Famaco Beauty Cream 327 Brick Crimson – 50ml Deep Red Leather Wax

Description

Famaco Beauty Cream 327 Brick Crimson – 50ml Deep Red Leather Wax, a strong red that sits low on the brightness scale with a distinct brick undertone rather than any pink, fifty millilitres of dense French pigment and wax, for red leather that has gone chalky.

I only found out how bad my red loafers had got because a customer mentioned it. She was picking up a repair, glanced down over the counter and said, quite politely, that she had a cream that would sort those out. Standing behind your own counter being advised about your own shoes is a memorable way to learn a lesson.

The French name for 327 is rouge vif and the attribute says lively red, both promising a bright pillar box shade. The pot says otherwise. It measures far down the brightness range with very high saturation, which reads as a deep brick crimson, closer to a red brick wall than to a post box.

Famaco brick red shoe cream is £6.49 for fifty millilitres of colour.

Why choose this brick crimson cream?

• Lively red is a promise the pot does not keep. The measurement puts it deep and strongly saturated, which makes it a brick toned crimson rather than a bright red. If you need a genuinely light red for a summer shoe, this is not the shade to be reaching for.
• Red is the colour that fades fastest of all. Red pigments give up under daylight sooner than browns or blues do, which is why red shoes go dusty and pink long before they ever go scuffed. A deep coloured cream is the only sensible answer to that particular problem.
• The brick undertone keeps it wearable. A pure bright red on a shoe looks like fancy dress under most British lighting. Pulling it towards brick keeps the colour honest and lets a red brogue sit alongside a grey suit without any drama at all, which is what most people want.
• Heavy pigment does the covering here. Famaco put roughly twice the colour into these creams that an ordinary polish carries, and on a faded red panel that density is what turns three thin coats into one. It is also why the pot lasts so long despite the strength of the colour in it.
• Carnauba brings reds up beautifully. Red leather buffs to a depth that darker colours cannot manage, and the hard wax content is what gives you that. Beeswax underneath holds the film together through the flex and shea butter keeps the leather supple in cold weather.
• Fifty millilitres of a specialist colour is a long term purchase. Nobody owns as many red shoes as brown ones, so this jar is realistically a decade of upkeep for the one or two red pairs in the house, and it will not dry out in the meantime.

How to use the Famaco Beauty Cream 327 Brick Crimson – 50ml Deep Red Leather Wax

Faded red needs the old chalky surface taken off before anything new goes on, otherwise the fresh pigment simply sits on top of the dust and comes away again on your trouser turn ups.

1. Remove the laces and stand them to one side.
2. Brush the whole upper firmly to lift the dust.
3. Sponge the panels and let them dry.
4. Take a little cream on a soft rag.
5. Apply in thin strokes along the grain.
6. Give it five minutes and buff briskly.

My tip as a shoe specialist

Slide a sheet of white paper behind the shoe while you judge how far the coverage has got. Red read against a dark worktop or a dim hallway floor always looks deeper and more even than it really is, so people stop too early and find the faded patch again in daylight. Against white you see the true strength of the colour immediately. It is the same trick a decorator uses with a paint chip, and it takes one sheet out of the printer tray.

Specifications

At a glance

• Pot size: 50ml, glass with screw lid
• Measured shade: Deep brick crimson
• Number in range: 327, rouge vif
• Formulated with: Beeswax, carnauba, shea
• Correct for: Smooth red leather uppers
• Wrong for: Suede, nubuck and patent
• Alongside you need: Cloth, brush, cotton bud
• Family: The Creme de Beaute line
• Made in and priced: France, £6.49 the pot

Frequently asked questions

My red shoes have gone pink. Will 327 fix them?

Yes, that is exactly the job it was made for. Pinkness in red leather is pigment loss rather than dirt, and a deep brick red cream puts the depth back rather than simply cleaning the surface. Expect one coat to do most of the work and a second to finish it.

Can I darken a bright red shoe with it?

You can take a bright red down towards brick with two thin coats, which many people prefer for winter. Test on the inside heel first, because the change is not easily reversed.

Will it stain my socks?

Not once it is dry and brushed. Any cream will mark if you put a shoe on ten minutes after applying it, so leave a red pair overnight where you can.

Where can I buy the Famaco Beauty Cream 327 Brick Crimson – 50ml Deep Red Leather Wax in the UK?

Order 327 straight from Shoespecialist.co.uk. Baskets above £50 travel with the postage waived, an order in by five on any weekday leaves us that afternoon, and sixty days of return time comes as standard.