Help! Acqua di Parman OR Santa Maria

[evilmojojo]

Hi,

I'm currently in the market for a tub of my first high end cream and have norrowed it down to either "Acqua di Parma" or "Santa Maria Novella."

From what I can tell SMN you get twice as much for a start and is slightly cheaper(although price isn't really a factor). But the quantity is factor.

Has anyone tried both of these and can offer some insight?

Thanks.

 

[erudolph]

Both are enjoyable, imo. The ADP has a marked scent which some like and some don't. I'd say it also has better moisturizing properties. I recommend, if possible, you get to a store where you can give some ADP a sniff before you decide.

 

[RILEY]

Hi,

From what I can tell SMN you get twice as much for a start and is slightly cheaper(although price isn't really a factor). But the quantity is factor.

Thanks.

Get both, you know you wanna

 

[RoyalKooparillo]

SMN

 

[mretzloff]

Santa Maria Novella. I did not like Aqua di Parma's scent.

 

[Austin]

Both are great shave creams in their own right. It really comes down to personal preference. The shave quality is similar but the scents are not.

 

[Azza]

ADP, to me it smells much nicer when lathered up. In the tub it smells like cats ****!

- Aaron

 

[BigRich]

ADP, to me it smells much nicer when lathered up. In the tub it smells like cats ****!

- Aaron

That's the kind of incentive I've been waiting for the pull the trigger on a tub of ADP! Thanks Aaron!

 

[professorchaos]

IMHO, Acqua di Parma smells better, SMN shaves better. So get both and enjoy the best of both worlds.

 

[tsmba]

Where is the best place to purchase the SMN?

 

[mretzloff]

Where is the best place to purchase the SMN?

Lee's. He gives free shipping for B&B members. There should be a code in the Vendor Section.

 

[brothers]

Because of the fact that you can resell either of those products almost instantly to another B&B member, you really should get both. They are among the best of the best, and you may like them so well that you wind up keeping them.

 

[erudolph]

I have to agree with Brothers... if you don't like one of these creams it would be easy to sell it on the B/S/T.

 

[Zen Master Kool-Aid]

I've never tried SMN, but I heavily endorse AdP. I love, love, love that SC and the balm (the tub balm more than the bottle balm) is probably the best I've ever used... and at $70 a tub, it better be... but it is. Really.

 

[evilmojojo]

cool, thanks for the replies. Hmm...

I live in the far reaches of New Zealand so re-selling becomes tricky. The only reason I have the choice now is because I know someone coming here from the states. Otherwise I can't find a single vendor who does international shipping of SMN.

I might go with the SMN cause there's twice as much and I think there will be international shipping avaliable for ADP, so I can get some of that later if I want.

This will be my "use every now and then" shave cream. So I hope it will last me 10 years+ . Although I might like it so much that I just resort to it every time.

I've also heard SMN is the best cream in terms of beard softening, which is high on the priority list for me.

 

[inspectoring]

SMN IMHO is VERY menthol like. I do agree - after reading countless posts I decided to give it a try and realized that while is smells VERY VERY VERY similar to C.O Bigelow green tube - it is nothing like it when it comes to shaving.
Now as far as ADP goes - we have a on and off relationship. I bought it and sold it and then bought it again which is sitting on my table. For the same reason I got the cologne but ended up selling it sealed.

I would say that ADP is quite exotic and complex smelling. I don't think there is any surprise when it comes to SMN in smell.

I would say flip a coin and I can assure you that you will not regret it. Having an open tub of SMN, I have completely ignored my Floris/Penhaligons/GFT coconut creams.
Hope this did not confuse you more...

 

[Cuttingboard]

Used SMN this morning...great shave!

 

[jonnyt]

They're both top shelf and are so dense they'll last you forever. There isn't much to choose from them in terms or performance, so it's just down to smell.
SMN is slightly minty with a bit of eucalyptus (to my nose) but AdP is much stronger smelling. Like others have said here, it's not particularly nice in the tub but it's lovely on the face. I find it even more moisturising than SMN but the smell does stay on my skin longer than any other cream or soap I've ever used, sometimes all day, it's strong to the point that you could forego cologne.
So I'd advise hunting out a department store that sells the cologne and see if you like it first.

 

[HoratioCaine]

So I'd advise hunting out a department store that sells the cologne and see if you like it first.

How similar is the scent to the AdP Colonia spray? I've heard it's based on the Colonia scent, but is a bit of a variation on it. There's a store in Portland that sells the cream (and the AdP balm, but alas, not the splash when I was there), but it's in a sealed package and they don't have a tester of it. It would be convenient to buy it there, obviously, but it would be a blind purchase all the same, which is pretty risky, considering the price. I really like the Colonia scent, though. Is it a reliable indicator of the cream scent?

 

[VictorG]

I have never tried the SMN (its on my "have to try" list). But, I really like ADP. The scent is pretty strong, and as stated before, is much better when lathered. From what I have read, it is hit-and-miss as far as the scent. In fact, I purchased it from someone on the B/S/T because he didn't like how it smelled. But, great lather, great shave!