EDIT: Maybe the only thing missing is the link: I have found the following reviews to which Tim has referred above. This might take some time, but here's the first one:
Trumper's Violet Cream:
Occam wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:31 am
Gents, here is my humble review of this shaving cream that I got to defray shipping costs on another purchase (PL8) to this big island called Australia. Why didn't I choose another scent you might ask? And it would be a good question. I realised that this had a sense of yesteryear and I smell violet essences on a daily basis on the person's of old ladies who come to me as patients. And while I'm not terribly fond of it in that way, the aroma does remind me of soaps that my mother once washed my brother and I with. It has a real old time feel about it.
It's still not obvious why I made this choice, but I honestly could not think of another scent that I was more curious about, and let's face it - shavegeekery is all about trying and curiosity. Having said all that though I must admit that Corey Greenburgs positive writings on this SC did influence me to select it rather than the others. But who am I kidding? I'll probably end up trying the entire range in the fullness of time, or maybe not...
So I received the package and while more excited about the PL8 that was packed in the same box I opened up the Trumper's Violet first. The cream was so full its top surface covered half the inner lid. I took it off and took a whiff... yes the aroma of violets and old soaps came rushing into my head. The smell of Palmolive soaps of yesteryear... nice... it was only when I tried using it that I realised that this smell was pretty strong compared to other creams I've tried. It was seriously violetty.
I took it to the bathroom and gave it a whirl... using about as much as I would of Proraso by eyeballing it... a purple coloured froth started and dissipated to a light pink... but I wasn't getting the usual good lather I would with face lathering... in fact it was so bad I wondered whether I might have lost some of the cream when I wet the brush... no... wow what a disappointment it was. I realised maybe using the stuff on the inner lid which I had might have been unfair since it may have 'dried out' or changed etc.
Thinking it might also have something to do with unfamiliarity with the PL8 I decided to try again with my trusty Vulfix #2190 and some fresh cream from the tub... nice for one pass but the second application left a pale amount of lather. I'd been 'false shaving' - using a bladeless Rocket to scrape off the lather so my face was the same and was as receptive to the lather as it had just been.
I decided that maybe it was because there just wasn't enough stubble to get a decent lather. Tried again the next morning with the PL8... again barely enough lather for 2 passes using an almond size dollop of cream...
I resigned myself to the fact that people's impressions of Trumpers was right. That I had missed the boat... their creams had indeed become worthless and certainly not worth 11 pounds sterling. For some reason that's when I thought to try the new brush in a bowl again and used a bit more than an almond's worth of cream (almost 1.75 almonds worth) ... finally I had enough lather... but only just.
In the end I'm disappointed with this cream's price to performance ratio. I have come to love the smell though... it really grows on you... but I guess I'll just have to use extra big helpings which is probably exactly as Trumpers wants it... to get a decent shave. I can live with that since it will help empty this nice tub which I'll press into service with other soaps. The tub actually matches the handle colour of the Simpson brush exactly a warm beige.
Here's the second review:
J Peterman 1903 shaving cream
MOSES wrote:
Post by MOSES » Tue May 08, 2007 5:16 pm
The man is dressed in an old comfortable button down, open at the neck, its creases showing the effects of years of service, but its rugged style unmistakable. The Fedora pulled low over his handsome face could regale with endless stories of adventure and intrigue, if only it could talk. His clothes damp with sweat from the jungle heat and stained with mud from the days long trek, he pushes gingerly on the recessed panel. The woman looks on, a mix of fear and the thrill of the hunt in her eyes....
That evening, back at the lodge. Priceless treasure hidden safely away. After an elegant dinner, relaxing on the balcony. The woman is there to, a glass of champagne gracefully resting in her elegant hand. Her other hand reaches out, fingertips resting ever so lightly on his arm, as she leans a little closer, catching an intoxicate hint of his cologne....
His name: Indiana Bond.
His cologne: J. Peterman 1903.
Now, let's see, where was I? Ah yes, performance. This cream reminds probably more of Trumpers than anything else. And maybe Penhaligons. But more Trumpers. I don't know where it comes from, but it has a density to it that many newer creams just don't have. It is sort of like what I imagine the old Taylors may have been like - very dense. Not hard like a dried out cream, just dense, and not totally smooth in texture. A little goes a long way. It is pretty high cushion, not perhaps the most cushioning thing I've ever used, but in the same tier. All in all, excellent performance, in very much the old school English cream tradition.
As for scent. Well, honestly, if Indiana Jones was a little more sophisticated, this is what he would wear. It is very very earthy and masculine, in a sweaty, raw, adventurous, but still strangely sophisticated kind of way. It would be very at home with black tie, but you would be suggesting that earlier in the day you were at the least out on a hard ride across the ranch, rounding up a few strays, if not quite digging through ancient ruins for priceless treasures while juggling beautiful women and hostile natives. Or hostile women and beautiful natives, as the case might be.
It is a very very earthy scent, definitely suggesting the out of doors. A lot of woody and mossy undertones. It is not mentioned in the description, but I swear vetiver is prominent. There is also a hint of leather and tobacco notes. But also a little green thrown on top, and other things that make it fresh, and not too heavy.
Here, go read the basenotes commentary on the scent. (I really feel like, much like one of the commentators there, that I am making a mistake spreading the word on this).
As for strength of the scent. It is probably on of the stronger shaving creams I have used. But not quite the room filling enveloping strength it apparently used to be. Probably not quite as strong as Coates Tea Tree, if you've tried that, but close. One about the same order as a T&H cologne scented cream. If your ideal shave cream is Coates Lavender, you would probably enjoy the performance of this a great deal, but find the scent a little heavy and overpowering. If you are like me, though, and like strongly scented creams, it is pretty ideal.
All in all, a lot of potential to be my new preferred choice.
-Mo
Here's the third review:
The Gentleman's Refinery Unscented Cream
John 5 wrote:
Post by John 5 » Fri May 02, 2008 11:27 pm
Good day Gentlemen
I've been using this cream for a few days now, and must share my impressions.
First, on the scent. This truly is the first 'Unscented' cream that truly smells like nothing to my sniffer. And, I've tried all creams of this sort offered by AOS and the three T's, all which at the end of the day, have a mild scent of something or other.
With this one, I really tried hard to sense something, like a hint of coconut oil or anything, but nope, this thing really keeps its promise at being unscented. This alone won't allow it to be my everyday cream - but, and a big but - this might very well be a contributing factor to what makes it a winner, a great option for those days when your face must look 'perfect' off the bat immediately after the shave (and, I'm sure most of you know exactly what days I mean). I can get such shave a majority of the times using most traditional creams and soaps, but, I've come to learn that even the best of the best will at times irritate me, if only a bit, and as such my chin area will look mildly red for a little while. Hence my search for a product that will never fail, that I can count on during these 'special needs' times when I do not want to risk even a few minutes of redness or irritation.
Performance. The best way to describe it, is just to say that it performs just like a good, old fashioned cream - BUT, it behaves quite differently. For better or worse, it is of a somewhat 'silkier' consistency when the lather is done and ready. They are very similar, but, there is a tangible difference. Where the traditional creams tend to produce, well, a somewhat more hydrated feeling, 'wetter' lather, which ironically seems to dry out much sooner, this cream produces a silkier, more slippery base that appears to remain the same up until the last stroke of the razor.
It is an interesting concoction. The performance is quite good, as mentioned - silky smooth, and stays that way for the duration. Also of note, and perhaps the impetus of this review - I felt zero irritation throughout. Zero. After the fact, as if I had not shaved at all. This might be a fluke, and might prove wrong in the next couple of days, but, I don't feel that it will be the case, for this cream has provided shaves where the cream is seen but not felt, a new sensation for me, in all the times I've used it.
Lastly, the package, I think is the worst part. A monochromatic theme, with a somewhat translucent glass jar and metal twist on cap. I find the traditional tubs of English creams much 'classier', and when considering glass jars, I think C&E has a more presentable, more polished look, IMHO.
Bottom line, if you have easily irritated skin, and are looking for that one product that does not leave it's mark after the shave, give this one a shot.
Regards,
John
Here's review number four:
Nancy Boy Shaving Cream
Chaps wrote:
Post by Chaps » Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:25 pm
I have a confession and a testimonial to make. First of all the confession; I know that a lot of gentlemen on this board like Nancy Boy products. I have always been tempted to try some myself, but I must confess that every time I started to purchase some, a picture of Frank Barone pops into my head. Frank Barone is the family patriarch on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and he has a special use for the word "Nancy" on the show. For those of you who have watched that show, know what I mean. I'm sorry but whenever I think of Nancy Boy, I think of good old Frank.
Now, for the testimonial. SMF member Bertie Wooster and his wife came over to our house for Thanksgiving dinner and guess what he brought for me to try? That's right, some Nancy Boy Shaving Cream. He had purchased some of their soap and they sent him a good sized sample of their shave cream. Well, I gave Bertie the same story about Frank Barone and "Nancy" and we all had a good laugh. But, I did tell him that I would try the Nancy Boy Shave Cream and I did this morning, and man, was I ever surprised! The stuff is really good. It sort of has that old school scent that I like and it whips up a pretty decent lather in no time. Shame on me for not trying it sooner just because of it's name
I am going to use the rest of the sample Bertie gave me and will probably purchase some myself. I still wish they would change the name, though
Danny
Review number Five:
Olivia's Shaving Cream/Soap
bernards66 wrote:
Post by bernards66 » Fri Sep 08, 2006 12:21 am
Evening, Armando was kind enough to send me a large sample of this unusual product, so, I thought I'd report a little on my experiance with it. This is, apparently, Olivia's version of, or take on, that old Italian product, Cella Sapone ( hopefully, some of that is on it's way to me as well ). This is one of those specifically European type products, like the Proraso/Omega tub or Martin de Chandre; that is a very very dense cream. So dense, that it almost has to be used like a hard soap. The first time I tried this, I went at it as if it was an English cream, and the lather I got was not encouraging. So thin that I daren't use it, and I added a dollup of Coate's Almond cream to beef it up. This time, I smeared some thinly on the bottom of my bowl, and whisked away, as if it was a chuck of hard soap. It took a little while, but eventually, I got what looked and felt like the lather from a good hard shave soap. It cut much like that as well. The second lather was pretty thin, but I went ahead anyway. I must say that I felt the blade more then I usually do! But, there were no problems. I squeezed the lather out of the brush manually for the third pass, and thus, had plenty of very wet, but still rich lather ( again, much like with most hard shave soaps ). The end result was a good shave, and my somewhat finicky skin seems very okay with this stuff. It's not quite the luxurious experiance one gets with the top shelf English creams, but it was a very good shave at the end of the day. The scent is suppossed to be 'almond' but it struck me as having a more floral or slightly 'fruity' scent. But it's a mild one, and not unpleasant. This is quite a fine shave product, IMO, and if it can be gotten without too much hassle or expense, I think it's worth having. I'll be interested to see how 'the original' compares when it arrives from Germany.
Regards,
Gordon
Last but not least:
Noxzema white shaving cream review
ubuntu wrote:
Post by ubuntu » Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:44 am
I've been shaving with noxzema shaving cream for almost two weeks, achieving great results so I decided to share my impressions with you.
It comes in a generous 150 ml tube which sales for 3.04 euros here in Europe. (in ITaly to be right, just to make a comparison here a tube of Proraso costs 1.94, Palmolive green or red 1,54, Prep 1,70). So a little more expensive than the average local store shaving creams but yet quite cheap to Taylo'sr or the other English T.
The Scent is quite spicey, not too strong, sufisticated I'd say but not everybody would like it as it is quite unusual. It has a hint of bay rum with notes of cinnamon to my nose. Actually I really like it and if you use Dominica Bay Rum aftershave it matches really well.
The lather is very rich, it doesn t incorporate too much air even with my shavemac silver tip, but it can handle a lot of water, So not a great cushion over your face but the razor really glides over the lather, it soothes well your face being rich of essentials oils. I like to use it with a Gillette adjustable (7) and an Israeli blade. Rinsing your face after shaving your skin is soft and smooth, there would be no need of aftershave soothing lotion but a drop or two of Proraso could help neverthless.
Overall I would rate it 8,5 out of 10, (9.0 if you like the scent), the only thing it lacks is a little cushion.
It would actually deserve a try by you gentlemens.
Have a nice day!
Choice of fragrance makes no appreciable difference in the shaving performance (I've tried all of them except the latest one).
