Shaving Product Review - Cold River Soap Works "Summer LE" and
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements "Meta-Nectar"

Today's SOTD is all about the sun - Cold River Soap Works Summer LE #soap and PAA Meta-Nectar #aftershave!

I ordered three of the currently available LE (Limited Edition) #coldriversoap a short time ago (http://tinyurl.com/opauouq) and have so far reviewed both the Spring LE (http://tinyurl.com/ntqeq4f) and Fall LE (http://tinyurl.com/oq8r848) - so now it was time to do the third, the Summer LE!

I won't rehash the performance too much except to say that this soap is outstanding both in shave and post-shave performance. It lathers like a dream - producing copious thick, yogurty lather with ample slickness. Truly interesting too, lacking any visible air bubbles and having a glossy, wet sheen. The real treat is the amazing post-shave face feel leaving my face supple and moisturized. Love this stuff.

So let's talk about the scent, then. It's described as melon and freshly cut cucumber notes mix with a tart citrus and a touch of rose atop a base of musk and cedar. I got the melon and cucumber straight away, which is cut with citrus - keeping it from being too sweet or cloying. The rose adds additional complexity but is subtle indeed. It's hard to detect base notes in soaps sometimes, and the musk/cedar of this scent is a good example. While it's there, it's more of a rounding out of the scent. Like the other CRSW soaps, this scent is mixed to perfection to be unique, interesting and very enjoyable.

Since there was no matching aftershave, I decided to keep the sun theme rolling - and go off on a tangent. Splashing on #PAA's Meta-Nectar aftershave, which is an attar - essentially a blend of flowers, herbs and spices with a very Middle-eastern vibe. I'm a big fan of attars, though straight shots of it can be rather... Pungent. This juice is tempered nicely with orange blossom, honey, and vanilla - adding complexity and toning it down a bit. A very nice blend. We need a soap of this! Face feel is excellent, boosted by alum, glycerin and aloe.

Hardware today consisted of my shimmed #Feather AS-D2 razor fitted with a fresh #PolSilver blade while the #SOC boar brush (reminding me somewhat of a palm tree in this context) made overloading the soap a breeze and whipped up the truly magnificent lather in the #GTP scuttle.

A very enjoyable, "sunny" shave today! If you haven't already, give a CRSW soap a try; there are a lot of available scents (though not all with a matching aftershave - namely the LEs) and the performance, all-around, is truly excellent. Attar fans should also give this PAA aftershave a try. The attar scent we know and love - but made more palpable for the uninitiated that we may come across in our travels...