SOTD - November 24, 2015

Barrister and Mann

Shaving Product Review - Barrister and Mann "Le Grand Chypre


SOTD courtesy of the latest and greatest Barrister & Mann Le Grand Chypre #soap and #aftershave!

I covered the scent in a previous #MailCall but let's recap:

I wasn't totally sure what to expect, but I knew that coming from #BarristerMann it had to be good... Yeah, this is all that - and then some. The headline combination of citrus, oakmoss, labdanum, rose and frankincense combine in a way that's hard to describe - but if you're familiar with chypre ("SHEEP-RUH") scents... This is a grand take indeed. There's actually a lot more going on here. As described, "...bergamot, lime, labdanum, and a touch of patchouli, peachy Persicol, blended with notes of rose, frankincense, cedar, various musks and other perfume compounds." A very complex scent! In a nutshell, I'd describe it as a green, peachy scent with a spicy citrus kicker. Oh, man.

The soap performance is something new to talk about as well! A lot of you are no doubt aware of the well-deserved reputation of excellent performance from B&M products. Well, this soap is based on a reformulation that's been under development through 16 iterations... To give you an idea, the codename was "glissant" - which is French for "slippery." I'm happy to report that Le Grand Chypre is definitely glissant! It has better glide than previous formulations and was also easier to lather - producing a creamier, more cushioning lather than usual - and more of it. Basically everything just feels better with this new formulation.

NOTE: The soap has already sold out at B&M (350 out of 500). You'll need to check out Maggard Razors, Italian Barber, Badger Shaving Co., ShaveRevolution, Merchant & Rhoades, and MenEssentials for stock. Also, depending on how [well] it's received, this base may become the new standard.

Look closely at this awesome ingredient list...

Potassium stearate, aqua, glycerin, sodium stearate, potassium tallowate, sodium tallowate, potassium ricinoleate, potassium shea butterate, sodium ricinoleate, coconut milk, sodium shea butterate, fragrance, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, potassium palm kernelate, allantoin, lanolin, sodium palm kernelate, sodium citrate, tocopherol acetate, hydrolyzed silk protein

The aftershave performed as those before it - truly excellent. Bracing, but not shocking, with great face feel adding to what the soap has already accomplished. The scent strength is a good medium and as mentioned, smells awesome. No complaints here!

Hardware today included the #Merkur #Futur fitted with a #PolSilver blade on shave four and dialed down to "1" for nice, easy shavin' while the #SOC brush made loading and lathering the goods a breeze in the #GTP scuttle. Honestly, there were times during the shave that I was a little puzzled - I couldn't feel the blade against my skin... BBS result though!

Just when you think software can't get any better, it does. SV recently did this with Tundra Artica and now #BarristerMann has done it with Le Grand Chypre (soap). Truly great lather and scent from this combo. Nice and complex, it should be appealing to more people than some of the darker ones of late... And truly unique. As with other B&M products, I can't recommend this one enough.

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