I do! I wet the tips, dip it into the tub and swirl a bit to load the brush and then go to the face. Works like a charm and keeps the mess off your hands.dip your brush in it my fellow? every tub ive opened in the store has always been, firm, like lard.
I totally agree fancontrollerI used Noxzema cleansing cream as a pre-shave this morning. I use it like Proraso pre-shave and think it has a similar effect to soften the skin/bristles, prevents my face drying out while preparing lather etc and provides a more comfortable shave.
It's very cheap and you get a massive tub of the stuff but it doesn't half pong. If the stink doesn't interfere with your lather then no probs but I don't use it with posh-soaps for that reason.