Not long ago, I ordered a large collection of samples from T&H. I decided to test them out somewhat systematically. I have used some of their products before, and I've been very happy with those, but I felt the need to make educated choices. I decied to focus mainly on the scents: So without further ado: Here is the test:
Common observations across scents:
Shaving creams: Compared to other shaving cream brands, T&H's need very little water. Very rich and slick lather.
Aftershave Balms: Absorbs very easily, a little thin, mostly modestly scented.scents:
SCENT: 1805
PRODUCTS: Shaving cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne:
COMMENT: Many regard this as one of their favourites.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
Classic, mildly spicy, some flowers and some "dark" wood. "Classic" and fairly masculine.
The cologne was surprisingly weak, and I was disappointed when I found the scent to be shallow and less dynamic than expected. It didn't develop and "sit" as time went by, it simply faded. This might be a faulty sample, of course, but still: I found this scent a little bland.
SCENT: West Indian Limes
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne:
COMMENT: All great shaving related scent manufacturers must have a line of citrus-based products. This is T&H's version.
MY DESRIPTION AND OPINION:
A lot of lime. It actually smells lime with a little modifying tweaks from mild spices and a little sweetness mixed in. But the tangy/sweet and sour body is very clear. Too much sour for my taste, even though it feels very natural and organic. The scent becomes subtle quite quickly, but stays for a long time. Too shallow and a bit too simple for my taste. I felt like I simply smelled like a lime fruit. Besides, this smells dangerously close to a familiar (in Norway, at least) brand of toilet cleaner. Sorry.
SCENT: Grafton
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne:
COMMENT: I've read many recommendations for this one, and I've tried the cologne once before, about a year ago.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
This is what I would call a typical all-round masculine scent. It is spicy and warm without being heavy. I think there's a lot of wood/bark in this one, but I find it hard to give a detailed description. The cologne lingers for a long time without changing character too much. I love this one.
SCENT: Trafalgar
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne:
COMMENT: This is the scent I've used the most for the last few months
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
A fresh, masculine scent. A lighter, "maritime", but still very spicy scent, well suited for everyday use. There's some flowery hints in there, and it stays fairly well on the skin, but it is very comfortable for the surroundings, I imagine. Quite subtle, but it's character and layers stay for a long time. I feel this is much lighter than Grafton, but still in the same scent "palette". A very nice and safe scent. Maybe a little too "harmless" for an all nighter, though.
SCENT: Sandalwood
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne
COMMENT: Sandalwood is another scent type any respectable producer must be able to offer. I have not tried any other typical sandalwood scents, so I was curious about this one.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
Wow! This is a very clean, deep, powerful scent. Very masculine, I found the cologne to be very powerful, almost overwhelming, especially since I tried "1805" the day before. In moderation, this is a somewhat simple, wooden scent that stays for a long time. It does lose a lot of it's intensity after about an hour, but the rest of the scent stays for hours. Not what I call multi-layered, but very attractive. This one surprised me, it is now one of the favourites.
SCENT: Almond
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream,
COMMENT: Another traditional shaving soap/cream scent.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
This one smells almost exactly like the almond pudding my grandmother used to make. I didn't particularly like it, this is an acquired taste thing in my opinion. This doesn't have a very strong scent. It is quite simple, natural and it really does smell like scolded almonds. A bit sweet, a little bitter. The lather leaves very little scent on your skin after you're done with your shave and rinse, so it doesn't crash with your cologne/aftershave of choice. Very natural and nice if you're into this kind of scent. But this one is not for me.
SCENT/TYPE: Ultimate Comfort
PRODUCTS: Pre-Shave Oil, Shave Cream, Aftershave Balm
COMMENT: Not a scent per se, but I think this series deserves a few words.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
Pre-Shave Oil: A quite thick oil, but surprisingly light on the skin. Doesn't feel oily. Pre-shave oils often have a citrus scent (because of the desinfecting/cleaning characteristics of citrus essential oils). This is definitely a citrus scented oil. A very clear lemom scent. Clean, unmixed and a little sweet. Smells like perfectly matured lemon.
Shave Cream: Unscented. Often unscented products like these have a faint smell of glue. Like the type we used to glue wood in woodshop class at primary school. This one smells, in lack of a better word: Clean. This one is really easy to lather. And the slickness, thickness and comfort of this lather is fantastic. It is actually superior to all the other creams I have tried! Leaves the skin clean, feeling fresh without any scent.
Aftershave Balm: Comparable to the other aftershave balms from T&H. Absorbs easily, a little thin. But I think it might leave the skin a little more supple and "well fed" than with the other aftershave balms, but this might be just me being seduced by the fantastic shave cream...
Common observations across scents:
Shaving creams: Compared to other shaving cream brands, T&H's need very little water. Very rich and slick lather.
Aftershave Balms: Absorbs very easily, a little thin, mostly modestly scented.scents:
SCENT: 1805
PRODUCTS: Shaving cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne:
COMMENT: Many regard this as one of their favourites.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
Classic, mildly spicy, some flowers and some "dark" wood. "Classic" and fairly masculine.
The cologne was surprisingly weak, and I was disappointed when I found the scent to be shallow and less dynamic than expected. It didn't develop and "sit" as time went by, it simply faded. This might be a faulty sample, of course, but still: I found this scent a little bland.
SCENT: West Indian Limes
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne:
COMMENT: All great shaving related scent manufacturers must have a line of citrus-based products. This is T&H's version.
MY DESRIPTION AND OPINION:
A lot of lime. It actually smells lime with a little modifying tweaks from mild spices and a little sweetness mixed in. But the tangy/sweet and sour body is very clear. Too much sour for my taste, even though it feels very natural and organic. The scent becomes subtle quite quickly, but stays for a long time. Too shallow and a bit too simple for my taste. I felt like I simply smelled like a lime fruit. Besides, this smells dangerously close to a familiar (in Norway, at least) brand of toilet cleaner. Sorry.
SCENT: Grafton
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne:
COMMENT: I've read many recommendations for this one, and I've tried the cologne once before, about a year ago.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
This is what I would call a typical all-round masculine scent. It is spicy and warm without being heavy. I think there's a lot of wood/bark in this one, but I find it hard to give a detailed description. The cologne lingers for a long time without changing character too much. I love this one.
SCENT: Trafalgar
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne:
COMMENT: This is the scent I've used the most for the last few months
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
A fresh, masculine scent. A lighter, "maritime", but still very spicy scent, well suited for everyday use. There's some flowery hints in there, and it stays fairly well on the skin, but it is very comfortable for the surroundings, I imagine. Quite subtle, but it's character and layers stay for a long time. I feel this is much lighter than Grafton, but still in the same scent "palette". A very nice and safe scent. Maybe a little too "harmless" for an all nighter, though.
SCENT: Sandalwood
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream, Aftershave Balm, Cologne
COMMENT: Sandalwood is another scent type any respectable producer must be able to offer. I have not tried any other typical sandalwood scents, so I was curious about this one.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
Wow! This is a very clean, deep, powerful scent. Very masculine, I found the cologne to be very powerful, almost overwhelming, especially since I tried "1805" the day before. In moderation, this is a somewhat simple, wooden scent that stays for a long time. It does lose a lot of it's intensity after about an hour, but the rest of the scent stays for hours. Not what I call multi-layered, but very attractive. This one surprised me, it is now one of the favourites.
SCENT: Almond
PRODUCTS: Shaving Cream,
COMMENT: Another traditional shaving soap/cream scent.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
This one smells almost exactly like the almond pudding my grandmother used to make. I didn't particularly like it, this is an acquired taste thing in my opinion. This doesn't have a very strong scent. It is quite simple, natural and it really does smell like scolded almonds. A bit sweet, a little bitter. The lather leaves very little scent on your skin after you're done with your shave and rinse, so it doesn't crash with your cologne/aftershave of choice. Very natural and nice if you're into this kind of scent. But this one is not for me.
SCENT/TYPE: Ultimate Comfort
PRODUCTS: Pre-Shave Oil, Shave Cream, Aftershave Balm
COMMENT: Not a scent per se, but I think this series deserves a few words.
MY DESCRIPTION AND OPINION:
Pre-Shave Oil: A quite thick oil, but surprisingly light on the skin. Doesn't feel oily. Pre-shave oils often have a citrus scent (because of the desinfecting/cleaning characteristics of citrus essential oils). This is definitely a citrus scented oil. A very clear lemom scent. Clean, unmixed and a little sweet. Smells like perfectly matured lemon.
Shave Cream: Unscented. Often unscented products like these have a faint smell of glue. Like the type we used to glue wood in woodshop class at primary school. This one smells, in lack of a better word: Clean. This one is really easy to lather. And the slickness, thickness and comfort of this lather is fantastic. It is actually superior to all the other creams I have tried! Leaves the skin clean, feeling fresh without any scent.
Aftershave Balm: Comparable to the other aftershave balms from T&H. Absorbs easily, a little thin. But I think it might leave the skin a little more supple and "well fed" than with the other aftershave balms, but this might be just me being seduced by the fantastic shave cream...
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