I was the beneficiary of a very generous PIF and was asked to review the items that I received. I thought I would post the reviews here as well as in the original PIF thread in case there was anyone out there who might be interested and doesn't check old PIF posts.
Up until the time I received this PIF, the only Proraso product I had tried was the green formula with menthol and eucalyptus. To add some perspective, I love Proraso Green. It whips up easily and provides a nice, rich lather. I consider it to be the blue jeans of shaving creams. Everyone should have it, it’s a reliable staple and I’d be happy using it every day if I could only choose one shaving cream.
For the creams, I approached lathering them just like I have been doing with great success using the green formula. I bowl lather, soaking my VDH pure badger brush and lightly shaking out most of the water before whipping. If the lather is too dry or if the lathering needs encouragement with a little more water, I’ll dip the tip of brush in water as needed and continue whipping.
Proraso Red - The distinctive ingredients in the red formula are sandalwood oil and shea butter. As I started whipping up the lather I could almost immediately smell the sandalwood. It’s a manly, musky, woodsy scent which reminded me of days gone by when I would occasionally be around burning sandalwood incense. Though the scent is different and the menthol/eucalyptus sensation is absent, the results were the same rich, thick, protective lather I’d get with the green formula. The scent might not be for everyone but it’s the only caution I can think of. It will leave your face and skin feeling soft and moisturized. If you do nothing but rinse your face after the shave, a subtle sandalwood scent will stick with you for a while before it dissipates. I like it and I’d recommend its performance without reservation but you’ll have to decide if you like the scent. (It works for me!)
Proraso Blue - The distinctive ingredients in the blue formula are aloe and vitamin E. I don’t know what I’d compare the scent to but it brings to mind a masculine deodorant soap, pleasant, clean and refreshing. The lather was just like that of the red and the green formula-thick, rich and protective. Post shave, my face was left feeling soft and moisturized, maybe slightly more so than the other two formulas. It’s another winner and I’d recommend it.
In any event, you can’t go wrong with any of the Proraso creams in a tube, they are all excellent performers. They all provided a thick, rich and protective lather which was very easy to whip up with a brush. I have no doubt that it would be equally effective for face or palm latherers. They all left my face feeling soft and moisturized with a slight nod toward the blue formula. So why choose one over the other? It probably comes down to the scent and what moisturizing ingredient works best on your skin. I like them all but my order of preference would be Green, Blue, and then Red.
Floid (Black) - The Floid Black is a bit of an odd creature. I’ve been going back and forth on this stuff and I’m still not sure I have a handle on it. Putting it on, you get a subtle spicy, musky, powdery, scent in the background which is dominated by a very sweet, almost cloying scent of pineapple. (At least that’s what I smell.) If I had to make my judgment based solely on that, I’d probably have to give it thumbs down. Having worn a lot of colognes and aftershaves over the years, I know that they often smell differently going on than they do when they settle down so I gave the Floid some more time. The sweetness lasts the better part of an hour but I must be getting more used to this with each subsequent application, the cloying pineapple scent does not seem as pronounced as the first time I tried it. The powder scent then begins to take over backed by a slightly spicy muskiness. It’s a masculine and modern scent and once it’s settled down, I find it pleasant. The Floid Black is on the stronger end of the scent scale and it has staying power. I could still smell traces after 5 hours.
Its performance as an aftershave is about what I’d expect from an aftershave. I didn’t find it exceptional but I wasn’t disappointed either. I really like the glass bottle. By placing my finger over the hole and tipping the bottle upside down, I can get a very controlled amount of the aftershave dispensed in the palm of my other hand by slightly lifting my finger off the edge of the hole. The major make it or break it point for people on the Floid Black is probably going to be the scent which I could easily see being a love it / hate it kind of thing. I haven’t done any extensive looking around but from what I’ve seen, Floid isn’t exactly cheap so that may be a factor as well. I can’t say that I’d recommend it because this stuff is going to pass or fail on a case by case basis. If you are interested in it, try and sample it beforehand if at all possible.
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