I had never heard of the brand Extro, but it looked intriguing. New England Shaving Company offers a variety. I decided to buy a tub of 17 Stormo:
Woody, aromatic fragrance that boldly contrasts mysterious, erotic, and warm aromas with top notes of black pepper and with hints of heliotropies, resins, and coffee and with a background of incense, oudh, amber, musk, and red pepper.
The fragrance sounds interesting, but the clincher was the look those two guys were giving me, if they were coolly appraising me, deciding whether I passed must. Also, I was intrigued by what little was said about the ingredients:
100% vegetable based and free from parabens/harsh alcohols, the shaving creams are enriched with Q10, Royal Jelly, Calendula Oil, and other natural ingredients.
Unfortunately, there is not a simple ingredient list, but that sounded promising. The soap comes in a thick, heavy glass tub (like RazoRock’s The Dead Sea or Martin de Candre or Meißner Tremonia). The top of the soap was stamped (shown at right), much as Tallow + Steel once was, and Meißner Tremonia. It’s a finishing touch that appeals to me: the maker putting their mark on the product.
So how does the soap perform? Extremely well. It provides a rich and thick lather that feels very nice on my skin and provides excellent glide, and the fragrance did prove to be present and pleasing. Altogether, it was a pleasure, and I think I’ll buy another tub of this at some point. You can’t have too many shaving soaps, right?
My Parker Semi-Slant, mounted here on a Yaqi handle, quickly and easily stripped away the weekend stubble, and a splash of Barrister & Mann’s Classic Reserve aftershave finished the job. A great way to start the week.
The tea this morning is Murchie’s Queen Victoria: “First blended in honour of Queen Victoria, this is one of Murchie’s oldest blends: rich Darjeeling and Ceylon, smoky Lapsang Souchong, and sweet Jasmine.”