Gollnick
Musical Director
- Joined
- Mar 22, 1999
- Messages
- 29,258
In my brief DE Shaving career (coming up on two years now), I have mostly used soaps. In fact, I've mostly used The Gentlemen's Quarter soaps which were suggested to me early on by a fellow bf.c member. I have tried two creams: Bigalow and VARS. I like VARS, but it's hard to get. Both work fine. But I have found that I just prefer soap.
With my recent TGQ order (the order that brought us the generous heap of samples I recently distributed), I decided to finally order up a small of TGQ cream to see what I've been missing. I decided on the Provence Lavender scent because I have wanted to try that scent, but it is their most expensive scent; a whole puck of the soap is $15! But, if I was gonna put a few bucks at risk trying the cream, I might as well leverage that risk and try the new scent too.
Provence is a region within France somewhat analogous to how Oregon is a state within the USA. Provence is famous for several things. One is Pastis, traditional liqueur made exclusively in Provence and is vaguely similar to absinthe. Another famous product of Provence is the herb lavender. The French lavender grown in the unique soil and climate of Provence is recognized and prized the world over for its exceptionally strong and yet clean scent... and flavor too (it's used as an herb in cooking).
The Nation of France and the State of Oregon actually have a lot in common. We are at the same latitude. We're both costal. Our climates are similar. Our soils are remarkably similar. The internationally-aclaimed Pinot Noir grape vines that populate the vineyards of Oregon's Willamette Valley, the sources of some of the best wines in the world (and that's not just my opinion anymore as Oregon's Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs are now regularlyt scooping the medal tables at international competitions) came from France. Pinot Noir made in France is made in the Burgundy region and the resulting wine is called Burgundy. The name Burgundy for wine us an internationally-recognized Appellation dorigine contrôlée. The US recognizes this and so it is actually illegal in the US to label a wine Burgundy unless it was made in the Burgundy region of France; you can call your wine "Burgundy-Style", but not Burgundy. Out of profound respect for and gratitude to their friends in France, no Oregon wine maker will dare to call his wine even Burgundy-Style or "Oregon Burgundy" which would also be legal but is simply not done. Those grapes originally brought here from Burgundy now produce wine labeled Oregon Pinot Noir. (We don't mind beating them badly in international competitions, but we don't steal their name.) (As a curious side note, about a decade ago, a major blight nearly wiped out many of the best vineyards in Burgundy. The blight-free stock to replant those famous vineyards came
largely from Oregon in a wonderful piece of real-life poetry.)
Anyway, just south of where I live begins the wine country (there are a few vineyards north of me and, in fact, a purely excellent winery just up the street from my house, but most are south of me). Just to the west of my house begins the Oregon lavender fields planted with lavender stock from... you guessed it... Provence. My current house has no lavender in the yard, though my neighbors do and I can smell it in my yard at times. My previous house had a patch of lavender. It grows and spreads like a weed and when it flowers the fragrance can be overwhelming.
The point is that I know good lavender.
While it was a favorite destination of my Mother, I, myself, have never been to Provence; maybe someday I will.
In the mean time, maybe I can pretend to take a trip to Provence with some TGQ shaving cream.
My first shave with the TGQ cream was... well... ok. The fragrance is great; excellent, clean lavender... strong without being overpowering. But, the lather was a bit watery.
I consulted with my friends at TGQ and tried again the next morning.
Unlike a soap, for TGQ cream you want to shake pretty much all of the water out of the brush. Whip until lather begins to form and then add more water drops at a time.
Unlike VARS which face-lathers just fine, TGQ cream should be done in a bowl.
It took a few tries, but I now can get a good lather from it.
All of my shaves with it, even when a bit watery, have been excellent.
I'm not surprised or disappointed at all that it took a few tries to learn this new product. I honestly expected that.
I'm also not surprised that, when properly lathered, TGQ Cream generates a good, thick, pleasant lather.
I very much enjoyed the Provence Lavender scent.
My personal conclusion is that I think I will stick to soap; it just seems to be what I like best. But, I may very well be drawn back to Provence Lavender for a few dollars more from time-to-time; it's a cheaper getaway than airfare to France.
With my recent TGQ order (the order that brought us the generous heap of samples I recently distributed), I decided to finally order up a small of TGQ cream to see what I've been missing. I decided on the Provence Lavender scent because I have wanted to try that scent, but it is their most expensive scent; a whole puck of the soap is $15! But, if I was gonna put a few bucks at risk trying the cream, I might as well leverage that risk and try the new scent too.
Provence is a region within France somewhat analogous to how Oregon is a state within the USA. Provence is famous for several things. One is Pastis, traditional liqueur made exclusively in Provence and is vaguely similar to absinthe. Another famous product of Provence is the herb lavender. The French lavender grown in the unique soil and climate of Provence is recognized and prized the world over for its exceptionally strong and yet clean scent... and flavor too (it's used as an herb in cooking).
The Nation of France and the State of Oregon actually have a lot in common. We are at the same latitude. We're both costal. Our climates are similar. Our soils are remarkably similar. The internationally-aclaimed Pinot Noir grape vines that populate the vineyards of Oregon's Willamette Valley, the sources of some of the best wines in the world (and that's not just my opinion anymore as Oregon's Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs are now regularlyt scooping the medal tables at international competitions) came from France. Pinot Noir made in France is made in the Burgundy region and the resulting wine is called Burgundy. The name Burgundy for wine us an internationally-recognized Appellation dorigine contrôlée. The US recognizes this and so it is actually illegal in the US to label a wine Burgundy unless it was made in the Burgundy region of France; you can call your wine "Burgundy-Style", but not Burgundy. Out of profound respect for and gratitude to their friends in France, no Oregon wine maker will dare to call his wine even Burgundy-Style or "Oregon Burgundy" which would also be legal but is simply not done. Those grapes originally brought here from Burgundy now produce wine labeled Oregon Pinot Noir. (We don't mind beating them badly in international competitions, but we don't steal their name.) (As a curious side note, about a decade ago, a major blight nearly wiped out many of the best vineyards in Burgundy. The blight-free stock to replant those famous vineyards came
largely from Oregon in a wonderful piece of real-life poetry.)
Anyway, just south of where I live begins the wine country (there are a few vineyards north of me and, in fact, a purely excellent winery just up the street from my house, but most are south of me). Just to the west of my house begins the Oregon lavender fields planted with lavender stock from... you guessed it... Provence. My current house has no lavender in the yard, though my neighbors do and I can smell it in my yard at times. My previous house had a patch of lavender. It grows and spreads like a weed and when it flowers the fragrance can be overwhelming.
The point is that I know good lavender.
While it was a favorite destination of my Mother, I, myself, have never been to Provence; maybe someday I will.
In the mean time, maybe I can pretend to take a trip to Provence with some TGQ shaving cream.
My first shave with the TGQ cream was... well... ok. The fragrance is great; excellent, clean lavender... strong without being overpowering. But, the lather was a bit watery.
I consulted with my friends at TGQ and tried again the next morning.
Unlike a soap, for TGQ cream you want to shake pretty much all of the water out of the brush. Whip until lather begins to form and then add more water drops at a time.
Unlike VARS which face-lathers just fine, TGQ cream should be done in a bowl.
It took a few tries, but I now can get a good lather from it.
All of my shaves with it, even when a bit watery, have been excellent.
I'm not surprised or disappointed at all that it took a few tries to learn this new product. I honestly expected that.
I'm also not surprised that, when properly lathered, TGQ Cream generates a good, thick, pleasant lather.
I very much enjoyed the Provence Lavender scent.
My personal conclusion is that I think I will stick to soap; it just seems to be what I like best. But, I may very well be drawn back to Provence Lavender for a few dollars more from time-to-time; it's a cheaper getaway than airfare to France.
