QCS Vetiver

[Drybonz]

I recently purchased some Queen Charlotte Vetiver cream and thought I would take a moment to share some of my observations for others who might be interested in this cream.

- This is not the typical vetiver fragrance. Not the springy, citrus vetiver that is in some colognes, nor the smoky vetiver (my favorite). My initial thoughts were earthy evergreen, or even some faint patchouli aroma.
- I found that the fragrance was slightly different in the tub and after shaving... so if you initially don't like the fragrance in the tub, you may still want to get a shave with it to see what you think.
- The fragrance does have some staying power. It's not one of those creams that leaves no fragrance 5 minutes after you shave. Also, it is not an overpowering fragrance... not too strong, but lasting.

- The cream is semi-solid, like a Cella.
- I find the lather to be passable, but a bit sub-par. My second and third passes the lather is very thin. Tried experimenting a bit with the amount of product, etc... but I can only really say average at best.

Overall, I found it to be a pleasant cream. I enjoy the aroma... it's a nice change in vetiver from the Salter's that I normally use. The lather is not bad but could be better.

I hope these comments are helpful to someone who might want to try this cream.

 

[merkur59]

I don't have any QCS (possible future purchase) and i am curious about something pertaining to QCS products:

what QCS sells as cream is actually soft soap (croap)? Or did you mean the soap rather than cream?

 

[AABCDS]

I don't have any QCS (possible future purchase) and i am curious about something pertaining to QCS products:

what QCS sells as cream is actually soft soap (croap)? Or did you mean the soap rather than cream?

QCS has creams and soaps. I would say their cream is a hard cream.

 

[Drybonz]

what QCS sells as cream is actually soft soap (croap)? Or did you mean the soap rather than cream?

This is regarding the QCS cream, not the soap. Their cream is semi-solid. If you have ever used Cella, the consistency is about the same... maybe a bit harder.

 

[Mirrorsaw]

I'd say its a bit harder then Cella well maybe more then a bit harder. The cream that is. I haven't bought a soap yet. I need one for winter/fall/when it's not so hot out.

And as far as the lather goes, load more. I was having issues with that as well, I scooped out some with my finger and then lathered it up and it was amazing. (I have the Vostok though so I'm not sure if the menthol would make a difference...)

 

[merkur59]

I have proraso and Vitos 'soap'. The have been called as such, and hence you can understand my confusion.
thanks for clearing it up.

 

[Arcadies]

- I find the lather to be passable, but a bit sub-par. My second and third passes the lather is very thin. Tried experimenting a bit with the amount of product, etc... but I can only really say average at best.

I always have this issue with QCS creams, even though I do not have hard water. While they are of excellent quality, I find they require 2-3x the product than most other creams/soaps to achieve lather suitable for 3-4 passes. Which is a shame really, I love their scents (especially GIT) but for $14 to $25 a tub I expect a bit more bang for the buck and most likely will not return for more.

 

[ODJ]

I have had a tub of QCS Mysore Sandlewood for months now, and use it almost exclusively, and it's MAYBE half gone, and I load my brush with it heavily. I think the denseness of the QCS creams sort of offsets the fact that you have to load them a little more than other products. When I first tried QCS creams I was disappointed, to the point where I got rid of all the samples. A few months later tried them again, figured out how to load and prepare the product and have never looked back since. A 5oz. tub lasts longer than you'd think. Th only other cream that I use from a different maker is Geo F. Trumpers Coconut Oil shave soap, and its a soft cream, and I find that because it's such soft cream you inadvertently, maybe even without realizing it, will use more product and go through it faster, and last time I checked, The Geo. F. Trumpers Coconut Oil cream was much more expensive than most of the QCS creams. The quality of shaves I get from the QCS creams is second to no other product I have tried so far. The Geo. F Trumpers is a a great cream, but not as good as QCS, and I just keep it because I love the scent and to mix it up now and then, but hands down, once I figured out how to dial in the QCS lather I was hooked. Once in a while I will get the urge to try something new because I want to try a new scent, and although other products may smell amazing, I have yet to find a product that comes close to the performance of QCS creams.

 

[Anthony_MQ]

To the OP: I think you should try experimenting with lathering a bit more. Like a few others have said, I had some issues at the start but this is now among my top 3 in the ever-expanding den. The Irish Fern, QCS and Sandalwood are my favourite scents.

 

[Drybonz]

To the OP: I think you should try experimenting with lathering a bit more. Like a few others have said, I had some issues at the start but this is now among my top 3 in the ever-expanding den. The Irish Fern, QCS and Sandalwood are my favourite scents.

As stated in my mini-review... I have experimented with the amount of product, water, etc... and I stand by my original statements. As always, this is nothing more than my opinion and YMMV.

 

[mctmatt]

QCS is probably one of my favorites and I have had no lather issues with either the cream or the hard soap. Mystic Water on the other hand the lather is not hard to create but it is just seems to be lacking when compared to QCS or Mike's. Like you said it is always YMMV and you are the only one that should decide what soaps and creams are best for you.

 

[Drybonz]

I should re-iterate, also, that I did find this to be a pleasant cream, and have been using it daily even though I have other stuff in the medicine cabinet. I just couldn't give the lather more than an "average". Overall, I like the cream.

 

[jmsodpc]

I used this cream today. Worked nicely. I used part of a sample and smeared a small amount around my bowl and then whipped it up into a lather. Had to use more water than I am used to using for a cream but the smell was like a wet forest floor.
Very earthy. Not a bad smell but definitely not a summer's day type of smell.
More like an autumn day in the woods.

Followed it up with some musgo splash and onto my day.

 

[wimbouman]

The vetiver is very grassy, earthy and dirty green indeed!
I like it a lot, it is way more interesting than other vetiver fragrances I know.