Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet

I'm not going to spend too much time singing the praises, but believe me, it is the best british cream that I've tried to date, period.
The lid is silver plated, or at least I was told by the sales peron at Penhaligon's.

I expected this stuff to be overpriced and that, as a result, I would be disappointed. Well, I guess you could argue it's overpriced, but then again, just look at all of the "10" ratings. If anything, it's only slightly overpriced for that kind of quality. Of utmost importance, it gives a great shave via tons of lather. A huge added bonus is that it really makes you feel like you are treating yourself to something special. The presentation in the glass jar and silver lid is as good as any I've seen and the scent is amazing. After reading many reviews on basenotes regarding the scent, I was concerned that the pine element would be overwhelming (I hate the smell of pine sol). Thankfully, it's not. I believe the citrus, pepper and pine have a perfect balance.

I just can't afford to venture into this price range too often. Typically, I'll stick with SCS and Mama Bears products on a daily basis, with a little Trumper's or T&H thrown in now and then. However, in this one case, I'll gladly lay my money down for a luxury product that I can pull off the shelf for special occasions.

Well after reading rave reviews from B&B users on both the EDT and cream, I finally got my hands on some.

I got a great deal from flea bay, and was excited when it finally arrived in the post.

The cream is simply outstanding. Having not tried the scent, I was a little apprehensive, however my apprehension soon disappeared once I finally worked up a batch for my shave.

The scent is great, a very citrus burst to begin with, and is very fresh and clean. The citrus burst is very similar to Trumpers GFT, or Christian Dior Eau Sauvage but has a different dry down to both. I found the cream scent seem to stay subtly with me for about 3-4 hours afterwards. As for the lather, it was very easy to generate, and only a normal pea size amount was required for a 5 pass shave. It provided great protection during the shave and I found my face feeling quite moisturized afterwards.

If you don't like sharp citrus, peppery scents this isn't for you, however I found it to be a wonderful performing cream. I got a good price, however is expensive brand new, but well worth it.

Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to some luxury, and try a Penhaligon's cream in your preferred scent, you won't be disappointed.

well I can not add to the wonderful reviews before mine but I am only going to say that this cream made me sell all my soaps, period, as simple as that, be careful it is very addictive .

Price: I got it from vintageblade so it was expensive. I bought it on a whim so I cant complain.

Qulaity: Top Notch quality. Its very simple and royal without the frills. Its simplicity makes it stand out more than others.

Scent: It has to grow on me. My girl said that I smelled like a citronella candle after I used the aftershave with it. Its unusals that is why I am giving it a 7 and a week to grow on me. Im in GA if it keeps the mosquitoes away I'm even happier.

Latherability: WOOOOOW, Im talking a small dab will due you enough for multiple pass. I barely touched it with my C&E BBB and I had enough lather for all my shave needs. I see why its expensive at that part. I need far less than the less that I was already using with my other creams.

Efficacy: Its capcity to produce a desired effect was excellent. The good reviews were right. Consider this when I shave I need a very wet lather as opposed to a thick lather it just works better for my coarse hair. This cream produced a great lather with minimal cream that protects my skin - which is what I desire the most.

Moisturizing Properties: Ok lets see - I have oily skin as it is so I dont really need a moisturing effect. It did not leave my skin bone dry and parched so in that regard it did well. Then I used the aftershave liquid thats mostly alcohol and it did do me well so pretty much it did its job without leaving my face shiney and slick.

Packaging: Well I wish I could have given it an 11. The beautiful unique box with it slide top opens like a gift. The weight of the jar is heavy. Marketing goes a long way and when you receive this you start to think wow I paid for a quality product with a beautiful design. It just stands out in our bathroom it kinda overshadows everything else. I really like it.

I just started using a DE razor I bought this for my first cream to use. I love this stuff! It smells great (my wife loves the scent I can't blame her) it lathers great and leaves my face feeling great (don't think I've had a better shave ever) the price for the tub is worth it. I like it so much I always look forward to shaving again. Trust me this is a good buy and worth every cent.

After reading all the great write ups about this cream, I broke down and bought a jar.

There's no doubt that the packaging is as English Snooty as it gets, and that's not a bad thing; very elegant, makes a great decor piece in the bathroom.

The scent is the very best I've taken a whiff of yet. It even *smells* expensive. It also bursts into a very impressive lather at the touch of a brush. Applying that lather, I thought I was in for the shave of a lifetime. Unfortunately, I failed to find any of that "great lube" mentioned so many times in this review thread. Tabac has far, far greater lubrication than this cream does. To me, lube is the most important thing of all in a cream/soap, and Pen's Blenheim Bouqet failed miserably.

I agree, it is one of the few creams I use; mine came with some little coaster to avoid slippage.

I give this high marks all the way around--even on price. Becuase if you're even looking at using this cream clearly price isn't really an issue.

Everything is aces... except I couldnt find an instruction booklet-yes I know how to make a good lather--but I also like to know how the manufacturer thinks I should make it too.

The only complaint I have, and its not a complaint persay--really more of a concern, is the glass jar in my tiled bathroom. Yes it makes it look and feel a lot nicer than the CF tub, but the Castle tubs really are more efficient. Maybe the Pens need to put little grippy things on the bottom, so I dont worry about sliding it off the ledge accidently...

I guess if you can afford to use this in the first place, you can afford to replace it.

Top notch cream, but the price makes it hard for most to obtain.

I find that the Penhaligon's creams give a fantastic shave; smooth, slick, and very close, while also entertaining the shaver with their magnificent scents, and doing a decent job at moisturizing too.

As others have said, its not quite as moisturizing as the Castle Forbes creams, but its still fantastic!

I find that the water quality effects the lather, and I get a thicker, richer lather with soft water as opposed to hard water, though its still a nice, slick, shaveable lather either way.

This or endymion is definitely on my list to buy asap!

I think this is a top notch cream. The scent is wonderful, it reminds me of a Tom Collins or similar gin and citrus drink. Refreshing.

The latherability and efficacy are extremely good, only slightly less than Castle Forbes. It gives a very good, comfortable shave.

The packaging is stunning. The box it comes in is very sturdy and quite classy. I'll be keeping it to store loose packs of blades and cream samples. The glass jar and silver plated lid are pure class. I polished up the lid and it looks amazing on my bathroom counter. If only Castle Forbes had packaging like this!

Price-wise, I think it's a bit steep. The cream is good, but I think $30 - $35 worth of good, but it costs $50. The packaging bumps up the price, of course, so I'll buy a tube of Penhaligon's and refill the jar when I finally empty it.

Blenheim Bouquet shaving cream is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It is without a doubt the finest cream I have ever had the pleasure of using. Everything about this shaving cream is first-class. The quality of the packaging is incredible--the tub is beautiful and truly a sight to behold. The consistency of my cream is perfect, not too thick but not at all like a 'lotion' (as another reviewer noted). The scent is remarkable...if you like Blenheim Bouquet EdT, you will love this cream. The gorgeous citrusy smell has excellent longevity and it stays with the cream from the first pass to the last. Little effort is required to whip it into thick, meringue-like lather, and once it's on your face the lubrication it gives is second-to-none. The glide this stuff gives a blade is just amazing. Even when there is no cream on my face after a pass, my skin is so lubed-up that I can actually do another pass without irritation. Leaves my face feeling soft, smooth, refreshed, and moisturized.

Guys, I really can't recommend this cream highly enough. It's definitely one of the best things I've ever smelled in my life. I know the price of a tub borders on ridiculous, but it is truly, honestly worth it. If I could only have one shaving item besides a blade for the rest of my life, this would be it. If you haven't tried it yet, get excited.

Got this a little over a week ago and if I can only have 1 soap or cream from this point forward this would be it. The glass jar with steel lid is even packaged in a very nice box, like others said it required more then a little effort to unscrew the lid initally and when I did get it off I noticed it was not a thick cream at all but the consistency of a lotion not sure if I got a bad jar or not I dipped a little bit out put it on my shavemac and in no time at all I had volumes of great smelling wondrous lather easily enough for 3 passes.

This is my favorite high-end cream so far. I got a really good price on it, but I'm rating the price here based on it's actual retail. I actually think that it's worth every penny of retail, though, as it smells amazing, lathers very easily, shaves great and generally gives me a feeling of luxury. I will definitely buy more when I run out, and I think it will be a while since I only use this on the weekends when I have time to enjoy it fully. It's really amazing stuff.

Dave

I finally broke down and tried this cream. I had too, you know. Really top shelf product. Great lather, very thick and cushioning. Wonderful smell. I need to use it a little while longer to determine whether it is worth the high tariff for me, but no doubt a wonderful product.
I purchased the tube, and was not overly impressed with he tube quality.

Price~ Well, it can make a grown man cry.

Quailty~ It doesn't get much better than this, for me that is. Top notch stuff.

Scent~ Euphoric! Obviously you might want to make sure you like the Blenheim Bouquet scent before going out and dropping some cash down on this.

Latherabilty~ Amazing. The stuff lathers at a sight of a brush.

Efficacy~ One of the first creams that I finally got a complete smooth shave. Very nice glide. The key with most creams is making sure you use enough cream.

Moisturizing Properties~ This cream does not dry my face out at all and I have sensitive skin. I though I would have some problems with the cream being a EDT scent but I was wrong.

Packaging~ Very professional. The box it comes in is even worth saving. A cream you leave out on the vanity and not tucked away somewhere. The lid is a little noisy if dropped in the bathroom...LOL

I would like to start out with the packaging . What a great looking tub of cream . Glass tub with a silver plated cap just looks incredible in my eyes .

The only thing I can say negative about the packaging is due to the cold I could not get it open I had to struggle with it for a while until it finally gave in .

the struggle was worth it 100% once I opened it up the incredible scent filled the area it was by far one of the finest creams that I have tried if not the finest .

Latherability was incredible as well . within a few seconds I had what appeared to be a nice meringue consistency of lather . it was like like I had Fluff (for those of you who remember the product) on my brush .

When it comes to Quality as others have said it really a top notch cream .


note:IF you notice I stayed away from the price it is simply because I won this cream and feel it would be wrong of me to add any thing about the price.

I have quite sensitive skin and find myself using soaps much more than creams - I have much less irritations and closer shaves with soaps ( eg. the 3 T's are barely suitable for me with the exception of Taylors Hypoallergenic cream ). The only regular cream in my rotation was Salter Sandalwood - until now.

Based on other good reviews of Penhaligon creams, I decided to give it a go and was lucky enough to score a tube version of Blenheim Bouquet for $30 shipped from a UK Ebay seller.

Packaging: This is my first cream in a tube (all others are jars) and I find this type of packaging very convenient and economical - I can exactly measure a dose of cream and it doesn't take a lot of space on the shelf. The tube itself is just a modest colored plastic, that's why I gave it 8 - you can expect a bit more from a premium product.

Quality: Absolutely top notch. As others, I expected great scent and just regular performance, but it is truly a world class product. I feel that there is more quality here than in other English creams I tried (all T's and CF).

Scent: Great and staying. With Blenheim Bouquet it was the first time I still felt the scent on my skin after the shave. The scent of the cream perfectly matches the Blenheim Bouquet EDT that I own.

Laterability: Great. Easy to create, smooth and slick.

Efficacy: Great. A lot of protection for the skin, excellent razor glide and no skin irritation.

If $30 is a lot for a cream, as in the case of a 150g tube of Blenheim Bouquet, then $40 is surely "hide from the wife" territory. The extra sawbuck does get you a lovely, silver plated tub that will be ideal for holding the pencils you'll be selling when she kicks you out.


Price- $40 per tub. Pretty much says it all, yet I don't consider it at all unreasonable, given the quality.

Quality- Looks impressive, and is.

Scent- Fans of the BB cologne will love this one. Instant class in a can.

Latherability- Penhaligon's must have gone to the best when they formulated their creams.

Efficacy- Right up there with Coates and D. R. Harris, two of my favorites.

Moisturizing- Never my most important category, but it holds its own.

Packaging- Do yourself a favor and spring for the tub. Justify it by saying that you'll be able to get out every last drop. When you get to the bottom of the tub, you'll be glad you did.


Penhaligon's creams seem to get very little press, considering all the obsequious fawning over Castle Forbes, Trumpers, and the like.