Monsta_AU
...can I interest you in some vintage blades?
Staff member
Forum Administrator
Grand Society
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2011
- Location
- Guildford.nsw.au
First of all, nobody in the scent & perfume world ever talks of 'Vetivert' as a scent. Vetiver is the scent and the plant, vetivert is the oil-based fragrance - usually an essential oil. So even though it says 'Vetivert' on the tin, I am referring to it as Vetiver throughout the the review.
I received this at work yesterday, and I hurriedly opened the package to check it out. First impression of the packaged product was a quality & premium feel. Looks vintage and modern at the same time. Overall I like it and the product information on the back is clear and easily read.
List price of the Simpsons Cream in all scents is £13 (AUD$23.70-ish) direct from Simpsons before postage, or you can get the unscented version from MensBiz for $25 and get free postage if you buy enough. The Simpsons only nets you 125ml of product, whereas the TOBS will deliver 150g in a bowl for under Ten Quid from UK resellers. Now because we are using different measures it isn't quite apples and apples, but my general impression is that you get about 60% VOLUME of product compared to a bowl of TOBS. So dollar for dollar, you definitely get less product for you money. Is this a problem though?
Fast forward to this morning for the shave. Shower and scrub with the Man Towel* as normal, and then washed down the face with a liquid wash. Out of the shower and straight into the shave routine. Got the hot water into my lather bowl to warm it up, splashed some on my face and got some moisture through the brush. Opening the tin was a slightly fiddly joy - straight away my nose fills with the familiar lavender-driven classic fougere scent. Great stuff first thing in the morning.
Usually I load up with the brush directly in the product bowl and get a nice coverage on the tips. However this product feels quite gloopy and almost heat affected - the coconut acid seems to have separated from the stearates and has a really oily look. I do have to prod the old Smoggie 730HD a bit harder to pick up any product, and when it does it has a big dollop on the knot and it feels like too much. I shrug my shoulders and get to work.
Immediately they thickness of the cream becomes apparent. The usual dribble of water into the bowl isn't loosening the mixture like it otherwise would with the Speick cream which has been my main software of late. I add three times as much and it starts to loosen a little. Now I know I have probably loaded the brush with over twice what I should have as the lather starts to expand. A little more water and the hairs in the brush start to relax and the lather is everywhere. I could shave ten guys with three passes each with this bowl!
I move it to the face knowing there is still a real core of product inside the brush and start working it in. Instantly I have the bitter scent of Vetiver front and centre, that earthy zing that I do love so much. Lavender is there but it is now delivering an Oscar-worthy best supporting Essential oil performance. I am simply enjoying the scent as the brush starts working the lather into my noggin. It's the old school today, the Coumarin accord comes in, and with a little surprise I can detect a little chamomile wafting through the bathroom. Nice twist there, and a very relaxing scent to start the day.
The lather is thick, creamy and very stable. I add a little more water to the brush to get the balance a bit better and reach for the Gillette Slim. It's set to seven, and holds a 7-shave Gillette Platinum Plus. I start to go to work and get one of the most cushioned shaves I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Usually the blade feels a bit rough by this point in it's life but I never had a hint of anything untoward with it. Considering it bit me a couple of times the shave before, this is outstanding performance.
Second pass was as uneventful as the first - just the way I like it. Rising off my skin felt really good, and no hints of any issues with the shave at all. Decided no alum was the way to go to test it. 10 minutes after pat-dry my skin felt really moisturised. Checking the ingredient list, I noticed the inclusion of Aloe Vera extract which made sense due to the lather stability and moisturising experienced.
Okay, so overall - the product itself is great. I am going to be grabbing more of these and using them in my rotation. No issues at all with the end result - it's a 9.7 for me on the latherability, lathered scent, and general shave performance. The fact you get less physical product is offset with the fact you need a very minimal amount of cream to get a ridiculous amount of lather.
The issues I have with the product are fairly small, and I list them only for the sake of completeness and feedback.
REVIEW DISCLOSURE: THIS PRODUCT WAS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE BY PROGRESS SHAVING BRUSH (VULFIX) LIMITED, ISLE OF MAN FOR REVIEW PURPOSES. I WILL BE PURCHASING MORE MYSELF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAT THE PRODUCT IS OF EXCELLENT QUALITY AND WORTH THE PRICE.
* The man towel is a polypropylene exfoliating towel, similar to one your wives or girlfriends might have. Only this one exfoliates like a man needs - not wimpy at all and would take a woman's top layer of skin off if she were to use it. Mine is a Japanese manufactured item and is a wonderful hue of dark blue. I recommend them - thread to come on these amazing products.
I received this at work yesterday, and I hurriedly opened the package to check it out. First impression of the packaged product was a quality & premium feel. Looks vintage and modern at the same time. Overall I like it and the product information on the back is clear and easily read.
List price of the Simpsons Cream in all scents is £13 (AUD$23.70-ish) direct from Simpsons before postage, or you can get the unscented version from MensBiz for $25 and get free postage if you buy enough. The Simpsons only nets you 125ml of product, whereas the TOBS will deliver 150g in a bowl for under Ten Quid from UK resellers. Now because we are using different measures it isn't quite apples and apples, but my general impression is that you get about 60% VOLUME of product compared to a bowl of TOBS. So dollar for dollar, you definitely get less product for you money. Is this a problem though?
Fast forward to this morning for the shave. Shower and scrub with the Man Towel* as normal, and then washed down the face with a liquid wash. Out of the shower and straight into the shave routine. Got the hot water into my lather bowl to warm it up, splashed some on my face and got some moisture through the brush. Opening the tin was a slightly fiddly joy - straight away my nose fills with the familiar lavender-driven classic fougere scent. Great stuff first thing in the morning.
Usually I load up with the brush directly in the product bowl and get a nice coverage on the tips. However this product feels quite gloopy and almost heat affected - the coconut acid seems to have separated from the stearates and has a really oily look. I do have to prod the old Smoggie 730HD a bit harder to pick up any product, and when it does it has a big dollop on the knot and it feels like too much. I shrug my shoulders and get to work.
Immediately they thickness of the cream becomes apparent. The usual dribble of water into the bowl isn't loosening the mixture like it otherwise would with the Speick cream which has been my main software of late. I add three times as much and it starts to loosen a little. Now I know I have probably loaded the brush with over twice what I should have as the lather starts to expand. A little more water and the hairs in the brush start to relax and the lather is everywhere. I could shave ten guys with three passes each with this bowl!
I move it to the face knowing there is still a real core of product inside the brush and start working it in. Instantly I have the bitter scent of Vetiver front and centre, that earthy zing that I do love so much. Lavender is there but it is now delivering an Oscar-worthy best supporting Essential oil performance. I am simply enjoying the scent as the brush starts working the lather into my noggin. It's the old school today, the Coumarin accord comes in, and with a little surprise I can detect a little chamomile wafting through the bathroom. Nice twist there, and a very relaxing scent to start the day.
The lather is thick, creamy and very stable. I add a little more water to the brush to get the balance a bit better and reach for the Gillette Slim. It's set to seven, and holds a 7-shave Gillette Platinum Plus. I start to go to work and get one of the most cushioned shaves I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Usually the blade feels a bit rough by this point in it's life but I never had a hint of anything untoward with it. Considering it bit me a couple of times the shave before, this is outstanding performance.
Second pass was as uneventful as the first - just the way I like it. Rising off my skin felt really good, and no hints of any issues with the shave at all. Decided no alum was the way to go to test it. 10 minutes after pat-dry my skin felt really moisturised. Checking the ingredient list, I noticed the inclusion of Aloe Vera extract which made sense due to the lather stability and moisturising experienced.
Okay, so overall - the product itself is great. I am going to be grabbing more of these and using them in my rotation. No issues at all with the end result - it's a 9.7 for me on the latherability, lathered scent, and general shave performance. The fact you get less physical product is offset with the fact you need a very minimal amount of cream to get a ridiculous amount of lather.
The issues I have with the product are fairly small, and I list them only for the sake of completeness and feedback.
- While the tin is visually appealing packaging, it is damn hard to open them when you hands are wet. If there is a tiny bit of product seepage under the lid then it's going to be impossible. Keep a dry towel handy.
- While we are on the packaging - meet the market and sell by weight and not volume. Every other soap/cream manufacturer sells on weight. The denser and more concentrated the cream then the more shaves you get out of it anyway.
- Product consistency. It seems that in at least my sample, the product is sticky and almost too dense but I suspect some heat damage to it with a rather warm couple of days in Sydney and the likelihood it was in a hot van for a few hours. It may be too dense - a little more water in it and whip it up more, but that would need a bigger tin.
- Postage costs for direct purchase are simply too high. One tin of cream direct purchased incurs over ten quid in postage to the Antipodes, although 6 is the same cost. I doubt anyone will ever purchase more than two at a time. Comparatively, I can get a 250g bowl of Trumpers from Shaving.ie for £12.50 (ex-VAT), and postage is under five quid (and the second bowl adds just 55p to postage cost). Ends up just over $32 Aussie dollars while a direct tin from Simpsons is would be almost $43!
- MensBiz does not have stock of this yet!! Why the hell not? This should fly off the shelves even just from the few here. It also takes away the issues we have with postage costs direct from you as any orders over $20 is free postage, and these cost $25 here. I know that I would probably immediately get the Sandalwood and the Citrus Burst, and then the Cafe Latte in another order later. I will be making it known to MensBiz that it needs to be stocked pronto!
REVIEW DISCLOSURE: THIS PRODUCT WAS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE BY PROGRESS SHAVING BRUSH (VULFIX) LIMITED, ISLE OF MAN FOR REVIEW PURPOSES. I WILL BE PURCHASING MORE MYSELF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAT THE PRODUCT IS OF EXCELLENT QUALITY AND WORTH THE PRICE.
* The man towel is a polypropylene exfoliating towel, similar to one your wives or girlfriends might have. Only this one exfoliates like a man needs - not wimpy at all and would take a woman's top layer of skin off if she were to use it. Mine is a Japanese manufactured item and is a wonderful hue of dark blue. I recommend them - thread to come on these amazing products.
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