Shaving Product Review - Mickey Lee Soapworks "Réunion"

Value (Cost, Packaging and Performance)

Lather (Density, Glide and Feel)

Post-shave (Healing, Moisture and Feel)

Scent (Quality, Strength and Longevity)

Exploring the damp, dank and earthy green scent that is Mickey Lee Soapworks Réunion #soap and #aftershave combo!

It has been said that some of the finest quality vetiver oil comes from the Réunion Islands. This scent is our tribute to the wonderful scent of vetiver: earthy like patchouli, but a murky “underwater” quality and a definite green note. Our blend ties together vetiver, oakmoss, and petrichor for a scent that is not freshly-cut grass, but darker, with a somewhat bitter, dirty edge.

I done extensive reviews of countless #mickeyleesoaps (click the hashtag to browse them all) - so check them out for more information as far as performance goes. Today I'll just talk about the scent. Réunion is a fairly simple green scent with notes of vetiver, oakmoss, and petrichor. I say simple, since it only has three notes - but they're mixed in such proportion that it's a lovely accord for the green scent lovers out there - be they vetiver, oakmoss, petrichor or all three.

The namesake oil of this software is vetiver produced in Réunion. A bit of background... Réunion is an island and region of France in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and southwest of Mauritius. Vetiver oil is distilled from the root, which is cultivated on a large scale principally in India, Haiti, Java and Réunion. Oil from Haiti and Réunion is sweeter than the smokier oil from Java, while the wild varietal of India, known as Khus, produces a superior oil. If you really want the nitty gritty, there's a pretty in-depth article on the particular vetiver found on Réunion called Essential Oils and Their Constituents. Isolation of Aromatic Sesquiterpenes from Reunion Vetiver Oil.

So how does it actually smell? In a word, green. Vetiver itself is somewhat warm and woodsy while oakmoss is a rich mossy and earthy scent - and blends perfectly with petrichor - as it too is damp and earthy. Combined, you very much get a sense of a forest after a rainstorm. Not grassy like Chiseled Face Summer Storm nor floral like Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements La Tierra Mojada. It's more raw like Barrister and Mann Petrichor but danker, more green - and a bit dirtier. Scent strength is a lighter medium while longevity is only about 4 hours.

The hardware for today included the #TimelessRazor "mild edition" with a .68mm blade gap on a smooth straight bar and top cap with a #Stork titanium handle and a #PolSilver blade on shave three. The #WildWestBrushworks brush couldn't match any better, with its 24mm BOSS knot, while the #GTP scuttle kept the lather nice and warm.

Réunion was one of those scents that from the tub, could go either way. At least that was my initial reaction. Only after being lathered and of course, applying the aftershave - can you really appreciate the scent. If you're a fan of dank green scents, fougéres and the like... Réunion puts in a solid showing.