Castle Forbes is a great cream. It’s very concentrated and quite thirsty. It whips up into a dense stable lather that’s stick and moisturizing. Pretty big hydration window. The scents are nice but I’m afraid they probably fall into the ‘in your face’ camp.
Fitjar Islands is a much milder scent. I’ve only tried Fjellheim. Very natural and woodsy. Some have complained about lack of slickness but I think it performs very well. Like DR Harris it works best when you use more product and don’t drown the lather with water.
Baume, MWF, Klar, and Fitjar Islands are all lightly scented.
Musgo Real, SV, Castle Forbes, SMN and AdP are all pretty strong.
MdC, DR Harris, Haslinger and Speick are somewhere in the middle.
It's a hard cream, just so you know. I didn't when I got it. You pretty much have to go into the jar with a damp brush and it takes more water(outside the jar) than other creams. It still has the advantage of not really needing any special technique to lather, just takes a little longer. I am currently on track to get 200 shaves out of the jar, just so you know. Try the pre-shave gel, I won't live without it.
Before I get started, I'd like to thank Tomo and Aaron (APBinNCA) for the recommending Baume.be cream for me. And another thanks to Aaron for suggesting the Baume.be pre-shave. I had written off pre-shaves as something I didn't really need. I've mentioned it before, I looked at the ingredients of the most popular pre-shaves mentioned on B&B and formulated my own.... after looking up lots of recipes online.
So, how was my first shave with these two products. The pre-shave looks like wax at a first glance. I wasn't sure how to apply it but I dipped my finger in... and it's very soft. It spreads so easily and doesn't feel oily. Just gave me a thin coating. It turns a little white when you apply it.
OK... good so far... The cream lathered up very well.. took me a couple minutes to adjust to the water needed... just like any new soap or cream. Lather was excellent.
Final test... I mean.. every looks good but if the shave is horrible.... you know. My ECS Claymore Evolution glided over my face like? Skates on ice? A hot knife through room temperature butter? Pick your own analogy. it was wonderful. I couldn't be more pleased.
I'm sure I'm not totally conveying how much I love this cream. There is not one thing I can think of that they should improve. I have two other creams/soaps that I really like, but this one tops them both. I don't want to make this about them, though. For my money, Baume.be is the best cream I've ever tried. I could use it every day and be content. I'd never have found it if I wasn't a member here at B&B.
So, thanks again to two seasoned wet shaving vets for giving advice tailored to a person's personal needs. This is the best PIF I could get.
In conclusion: the Baume.be is a very, very mild smelling cream. So subtle, you can hardly smell it. The second smell test was my wife... she approved. WAF accomplished. And the end results are spectacular for both products. I will use their pre-shave regardless of the cream/soap I use. It's as good as Aaron claims. I will keep buying Baume.be cream as soon as I empty out this one....