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WHAT IS IT, AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
Phoenix & Beau Denali Shaving Soap - It's a cold, cold soap.
APPLICATION METHOD AND DESCRIPTION:
Well, given previous history with cold soaps, I prepared myself for a thin, runny, unstable lather. What I got was normal P&B lather, using the exact same methods as normal (soak brush, 2 generous shakes, load brush, bowl lather). This is a huge bonus for anyone who demands a quality lather that is colder than Simon Cowell when rejecting a contestant on one of his shows.
SCENT:
Is Denali a scented soap or a 'scent-sational' soap (did you see what I did there)? There is an element of mint understandably, and a touch of the camphor here and there. I say 'scent-sational' because this soap is ALL about the cold sensation on your face when in use. It is COLD.
LATHERABILITY:
Well, as I alluded to above, I expected poor lather based on the high level of menthol. I was very pleasantly surprised however to find perfectly normal P&B lather in as much as it is thick, voluminous and STABLE. I used a soaked badger brush, shaken to remove the majority of the water, and loaded in the pot, transferring prelather to the bowl for further whipping. Bowlful of quality lather. Zero complaints here. After several different brushes being used in actual shaving and test lathering, I prefer lathering this with a badger brush over synthetic.
PERFORMANCE:
Well, let's start with the basics. In fact, I could save a whole load of keystrokes by saying that all (so far) Phoenix & Beau soaps perform at the top of the class level. Think 1st Class Honours in all departments. Slicker than you'd ever need, plenty of cushion and importantly, great post shave (more on that later). I cannot ignore the performance of the cold however! When Kerry announced a cold soap, I was hoping for very cold. Between then and now, I acquired a sample of another world renowned cold soap, and that brought tears to your eyes. It was very cold indeed, but thinking out loud, the watery eyes is not the best thing to have when shaving.
So, what did Denali give in that respect? Well, it is cold, very cold. If the benchmark 'cold soap' scored a 10/10 (including eye watering level), then Denali comes in around an 8/10 which to me is as cold as you can get without inducing the eye watering unpleasantries. Would I want it colder? No, because after 10 seconds you can feel the cold, and by the end of the third pass your face is colder than a snowman's cold bits. Think standing in a snow storm cold.
POST SHAVE:
Post shave here is different in as much as there is the cold factor to consider. The skin side of things is impeccable as always, smooth, moisturised and generally fantastic. Add in the chill factor and you have a sublime feel in the hot, sticky summer.
CONCLUSIVE COMMENTS:
Here we go again...Kerry has made a soap which I cannot be without. This soap is so refreshing, it is ideal for summer, for those mornings where you really struggle to wake up, where you are reminiscing times spent upon mountain peaks and yearn to be back in the cold. This soap is one seriously cool customer, I will not be without it.
Phoenix & Beau Denali Shaving Soap - It's a cold, cold soap.
APPLICATION METHOD AND DESCRIPTION:
Well, given previous history with cold soaps, I prepared myself for a thin, runny, unstable lather. What I got was normal P&B lather, using the exact same methods as normal (soak brush, 2 generous shakes, load brush, bowl lather). This is a huge bonus for anyone who demands a quality lather that is colder than Simon Cowell when rejecting a contestant on one of his shows.
SCENT:
Is Denali a scented soap or a 'scent-sational' soap (did you see what I did there)? There is an element of mint understandably, and a touch of the camphor here and there. I say 'scent-sational' because this soap is ALL about the cold sensation on your face when in use. It is COLD.
LATHERABILITY:
Well, as I alluded to above, I expected poor lather based on the high level of menthol. I was very pleasantly surprised however to find perfectly normal P&B lather in as much as it is thick, voluminous and STABLE. I used a soaked badger brush, shaken to remove the majority of the water, and loaded in the pot, transferring prelather to the bowl for further whipping. Bowlful of quality lather. Zero complaints here. After several different brushes being used in actual shaving and test lathering, I prefer lathering this with a badger brush over synthetic.
PERFORMANCE:
Well, let's start with the basics. In fact, I could save a whole load of keystrokes by saying that all (so far) Phoenix & Beau soaps perform at the top of the class level. Think 1st Class Honours in all departments. Slicker than you'd ever need, plenty of cushion and importantly, great post shave (more on that later). I cannot ignore the performance of the cold however! When Kerry announced a cold soap, I was hoping for very cold. Between then and now, I acquired a sample of another world renowned cold soap, and that brought tears to your eyes. It was very cold indeed, but thinking out loud, the watery eyes is not the best thing to have when shaving.
So, what did Denali give in that respect? Well, it is cold, very cold. If the benchmark 'cold soap' scored a 10/10 (including eye watering level), then Denali comes in around an 8/10 which to me is as cold as you can get without inducing the eye watering unpleasantries. Would I want it colder? No, because after 10 seconds you can feel the cold, and by the end of the third pass your face is colder than a snowman's cold bits. Think standing in a snow storm cold.
POST SHAVE:
Post shave here is different in as much as there is the cold factor to consider. The skin side of things is impeccable as always, smooth, moisturised and generally fantastic. Add in the chill factor and you have a sublime feel in the hot, sticky summer.
CONCLUSIVE COMMENTS:
Here we go again...Kerry has made a soap which I cannot be without. This soap is so refreshing, it is ideal for summer, for those mornings where you really struggle to wake up, where you are reminiscing times spent upon mountain peaks and yearn to be back in the cold. This soap is one seriously cool customer, I will not be without it.
