Initial RR La Famiglia thoughts...

[5savages]

I thought that at first but the one I had that seemed full to the brim actually just had an air pocket in it. When I shook it back down, the air rose and it no longer was to the brim

Sorry, that was meant to have quoted post #91

[huntingdan]

Joe is freaking awesome, ain't he?

Thanks Brian, let me know if you notice anything!

Just want to add, that I have always disliked balms. Even the RR wax was too much for me. But so far, these new La Famiglia ASB's are changing my mind!

I agree, haven't tried a whole lot of balms, fairly new to the game, but trying only the EJ Seabuckhorn balm I immediately knew I didn't like or wasn't going to like balms. Since the prices couldn't be beat I ordered the Don Marco ASB and Ilove it. I have oily skin and after about 5 minutes it sinks in and leaves my face nice, smooth and soft in a great way. For me, this is awesome only used splashes, but believing in what Joe said about the balms I decided to order. Game changer for me, will definitely be picking up the R-160 and some more Don Marco Balm. Maybe even some Zi' Pepperino.

[BallisticBurrito]

So glad I ordered these when I did..I checked Italian Barber last night and they aren't on sale anymore.

EDIT: Though now I'm a bit bummed that I didn't get the r-160 balm since I ordered Cella, RR Classic and RR Cacao along with it all.

[kingfisher]

This morning I took the Cumba Cheech "soap" (it's really, really soft and seems more like a cream to me now) out of its container and put it into one of the Pyrex containers that I use for my other soaps. I'm testing the hypothesis that the reason I didn't get a good shave on my first go-round was that it was too hard to load the brush because the container is too small.

Next try I'll be loading it the way I load all my soaps; hopefully this will give me a better idea about how well this soap is going to work. Stay tuned for an update after I've had a chance to try it this way.

[JCinPA]

I put my Don Marco in one of the larger RazoRock Artisan tubs. I save them when they are empty because they are pretty much ideal sized containers for loading a boar using the 'Marco Method'. I think they are awesome soaps, I bet you get good results next time!

[Sunflake]

So glad I ordered these when I did..I checked Italian Barber last night and they aren't on sale anymore.

EDIT: Though now I'm a bit bummed that I didn't get the r-160 balm since I ordered Cella, RR Classic and RR Cacao along with it all.

That R-160 balm is flat out great! The only thing I wished was that the smell stayed around for awhile, It's perfect for Cella/P-160 fan.

[nomoore]

I finally received my shipment of a LOT of soaps from IB, including the 4 new ones. Up until now the only soaps/creams I had tried were AoS Ocean Kelp (love the scent) and VDH Deluxe (smells like soap).

This is what I got:

MWF
Cella
Proraso Green (new formula)
Proraso White (Green Tea and Oat, new formula)
RazoRock Classic
RazoRock XXX
RazoRock Cumba Cheech
RazoRock Zi Peppino
RazoRock Don Marco
RazoRock Nonno Michelino

Out of all these scents I think I like Cella the best. It makes me want to taste it. Second place would be Don Marco. It has a wonderful orange smell. I haven't tried shaving with any of these yet so I don't know how they will smell when lathered up.

The Zi Peppino is an interesting scent to me. It is very floral. My wife says it smells like something an old lady would wear. I can't totally disagree with her but for some reason I still am on the fence about it. It is a strong scent and my opinion will be strong once I figure it out. But I can't say yet whether I love it or hate it. I guess I just need to shave with it a few times.

I think my least favorite of these is the Cumba Cheech. It has a strong orange scent similar to the Don Marco but it reminds me of an Orange flavored kid's vitamin. Once I decide about the Zi Peppino it might be my least favorite though.

The Nonno Michelino Sandalwod is ok. But that's what I think of Sandalwood in general. It is just OK.

[lt114]

I whipped up some Cumba Cheech this morning and face lathered. Very nice, the lather was slick, rich, and protective. My face felt nice and moisturized after the shave. I followed up the shave with the Don Marco ASB, which was very nice also.

My only small complaint is the container. It is a bit small for loading. Overall, I give this soap a perfect 10.

[kingfisher]

Shaved with the Cumba Cheech this morning after loading it from a wider container. Got a nice, rich lather. The shave went pretty well. The lather was plenty slick. I'm still not convinced it's as good in the protection department as I'd like it to be.

For the second pass I added a tiny squirt of KMF unscented. The combination made a superb second-pass lather.

Looking at the ingredients list of this soap I think what would have helped it would have been to add a little extra glycerin into the formula. I think that's one of the main reasons it was so good after I added a touch of KMF. Maybe next time I'll add a couple of drops of glycerin by itself and see if I get the same result.

I really like the scent and the performance, to me, is pretty good. I need to keep working with it some more to see if I can improve the sense of protection. Face feel after the shave was pretty good, but not up to the standard set by Mystic Water.

[lt114]

Here is a picture of some Zi Peppino I whipped up. I think I could shave with this.

[lpe492]

I too was very happy the day I got my IB box on the doorstep.

I skipped the Zi Peppino, but ordered the other 3 new croaps. In addition:
RR XX
RR Artisan Mughetto di Bologna
Proraso new Red
Prosaso new green AS

Everything impressed. Either the Proraso AS or the new RR artisan flavors are leaving my face a bit dry. Will have to experiment to determine the source... if it's not the AS I'll try the KMF superlather or glycerin trick. The quality of the artisan lathers is simply outstanding and a pleasure to shave with.

I PIFed the Don Marco, which smelled to me like grapefruit. A beautiful smell, but it doesn't excite me compared to others. Bummer. The Bologna (Lily of the Valley) however is tremendous and near the top of my heap now. I can't wait to someday buy King Louis, Chianti Lavendar, Napoleons, and Boston Tea Party. And XXX is also top quality. I'm officially a RR fan now.

Sometimes I have have a hard time differentiating the Cumba Cheech and Nonno Michelino unless I lather them. Both are subtle, but the lather quality will keep me using them.

The Proraso Red sandalwood scent is awesome, and beats the Nonno Michelino, IMHO.

SSAD has taken hold. Trying to get back on the wagon for a bit.

[Optometrist]

Here is a picture of some Zi Peppino I whipped up. I think I could shave with this.

Fantastic looking lather, Lucas, but on top of a D.R. Harris soap bowl? Now come on......

[kingfisher]

I get lather that looks like that, too, but what I'm saying that it doesn't shave as good as it looks.

[brucered]

I get lather that looks like that, too, but what I'm sayings that it doesn't shave as good as it looks.

+1. lather shots are 1 thing, lather performance is another.

[lt114]

Fantastic looking lather, Lucas, but on top of a D.R. Harris soap bowl? Now come on......

Thanks David.
At least I covered up the D.R. Harris logo.

[MeanGene]

I used Cumba Cheech this morning, Zi' Peppino the day before, and Don Marco the day before that. All three have been great shaves for me; however, I am not in love with the scents. Don Marco is my favorite out of the four and I suspect I'll use it the most. Zi' Peppino has given me the best shave of the four, but who knows exactly why, there are many factors involved in that. Now, I haven't mentioned the Nonno Michelino because I haven't tried it yet and that is because I am underwhelmed by the scent out of the tub. I'll give it a test spin tomorrow with a palm lather before I use it and if the scent is weak sauce, as I prefer stronger scents, I'll set it aside for BST love. I did not buy the ASBs. Is that a must?

[huntingdan]

+1. lather shots are 1 thing, lather performance is another.

+2 For the longest time I was trying to achieve lather that looked like the pictures I saw. I did very quickly and thought that was what it was supposed to perform like. When I started face lathering my lather looks nothing like the pictures, but performs superior to what I used to make.

Not going to lie though still in love with a good lather pic

[BallisticBurrito]

Haven't got my box yet...it's already been through my local postal office's sorting..so it's just waiting to be delivered...so probably tomorrow.

ellipses.

[SmoovD]

+1. lather shots are 1 thing, lather performance is another.

+1. While that lather looks great and it may perform great but I prefer a less "whipped" lather. I face lather with a lot of product, adding water as I go until the lather starts to get creamy....and done.

[BrookR1]

This stuff had better be good...