I had my first shave using the Acqua di Parma shaving cream. I will preface this review by saying that I would never spend $60 on a cream, which is why I asked for it as a Christmas present (That’s also the thread where I received requests to do this review). I say this so that you can trust that this review is fair. Because shit, if I spent $60 on 4oz of cream, I’d find a way to love the hell out of it.
But I didn’t have to play any mental gymnastics, because this cream is unlike any other I’ve ever tried. And I’m somewhat of a hoarder. The scent is nothing special. If anything, I was disappointed when I first opened it because it was so neutral and weak.
I loaded my brush as normal and began face lathering. Within a few seconds I knew something was different. The cream just felt so smooth right away. Like I was rubbing liquid silk on my face. My brush felt weightless against my skin. The bristles melted away almost-it was such a unique sensation.
The next thing I noticed was that the scent really opened up with lathering. You know how on u/Palpz ‘s reviews, his main complaint is that the strength of the soap disappears when lathered? It was the opposite with AdP. AdP was like a scotch that only reveals its bouquet when you add a splash of water. Lathering opened the cream into a complex scent. It’s hard to describe what exactly is there. Just trust me that it is good. There is a very slight citrus topnote-but as I said, very slight. I hate any and all shaving products that have citrus in them because they all smell like Lysol. It’s so subtle in AdP that it works to complement the rest of the notes.
As for the performance: Well, that silkiness translated into the best razor glide I’ve ever had. I used my standard fresh Astra SP in my regular old Merkur 180 and it was like I was shaving with a totally different system. It was awesome. You could bring a porcupine down to BBS with this.
At the end of the shave I did a dud lather (not intending to make another pass) just to make sure that silkiness sensation wasn’t a fluke. It really is a different kind of feeling.
I hope I’ve done a decent job of conveying the performance of Acqua di Parma. I highly recommend buying it for yourself, or asking for it as a birthday or holiday gift if you, like me, have trouble dropping $60 on 4oz of anything.
