Shaving Product Review - Mickey Lee Soapworks "Through the Woods"
Today's SOTD is jumping the gun a little on a new holiday scent from Mickey Lee Soapworks called Through the Woods #soap and #aftershave - bringing the smell of Christmas Holiday Trees to your face!
Much like Friday's SOTD with Jūraté I won't get into the performance too much here. Suffice to say that the soap and aftershave are both excellent performers, and a really good value at $32 for the combo. The soap produces copious amounts of somewhat billowy lather with very good cushion and glide as well as residual slickness while the aftershave provides a face feel that is quite supple and nourished feeling. See that post for more on the ingredients. Let's talk about the scent, then.
Through the Woods is lightly tinted “Christmas tree green” and opens with a crisp, fresh blend of pine, fir, cedar and eucalyptus warmed with the sweet, spicy notes of gingerbread. At least that's the official description... And I have to say, it's spot-on. The scent strength is a solid medium and first and foremost, very much pine and fir, with cedar for support and eucalyptus punching through solidly. The gingerbread (with slight amounts of cinnamon and clove) is a bit more low key but adds just a hint of spice and complexity to the scent, which otherwise could have ended up rather two dimensional. Long and short of it, it smells awesome. I was a little surprised (not so much disappointed) that neither the soap nor the aftershave contained any menthol. I think it would have added an extra layer to the whole holiday season theme, but I can understand why it wasn't included. Not everyone enjoys menthol, especially in the cold of winter. Being a fan myself, I would've been okay with it. Nevertheless, as mentioned - the performance otherwise is absolutely solid. The scent does last a while, more so on clothes as expected. But I didn't get the usual longevity from #mickeyleesoaps with this scent.
Hardware today included my travel set up of matching black #StandardRazors razor and Satin Tip brush; the former fitted with a #PolSilver blade on shave two - the latter whipping up the goods in a borrowed bowl. I set it in the sink with hot water and shaved with a sinkful of it - rather than my usual scuttle and running water. It was... Different. I don't think I'll do it again, to be honest. I prefer rinsing the stubble away immediately and rinsing between passes with equally clean water. Though it did keep the bowl warm, the later wasn't as much. So much for this experiment.
As with other Mickey Lee Soapworks products, I can't recommend them highly enough. The scent complexity and depth isn't up there with some other artisans, nor is the ultimate performance, but they should appeal to a wider variety of people and it's hard to argue the value considering the ingredients and resulting performance. Definitely a thumbs up on this one.