Saponificio Varesino After Shave Splash, Cubebe, 4.3

Holy cow this is good stuff. I generally keep my post-shave products limited to the Speick line because I have sensitive skin and their products are the best, most natural that I have found – they are almost medicinal they are so effective. This, however, I must admit is their equal, it is just amazing. It is like a halfway point between a typical balm (meaning a creamy slightly greasy or oily thicker aftershave product) and an alcohol-based aftershave. I live on the edge of a desert and balms do not agree with our 110 degree summer heat, but this is different. It is thicker than an aftershave but not thick or greasy like a balm. It absorbs very well into the skin and once dried there is no greasy feeling. It has immediately become a part of my essential, never to be without ever again group of products, and that group is very small. This is going to sound crazy but if I had one “complaint” it is that it might be too strongly scented. I have a fair size cologne collection and I do not like an aftershave that interferes with what I want to wear. With that said it does not take much of the product for post-shave healing and the scent blends well with most colognes, so it has not been a problem. As for the scent itself, it is very, very nice. Most of the 800 million scents that are churned out by shaving companies these days just don’t cut the mustard – it is presumptuous to think that you can whip up a scent when you started cooking soap in your bathtub five years ago that is going to equal the quality of a classic perfume house that has been in business for 100 years or more, and most simply do not (I can think of several companies that have only been in business for short period of time that already have 20 or more different scents. Most of the English perfume houses that have been in business for more than 100 years might offer 6 or 8. More is often not better). Cubebe, however, is another matter. This scent is balanced, sophisticated, slightly aquatic, and just great overall. Even with the tiny amount that you need for post-shave healing the scent will stick around for an hour or more. I am sure if you applied more generously you would have a skin scent for several hours. The scent is the best I have encountered from a shaving/soap house and rises to the level of those offered by niche perfume companies. With the EDP that they offer this could easily be a scent for daily wear, especially in the spring and summer. It is fantastic. While the price is toward the higher end for an aftershave product, I think it offers good value for two reasons. First, the amount needed is very small, no more than a quarter size amount for the entire face. Given that you receive more than four ounces this should last for a long time even with daily use. Second, the quality is as good as it gets, including a very high quality, sophisticated scent. A balm from a perfume, as opposed to a shaving, house is likely to cost 40-60 dollars, so in that regard this is a great deal as it offers the same scent quality with great ingredients and skin healing properties for about half the price.

It's a much better product than I thought. It smells very good.

Just like the other 4.3 soaps from Saponificio Varesino, Cubebe is a phenomenal soap with a lovely scent. I bought the aftershave, and then the ADP which is also great!