Sandalwood Scents

What is your opinion on fine shaving creams and hard soaps? Do you like Trumpers, Coates, Taylors, Truefitt & Hill? Post your reviews and opinions here!
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DavidB
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Sandalwood Scents

Post by DavidB »

I have some NOS Coates Sandalwood and enjoy the subtle, warm scent. I'm thinking of stocking up on that but am also interested in other sandalwoods. I don't care for Taylor (too potent), but am thinking of Trumper Sandalwood. How does that scent compare to Coates? Any other recommendations?

Dave
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by Squire »

Comparing to Coates, Trumpers is also a warm, subtle, spicy scent that is perhaps a touch more sensual. I don't find Taylors scent much stronger but it does take a different path.

I've used others, Truefitt & Hill, Castle Forbes, Cyril Salter, Crabtree & Evelyn, just about all the brands available over the last decade or so and haven't found any I didn't like but the three 'Ts' top my pyramid.
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by brothers »

The only one I didn't like as well as the others was Taylor's. It does seem to have a strong note about it that just doesn't smell right to me. Green Pond was a nice Sandalwood that was made by DRHarris for Green Pond, but about a year and a half ago, Green Pond shut their website down.
Gary

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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by Squire »

Taylor scents their shave cream with their sandalwood cologne which some do find a bit potent.
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by DavidB »

Thanks, guys. Appreciate the input. Squire, what do you mean by "sensual" (which I take as a positive)?

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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by Araner »

Vulfix sandalwood is a bit unique but I consider it one of the best.

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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by John N. »

I have tried several, and the scent I like the very best is the sandalwood from AOS. The cream is of the highest quality, and the scent is warm, mellow and to my nose, a true sandalwood with no lesser notes to cloud the issue. I also like their sandalwood soap, mine is tallow based and not the current version...though I have heard the new one works quite well. Some detect a "clay" overtone in the soap. I have noticed that also, but do not think it detracts from the luscious embrace of their intoxicating sandalwood. I'm a fan...can you tell?? :roll:
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by jww »

The only sandalwood that I have truly acclimatized to is GFT cream and Skin Food. Skin Food is especially light and airy for sandalwood but I find it very nice - particularly in cooler and cold weather.
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by Steve »

I have tried many but recently tried Cyril Salter for the first time. I think it is excellent!

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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by brothers »

bernards66 wrote:Gary, IF the folks at Green Pond still are selling their older stock, then you have one of the pre-reformulation D R Harris's shaving creams. It is that, if it is in a pot like the Coate's; ridges on the lid and so forth. Yes, of the five really top shelf English shave creams ( prior to any 'reformulating' or fooling around ) the D R Harris's was probably closest to the Coate's product. Both were usually quite dense, and produced a rich lather with a tad more cushion. The old Taylors from several years ago was often pretty similiar as well. Trumpers and T&H seemed to have a little less cushion to their lather. The Sandalwood was never sold directly under the D R Harris's label to my knowledge. It seems to have been made up for Green Pond exclusively. The scent is that of their assertive Sandalwood Aftershave, and is thus somewhat unique. It was ( and apparently still is ) a totally top shelf traditional shaving product. Green Pond also used to sell their own label Harris's A/S Milk...at substantial savings to the customer. But, it seems they felt as I did ( chuckle ) and did not re-up their stock when Harris's changed over to the current formula. SMF members got some of the last of it that they had.
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We are very fortunate that Andy has secured a large supply of Coates creams, including Sandalwood. There's no doubt (in my mind, at least) that Coates is the way to go for the present time at least, if one is looking for one of the best ever!
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by DavidB »

I've ordered Trumper sandalwood and will also order more NOS Coates.

Shows you how tastes change. I was never much into sandalwood until recently. What a great scent, especially as the weather gets colder.

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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by Squire »

Steve wrote:I have tried many but recently tried Cyril Salter for the first time. I think it is excellent!

Steve
I like Salter very much, to me it has a slight nut oil quality, a bit subdued, very pleasant stuff.
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by Squire »

DavidB wrote: Squire, what do you mean by "sensual" (which I take as a positive)?
Just as it implies but that's a story best told over drinks.
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by bernards66 »

Dave, I think you did the right thing. Of the sandalwood creams still being made, the Trumpers is the most similar overall. The old T&H was even more similar but the current version is not. Surprising though it may seem to some of our members who 'know' me, I actually slightly prefer the Trumper version over the Coate's in this scent.
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by brothers »

Castle Forbes is still my favorite. Regarding "sandalwood", here's something I posted here on SMF 4 1/2 years ago:
brothers wrote:Castle Forbes Cedarwood & Sandalwood Shaving Cream
by brothers » Fri Apr 17, 2009 10:10 pm

It's been a full week since my tub of Castle Forbes Cedarwood & Sandalwood shaving cream arrived. If you recall, I was disappointed by the absence of many mentions of Castle Forbes' rendering of Sandalwood in the recent topic asking everyone tio mention their favorite Sandalwood shaving cream. A few days earlier, I had a good feeling about it, and ordered it without having experienced the fragrance first hand. The last I posted about it was that I was going to use it for a week then report back here, and here we are.

Castle Forbes shaving creams are Castle Forbes, and that is a very very good thing to be. I won't rehash all the highly complimentary attributes, which are true. I already knew that before I placed my order. I've used the CF Lavender, and I've read many glowing remarks about the Lime.

My reasoning in choosing the C and S fragrance then becomes obvious. Forbes isn't going to make a mistake on any of its fragrances, so with that comfort level of a guarantee of an outstanding product to shave with, I wanted something familiar, yet unfamiliar, and I happily made my decision to purchase the C & S.

How to describe the fragrance? This has been my objective, and my great challenge. I shave every day, sometimes more often as a test shave of a newly honed straight razor. As a result, I've used the C & S a number of times this past week. (Regardless, today MWF got the nod because it was supposed to have been my 7 day rotation candidate this week, and I've really been missing it. It was a good shave!)

When using the C & S, and when just passing by for a habitual deep inhalation of the fragrance, I've found it to be something that I crave, and I don't choose that word "for lack of a better term" as we sometimes say, when that phrase is true.

No, in my case, there's not a better term to describe my craving for Castle Forbes C & S. I have to have it. I can't get enough of it. I'm hooked on it. I need it. I am infatuated with it. There's some genetic chemical dependence in my body chemistry, and it so happens that the ying for my genetic yang happens to be my new soulmate of shaving creams, Castle Forbes Cedarwood & Sandalwood.

However, I still can't think of a descriptive word of the actual fragrance, except the extremely obvious fact that it smells just like aromatic cedar wood. There's gotta be something else in there, I just don't know what, but frankly, I don't care.
Gary

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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by Squire »

I recall liking Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood but the name doesn't immediately bring up scent memories the way Trumper/Taylor/Coates do, though I distinctly recall T&H's Lime and Rose scents.
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by brothers »

Yesterday I discovered Andy had gifted me a tube of Coates Sandalwood when I placed my order previously. Nice cream, no doubt. This brings back so many memories of that year I went through all of the Sandalwoods, including Castle Forbes' Cedarwood & Sandalwood, which turned out to be so good for me. The only Sandalwoods I missed out on were AOS and Cyril Salters. When I got sidelined by the CF C&S, I lost my focus, and still haven't wanted to use any other.
Gary

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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by Squire »

I used Salter for my evening shave, nice floral notes.
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by cvac »

The closest I have used that smells like "real" sandalwood and not sweet clove/cinnamon perfume is Fitjar Sandalwood cream and Nanny's (the UK artisan soaper) shaving soap in the puck form.
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Re: Sandalwood Scents

Post by Squire »

If real sandalwood is like the dry scent of Villoresi cologne then I prefer the spicy floral versions no matter how they achieve them.
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