Barbarossa Brothers:
West Indian Lime & Black Pepper Shaving Cream
I found this cream on Amazon for £12 and thought I'd give it a go. I was intrigued by the scent description which included 'a fresh menthol explosion'.
On delivery, the most apparent thing was its small size (100ml) - total weight including tin is 122g although it's listed as 150g on the Amazon website. I've photographed the tin next to some TOBS to help give a sense of scale:
There was a light but pleasant lime scent from the tin when opening it. I carried out a test lather and the performance seemed fine (see pics). The scent was much better once lathered and I could make out the limes and black pepper. Still mild overall but a nice scent.
The shave was conducted with a Yaqi HMW brush and RR Hawk V2 loaded with a Proline. The cream provided enough lather for three passes and I have an acceptable shave. Overall opinion from me:
Scent: 6/10 - nice but there was no 'menthol explosion'. On that basis, I have better lime creams.
Cushion: 5/10 - adequate and I'd say not quite level with TOBS
Residual Slickness: 5/10 - enough for a light revisit but way short of most artisan offerings.
Post-shave feel: 4/10 - felt a little bit sticky in some places but my face did not feel dry.
My biggest gripe with this cream is the price. £12 from Amazon or £12 + P&P from the Barbarossa Brothers website. A tub of TOBS outperforms this on every level for less than £10. I can't recommend this cream due to its cost and the cost exceeds performance. The cream is OK. That's the best way I can describe it.
West Indian Lime & Black Pepper Shaving Cream
I found this cream on Amazon for £12 and thought I'd give it a go. I was intrigued by the scent description which included 'a fresh menthol explosion'.
On delivery, the most apparent thing was its small size (100ml) - total weight including tin is 122g although it's listed as 150g on the Amazon website. I've photographed the tin next to some TOBS to help give a sense of scale:
There was a light but pleasant lime scent from the tin when opening it. I carried out a test lather and the performance seemed fine (see pics). The scent was much better once lathered and I could make out the limes and black pepper. Still mild overall but a nice scent.
The shave was conducted with a Yaqi HMW brush and RR Hawk V2 loaded with a Proline. The cream provided enough lather for three passes and I have an acceptable shave. Overall opinion from me:
Scent: 6/10 - nice but there was no 'menthol explosion'. On that basis, I have better lime creams.
Cushion: 5/10 - adequate and I'd say not quite level with TOBS
Residual Slickness: 5/10 - enough for a light revisit but way short of most artisan offerings.
Post-shave feel: 4/10 - felt a little bit sticky in some places but my face did not feel dry.
My biggest gripe with this cream is the price. £12 from Amazon or £12 + P&P from the Barbarossa Brothers website. A tub of TOBS outperforms this on every level for less than £10. I can't recommend this cream due to its cost and the cost exceeds performance. The cream is OK. That's the best way I can describe it.
