Razor: Gillette Fatboy on 3
Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword
Brush: Yaqi Cashmere Synthetic
Soap: Proraso Green Cream
Aftershave: Proraso Green Balm
Other: Proraso Green Pre-Shave
Going a little old school today thanks to a little post Christmas shopping. At holiday time, Shopper’s Drug Mart here in Canada stocks these really nice Proraso gift sets. In this nice tin you get a Proraso green pre-shave, shaving cream and aftershave balm. It runs for about $25CAD + tax. When you factor in the price for each of those separately, it is an OK deal but if you wait until after Christmas, they tend to drop the price about 50% on these. For about $15CAD after taxes I was able to pick this set up. That is a great value in my books. I wish they carried the set in their other scents as the Proraso red scent really does it for me…. but I digress.
First off, the scent on Proraso Green is definitely an old school vibe. It is immediately recognizable, straight up eucalyptus and menthol. Not quite Vick’s vapour rub (no camphor scent) but it does have a bit of a medicinal vibe to it. I do find it a very refreshing scent that opens up your senses. It is great for days you need a wake up, are fighting some sinus issues, or you just want a nice crisp cool shave in the hot temperatures.
The pre-shave cream for me is fantastic. I love how it improves the shave. If I have a sub par soap or am looking for a bit of an extra boost to a shave I can always rub a bit of this on in prep and can immediately notice a bit more slickness and cushion on the first pass. I really enjoy it. The scent in the pre-shave is on the strong side for sure which can be a blessing and a curse. I wish they had an unscented version so I could use it more often, it really doesn’t play well with other soap scents, especially this green version. This was the first time I had used the green pre-shave and on top of the scent strength I was surprised at the menthol kick in this. It wasn’t uncomfortably cold or hurting my eyes, but the chill was noticeable and really refreshing.
For the cream, again the scent carries quite well, it is on the stronger side. The performance on this won’t blow you away but it does lather quite easily and gives more than adequate cushion and slickness. I’ll take this all day over your explosive can of goo/foam. I’ve even used this brush-less in the past by massaging onto the face and had a great shave. Where it does let you down a bit is post shave, it can be a bit drying.
That is why I was happy to have the matching post shave balm. This performed quite well. It is fairly thin, which I actually prefer. A little bit goes a long way and it soaks in quite quickly. Scent strength is a bit toned down from the pre-shave/soap and it won’t carry long, which I actually prefer. This isn’t really a scent I want to carry for much longer than my morning routine. The balm more than covers the deficiencies of the shaving cream in the post-shave department and I was left feeling nice and hydrated. A fantastic shave.
Goes to show you that sometimes the classics can do the job…. and that I can never pass up a bargain 🙂
