Hi Everyone! My GF just got back from a friend's wedding in Italy and she was very thoughtful and brought me back a few soaps and creams. One of which was Santa Maria Novella Crema da Barba. There has been a bit of discussion on this cream as of late, so I felt like adding this as a new thread in addition to being at the end of another one.
First Shave this morning, and I can say that my experience echoes that of RoyalPar1 (another thread). I used my Omega Boar brush (had to be italian boar for the maiden voyage) and loaded for about 30 secs. Don't think I pressed hard enough cause I didn't get enough into the brush for three passes and had to re-load halfway.
The TL; DR version: Two passes (WTG, ATG/XTG) and touch up, BBS/DFS. No nicks, and no razor burn or bumps on the neck. Basically as good and as comfortable as a shave gets for me.
Partly this could be that I hadn't shaved for three days since I had sinus surgery yesterday and I couldn't shave for two days prior. I usually have my best shave after a day or two of rest.
I don't have extensive experience with creams, but here's some creams I can safely say SMN is better than: Proraso Red, Proraso Green, TOBS, and Cyril Salter (rated #1 cream by B&B).
Here's where I think this cream really shines: protection. It gives me the same confidence that some of the best tallow soaps do. I perceive a lather's protection in a couple of ways:
1) How much pressure do you feel comfortable applying.
For me, if a lather makes me feel like I can safely use more pressure, then it is a protective lather. Granted this is only on one shave, and I was using one of my milder razors (56' Red Tip), but SMN seems to give me this feeling more than the creams I have used and as much as some of the best soaps.
2) How comfortable your "post-lather" strokes feel.
We all do it -- we make residual strokes on a an area of skin after we have swept away all the lather. We're essentially using the "residual" lubrication that the lather has left on our skin. Again, it may be the relatively low blade exposure of the Red Tip, but I felt like there was a residual slickness that allowed me to make multiple strokes on post-lathered skin.
Another area the SMN shone was post-shave feel. For a product without Lanolin or other superfats, it had a great post-shave feel, not "tight" in the way that some mass-product (e.g. TOBS) creams have made my face feel. In fact I did not use any aftershave.
The scent I found pleasing but very mild. This also could be that I can't smell very well because of my surgery.
Either way, I'll report back with more use, but I can say for now that this is the best cream I've used, at least as good as XPEC and maybe a little better. Of course YMMV, as always.
And Royalpar, you need to get a hard puck of Valobra. It's awesome! It's basically the same soap as C&S -- Valobra makes it for them. But since you love italian soaps, you owe it to yourself to have the original article.
First Shave this morning, and I can say that my experience echoes that of RoyalPar1 (another thread). I used my Omega Boar brush (had to be italian boar for the maiden voyage) and loaded for about 30 secs. Don't think I pressed hard enough cause I didn't get enough into the brush for three passes and had to re-load halfway.
The TL; DR version: Two passes (WTG, ATG/XTG) and touch up, BBS/DFS. No nicks, and no razor burn or bumps on the neck. Basically as good and as comfortable as a shave gets for me.
Partly this could be that I hadn't shaved for three days since I had sinus surgery yesterday and I couldn't shave for two days prior. I usually have my best shave after a day or two of rest.
I don't have extensive experience with creams, but here's some creams I can safely say SMN is better than: Proraso Red, Proraso Green, TOBS, and Cyril Salter (rated #1 cream by B&B).
Here's where I think this cream really shines: protection. It gives me the same confidence that some of the best tallow soaps do. I perceive a lather's protection in a couple of ways:
1) How much pressure do you feel comfortable applying.
For me, if a lather makes me feel like I can safely use more pressure, then it is a protective lather. Granted this is only on one shave, and I was using one of my milder razors (56' Red Tip), but SMN seems to give me this feeling more than the creams I have used and as much as some of the best soaps.
2) How comfortable your "post-lather" strokes feel.
We all do it -- we make residual strokes on a an area of skin after we have swept away all the lather. We're essentially using the "residual" lubrication that the lather has left on our skin. Again, it may be the relatively low blade exposure of the Red Tip, but I felt like there was a residual slickness that allowed me to make multiple strokes on post-lathered skin.
Another area the SMN shone was post-shave feel. For a product without Lanolin or other superfats, it had a great post-shave feel, not "tight" in the way that some mass-product (e.g. TOBS) creams have made my face feel. In fact I did not use any aftershave.
The scent I found pleasing but very mild. This also could be that I can't smell very well because of my surgery.
Either way, I'll report back with more use, but I can say for now that this is the best cream I've used, at least as good as XPEC and maybe a little better. Of course YMMV, as always.
And Royalpar, you need to get a hard puck of Valobra. It's awesome! It's basically the same soap as C&S -- Valobra makes it for them. But since you love italian soaps, you owe it to yourself to have the original article.
. I humbly but vehemently disagree, and will say that CF lime fills the shaving room with a pleasant intoxicating natural aroma. As scents are so pervasively subjective, I cannot guarantee your satisfaction, but know that at the very least the CF lime incorporates real lime oil essence, irrespective of the sniffer's take. Good luck. Happy lathering !
IMHO and YMMV
