It's been awhile since I've seen a discussion of Caldey Island's aftershaves. I'm curious to know what others think of them. I've been on the quest to find a lavender aftershave and because I frequently saw their Island Lavender recommended, I decided to give it a try. But I also thought I'd add the fern to the order. Here's a couple of my thoughts and I'd be curious to hear what others think as well.
Lavender ... I really like the performance of this aftershave. The alcohol burn is very minimal and the menthol is light, but present enough to really cool of my skin. It isn't quite as moisturizing as D.R. Harris' Arlington AS splash, which is my favorite, but it does a more than adequate job. My biggest disappointment with this one is the scent. It's not bad. In fact, it's a nice scent, but rather powdery and I don't really find any lavender, even when first applied, which is what I was hoping for. I know there are some variations in lavender scents with some being more bright, or more herbally, or more minty, or more floral. But with this one, I really only get a general powder with maybe a hint of lavender, but not enough to be distinct or noticeable. However, as a plus in this respect, it doesn't hang around long either. So, it doesn't interfere with wearing a cologne.
Fern ... In terms of performance, I think it's the same stuff as the lavender. In terms of the scent, it's definitely not what I was expecting. I've heard that there really isn't a fern scent, so I guess it's heard to really be able to expect something. But my exposures to fern scents have been through Penhaligon's English Fern and Trumper's Wild Fern and I was hoping for something in that family. Caldey Island Fern is definitely neither of those scents and doesn't even really seem that close to either (although it works well with them). The website describes the scent as, "Crisp and fresh - a leaf green fragrance with a breath of woodland magic." I get the crisp and fresh and the leafy green fragrance, but it's definitely not bright or herbal leafy green. I don't know what "woodland magic" is, but there's something about this fragrance that reminds me of a cool, foggy, and damp day in some wooded areas of the California coast line. I hate to say "coast" because that conjures up what is for me the dreaded generic blue marine scent (which smells nothing like any ocean I've been at). Caldey Island Fern is nothing like this at all. It's still quite mysterious to me. It hangs around a bit longer than the lavender, but it still doesn't stay around long or call attention to itself. So, wearing a cologne with it is no problem.
Anyways, those are my thoughts after about about a week and a half with these aftershaves. Anybody else have any opinions?
Lavender ... I really like the performance of this aftershave. The alcohol burn is very minimal and the menthol is light, but present enough to really cool of my skin. It isn't quite as moisturizing as D.R. Harris' Arlington AS splash, which is my favorite, but it does a more than adequate job. My biggest disappointment with this one is the scent. It's not bad. In fact, it's a nice scent, but rather powdery and I don't really find any lavender, even when first applied, which is what I was hoping for. I know there are some variations in lavender scents with some being more bright, or more herbally, or more minty, or more floral. But with this one, I really only get a general powder with maybe a hint of lavender, but not enough to be distinct or noticeable. However, as a plus in this respect, it doesn't hang around long either. So, it doesn't interfere with wearing a cologne.
Fern ... In terms of performance, I think it's the same stuff as the lavender. In terms of the scent, it's definitely not what I was expecting. I've heard that there really isn't a fern scent, so I guess it's heard to really be able to expect something. But my exposures to fern scents have been through Penhaligon's English Fern and Trumper's Wild Fern and I was hoping for something in that family. Caldey Island Fern is definitely neither of those scents and doesn't even really seem that close to either (although it works well with them). The website describes the scent as, "Crisp and fresh - a leaf green fragrance with a breath of woodland magic." I get the crisp and fresh and the leafy green fragrance, but it's definitely not bright or herbal leafy green. I don't know what "woodland magic" is, but there's something about this fragrance that reminds me of a cool, foggy, and damp day in some wooded areas of the California coast line. I hate to say "coast" because that conjures up what is for me the dreaded generic blue marine scent (which smells nothing like any ocean I've been at). Caldey Island Fern is nothing like this at all. It's still quite mysterious to me. It hangs around a bit longer than the lavender, but it still doesn't stay around long or call attention to itself. So, wearing a cologne with it is no problem.
Anyways, those are my thoughts after about about a week and a half with these aftershaves. Anybody else have any opinions?
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