It was the best of soaps.....
In my seven year wetshaving journey I have had the pleasure of trying many different shaving soaps and creams from all over, big company and artisan. I've weathered the BandB trend waves that shifted me from Tabac, to MWF, through the Scylla and Charybdis to Cella and Razorock. I've had great shaves with Mike's Natural, Stirling, and Maggard razors this year; likewise, I've always liked Proraso and even VDH.
I finally decided to try Barrister and Mann, as they have been given high praise by many of the guys on here, and I really like their website, marketing, scents, etc. Recently I saw Dickens and knew this would be the soap I would choose as my maiden voyage.
I had a brief email conversation with Will, he was quick to reply, pleasant, and very helpful. Ordering was easy, tracking numbers were quickly emailed, and the package arrived in two days....great service, simply great.
Dickens arrived in a eloquent Christmas bag, and the soap itself was wrapped in a red gift paper with a gold seal on it, very festive and classy. The soap also was accompanied by a handwritten greeting wishing my a happy holidays. Overall the service and shipping, not to mention presentation were top notch.
Dickens has an amazing cherry scent, and (like another member on here stated) does smell kinda like Hawaiian Punch, which is great to me. The sent is strong and lasts through the shave, it also causes zero reaction or burning, which for me is highly rare, as I seem to get burn from most fragrances.
Long story short, the lather, performance, scent, post shave, protection, and quality of this Barrister and Mann soap is hands down the best soap I have shaved with. I'm sitting here with a BBS that took almost zero effort to achieve, and I followed it up with some Pinaud Bay Rum.....WHICH DIDN'T BURN AT ALL. Think about that one for a second....Pinaud Bay Rum NOT BURNING, I was amazed.
In the future I will definitely be buying more of BandM's soaps, and keep them in my rotation. Great company and product.
That being said
Disclaimer: I enjoy BandM and will continue doing business with them, I suggest everyone on the board gives their soaps a shot.....However....
It was the worst of soaps....
I also got another soap and aftershave in my order, the Latha Soap and Latha splash. Dear God these are the two worst smelling products I have ever encountered in my life.
I am not what I consider a picky person, I am also not swayed by price and hype for products. I enjoy Arko and Barbasol just as much as DR Harris. I love a disposable Gillette Good News razor just as much as a Merkur. I am also not highly sensitive or turned off by scents. I don't get headaches from aftershaves and I don't find myself denouncing scents as cloying or cheap. I can roll with anything from Clubman to Cool Water; Skin Bracer to GIT. I also don't find myself frequently praising or attacking shave soaps/scents/etc in an overly hyperbolic manner. However, the scent of BM Latha is wretched.
It is supposed to be a classic barbershop scent, inspired by Will's father, the 1950's and a scent they say would be commonly found on Madison Avenue. It smells like Grandma's funeral.
It makes Tabac seem like a modern aquatic scent.
It makes Clubman seem like Axe Body Spray.
It would make my Grandma make fun of me for smelling like an old lady.
It makes White Diamonds smell as masculine as Old Spice.
It smells like a box of feminine products mixed with fake flowers and dust.
It smells like a retirement home after "Taco Night".
If Tabac is "old lady bus on a bingo bender to Reno"....Latha is if that bus broke down in the desert for two days.
I'd rather wear the Veg.
I'm sure it performs great, I did a test lather with it and it was exploding with thick, rich lather. I couldn't stop gagging enough to actually shave with it though. I'm sure others on here will get it and love it, I am simply sharing my .02 regarding this new product. To conclude, BandM Dickens = best soap I've tried so far.....Latha = barf city.
In my seven year wetshaving journey I have had the pleasure of trying many different shaving soaps and creams from all over, big company and artisan. I've weathered the BandB trend waves that shifted me from Tabac, to MWF, through the Scylla and Charybdis to Cella and Razorock. I've had great shaves with Mike's Natural, Stirling, and Maggard razors this year; likewise, I've always liked Proraso and even VDH.
I finally decided to try Barrister and Mann, as they have been given high praise by many of the guys on here, and I really like their website, marketing, scents, etc. Recently I saw Dickens and knew this would be the soap I would choose as my maiden voyage.
I had a brief email conversation with Will, he was quick to reply, pleasant, and very helpful. Ordering was easy, tracking numbers were quickly emailed, and the package arrived in two days....great service, simply great.
Dickens arrived in a eloquent Christmas bag, and the soap itself was wrapped in a red gift paper with a gold seal on it, very festive and classy. The soap also was accompanied by a handwritten greeting wishing my a happy holidays. Overall the service and shipping, not to mention presentation were top notch.
Dickens has an amazing cherry scent, and (like another member on here stated) does smell kinda like Hawaiian Punch, which is great to me. The sent is strong and lasts through the shave, it also causes zero reaction or burning, which for me is highly rare, as I seem to get burn from most fragrances.
Long story short, the lather, performance, scent, post shave, protection, and quality of this Barrister and Mann soap is hands down the best soap I have shaved with. I'm sitting here with a BBS that took almost zero effort to achieve, and I followed it up with some Pinaud Bay Rum.....WHICH DIDN'T BURN AT ALL. Think about that one for a second....Pinaud Bay Rum NOT BURNING, I was amazed.
In the future I will definitely be buying more of BandM's soaps, and keep them in my rotation. Great company and product.
That being said
Disclaimer: I enjoy BandM and will continue doing business with them, I suggest everyone on the board gives their soaps a shot.....However....
It was the worst of soaps....
I also got another soap and aftershave in my order, the Latha Soap and Latha splash. Dear God these are the two worst smelling products I have ever encountered in my life.
I am not what I consider a picky person, I am also not swayed by price and hype for products. I enjoy Arko and Barbasol just as much as DR Harris. I love a disposable Gillette Good News razor just as much as a Merkur. I am also not highly sensitive or turned off by scents. I don't get headaches from aftershaves and I don't find myself denouncing scents as cloying or cheap. I can roll with anything from Clubman to Cool Water; Skin Bracer to GIT. I also don't find myself frequently praising or attacking shave soaps/scents/etc in an overly hyperbolic manner. However, the scent of BM Latha is wretched.
It is supposed to be a classic barbershop scent, inspired by Will's father, the 1950's and a scent they say would be commonly found on Madison Avenue. It smells like Grandma's funeral.
It makes Tabac seem like a modern aquatic scent.
It makes Clubman seem like Axe Body Spray.
It would make my Grandma make fun of me for smelling like an old lady.
It makes White Diamonds smell as masculine as Old Spice.
It smells like a box of feminine products mixed with fake flowers and dust.
It smells like a retirement home after "Taco Night".
If Tabac is "old lady bus on a bingo bender to Reno"....Latha is if that bus broke down in the desert for two days.
I'd rather wear the Veg.
I'm sure it performs great, I did a test lather with it and it was exploding with thick, rich lather. I couldn't stop gagging enough to actually shave with it though. I'm sure others on here will get it and love it, I am simply sharing my .02 regarding this new product. To conclude, BandM Dickens = best soap I've tried so far.....Latha = barf city.
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And, let it be known, that this is the day that the cult of B&M Lava was born
Honestly, now everyone is going to want some! 
oh well, next year hopefully! Latha Sounds awfull hahaha.
