MdC came!

Where can you buy that AS? Is your local Columbus barber the only retailer?
?

Columbus said:

That is indeed some Veg in the background. Most likely where it will stay .

The brown apothecary bottle is a Columbus, Ohio made aftershave. It's a very clean, spicy bay rum. I absolutely love it. Comes out milky and thick. Definitely needs a good shake before use. In case the pics aren't clear, the contents: Witch Hazel, Black Strap Rum, Jojoba Oil, Chamomile Tea, Clove Buds, Cinnamon Bark, and Essential Oils.
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Both scents are great. Well above average composition and appropriate strength.

I like it but I wouldn't order it again as it was just too much for the soap with shipping and I got tagged for another $20 for duty but I'm not sure if it was a problem with the custom forms or a random spot check. Even without the extra I do like it but it's not my favourite but as always YMMV. I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority here...

I recently purchased Mdc from Old Town Shaving. Easy transaction. Used mdc this morning. I enjoy everything about it. Great scent. Easy to lather. Slick. Great post shave feeling.

Would like to try the fougere soon. For those who have tried both, would you say the fougere is on the lighter side for scent? I would consider the original to be on the light side.

The intensity of the fougere is about the same as the original.

Cheers, Steve

MdC is almost like lathering a cream it's so easy.

MDC is my main shave soap. It's totally usurped MWF as king.
Even though I love the lavender, I actually prefer the unscented version. However, I've yet to try the Frougere. Hmm… I must address that.

Frougere and a brain bowl on the way, got the shipping email very quickly. Oddly enough OldTownShaving was quite a bit more than ordering from the MdC website. Maybe OTS just purchases bulk soaps at retail or something...

robk said:

Where can you buy that AS? Is your local Columbus barber the only retailer?
?

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As far as I know. I saw our local cutlery/shaving shop post something about it on Facebook. When I stopped in, I was on the hunt for a bay rum and decided to give it a whirl. Since, I've tried to find information on the web about it, but to no avail. If you're interested in the name of the shop, send me a pm.

Folace said:

Is it that good?

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With any soap you can ask and read all you want but ultimately you just have to try and see for yourself. MDC's the only soap I bother with. It loads quickly and easily even with the hard water that I have. It's the only soap I count swirls on and that's just to prevent wasting it. It performs well for me and my skin feels great after I'm done with the shave. I didn't care for the scent at first and was even using the unscented but I like it now and will try the fougere next.

However, if you look at prior discussions you'll see that like any other soap there are also those that don't care for it whether it's because of scent, performance, price, other reasons or a combination of reasons.

If you don't want to pay full price to try it then see if someone's selling it in BST. Or see if Gary's Sample Shop has samples available.

IMightBeWrong said:

It's beautiful and unique. I don't even understand how anybody could not like it.

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One can't just assume that everyone likes and dislikes the same scents. Scent is very subjective and not just with shaving stuff but in general. Some don't care for the benzoin in MDC, for example.

I ordered MdC Fougere direct a couple of days ago and received emails for every step of its journey across the Channel, ready to be picked up when I fly over from the US. Can't wait to try it.

Just did some Christmas shopping, a brain bowl, huille vegetal, and another fougere for me, bath and hand soap for friends.

Cheers, Steve

takeshi said:

However, if you look at prior discussions you'll see that like any other soap there are also those that don't care for it whether it's because of scent, performance, price, other reasons or a combination of reasons.

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The product is definitely high quality but I didn't like it for 3 reasons. Didn't care for the Fougere scent, the glass jar, or the huge portion.

takeshi said:

With any soap you can ask and read all you want but ultimately you just have to try and see for yourself. MDC's the only soap I bother with. It loads quickly and easily even with the hard water that I have. It's the only soap I count swirls on and that's just to prevent wasting it. It performs well for me and my skin feels great after I'm done with the shave. I didn't care for the scent at first and was even using the unscented but I like it now and will try the fougere next.

However, if you look at prior discussions you'll see that like any other soap there are also those that don't care for it whether it's because of scent, performance, price, other reasons or a combination of reasons.

If you don't want to pay full price to try it then see if someone's selling it in BST. Or see if Gary's Sample Shop has samples available.

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Being in France, I could just buy direct from the maker. It would still be cheaper than the BST

shevek said:

The product is definitely high quality but I didn't like it for 3 reasons. Didn't care for the Fougere scent, the glass jar, or the huge portion.

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Wow, those are the reasons lots of people love it. To each his own I guess..

shevek said:

The product is definitely high quality but I didn't like it for 3 reasons. Didn't care for the Fougere scent, the glass jar, or the huge portion.

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About the glass jar issue, I read something in a French wet-shaving forum that could be of interest to you fans:

The minimum quantity order for plastic containers is way higher than glass jars (like a 10:1 ratio); Martin de Candre being an artisan soap maker and a small size business, they cannot afford investing in such quantities.

About producing refills for the glass jar, that will not happen: the consistence of their soap is due to a secret hot-molded technique, and it is near impossible to remove the soap from the mold after the required 9 months of drying process. To create a refill, they would need to add smoothing agents and fatty substances in order to facilitate this removal. The addition of these extra ingredients would alter the soap qualities, and Martin de Candre does not want that to happen (and neither do the supporters, I assume). For the very same reason, they have given up the idea of a shaving cream.

The original poster also mentioned that Martin de Candre could release very limited editions of the shaving soap with new scents, though at the moment the concept is very hypothetical.

They produce one of, if not arguably the best shaving soap in the world, so if I were them I'd be reluctant to mess with success. As far as refills go, they could sell a block like Cella, the soap is soft enough to form into the jar or even an empty tube - nothing like having some MdC fougere on travel. Not quite the same presentation as that jar though!

But since MdC became very popular in the US, several artisans have started making MdC-like soaps with a very simple ingredient list, and some are very much like MdC in their lathering and shaving qualities. Where they fall down IMO is generally the fragrance and most if not all are much softer. Many of the French and Italian fragrances are the fragrances of France and Italy and IMO the US artisans have yet to replicate that, and maybe should not.

New fragrances are an area I'd like to see MdC pursue. They make an olive oil bath soap, Thym, Girofle, and Canelle (thyme, clove, and cinnamon) which I think would make a perfect French holiday shaving soap. Very warm and inviting and quintessentially French.

Cheers, Steve

Steve56 said:

Many of the French and Italian fragrances are the fragrances of France and Italy and IMO the US artisans have yet to replicate that, and maybe should not.

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I am petty sure these artisans could find many original local fragrances. The USA have a huge territory and I assume a great biodiversity in it. So why imitate?

shevek said:

The product is definitely high quality but I didn't like it for 3 reasons. Didn't care for the Fougere scent, the glass jar, or the huge portion.

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The unscented travel size might be right up your alley. I transferred mine into a medium-sized tin. It's now easier to store, and travel with, & it lathers like a dream. It makes a really nice travel soap -- is super easy to lather with a small synthetic make-up brush.

Very true, and they should, but there is a reason that the world's great fragrance houses are in France and Italy, and it isn't because of a favorable business environment.

Cheers, Steve

Folace said:

I am petty sure these artisans could find many original local fragrances. The USA have a huge territory and I assume a great biodiversity in it. So why imitate?

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