Famaco 1931 Sublime Cream Tan Alezan 357 – 100ml Argan Oil Shoe Cream

Description

Famaco 1931 Sublime Cream Tan Alezan 357 – 100ml Argan Oil Shoe Cream – the top of the Famaco range, in warm chestnut tan

Alezan is the French word for a chestnut horse, and it is exactly the right name for this shade: a warm, reddish chestnut tan with real depth to it. Famaco list 357 as Tan Alezan Chestnut, and it sits between a light tan and a proper mid-brown – the colour of a good pair of country brogues, a tan Derby or a chestnut Chelsea boot.

This tan alezan shoe cream comes from Famaco’s 1931 Collection, which is the luxury end of their catalogue and the jar I hand over when someone has genuinely good tan shoes. The formula was built in Famaco’s laboratories in Paris around a combination of natural oils and high-quality waxes: beeswax, carnauba wax, argan oil and turpentine essence. The argan oil is the thing you notice on the cloth, giving it an unusually silky texture for a shoe cream.

It is a lightly tinting cream rather than a covering one. That means it revives and evens out the existing shade while nourishing the leather deeply, so your shoes still look like leather rather than something that has been painted. On chestnut tan that restraint matters more than on any other shade, because tan is where heavy pigment looks most obviously artificial. It comes in a 100ml glass jar – twice the size of a standard shoe cream – and it is made in France. Famaco have been making shoe care in Paris since 1931 and the 1931 Collection is their tribute to that.

Why choose the Famaco 1931 Sublime Cream in Tan Alezan?

This is the premium end of the Famaco catalogue, and the formula is where the money goes.

• Argan oil in a shoe cream. Argan oil works alongside the natural waxes to nourish smooth leather and bring up the shine, and it is what gives this cream its silky feel on the cloth.
• Beeswax and carnauba together. Beeswax feeds and softens the leather; carnauba is the hardest natural wax there is and takes a real shine. You get nourishment and gloss from a single jar.
• Lightly tinting rather than covering. The pigment level is judged to revive the existing chestnut and even out fading, which is exactly what good tan leather needs and exactly what heavy pigment ruins.
• The right tan for country shoes. Alezan sits in that warm reddish-chestnut territory that most British brogues and boots start life in, and it is the first tone they lose across the toe cap and the heel.
• A proper 100ml glass jar. Twice the size of a standard 50ml cream and in glass rather than plastic, which keeps the cream from drying out between polishing sessions.

How to use the Famaco 1931 Sublime Cream in Tan Alezan

A lightly tinting cream rewards patience. Thin layers, and let the waxes do the work.

1. Brush the shoes down thoroughly with a horsehair brush and remove the laces, so you can reach the tongue and the facing.
2. If there is a heavy build-up of old polish, strip it back with a leather cleaner first. A tinting cream needs to reach the leather to do anything useful.
3. Take a small amount of cream onto a clean cotton cloth or a dauber brush – considerably less than you think you need.
4. Work it into the leather in small circles, panel by panel, keeping the layer thin and even. Pay attention to the flex creases, where the shade goes first.
5. Leave the shoes to rest for ten to fifteen minutes so the oils can soak in and the waxes can set.
6. Buff with a soft cloth or a polishing brush until the shine comes up. Add a second thin layer if the chestnut still looks uneven.

My tip from behind the counter

Tan is the one shade where you should always test on the inside of the heel counter first. Chestnut tans vary enormously between makers, and Alezan has a distinctly red heart to it. On a cooler, more yellow tan it will warm the shoes up noticeably – which is often exactly what you want, but far better to discover it on a hidden patch than across both toe caps.

Specifications

• Volume: 100ml glass jar
• Shade: 357 Tan Alezan Chestnut
• Type: Lightly tinting nourishing shoe cream
• Key ingredients: Beeswax, carnauba wax, argan oil and turpentine essence
• Suitable for: Smooth leather and exotic leathers – shoes, boots and bags
• Range: Famaco 1931 Collection, made in France
• Brand: Famaco

Frequently asked questions

What shade is Alezan exactly?

Alezan is French for a chestnut or sorrel horse, and the cream matches the name: a warm tan with a distinct red heart, deeper than a light tan and lighter than a mid-brown. Famaco’s own listing is Tan Alezan Chestnut 357. If your shoes are a cooler, more yellow tan, expect this to warm them slightly.

Is it worth paying more than for a standard shoe cream?

On a good pair of shoes, yes. The argan oil and the carnauba are what you are paying for, and you feel it in how the cream spreads and how the shine comes up. You also get 100ml in glass rather than 50ml in plastic.

Will it cover scuffs?

It will soften and blend them, but it is a tinting cream rather than a covering one, and that is deliberate. For deep scuffs and worn corners on tan leather you want a recolouring cream with proper opacity. Use that first for the damage, then this over the top for the nourishment and the shine.

Where can I buy the Famaco 1931 Sublime Cream in Tan Alezan in the UK?

You can order the Famaco 1931 Sublime Cream in Tan Alezan directly from Shoespecialist.co.uk. We offer free delivery on orders over £50, same-day dispatch when you order before 5pm, and a 60-day return policy.