Second use - kit as per my sotd post yesterday - I tried to upload this last night but the site went down - 'origin error.'
Like others - until it was pointed out to me - I hadn't noticed the granular clumps in the soap - mostly due to the fact - I wasn't wearing my glasses - so, unless there was an elephant in the tin I wasn't going to see it. They are there in my sample - but fair enough - I make bar soap and recognise this as a possible side effect of a short curing process. Makes no difference in my experience - I've seen LPL soap do this too.
Scent - I think
@Electrif and I are in the minority - I really like it. I can't define what it is composed of - when I first open the tin - there is something almost Tabac about it? The vanilla definitely comes through when it gets wet though. I would nominate two scents to be carried forward to the new range - Bayrum - head and shoulders above any other take on the theme - in my opinion. Also Orange and Patchouli - I have the soap, splash and it dovetails beautifully with Hermes d'orange verte. Proper earthy patchouli - not a horrible incense smell.
I used the Torga brush last night - for a boar knot it is extremely dense - and will rip into the hardest of triple-milled soaps with alacrity - so - I did time the loading in the cat food bowl. (I've become quite attached to this bowl - not as much as the cat is - not happy - but have you ever tried to explain the importance of soap testing to a feline? Don't bother - they don't get it. Cats don't shave.) Ten seconds did the job - this puts it on a par with using PAA bases for me. Fitjar also springs to mind.
The ease of lathering and hitting the sweet spot is exceptional for me. A gloss and sheen that would take much more work with many soaps. Very forgiving - it just happens.
Somebody mentioned above - the shelf life of soaps or creams? In my experience this is notional - the producers have to provide one to tick all the boxes to satisfy the regulations - as long as they are stored properly - they last for a long time. The only soap I have used that went properly off was Cella.
Again - I used no post other than witch hazel. My skin hasn't noticed the difference - so far.
So
@James Riley - another fairly unhelpful review from your point of view - I - like others - am struggling to come up with negatives. I'll try a different sort of brush for the next shave - but I think I am wasting my time - it is just going to work regardless?
Yours all - I.