Time for another Mama Bear soap review (because I’ve got like 60 samples to get through!). Up next is Sue’s Phoenix Rising (from the ashes) scent. To start off, here’s what she has to say about the scent:

The Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth, a new beginning.This mysterious and invigorating soap evokes the sense of anticipation. What the day may bring or what the night has in store. This wonderful scent is warm smoldering embers and vanilla containing notes of charred birch, pine and cedar with a balsamic vanilla, amber, sandalwood and musk drydown. One of my favorites!

The woodsy / smokeyness of this soap is tempered quite nicely by the sweetness of the vanilla. It’s a combination that, where I to guess based on just the description, I probably wouldn’t have thought would be something I liked, however in actually smelling it, it came together really well. The scent is patterned after a now-discontinued line of scented candles called “Fireside” which was produced by Bath and Body Works in collaboration with Sir Elton John.

The only complaint I have is my most common complaint with soaps from manufacturers across the board: not quite as strong of a scent as I would have liked. I was still able to pick it up throughout the shave, but not easily.

As for the shave itself, it’s the usual from Mama Bear. Decent balance of glide and cushioning, as long as you’re careful about the amount of water added. Start dry, add it in slowly, otherwise you’ll risk making it too runny. But you do need to be sure to add enough, otherwise you’re not going to get enough glide. And you’ll probably need to re-work the lather between passes if you use a warmed scuttle, as the heat causes it to break down.

9/10 Scent Pleasantness

7/10 Scent Strength

7/10 Lather Quality (reflects new scoring as outlined here)

Overall, I’d say it’s a solid 7/10. The beauty of Mama Bear is the wide variety of scents available and how easy it is to sample them. This is worth adding to a sampler pack.

Gear used:

Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Safflower , Glycerine (kosher, of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Soybean protein (conditioner), Wheat protein and fragrance either natural or synthetic.