There is a local soapmaker in Toronto, Soapscope.
Her soaps are nice, but this is all about her creams. I've used two (Urban and Cool Dude), she has three other scents I haven't tried yet (Zen, Lavender Basil, Vanilla).
Price: $16 CDN for 240 ml, not as pricey as some, "but more than Fraser's!!", you cry. Yeah, yeah. I know. Fraser's.
Scent: The two I've tried have been very single-note smells. The Cool Dude says white spruce, and by golly, that's what you get. Don't think sickly sweet air freshener on your car mirror, think that big fresh Christmas tree you had several years ago. The Urban says sandalwood and musk, and you get both those and not much else. For me, this is both good and bad. Good because I am lousy at classifying all those subtle smells in every shave product. "Hmm, a hint of potage nicoise with a vanilla overtone muting to a spiced wine finish coupled with pepper and gardenias." Bad because I like those subtle smells as much as the next wet shaver. But, sometimes it's nice to have a simpler smell for the smell palate, a cleanser if you will. Mama Bear Rosemary/Mint and Cool Dude shaving cream and I am wide awake and ready to face the world.
Latherability/Quality: These "creams" are not creams in the sense I have come to know it. They are more like very soft pastes.
Scoop out a bit, dump in the bowl, and lather away. If you like lathering on your face without ever involving a bowl, then these creams are not for you. However, once you get the water/cream ratio worked out (I find I use less water than with other creams, YMMV), you get a thick lather that doesn't vanish during the shave on your face or in the bowl.
Quality wise, these are very close-cutting creams for me. It's not at the expense of protection, either. They give an excellent shave.
Moisturizing: It's OK. Main moisturizer is the coconut oil in it, I believe. Nothing to write home about, but adequate. It isn't a big deal for me because that's why I use aftershave balms, but for you guys who expect the cream to do all the moisturizing on your face, again this isn't a cream for you.
Bottom line, are these my favourite creams in the world? No. But they do find their way into my rotation, and they do their job very well. For the price ("but Fraser's is cheaper!" Yeah, Fraser's. I've heard of it too.), these are a nice local treat I get along with a bar of soap or two when I visit there.
Talk about this here!
Her soaps are nice, but this is all about her creams. I've used two (Urban and Cool Dude), she has three other scents I haven't tried yet (Zen, Lavender Basil, Vanilla).
Price: $16 CDN for 240 ml, not as pricey as some, "but more than Fraser's!!", you cry. Yeah, yeah. I know. Fraser's.
Scent: The two I've tried have been very single-note smells. The Cool Dude says white spruce, and by golly, that's what you get. Don't think sickly sweet air freshener on your car mirror, think that big fresh Christmas tree you had several years ago. The Urban says sandalwood and musk, and you get both those and not much else. For me, this is both good and bad. Good because I am lousy at classifying all those subtle smells in every shave product. "Hmm, a hint of potage nicoise with a vanilla overtone muting to a spiced wine finish coupled with pepper and gardenias." Bad because I like those subtle smells as much as the next wet shaver. But, sometimes it's nice to have a simpler smell for the smell palate, a cleanser if you will. Mama Bear Rosemary/Mint and Cool Dude shaving cream and I am wide awake and ready to face the world.
Latherability/Quality: These "creams" are not creams in the sense I have come to know it. They are more like very soft pastes.
Scoop out a bit, dump in the bowl, and lather away. If you like lathering on your face without ever involving a bowl, then these creams are not for you. However, once you get the water/cream ratio worked out (I find I use less water than with other creams, YMMV), you get a thick lather that doesn't vanish during the shave on your face or in the bowl.
Quality wise, these are very close-cutting creams for me. It's not at the expense of protection, either. They give an excellent shave.
Moisturizing: It's OK. Main moisturizer is the coconut oil in it, I believe. Nothing to write home about, but adequate. It isn't a big deal for me because that's why I use aftershave balms, but for you guys who expect the cream to do all the moisturizing on your face, again this isn't a cream for you.
Bottom line, are these my favourite creams in the world? No. But they do find their way into my rotation, and they do their job very well. For the price ("but Fraser's is cheaper!" Yeah, Fraser's. I've heard of it too.), these are a nice local treat I get along with a bar of soap or two when I visit there.
Talk about this here!