OK, I was wanting to make sure that I'd at least be able to give 'em both at least a couple of tries each to make sure I got a good feel for them, but I didn't want to take too long with it.
15 Volunteers needed - 45th Parallel aftershave evaluation
- Thread starter Captain Pre-Capsize
- Start date
OK, I was wanting to make sure that I'd at least be able to give 'em both at least a couple of tries each to make sure I got a good feel for them, but I didn't want to take too long with it.
Received the A and B samples today. Ready to give it a shot tonight [emoji106]. Review will be posted tomorrow for sample A
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Tested sample B today. Its a stronger Cherry scent than sample A. Both scents smell nice. I prefer sample A as its not as strong a scent. Sample B lasted around 15 minutes.
Will you have another test run? Also, you have in the original post about there being the "lucky 20" but you say it stops at 15. Just thought I would ask.
- Thread starter
- #45
Ah, since you spotted the discrepancy I'd be glad to send you some to try. Just jot me an email as per instructions and I will get it on the way to you, no problem.
I'm In, if there is room.
eMail sent.
Mikey
eMail sent.
Mikey
Not here yet. Planning to attack the mailman today!
Rec'd mine last night. Tried A this morning. Very nice. I'll wait to post reviews until I have a couple uses.
Ok so first use of Sample A.
Strength of smell - I think it was a bit strong for me, would prefer it a bit milder
Dry down and how does the face feel - Dried down pretty quickly on face and face felt ok after it, i will say not really great as i would feel after using my Cat O' Nine Tails though.
How long did smell last for me - Just a few mins actually which i really prefer for my aftershave splash for smell to linger longer i would use a balm
Would i buy it - Actually no because smell was too strong while performance wasnt upto comparable products standards
Just my opinion
Strength of smell - I think it was a bit strong for me, would prefer it a bit milder
Dry down and how does the face feel - Dried down pretty quickly on face and face felt ok after it, i will say not really great as i would feel after using my Cat O' Nine Tails though.
How long did smell last for me - Just a few mins actually which i really prefer for my aftershave splash for smell to linger longer i would use a balm
Would i buy it - Actually no because smell was too strong while performance wasnt upto comparable products standards
Just my opinion
I tried both once with the same shave hardware and software. I chose a soap, BS Maca Root cream, that had a very mild scent, but agreeable with the AS samples. I applied Nivea Cooling balm after the AS dried.
I like the strong cherry scent of "A". "B" had less of a cherry scent to me. I like the scent of "A" and more then "B". Both dried nicely on my face, but "B" seemed to leave my face smoother and cleaner feeling. That dry, nice smooth feeling of the skin.
I will try them both again without the balm to see if my initial impressions are the same. If they are different, I will report my additional finding, otherwise below is a summary of the first use of each.
I enjoyed both, but I probably would not buy either as a standalone product. I would prefer to experience a scent like this with the matching soap in a bundle. Although the soap/lather is gone after the shave, I try to match similar scents for continuity and complete enjoyment of the moment. If I bought the soap, I would probably buy the AS.
I like the strong cherry scent of "A". "B" had less of a cherry scent to me. I like the scent of "A" and more then "B". Both dried nicely on my face, but "B" seemed to leave my face smoother and cleaner feeling. That dry, nice smooth feeling of the skin.
I will try them both again without the balm to see if my initial impressions are the same. If they are different, I will report my additional finding, otherwise below is a summary of the first use of each.
I enjoyed both, but I probably would not buy either as a standalone product. I would prefer to experience a scent like this with the matching soap in a bundle. Although the soap/lather is gone after the shave, I try to match similar scents for continuity and complete enjoyment of the moment. If I bought the soap, I would probably buy the AS.
Like the EXCEL model. Great idea and a great review. I haven't gotten my samples yet but when I do I will use a similar template.
Mikey
OK, used "A" tonight.
Here's how I'll test for the first two uses: I've got a Frankensoap that I made, its two largest ingredients are MWF and DR Harris' Lavender. It's a clean/fresh soapy smell that goes away as soon as I rinse off. Overall, not a great performer for me, as I do not really get along with MWF during the shave, though the lanolin does leave my skin feeling nice, usually. I'm using this for two reasons: one, I don't want anything to interfere with the scent of the AS, and two, I am going to give myself a rough shave so that I can see what the burn and healing properties of the AS has. Oh man, the rough shave...
So, tonight:
Two days growth.
Maggard razor w/ aggressive head, New Rapira Platinum Lux blade.
Hot shower and exfoliating scrub as prep on my face. This is my normal routine.
Got a pretty close shave. I have a couple of irregularities in the skin on my face, i.e. "high spots", and if I'm not careful, that translates into a couple of spots of bleeders/weepers. I was apparently not careful enough tonight.
Rinsed off with cold water, then splashed on some witch hazel. This is my normal routine.
I had a couple of persistent bleeders, so I dabbed a bit of the styptic pencil to 'em. This is very uncommon for me, so I expected that the AS would light me up if it were heavily alcohol-based. Applied another splash of witch hazel, and let it dry while I cleaned up my brush and razor.
I poured my customary amount of AS out of bottle "A" into my palm, rubbed my hands together, and smacked it on my cheeks and neck. Zero burn. The first blush of scent was a bit of an "alcoholic" cherry despite no alcohol burn on my skin. What I called a "boozy" cherry in my post above. Perhaps a little "medicinal" I thought to myself at the time.
Here's the progression of thoughts/feelings as it unfolded:
No burn, no cooling.
Very slight... moisturizing? but not really. Hard to describe. Wasn't soothing, exactly, but it wasn't harsh or drying, either.
The scent was gone almost before I had the lid screwed back on the jar.
No lingering sensations like you would get from alcohol or menthol. No stickiness like what you'd get with something with a lot of glycerin in it, but not drying either.
I finished cleaning up the bathroom, then splashed on some more of "A". Same scent progression. Still no heat or cooling sensations.
About 20-30 minutes after the application of "A", I went to my wife and asked her to sniff around my face and neck and let me know what she picked up. She had no idea what soap I used, what aftershave I used, etc. It's fairly common for me to pester her with this request, so even though she knew I was going to be trying out a couple of AS, she had no idea that's what I was doing tonight.
She reported zero scent on me, even with some prodding and leading. I then took bottle "A" and rubbed some on my skin with her there, and asked her to smell it on me. She reported a "medicinal cherry, like cough syrup a little bit".
Final thoughts: This is the most non-descript performer that I may have ever used. I actually liked the cherry scent, despite my "medicinal" descriptor above, but it faded even faster than Lucky Tiger's citrus scent. I am a huge fan of cherry anything, cherry pie, cherry Coke, etc. This test is pretty much right in my wheelhouse, scent-wise.
The face/skin feel is right square in the middle of what I like, not great, but better than many. A couple hours later, and I'm not sure how much of my current skin-feel is due to AS or due to the lanolin.
If I were to change anything, I'd like a longer window on the scent, and I'd like alcohol in this. As-is, if I had bought this, I'd probably finish the bottle but wouldn't likely re-order.
Friday night, I will repeat with the exact same set-up, but use bottle "B".
I will do a second round with Tabac and a mild razor/blade to ensure a smooth shave and see how that does. Tabac doesn't do much for my skin post-shave, so this will be a better test of that side of things.
I reckon that I can get at least 3 applications out of each bottle, so I will decide later what test round #3 will consist of.
Scott, thank you so much for letting me play a part in this. I really enjoy having this opportunity, and I hope I am able to provide some value to this development.
Here's how I'll test for the first two uses: I've got a Frankensoap that I made, its two largest ingredients are MWF and DR Harris' Lavender. It's a clean/fresh soapy smell that goes away as soon as I rinse off. Overall, not a great performer for me, as I do not really get along with MWF during the shave, though the lanolin does leave my skin feeling nice, usually. I'm using this for two reasons: one, I don't want anything to interfere with the scent of the AS, and two, I am going to give myself a rough shave so that I can see what the burn and healing properties of the AS has. Oh man, the rough shave...
So, tonight:
Two days growth.
Maggard razor w/ aggressive head, New Rapira Platinum Lux blade.
Hot shower and exfoliating scrub as prep on my face. This is my normal routine.
Got a pretty close shave. I have a couple of irregularities in the skin on my face, i.e. "high spots", and if I'm not careful, that translates into a couple of spots of bleeders/weepers. I was apparently not careful enough tonight.
Rinsed off with cold water, then splashed on some witch hazel. This is my normal routine.
I had a couple of persistent bleeders, so I dabbed a bit of the styptic pencil to 'em. This is very uncommon for me, so I expected that the AS would light me up if it were heavily alcohol-based. Applied another splash of witch hazel, and let it dry while I cleaned up my brush and razor.
I poured my customary amount of AS out of bottle "A" into my palm, rubbed my hands together, and smacked it on my cheeks and neck. Zero burn. The first blush of scent was a bit of an "alcoholic" cherry despite no alcohol burn on my skin. What I called a "boozy" cherry in my post above. Perhaps a little "medicinal" I thought to myself at the time.
Here's the progression of thoughts/feelings as it unfolded:
No burn, no cooling.
Very slight... moisturizing? but not really. Hard to describe. Wasn't soothing, exactly, but it wasn't harsh or drying, either.
The scent was gone almost before I had the lid screwed back on the jar.
No lingering sensations like you would get from alcohol or menthol. No stickiness like what you'd get with something with a lot of glycerin in it, but not drying either.
I finished cleaning up the bathroom, then splashed on some more of "A". Same scent progression. Still no heat or cooling sensations.
About 20-30 minutes after the application of "A", I went to my wife and asked her to sniff around my face and neck and let me know what she picked up. She had no idea what soap I used, what aftershave I used, etc. It's fairly common for me to pester her with this request, so even though she knew I was going to be trying out a couple of AS, she had no idea that's what I was doing tonight.
She reported zero scent on me, even with some prodding and leading. I then took bottle "A" and rubbed some on my skin with her there, and asked her to smell it on me. She reported a "medicinal cherry, like cough syrup a little bit".
Final thoughts: This is the most non-descript performer that I may have ever used. I actually liked the cherry scent, despite my "medicinal" descriptor above, but it faded even faster than Lucky Tiger's citrus scent. I am a huge fan of cherry anything, cherry pie, cherry Coke, etc. This test is pretty much right in my wheelhouse, scent-wise.
The face/skin feel is right square in the middle of what I like, not great, but better than many. A couple hours later, and I'm not sure how much of my current skin-feel is due to AS or due to the lanolin.
If I were to change anything, I'd like a longer window on the scent, and I'd like alcohol in this. As-is, if I had bought this, I'd probably finish the bottle but wouldn't likely re-order.
Friday night, I will repeat with the exact same set-up, but use bottle "B".
I will do a second round with Tabac and a mild razor/blade to ensure a smooth shave and see how that does. Tabac doesn't do much for my skin post-shave, so this will be a better test of that side of things.
I reckon that I can get at least 3 applications out of each bottle, so I will decide later what test round #3 will consist of.
Scott, thank you so much for letting me play a part in this. I really enjoy having this opportunity, and I hope I am able to provide some value to this development.
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Nice Reviews guys! I revisited sample B today & its OK but, sample A for me is better.
YES!!! Samples arrived in the post this afternoon!! I've been following the reviews (nice breakdown, @Smooth Steve) and I'm glad most included both pre and post prep. I've opened the package and my wife and I did an initial sniff test. To my nose, Sample A seemed to focus on the Cherry, while Sample B had more Almond. Both smelled nice.
Will be officially trying Sample A tomorrow morning.
Will be officially trying Sample A tomorrow morning.
Ok gave a try to Sample B today. Here is my opinion
Strength of smell - Smell was just right for me, perfect!
Dry down and how does the face feel - Dried down very quickly on my face and I had a bad shave but this actually didnt make me feel too better, i waited 10 mins to have some effect but eventually had to use a balm to calm things down for my face. In this regards, A was better as for similar shave it performed a bit better. But compared to my other Captain Choice products ( Cat O Nine Tails and Bay Rum) this one is not that great, maybe as a balm it might work better for me. In defense of this product i will say that I have a highly sensitive skin and very few splashes work for me but since there are two other splashes which work for me from same brand i can expect more better performance here
How long did smell last for me - Just a few mins actually which i really prefer for my aftershave splash
Would i buy it - No, the performance was not great for me to buy it. Had to use a balm to support it.
Hope my feedback helps out , i still have product left and will be trying them over next few days and giving my opinion here.
Strength of smell - Smell was just right for me, perfect!
Dry down and how does the face feel - Dried down very quickly on my face and I had a bad shave but this actually didnt make me feel too better, i waited 10 mins to have some effect but eventually had to use a balm to calm things down for my face. In this regards, A was better as for similar shave it performed a bit better. But compared to my other Captain Choice products ( Cat O Nine Tails and Bay Rum) this one is not that great, maybe as a balm it might work better for me. In defense of this product i will say that I have a highly sensitive skin and very few splashes work for me but since there are two other splashes which work for me from same brand i can expect more better performance here
How long did smell last for me - Just a few mins actually which i really prefer for my aftershave splash
Would i buy it - No, the performance was not great for me to buy it. Had to use a balm to support it.
Hope my feedback helps out
, i still have product left and will be trying them over next few days and giving my opinion here.I pretty much agree with almost all the findings since my post. All nice reviews and comments. I tried "A" again today. I used a bit more, and even shook the vile much more vigorously, but did not see much difference from my first try.
One thing I did not consider in my prior comments is price. After seeing the pricing of the other AS's by Captain's Choice at $18, I assume this would be the same. Unfortunately at this price level, I believe the performance falls a bit short. I think these may be slightly better then the lower tier products at below $10, but not by enough. At this level, I should perceive a higher level of skin protection/healing or at least a longer lasting scent. For me, these are closer in overall strength, from scent to toner type treatment, as your basic Booster, Aqua Velva, Clubman AS's, etc. I have no problem with these other products, in fact I enjoy them for what they are, and use them frequently as splashes. They are also half the price. As the cost of an AS creeps up closer to $20 and above, I expect more then a glass bottle. Considering this, I like the Captain's Choice samples, but would not pay over something like $12 for them. I would either buy a splash type product or spend a bit more and try something like a PAA Tokyo Rose AS with cherry. Based on prior product experiences, I would pay more then the $18, but clearly would expect a notable higher performing product. In all honesty, I don't think I would get enough value for my money at the price level of the Captain's Choice products.
It is tough being critical, but I believe in being honest in expressing my tastes and expectations. In conclusion, I find these nice, but not a good value. I will try "B" again tomorrow, but don't expect any significant changes. I perceived "B" to perform better, but I don't expect it to change enough to influence my decisions or comments.
Steve
One thing I did not consider in my prior comments is price. After seeing the pricing of the other AS's by Captain's Choice at $18, I assume this would be the same. Unfortunately at this price level, I believe the performance falls a bit short. I think these may be slightly better then the lower tier products at below $10, but not by enough. At this level, I should perceive a higher level of skin protection/healing or at least a longer lasting scent. For me, these are closer in overall strength, from scent to toner type treatment, as your basic Booster, Aqua Velva, Clubman AS's, etc. I have no problem with these other products, in fact I enjoy them for what they are, and use them frequently as splashes. They are also half the price. As the cost of an AS creeps up closer to $20 and above, I expect more then a glass bottle. Considering this, I like the Captain's Choice samples, but would not pay over something like $12 for them. I would either buy a splash type product or spend a bit more and try something like a PAA Tokyo Rose AS with cherry. Based on prior product experiences, I would pay more then the $18, but clearly would expect a notable higher performing product. In all honesty, I don't think I would get enough value for my money at the price level of the Captain's Choice products.
It is tough being critical, but I believe in being honest in expressing my tastes and expectations. In conclusion, I find these nice, but not a good value. I will try "B" again tomorrow, but don't expect any significant changes. I perceived "B" to perform better, but I don't expect it to change enough to influence my decisions or comments.
Steve
Still no arrival of the samples, even though mine went out early on. I may have to see if my mailman looks clean shaven and smells like cherries tomorrow! If so, he's gonna have some splainin to do!
Got the goods today! Already done the deed and was out the door though so reviews will be inbound later. Can never guess my cruddy Post Office's delivery time.
So going by bouquet alone, Sample A has a more harmonious blend of the almond and cherry scents to me while with sample B the cherry scent was more prominent like @fast shaver had mentioned.
I can provide more depth tomorrow morning when we have some tender skin not blessed by Aqua Velva to work with. Guess I'll consider today as my control test. Tomorrow and Sunday will be round one, Monday and Tuesday will be round two. If I'm not greedy with the samples, I'll even have a round three. Unfortunately the missus is out of town this weekend, so her nose's support will be on Monday and onward.
All in all, when this baby hits the store, I can tell you are all in for a special treat!
So going by bouquet alone, Sample A has a more harmonious blend of the almond and cherry scents to me while with sample B the cherry scent was more prominent like @fast shaver had mentioned.
I can provide more depth tomorrow morning when we have some tender skin not blessed by Aqua Velva to work with. Guess I'll consider today as my control test. Tomorrow and Sunday will be round one, Monday and Tuesday will be round two. If I'm not greedy with the samples, I'll even have a round three. Unfortunately the missus is out of town this weekend, so her nose's support will be on Monday and onward.
All in all, when this baby hits the store, I can tell you are all in for a special treat!
My mail arrives anywhere between 11 am and 9 pm. Usually the same carrier, just very irregular in his work habits. A complaint to the post office got the standard mail delivery is an inexact science reply.
As to the samples:
Very nice samples. I'll get thoughts posted in a couple days when I have a couple more uses done.
So I had a few runs of each sample, and here are my thoughts:
Sample A
Strength of smell: Very strong initially, but disipated extrememly fast. I asked my wife for her thoughts after I left the bathroom, and she said that she could barely smell it. She really likes the smell from the vial, and said that it gave her happy memories of childhood. I think that it smells like a sort of "black cherry", with maybe some almond or vanilla at the tail end.
Dry down and how does the face feel: Felt the way that I expect an AS to feel. Didnt dry my face out too much, but gave me a twinge of tightness as it dried. Very nice.
How long did smell last for me: Continuing from earlier, the Cherry scent faded quickly after roughly a minute from application, but the vanilla stuck around for another few minutes. didnt last as long as I expected, especially for as strong as the scent was to start from the vial.
Would i buy it: I dont think so. I really liked the scent, but I felt like I needed to "huff" it just to get the cherry scent after application. Performed well otherwise.
Sample B
Strength of smell: Started of much more subtle than Sample A, but lingered for a little bit longer (maybe 7-10 minutes total). I think that it smells like a sort of like a combination of cherry top notes with a base of maybe chocolate.
Dry down and how does the face feel: Same as Sample A, it felt the way that I expect an AS to feel. Didnt dry my face out too much, but gave me a twinge of tightness as it dried. Very nice.
How long did smell last for me: It lasted almost 10 minutes, but was so faint that I really couldnt determine much beyond the Cherry. I thought I smelled Chocolate, but it was just too faint to put my finger on it.
Would i buy it: No. In the current formulation there just isnt enough scent to make it a joy during my shave experience. I think that it might have pushed me to try the shave soap, as I think that the cherry scent over a longer period of time would be very enjoyable.
Sorry for being so critical, but I wanted to be honest. Thanks for the opportunity @Captain Pre-Capsize. I really look forward to trying out the soap as a result of this test! Best of luck!
Sample A
Strength of smell: Very strong initially, but disipated extrememly fast. I asked my wife for her thoughts after I left the bathroom, and she said that she could barely smell it. She really likes the smell from the vial, and said that it gave her happy memories of childhood. I think that it smells like a sort of "black cherry", with maybe some almond or vanilla at the tail end.
Dry down and how does the face feel: Felt the way that I expect an AS to feel. Didnt dry my face out too much, but gave me a twinge of tightness as it dried. Very nice.
How long did smell last for me: Continuing from earlier, the Cherry scent faded quickly after roughly a minute from application, but the vanilla stuck around for another few minutes. didnt last as long as I expected, especially for as strong as the scent was to start from the vial.
Would i buy it: I dont think so. I really liked the scent, but I felt like I needed to "huff" it just to get the cherry scent after application. Performed well otherwise.
Sample B
Strength of smell: Started of much more subtle than Sample A, but lingered for a little bit longer (maybe 7-10 minutes total). I think that it smells like a sort of like a combination of cherry top notes with a base of maybe chocolate.
Dry down and how does the face feel: Same as Sample A, it felt the way that I expect an AS to feel. Didnt dry my face out too much, but gave me a twinge of tightness as it dried. Very nice.
How long did smell last for me: It lasted almost 10 minutes, but was so faint that I really couldnt determine much beyond the Cherry. I thought I smelled Chocolate, but it was just too faint to put my finger on it.
Would i buy it: No. In the current formulation there just isnt enough scent to make it a joy during my shave experience. I think that it might have pushed me to try the shave soap, as I think that the cherry scent over a longer period of time would be very enjoyable.
Sorry for being so critical, but I wanted to be honest. Thanks for the opportunity @Captain Pre-Capsize. I really look forward to trying out the soap as a result of this test! Best of luck!
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