I've got a special one for you today! The good folks at Thomas Clipper sent me a sample of their new Rough And Smooth Soap Set. The thing is, I think it would be much more fun to have Mr Wench review and give his opinion on them!
Before we get into it, let me give you some at-a-glance facts: Given the state of the world, people are shopping small and local. Founded 2014, Thomas Clipper is a small team based in London. Their scents and soaps are developed in Grasse, the heart of French fragrance country. Mountain soap is vegan, uses organic ingredients, and handmade in the UK. Mountain soap is hand poured in runs of just 5 soaps at a time,
Made by people, not machines, this artisan soap is chock-full of natural organic ingredients like Italian volcanic pumice and smells incredible with notes of Vetiver (a scent I adore enough to have in the form of a gorgeous candle) and aromatic spices.
Let's start from the outside: I was very pleasantly surprised when the parcel arrived and it was completely packaged in recyclable materials. Even the soaps themselves were packaged in such a way that negates the need for cellophane! Given that Christmas is a time that creates so much extra waste, it's amazing to have a gift option without plastic.
Inside the box, these soaps are really minimal in their design, and since they're solid, they deliver exceptional functionality. These are the hallmarks of modern luxury - travel friendly and compact at home. As someone who works in designer luggage, I appreciate any product that you can pop into your suitcase and take with you places, without fear of leaking, immensely!
The guys at Thomas Clipper believe that after a day exploring the peaks, ‘Mountain’ prepares you for an evening relaxing into a red wine by a roaring cabin fire.
Rugged and refined, Vetiver, guaiac and cedarwood provide a seriously smokey base with zingy bergamot
and aromatic spices, bringing freshness and balance.
Now, lets here from Mr Wench!
"It smells really good. Super clean smelling, just light enough on the senses to not be overpowering but speaks of rich man or competent man or similar. There’s something about this type of scent that just resonates with me as a man that I can’t get enough of. Thankfully we are in COVID season so I have had no end of hand washing and of lovely smelling hands as a result! My bathroom area is quite dominated by this smell now but it’s not a bad thing it’s actually quite nice. The effect on my hands has been un-noticed, they’re not dry and not itchy in any way. I don’t feel like it’s imbalanced my skin in and the scent sticks for a long time.
The shape of the bar (such a small detail really) is actually a nice design choice, embossed with the logo on one side the soap shape is quite chunky and pointed. This isn’t a bad thing however, this just feels more like a handful when using it which for my hands is great! I think in my hands it fits well enough. The same is true for the shower scrub which I’ll mention in a moment but other soaps tend to slip quite easily in my grip with their oval shapes thus having something almost brick shaped is actually refreshing!
The shower scrub is a different game, smelling much the same as the Mountain Soap, in that it smells great. It fits in my hands well and doesn’t slip in the shower in my grip with its big block shape (though the run off is quite slippy on the shower floor I found out!). It was however, quite scrubby. I wasn’t prepared for that feeling at first. On the first use I felt like my skin was rubbed a little too roughly and ended up having to smooth it out after a couple strokes with lathering actions. My skin afterwards felt and smelled amazing, no two ways about it which had me thinking maybe the scrubbing wasn’t that bad. For the second use I have to say I’m glad I gave it another chance, the scrubbing was much less gritty on second, third+ washes and much more enjoyable. It is in fact possibly the exact type of exfoliator style scrubber I have been wanting for a while now. I was super happy to use in the shower each time I had it and have enjoyed the product over all.
Packaging wise few small comments worth pointing out, it’s minimalistic which pleases my man-tendencies as the product isn’t screaming at me to pick it up with loud garish colours. The wrapping is simple and the product is good enough to stand on its own legs in the testing. All in all, I rate these soaps highly, easily an 8.5/10. I am even considering this as a Christmas gift for other guy friends and family in my life."
So there you have it, hopefully myself and Mr Wench have helped you decide on some amazing body products for the loved ones in your life!
*Contains gifted items from Thomas Clipper. All opinions belong to myself and Mr Wench.