Alvarez Gómez: A quick look at shaving goodness from Spain
Jan 1, 2014 15:17:36 GMT -6
drumzalot likes this
Post by RobinK on Jan 1, 2014 15:17:36 GMT -6
Happy new year, gentlemen.
Some of you wanted to know a bit more about Alvarez Gómez. While I am still too tired to take a picture of today's shave, and therefore have to use one of yesterday's with a cut-throat, I still hope you will find the review useful.
Please meet Alvarez Gómez of Madrid. The company has been in business since 1899, producing high quality cosmetics, such as the ubiquitous Agua de Colonia Concentrada Alvarez Gómez. In 2012, they launched their BARBERÍA line, which was recently made available to the German market by Stefan Wolf of nassrasur.com. There are a few companies in the US which also carry them, so this preliminary review should be relevant to overseas readers as well.
The entire line has a signature scent which can best be described thusly: "Top notes are lemon, bitter orange, bergamot and ginger; middle notes are rhubarb, labdanum and coriander; base notes are cedar, sandalwood and white musk". The scent is very unique, stylishly upbeat and is also advertised as a unisex scent. It lingers for a few hours, which is fine if you use the entire line.
The shaving cream is moderately priced. I used a pea sized amount of cream in a lathering bowl, along with a well soaked brush which had quickly been flicked dry. The first few swirls in a lathering bowl resulted in... nothing. So I added water. Nothing. More water. Still nothing. A generous amount of water. And the cream exploded. Even more water resulted in the desired texture. A few repetitions confirmed that this cream is extremely easy to control. There is no breaking point, but it evolves from solid to a yoghurt like texture gradually. Users of Castle Forbes will know what I mean. Its efficiency is outstanding. Its soft texture makes loading a brush as easy as gently dipping said brush into the cream.
The aftershave balm is definitely on the upmarket side of prices - and performance. Additional tests will be required, but I found it nourishing and soothing, leaving the skin well toned but neither oily nor dry - just right. Would I recommend it? Definitely if you were to use the Alvarez Gómez shaving cream. Otherwise, its unique scent may make it a bit hard to find a matching cream or soap. That said, the scent does not linger for more than a few minutes, so that is a minor issue.
The after shave / eau de Cologne naturally lingers longer. It works very well, and if you prefer so called splashes to balms, it will be a good choice.
The other products (shampoo and hair tonic) are simply pleasurable to use. If you like the signature scent, you will not be disappointed by their performance.
Overall this is a welcome addition to my collection of high quality shaving products. The shaving cream has easily made it into my personal top 5 - no mean feat, but well deserved.
I tried the same setup again today with a Henckels Wotan and a GEM OCMM, and the cream and aftershave balm performed commendably. I like these products.
Some of you wanted to know a bit more about Alvarez Gómez. While I am still too tired to take a picture of today's shave, and therefore have to use one of yesterday's with a cut-throat, I still hope you will find the review useful.
Please meet Alvarez Gómez of Madrid. The company has been in business since 1899, producing high quality cosmetics, such as the ubiquitous Agua de Colonia Concentrada Alvarez Gómez. In 2012, they launched their BARBERÍA line, which was recently made available to the German market by Stefan Wolf of nassrasur.com. There are a few companies in the US which also carry them, so this preliminary review should be relevant to overseas readers as well.
The entire line has a signature scent which can best be described thusly: "Top notes are lemon, bitter orange, bergamot and ginger; middle notes are rhubarb, labdanum and coriander; base notes are cedar, sandalwood and white musk". The scent is very unique, stylishly upbeat and is also advertised as a unisex scent. It lingers for a few hours, which is fine if you use the entire line.
The shaving cream is moderately priced. I used a pea sized amount of cream in a lathering bowl, along with a well soaked brush which had quickly been flicked dry. The first few swirls in a lathering bowl resulted in... nothing. So I added water. Nothing. More water. Still nothing. A generous amount of water. And the cream exploded. Even more water resulted in the desired texture. A few repetitions confirmed that this cream is extremely easy to control. There is no breaking point, but it evolves from solid to a yoghurt like texture gradually. Users of Castle Forbes will know what I mean. Its efficiency is outstanding. Its soft texture makes loading a brush as easy as gently dipping said brush into the cream.
The aftershave balm is definitely on the upmarket side of prices - and performance. Additional tests will be required, but I found it nourishing and soothing, leaving the skin well toned but neither oily nor dry - just right. Would I recommend it? Definitely if you were to use the Alvarez Gómez shaving cream. Otherwise, its unique scent may make it a bit hard to find a matching cream or soap. That said, the scent does not linger for more than a few minutes, so that is a minor issue.
The after shave / eau de Cologne naturally lingers longer. It works very well, and if you prefer so called splashes to balms, it will be a good choice.
The other products (shampoo and hair tonic) are simply pleasurable to use. If you like the signature scent, you will not be disappointed by their performance.
Overall this is a welcome addition to my collection of high quality shaving products. The shaving cream has easily made it into my personal top 5 - no mean feat, but well deserved.
I tried the same setup again today with a Henckels Wotan and a GEM OCMM, and the cream and aftershave balm performed commendably. I like these products.