Ratings:

Value: 7

Cushion: 10

Slickness: 9

Scent Pleasantness: 10

Scent Strength (balance): 10

Moisturising: 9

I finally had a chance to break open another shave cream sample this week. I have been sick for longer than I wish to say (Ulcerative Colitis decided to show up and kick my ass for a few weeks), so getting to the bathroom to shave wasn’t top on my priority over the last few weeks. Good news is that this past week things have been looking up and I was able to take some time to enjoy my morning shave once again. I thought it was a good time to try my second sample from KnockOut Shave simply called Sonny after being really pleased with the first sample Citrus of Paradise, I was looking for some guaranteed positivity.

As soon as I removed the lid from the sample I knew that I was going to enjoy myself. The scent of the Sonny shave cream immediately forced me to start thinking about where does this fit in on my all time favourite scents. Officially the scent is a “combination of lemongrass, cedarwood atlas, and lavender essential oils”, for me it was absolutely fantastic. I would describe it as having a fresh feel to it, the lemongrass really coming through with a sweetness to it that would have you considering breaking it out for dessert. The combination of scents are balanced very well, without any one of them being too overpowering. The more I think about it, the more I would classify the Sonny shave cream as a “Summer Soap”, clumping it with the likes of Taylor of Old Bond Streets Grapefruit or their Lemon Lime scent. I would even go as far as saying that based on scent alone, this would be my go to soap for the summer.

As with the Citrus of Paradise, the Sonny shave cream required a little bit of work to build up a nice lather, but the work is well worth it. Once you get the soap and water ratio down, along with a bit of work from your wrist, you will end up with a lather that is very full, providing a wonderful cushion, and an impressive amount of slickness. During one of my shaves, after I had already started lathering my face, I realized that I didn’t sufficiently wet my neck, I decided to press forward for the sake of experimentation. I continued to lather my neck and shave – the lather provided enough protection that I didn’t irritate my neck nor was their any pulling of any hairs. Impressive.

Once again a very fine performance from an artisan soap maker. KnockOut shave is 2 for 2 for me with a couple more samples to go. Some may find the price point a bit too high for them, but in the end you will receive a different experience from this soap. KnockOut Shave seems to have discounts running now and then if you don’t feel like dishing out full price keep your eyes open. Check out their website for more info. Personally I don’t love spending premium prices for shave cream or soap but I would make an exception for the Sonny shave cream, as I really would like it to be in my summer rotation.

Tools in images:

Merkur 37C

Edwin Jagger Best Badger Brush