Substratum Soap

[tawaen]

A deep, earthy blend of soothing, grounding, nurturing oils: Himalayan cedar, Sumatran patchouli, spikenard, and black fig.

Ok, I bought ALL THE SOAPS, but obviously I had to choose which one to use first. (If I bathed several times a day, not even BPTP would keep me from being a prune.) So, this is the one I was most hesitant to buy because it sounded pretty overpowering. Ahem.

Substratum really does smell like a combination of freshly turned dirt and walking through a forest in the rain. I know it has cedar and patch as the listed big notes, and it is very earthy, but it also reminds me of wet leaves and trees. Possibly because I'm in a shower? There are no aquatic notes listed. Either way, it's not overpowering when in use, just a hit of fragrance as you suds up. I don't get much of the fig, and I have no idea what spikenard should smell like other than "earthy." Overall a very pleasant and rejuvenating scent; it was like a spa treat.

This one lingers on the skin a bit more than most of the BPTP soaps, but it's a lighter version of the suds experience. The soap itself is very smooth and provides nice lather.

[Lycanthrope]

Spikenard to me smells like earthy nuts, and has a musty herbal twang that although strangely unpleasant is actually quite grounding. The soap lathers wonderfully and is a swirly gray in color. My nose detects a rich, loamy 'brown.' The soap has a nutty overtone that turns into a smooth, silky, deep mixed leafy and slightly rotted (in only the best way possible) note. The spikenard (grounding, herbal, rooty aroma) remains and lingers on the skin for a while later but like most Villainess soaps is glorious and a scent experience in the shower without leaving too much on the skin. Would layer great with Graveyard Dirt. I think I want more.

[violetblue]

This smells almost exactly like Lush's Middle Earth soap without the mud! My nose may be off, but I swear I smell strong vetiver in this. Earthy and lovely!

[liquidtrance]

Out of the mailing envelope, this smells of rich patchouli, earth and leaves.

 

In the shower, this instantly becomes CEDAR TO THE MAAAX, with the barest hint of fig if sniffed up close. Patchouli disappears almost entirely. Lovely lather!

 

Final verdict-- This will be relegated to the boy. I don't quite savor the hamster cage that this conjures to mind in the shower and I think he's ambivalent to it.

[tailoredshirt]

When I first used this I couldn't remember the notes exactly. It smelled like cedar and vetiver to me, although I think it was the spikenard that was making me think vetiver. Definitely a very grounding, earthy scent. I smell a bit of fig if I sniff closely, but I only noticed it after I'd used the soap a couple of times. I like it very much and have ordered a full bar.

[Caper]

This is an immediate earth note to me, but not earthy like Zombi, earthy like dry soil. It is masculine for sure, but not overwhelmingly so. My husband and I both used it and it suited both of us,

 

I don't get much fig, which is great for me because fig usually ruins blends. I also don't get intense cedar, just a nice sweet slightly woody scent. Really nice.

[ajansuz]

This is really nice. Earthy and green. The cedar is deep and refreshing, never going over to bedding or pencil shavings territory. There's also something of a salt tinge to this, not quite an aquatic but close. There's no scent left on my skin from this soap. I don't mind. It's enjoyable enough in the shower on its own. Like all of the BPTP soaps I've bought the texture of the bar and lather are superb.