Beyond the Lather Ep. 1: Ariana & Evans Obsidian Ember
Hey everyone. Welcome to the very first episode of Beyond the Lather. This is a new series I’m starting on the channel dedicated to spotlighting artisan shave soaps and aftershave splashes. The format is straightforward: I take you from the first impression right out of the tub, through a lather, through the splash, all the way to the dry down. No full shave video, no razor talk. Just the fragrance. You want to know if something is worth picking up before you spend the money. This series is for you.
We’re kicking it off with Obsidian Ember from Ariana & Evans.
The new glass jars
Before we get into the fragrance, I want to talk about the packaging, because Peter has put real work into this.
Obsidian Ember comes in A&E’s new wide-mouth glass jars. I’ve got my Nero e Rosso here for comparison. That one’s in the older jar format, and the size difference is real. The new jars are wider, and that wider opening makes it much easier to load your brush. The A&E logo is worked directly into the glass. It looks sharp and it feels like a premium product.
Peter also put together custom presentation boxes that ship with these jars. Protects the glass in transit and looks great when you open it. He didn’t have to do that. A lot of artisans just wrap the jar and ship it out. The attention to detail here says something about where he’s taking the brand. I also really like the direction he’s going with the black and white labels. Clean, professional, consistent.
My understanding is that once the existing inventory sells through on the main website, everything transitions to the Ultima 2 base in these new jars. So this packaging isn’t a one-off. It’s a brand-wide move.
The scent notes
Obsidian Ember’s notes:
Dark cherries, dark coffee, lavender absolute, incense, agarwood, oud, cedar, Armenian wood.
Right off the tub, I get that dark cherry immediately. It’s not candy sweet. This is not a gourmand at all. It’s more tart than sweet, actually. Reminds me of those old black cherry sodas from back in the day. If you remember White Rose black cherry soda, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
What brings it together is the roasted coffee underneath. It’s not overpowering. The coffee doesn’t announce itself. It just sits under the cherry and rounds the whole thing out. Those two together blend really well.
Lavender absolute is in the notes, but to be honest, I don’t pick it up much. Nothing floral here, nothing powdery. Where this really comes together is the incense and oud in the mid notes. You get a real presence of oud. It carries through and leads into a woodsy finish on the dry down. Cedar and Armenian wood round out the base.
In the lather
I whipped up a bowl of lather before the video to save some time. The fragrance does change once you lather it up, and that’s worth knowing.
Right off the tub, the dark cherry is the first thing that hits. In the lather, that cherry settles back. You get more of the roasted coffee and the woods. The cherry is still there, just not leading anymore. The lather impression reads deeper, more grounded. Different from the tub, but in a good way.
I’ve put this one through about a handful of shaves now. It’s easily one of my favorite A&E fragrances so far this year. For context, Neroli Rosso is my all-time top fragrance from the brand. Obsidian Ember is right up there with it. Solidly within my top five A&E releases ever.
The aftershave splash
The splash comes in a clear 5 oz bottle with the same clean label treatment as the soap. I shook it with the cap off before applying, which was not a smart move. The labels are waterproof, so no damage, but still.
On application, the dark cherry tapers down. The roasted coffee comes forward first. That’s what you’re leading with on the face. As it dries down, the coffee softens and the woodsy base takes over. The oud, cedar, and Armenian wood come forward. A ghost of the roasted coffee hangs around in the background. It’s a really nice, settled finish.
That’s my new series rating for this one: certified banger. Same tier as Nero e Rosso.
Getting your hands on it
Obsidian Ember should be on the main A&E website. Peter is working on getting the custom boxes sorted. Check their website for the most up-to-date stock.
If you want early access, the Shave Shop VIP club is the place to be. New A&E releases go there first before they hit the public website. Members get discounts, and the more you buy, the heavier those discounts get. Check the link in the description for current membership details.
I’m an affiliate of Ariana & Evans. Use code Long Island Shaving 10 at checkout, and you’ll save 10% on your order. Whatever I make from that goes straight back into the channel so I can keep bringing you new releases and new hardware.
And a quick thank you to Peter and Thalia for sending Neroli Rosso and Obsidian Ember over to the channel for review. Really do appreciate it.
Hope you enjoyed the first episode of Beyond the Lather. If you have questions or want to share your thoughts on the scent, drop them in the comments below. Not subscribed yet? Consider it. See you next time.