Initial RR La Famiglia thoughts...

[cvac]

Used Zi Peppino this morning. No issues at all, just a great shave plain and simple. Very slick stuff here. Choosing a smaller brush (Simpsons Rover) that fit into the small container worked a lot better for me than my first shave with the Don Marco earlier this week. Not sure how I feel about the scent just yet, it's "different", but not necessarily bad. Of the DM and ZP, my SO liked the ZP better. I finished the shave with Pitralon Classic AS. I know some people categorize these TFS manufactured soaps as the best Italian shave soaps available but I'm not sure if I'm ready to make that claim. These are very good soaps at a bargain price though and well worth a shot.




1) Rover 'Zi Peppino after loading between 1-2 minutes, using a fair amount of water.




2) Rover and 'Zi Peppino after 1 pass of facelathering, dipping the tips of my brush in some water 3 times before making the resultant lather. Scuttle used as a brushwarmer only.





3) Rover with 'Zi Peppino after my 2-pass shave was over. Scuttle used as a brushwarmer only.

 

[ltjaw]

I had my first shave with the new LF line this AM, Nonno Michelino. From my experience and others' comments, I would say that scent is tough to judge just by taking the lid off and having a whiff. The scent opened up when lathered, and I found it very pleasant. I do not get sandalwood from this, though. And I don't think I can adequately describe it.

I loaded my Group Buy Eagle G3 Best in the container, taking it to the soap after shaking a bit of the water out. After loading for about 45 seconds, I built the lather on my face, adding a little extra water to get it just right. And it was. The shave was outstanding, with slickness being the most notable feature of this soap.

I usually need a balm after I shave, or my skin feels pretty tight for the first hour or so. This morning I skipped the balm and used only a splash of Alt Innsbruck. My skin has felt fantastic all day. So this stuff has some great skin care properties for me, too.

 

[Face&Head]

With regard to AdP and XXX having the same or different formulas, I used to think they were different. I am 100% convinced now that they are the same product, and differences I note are related to their age and freshness.

This certainly may be true but it is curious that the ingredients list on each product is different, very close to be sure, but still different. It could well be that there were errors in the labeling. For example the 2nd ingredient in AdP is "steric acid" while that's the 4th in XXX. Glycerin is #5 in AdP and #9 in XXX. If they are following FDA guidelines that require the list of ingredients to be in descending order of predominance (the % of the total formula) than these are either different or mislabeled.

 

[GreekGuy]

This certainly may be true but it is curious that the ingredients list on each product is different, very close to be sure, but still different. It could well be that there were errors in the labeling. For example the 2nd ingredient in AdP is "steric acid" while that's the 4th in XXX. Glycerin is #5 in AdP and #9 in XXX. If they are following FDA guidelines that require the list of ingredients to be in descending order of predominance (the % of the total formula) than these are either different or mislabeled.

They may be based on the same formula, but based on and identical are not the same. I for one am still not convinced they are 100% the same. Maybe the difference in scent, texture, and color is due to age. This is not the best example, but wines and cheeses are routinely aged. Even MdC is allowed to "cure" for some time before its shipped. Just some thoughts to consider

 

[ltjaw]

I have no idea how closely the FDA monitors or enforces the labeling of shaving products manufactured in Italy. So you are right - it really comes down to how truthful the labeling is.

The slight difference in the ingredients list of XXX and AdP does not lead me to believe they are different products, though. Maybe it kept the corporation that markets and sells AdP from thinking they were the same product. Maybe the soap maker was told by this corporation to knock it off, hence XXX no longer being produced. We will never know unless Joseph comes right out and says it.

 

[Jayk]

I received my IB order a few days ago and have had a few shave with the new products. First up was the Don Marco soap bowl lathered (Marco's method) with a broken in semogue 1305. Given my limited experience, I found the lather to be nice and slick, though perhaps not as dense as other products I have used. That being said, I did not find it problematically thin. As far as the scent is concerned I citrusy found it rather refreshing, but not at all over bearing as I often find orange scented products. I finished up with the Don Marco balm. Same great scent but with more of a balm-like smell, if that makes sense. The slight menthol was a pleasant surprise as well. I found this combo to be pleasant and summery.

Next up was the Zi' Peppino soap. I bowl lathered this with a new semogue 1460 ( one test lather on the brush). When I first opened this soap I was concerned because I found the scent to be too subtle and could barely smell it. Luckily, this was not the case and the sent has become much stronger after lathering. As expected the soap preformed similarly, though I think I bettered figured out the water to soap ration and the lather was a bit thicker. I didn't make enough lather, but I think that was the new brush. As far as the scent I found it to be fresh and floral with a subtle spicy, almost black peppery element to it. Really nice, I wish now that I picked up the balm. This is my favorite of the two.

Finally,though not part of the "family," I also ordered the R-160. Used it this morning to follow up a shave with P.160. The scent is fairly close to P.160, a bit more medicinal, though not in a bad way. Over all I found the "PR-320" to be a great combo: nice scent, good post shave feel, and great on a warm day.

I am happy with these products and lock forward to trying the other products in the line.

 

[MeanGene]

I've used all four of the La Famiglia line several times now and I get great shaves from all of them. I'm not fond of Nonna Michelino as the scent is too weak for me; I like 'em strong. The Zi' Peppino has given me outrageous shaves when I've used it, as though all was one in the cosmos. For me, the shave is just a notch below my beloved Mystic Water and on par with MdC. The scent, not quite, but the shaves have been outstanding. Great products, Joseph, thanks for taking our money and delivering a great product.