Grand Classic Grooming E85 Natural Race Blend review

The product we're reviewing today hails all the way from the land down under. From newcomers, Grand Classic Grooming, Jay and the team was generous to send in their E85 Natural Race Blend. This take on a classic medium hold oil based pomade has a twist to it as the brewers have sourced out synthetic beeswax as a vegan-friendly substitute. Enough chit chat, let's speed away to the actual review.

Packaging

The E85 comes in a black 3.5 oz metal tin with a screw top lid. The bold yellow label features white pinstripes across it with the brand and product name clearly presented. You'll find more details of the product on the back of the tin such as ingredients, performance breakdown and further information. A rather simplistic design approach, but it still looks well-presented nonetheless and the race car motif gives it a unique identity.

Scent

To make things simple, the scent breakdown is a smokey tobacco and citrus with woody basenotes. I personally get a strong woody tobacco smell that's slightly sweet which I do quite enjoy. Although not an overbearing scent, it definitely makes its presence throughout the day.

 

Application

Scooping out the product requires some effort, but it doesn't take much to get a nice amount out. Breaking down it down might be met with a few wax beads separating, but just keep working it till everything breaks down into a smooth buttery grease. It applies into the hair with practically no tug and pull. I would suggest applying it into dry hair in order to achieve as much hold as possible.

Slickness

This pomade is able to provide a really nice amount of slickness. It's not overly greasy, but still definitely slick and sticky enough to keep control of your strays and comb down more stubborn areas.

Control

You can get a fair amount of control using this pomade. It has a medium weight which allows for a good amount of height and volume but will still provide some backbone structure to it. It's more suited for moderate hairstyles, so don't expect to get a lot of height from it.

Strength

The hold is slightly on the lighter side of a medium, but still really nice overall. Has enough strength to keep the style in place in temperate conditions.

Shine

Provides a nice medium shine.

 

Durability

Being a slicker and lighter medium, it's not going to fair against hot weather incredibly well. It will put up a fight and you will still be able to recomb and restyle without issue. Just don't expect things to sit nice and pretty if you're walking around and sweating all day long.

Washability

Washing it all out will require about 2-3 shampoo washes. It does leave behind a slightly oily buildup.

Price-point

Including shipping, it costs $41.60 SGD ($30.94 USD). Obviously not the cheapest option out there, but a fair price overall.

Verdict

Grand Classic Grooming is a pretty interesting brand. I really do think that their motor sport theme gives them some uniqueness, and I like how they try to support other Australian businesses when it comes to sourcing out their ingredients.

As far as the E85 goes, I think it's a great medium hold pomade. The synthetic beeswax gives it this odd, frothyness that breaks down nice, slick and smooth. Applies like an absolute dream and has a great balance of hold and control to support multitude of hairstyles. As mentioned earlier, it's definitely on the lighter side of a medium which also leads it to lack slightly in the endurance department. I've also tried to let it buildup over a few days to see if the overall performance gets better, but I find that the improvement is pretty minimal overall.

At the end of the day, Grand Classic Grooming's E85 is a solid choice for a medium hold oil based pomade. It's a great vegan-friendly option and has the characteristics of a good medium. If you're willing to show some support to these boys down under, definitely give Grand Classic Grooming's E85 Natural Race Blend a shot. It'll be sure to get your motor running.

Click here to visit Grand Classic Grooming on their online store

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Orien't Texture Paste review

I was recently contacted by Shan from Orien't to do a review on their product line. Even though targeted towards the salon community, the products from this Taiwan-based company aren't only handcrafted but also features natural and well-sourced ingredients as well. Without further ado, I bring you their Texture Paste in all it's glory.

Packaging

The Texture Paste comes in a nice box with all the necessary information across the faces. It's all very clear, well-designed and looks of nice quality. It even has the product name printed across the inner faces of the box which looks much nicer and detailed compared to just being left plain. Inside the box, you'll be met with a little card with a simple infographic on the instructions.

As for the product itself, it comes in a beautiful 3.5 oz glass jar with a screw top lid. You get a label of the product name on the face of the jar and the ingredients and instructions are printed on the other side of the jar itself. Even the company logo is printed on the lid. The overall presentation with Orien't products are breathtakingly detailed and definitely brings a certain level of class to them.

Scent

The product scents aren't stated on their site so I had to ask them specifically what it was (cause I couldn't make it out myself either). According to them, it is a floral and herbal scent which I feel is pretty accurate. It's a very nice, smooth scent with a slight spicy bite to it and I do find it to be pleasant. It's also very subtle and inoffensive so you'll hardly notice it once it's in the hair.

 

Application

Scooping out the product requires minimal effort. It has a thick consistency but breaking it down will be met with a smooth and creamy paste. It applies into the hair with a lot of grip and dryness, a surprise considering how creamy it broke down, so I do highly recommend applying in small amounts.

Texture

Texture is literally in the product name. However, I feel that the texture provided by this product is still on a finer level. Not the greatest amount, but I still feel it's enough for what it is.

Control

Styling with this matte paste is fairly straightforward. Seeing how it's a dryer product, your fingers and wider-teethed combs will be your best friends to style with this product. It provides very nice looser styles and can give a good amount of volume as well.

Strength

Advertised as a medium hold, which deems to be fairly true. The hold may not be incredible, but it's definitely more than enough to style with. It keeps the hair pretty well in place throughout the day and can easily be pushed back into place if needed.

Shine

Provides a matte finish with pretty much zero shine.

 

Durability

This matte paste feels really lightweight in the hair. Even though it has a medium hold, I still find it to last throughout the day really well. I don't find it falling out of place as often as I thought and it's very easy to restyle if needed.

Washability

Stated to be water-soluble, which is true for most occasions, though there are days where I found it needing one wash with shampoo at most. Still really easy to wash out overall.

Price-point

Based on their online store, the product will cost $44.07 SGD ($33.40 USD) including shipping. I'm not sure if it's a flat shipping rate throughout all the other countries as well and I know it's a hefty price to begin with. But considering how it's mainly catered towards the salon community and people are paying an average price of $30 SGD ($22.73 USD) for a 2 oz jar of white-label crap, I think the price is justifiable.

Verdict

I was very interested to give these products a go from the very beginning. Not only are these my first time trying Taiwanese products, but the company and their ideologies as a whole simply intrigued me.

I will be completely frank regarding the Texture Paste. It actually took me a while to get used to using the product, and for one simple (and rather silly) reason. You really can't use a lot of this product at once. Once again, really silly, but it's a habit that I have seeing how I mostly use pomades and it's something that I tend to do with other products as well. When used too much, the Texture Paste can get really thick, unbearable in the hair and just feels like a hot, dry mess. However when used just the right amount, it is an absolutely pleasant experience. I've found that one small scoop as a pre-styler (yes, it works as a pre-styler) and another small scoop as post-styling really works well. It provides a really good amount of hold and volume that lasts all day long, feels lightweight and you can easily run your fingers through your hair to restyle if needed. Another disclaimer that I've found while testing the product is that the results aren't as great when used in towel dried or damp hair alone without any blowdrying involved. Basically, use it in dry hair completely or like how I mentioned earlier on for optimum results.

To wrap things up, I do like this product. I know I went through a lot but that's simply because I've found that this matte paste works best when used with specific methods. I think it's a really nice product that not only appeals to the salon community, but to the homebrewed users as well. If you're a fan of loose, volumised looks, the Orien't Texture Paste is one worth trying.

Click here to visit Orien't on their online store

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