15 Volunteers needed - 45th Parallel aftershave evaluation

[Grundi]

I tried Sample A this morning.

Prep:

• Normal routine, shower, then shave
• Standard shave wth PAA Gondolier, rinsed a little more than normal to give Sample A a good chance

Review - Sample A:

• Scent Strength: in the vial, it was medium, not too strong, not too weak
• Likeable: yes; a good cherry, maybe just a tad toward the sweet, but good
  
• Dry Down: good, about the same amount of time as my other AS
• After Dry Feel: good, did not dry out my skin, no tightness
• Lasting scent: no scent as soon as it dried, easily overpowered by the residual scent of my shave soap; I tried to get as much of the soap scent off as possible. It did stay on my hand a little longer, but the scent was gone after 5 minutes or so.
  
• Would Buy: no, not as a stand alone AS. It didn't last long enough. Having said that, it may pair well with 45th Parallel soap and the soap's scent may give it a little bit of a boost.

Note:

• I'm going to try a soap with a lighter scent for Sample B

 

[BaylorGator]

Samples are finally here! I'll give them a few runs starting tomorrow.

 

[meliahog]

My samples just arrived today. I'll shave with the Captain's 45th Parallel cream to get the scent that's the same as the AS. Starting tomorrow with sample "A".
Will do several shaves with each sample, then post my evaluation. Should be by next week sometime.
Mikey

 

[G.W.]

OK, shaved tonight, used same setup and prep, same 2 days' growth, same blade, etc. As outlined in post #52 above. Only difference was using sample "B" rather than "A".

The scent in the bottle is more "boozy" to my nose. I didn't have any weepers or anything this time, but still an overall less-than-comfortable shave. Splashed on the sample, and noticed a very subdued flash of warmth. Gone almost instantly. No lingering burning or cooling. The scent was a more medicinal/alcoholic cherry than in bottle A, and disappeared even quicker. I splashed on a lot, and by the time I screwed the lid on and walked upstairs to my wife, she couldn't smell it on me at all.

Not a whole lot of different ground to cover than what I said about "A", except to say that everything seemed to just be... lesser. Scent, skin feel, etc.

I'm not sure I would keep this AS if I purchased a whole bottle. I'd probably pass it on, or mix it up with other stuff.


At this point I'm favoring "A". Next round of testing will consist of good shaves with known good combinations.

 

[fast shaver]

Sample A is better IMO so, I agree with you G.W. I would buy sample A if the price was right.

 

[Joma12]

Sample A:
Scent - The scent strength out of the bottle as I said before has a harmonious blend of almonds and cherries with a subtle hint of alcohol. It doesn't overpower your nose when you apply it as well.
Do I like it? - it's hard to argue with a great scent and results. I love it, but I wouldn't use it by itself.
Longevity - as soon as I put down the bottle and closed shop, it had already dried down and the scent all but dissipated, less then five minutes. No staying power which would be ideal for people who would prefer a light suggestive scent or cologne users. It left my skin feeling perfect: no glycerin residue, none or minimal tightening, just soothing relief.
Would I buy it? - I would seriously consider keeping a bottle in the medicine cabinet.

My lovely assistants, I pay them in nuggets. On a serious note: they do like the taste of Sample A

 

[Rory1262]

My samples just arrived today. I'll shave with the Captain's 45th Parallel cream to get the scent that's the same as the AS. Starting tomorrow with sample "A".
Will do several shaves with each sample, then post my evaluation. Should be by next week sometime.
Mikey

Mine arrived Thursday evening, but I skipped shaving yesterday.
I'll be trying out sample A today -- after shaving with Cella -- and will follow Mikey's approach.

 

[meliahog]

Shaved and used sample "A" today. the noticeable difference from OP, is that I apply the ASB before the AS. If my PC skills have been restored my findings, so far, should display below. As a side, I tend to "pair" my creams with the AS (and balms) if I have them. For this test I did use the CC 45th Parallel cream but Nivea ASB. I'll be giving more feedback as I progress thru the testing. Here's hoping you get my EXCEL spreadsheet as a JPG below:

Holy crap, it worked! Thx to EXCEL, Print Preview, and Snagit.
Tomorrow will the "at bat" for sample "B"
Mikey

 

[Grundi]

Today, I tried Sample B.

Shave:

• Standard shave with Downeast Shaving Soap Gunpowder, extra rinsing after shaving to eliminate as much soap scent as possible

Review - Sample B:

• Scent Strength: in the vial, very nice, not too strong, not weak
  
• Likeable: definitely yes; to me, it smelled like a sweet almond scent, with some cherry in the background, just the right mix
• Dry Down: same as Sample A, usual amount of time
• After Dry Feel: good, again just like Sample A, didn't dry out my skin, no tightness, no burn
• Lasting scent: none, just as soon as it dried, all the scent disappeared. I tried a second application, but, just like first application, scent lasted only for the drying, then gone. Asked my wife if she could detect it, and she couldn't.

Note:

• I guess I'm in the minority on this, I like Sample B over Sample A.
• I would likely buy Sample B if it lasted a lot longer; would love to see it in the 1/2 hour - hour range.

 

[bberg100]

Captain’s Choice 45th Parallel

I did two rounds with each sample:
First round: Shower, PSO, Cella, Omega ’66, 40s Super Speed, Gillette Silver Blue
Second round: Shower, PSO, Haslinger Schafmilch, Semogue 830, R-41, Gillette Silver Blue

Sample “A”
· Cherry
· Sweet/Candy - Cherry Jolly Rancher
· Quick dry down <5min
· Scent <30 min
· No noticeable face feel, no burn
· Fishing in the wind no problem

Sample “B”
· Cherry/Almond - almost perfect Cella match
· Not as sweet
· More alcohol scent?
· Quick dry down <5
· Scent <30 min
· Smoother face feel, no burn
· Felt tighter after 30 min, felt tighter all day
· Fishing in the wind no problem

First two days I went fishing in the afternoon. Both days were as close to identical as possible, low 50s, bright sun, very breezy. Face felt fine both days after I got home. Don't know if this really had anything to do with the AS, but some days I get very wind burnt.

"B" just felt "smoother", for lack of a better term, immediately after application. While both samples sniffed of alcohol, "B" seemed to be stronger, neither burned on application.

Would I buy? Probably not. I definitely will snag a sample when the finished product is released though. Both were just too sweet and had no linger. I like smelling my aftershave throughout the day. I work retail so I don't wear overpowering ones to work, but many customers do comment on the aftershave of the day, normally asking me what it is and where they can get it.

Third round: Shower, PSO, Captain's Choice Lime, Semogue 830, Shick G1, Chick

Captain's Choice Lime after shave
. Love the scent, lime and maybe bay rum
. Ain't no sweet here
. Burn? Yep, a nice lingering peppery burn, little to no alcohol burn
. Face feels great
. Lime scent fades quickly leaving behind a peppery, bay rummish, aroma.
. Tightens my face and feels great all day

 

[BaylorGator]

Saving my thoughts until I've got a couple runs or more on each sample. I've used each of them once, and will tell you I have enjoyed using them. I'll give a more detailed report when I have something valuable to say that can hopefully help you a bit in product development and/or marketing.

 

[Joma12]

Sample B:
Scent - Scent out of the bottle is quite strong in cherry.
Do I like it? - I like it for the opposite reasons as A: lasts longer with a stronger scent.
Longevity - Last significantly longer then A, 30 minutes so far. Dries down as quick as A, but I believe sample A had a better post feel, though it’s a very marginal difference.
Would I buy it? - Hard to say, I wasn’t thrilled. Probably not.

Dogs didn't like it as much as A.

 

[FarmerTan]

Hey, if it helps sell more of it then I'd say it would make a good gutter cleaner.

Love it!

 

[chaturvedi11]

Ok so now have tried both samples twice and I can safely say that the smell of B with a bit of improved performance of A would get the desired product for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[meliahog]

I too, have tested both samples. I could test again, without the ASB, but since I always use an ASB before applying an AS, I feel I am best standing pat with my shave process. After using both samples, I definitely like the scent and face feel of "A" more than that of "B". I feel "A" is a much smother AS with a better cherry scent. Scent duration doesn't bother me. I have some really great colognes, if it comes to that.
If the scent duration was to be lengthened in "A", I believe that will be the better product (IMHO). Having said that, I still would buy "A" just as it is. I really liked it.
Here are my test results:

I'll test some more, but I don't think it will change my review. If it does, I'll re-post with additional notes.
Mikey

 

[Grundi]

Mixed both Sample A and Sample B together (only in my hand)

Shave:

• Same as before, shave with Downeast Shaving Soap Gunpowder, extra rinsing

Review - Combination of Sample A & B:

• Shook both vials, poured a little of both into my hand, splashed, brief but distinct alcohol feel, no burning, no irritation
  
• Scent Strength: combined was excellent, both Cherry and Almond were well balanced
  
• Likeable: both sides brought what the other was missing (though neither were really deficient), excellent combination
• Dry Down: same experience as with each individual samples, very similar to other AS
• After Dry Feel: good, no drying out my skin, no tightness, no burn
• Lasting Scent: combined was much longer than individually, faded over about 20 minutes, good length
• Would You Buy: I would be interested in the combined version, like the way the cherry and almond come together

 

[meliahog]

Sample B:
Scent - Scent out of the bottle is quite strong in cherry.
Do I like it? - I like it for the opposite reasons as A: lasts longer with a stronger scent.
Longevity - Last significantly longer then A, 30 minutes so far. Dries down as quick as A, but I believe sample A had a better post feel, though it’s a very marginal difference.
Would I buy it? - Hard to say, I wasn’t thrilled. Probably not.

Dogs didn't like it as much as A.

And dogs have a great sense of smell

 

[meliahog]

Scott,
Give us your thoughts after reading all the test results. Would be really interesting to see what you and your team comes up with for this AS. I do hope this AS goes production after any tweaks you make. Aslo, would be nice to know what the tweaks were, if it does not violate product confidentiality.
Mikey

 

[meliahog]

Mixed both Sample A and Sample B together (only in my hand)

Shave:

• Same as before, shave with Downeast Shaving Soap Gunpowder, extra rinsing

Review - Combination of Sample A & B:

• Shook both vials, poured a little of both into my hand, splashed, brief but distinct alcohol feel, no burning, no irritation
  
• Scent Strength: combined was excellent, both Cherry and Almond were well balanced
  
• Likeable: both sides brought what the other was missing (though neither were really deficient), excellent combination
• Dry Down: same experience as with each individual samples, very similar to other AS
• After Dry Feel: good, no drying out my skin, no tightness, no burn
• Lasting Scent: combined was much longer than individually, faded over about 20 minutes, good length
• Would You Buy: I would be interested in the combined version, like the way the cherry and almond come together

Genius approach, I'll have to try that, too.
Mikey

 

[Grundi]

Genius approach, I'll have to try that, too.
Mikey

Thanks. The Captain was very generous with the amount of the samples and I only mixed in my hand. There's plenty left to try with a couple of other soap that I rotate thru. I'm glad I volunteered!!