TwinLuxe Soothing Face Balm

First, as promised, here is the complete ingredients list, directly from the label (except that I left off the scientific names of plants such as horse chestnut, etc).

Water, Ethylhexyl palmitate, Isododecane, Butyrospermium parkii (shea butter), glycerin, pentylene glycol, cetearyl olivate, sorbitan palmitate, potassium palmitoyl hydrolyzed wheat protein, glyceryl stearate, cetearal alcohol, butylene glycol, codium tomentosum extract, pearl powder, sodium hyaluronate, nylon-12, horse chestnut seed extract, willow bark extract, centelia asiatica extract, duboisia leichardii leaf extract, clary extract, hydrolyzed rice protein, white tea leaf extract, tocopheryl acetate, hydroxyethylcellulose, butylene carbonate, hydroxyphenyl propamidobenzoic acid, disodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, chlorphenesin, benzoic acid, butylene glycol, sorbic acid.

(Yes, butylene glycol is listed as an ingredient TWICE, which doesn't make any sense.)

**Disclaimer** I was provided a free container of this product in exchange for this review. The manufacturer told me that I would be able to keep the product whether the review was positive or negative.


Now to the product. First, packaging. This product comes in a rather large, bullet-shaped container. It is white with a gold ring around the bottom and a gray/silver color behind the company logo. The product dispenser works perfectly, and I was able to control very precisely the amount of product dispensed, which is a really nice feature.

I'm not a big fan of the gold on white look, but tastes vary considerably. It is clearly professionally packaged. My wife said that it looked like a product that would be next to the sink in an expensive hotel. I also do not care for the logo, and think the company could do better. The other issue with the packaging is that the domed cap, although it looks nice on the countertop, is not that convenient when it comes to using the product. You take the cap off, dispense the product into your hands, and then what do you do with the lid? Unless you place it down on the counter standing upright, it wants to roll away. I suspect that most people will find this a minor quibble. To me it suggested that there is probably a reason why the caps of most personal care products are flat on top.

The product, when dispensed, is a thin, white lotion. I understand the the product is unscented, but it has a faint and slightly unpleasant odor. My wife smelled it and pronounced, simply, "Yuck. It stinks." I don't think it stinks, but it certainly doesn't smell good. Over the course of the week I got used to the smell more and more. It doesn't bother me now. I know that many people who are into wet shaving like their aftershave products to have delightful scents; this one doesn't. As I said, it's unscented. It smells pretty much like any other unscented moisturizing lotion you've ever smelled.

Applied to the just-shaved face, the product goes on very smoothly. It never feels greasy and it never feels heavy on the face. It feels like a fair bit of it sinks well into the skin (I know it is impossible to tell, but it's just a sensation; the product isn't sitting in a thick layer on top of the skin). It dries very quickly to a satin look and silky feel. There's never a hint of grease or shine, and yet it feels very moisturizing. I usually use splashes or "milks," which are very wet, so the first time I used it felt a little weird putting something of this consistency on my face; over the course of the week I really began to like the feeling.

I had mostly really smooth shaves this week, so I didn't get much of a chance to see how it would soften a "rough" shave, but despite this it felt very calming. Since there is no menthol, no peppermint essential oil, and no eucalyptus, it does not have a "cooling" sensation per se. To me this is a plus.

My face felt positively wonderful when "faceturbating" after a good shave.

I also used the product as a moisturizer on my face before going to bed at night. In this capacity, too, the product performed well. It felt great and kept my skin from getting dry all week long. Yesterday my wife kissed my cheek in the evening and said my face was "soft" (quite a compliment for a guy who's one month shy of 52 years old).

In short, this product is a very high quality moisturizer. For people who like balms this thing is a home run. For those who have never used a balm before, this one would be a good one to start with. Not the best choice for somebody who wants their aftershave to smell amazing and/or to provide their scent for the day (I use cologne for that, so for me it's not a problem). The cost will undoubtedly be prohibitive for some people, but I don't think the price is out of line with other high-quality, non-comedogenic, non-greasy moisturizers on the market.

If I were the company I would think about repackaging this stuff into a much smaller container so I could sell it for a lot less money. More people would try it, and more people would probably come back for more. This would be a great go-to aftershave for wintertime, or for those with skin that tends to be dry, and those who aren't worried about having a strongly-scented aftershave.

*Disclaimer* I was provided a full product sample free of charge for the purpose or writing this review. *Disclaimer*

Price: Let's get this out of the way... At $64 for 4oz the pricepoint is brutal. TwinLuxe is clearly geared towards the ultra high-end market.

Quality: The container is plastic, but very substantial. The TwinLuxe line as a whole is stylistically modern. My tastes are very modern/contemporary so I find their designs appealing. This is refreshing to me as most wetshaving products trend classical.

Fights Razor Burn: Excellent performance. While probably not the best time to test a product I happen to have acquired a number of new razors lately. I used the TwinLuxe balm after first shaves with a Pils and Merkur Futur. Even with new razors I experienced no razor burn whatsoever.

Cooling Sensation: Very pleasant and refreshing, but not overly lingering.

Scent: Clean, light, mint. My wife describes it as a light and clean mint with a hint of menthol. Friends also described it as clean, light, and mint. The scent is not my favorite, but I don't care for scented products. I do like that the scent is not lingering.

Efficacy: A little bit goes a long way. I have rosacea and very sensitive skin. This product has been wonderful in regards to both.

Moisturizing: Superb moisturizer. I was a bit surprised at the consistency of the product. I was expecting something very liquid, such as Nivea Sensitive or Trumper's Skin Food. This is the consistency of a lotion or daily moisturizer. Don't over-apply like I did the first time! A little bit goes a long way. It absorbs wonderfully well, leaving my skin moisturized without any greasy/oily residue. I used it on non-shave days as well.

No Alcohol Burn: No burn. Just a pleasant clean and cool sensation.

Since I received the product free from TwinLuxe in exchange for a review I promised to PIF to other B&B members. I will stay true to my promise after a few more uses. I'm keen to see if I'm willing to pay $64 after going back to my regular products (Nivea Sensitive and Trumper's Skin Food).

Please see the discussion thread here if you are interested in being a stop on the product tour.