Ratings:

Price: 5

Lather: 5

Scent: 4

Moisturising: 4

Overall: 4.5

After a couple of weeks I dove back into my stash of Barrister & Mann soaps, breaking out my puck of Seville. I was using my 1965 Gillette Travel Tech for the first time so I wanted something that I could trust to give me a fair assessment of my latest acquisition.

As with my previous experiences with Barrister & Mann soaps, the Seville provided an excellent shave surface, comfortable shave, no irritation, and didn’t leave my face feeling dry. The same can be said of the lather I was able to produce with the Seville soap. With the exception of the Barrister & Mann’s Bay Rum (which was a bit thirsty), all of their soaps, including the Seville, lathered quickly, creamy and full. Finding the right balance of water was not difficult at all.

The Barrister & Mann website describes the scent of the Seville soap as having a “traditional barbershop scent”, which I will not disagree with. However, rather than a barbershop the first image that came to mind for me was my Grandfather and his little shave sink he had is the basement of his home. I can’t say for sure which of the ingredients triggered the memory, but there was a certain freshness to the scent that created a nice bit of nostalgia.

When I asked my wife about what she thought about the scent and what stood out, she responded by saying that all of the Barrister & Mann soaps seem to have a natural fragrance to them, which I believe is what Barrister & Mann is aiming for, so much so that they actually list the ingredient list on their website – an uncommon move for soap companies. The official blend for this soap is listed as containing “bergamot, lemon, patchouli, oakmoss, lavender, and rosemary”, I honestly can’t pinpoint one scent over another, which isn’t a bad thing, I wouldn’t change the combination at all, but if I had to pick one I would say the lavender is what stands out for me, but just barely. The only criticism might be, and this is only if you are of a certain disposition, that the fragrance could be a bit stronger – personally I enjoy the subtleness.

Barrister & Mann delivered once again with their Seville shaving soap with my biggest problem being deciding which soap to use. I am looking forward to trying their other soaps in the next couple of weeks. For more info check them out at their website.