churchilllafemme
TSC Yoda
This is a brief review of the new vegan cream after a few uses. I should note that although I have no financial connection with Ethos Grooming, I did receive the cream free so that I could give Frank my feedback about it. My observations and impressions are subjective, and YMMV, of course.
Preshave: The cream came in a sturdy, low 4.5 oz. (133ml) jar with a wide mouth that made scooping with a spoon very easy. The jar and label, unfortunately, were exactly the same as the matching soap, so I had to write 'cream' on this one's label with a Sharpie marker in order to be able to differentiate them quickly. The label is simple and attractive. The ingredients are listed, and the first four are water, aloe vera, stearic acid, and glycerin, hinting at the great skin qualities. The texture of the cream is quite thick, more so than my other creams. However, it is definitely a cream and not a croap. I was able to use just a small almond-sized scoop to make more than enough lather for a 3-pass shave.
Lather: I built the lather in my scuttle bowl, since that is how I almost always do it. The cream almost instantly made a thick proto-lather, to which I was able to add finger-drops of water gradually to make a very rich lather. One application per pass gave me a perfect 'Goldilocks' lather, not too thick and not too thin. It remained stable throughout the shave in the bowl over a reservoir of hot tap water and was durable during each razor pass. The scent was wonderful, very fresh, crisp, and uplifting, with prominent citrus tones appropriate for year-round use.
Shave: The cushion was quite good. Initially with my first use of the cream, I thought the slickness was slightly less than that of the corresponding soap; but with the most recent shave I would say the slickness is just about the same, maybe because I was a bit more careful in building the lather. The lather felt firm but not at all sticky and was easily swiped off with the razor pass, leaving a very clean and close BSS shave with the high-quality vintage blades I used in both an excellent DE razor and a vintage Wilkinson Bonded System cartridge razor.
Post-shave: Following a quick cold-water rinse, my face skin felt very soft, smooth, and pliable, as if I had used a quality moisturizer. I am not sure how long scent would have lasted, since I used the matching aftershave skin food. About 2-3 hours later my skin still felt great.
Overall I would rate the cream 9/10, with excellent lathering and shaving qualities and a wonderful scent. If the minor label confusion was corrected, it would get a perfect 10. At a price of $38, I think it is a very good value, and I would definitely buy it after this jar is used up.
Preshave: The cream came in a sturdy, low 4.5 oz. (133ml) jar with a wide mouth that made scooping with a spoon very easy. The jar and label, unfortunately, were exactly the same as the matching soap, so I had to write 'cream' on this one's label with a Sharpie marker in order to be able to differentiate them quickly. The label is simple and attractive. The ingredients are listed, and the first four are water, aloe vera, stearic acid, and glycerin, hinting at the great skin qualities. The texture of the cream is quite thick, more so than my other creams. However, it is definitely a cream and not a croap. I was able to use just a small almond-sized scoop to make more than enough lather for a 3-pass shave.
Lather: I built the lather in my scuttle bowl, since that is how I almost always do it. The cream almost instantly made a thick proto-lather, to which I was able to add finger-drops of water gradually to make a very rich lather. One application per pass gave me a perfect 'Goldilocks' lather, not too thick and not too thin. It remained stable throughout the shave in the bowl over a reservoir of hot tap water and was durable during each razor pass. The scent was wonderful, very fresh, crisp, and uplifting, with prominent citrus tones appropriate for year-round use.
Shave: The cushion was quite good. Initially with my first use of the cream, I thought the slickness was slightly less than that of the corresponding soap; but with the most recent shave I would say the slickness is just about the same, maybe because I was a bit more careful in building the lather. The lather felt firm but not at all sticky and was easily swiped off with the razor pass, leaving a very clean and close BSS shave with the high-quality vintage blades I used in both an excellent DE razor and a vintage Wilkinson Bonded System cartridge razor.
Post-shave: Following a quick cold-water rinse, my face skin felt very soft, smooth, and pliable, as if I had used a quality moisturizer. I am not sure how long scent would have lasted, since I used the matching aftershave skin food. About 2-3 hours later my skin still felt great.
Overall I would rate the cream 9/10, with excellent lathering and shaving qualities and a wonderful scent. If the minor label confusion was corrected, it would get a perfect 10. At a price of $38, I think it is a very good value, and I would definitely buy it after this jar is used up.
