Shaving Product Review - Tallow + Steel "Rainforest"
Today's SOTD features an up-and-coming artisan (and rightfully so, IMO) - Tallow + Steel and their #soap and #aftershave from the Rainforest collection!
The three parts of the Tallow + Steel review are:
If you saw my previous and first impression of #tallowandsteel then you'll have a good introduction to the artisan and especially the line of products [that I got]. Today's /review is specifically about the Rainforest scent, of which I have the soap and aftershave. They call this combo a collection.
As I found during the first impression, the accord of Rainforest is lighter in nature as is the strength, both in the soap and aftershave. It's hard to pick which one I like better, but I'm tipping my hat towards this one - only because the scent of Dark in the soap is a bit... Pungent. I'm thinking it's the ginger and peppermint. The aftershave is more rounded, less sharp to my nose. To recap, I'd say Rainforest soap and Dark splash are my favorite two of the four. I know, that might not help anyone decide...
As for performance, the soap produces ample, creamy lather with very good primary/secondary lubricity. It was a true joy to shave with and has a wide tolerance for water; adjust to taste. Yesterday I used a bit more - today a bit less. Rinsing it off my face, it was quite unique in that it left my face "squeaky clean" feeling. This made applying the aftershave also a unique experience, in the way it felt... Kind of cool, actually.
The aftershave is touted as having "...the convenience of a splash, combined with the moisturizing qualities of a balm." I can agree with this. One should be careful in applying too much, as it can get a little tacky - it's hydrophilic (water attracting) in nature, especially in high humidity... Yet in drier air (e.g. air conditioning) it settles down rapidly. I only know this because I applied it generously yesterday and less so today - and I think I'm zeroing in on the sweet spot. The scent strength is on the lighter side of medium on this one, and faded short of about two hours after application. I was hoping for a bit more longevity... But this is due in part because of the high quality EOs used, which are more delicate in nature than FOs. It's alcohol-free, which may play a role - and as a result is burn-free as well. In any event, the face feel is excellent by any measure as my face feels soft, supple and moisturized; not tight or dry in the least.
Hardware today included the #StandardRazors razor with 7 O'clock (black) blade on shave five, #BSB Shaving Brush and #GTP scuttle. Results were again BBS - this soap definitely seems to shave close (ever notice how some do that?). Though as I suspect with Saponificio Varesino part of its "magic" - is the slightly tacky feeling which makes the shave feel closer. Hey, it works.
Overall, I'm quite impressed by this Tallow + Steel offering as well. The soap did everything a top notch soap should - as did the aftershave. The scent of Rainforest is manly, woodsy and awesome just like Dark but in a lighter version. My only complaint is that longevity is a bit short on both - as far as colognes go, not aftershaves. I give both products a thumbs up however.