last years and is strong
 
I also heard that the formula on the lime might be different, it makes me a little hesitant to try one of the other scents though!
 
Thanks for the feedback. I did notice the paper that was on the puck prior to use, but good call! :) I have done a little more reading and it sounds as if the West Indian Lime is just a different formula than the rest of their soaps. Maybe I'll just pick up a puck of one of the other scents for the bowl, and use the lime up in the shower. Thanks!
 
I purchased both soaps mentioned above (limes and sienna). Hands down by a lonnng mile the worst soap I've purchased so far. I tried to lather the Sienna first and had similar results as the OP. I then grated the puck up into a bowl, added a small amount of water and got same poor results. I moved onto the limes and had NO better luck. The lather I made spread thin and weakly across my face and literally disappeared.
I noticed while grating at how extremely hard the puck was, not at all similar to Tabac or MWF. My PdP is hard as well, but has no probs building excellent lather. Very disappointed as I had these marked as great soaps in the back of my mind. I resisted the urge to toss the grated puck of Sienna in the wastebasket. :mad3:
 
My C&E experience has been vastly different from yours. I recently picked up a wooden bowl and puck of C&E's Nomad soap and it is, hands-down, the finest shaving soap I have used

That's been my experience too. I used Nomad tonight and got a much closer, smoother shave than I have with the TOBS and Proraso creams and Mike's and Mama Bear's soaps I've been trying lately. I was in a rush, too, so I didn't load much soap on the brush and didn't spend much time making my lather. It was pretty thin, but my face is smoother than it has been in weeks. I wonder if the Lime scent has different ingredients.
 
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I appreciate your review, this soap was on my short list to buy but now i am going to cross it off and go with another lime soap.

I dont mean to jack the thread but does anyone recommend a great Lime shave soap?
 
I appreciate your review, this soap was on my short list to buy but now i am going to cross it off and go with another lime soap.

I dont mean to jack the thread but does anyone recommend a great Lime shave soap?

YES! QCS Key Lime or Iced Key Lime (limited edition) based on your tolerance for menthol.
Fantastic scent and lather.
 
I use the C&E Sienna soap and have never had any issues with it. The soap has always been easy to get a great cushioning lather from. To me the Sienna is far better than the Trumper soaps I've tried (Rose and Violet) but not on par with the D.R. Harris soaps, although not that far behind.
 
Tried the West Indian Lime soap for the first time this morning. It lathered rather easily and made lots of light, airy foam. The scent was quite faint and the foam dried quickly. The lubrication was acceptable but not much cushioning because the foam was light and collapsed quickly. With a little hot water on the brush, I was able to develop enough lather for a second pass, but just barely. For $10 this is a serviceable soap but nothing special.
 
Tried it again this morning, but this time I loaded the brush like I was mad at it. The result was much more pleasant. It lubricated acceptably and there was a bit more cushion. The lather was enough for three passes. I like the faint soapy lime scent. It does linger a bit through the morning.
 
I recently bought a puck and tried it. Quite frankly, it's horrible. Frothy, disappears quickly and dries the skin out. The fragrance isn't distinctive either. I've used both st badger and bristle brushes. Lathered in bowl, hand and face lathering. I've tried extended loading. And it falls flat every time. No problem with water hardness. (I can quickly get a wonderful rich lather with MWFS using the same water and techniques.)
If I could return the soap I would. I'm so disappointed and it's put me off any C&E product. (I know people think better of the other soap lines but there are many other soaps available. I'd also rather support a smaller company that makes their soap.)
 
I used up a puck of it up last year (before my addiction began and I started using more products :001_smile. It was "ok" but not great by any means. I agree the lather is not quite as slick or as foamy as I would like, but I made it work. I will not buy it again. I think it was about $10 or $11 but there are better options in that price range. If you want lime go with Castle Forbes. It is expensive but it literally blows the C&E out of the water.
 
I purchased the C&E sandalwood (wanted sienna but didn't have it, and I can't stand the smell of the lime) as my first "expensive" soap. At first I struggled with it, but I have adopted the upside down lathering technique. I just used it the other night and had an awesome lather with it! In fact, it was on par with my TOBS cream in thickness. Was almost TOO think actually. I can't say it's the slickest soap I have, but I didnt expect it to be and I have tome glycerin soaps that blow it away.
 
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Wish I had read this thread before I bought the C&E West India Lime. I agree with the majority of posts - it does not lather well at all - and it disappears on the face. I do not recommend this soap.
 
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