Shaving Product Review - Barrister and Mann "Beaudelaire"

Today's SOTD is with the latest and greatest from Barrister and Mann featuring Beaudelaire #soap and #aftershave goodness.

This edition of Beaudelaire was a pre-order, limited run of the old "black label" scent that was discontinued. It's a little bit stronger this time around, however - and out of the tub and lathered it's a healthy strong scent level. Also, for this run you get beautiful new artwork adorning both the soap tub and juice jug. Fitting; sophisticated and elegant, yet doesn't hint at the fougére animal you're about to unleash, save for the green accent color. Just like 42 you can read the ingredients, etc. underneath and through the lid of the tub.

A little interesting trivia about the name Beaudelaire - it's a double reference: Charles Baudelaire obviously and the beau of DeLaire, which was the perfume house that designed Mousse de Saxe way back when!

If you're a regular reader, than you know all about the #BarristerMann glissant formulation that's the base of this soap. Long and short of it, it's essentially a benchmark of what an outstanding soap should be. Dense, creamy lather with epic glide, secondary lubricity and post-shave face feel. Anyway, let's talk about the scent...

If you're familiar with Lavanille then this scent should seem at least somewhat familiar... Thanks to the Mousse de Saxe base; combining the dark, bitter and leathery notes of isobutyl quinoline to anise, iodine, oak moss and some other goodies. Already quite an interesting accord in its own right, you'll immediately recognize it in Beaudelaire as well. Where Lavanille gives you warm, vanillic fuzzies along with lavender, cedar and musk - Beaudelaire takes the fougére route and cranks it up to eleven using notes of fern, lavender, coumarin, ylang ylang and sandalwood instead. It's deep, green and dank on open. As one Cypress Hill song goes, "...the funky, skunky, smelly green shit..." - and that's a strong complement, for those unaware of the reference. This is a complex, sophisticated fougére that pushes the envelope a little. On dry down, things calm down quite a bit and you still get a really lovely fougére accord, like a high-end cologne. Longevity is quite good as well, with many hours to enjoy it.

Hardware for today's stubble whacking fell to the #StandardRazors razor that was freshly cleaned up and fitted with a #Gillette 7 O'clock (black) on shave one today. I could have easily stopped after one pass (it's that efficient) but what fun is that? BBS today. The #BSB Shaving Brush made whipping the incredible lather in the #GTP scuttle quick and easy.

What a shave - mowing down a weekend's worth of growth with a fresh blade, a perfectly aggressive yet smooth razor and the incredible aroma of a fougére 2x4 to the head... Oh yeah. This is the green jammie, men.