Discussion thread for Pinaud Lilac Vegetal review

[Howard]

This is a discusion thread for the Pinaud Lilac Vegetal review (http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?p=92279).

[Scotto]

Another nice review by Howard, master of the old-school shaving products. I agree, LV is a truly vile concoction.

[Howard]

Thanks Scotto.


I just had a horrible, horrible experience.

I had the bottle out as I wrote the review. My wife came by just after I was done and asked what I was doing. I told her I was reviewing the product and she asked to smell it. I didn't say anything but just put some on her wrist.

She likes it!

:eek:

I must have been very very bad in a previous life to get this karma. I can imagine having to go through the coming decades having to wear this stuff. I may have to discretely incinerate it.

[JohnP]

If your wife likes the smell, you are in luck! I've found the scent in cake form....
there is even a website devoted to the cake form of the Pinaud Lilac Vegetal scent. here ya go.... (http://www.pubdeuce.com/SCP/cakes.htm)
Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of the scent...
John P.

[BlackLabelBrewer]

Anyone else tried this one? So far it's kind of mixed. Those opposed are strongly opposed, but lots of good things are that way. Feather blades come to mind. Not for everyone, but a godsend to some.

[BlackLabelBrewer]

Although, the controversy is entertaining. From Basenotes:


This is fresh lilacs in a bottle and extremely well done. There is no complexity nor subtlety: it's simply lilac water. It is bracing, refreshing and invigorating. Extremely good on a hot day. However, this is not a fragrance to wear out. This is for you to splash on after a shower, or swimming, and to enjoy for the 30 minutes or so that it lasts. Highly under-rated in my opinion.
The alltime worst smelling stuff I have ever smelled smells like old men in nursing homes.

[johnniegold]

Although, the controversy is entertaining. From Basenotes:


This is fresh lilacs in a bottle and extremely well done. There is no complexity nor subtlety: it's simply lilac water. It is bracing, refreshing and invigorating. Extremely good on a hot day. However, this is not a fragrance to wear out. This is for you to splash on after a shower, or swimming, and to enjoy for the 30 minutes or so that it lasts. Highly under-rated in my opinion.
The alltime worst smelling stuff I have ever smelled smells like old men in nursing homes.

Just received a bottle of the Pinaud Lilac Vegetal. Literally 10 minutes ago. Package came right after I finished shaving today. Opened it. Took a big whiff. Put some on my wrist. Immediately splashed Pinaud Bay Rum all over and I am now getting dressed and on my way to a nursing home to render the Lilac Vegetal as a gift.

[ratcheer]

I generally like it, but sometimes it rubs me the wrong way. I would rate it about 65% positive.

Tim

[bladerunner]

I had a plastic bottle-easily found in Sally's Beauty SUpply or Walgreens. The scent is overpowering. I put some on to refresh myself while waiting for my flight at Laguardia airport and the gentting next to me glared at me and moved a few seats away. Not the greatest. I prefer Pinaud Special Reserve and Bay rum which i mixed with some leftover Michelsens and Burts Bee. They also have a musky-citrusy Club Royal that reminds me of Comet.

[jnich67]

I generally like it, but sometimes it rubs me the wrong way. I would rate it about 65% positive.

Tim

I agree with Tim here. I can see how so many people would not like it. Its not a go to product for me, but on some summer days it works. What can I say, maybe there are times when I like smelling like floral-old man. :wink2:

Jordan

[crackstar]

Damn, Lilac Vegetal stinks to high heaven...my barber wanted to put some on me once after shaving my sideburns, and neck, and I told him "thanks, but no thanks!" It really has a disgusting scent. :frown: :frown:

Jeff

[TraderJoe]

Damn, Lilac Vegetal stinks to high heaven...[snip] It really has a disgusting scent. :frown: :frown:

Jeff

:yesnod: terrible scent, makes me want to gag.

[Mottern Man]

A Pinaud that smell bad? Say it ain't so! :crying:

[Howard]

I wore it for a full day a while back in an attempt to understand.

I'm starting to get glimmerings but it still hasn't made my top 10 list.

[tim613]

A fresh bottle of Lilac Vegetal is great. It has a subtle scent and does smell like lilacs. However, if it has decomposed, it has a smell between a cat and a skunk. I just opened a new bottle (purchased recently from Bestgroomingtools.com) and it smells great, no foul odor. The color is also green. It appears to fade as it ages. If you buy a bottle that smells bad, you should return it for a refund.

[norman931]

I love the scent. (See my review.) But I poured my bottle out after a girl had a conniption FIT when she smelled it. It's great if you want to make someone HURL. Sigh. . . Back to Aqua Velva! :smile:

[masonjarjar]

Hey, who opened a bottle at the Discount Drug Mart in Independence?

Anyhoo, I took the opportunity to dab a bit on my wrist.

A little while later all I'm getting is powdery.

Not offensive either. I'd actually consider buying it.

[Beakos]

When I smelled it in the bottle it wasn't too enthused. However, it smelled pretty good after I applied some to my neck (I have a beard). My wife likes it too. And mine is also green.

[David in Boston]

Folks,

Being new to wet shaving I decided to be open minded about what aftershaves to buy. So far I have four styles of Masters brand aftershaves, two Pinaud and 4711 which I use as an aftershave+

As for Pinaud I have Clubman and Lilac Vegetal. Love them both.

For Lilac Vegetal, you must do the following:
1. smell it from the bottle.
2. do not, I repeat do not judge it from the bottle smell
3. rub some on your wrist and wait at lest 5 minutes
4. smell it on your wrist then make a judgment

I did this at a Tobacconist that has samples to try. I then asked some female customers what they thought. They liked it. Then I gave them the bottle to smell and they didn't like it.

End of story.

David

P.S. You don't have to be Hungarian to like this aftershave.:001_smile

[dloyd9999]

yesss. The lilac is a seductive scent! once it worms its green "way" into your brain - you will join the lilac mafia. Try it. You know you all want to!

PS: You don't have to be Hungarian to love it!

[knlgskr]

I have always thought LV's problem was the plastic bottle; when it was in a glass bottle it seemed to be much better.

[David in Boston]

I have always thought LV's problem was the plastic bottle; when it was in a glass bottle it seemed to be much better.

In another post I mentioned the same tobacconist had a 30+ year old glass bottle. Looks great and still smells great.

Darn I want to get my hands on that bottle!

David

[daleroller]

I have used this aftershave occasionally for a year now. The only other Clubman scent that I have used is their bay rum. I am not very fond of this aftershave but feel that is very soothing on the skin. It has smell like lilacs and baby powder, which is what I should have probably expected with a name like Lilac-Vegetal. The scent is very old fashioned, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it reminds me of an antique store. I had one of my lady friends smell me wearing this stuff and she thought it was wonderful. I like to put it on whenever my face needs a bit of extra moisture or just for a chance of scent.

[Aberneth]

I found this stuff at a local drug store a few weeks ago. I wish they sold this stuff by the jug!

Kidding.

It made me break out in a rash.

[luvmysuper]

I found this stuff at a local drug store a few weeks ago. I wish they sold this stuff by the jug!

Kidding.

It made me break out in a rash.

...

[bythbook]

... http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=120125&stc=1&d=1282820300


isn't that dye for "rock the veg" tee-shirts?


even though I cannot stand LV - I MUST have one of the tees!

[Maineac]

I am tempted to pull the trigger on one of those 55 gallon drums but the delivery charge must be wicked high!:lol:

[luvmysuper]

I am tempted to pull the trigger on one of those 55 gallon drums but the delivery charge must be wicked high!:lol:

The delivery fees pale in comparison to the Hazardous Material Insurance.

[Cheeva]

The consesus here, or the rumor anyway , and I might of read it here on BB, is that all the senior, veteran BBs try to play this after shave up, to get newbies to buy it and wear it.

[luvmysuper]

I'm not advocating everyone try it.
I advocate that anyone who wants to try it decant to glass, and don't make a judgement from a bottle sniff.
Whether someone else promotes the Veg as a joke on noobs or not, I can't say.
What I can say is that I like the stuff, and wear it very very regularly.
I do find it hard to believe that everyone who says they like it are only saying they like it as some kind of ongoing joke.
Some? Maybe. But certainly not all.

[Col Wilburforce Buckshot]

What's not to like? 9 out of 10 morticians interviewed recommend it to their customers!

[luvmysuper]

What's not to like? 9 out of 10 morticians interviewed recommend it to their customers!

The wife and I had that conversation this morning as I put it on.
It's a great smell that shouldn't suffer because some old school morticians chose its pleasant aroma to offset the smell of the dead, or because its previously popular scent made it a standard choice for bathroom deodorizers.
that merely speaks to the efficacy of its scent, and I believe that there's been enough time between those traditional uses and now to allow us to break those scent associations.

[Cheeva]

What's not to like? 9 out of 10 morticians interviewed recommend it to their customers!
:lol:

[Cheeva]

To be fair, I sould have posted that " some" BB "may" play this up, not all., I did a Google search on, LV and found this presumption in an old BB forum Post. As for the validity of the former post,
I do not know.

[Col Wilburforce Buckshot]

I'm not advocating everyone try it.
I advocate that anyone who wants to try it decant to glass, and don't make a judgement from a bottle sniff.
Whether someone else promotes the Veg as a joke on noobs or not, I can't say.
What I can say is that I like the stuff, and wear it very very regularly.
I do find it hard to believe that everyone who says they like it are only saying they like it as some kind of ongoing joke.
Some? Maybe. But certainly not all.

I may joke about it but I have been using it faithfully ever since my father's barber baptised me with it in celebration of my first haircut.

As far as decanting it I can honestly say that I have never used it directly from a plastic bottle. As a lifelong Lilac Vegetalian, when Pinaud first instituted the use of plastic bottles I objected and decanted it into my last 6oz "empty." I can't say when that was (it postdated the inception of bar codes as you can see) but I have been using the same "bottle" ever since as you can tell by the weathered label. I have thought of replacing the label from a new refill but I later decided this weary old battle scarred veteran has character. I should know, I put every splash and spill in myself over the past 30 or so years.

304566

304568

BTW I live in New Orleans and when in August 2005 I was forced to quickly evacuate my home for Hurricane Katrina one of the few things I took with me was this bottle in my dopp kit.

304571

Lilac Vegetal, I highly approve of and proudly endorse it.

[Topgumby]

That bottle is the stuff of legend. As a proud member of The Chosen, I am in awe of your Veg-Fu.

As to getting new members to try it as a jest...comedy and tragedy are joined at the hip.

[Col Wilburforce Buckshot]

Epilogue

This morning I had a visit from my neighbor who is 90 years old (and an Aqua Velva man for over 70 of them). As he was sitting at my kitchen table I spied the old Veg bottle still sitting on my kitchen counter after yesterdays photo shoot. I picked it up and said to him "Take a whiff of this" and held it under his nose. He took one short sniff waited a moment then breathed deeply of it's oft debated top notes straight from the bottles neck, and with a smile said:

"The Barbershop"

[seattleshaver]

In my initial review of this scent I described it as a used urinal cake smell but after trying a small 1 oz sample bottle I have a few times I decided to order the bigger bottle (along with Lime Sec) just to complete the Pinaud aftershave "collection".

Once you put it on it's not bad so in a way I guess I've changed my mind. It's certainly not my favorite Pinaud scent but all of these scents are inexpensive enough to just buy them all! :)

[Col Wilburforce Buckshot]

In my initial review of this scent I described it as a used urinal cake smell but after trying a small 1 oz sample bottle I have a few times I decided to order the bigger bottle (along with Lime Sec) just to complete the Pinaud aftershave "collection".

Once you put it on it's not bad so in a way I guess I've changed my mind. It's certainly not my favorite Pinaud scent but all of these scents are inexpensive enough to just buy them all! :)

Decant the Veg into a glass container. It makes a difference.

[Infernal2]

I'll have to try the decant. I can't get away from the stuff anyway. I'm sold on it and will be putting in an order for a bottle of it.

[Drcurmudgeon]

My new bottle is sitting on the shelf, daring me. I'm waiting for the right moment, when I have no appointments and no place to go.

[KingLobo]

My first try with Lilac Vegetal did not go so well. I have a small sample, and yesterday was a good day to experiment with it.

As an aftershave it works well: nice burn up front and skin felt nice afterwards.

But the scent wasn't settling down into anything pleasant for me. Three hours later I attempted to wash it off and apply another lotion instead. I could still smell it on my hands the rest of the day despite several hand washings.

I told SWMBO the story and after sampling the scent remaining on my hands said, "it's not bad...smells like old man, but doesn't wreak or anything."

So I'll give what little bit I have left another shot one of these days, but I don't think I'll ever buy a bottle.

Clubman, on the other hand, will always be in my shave den.

[jbradley]

I found this vintage glass bottle in an antique store a few weeks ago. I've used it a couple of times, I can't say it's my favorite, my Bay Rums hold that spot, but I definitely don't hate it. And SWMBO likes it also!!

307586

[seattleshaver]

I got mine in the mail today as well. It's worth having just to compete the Pinaud lineup :)

[Drcurmudgeon]

Tried it for the first time today. Definitely understand the "toilet water" opinion that many have, but it mellows out after about an hour. Flowery, powdery smell is dominant.