Le Père Lucien Cologne Fougere Shaving Soap, 98g

Using a badger brush and scuttle I had ni problem developing a rich perfect lather. The scent is a perfect balance of strength and subtlety - to me it smells almost exactly like Martin de Candre´s “Original” pretty close in performance too and love that this is travel sized. As far as packaging goes this is also a classy heat cut metal container with a good seal.

The lather dissolved on me. I wouldn't recommend you buy it. I don't know what I was thinking with my previous review. I threw it away a long time ago.

Lathering this and shaving this was an unusual experience. It really jogged me out of the normal routine of shaving. It felt like a short adventure. First, when I lathered, the tin has no space between the soap and the top, and the tin is small, so as you run the brush over the surface, which you need to wet the soap, first, then the lather goes over the sides and lands in your hands. This might as well not even come in a tin. You might as well grab the puck with your bare hands to lather. So, I transferred it to a Phoenix shave soap tin, so I could have space at the top of the soap to contain the lather and more surface area, so I wouldn't be frustrated with trying to lather it and not getting much soap out of it. Then, cushion, not much at all. I've been using some aggressive razors and for this, I was getting scared, so I switched to a more mild razor. You might need to make 3 passes instead of 2, but so be it. I got the feeling when I opened the tin, that it was the same type of soap that a soldier would have had in WWII. So, then why would I give this 5 stars, since the experience was not so wonderful? First, it really brings home the fact that we live easy, luxurious lives and it is nice to have a comfort taken away and know we can survive. Second, it has a beautiful tin, a great smell and it makes your skin feel really good, no drying at all. When you get used to not having a cushion, then the safety net is gone and you have to be more careful. Thus, with this shave, I didn't cut myself. But, strangely, shaving with this soap feels more like work than a spa experience.