Reviews you can USe: Kanebo "Valcan" Skin Milk

I love this stuff.


Perhaps I shouldn't have given away the ending like that, but seriously. It's fantastic.

I was in the drugstore with Ms. Moneybags and she said, "Why don't you get something?" An excellent question, I thought, so I opened this one up, took a whiff, and fell in love. My wife did, too.

This is, like the other Japanese aftershaves I've reviewed, pure classic. It REEKS of dignified men in fine, but perhaps a bit out of fashion, suits...men who wear hats, and judge a man's character by his handshake.

Kanebo says this scent is a "spicy fougere", and the fine fellows at Basenotes say:

• Top Notes
• * Green Notes, Lemon, Lime, Bergamot, Aldehyde .
• Middle Notes
• * Jasmin, Cedarwood, Sandal, Carnation, Rose, Basil .
• Base Notes
• * Musk, Moss, Tonka, Amber.

What I say is, it's fantastic. It's a warm, dark scent, slightly sweet, and the Amber and Tonka (vanilla-like notes) really come through. Very understated, very masculine. Perfect for Autumn or winter.

Now, as for how it feels, well, this is another one of those "milks" that is much more of a "cream". It's thick, a wee bit on the heavy side for me, but on the good side that means a little goes a long way. I find it incredibly soothing and smoothing after a shave, and the moisturizing is top notch...again, perfect for the drier, colder months.

On application, it CAN be a bit tacky for a good 30 seconds, but it fades quickly into a nice, gentle soothing feeling. And that warm scent fills your head with comfort...This is, in fact, a scent I am definitely going to buy in the EdT.

The ingredients are pretty straightforward:
Water, stearic acid, Mineral Oil, Miristic acid octyldodecil, Cetanol, Polysorbate 60, lauric acid sorbitane, Alantoin, triethanolamine,Isopropyl methylphenol, Paraben, Parfum, yellow #5, yellow #203, blue #1.

Whatever that means.

I'm keeping it.