Shiseido: BRAVAS Aftershave

Don't let my ratings fool you - I really like Bravas. I have tried, sampled, and purchased many AS products recently, and Bravas has the best finish and "face-feel" of all. Yes, I'm very picky about what I put on my face, and I generally dislike anything with a thick, tacky, or lotion-like finish. I am actually on a quest for other AS splashes that leave a similar feel as Bravas. Any tips?

Back to the review . . . this product is WAY overpriced here in the United States. I think it cost me $26.00 at the Mitsuwa market. For comparison, Lucido only cost $10.00 at the same market. Disregarding the high price, I like everything about this, even the somewhat traditional scent. Oddly, I believe that the scent is short-lived (which is a plus to me), but The Wife thinks that it is on the strong side. She also hates the scent and comments that it is too "old school."

The biggest downside to Bravas is the alcohol burn. I think alcohol is its primary ingredient, which would explain the sting.

The bottom line is that I'm not sure whether I'll buy this again. The high cost combined with the wife-no-like factor might be too difficult to overcome.

What can I say? I love this product and my bottle is almost empty.

This AS was one of the 3 AS that was sent to me by Dave (Thunderball) and I think it's one of the best Splash I ever used. MG5 and Mandom are awesome too but I think Japanese AS should have a bigger exposure.

Price: Part of a package deal, it was very cheap, 3 AS shipped airmail/tracking number/insured from Japan to Oz. If I try to look at how much the bottle costs by itself, it's reasonnable.

Quality: That's good stuff. The Quality is in. This is not anything in the bottle with a stamp that says Aftershave.

Fights Razor Burn: I think it does fight razor burn as some red dots (when they are there) disappear during the day.

Cooling Sensation: With the burning, there's a cooling sensation yes.

Scent: This is one of the most important point in any AS. If I don't like the scent, no matter how good the product is, it will be sold or PIF. This one is heartbreaking as the scent isn't your regular Barbershop but it's soapy and fresh. Is it like Proraso? No, different kind of Barbershop.

Efficacy: Very efficient, burns at the beggining and cools off afterwards.

Moisturizing: It doesn't moisturize much but this is a splash, not a balm. I prefer having a drying type of AS as my skin feels tight that way!

No Alcohol Burn: It burns, yes, depending on how you shave of course, but the burning sensation goes away very quickly!

Would I recommend this product? Yes. Would I buy it again? Yes!

As I live in Japan and not having tried much of what the Japan Market has for shaving gear I decided to try out a few things starting with aftershave. This is not the first one I have tried and I will try to do more reviews as I go but I will do this one first.

Shiseido: BRAVAS Aftershave Lotion

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I have used it enough to have it treat a number of different shaving after-maths and have to say that it is a good aftershave for its price.

First of all it offers a really nice cooling effect for upto 5+ minutes after applied to the newly shaved skin. It does burn as any alcohol aftershave will if you have had a less that smooth shave. But on a BBS no-irritation shave there is not burn and only the pleasing menthol cooling afterwards.

The scent is typical barbershop (Japan) scent. Not an over-powering or chemical-like scent but will be lightly appearant for upto an hour or so after application.

Cheap. You can buy bottles from travelsize 35 mL to Barbershop 1 L size. All very affordable.

Not very moisturizing. It is probably a better summer aftershave or an aftershave of humid hot weather.

All in all a quality product in my opinion.


Discussion thread here.