Giovanni Moisturizing Shave Cream – Refreshing Pink Grapefruit & Pomegranate

Tags

6/10, citrus, Fruit, grapefruit, non-lathering, pomegranate, shaving cream

Once in a while I’ll review a shaving cream that wasn’t really ever intended to be used on anyone’s face. Wetshaving? Not quite, but still.

On occasion, creams which are intended to be non-lathering still manage to lather up quite fine, often yielding better results. This? Well, this is not one of them.

The performance of this cream had good sides and bad sides. The good side? It provided great lubrication. And whatever it’s made of left my skin feeling pretty nice afterwards.

The bad side? It’s not water soluble, and really thick, so as a result it is very difficult to clean up. Which admittedly did help with the shave, providing a decent cushion, but then in order to rinse it off my razor, I needed to unscrew the flow aerator on my washroom sink’s faucet, just to get enough pressure to blast it away. For anyone who doesn’t shave shirtless, I’d suggest avoiding it, as I imagine it would be a real pain to get out of clothing. A pain to get off of your razor, and even to rinse off the face once you’re done.

Also, since it’s non-lathering, you end up needing to use a lot more of it. After all, the lather you get from most soaps and creams is mostly air and water by volume. Using something like this will end up costing a fair bit more just because you use a lot more of the product per pass.

The scent however, I found to be quite pleasant. I mean, it’s not surprising, I love pomegranate, and I love grapefruit. The combination is great, it’s perhaps a bit heavier on the grapefruit than the pomegranate. The strength is pretty decent as well, not what I’d call strong, but it’s got good staying power.

• 10/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 8/10 Scent Strength
• 5/10 Lather Cream Quality

Overall, the annoyance of the cream and its lack of solubility is bad enough that it scent barely makes up for it. 6/10.

• Cost: I picked this up from iHerb.com, where they’re selling the 7 oz tube shown for $4.89 (hrph, it was $5.36 when I bought it!).

Gear used:

• Razor: 1966 Solid Nickel Gillette Tech
• Blade: Big Ben Super Stainless

Ingredients: Water (Purified), Isopropyl Palmitate, Stearic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Polysorbate 60, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethycellulose, Sodium Hydroxide, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Acai (Euterpe Oleracea) Fruit Oil, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Fruit Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Extract, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Fruit Extract, Fragrance (Natural), Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Juice (USDA Certified Organic), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract (USDA Certified Organic), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract (USDA Certified Organic), Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract (USDA Certified Organic), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract (USDA Certified Organic), Echinacea Angustifolia (Coneflower) Extract (USDA Certified Organic)

Edwin Jagger – Lime and Pomegranate Shaving Cream

Tags

9/10, citrus, Edwin Jagger, Fruit, Lime, pomegranate, shaving cream

Edwin Jagger’s Lime and Pomegranate shaving cream is a relatively new scent, having replaced the old Sea Buckthorn scent, which I liked fairly well in the soap form.

The lather was very nice; it lathered up very easily into a nice thick cream, with a good amount of glide. Just a bit of extra water was needed for the mix, but it seemed to have a fair amount of tolerance for variation. Good moisturization properties too.

The scent was wonderful; sweet and tangy, I found it invigorating. It’s a great summer-time aroma.

Unfortunately, it fades far too fast; starting off at a reasonably decent strength, it doesn’t stay there for long, and I found that I was only able to really enjoy the scent for the first few strokes of each pass.

• 10/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 7/10 Scent Strength
• 9/10 Lather Quality

Overall, I think I’m still willing to fudge the numbers a bit and give this a 9/10; if the scent lasted longer this would probably be a serious contender on the top ten list. As it is however, it falls too short.

• Cost: I picked up the 75 mL tube from shaveabuck for $16, Maggard Razors also sells samples of this scent, either on its own ($2.25), or for a bit cheaper per unit as part of one of their sample packs; also available in a 100 mL tub for $22.

Gear used:

• Brush: The Colonel
• Razor: Feather AS-D2
• Blade: Lord Super Stainless
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ingredients: Aqua (water), Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palmitate, Potassium Cocoate, Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Cocoate, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Potassium Myristate, Cetyl Palmitate, Parfum (fragrance), Punica Granatum Seed Extract, Potassium Laurate, Sodium Myristate, Sodium Silicate, Sodium Thiosulfate, Limonene, Linalool.

Kiss My Face – Pomegranate Grapefruit Shaving Cream

Tags

8/10, citrus, Fruit, grapefruit, kiss my face, pomegranate

I really like the scent of pomegranate. I really like the scent of grapefruits. I really love this scent. The two come together quite nicely, and while they’re the two prime scents used, there’s a veritable army of other scented ingredients also used, that augment it nicely.

The strength is quite strong at first, however it does fade off rather quickly, with not much being left by the time you get to the end of your pass.

The lather quality was good, as expected from the last time I tired Kiss My Face. A decent splash of water is needed to start the lather going, but that and a little bit of elbow grease produces a nice lubricating lather, with plenty of glide to it. It had what I’ve consider average moisturization properties; nothing outstanding, but no irritation or anything like that.

• 10/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 8/10 Scent Strength
• 8/10 Lather Quality

A rather solid 8/10 overall; wish it could have been a bit stronger on the strength. Still, a damned good value, considering the price.

• Cost: $4.99 for the 100 mL (3.4 oz) tube shown, or a 325 mL (11 oz) hand pump type container for $7.95. Also, it’s one of those brands that is more likely to be available locally, especially at places that specialize in organic foods (both in Canada and the US).

Gear used:

• Brush: The Colonel
• Razor: Gillette NEW Ball-handle
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ingredients: Aqua, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Allantoin, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Fruit Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Arnica Montana (Arnica) Flower Extract, Hydrastis Canadensis (Golden Seal) Root Extract, Equisetum Hyemale (Horsetail) Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris (Lady’s Mantle) Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium (Lime) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Extract, Saponaria Officinalis (Soapwort) Root Extract, Nasturtium Officinalis (Watercress) Leaf Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Extract, Natural Fragrance Hydroxyethylcellulose