Scotto
09-02-2005, 12:37 PM
Things have been quiet in the shave cream forum, so I thought I would share my reactions to Taylor's Almond. For some background, I am a huge Taylor's fan. Probably >50% of my shaves are with their creams. I find their scents and shaving qualities to be superb for my skin.
Here is the tub among my SOTD stuff: http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=77
When I got the tub, it was quite soft, to the point where it would begin to flow if you tilted the tub. Figuring hot weather was the cause, I put in the fridge for an hour or so. It didn't make much difference, and I decided "what the heck" - just leave it alone. I am sure if I left it in overnite it would harden up, but I thoought I would use it soft and see how it goes.
You can see the texture (kind of) in the picture. My finger trail hangs around in it, but it is very soft compared to my other tubs:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=88
Getting the Savile Row good and warm in the mug warmer:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=89
Shaking out the water:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=90
Grabbing some cream:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=92
and shoving it in the brush:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=93
Ten swirls in the bowl:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=94
20 swirls:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=95
And final lather: http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=96
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=97
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=98
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=99
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=100
And brush ready for action next time:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=101
OK, enough pictures, let's talk about the product!
Aroma:
In the tub, this stuff smells fantastic. It is the bakery sweetness of almonds, with a strong cherry note. In fact, my 6 year old stuck his honker in the tub and immediately said "maraschino cherries!". When lathered, the almond smell is extremely light, combined with a typical soapiness. I would actually prefer a stronger scent in the lather itself, but oh, well.
Lather:
Very interesting stuff. All Taylor's has great lathering and lubricity qualities. I can actually detect (I think) small differences in the lather characteristics between the various Taylor's products. The lavender produces a fairly airy, light lather that goes well with its floral nature. At the other end of the spectrum is the Avocado, which is a very thick, emollient cream. The Lemon/Lime is somewhere in between. For the Almond, it has a very moist character to it that I haven't seen before. The lather is exceptionally shiny and moist, and feels utterly fantastic. Perhaps you can get the sense of this from the pictures.
The shave:
I always get a good shave from Taylor's, but I would classify this as a GREAT shave. There is something about the lather that really pleased my face. It was close, completely irritation-free, and I had that amazing "glowing" feeling to my skin afterward that felt absolutely wonderful. Top notch stuff. I would rank this stuff as high or higher than the Avocado for "feel good" qualities. The Avocado, however, is more moisturizing to the skin relative to the Almond.
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 5:
Aroma: 5 in the tin, 3 in the lather
Lather: 5
Closeness: 4.5 (with 5 being a soap)
Skin friendliness: 4 (could be slightly more moisturizing, but still excellent)
All in all this is a really great product that I can recommend highly.
Enjoy!
Here is the tub among my SOTD stuff: http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=77
When I got the tub, it was quite soft, to the point where it would begin to flow if you tilted the tub. Figuring hot weather was the cause, I put in the fridge for an hour or so. It didn't make much difference, and I decided "what the heck" - just leave it alone. I am sure if I left it in overnite it would harden up, but I thoought I would use it soft and see how it goes.
You can see the texture (kind of) in the picture. My finger trail hangs around in it, but it is very soft compared to my other tubs:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=88
Getting the Savile Row good and warm in the mug warmer:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=89
Shaking out the water:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=90
Grabbing some cream:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=92
and shoving it in the brush:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=93
Ten swirls in the bowl:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=94
20 swirls:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=95
And final lather: http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=96
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=97
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=98
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=99
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=100
And brush ready for action next time:
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=101
OK, enough pictures, let's talk about the product!
Aroma:
In the tub, this stuff smells fantastic. It is the bakery sweetness of almonds, with a strong cherry note. In fact, my 6 year old stuck his honker in the tub and immediately said "maraschino cherries!". When lathered, the almond smell is extremely light, combined with a typical soapiness. I would actually prefer a stronger scent in the lather itself, but oh, well.
Lather:
Very interesting stuff. All Taylor's has great lathering and lubricity qualities. I can actually detect (I think) small differences in the lather characteristics between the various Taylor's products. The lavender produces a fairly airy, light lather that goes well with its floral nature. At the other end of the spectrum is the Avocado, which is a very thick, emollient cream. The Lemon/Lime is somewhere in between. For the Almond, it has a very moist character to it that I haven't seen before. The lather is exceptionally shiny and moist, and feels utterly fantastic. Perhaps you can get the sense of this from the pictures.
The shave:
I always get a good shave from Taylor's, but I would classify this as a GREAT shave. There is something about the lather that really pleased my face. It was close, completely irritation-free, and I had that amazing "glowing" feeling to my skin afterward that felt absolutely wonderful. Top notch stuff. I would rank this stuff as high or higher than the Avocado for "feel good" qualities. The Avocado, however, is more moisturizing to the skin relative to the Almond.
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 5:
Aroma: 5 in the tin, 3 in the lather
Lather: 5
Closeness: 4.5 (with 5 being a soap)
Skin friendliness: 4 (could be slightly more moisturizing, but still excellent)
All in all this is a really great product that I can recommend highly.
Enjoy!