August ANG Drill Day 1... Goop and an Octoblade

Stirling is one of my favorite soapmakers in the wetshaving world. I have lauded them for many years for a few important reasons, and no, it is not because they are "elite" in any way.

1. Price

When we talk about artisan soaps, price has to be a consideration. At $14.25 as of the time of this writing, Stirling is cheaper than nearly any other artisan. On top of that, the tubs are listed at 5.8oz, as opposed to the 4oz of Barrister and Mann or Noble Otter, which means that you're getting more product as well. There are cheaper soaps, like Arko... but... that's just the smell of beef and lemon.

2. Variety

It isn't cheap to maintain shelf space for as many scents as Stirling currently does. I am so grateful for the available sizes and scents that are available. I believe it is more than anyone, save for Van Yulay (One of the most toxic-culture soapmakers in the whole community), so I won't count them. While there are quite a few frag dupes in the bunch, I will never complain. Stirling has made many of them much more accessible and has helped me spend my money in buying the "real-thing" after living with a designer scent for a week or two.

3. Performance

Stirling's soap base is not stellar, but it is good. By this, I mean that Stirling sets the baseline for soap performance in Artisan soaps. Nearly all of the "traditional British soaps" fail to meet the "Stirling Threshold", as I like to call it. The soap can take hard water with ease. The soap doesn't require a ton of water. The lather is dense and slick. The protection is good. If you're new to wetshaving, Stirling is the place to start, NOT Taylor of Bond Street.

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Stirling Gentleman is a non-dupe scent from Stirling that falls within the fragrance dupes of their lineup. Stirling hasn't done many originals like this from what I recall and they executed this well.

Scent

The scent is listed as being: Tobacco, Vanilla, Amber, and Musk. All of those notes are certainly present in this warm, nearly gourmand scent.

The tobacco note is what hits me first off of the tub and is present as a top note throughout the shave. The vanilla and amber are blended well, forming the middle notes, while a lightly sweet powdery musk remains in the post-shave. There are only four scent ingredients here, so it isn't overly complex, but simplicity can be good when we're talking about heavier scents.

The sweetness is not overwhelming from the vanilla and amber, but should be a consideration in seasonal use. For me, this is much more of a Fall/Winter scent, but since I've paired it with Dolce & Gabbana's The One, it actually works really well in the summer heat.

The scent strength is what I would consider average, lingering on the face for maybe 15-20 minutes after the shave. I would consider this as a masculine scent, and it is suitable for the workplace. I have not tried the aftershave/EdP, however.

Performance

Read above. This isn't elite stuff, but it isn't designed to be either.

Overall

Stirling Gentleman is a good "frag-style" scent that is balanced and suitable for the workplace. I appreciate that Stirling has made some of their own scents and hope that they craft more like this in the future. I can't say that it stands out in any noticeable way from other scents in the same category, but honestly, sometimes that's a good thing.

Would I buy another tub? If I ever manage to work my way through nearly 6oz of soap, yes, I would buy another.

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I received no compensation in any way, shape, or form for this review.

[Review] Chatillon Lux’ TSM Fougère

Waaaaay back in 2016 (if my internet sleuthing is accurate), Shawn Maher of Chatillon Lux created a fougère for "The Shave Market" (Hence, the moniker “TSM").

Ok, so this is a new platform for many and I figure it wouldn’t hurt to cover some basics as a result. Fougère is French for the word “fern,” and typically when you smell “earthy green” notes in a soap, there’s a good chance that what you’re smelling is “fern.” This is not to be confused with “vetiver,” which is typically characterized as more “grassy” as a scent note.

Pic

#Scent

TSM is a particularly “dirty” fern within the genre, with a lot of earthy and mossy notes to complement the overall green-ness. To make a real-world comparison, imagine walking through a damp and misty forest in the Pacific Northwest. The smell of the undergrowth is what I mean by the earthy/mossy notes, while if you’ve ever picked tomatoes, if you snap a green stem, the smell is the “bright” green note.

The nearest comparison for my nose is Barrister and Mann’s Reserve Fern (which I believe has been discontinued). Reserve Fern is very good, but is a deeper, darker, and smoother fern, while TSM Fougere has dark notes and bright notes.

#Performance

I absolutely forgot that L&L (now Declaration Grooming’s) Bison tallow base from this era is a monster of shave performance. The soap is thirsty, but is exceedingly dense and provides marvelous protection. This base is close in performance to my absolute favorite base, Barrister and Mann’s Reserve. The lather when underwatered is like a sticky marshmallow fluff, but with a bit more water develops great peaks… but it shaves really well either way. There was residual slickness that was suitable for extensive touchups and the post-shave feel was stellar. I can't believe that we had soaps this good in 2016.

This makes me believe that we probably hit "peak-soap performance" a year or two after. We're living in some amazing times!

#Overall

I don’t know what happened to both of the fougere scents that I loved so much. TSM Fougere became “Sylva” (Latin for forest is silva), from what I can tell. Currently Barrister and Mann only makes “Fern” in their bath soap line anymore. Hopefully, they’ll both bring it back, because I would be absolutely interested in purchasing another. Fern scents such as these are both perfect for Spring and Summer because they aren’t spicy, they aren’t gourmand, they aren’t citrus, and they aren’t sweet. They’re distinct as a scent category and won’t become monsters in summer heat.

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I received no compensation in any way, shape, or form for this review.