SAPHIRMen's Shoe Treatment

It should be obvious if this is the first time you’ve ever used a polishing creme, that this is not your typical shoe “polish”. The familiar Kiwi shoe polishes are a “wax”. This Saphir product is a superior polishing “crème” . It’s supposed to have the consistency of facial creme and not at all like a hard Kiwi wax polish. What some of the more negative comments I read were implying was that they never used this product before. And so this polish didn’t meet their expectations very well. (one commenter even said she had better results when she “painted” her expensive Italian flats. Huh ? I’m assuming she meant a couple good coats of Krylon spray paint ??I taught myself from an early age what I know about shoe care. Putting the effort into making shoes look nice was just something that gentlemen did back in those days. We didn’t have internet/You Tube videos, and so you taught yourself and learned by trial and error.One word that can’t be stressed enough is preparation. The other thing to mention is that no matter how you apply it, if you bought those pair of shoes that weren’t all that expensive to start out with, don’t get your expectations up where you think some kind of miracle will take place. Keep in mind that even with a pair of shoes where the manufacturer makes the claim to have used a premium full grain leather, the job when using this product on the leather may actually turn out quite well.One thing that needs to done first is to inspect the leather before just whipping out a jar and rubbing it in. The leather very well may have had a plastic shell coating applied to it by the manufacturer. This crème is not designed to penetrate into the leather through that barrier. Once again, preparation is the key.[Tip] Choose a color that is just slightly a lighter shade than the original color if you’re trying to match the original color. You can always make the shade darker by starting with a lighter shade but you won’t be able to go in reverse. i.e, starting with a darker shade and trying to make the shade become lighter.Once I inspected the leather, this is how I touched up the scuffs and marks on the toe boxes. I just used this crème to touch up the toe boxes on a fairly inexpensive pair of Sperry Gold Cup boat shoes. I say fairly inexpensive even though Sperry elevates their Gold Cup as their top of their line.Since I inspected the leather from the day they were first purchased, it was obvious that what was applied was a coating of “plastic” over the leather. That coating made them shine like glass which boat shoes don’t typically do. And so the first step was to remove that coating from the toe boxes using Saddle soap. I didn’t buy Saphir’s products to do this step because I knew by experience it could be removed with what I had on hand. After many short steps of scrubbing, being careful not to saturate the leather or allow it to dry, it appeared I had removed all of the coating. I wouldn’t know for certain though until I had let them dry overnight.After the next day when they had completely dried, I had been successful in removing all of the coating the day before. The next step was to apply a small amount of Saphir Renovateur using just tiny dabs to rub in and nourish the leather. Once the crème replenished the leather back to the state from before the leather had all the moisture taken out by the saddle soap, I allowed them to air for awhile.Then I sparingly applied the polish crème using a cotton cloth using “tiny dabs” at a time. I applied the first coat, allowed it to dry a hour, then brushed with horsehair. I repeated it for a total of three coats. The trick to not end up with a splotchy appearance. You need to apply tiny amounts at a time spreading out each amount applied. It does take time doing it this way.Once satisfied with the appearance, I topped off the coats of crème polish with a single light coat of Saphir Pate de Luxe neutral (clear). After allowing it to dry, I brushed with horsehair to bring out a sheen to match the rest of the shoe. I was very satisfied with the results. There should every reason anyone can achieve highly satisfactory results with any of the Beaute De Cuir colors on closed grain leather.

Bought for a pair of green Red Wings. If you get a scuff or nick, the pigment in the shoe cream covers it. Very effective. Great on leather.

Ordered this for my husband (and his shoes) and he likes it. Says it works great and made his beat up shoes look much better. He worked as a shoe shiner in his uncle's barbershop when you was a kid, so he knows what a good polish looks like!

Seemed to shine my boots better than the Kiwi shoe polish

This shoe polish is effective at restoring shine and providing a protective layer, but it dries up quickly if left in the container for too long. While it works well when freshly applied, you'll need to ensure the lid is tightly sealed after each use to prevent it from becoming too thick or unusable. It's a solid choice for maintaining your shoes, but the drying issue can be frustrating.

Beautiful color

Your fine leather shoes deserve SAPHIR care. SAPHIR cleaners, conditioners, polishes, and creams are simply the VERY BEST! Well worth the price for taking care of your valuable leather items. Available for all types of leather in a variety of colors. Highly recommended.

Great product, nice finish