Floid Blue, while a nice aftershave preparation, isn't, for me at least, not worth the all gaga adoration. Blue lotions which receive high marks from me, are...Myrsol Blue, Barrister and Mann Reserve Cool, and Booster's Polar Ice. I have maybe two ounces of the Floid left, and won't miss it much once it is bye-bye. To me Floid Blue doesn't even come close to Floid's landmark, Vigoroso.
Blue Floid -- overrated? which BLUE is best ...?
- Thread starter Jens
- Start date
There is nothing wrong with all the ones you mentioned to be honest. I have no experience with the Williams Aqua Velva from the US but the Spanish version is sublime.
I have the following which are similar.
- Razorock Blue barbershop x2 (100ml later edition and not Baby Blue)
- Epsilon Blue Mediterranean x1 (500ml)
- Barrister and Mann Reserve Cool (First edition/Blue juice in squared bottle)
- Barrister and Mann Cool (newest edition)
- Mysrol Blue (ADC/EDC)
- Floid Blue 3x Bottles
- Floid Blue EDT
I must say from my recollections the Floid Blue was pretty great. I have not used it in a fair while but I would say that if Ludovico Martelli were to release a new Floid Blue then it would likely be more similar to Epsilon in feel as the new Genuine (amber) Floid is a bit heavy for a few minutes after application but it settles down nicely afterwards and offers a great post shave feel.
Epsilon and Floid Blue are slightly different in scent but its hard to describe.
Barrister and Mann Cool is nice but the scent takes a bit of time to come alive and for all the notes to blend in and come to the front which brings that familiar scent we are looking for. It's a very potent blend based on the first Reserve version I have. The newest edition from Barrister and Mann smells a bit different to it predecessor too if you ask me but that is just me. Both of these are a bit tacky but I believe the first version is a bit more dense feeling on the face but settles down too after some time.
Floid Blue is a lot lighter in face feel and is just lovely from the moment you apply it. The dry down settles a bit more but the scent is still very nice.
Myrsol may be blue in colour but it is a completely different scent to my nose and is more floral like especially on the dry down.
It's been a good while since I have compared all of them but that is my recollections of it.
One of the real crimes is how much crap Aqua Velva cops from various media and people as an offensive old timey scent. If anything I would say that it still smells more contemporary and manages to outshine many of the scents from the same era for its timeless scent. Again I have not tried the US version but I cannot imagine it deviates that much from the Spanish version where someone would say its an older person scent. I imagine the both share a similar DNA.
I wouldn't count on floid blue knocking your socks off. I think part of the huge allure to it in the past was the scent which was pretty unique for its time but has since been somewhat replicated all be it with some variations but if it were to be re-released again today it would likely still be a hit.
I have the following which are similar.
- Razorock Blue barbershop x2 (100ml later edition and not Baby Blue)
- Epsilon Blue Mediterranean x1 (500ml)
- Barrister and Mann Reserve Cool (First edition/Blue juice in squared bottle)
- Barrister and Mann Cool (newest edition)
- Mysrol Blue (ADC/EDC)
- Floid Blue 3x Bottles
- Floid Blue EDT
I must say from my recollections the Floid Blue was pretty great. I have not used it in a fair while but I would say that if Ludovico Martelli were to release a new Floid Blue then it would likely be more similar to Epsilon in feel as the new Genuine (amber) Floid is a bit heavy for a few minutes after application but it settles down nicely afterwards and offers a great post shave feel.
Epsilon and Floid Blue are slightly different in scent but its hard to describe.
Barrister and Mann Cool is nice but the scent takes a bit of time to come alive and for all the notes to blend in and come to the front which brings that familiar scent we are looking for. It's a very potent blend based on the first Reserve version I have. The newest edition from Barrister and Mann smells a bit different to it predecessor too if you ask me but that is just me. Both of these are a bit tacky but I believe the first version is a bit more dense feeling on the face but settles down too after some time.
Floid Blue is a lot lighter in face feel and is just lovely from the moment you apply it. The dry down settles a bit more but the scent is still very nice.
Myrsol may be blue in colour but it is a completely different scent to my nose and is more floral like especially on the dry down.
It's been a good while since I have compared all of them but that is my recollections of it.
One of the real crimes is how much crap Aqua Velva cops from various media and people as an offensive old timey scent. If anything I would say that it still smells more contemporary and manages to outshine many of the scents from the same era for its timeless scent. Again I have not tried the US version but I cannot imagine it deviates that much from the Spanish version where someone would say its an older person scent. I imagine the both share a similar DNA.
I wouldn't count on floid blue knocking your socks off. I think part of the huge allure to it in the past was the scent which was pretty unique for its time but has since been somewhat replicated all be it with some variations but if it were to be re-released again today it would likely still be a hit.
Where Floid's shines for me is performance.
I find it a great alcohol aftershave in my otherwise normal routine of a Balm or Proraso atershave lotion.
I find it a great alcohol aftershave in my otherwise normal routine of a Balm or Proraso atershave lotion.
Thank you! I loathe chatter like what you describe. What annoying nonsense. And, yes, American AV is basically the same scent as the Spanish.
Aqua Velva gets that reputation from people who apply too much of it. It's a nice scent, but starts off pretty strong. Many people have memories of their dad or a relative emerging from the bathroom surrounded by a huge fume cloud.
A lot of the charm of these blue scents is partly in the old-time associations with old barber shops, etc. I don't consider that a bad thing at all, but some people just can't appreciate anything that seems old.
Never smelt Floid Blue, but have the RR Blue soap and aftershave and absolutely love them.
Glad I wasn't around to smell the real thing. At least now I don't have any comparison standards from a past impression.
Glad I wasn't around to smell the real thing. At least now I don't have any comparison standards from a past impression.
I just pulled out my original, old label RR Baby Blue and compared it to the old label Floid's Blue.
Out of the bottle, they are very very similar. Color is a bit different and they may dry down differently. Maybe I'll try that next.
@rockviper kids are grown up, revisiting The Sniff Test with aftershaves.
For the record, our teenage Grade 11 son and Teenage University son, both took a blind sniff test. Both prefer the RR. Both said it smells more "citrus or lime" and the Floid's smell more like generic Aftershave.
Out of the bottle, they are very very similar. Color is a bit different and they may dry down differently. Maybe I'll try that next.
@rockviper kids are grown up, revisiting The Sniff Test with aftershaves.
For the record, our teenage Grade 11 son and Teenage University son, both took a blind sniff test. Both prefer the RR. Both said it smells more "citrus or lime" and the Floid's smell more like generic Aftershave.
Citrus or lime stick FTW!!! That's quite impressive to beat Floid. What are your thoughts on the comparison, Bruce?
My view is a bit tainted as I have used both on a semi occasional base and I know the forum mystique surrounding Floid's Blue. Neither get used a lot, as my work is Scent Free and my wife doesn't care for either. Our oldest has a pretty good nose and is picky with scents. He's currently sampling a dozen or so Colognes testers pack from SDM and is always researching the base notes, dry down and all that cologne jargon.
To me they are pretty much equal on the enjoyment scale. After getting their views and doing a sniff test myself, I think I agree with them. The RR has more citrus notes, which I prefer overall in soaps and creams. Lime has always been one of my favorite soap scents and RR Lime Wax is my go-to AS.
The good news for me is, I don't have to choose!
Last edited:
Let me know about the RR drydown. Hopefully, it is also the nice Italian powder.
What about RR Blue Barbershop, their current iteration?
What about RR Blue Barbershop, their current iteration?
Never tried the Floid Blue. Tried the other Floids though. 3 varieties. Old and new. Not my thing.
I don't think blue coloured aftershaves are a category in general. And I have tried many blue ones.
Just a suggestion, in case you like freezing stuff. Figaro Bluice. Only available in barber 400 ml bottle. Made by Edelstein for Figaro. Edelstein sells the same thing as XFLEX Ghiaccio - 375ml even at a better price.
Both are hard to find outside of Europe though.
I don't think blue coloured aftershaves are a category in general. And I have tried many blue ones.
Just a suggestion, in case you like freezing stuff. Figaro Bluice. Only available in barber 400 ml bottle. Made by Edelstein for Figaro. Edelstein sells the same thing as XFLEX Ghiaccio - 375ml even at a better price.
Both are hard to find outside of Europe though.
Thanks for this. Would you mind sharing which, if any, of the other "blues" you find closest to the Floid Blue? Inquiring minds would like to know!
Absolutely true and your reply has also sparked up I thought I had regarding many scents that have perhaps been readily available and so inexpensive that they have not only been around for so long but been a staple in many people's cabinet for many years and used daily. Whilst that statement is terribly obvious to many what I didn't consider is that in Australia such scents were not very common at least to my recollections so I didn't grow up with it around me and thus my association with it may not be as similar to others but having said all of this I recall my father using Proraso (green as that was all they made in the back then) when I was a kid and I don't really feel that its a terrible scent, in fact I quite enjoy it. I guess fr females this may be a different scent memory and having a young guy smell like there father may not be as amorous as one would think. hahaha.
Aqua Velva is quite potent as was many of the scents of the time so dousing yourself in it may have been a really bad idea.
I recall this one being released by Razorock and also remember the pink batch but was never able to buy any of them at the time. I wish Razorock would release this again and also some of their older soaps of the time too.
Just based on your son's description it could well be a really nice twist on the Floid Blue. Dry down is definitely important when it comes to discerning the differences to all of these Blue scents and I would also have to favor longevity but that also can come down to individual skin chemistry too. I don't know.
At then end of the day I would say that Blue scents tend to be more likeable than not.
I still have some Floid Blue aftershave, and it is one of my absolute favorites. What I like about it is that it's what I consider a true aftershave/barbershop fragrance as opposed to a cologne or designer house scent, so it probably won't knock a lot of people's socks off if that's what they like or are expecting. To me, it's like a classier, European Aqua Velva. I have not tried any of the other replica or similar aftershaves.
The AS is quite nice. I like it a lot, used also alongside with the soap.
Has that sweet aquatic type of smell, with just a pinch of a mentholated note.
Performance for me reasonable - 1 hour max.
My best blue. Like aqua velva on steroids.
The closest thing I own to Floid, scent-wise, is Reserve Cool, by Barrister & Mann. Seems to leave a similar face-feel also. But, it changes to a citrus-woody air, say, an hour after applying. Still, my pick for the closest to Floid. Myrsol Blue feels great after application, but is mostly clean powder, yet gives off a Floid vibe. Polar Ice by Booster has a wonderful clean scent, slight citrus notes mixed with powder, but leaves a clingy face-feel on me. Still, a good lotion. I sometimes use it as a body splash because it smells so good. I had some Epsilon Blue, smelled close to Floid, but felt a bit tacky on my face. Ice Blue Aqua Velva, which I didn't mention earlier because of its' strong air out of the bottle, is worth having around. It has a cold "slap in the face" thing to it, and a sharper scent, less powdery than Floid, but woody, and some leather and herbal notes. Ice Blue is likely the easiest of these blues to find, at least here in the USA, and also very affordable. So, from all this gibberish, if scent is your thing here, Reserve Cool. If it is performance and how your face feels after shaving, Myrsol Blue. Hope all this helps on your quest to get the "blue" that will "hit the spot".
That's some very good advice in my book.
This is one of the most valuable posts I've seen on the whole subject - thanks!
I don't know how I forgot this, but I also want to nominate another excellent blue - Wars Fresh (from Poland). It's similar to Aqua Velva but I like it much better - has a little more depth and a cedar note that is nice:
www.parfumo.com
Wars Fresh (Eau de Cologne) by Miraculum
Wars Fresh (Eau de Cologne) is a perfume by Miraculum for men. The release year is unknown. It is still in production.
www.parfumo.com
Similar threads
