All's Fair: LBCC 1772 Cold Cream (or Pomatum for the Complexion )

In preparation for this review, I have been using the LBCC 1772 Orange Flower Cold Cream for the past six weeks. While some of you may be familiar with cold cream and its uses, I've found for many people the concept of cold cream is a somewhat vague notion of "something my grandmother used in her day." So, before I continue with my review, let's talk a little bit about cold cream. 

Dating back to ancient Greece, cold cream has been around in some variety or another for a very long time. At its core, it's a blend of water and oil. Its simplicity also makes it a very versatile product. It has been used for everything from shaving cream to body lotion. Traditionally, it's used by women as a skin moisturizer or make-up remover or even as leave on deep conditioning mask. 

I don't really do deep conditioning and don't wear a ton of make-up, but I did decide to use it as my daily facial moisturizer. Actually, I also ended up using it a few times as a body moisturizer for my legs and arms. Here's what I found:

Photo courtesy of LBCC. I was going to take my
own, but I've used mine pretty well so it's not as
photogenic as a new jar!

Cost: $18.00

Product Description: A cold cream based on the 1772 Toilette de Flora receipt of the same name. According to the website it is thinner than the 1901 style cream and is a great moisturizer/historical make up remover.

Uses: I used it as a facial moisturizer after showering for six weeks. I also used it occasionally as body lotion.

Pros: It's a nice sized container. You might think that it's small and won't last very long, but after six weeks of daily use I've only used about 1/4th of what's in there. A little goes a very long way. Also, it was nice when traveling to throw in one container for my face and body, instead of a tube of moisturizer and a bottle of lotion. I really enjoyed the scent (orange flower).

Seriously. I use about this much each day for my face.
Maybe a little less.

Cons: I got nothin'. The container worked for me. I even dropped it a handful of times on my tile floor and it was fine. No negative reactions to ingredients. 

How well does it work: I couldn't really document this product in photographs, but I can tell you what I experienced. I have normal-ish skin with a somewhat oilier "T-zone". Overall, my face feels very soft and supple. Softer even than with my moisturizer I used before. My face typically breaks out somewhat in the summertime (extra heat=extra sweat and all that) but this summer I haven't had a breakout nearly as extreme as usual. In fact, I've gotten maybe two little zits total (not the many small bunches near my hair line like normal.) 

Yep. Here's my face sans everything.
No sleep, no make up, and (thankfully)
no zits!

Modern Counterpart: Hmm... I've never used today's cold creams before, so I don't know that I could say how it stacks up (that's a hint to any of you out there who use modern cold cream to try this one and give an in depth report! lol.)

Recommended for: Daily moisturizing. Guys can use it, too, and the citrus smell makes it less girly than a rose cold cream! Score! I didn't use it as a make up remover or mask but it could be used for that as well. 

In Conclusion: I can tell you that I definitely plan on continuing to use this product in place of my modern moisturizer and lotion. For a broader perspective, I'd be interested in the experiences of someone who has really oily skin using the product, as mine is more combination. Aside from that, I really loved this one and like that it's helped simplify a shelf in my bathroom, too!