So my jars just arrived and I spent a couple of minutes sniffing the puck and doing a test lather to get a good impression of the scent. I'm a fragrance lover/reviewer and really enjoy deconstructing fragrances - bear with me lol:
First, the presentation is fantastic for an artisan soap. After opening the box, the soap was nestled in a bag that resembled fishnet stockings. The wrapping paper was jet black and sealed with a red heart. In the box was a couple of samples of a product called "Barrister's Reserve Classic Splash" which I'm not familiar with, and the finishing touch was the inclusion of a small pack of Sweethearts candies. Lovely! Anyway, on to the scent...
I think this is great stuff, however it surely won't be for everyone. The notes on the front of the label are 100% accurate to what I detect in this scent. I get tons of vanilla and animalic musks (not white musks which resemble something clean - animalic musks are more raunchy). Behind these notes is a powdery accord (the iris, obviously) that is mixed with the acidic edge of bergamot (very light in here IMO) and a slight fruity accord that comes from the blending of iris and strawberry. To me this is not a strawberry forward scent, but the note is detectible (it contrasts the heady blast of vanilla and musks). The scent isn't feminine per se, though it does remind me of Guerlain's Shalimar. Instead it really does come across as an extremely raunchy Valentine's Day fragrance - all in all I'd say that the name, scent, and marketing was spot on. As some of you know, vanilla is supposedly an aphrodisiac. This heavy vanilla plus the animalic musks and fruity accents is quite sensual - even dirty - in nature.
Overall, I like the scent very much, but then again, I love my animalic fragrances. For those that are considering buying the last of this soap, I should reiterate that the scent is quite daring/raunchy and won't be for everyone.
Personally though, I can't wait to use it in a proper shave
.
First, the presentation is fantastic for an artisan soap. After opening the box, the soap was nestled in a bag that resembled fishnet stockings. The wrapping paper was jet black and sealed with a red heart. In the box was a couple of samples of a product called "Barrister's Reserve Classic Splash" which I'm not familiar with, and the finishing touch was the inclusion of a small pack of Sweethearts candies. Lovely! Anyway, on to the scent...
I think this is great stuff, however it surely won't be for everyone. The notes on the front of the label are 100% accurate to what I detect in this scent. I get tons of vanilla and animalic musks (not white musks which resemble something clean - animalic musks are more raunchy). Behind these notes is a powdery accord (the iris, obviously) that is mixed with the acidic edge of bergamot (very light in here IMO) and a slight fruity accord that comes from the blending of iris and strawberry. To me this is not a strawberry forward scent, but the note is detectible (it contrasts the heady blast of vanilla and musks). The scent isn't feminine per se, though it does remind me of Guerlain's Shalimar. Instead it really does come across as an extremely raunchy Valentine's Day fragrance - all in all I'd say that the name, scent, and marketing was spot on. As some of you know, vanilla is supposedly an aphrodisiac. This heavy vanilla plus the animalic musks and fruity accents is quite sensual - even dirty - in nature.
Overall, I like the scent very much, but then again, I love my animalic fragrances. For those that are considering buying the last of this soap, I should reiterate that the scent is quite daring/raunchy and won't be for everyone.
Personally though, I can't wait to use it in a proper shave
.
