I guess I've been spoiled by so many Indian toiletries that have exceeded my expectations. There's no question that they make great soaps (many), aftershaves (Anherb!), and creams (Godrej) over there, but I guess it was just a matter of time before I ran into a product that which didn't quite perform up to par, and that's Park Avenue.
Price: I've heard that Indian grocers have this for about $2 a tube, so no complaints there, though I overpaid because I ordered it online.
Quality: Average. It looks cheap and although I don't judge that alone because many budget creams are great, this both looks and plays the part of sub-par. It certainly ain't Speick.
Scent: Here's where it truly shines, though. The scent is wonderful. A very clean and pleasant light musk fragrance. To those who like Tabac, there's a similarity between it and Park Avenue, but without the floral, "grandma's makeup bag" character of the former. The musk fragrance is light enough to be enjoyable but at the same time unobtrusive.
Latherability: It surprised me how an almond-sized amount of this stuff exploded into a thick lather that peaked on the brush with very minimal effort. It also feels nice on your face. Initially, anyway.
Efficacy: Average. The first pass with my DE wasn't as smooth as usual. Second pass was better. Third pass with the Fusion was pretty smooth, but by then I noticed that my face felt a little dry. And then it hit me....it felt exactly like a soap. Now, my skin can't handle most shaving soaps so I knew what I was feeling straight away. I should've known. The ingredients list on this "cream" is very short and "Potassium Soap" should've told me what to expect right then and there. In any case, it has Allantoin, which helped matters a bit.
I got a clean shave by the end, but it just didn't feel good.
Moisturizing Properties: Feels like washing your face with a bar of bath soap. And to those with sensitive skin like me, that means....it's drying.
Packaging: I usually don't care about this, but Park Avenue Royal Musk comes in the worst-looking box ever, with ugly embossed polka dots that distract from the text. And the printing looks cheap.
Overall, I wanted to like this cream but it's simply average. Smells great but there are better budget choices out there.
Price: I've heard that Indian grocers have this for about $2 a tube, so no complaints there, though I overpaid because I ordered it online.
Quality: Average. It looks cheap and although I don't judge that alone because many budget creams are great, this both looks and plays the part of sub-par. It certainly ain't Speick.
Scent: Here's where it truly shines, though. The scent is wonderful. A very clean and pleasant light musk fragrance. To those who like Tabac, there's a similarity between it and Park Avenue, but without the floral, "grandma's makeup bag" character of the former. The musk fragrance is light enough to be enjoyable but at the same time unobtrusive.
Latherability: It surprised me how an almond-sized amount of this stuff exploded into a thick lather that peaked on the brush with very minimal effort. It also feels nice on your face. Initially, anyway.
Efficacy: Average. The first pass with my DE wasn't as smooth as usual. Second pass was better. Third pass with the Fusion was pretty smooth, but by then I noticed that my face felt a little dry. And then it hit me....it felt exactly like a soap. Now, my skin can't handle most shaving soaps so I knew what I was feeling straight away. I should've known. The ingredients list on this "cream" is very short and "Potassium Soap" should've told me what to expect right then and there. In any case, it has Allantoin, which helped matters a bit.
I got a clean shave by the end, but it just didn't feel good.
Moisturizing Properties: Feels like washing your face with a bar of bath soap. And to those with sensitive skin like me, that means....it's drying.
Packaging: I usually don't care about this, but Park Avenue Royal Musk comes in the worst-looking box ever, with ugly embossed polka dots that distract from the text. And the printing looks cheap.
Overall, I wanted to like this cream but it's simply average. Smells great but there are better budget choices out there.
