Wesley & Scott Cloves and Peppermint shaving cream

I received a small sample of this most recently and I truly, truly enjoyed this product...the shave side was very good; nice, smooth, moisturizing. The scent blew most others out of the water! Enough said!


The only caveat is the labeling; paper labels affixed with glue...when wet, they molt. No biggie AT ALL, but still not the most pleasant feel .

This is another little-reviewed gem - as tingly and cooling as Proraso but nowhere near as drying.

Price/Quality/Packaging: A little on the expensive side, but the cream itself is of excellent quality and the packaging, though basic, is certainly elegant enough to leave out on the counter.

Lather/Efficacy/Moisturizing: This cream works amazingly well. It doesn't tend to build a thick, pillowy lather (like TOBS etc) - it's wet, shiny and dense, kind of like Arko (but much, much nicer). It gives a very smooth, comfortable shave - no irritation, nice cooling effect, super-slick for the razor. I would say it's in the neighborhood of Spieck and Musgo as far as quality of shave. Although it wasn't super-moisturizing it was certainly not drying.

Scent: The first reviewer smelled clove with a hint of peppermint - I got peppermint with a hint of clove. Either way is fine - this is a fresh, wonderful smell that is nonetheless subtle on the face and doesn't stay past its welcome. I was thinking that this is truly a scent for all seasons - the peppermint gives it a refreshing blast for summer, and the clove gives it some smoky warmth for winter. Really nice - maybe it's time for Shaving Essentials to branch out into boutique cologne?

You can't go wrong with this cream (and apparently the other flavors are nice too). I spoke to John on the phone when I made my order and he could not have been nicer, more knowledgeable or more helpful.

Latherability
I dabbed a bit - maybe almond sized - onto my brush (C&B Super Badger) and started lathering it onto my face. I noticed it took a bit more water than normal to lather up, but I have pretty hard water and a lot of my creams take a good amount of water. After dipping the tip of my brush into the sink a few times I felt like I got the cream/water ratio right and it made a fine lather, but for me it didn't explode into a lather.

Scent
Oh man, this stuff is just good. When I sniffed it in the tub I got mostly clove with a backing of peppermint. When it's a little thinner on your brush I got a very warm, spicy, minty scent. My wife used to work in a salon and bought me a very "minty" shampoo and this really reminded me of that a lot. When I slathered it onto my face I also got this great, tingly feeling; a lot like Proraso, but even more so!

Packaging
It's in a small plastic tub. It's functional, but I thought the tub was a little narrow for dipping my brush into. It would be fine with a smaller knotted brush, but I would prefer a shallower & wider tub.

Cost
You get 3 oz of product for $11. It's not a bad price, but it might keep some people from trying it since it's a new product or a "house brand" since it's higher priced, ounce-for-ounce, than an established brand like TOBS. I think if John samples this he'll gain supporters.

Efficacy
The shave I had was great. I was using a Derby that probably is needing to be changed, but I didn't feel anything but a smooth glide. I think it probably helps that the cream has a very cooling and numbing effect. I felt like I got as good of a shave as I do with any of my premium creams or soaps.

Other thoughts
One of the things I noticed was that this felt almost numbing on my face - not in an unpleasant way. When I hit my face with cold water after the shave it felt like I had plunged my head under the coldest ice water. It was...exhilarating!

Even after I finished up and splashed myself down with the AS, I had a very pleasant, cool tingly feeling all over my face and neck. Not like Proraso exactly, but not that different. My face just felt very smooth and tight, and that feeling lasted a good little while.

All-in-all I like this cream a lot. The smell is awesome and the shave it gives is really nice. I knocked a few points off for packaging and cost, but I understand John has to eat too!

Final verdict for me: this one's a keeper!