# Celeste Dettaglio vs. Zymol Glasur - Boutique Wax Shootout Part 1



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Following the Hybrid LSP test, we have now decided to test two waxes from the boutique ranges in a head to head on an every day car to assess looks, water behaviour, durability and general application, feel etc of the wax. Unlike the Hyrbid test, I will name the products from the off and give my own thoughts but please post up with your own views and discussion as well here and as the test progresses.

First of all, we have Zymol Glasur. In the circa £100 bracket, it has a reputation for being _the_ wax to use and this reputation is well deserved for its record for durability is strong, ease of use is good and that Zymol name will always carry the right bragging rights if that interests you. Challenging it is Chemical Guys Celeste Dettaglio - higher priced than Glasur, but with a more unique and specially for you marketing angle to it, it has also been generating a reputation for itself on the show circuit... a fitting pairing then, both fighting in the circa £100 boutique wax market.

*Cost*

A quick cost comparison at this stage:

Zymol Glasur: £99.99 for 8oz (£12.50p per oz)
Celeste Dettaglio: £119.99 for ??oz (Only website I can find that states the volume of a Celeste pot is Clean Your Car who states 6oz, which would make it circa £20 per oz, but a conversation with david g at Car Wash and Wax says it is a 10oz pot which makes it £12 per oz - anyone who knows the actual pot size could chip in so this little comparison could be made, it would be great!)

Based on what we know so far, Celeste does seem to be the more expensive of the two products here and while costs are not a big focus in boutique waxes it is worthy of note here... Looking at the pots, and comparing it to the 8oz Zymol pot, the Celeste pot is wider but nowhere near as tall (the wax filled region), so 6oz may well be the correct volume, it looks no more than 8oz to me...

*Application*

The car was washed using Megs APC at 2:1 sprayed on twice to help remove as preivous LSPs (not a recommended wash technique!!), then washed with Shampoo Plus, then cleansed using Victoria Lite Cleanse as an independent pre-wax cleanser showing no favouritism to either wax applied here... Application of both products was easy but they had a couple of key differeces which I would summarise: Glasur was easier to spread, Celeste easier to remove. Glasur has an oilier feeling texture and spreads beautifully easily and gets a thin layer with ease, where as Celeste is more solid, chalky even, in the jar which made spreading the product more difficult (not a chore, but in comparison to Glasur, it was not as easy). When removal came though, the Celeste removed with more ease than Glasur which, perhaps being more oily, showed a tendency to smear a little more.

Over applying to see how forgiving the waxes are revealed that again, Celeste was easier to remove however when over applied, the product seemed to dust and chalk which I didn't like. Glasur's tendency was to smear when over applied and needed several passes with a microfibre and then a clean one to remove properly but it showed no evidence of dusting so despite being trickier to remove, I would say I preferred its characteristics. Each to their own of course.

In summary - both waxes easy to apply and remove, Celeste being the easier to remove and Glasur being the easier to spread... in a nutshell, hard to separate here, I'd personally give the nod to Glasur.

*Looks*

Well, this will always be very subjective and in fairness, seeing the car in person I find it very hard to separate these products on looks (and separate them from less expensive products too) - looks really is all about the prep, and we are talking nuances added by waxes, and this pairing are inseperable. Some photos, please bear in mind different sides of the car exposed to subtly different lights here, but if there are differences to see, thoroughly examining the car would show them.

*Glasur on Driver's Side; Celeste on Passenger's Side.*

Celeste side:



















Glasur side:



















Perhaps, and it is hard to really say, reflections slightly sharper from Celeste here. But to judge this, let's have a look at flat panels which have more level lighting on them:










Celeste side:



















Glasur side:



















Bootlid reflection from Celeste:










Bootlid reflection from Glasur:










In terms of the clarity of the reflection, very hard to judge, perhaps slightly truer colour from the Celeste side? Though, lighting may be playing a part here too, but so far for looks the nod seems to be going by a nat's hair to Celeste.

Moving round the front of the car, different angle here:




























Celeste reflection on bonnet:










Glasur reflection on bonnet:










From a distance, there seems little if any difference and close up at the front the differences seem more down to different lighting: on the raised bonnet section there is no difference to be seen, on the lower section you get a difference reflection from both sides of the street. Picking one, the nod would go to Celeste so far by a nat's hair for perhaps slightly truer colour in the reflections, but given the lighting it is hard to say whether this is the wax or the lighting that is the cause here.

One more set of pics, back to the rear of the car:










Celeste on the left, Glasur on the right, my arm crossing the middle of the boot - any differences in clairty, colour depth etc...?



















I would say here that the difference are nigh on impossible to spot and as such these products pretty much insepearable in looks. If I was pushed to choose a "best" here, I would give the nod (only just!) to Celeste for perhaps slightly truer colour in the reflections but it is hard to say if this is a real effect or just down to the lighting on the day. Ultimately though, there is no tenable difference that can be seen.

*Water Behaviour*

On application water behaviour here, and this will be monitored over the course of the time spent on the car and used as one indicator of durability of the products.

Starting with Celeste here: video showing the beading, as the beads grow to maximum size for the panel and then run off:






The beads:



















And onto Glasur, video of the Glasur beads:






and the beads:



















On beading alone, both waxes are again very hard to separate, with perhaps the nod being given to Glasur for slightly tighter and higher beading and beads running at smaller size than the Celeste...

Comparing the sheeting:






Again, the products are pretty much insepearable and here I would say that the sheeting is pretty much identical for both so no winner in any direction!

The rain the following day allowed more looks at the beading...










Celeste:





































Glasur:





































Again, I would suggest that Glasur has slightly tighter beading and a faster run off of the water allowing smaller beads only to form. Both are very tight, but for me, the edge on water behaviour here would go to Glasur.

*Image and Feel*

One of the big things with the boutique waxes is their image and the way they make you feel when you buy them, and apply them - that feeling of applying something special to your car. This will be very personal, so I can only give my thoughts and opinions here so far... Glasur has one big advantage here and that is Zymol - the Zymol name still carries the cache, the ultimate in car care for waxes and is widely recognised both inside and outside the world of detailing. By contrast, Chemical Guys as a brand does not carry such a weight, and outside the world of detailing is barely recognised and as such in terms of pure image, Glasur has the bigger bragging rights. However, Celeste has something up its sleeve - for detailers, it does feel (to me) made for us, by a detailer for a detailer and as such it has the edge in the feeling of something special made for you and your car. It cannot compete on bragging rights with Zymol, but it can deliver the feeling of being special and makes Glasur feel slightly mass-market. A hard one to really pick a winner here as it will be so personal to different people, but if all out image is what you are looking for then Zymol will win it hands down. If it is a special made for you feel, Celeste will take the crown over Glasur. If you don't car (and frankly, I don't because I drive a Volvo because its comfy and don't give a monkey's toosh about image), then this whole paragraph is irrelevant! :lol:

*Conclusion*

Well, the test is just starting so I can't possibly name my personal choice at this stage, but so far my thoughts are: Glasur, in terms of application and water behaviour has a very slight edge and on the image front, has the bragging rights well and truly nailed; Celeste arguably presents a very slight looks advantage (debateable and needs further assessment throughout the early stages of the test  ), is easier to remove but rather chalky on over application and has a slightly less mass-market feel. In truth, these waxes are damn hard to separate apart from possibly cost where Glasur hammers its biggest advantage home (though we'll wait until the Celeste pot sized is comfirmed! :lol. If the looks edge is genuine and not an effect of the light, then this is a big plus to Celeste which will tip the test towards it before anything else is considered for some but I would be keen to see if this is true or an effect of the light, and if it is true, how long the looks advantage lasts.

Summarising - right now, I can't genuinely separate these waxes and if it was my money, I wouldn't know where to put it until I see how they fare in terms of durability. I very highly rate Glasur which shows how good Celeste is to be pushing it so hard! I'm looking forward to this test as it progresses :thumb:


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## chrisc (Jun 15, 2008)

Can tell some one as school holidays off dave:lol:
Do a cheap wax test for us poor north people:thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Back to school next week, Chris... and there are several 50/50 wax tests I have got planned and the next on will likely not involve waxes above £20


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## msb (Dec 20, 2009)

Exellent write up, personally i am if favor of glasur but thats because its what im using currently. It will be interesting how the test of time goes with these two though


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## chillly (Jun 25, 2009)

Looking forward to this one. enjoyed the last one to Dave. Please dont rush this one Dave as i want to sell my waxes before they plumit Well i say all, except my colly


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## Mr Face (Jan 22, 2009)

Hi Dave, which ever way you cut it, OY55 looks gorgeous and I would say any wax fridge would be happy to celebrate either or both brands :thumb: 

Durability will be interesting with only one coat, but Im betting it will be some time after half term  (do you think you can keep your mitts off it until then?) 

All the best fella, loving the new mojo :thumb:


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## E38_ross (May 10, 2010)

thanks for doing another detailed review, it's' good to read. i'm hoping someone here can explain why people enjoy expensive waxes so much. you said yourself than most of the looks is down to finish, so (other than perhaps application of the product) what do these £100+ waxes offer over a tin of colllinite which, for the same amount, is what about 20% the price. i've not got any boutique waxes as i soon got into the nano sealants. C1 is in use now and will be topped up with C2 after 4 months....car hasn't been washed for 3 months but the side panels/doors etc are still beading like a freshly applied wax! the bonnet, roof and boot don't bead well because they are covered in dust but you still get some sheeting and water still doesn't like to be on there.

thanks.


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## Paddy_R (Jan 10, 2007)

Good test this, look forward to the updates. On a side note though I have to say I hate seeing the national identifier stickers on paintwork esp when there is one on the numberplate, just no need.


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Celeste is a great product. I paid it a revisit as I didnt give it enough chance first time round. Found it to be more along the lines of a hard wax variant which showed when applying as hard waxes sometimes have a slight tendency to feel like dragging. Removal is usually easy however I did have an issue on a black Lamborghini where it seemed to cure extremely quickly ( to be expected on black cars in hot sun ) Other issue I had was it out gassing even after a wipe over with V7 after first removal. Nothing that couldnt be sorted with a light wipe over again but was an issue that did arise at the time and not what I would of expected however in a whole, cracking product and sheeting is mustard with very little drying needed afterwards. Nice review Dave and good to see an overseen brand givng bigger guns a run for there money.


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## athol (Oct 3, 2009)

Ooh, I'll be watching this..personally hoping Celeste wins it.


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## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

Thanks Dave , a nice write up and test.
On a couple of notes When testing Celeste or the variations of it lets say before we came to the final product over application even by me was evident and something i was aware of from an early stage , as a wax it really does like to be applied very very finely using a small amount , lets say Celeste will work a large area with little on a pad , this is the biggest thing ive read and something ive showed people on one to ones how to apply but overapplication is always a problem on all waxes and if used correctly the same with Glasur then there are no issues. I am not for a minute saying it has been over applied at all its just something i thought would be worth highlighting when using this wax for the first time or any wax to be honest. This obviously applies to all waxes but i believe alot of people like to see a wax visibly on the panel whereas sometimes the translucence of a product means it may actually be on the panel and applied correctly but not evident unless maybe altering the angle you look at it , you would know what i mean for sure.
As you know the visual aspect of the wax was paramount to me , durability wasnt something i highlighted as massively important because as ive said before im a believer that anybody who is prepared to spend over £60 £70 will want to use it , they will enjoy doing their car and will most probably enjoy waxing once a month , most of the showcars i prepare and the owners who use the wax are in this catergory so the emphasis for me was visual first , durability second.
From your personal findings thus far if celeste in your opinion is punching its weight against undoubtebly one of the best waxes on the market then i cant complain , Zymol are a huge company , respected in what they do and produce some fantastic products , it therefore shows how far ChemicalGuys have come as a companyand the direction they are going , there may be more Celeste based products in the pipeline?
For me personally the rest of the test is irrelevant because it has given me the result im after already , for sure some people will undoubtedly want to know the durablity , some of my customers cars have done a duration im happy with but your conditions up there are obviously different to sunny skies and mild cloud down here , lets see what happens.
Thanks for taking the time to do this , its nice to see something different like Celeste compared to one of the big guns in the wax bunker.


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## wedgie (Apr 5, 2008)

Looking forward to watching this to the end dave :thumb::thumb:


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## wedgie (Apr 5, 2008)

Marc, i know you say that durability wasn't a major concern during development of celest, but do you think adding extra layers would improve this?


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

I did request the test Dave and you did indeed deliver! :lol:

What can I say, i've owned both waxes, I actually owned both at the same time at one point.

You really have mentioned everything I thought regarding the wax. 

Marc can I just mention it's not always about the durability per se' more about whether the oils in the waxes wash off after 1 or 2 washes and not 6 months. So not durability as we know it.

I actually found Celeste to be a little more durable than Glasur over 3 months. The only thing that I really didn't like was it's hard nature. They really really missed a trick with that.

Gordon showed me an early Celeste version and it was like butter... that's how it should have stayed. 

I waxed a bonnet and 2 wings with one swipe of glasur only the other week it was like butter, beautiful experience of waxing and the epitomy of what I would call "the special feeling" of applying boutique waxes compared with cheaper ones.

In my own findings? Gassing kinda wasted my experience with both waxes, and in the years i've been detailing I now know how to apply thin layers of wax and correctly. The fact Zymol admit gassing (second buff) rules out user error.

It is in essence an "old school" wax though. Gassing is just something I suppose you can put up with.

My only problem with this is, 12 hours after waxing, my car is guaranteed to have some light dust on it so a second buff can be a lot of hassle.

Truth be told I can actually forgive Glasur for it's gassing because it is to this day the finest wax i've had the pleasure of using. I just wish it maybe had the curing and less gassing ala Swissvax because I love the brand over SV.

It says a lot that the day after selling my Glasur, I regretted it. I was straight on the net looking at used pots and new pots as the one I had had no bag or certificate.

Thanks for doing the test Dave. I find Celeste so similar in beading and sheeting to Glasur with Glasur having the edge on the sheeting.

Keep up the good work and apologies for the rambling! :lol:


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

wedgie said:


> Marc, i know you say that durability wasn't a major concern during development of celest, but do you think adding extra layers would improve this?


I found extra layers enhanced the looks, maybe using the oils and maybe placebo. But imo it did!


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## wedgie (Apr 5, 2008)

gally said:


> I found extra layers enhanced the looks, maybe using the oils and maybe placebo. But imo it did!


Thanks mate :thumb::thumb:


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## adlem (Jul 6, 2008)

Thanks for this Dave - two waxes that I would love to own and it's doing my swede in deciding which one to go for when funds allow


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Thanks all, and I hope this test proves interesting for all those that follow it... I'm perhaps going to double layer the products, if the weather is kind on Sunday adding a second layer and then this gives durability a possible boost for both, and also looks a possible boost for both - worthwhile to add to the test, but weather permitting. If it is chucking it down on Sunday, it will be a one-layer test 

As intimated in the first post, for some this will be the only relevant post of the test - the initial looks, and how the wax feels on initial application and this is of course fair enough if the looks and looks alone were priority for the wax. For me, there's more to an LSP and I look for more factors, and durability and water behaviour are two of them, and if a wax has sacrificed durability for looks then the looks must be something really special if that makes sense to compensate - in my personal opinion of course, and we are all different. If a wax can do both - add to the looks and last with great water behaviour, then we have the holy grail rather than sacrificing one for t'other. But again, it is all in the remits of the products and all part of the story.

Why would you buy a boutique wax? Loads of reasons - that special feeling, and some of them are actually pretty durable. Nano sealants do have a durability edge, arguably, though I'd like to see the 12 months etc claims really put through their paces on a hard worked car without being topped with any regenerating products. My issue with very high durability though, my car needs claying after about six months - tar, tree sap, other detritus sticking to the paint, so at this stage, how does the nano sealant last - does it survive the claying and decontamination the car needs? I doubt it will guard against the contamination, so can it survive through being decontaminted or is it that I would never see the full durability because my car needs to be clayed etc before the LSP has run its course... in which case, the durability is sort of pointless beyond a certain point. Having said that, there is a nice feeling to know that although you wont use the full 12 months (say), the product can protect for that long if you want it to. Good old waxes have their appeal for traditionalists too, and they do in my eyes to a very good job for water behaviour and protecting the hard work of polishing and I enjoy applying wax rather than the more clinical experience of the nano sealants... again, a very personal thing.

Will keep the test updated :thumb:


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Dave KG said:


> Back to school next week, Chris... and there are several 50/50 wax tests I have got planned and the next on will likely not involve waxes above £20


you MUST include vic's concours!


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

type[r]+ said:


> you MUST include vic's concours!


I was thinking of having a Concours shoot out - Vics Concours vs. Zymol Concours on a car. Just need the car, and I think a friend's Corsa will be the choice once the Onyx test is complete


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Dave KG said:


> I was thinking of having a Concours shoot out - Vics Concours vs. Zymol Concours on a car. Just need the car, and I think a friend's Corsa will be the choice once the Onyx test is complete


That would be great! You might want to consider P21S/R222 concours as well!


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## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Great test Dave, will be watching this one with interest :thumb:


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## Tom_watts (May 2, 2010)

Great write up.Tempted to order some celeste


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Updating this - both waxes are on the car in two layers now, second layer applied last Sunday... will update the next time the car is washed


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## nuberlis (Aug 23, 2011)

nice thread!very intresting test.:thumb:


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## MAXI-MILAN (Oct 26, 2008)

Excellent write up :thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Updated thread will go up this week of the results of the products after a wash at 2 weeks after application - both are pretty much neck and neck, with perhaps Glasur having the edge in water behaviour with faster sheeting now, Celeste having dropped back just slightly. Both going strong though, as you'd expect at this stage.


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

I love watching the water run down the side of my car due to the two coats of Glasur


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## dwmc (Jun 6, 2010)

keep up the good work Dave and heres hoping the test runs for a while to show the difference between these waxes in your trusted unbias test :thumb:


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## silverback (Jun 18, 2008)

any updates Dave ? im waiting on my tub of glasur to arrive


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Both waxes are still on my car, I've not had a chance to wash it for a while so they are getting a serious durability test just now... you can see a clear difference between both sides: flat beads and pooling on Celeste side, but still beading on the Glasur side. Need to see what like after a wash - when time allows


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Great test Dave, i have a feeling glasur will win this, its a class wax for the money.


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## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Only just saw this Dave, great test its DW of old. 

I like zymol's slightly more glass light appearance however you lose the true colours and zymol is very oily which I feel great for solid dark colour cars. 

Great test.


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## Posambique (Oct 20, 2010)

Thanks Dave, really looking forward to the results of this test. 
A trip to USA is coming next summer, and Zymöl is cheaper there, so... Maybe...


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## Saqib200 (May 13, 2008)

Dave - any updates to this please?


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

Suprise the celeste didn,t last that long. Most review state 6 months durability!


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

I was told folk were looking for an update on this... if anything this test became one of the most real world detailing tests I have done, as when the job started, the car was neglected and not washed in some time and only one wax was still standing 4 months down the line and that was Glasur.

6 months durability - well, not from the version of Celleste that I had, more like 6 weeks in a fair wind. But then, it was mentioned that this was not marketed on durability.

About all I can really say to add to this - Glasur was the most durable by a notable margin on my car in the conditions it was subjected to... It remains a case of you pays your money of course, and I've said before Glasur is the only boutique wax I'd ever buy again. Celleste at the outset showed it may tempt me away, but living with them both, I'd still plump for Glasur owing to the better durability that I saw from it personally.


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

thanks a lot! Very informative.

I actually both of them but the V2 and also ITAL. I will see what I do found on my own test.

Do you get sweat or gaz when applying Glasur?


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## silverback (Jun 18, 2008)

Je adore glasur. In your face craig QQ :lol:


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## Saqib200 (May 13, 2008)

Thanks Dave, very informative. Yes Glasur is one of my favourites.

I bought Swisswax BoS afterwards and for me it looks great, but when it comes down to longevevity and water behaviour it just doesn't stand up against Glasur.


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

silverback said:


> Je adore glasur. In your face craig QQ :lol:


You mean.. J'ADORE la cire Glasur! :thumb:


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## Blumenmaus (Feb 1, 2012)

I've just bought a pot of Glasur.................

But not used it yet. I'm going to buy Detaglio too.


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## silverback (Jun 18, 2008)

frankiman said:


> You mean.. J'ADORE la cire Glasur! :thumb:


christ knows,im not bloody french am i :lol:


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## Blumenmaus (Feb 1, 2012)

silverback said:


> christ knows,im not bloody french am i :lol:


Je ne c'est pas. Est ce que vous?


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

HAHA lots of french on the board?


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## silverback (Jun 18, 2008)

Blumenmaus said:


> Je ne c'est pas. Est ce que vous?


isnt that a kylie minogue song ? :lol:


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## Blumenmaus (Feb 1, 2012)

silverback said:


> isnt that a kylie minogue song ? :lol:


No idea - is it?


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## skorpios (Sep 11, 2011)

Blumenmaus said:


> Je ne c'est pas. Est ce que vous?


You probably mean "Je ne sais pas"


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

^^^christina agulara if that's how you spell it :lol: can see where you got it from though : lol:


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