A couple weeks back I was on the C-M site placing an order and saw that the Sandalwood cream was on sale. I hadn't read any reviews of the stuff, but I figured, what the heck, and tacked a few bucks extra on to my order. I got the tube last week and set it aside. I have too many other things in my rotation. Okay, so now I've rationalized the fact that I even own the stuff.
Well, I got curious and searched the forums yesterday and found that this cream is held in pretty low regard, and particularly, that it doesn't lather well. So last night when I was testing the lather of a couple of soaps, I put an almond's worth (maybe more: call it a large pecan) of C-M sandalwood in my lathering bowl, wet a pure badger brush, and attacked. I'll admit I didn't get first-class meringue. No stiff peaks. Soft peaks, maybe. But it was dense lather and, when applied to the back of my hand, felt quite slick. Clearly, I didn't shave with it, so I can't attest to its performance there. However, the scent was nice; very woody as opposed to some of the sweeter sandalwoods out there. I'll give it a shot in a shave sometime soon. If it doesn't work perfectly on its own, I imagine throwing a good glycerin soap like VdH or even a simple puck of Williams into the mix for some superlather might yield a really nice shave.
Good shaving,
Caswell-Massey cream
Caswell-Massey cream
Regards,
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
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bernards66
- Duke of Silvertip!
- Posts: 27393
- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:02 pm
Tim, Their scents are nice, but as you discovered, the creams don't lather properly.....and as a result, they don't shave so hot either. Yeah, they're 'slick' but nothing else. That's why one member wound up using the supplies he had as a brushless cream. He says that's the most fruitful way to make use of them, and I'm quite sure that he is correct. It's a shame, because up until the early '80s the C-M creams were superlative. They were made for them in England, and were up there with Trumpers, etc. in quality. But then, they sold a lot of REALLY top shelf stuff in their store back then; Plisson brushes, the full line of Knize products, a wonderful selection of imported bath soaps, etc.
Regards,
Gordon
Regards,
Gordon
Yeah, I have a puck of the sandalwood scent. It's not so great. Not at all. Really bad lather.
And I feel bad because it was a gift. I hate that, in general. When someone gives you a really thoughtful gift, and it turns out to be a pile. It makes me feel bad.
However, I do use it to help with a Mantic style Super-Lather with my AoS Sandalwood cream. Not that it really needs it, but just to get some use out of it.
And I feel bad because it was a gift. I hate that, in general. When someone gives you a really thoughtful gift, and it turns out to be a pile. It makes me feel bad.
However, I do use it to help with a Mantic style Super-Lather with my AoS Sandalwood cream. Not that it really needs it, but just to get some use out of it.
-David
Now go and watch Raiders.
Now go and watch Raiders.
I picked up a tub of CM Sandalwood at a Tuesday Morning for a whopping $1 bill. I also picked up a couple tubes of CM Almond at Marshalls. They produce "decent" lather if you use more product than you usually would, say a couple of almonds instead of just one.
If you like the scent of CM Sandalwood, you might like C&E Sandalwood. Better performance, same smoky scent.
Their creams are "meh", but their balms are quite good if you have dry skin or live in a dry climate.
If you like the scent of CM Sandalwood, you might like C&E Sandalwood. Better performance, same smoky scent.
Their creams are "meh", but their balms are quite good if you have dry skin or live in a dry climate.
~Joshua
Definitely a C&E sandalwood fan, at least as regards the soap. But it is a bit sweeter than the C-M. I think I will take a run at some superlather tonight, probably with VDH. Or maybe the excuse to open my MWF - which I hadn't planned to break into just yet - is so I can use it to build lather with a cream I hadn't planned to break into just yet.
Gordon, you may be onto something with using it as a brushless cream. That way I go through it quickly and forget I ever had it.
Gordon, you may be onto something with using it as a brushless cream. That way I go through it quickly and forget I ever had it.
Regards,
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
I've found VDH works best for super-lather. No scent, and its cheap, so I don't feel like I'm "wasting" it. I don't care for Williams that much, and I would feel horrible using some really good soap when the cream will overpower it anyway. Also, if you're into menthol, I sometimes use the Omega soap with Proraso cream. It's a great combo.
But yeah, like I said, the only reason I use the CM soap for super-lather is to just get some use out of it. I'd never use it again on its own.
But yeah, like I said, the only reason I use the CM soap for super-lather is to just get some use out of it. I'd never use it again on its own.
-David
Now go and watch Raiders.
Now go and watch Raiders.
Superlather. That's the ticket.
I lathered VDH and C-M last night and got some beautifully slick, dense meringue. It looked and felt pretty good - and smelled terrific, to boot - so I decided to whip up the same mixture this morning and shave with it. I used an almond's worth of C-M and swirled a fairly wet badger brush on my puck of VDH Deluxe for about 20 seconds. 90 seconds and 2 tsp of water later, my bowl overflowed with lather. I did 3 passes and had enough leftover lather for 2-3 more. The cushion and moisturizing properties from the VDH and the slickness and scent of C-M combined beautifully, and I got a close, comfortable shave.
So, I picked up the cream for $5 and the VDH for $2. $7 for the combo. It's a bit of a pain to mess with two different items for building lather, but it's hardly a deal-breaker. I can rest easy now knowing i didn't totally waste my money on the C-M sandalwood.
Good shaving,
I lathered VDH and C-M last night and got some beautifully slick, dense meringue. It looked and felt pretty good - and smelled terrific, to boot - so I decided to whip up the same mixture this morning and shave with it. I used an almond's worth of C-M and swirled a fairly wet badger brush on my puck of VDH Deluxe for about 20 seconds. 90 seconds and 2 tsp of water later, my bowl overflowed with lather. I did 3 passes and had enough leftover lather for 2-3 more. The cushion and moisturizing properties from the VDH and the slickness and scent of C-M combined beautifully, and I got a close, comfortable shave.
So, I picked up the cream for $5 and the VDH for $2. $7 for the combo. It's a bit of a pain to mess with two different items for building lather, but it's hardly a deal-breaker. I can rest easy now knowing i didn't totally waste my money on the C-M sandalwood.
Good shaving,
Regards,
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
Ahh, another fellow shaver gives the Caswell-Massey cream a try. It's too bad that you hadn't seen the reviews before discovering the sale, but what's done is done. So now you've discovered C-M's dirty secret: shave creams (and soaps) with excellent scents and horrible lather. They seem like they ought to be good, but they aren't. They boast a pedigree dating to 1752 but, in reality, have a formula that is only a couple of decades old. And, it's a bad formula.
I still have several cakes of C-M soaps, as well as a few jars of the cream, from years of buying them and receiving them as gifts. I've spent a good deal of time experimenting with the soaps, in an effort to coax a decent, lasting lather from them. In the end, the best thing I found was what you've found: mix the C-M soap with a decent cream, and you'll get a decent lather. In fact, the cream that seemed to work best for me was C-M's own cream. So, when I use them, I now start a lather using the Verbena Shave Soap, and add a dollop of Verbena Shave Cream.
The result is good but, really, why bother? I can get just as good a lather with a cake of William's mug soap all by its lonesome. I'm sorry to say it, but C-M's shave soaps and creams are overpriced and under-performing. I continue to buy their colognes, aftershaves, and balms, but that's it. The soaps and creams just aren't worth the money or the time spent fiddling with them. As Gordon mentioned, the creams are decent if you're in a hurry and don't want to build a lather with a brush. But what's the fun in that?
Oh, and the creams tend to gunk up your brush, too. That's the price of their oily slickness.
Bah.
I still have several cakes of C-M soaps, as well as a few jars of the cream, from years of buying them and receiving them as gifts. I've spent a good deal of time experimenting with the soaps, in an effort to coax a decent, lasting lather from them. In the end, the best thing I found was what you've found: mix the C-M soap with a decent cream, and you'll get a decent lather. In fact, the cream that seemed to work best for me was C-M's own cream. So, when I use them, I now start a lather using the Verbena Shave Soap, and add a dollop of Verbena Shave Cream.
The result is good but, really, why bother? I can get just as good a lather with a cake of William's mug soap all by its lonesome. I'm sorry to say it, but C-M's shave soaps and creams are overpriced and under-performing. I continue to buy their colognes, aftershaves, and balms, but that's it. The soaps and creams just aren't worth the money or the time spent fiddling with them. As Gordon mentioned, the creams are decent if you're in a hurry and don't want to build a lather with a brush. But what's the fun in that?
Oh, and the creams tend to gunk up your brush, too. That's the price of their oily slickness.
Bah.
--Bob--
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bernards66
- Duke of Silvertip!
- Posts: 27393
- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:02 pm
Yes, a few of their colognes and A/Ss are good, and good buys, and they also still offer real quality gentlemen's talc in various classic scents, but that's about it from them these days, I'm afraid. Their shops even quit carrying my beloved Vinolia bath soap ( for the second time, I might add ), which made me quite bitter. Last time I was in, I did notice that the Musgo Real shave cream seemed to be back, which is, at least, some good news.
Regards,
Gordon
Regards,
Gordon
I visited the CM store in New York City where I picked up some pre shave oil. The manager agreed with me that the shave cream does not lather or shave well. She informed me that CM is refromulating the cream to correct its' problems. Their almond scent is one of the best around if they can combine it with a good cream I think they'll have a winner.
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bernards66
- Duke of Silvertip!
- Posts: 27393
- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:02 pm
E-S, Well, I'm glad to hear it, but Jeez!...it took them over 20 years to figure that out?! Up until the early '80s their shave creams were about as good as they get. Then they came out with this stuff instead. I certainly hope that they go to someone who knows how to do it right, and not just fiddle about trying to tweak their current rubbish. They need to scrap it and start over....preferably going back to whatever English company it was that made their creams before.
Regards,
Gordon
Regards,
Gordon
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GA Russell
- Posts: 3070
- Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:15 pm
- Location: Raleigh, NC
I was given a jar of C-M sandalwood maybe ten years ago, and put it aside and never used it. I came across it maybe five years ago and tried it. It lathered so poorly that I figured it wasn't supposed to lather. I've used it as a brushless shave cream a couple of times since. But I still have the jar under my sink, just sitting there.