Post by SharpSpine on May 3, 2014 8:56:53 GMT -6
Catie's Bubbles is the most recent artisan shave soap that I've had the pleasure to try. I am a very demanding user given the set of variables that I bring to the table; very hard water, coarse stubble, oily complexion, & sensitive skin. Despite all of these things stacked up against this soap maker who named his business after his daughter, this is one of my favorite soaps as it performs splendidly and consistently.
Catie's Bubbles produces two different formations of soap; a French-style and an Italian-style. Due to my preferences I only use his French-style and that is what I'm reviewing here. I will share both formulations' ingredients though.
French-style soap (which sells for $20): Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Water, Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Lactate, Glycerine, Fragrance.
Italian-style soap (which sells for $15): Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Water, Mango Butter, Palm Kernel Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Castor Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Sodium Lactate, (various oils depending on scent).
I have two soaps so far from Catie's Bubbles and I look forward to trying more scents as I'm very pleased with the complexity of the scents I currently have and love how they do not irritate my sensitive skin at all. I currently have the Santal Sensuelle and Le Piment de la Vie (LPV). The scent on the Santal is intoxicating to me and I can't help but keep sniffing it. It is by far the best sandalwood based soap that I've every had the pleasure of smelling. It is a lighter fragrance so don't expect to have the scent enveloping you throughout your entire shave. Rather, it sticks close to the skin and it has a mystifying ability to remind me of its presence throughout the day as a breeze crosses my face. I doubt anyone else can smell it, but it sure does bring a smile to my face with it sneaks up on me like that. I can't describe the scent any better than the maker does so I'll just copy it from his website here; "It is subtle yet lush and woody and just damn sexy." The LPV, now this is a stronger fragrance but certainly not overpowering. It is a complex blend in my eyes that balances out perfectly between sweet, slightly powdery, and dark. Again I'll take the scent description straight from the man putting it together; "It is sweet and spicy and earthy and just all around amazing."
The soap itself is a soft soap, similar in consistency to Proraso which is an ironic comparison given this is the French-style soap and not the Italian. I'd imagine that if this soap was left to dry and cure for 5 months like Martin de Candre, then it would have a harder consistency just like that $65 soap. The only way that I can foresee the consistency having on effect would be on efficiency and longevity. I haven't had this soap long enough to use an entire tub but I am journalling my uses so that I will be able to do a complete cost evaluations on and per shave basis between the two. Catie's Bubbles comes in a nice and sturdy double-walled plastic tub with screw on lid. It holds 8 ounces of soap which is approximately 226 grams. Martin de Candre is 200 grams and about 3x the cost. But you do get a nice glass pot.
Back to Catie's Bubbles and what really matters, the lather. I produce what Brian Krampert and I termed as an UltraLather. This is a shaving lather that is predominately soap solids that have not been aerated and have had just enough water added to make it super slick. This is a demanding type of lather to produce, especially in very hard water such as mine. However, Catie's Bubbles just laughs at those lather killing minerals and simply delivers outstanding results each and every time. I get a dense, slick, no air bubbles lather in under a minute of face lathering with one of the softest brushes out there, the Cade Plisson synthetic from L'Occitane En Provence. I've never had a bad shave to date with a Catie's Bubbles UltraLather! I also want to mention one other characteristic of the lather which actually helps separate this soap from many of the other artisans and actually brings it much closer to the performance characteristics of Martin de Candre; how easy it is to rinse this soap from the razor. Some other artisan soaps I've used are difficult to rinse from the razor especially since I use cold water to shave and my water pressure isn't that great. Catie's Bubbles and Martin de Candre both rinse off my razor effortlessly even while maintaining their density. This may seem like a small detail, but when comparing the quality of many artisan soap makers currently this was one of the things that stood out to me.
Finally, I will touch on post-shave skincare. Let me preface this by saying I don't think any soap should be judged by its moisturizing ability. Soap by it's nature is drying as it strips the oils from the skin. This is even less of a consideration for me as I start with oily skin. Because of this though I must avoid soaps high in butters and oils that are marketed for those seeking a moisturizing soap because those added butters and oils do not mix well with my natural skin oils. This is why I use the French-style soap and not the Italian-style of Catie's Bubbles and why soaps like Mike's, Sterling, etc do not work as well for me. If you are one that is on the drier side of things complexion wise, then I suggest you follow a good post-shave moisturizing routine rather than trying to find a soap to do it for you. With all that said I find that my face feels nice after a shave, no tightness and no greasiness either.
I'm more than pleased with my purchase of both Le Piment de la Vie & Santal Sensuelle. I will look forward to adding more scents in the future. I highly recommend that you give this artisan a try. I know that he works very hard at his craft and is one of the more knowledgable and passionate soapers that I've spoken with.