March 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Where's mine? Wow! That looks absolutely magnificent. Now, unfortunately just looking at it has inflamed my pancreas and set off a high sugar alert.....but I'm ok with that.

 

It's after midnight so here's my plan for March. I'm going to continue working with Stirling, Soap Commander and Route 66 soaps. My goal is to figure out which one is my favorite of those three. It may be a tough pick. Not that I'm not going to keep them all around, I'd just like to get an idea which might be the number one choice for me. In addition, I'll compare back to MWF and Tabac as well as a few others.

In order to best assess how protective and slick the soaps are I'm upping the ante by using the Fatip and New LC for some of the shaves. For the majority of the shaves, though, well I'll just leave this here.

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+1 cardiologist loves you.

 

March 1, 2017​

AlumiGoose V1 with Triad SS​

Feather Pro (4)​

Rudy Vey Rover with TGN Finest​

Reef Point Dragon’s Blood​

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif]The first shave of March and a continuation of the week using the AlumiGoose, RV Rover and Dragon's Blood. The shave this morning was a repeat of the previous shaves this week; smooth, close and drama free. The AlumiGoose V1 is more efficient than my Mongoose B2 and delivers a superior shave but requires a lighter touch. I finished up the shave with a splash of Fine Fresh Vetiver. I hope everyone has a great Wednesday. [/FONT]

 

Great start to March Mark.

 

Your off to an excellent March Clint.

 

Thanks for the excellent month of February thread Neal.
My rule for March will be my SE razors and the Kai Captain Titan Mild blade. I'll stay with the same combination of razor, brush, soap and aftershave for a week.

 

Beautiful, Clint!

 

Thank you both. Just waiting to start physical therapy.



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All I can say is not fair. I can't anything close to that here.

 

Thank you and everyone else! You guys are the ones who keep it growing!

 

March 1 - Astra Strikes Back!!

Razor #1 - Merkur 34C HD
Astra SP Day 2
The Phoenix Brush
Homemade PSO
Stirling Baxter Street
Alum
Thayer's WH
Styptic pencil!!!
Nivea PSB

Lather was Excellent today. The Phoenix did a great job. Baxter Street is on the must buy list. It is on the cologne side and just smells awesome. I think the posted description was dead on. "A fresh and masculine blend of Juniper, Bergamot, Jasmine, and Patchouli.". Excellent mixture of scents. Lather was thick, rich, shiny and slick. the brush lathered nicely and had a soft touch to it. I really liked it. I could see why some prefer a deeper set brush with a VS knot but I do find it a pleasurable and fully functioning brush. The lather was all I could want. How could a shave start any better. I knew I was going to have a great shave, or so I thought....

Did a 3 pass shave. On the XTG, I had some bad form. I, like an idiot, decided to try J hooking... On My Upper LIP!!! Before my brain caught the mistake, Astra Bit ME ON THE LIP!!! Nice clean 4mm vertical cut on the upper lip. Sometimes you only learn the hard way. Bled and bled well. Finished the XTG and ATG. Result was a DFS+ with BBS on 95% so the Astra SP did better today. I did a cold water rinse which helped.

Alum to the rescue! Alum deodorant stick followed by styptic pencil stopped the bleeding. The stick was enough but I figured a follow up wouldn't hurt. Alum started rather bright and slightly biting but quickly cooled. The Astra SP, to me, was like a sharper Derby Extra. It just glides quietly. I did find either a heavier razor or a near bottom of the handle hold gives just about the perfect amount of pressure with the Astra. To me, if you like to choke up on the handle, you might find yourself applying pressure. I would be very happy with an Astra SP shave going forward. Will need to see how long a blades lasts to see if it dethrones the Voskhods.

Still waiting for the Fendrihan to arrive so I will see if I grab the Fatboy tomorrow or just postpone the mixing of razors until the Scientist comes in. Barbicide is at the ready so it can be put into the rotation quickly.

Tomorrow, I will return with a Jedi shave!!!

Happy Ash Wednesday everyone!!!

 

Damn that looks good!

 

I started my own 30 day focus a week ago. I decided that I would finally learn how to shave with a straight. I plan to keep the same brush and lather, although I may change blades in the middle of this in order to try out something new. Today was day 7.


Day 7 of 30 days of straights

Three good passes today, all with the appropriate angle on the blade. I did get a light cut on the ATG pass, but nothing serious, mainly because I counted the cuts on my face and they total 9. I am guessing this means I don't quite have the technique down. Still, it was a closer and more comfortable shave than yesterday. Any improvement is good.

DIY Pre-shave Oil
MDC Face Lathered
30mm High Mountain White set an extra 10mm deep
3 passes, WTG, XTG, ATG
6/8 round toe straight

 

1 March 2017 I'm Baaaack, Hump Daaaay Blade/Focus Shave
Continuing the blade audition for the Parker 99r. Today Trumper's GFT is up. Paired it with Canoe A/S. The 10098 did it's thing as usual. I'm so glad I bought this brush. It does soaps and creams with equal ease. The Voskhod continues to excel in weekday stubble removal. On Friday, this particular Focus will be over and I will be shifting my flag to the SOTD thread....at least until my Travel Razor arrives from Japan at which time I'll Be Back to find which blade will be mowing down my stubble. Have a great Hump Day!

 

I won't be able to start my March focus until I gat back home on Friday. I plan on just shaving with straights that I have honed myself this month, in order to work on my honing skills. Today you get to suffer through another travel SOTD pic. Today is 67 days in a row with a straight. I have an unused Chinese safety razor at home that was PIFed to me by @stingraysrock that I want to try out, so I will break the run this weekend. Have fun this month!
Travel SOTD
TSD Iced Florida Water Shave Stick
AoS Pure Badger Brush
Wade and Butcher Frame Back Razor
Mennen Skin Bracer After Shave
Happy Wednesday!

 

You may be traveling but the pic still looks Maaavelous!

 

March 1

Gillette Fat Boy
Astra SP (2)
Semogue Owners Club Two-band Finest
Soap Commander Love
Alum, Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Pinaud Clubman



Two passes for a great shave this morning. Here, you can see the modest bloom and density of the Semogue brush after a few weeks of use. It's a very capable moderately-sized brush. It was a gift from a dear friend and former coworker located in Houston who recently visited West Coast Shaving. I included my Kent comb to give Jared more buying ideas and also one of my trusty Robert Becker lather scuttles.

The Chubby 2 is marinating with a coating of lather. I'll repeat this process over the next few days until the odor is gone. My first impression is that the Super Badger hairs form an extremely tight knot with soft tips and strong backbone. Pretty much what I expected based on the many reviews I've read. I look forward to getting it into the rotation.

I look forward to riding along with everyone for the March focus. A big thanks to Neal for leading the charge once again. My plans are to deploy my Chubby 2 once defunked and complete a mini focus using my travel shave kit later this month. When (if) my Voskies show up, I'll give them a go as well.

Enjoy your day!

 

Very nice Clint!

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Thank you Andrew.