Hmmm…this got pretty lengthy. Oh well. I do like to tell stories:
I’d been reading very positive reviews of the St James of London creams. The prevailing wisdom is that they create an excellent lather…with the expected mixed reviews on some of the scents.
To be sure; I’ll hop on a unanimous thumbs up in a second, but I also enjoy checking out the mixed reviews. Even the thumbs down at times. I figure that a quality, well established designer/maker will usually know what he or she is doing.
Black Pepper and Lime sounded like an interesting mix, so I did some digging. Comments like, “I want to like this cream…” and “I think I like this cream…” got my curiosity up, so I ordered a squeezer.
My first shave was with a Muhle Rocca, using a yellow Feather blade. The lather was def as advertised: excellent. GREAT shave from start to finish.
Now, the scent was also somewhat as advertised, too. Leans much more towards the black pepper side, which is strong but not overpowering. And it doesn’t linger (remember I said that).
At that time I was using an aloe after shave balm. I finished the shave with an “I think I like it…?”, applied the balm, and went on my unsure merry way.
It wasn’t long after this shave that my wife “asked” me to ax the aloe balm. She has a very sensitive sense of smell. Prefers my natural, wild, manly scent. So far, anything with a strong scent that lingers has gone the way of the dinosaurs in my house. Hopefully I land on something that we both like, but for now…
Ever onward:
“I’ll always try something twice (unless it kills me the first time)” is my mantra. Just in case I missed something the first go round. And I’m very glad I did so in this case.
I gave the Black Pepper and Lime another go, a couple of weeks later. Same great lather/shave. And I found that, this time around, I actually welcomed that Black Pepper scent. I liked that it was so different than the other creams and soaps I have. Also think that I “got” the Lime aspect. It’s subtle. You can catch it but it’s more along the lines of how it effects the pepper. Softens it a bit.
But the real game changer for me involved the “lingering” aspect. I was now (and still am) using a Captains Choice “Land Ho!” after shave balm. Very nice scent which vanishes soon after applying. I went for a walk soon after my shave. Beautiful day and suddenly I realized that I could still smell the shave cream…not overpowering but definitely there. And it was really nice! The lime had just a bit more presence and the pepper was softer.
I used the cream yesterday with the exact same results (except I liked it even more) and the bonus is that my lovely wife was around this time and didn’t notice a thing. It’s like the lingering aroma is my personal secret.
So if you’re still reading this: thank you and refreshments will be served in the lobby during the intermission.
Bottom line in my book:
Great quality shave cream and a really cool change of pace if you give it a chance. Very nice during the shave and, if you’re someone who doesn’t apply anything with a scent after the shave; the cream will give you a very nice reminder for the next hour or so.
I’d been reading very positive reviews of the St James of London creams. The prevailing wisdom is that they create an excellent lather…with the expected mixed reviews on some of the scents.
To be sure; I’ll hop on a unanimous thumbs up in a second, but I also enjoy checking out the mixed reviews. Even the thumbs down at times. I figure that a quality, well established designer/maker will usually know what he or she is doing.
Black Pepper and Lime sounded like an interesting mix, so I did some digging. Comments like, “I want to like this cream…” and “I think I like this cream…” got my curiosity up, so I ordered a squeezer.
My first shave was with a Muhle Rocca, using a yellow Feather blade. The lather was def as advertised: excellent. GREAT shave from start to finish.
Now, the scent was also somewhat as advertised, too. Leans much more towards the black pepper side, which is strong but not overpowering. And it doesn’t linger (remember I said that).
At that time I was using an aloe after shave balm. I finished the shave with an “I think I like it…?”, applied the balm, and went on my unsure merry way.
It wasn’t long after this shave that my wife “asked” me to ax the aloe balm. She has a very sensitive sense of smell. Prefers my natural, wild, manly scent. So far, anything with a strong scent that lingers has gone the way of the dinosaurs in my house. Hopefully I land on something that we both like, but for now…
Ever onward:
“I’ll always try something twice (unless it kills me the first time)” is my mantra. Just in case I missed something the first go round. And I’m very glad I did so in this case.
I gave the Black Pepper and Lime another go, a couple of weeks later. Same great lather/shave. And I found that, this time around, I actually welcomed that Black Pepper scent. I liked that it was so different than the other creams and soaps I have. Also think that I “got” the Lime aspect. It’s subtle. You can catch it but it’s more along the lines of how it effects the pepper. Softens it a bit.
But the real game changer for me involved the “lingering” aspect. I was now (and still am) using a Captains Choice “Land Ho!” after shave balm. Very nice scent which vanishes soon after applying. I went for a walk soon after my shave. Beautiful day and suddenly I realized that I could still smell the shave cream…not overpowering but definitely there. And it was really nice! The lime had just a bit more presence and the pepper was softer.
I used the cream yesterday with the exact same results (except I liked it even more) and the bonus is that my lovely wife was around this time and didn’t notice a thing. It’s like the lingering aroma is my personal secret.
So if you’re still reading this: thank you and refreshments will be served in the lobby during the intermission.
Bottom line in my book:
Great quality shave cream and a really cool change of pace if you give it a chance. Very nice during the shave and, if you’re someone who doesn’t apply anything with a scent after the shave; the cream will give you a very nice reminder for the next hour or so.
