Suavecito Premium Blends – Sandalwood Shaving cream and aftershave balm

This review has taken me a bit longer than usual to post as I have had a bit of  unique experience with Suavecito products and basically, I wanted to get right.

Some 3-4 years ago when I was first introduced to the Suavecito brand, I fell in love with their pomade.  At the time, it was a “revelation”.  I had never used a hair fixative that was just so perfect for the hair style I was aiming for.

This obviously made me quite receptive to their other products.  Back then they offered one shaving cream that was like nothing I have ever tried before.  It had this intense wake up quality to it. I eventually realized that the intensity could also be found in moderation in pre-shave products.

If you haven’t already witnessed it, Suavecito has a bit of a “bad” boy image going.  Imagine the bad boy that has the cool hair and the perfect shave.  We can then imagine that Suavecito products make up his secret grooming arsenal.   No-one would ever know or be able to tell that our guy takes such good care of himself.  Except, maybe for that special someone who gets to rub against that face. Oh Baby, that’s a nice shave!

Fast forward to today; Suavecito has launched what they call their “Premium blends”.  This includes; pomades, shaving creams, after-shaves as well as a number of beard oils.  The Suavecito brand has simply exploded.  We wish them success and look forward to their continued creativity.

As part of this “Premium Blends” product grouping, are two sandalwood scented shaving options: shaving cream and aftershave balm.  In the US they are very reasonably priced at $10 each.  But shipping to Canada is some $18, making it a $38 US purchase or $50 CND.  That is just too much.  I remembered that our local friends at “Not Your Father’s Barber” carried the Suavecito brand, so I reached out to them.  They don’t usually stock these two products but happily offered to order them from their supplier.  The products showed up 2 days later and were sold for $19 apiece.

As you can see in the pictures the packaging is well crafted.  While being true to the Suavecito spirit and vintage trademark, they also present a more elegant side to the brand. I personally love the printed carton box and the silver metal tubes.  You read that right; metal!  No plastic here buddy!

TEST STAGE:

• State: Out of the shower
• Razor: Gillette Fusion ProGlide
• Blade: Gillette Fusion ProGlide
• Pre-Shave: None
• Shaving Cream: Suavecito Shaving Cream
• After-Shave: Suavecito Aftershave Balm

 

Shaving cream

This shave cream comes out luxurious and shiny.  It is very inviting. About the size of a quarter was enough to cover my face.  It sticks well to the skin without feeling sticky itself.  I applied it by hand and it spreads well.    I will assume that it could be done with a brush as well but since the cream is a bit thicker, that might not be the best way to apply it.

There are really only a few things I want and expect from a shave cream; trapping the moisture (insulation), lubrication for the blade and protection from the said blade.  There is no doubt in my mind that this is a premium product as it does all 3 jobs quite well.

The cream feels thick enough to trap in the moisture of the shower.  You won’t feel as insulated as with foam, but in fact you are.  I usually gauge the lubrication by how well the blade glides on a second or third pass.  The bulk of the cream was cleared by the first pass, but there was sufficient lubrication left behind to accommodate a second and third pass with ease and without irritation.  The cream is also thick enough to offer a good protection from the blade.  It made for a very comfortable shave.

Rinsing the razor between passes is also an important element to the process.  If rinsing is a problem it delays and complicates the task.  Often enough these fancier blends tends to be hard to rinse out.  The Suavecito cream required a bit more hot water than a foam, but well within reason so not to be inconvenienced.  Rinsing the leftover cream off my face required a tad more effort as the product is clearly designed to also act as a skin cream, which is much needed after the shave.  In that sense it took a few seconds more than usual to wash off the leftover with a hot wash cloth.

After shave

Onto the after-shave.  The size of a dime was sufficient to cover my face.  It is creamy and goes in nicely.  It does not leave any residue or greasy feeling.   Nor is it shinny.  within a a few minutes my  face was a natural matte.  don’t let that fool you, the hydration is top notch and it left my skin feeling healthy for the bulk of the day.

The “Premium” branding on these Suavecito products is certainly justified.  The overall quality and feel is a notch above.  The creams are refined and even delicate, but somehow still offer very manly qualities.  In other words they don’t feel like you are using your girlfriend’s products.  Truly, the “Premium” labeling is substantiated.

You can buy these products directly from Suavecito in the States or locally (Ottawa) from our friends at Not your Father’s Barber in the market.  If you go over, please mention: Style 4 Men.

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