2 Testers wanted for the TwinLuxe 'Soothing Face Balm'

[TwinLuxe]

We are looking for 2 testers to write B&B reviews of the TwinLuxe Soothing Face Balm.
Suggested Retail price = $64 / 120ml
...........http://www.twinluxe.com/shop/care/balm/_content_img.png

The TwinLuxe Soothing Face Balm works great as a nourishing balm post-shave as well as an effective moisturizer for every day use. Use only a pea-sized amount for entire face and neck area. Long-lasting, light-weight, and non-greasy.

Conditions:
1) Continental USA shipping participants only.
2) User will test the Soothing Face Blam and then write a review on B&B within 1 week of receiving product.
3) Accepted testers must place order for the Soothing Face Balm on the TwinLuxe website, and once review is posted on B&B, TwinLuxe will refund tester the entire amount including shipping costs, if any, the next business day after posting the review.
4) Tester gets to keep the entire bottle after review.

If you are interested, please post here. DO NOT PURCHASE the Soothing Face Balm unless you have been chosen, or unless you would like to purchase it independent of this review. We will select the 2 testers and post their B&B user ids here.

[Easttexasman]

Count me in

[DrColossus11]

Dang! I don't have $64 I can spare at the moment.

[CB_DoubleEdge]

I'd give it a shot and would purchase.

I have very sensitive skin and have used Nivea Sensitive After Shave Balm as well as Geo F. Trumper's Skin Food (Coral and Sandalwood).

[michiganlover]

Dang! I don't have $64 I can spare at the moment.

I think the idea was that you would receive free product, and in turn would write a review. Certainly product in exchange for reviews makes the review rather biased.

[TwinLuxe]

Whether review is good or bad, user will get their refund the next business day of posting his own independent review on B&B. We do not know who these testers are too. So how is this biased?

Making the tester pay for the product beforehand protects TwinLuxe because we do not want anyone to say they will post a review and end up not and then we are the one left holding the bag.

Tester gets an ENTIRE $64 bottle of the Soothing Face Balm to keep, not just a small sample of it. The bottle is 120ml and should provide for months of use (if used everyday).

[kingfisher]

I think Michiganlover is concerned that the people who are provided the sample might be biased toward making a positive review because they are receiving free product. I think it's a valid point that the people who test the product need to be as objective as possible.

Since you are allowing the tester to keep the bottle whether the review is positive or negative and do not know the testers, it is clear that there is no bias on your part.

I'd love to test the product. I read the ingredients on your site and it sounds like a quality product. I'm not sure my wife would be happy to see the $$ go onto the Visa card, but since it would come off again in about a week I might be able to keep her from killing me.

Consider me in.

[Shavely Manden]

I think the idea was that you would receive free product, and in turn would write a review. Certainly product in exchange for reviews makes the review rather biased.

I think the idea is that you pay full price, and, if you post the review, you'll get your money back. If you don't have the liquidity, it doesn't matter that the ultimate cost is $0.

Also, I don't think getting a free sample product is frowned upon unless you don't disclose that in your review. Although keeping the $64 until the review is posted seems a bit odd...you'd have to trust the vendor enough to refund you the money even if the review is negative. (I'm not suggesting that TwinLuxe would do that, just that it's a possible concern in this model.)

[armykunin]

oooh, count me in!

[TwinLuxe]

We have selected CB_DoubleEdge & kingfisher as the two testers.

We will pm you notification of being the selected testers. If anyone backs out, we will select another tester.

Thank you B&B community!

[michiganlover]

I think Michiganlover is concerned that the people who are provided the sample might be biased toward making a positive review because they are receiving free product. I think it's a valid point that the people who test the product need to be as objective as possible.

Bingo. :thumbup:

The very nature of receiving product for free, is that the free status tends to cloud your perception of the product; one has to be as objective as possible when writing any review of course. :tongue_sm

[Easttexasman]

SOB,first person to post and I did not get picked.:thumbdown

[TwinLuxe]

Both testers have paid and items will be shipped out soon via FedEx Ground today or tomorrow (depending on our fulfillment center's order load). Tracking numbers will be emailed to you two once item has been shipped out.

Thank you!

[CB_DoubleEdge]

Order placed.

Their order placement communication is very good. I received the e-mail confirmation of order immediately upon placement of the order and a further personal e-mail letting me know the order was received and understood to be related to B&B.

I received the same type of service from Phil at Bullgooseshaving.net. I appreciate that kind of communication when doing business with someone. That's the kind of service you need to provide to distinguish yourself in a competitive boutique industry.

I'll continue to update the thread throughout the entire process.

[goby]

SOB,first person to post and I did not get picked.:thumbdown

I noticed that. :thumbdown

[CB_DoubleEdge]

Order shipped last night.

FedEx shows it as being delivered Thursday.

[goby]

Quite honestly, and I hope you don't mind me being honest, I am not impressed by the review process. If the reviewers don't like the product, don't you think they'd be hesitant to be honest knowing you are holding their $62 "hostage?"

I really want you to succeed, and although your razors are way out of my league, your other products are not. I don't think you understand how important word of mouth is on B&B. You would be wise to spend $500 on giving free samples out in little 1/2 oz sample containers, without any strings attached, let us fall in love with your product, and talk about how great it is to the 30,000 members of B&B.

Trust me... word of mouth has made West Coast Shaving, Bullgoose, Queen Charlotte, Saint Charles Shaving, Mama Bears, that Russian After Shaving company, and many other companies a great success.

[internet]

"that Russian After Shaving company"????

[kmfrank]

Hi there,

I'm the one who reviewed the shaving cream by this company, via this same process.

As has been previously mentioned in the thread, the service with these folks is top notch. Maybe it was just because I was writing a review for them (though I doubt it), but I was in near constant contact with both Hubert and Anthony throughout my testing of the cream, and they were great to work with.

And if anyone read my review of the cream, you'll know that you'll get the refund despite how positive or negative the review was. I was totally honest with my review, and pointed out several things about the product I didn't care for (despite my overall positive impression of the cream). My refund was basically instantaneous after I posted.

Great people to work with, and I bet their aftershave will be great!

[Antique Hoosier]

Something about this whole process of soliciting product reviews seems a bit off-putting to me personally. :thumbdown

[CB_DoubleEdge]

Quite honestly, and I hope you don't mind me being honest, I am not impressed by the review process. If the reviewers don't like the product, don't you think they'd be hesitant to be honest knowing you are holding their $62 "hostage?"

Speaking as one of the reviewers, I don't feel like my $62 is being held hostage.

Also, rather than keep the product to myself, I will be sending it on tour once I have used it for a week. That way an entire group of B&B users will have the opportunity to try the product. Further, those users have no agenda other than to try the product and give their thoughts. They will have no "investment" in the product beyond their shipping charge to the next lucky tester.

Seems like a good idea to me. :001_smile

[michiganlover]

Something about this whole process of soliciting product reviews seems a bit off-putting to me personally. :thumbdown

To me as well. :thumbdown

It may not be against the rules per say, but it rubs me the wrong way, and seems to go against the spirit of writing reviews. :huh:

Like it or not, if you are getting an entire container of a $64 aftershave for writing your review, you are basically being paid to write said review. That's a concept that doesn't at all sit well with me. :angry:

[Hayden]

Honestly, I dont have any problems with the way its done. If someone would like to send me a feather or pills razor to review ill gladly front the money.:lol:

[petr]

To me as well. :thumbdown

It may not be against the rules per say, but it rubs me the wrong way, and seems to go against the spirit of writing reviews. :huh:

Like it or not, if you are getting an entire container of a $64 aftershave for writing your review, you are basically being paid to write said review. That's a concept that doesn't at all sit well with me. :angry:

I disagree to a point. Since this is B&B we have the freedom to be absolutely BRUTAL. Many guys keep the review section real. True, usually someone writes about a product that he enjoys or has paid a lot of money for and it stinks.

Twinlx is throwing a steak into the dog pit. As such, don't pull any punches in reviews.

[CB_DoubleEdge]

To me as well. :thumbdown

It may not be against the rules per say, but it rubs me the wrong way, and seems to go against the spirit of writing reviews. :huh:

Like it or not, if you are getting an entire container of a $64 aftershave for writing your review, you are basically being paid to write said review. That's a concept that doesn't at all sit well with me. :angry:

What about video game websites?

Car magazines/websites?

Movie reviewers?

Book reviews?

All are given products in return for a review. The list is endless, really.

That being said, I agree that it would have been great to give out a ton of free samplers. Or even paid samplers like the Geo F. Trumper packs.

That's why I'm sending the product on after using it. In the end a dozen or two people will have sampled the product at no cost and no obligation. I don't see how their reviews, if any, could be considered compromised.

[scoopster]

If you have a cautious attitude, either approach for vendor supplied samples has potential pitfalls....

* If the sample is free does that influence the member to write a favorable review of the product? Sure it might.

* If the member paid for the product and will only get reimbursed after writing the review could they be influenced to write a favorable review to insure they get their refund? That's definitely a possibility, especially for an expensive product like this.

I think the latter route has a bit more potential/percieved risk if the vendor is new on B&B and hasn't established a reputation here. After a vendor has been around here, established a good reputation and has conducted several sampling sessions where the member puts the cash up front then gets the refund, even after an unfavorable review, then I think the pay-first approach becomes less of an issue and is more like the free sample system, which again also has some potential for biased reviewing.


Free samples or not my only comment is that this is a very expensive balm, approaching Penhaligon $$ levels. I would love to hear why this product costs as much as it does.

[rickboone1]

holy crap 64 bucks?????? What does this stuff do?

[TwinLuxe]

As I posted earlier, after the review is posted (WHETHER GOOD OR BAD), the tester gets their money refunded in full. There is no bias here.

Instead of commenting on the reviewing process, please just wait for the reviews to be posted next week. If you are upset that you weren't chosen to participate, we will keep you in mind when reviewers will be needed for our other skin care products.

For those who are wondering about the specifics of the product, please visit the detail page of the TwinLuxe Soothing Face Balm (http://www.twinluxe.com/shop/care/balm/index.php)for more details.

If the tester bottles get passed around to other B&B members, please note the directions for usage:
Use only a pea-sized amount for entire face/neck area.

Thank you!

[Antique Hoosier]

I think the latter route is a bit more dangerous if the vendor is new on B&B and hasn't established a reputation here.

:thumbup1:


And I'm not upset that I wasn't "chosen" to test this product. :001_rolle

[Antique Hoosier]

Instead of commenting on the reviewing process, please just wait for the reviews to be posted next week.

Whoa!!! Now hold on there Sir(s). Any member may comment on anything on this site as long as it is done in a Gentlemanly manner. I suggest you do as such.

[rickboone1]

Whoa!!! Now hold on there Sir(s). Any member may comment on anything on this site as long as it is done in a Gentlemanly manner. I suggest you do as such.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I was commenting on the price. Where do I do that? I see only Fusion cartridge razors on the website. Am I to assume this is all that is sold?

Who's to say the members will really get their money back? That's where I'd be a bit cautious myself. (not commenting on review process here, just commenting on $64 going to vendor for never heard of balm).

[Austin]

Gents, let's give TwinLuxe the benefit of the doubt and wait for the outcome. Some of the comments are becoming repetitious. Let's move on.

[Cliff Porter]

Something about this whole process of soliciting product reviews seems a bit off-putting to me personally. :thumbdown

I found B&B recently and what drew me to it was the reviews section quite honestly. It seems in the pure "forum" section that some jump on popularity band wagons and simply want to bask in the popularity of certain informed posters. I think that is human nature and common in many Internet forums where qualifications are an Internet connection.

The reviews section, nonetheless, has a number of well thought out and well written reviews. As a complete newbie, I found this invaluable in trying to sort some things out.

The idea that a company brings their product to a group of known users and intentionally, in public forum, seeks out feedback is a BONUS in my estimation.

I will likely purchase products based on the fact that they are seeking quality feedback from a large target audience of hardcore users.

Other companies, to pad stats, randomly seek information from "un" or "ill" informed to get a couple of good quotes for a poster or commercial.

Anyway, kudos for seeking out feedback and kudos for putting your money where your mouth is while you do it.

[goby]

"that Russian After Shaving company"????

someone posted "I got a bunch of great aftershaves from a Russian website for only $3.00 a piece" with details and pictures.

Poor Russian company, who sold a few bottles a week, gets a zillion orders from B&B, their site crashes, and they all go insane! (ok, they didn't go insane, I made that up---they all got rich!).

The aftershave bottles look amazing, and they are cheap, but just not my type (splashes with alcohol), so I don't have a link, but I'm sure you could find the thread(s) with a search. But they did say they were stunned at the amount of orders they got.

[Blue58]

My only thought here is that two (2) testers does not make for a reliable sampling and will only give three possible outcomes, 100% satisfactory, 50% satisfactory/unsatisfactory, or 100% unsatisfactory.

So my only advise to this company is that they offer smaller sizes for the test sample and use a much larger number of testers. Nothing less than 25.

It should be noted that the tester number should always be an odd amount to avoid that 50% scenario.

[Go West Young Man]

Boy this is a tough crowd! Yah, the "buy a bottle and get a refund" routine is a bit awkward, future vendors might look into sending out smaller sampler sizes to a larger group of reviewers, but...... we asked Twinluxe to send out samples for review, and he did so. No need to pile on.

[Hayden]

Boy this is a tough crowd! Yah, the "buy a bottle and get a refund" routine is a bit awkward, future vendors might look into sending out smaller sampler sizes to a larger group of reviewers, but...... we asked Twinluxe to send out samples for review, and he did so. No need to pile on.

Agree

[dmachine]

boy this is a tough crowd! Yah, the "buy a bottle and get a refund" routine is a bit awkward, future vendors might look into sending out smaller sampler sizes to a larger group of reviewers, but...... We asked twinluxe to send out samples for review, and he did so. No need to pile on.

+2

[CB_DoubleEdge]

+2

+3.

And the package is on my front porch as we speak. Err... type.

I'll post a quick impression after my first use tomorrow morning but will hold off on a full review until I have used it for a week.

I'll figure out the Tour in the next few days.

[Will P.C.]

What is the ing list for the aftershave

[TwinLuxe]

What is the ing list for the aftershave

Key ingredient list can be found on the Soothing Face Balm's product page (http://www.twinluxe.com/shop/care/balm/index.php).

Click on the "key ingredients+" url link in the upper left corner

[CB_DoubleEdge]

Received the package last night.

I'm going to hold off on any comments until I have used it several times.

I will say it came with a product catalog that is top-notch. As someone that just went through the product rebranding process I know how much time and money must have gone into that catalog, and it shows.

I plan to post a review Thursday.

[CB_DoubleEdge]

My review is up (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=174636).

The gist of it is that I really like the product.

TwinLuxe clearly has a demographic in mind and I don't think B&B is it. I think part of it is price and part is aesthetic.

I like the ultra-modern styling of their line. It's not the norm in the wetshaving community, which trends towards classical.

If they cut the price in half and sold it in a classic glass bottle it would sell well within the wetshaving community. The product is absolutely there and I'd love to see it geared towards the B&B community.



As I said previously, since I received the product free of charge I'm going to use it a bit longer then PIF to a few folks. First on the list will be Easttexasman if he is interested. I'll open up the rest next week.

I'm curious to see if I'll be willing to drop $64 for more once it is out of my hands.

[TwinLuxe]

Thank you for your honest review CB_DoubleEdge and offering to pass the Soothing Face Balm bottle to others. We will refund your deposit in the next few minutes. Please keep in mind that even though the price is more expensive than others but on the same price level as other luxury men's grooming products, this Soothing Face Balm will probably last you double the usage time (compared to other products) because of its minimal usage application amount.

The TwinLuxe Soothing Face Balm (http://www.twinluxe.com/shop/care/balm/index.php)has two functions:

1) To heal skin after shaving.
2) To act as a daily moisturizer after washing face.

By the way CB_DoubleEdge, the scent of the Soothing Face Balm is a NATURAL scent from the combined ingredients. There is no fragrance added inside this product.

Once again, to all B&B readers here, we stand behind our products and are confident that our customers will enjoy using them.

[CB_DoubleEdge]

As I said previously, since I received the product free of charge I'm going to use it a bit longer then PIF to a few folks. First on the list will be Easttexasman if he is interested. I'll open up the rest next week.

Created a discussion thread in the Aftershave forum. That is where I'll be starting the product tour. Please see that thread if you are interested in being a stop on the tour. :001_smile

[Austin]

Thank you for your review. I think it brings this line into perspective. Hydrolast sells their balm for $35 for a small container. Nevertheless, a very small amount goes a long long way. Hydrolast will easily last several years and TwinLuxe is along the same vein. Not a bad price when taken into perspective.

[TwinLuxe]

Thank you Kingfisher for posting his review of the Soothing Face Balm right underneath CB_DoubleEdge's review in the Aftershave Reviews.

Since I can not post in that section, I will post my answer to Kingfisher's comment "...butylene glycol is listed as an ingredient TWICE, which doesn't make any sense."

Butlyene Glycol was used as an ingredient in the formula and also as part of a blend that was also added. This is why it was copied twice in the ingredient list. Most of the time the same ingredient with the lesser % in the formula is removed from the ingredient list, though the TwinLuxe Soothing Face Balm ingredient list is still a FDA legal label as there is nothing listed incorrectly -- only that the ingredient was used in 2 parts of the formula.

[TwinLuxe]

Well-respected shaving blog Shavingstuff.com posted their review of the TwinLuxe Soothing Face Balm today:

http://www.shavingstuff.com/archives/035386.php

"So I usually use them (aftershave balms) a couple of times (or until I feel I have a good understanding of the product), and then they languish under my sink for months at a time before I use them again. But a couple of weeks ago, I received a review bottle of TwinLuxe Soothing Face Balm, and I'll be darned if I'm not using it every day now..."

[TwinLuxe]

Shaving101.com gives a raving review on the TwinLuxe Soothing Face Balm:

"I have used the Soothing Face Balm many times and I am more and more impressed with how smoothly it applies to the skin without making my face feel oily or causing any issues with clogged pores like lower quality balms can sometimes do. This balm is formulated to help the skin recover after shaving as well as provide a nutrient-rich skin treatment that helps keep the skin moisturized and looking healthy. From my experiences using it and seeing how my skin looks and feels throughout the day, I have found that the product does an outstanding job of accomplishing this goal."

For the entire review: http://www.shaving101.com/index.php/product-reviews/aftershaves/244-twinluxe-soothing-face-balm.html