I received a free 40g tube of this with the purchase of a brush. I was very much looking forward to trying this out based on its excellent presentation and nice packaging. Unfortunately, the cream inside was a disappointment.
Price: It's about the same price as Proraso.
Quality: The cream itself appears very nice. It has the same pearlescent appearance that many top creams seem to have. It also has a nice feel between the fingers. However, once lathered, I found it didn't work well for me.
Scent: This cream has a light Ajax scent. I've seen it described as lightly floral, but I honestly couldn't pick up any floral notes. It smells clean, like Ajax, but it's not a scent I enjoy during my morning shave.
Latherability: It lathers very easily...within seconds.
Efficacy: This is where this cream falls short. I tried lathering this product a few times. The first time, I used more water and got a nice voluminous lather. This, however, produced very anemic protection and I received a bit of razor burn (EJ de89 with Gillette Black blade). The next few times I tried lathering with less water and got a thick, yogurt-like lather. This gave me a little more protection and little more slickness, but my blade still skipped across my face leaving me with three parallel nicks that had to be treated with a styptic pencil.
Moisturizing Properties: because it lacked slickness, it didn't moisturize my face very well. I used a heavy winter balm afterwards, and my face felt OK afterwards (minus the redness). However, with most creams, this isn't an issue.
Packaging: It's excellent in appearance and function. The cap is well made and fits the tube tightly.
Overall: I normally rotate my creams weekly. Since I've started doing this, I've always stuck with a product even if it's not perfect. I can look past a poor scent, but once a product fails in performance, I set it aside. Who wants a red face for an entire week? This is one that I had to retire early and will probably never use again. There are just so many better performers out there at or below its price.
Price: It's about the same price as Proraso.
Quality: The cream itself appears very nice. It has the same pearlescent appearance that many top creams seem to have. It also has a nice feel between the fingers. However, once lathered, I found it didn't work well for me.
Scent: This cream has a light Ajax scent. I've seen it described as lightly floral, but I honestly couldn't pick up any floral notes. It smells clean, like Ajax, but it's not a scent I enjoy during my morning shave.
Latherability: It lathers very easily...within seconds.
Efficacy: This is where this cream falls short. I tried lathering this product a few times. The first time, I used more water and got a nice voluminous lather. This, however, produced very anemic protection and I received a bit of razor burn (EJ de89 with Gillette Black blade). The next few times I tried lathering with less water and got a thick, yogurt-like lather. This gave me a little more protection and little more slickness, but my blade still skipped across my face leaving me with three parallel nicks that had to be treated with a styptic pencil.
Moisturizing Properties: because it lacked slickness, it didn't moisturize my face very well. I used a heavy winter balm afterwards, and my face felt OK afterwards (minus the redness). However, with most creams, this isn't an issue.
Packaging: It's excellent in appearance and function. The cap is well made and fits the tube tightly.
Overall: I normally rotate my creams weekly. Since I've started doing this, I've always stuck with a product even if it's not perfect. I can look past a poor scent, but once a product fails in performance, I set it aside. Who wants a red face for an entire week? This is one that I had to retire early and will probably never use again. There are just so many better performers out there at or below its price.
