December 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Friday, December 9.......



-Colonial General
-Chubby 2 Synthetic
-Stubble Trubble Pirate Cowboy soap
-British Sterling AS

 

Great set up Jared!

 

Thank you, Mark. I am having kind of a stupid amount of fun with these pictures.

 

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Simpson Chubby 2 Synthetic "Los Tres Amigos Dos"
Route 66 Cranberry Citrus - Christmas gift from @wristwatchb
Blackland Blackbird
Polsilver #2
Folsom & Co. Capri


I was included on (@wristwatchb) Charlie’s TSD Christmas List. The elves sent me the luscious scented Route 66 Cranberry Citrus. I am thankful for both his camaraderie, as well as his generosity and Christmas Spirit. The scent is wonderful. Kathleen picked a real winner. The CH2 Synthetic easily whipped up that famous Route 66 lather for three full passes. The Blackbird made quick work of my whiskers, leaving me orca smooth with a near BBS. Topped of this shave with a generous splash of Folsom & Co.’s Capri. Have a great Saturday everyone.

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Well, what about the Clubman????????? -

 

Day 4 with AoS and another Decadent December Shave.

I used the scuttle and tea kettle but I did not apply as much heat as yesterday. The Simpson Chubby likes working with AoS tallow and blooming the soap with boiling water seemed to make every thing just a little bit better. Up today is a Jerry Stark straight.

The lather was just perfect, the edge sharp and the shave without blood and zero irritation. 4 passes and my face is smoooooooth.

 

It is worth an obligatory mention but not a discussion?

 

Now that one tops all! Would you are to tell us that background is?

 

ah, fair enough.

 

Hours later it lingers. I'm not shy with it. A splash for my face, then another because I like it. After applying it to my cheeks, chin, and neck I run my hands through what's left of my hair. A quick combing and I put on a ball cap.
It's an AS/cologne I wear because I like it. Should anyone be offended, they can stand further away.
This reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my 5-3/4 year old granddaughters. I allowed Melody to choose my shave set up while visiting during the Thanksgiving holiday. The first shave was Florida Water soap and AS. So the second she allowed Arko and Clubman S.E. After I had finished under her curious gaze, I applied AS to my face and dried my hands by running them through my hair. Pulled out my pocket comb and straightened my hair. As I was running the comb over the top of my head she got a quizzical look. I asked what was wrong. "Why are you combing up there Pawpaw?" I told her I was combing my 'air.

 

Nah, I was just making fun.

 

Not much info on a couple vendors sites. I get the Pirate - Bay Rum. What's the Cowboy angle?

(I found the Esty site. And the Cowboy scent is Sandlewood)

 

Well, well, well. It must be the season because a couple of things showed up today that I wasn't expecting. I had ordered a sample pack of shavette blades from Jason at tryablade.com and, in his usual style, they arrived as expected only with one addition - a tuck of Voskhod. Nice! He's always treated me great and thanks to him I've always had blades from all over the world to try. Thanks and Happy Holidays to him! Here's a preview of a future focus along with the world's best blades he sent!

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And.....one more showed up today. I was thinking it was the puck of Tabac I ordered off of the bay earlier this week. However, feeling it through the package I could tell it wasn't that. Opened it up and........

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Now, I have not ordered any soap other than the Tabac. Did they somehow ship the wrong thing? No, not from that vendor. Oh wait.....there's a label I just peeled off without really reading it since it was a Christmas message but also solves the mystery. Well whattaya know.....the danger man himself is behind this. @wristwatchb ! And.....he even knew which one to send me just based on name alone! What a great surprise after a rather long and boring day. Thanks Charlie!!! And in your honor I'll use it tonight for my shave.

 

Decadent December!!

December 9


Razor - Fatip Piccolo
Blade - (2)
Soap - Route 66 Sweeney Todd
Brush - Semogue 620
Post - Alum

After the arrival of the Route 66 Sweeney Todd today, courtesy of @wristwatchb I knew I had to give it a shot. I've never tried any of the Route 66 soaps yet and part of that is my own bit of snobbery. That and the fact I have never had a SAD. Well, not a serious one anyway. Arko is fantastic at lathering so there's the low end covered. The Fat and Tabac? Work great and I love both scents. High end covered in my world. Anything else just falls in the middle and i'm good with that. So, yes, I tend to turn my nose up a tad when I see something take off and become hugely popular. I tend to avoid fads too, even if they really aren't one. So, a gift of Sweeney Todd (and what a perfect choice for my history around here) is the perfect opportunity to join in and give it a shot.

I stayed with the Fatip and day two on the Swede. Perfect result yesterday (with the Fat) so this will be a good test. I grabbed the Semogue as I know it will be the most aggressive weapon to attack this soap.

The soap is harder than I thought it would be and that's good. I prefer solid soaps to croaps. The Semogue had no difficulty with it at all. I kept trying to work out the scent. I love how subtle the scent is. Enough so that it draws your attention but it doesn't overpower anything. I face lathered one of the easiest and quickest lathers I've had. Seriously, this is as easy as Arko (yes, I know many of you are saying....DUH! we KNOW!). And the slickness and cushion. Fantastic. Great feel.

Two passes with the Swede and the Fatip and I again had the baby. Alum was quiet. Great protection from the soap and great shave overall! The only other comment about the soap is that it overtakes a couple of other lanolin based soaps I have used. The Fat is, to me, the gold standard of lanolin soap, and Route 66 is as close as you can get without putting it in a porcelain bowl and speaking with a British accent. I think I may have found one more soap to add to my permanent collection!

And....final comment.....how much more decadent can you get than that shave eh? Perfect for this December.

 

I love Route 66 Sweeny Todd. The scent is supposed to be blood orange, appropriately enough. I used it last night to try out a new shavette I picked up to see what the buzz was about.

 

Decadent December 2016 - Day 9

Charlie Danger Edition™ - now with Lilac Vegetal!



1959 Gillette 195 Adjustable (Dial 9)
Feather Hi-Stainless
L'Occitane Plisson Synthetic
Route 66 - Bourbon Jungle
Alum
The Hero Finish

We're running out of stuff to say about Route 66. I love the stuff. Thanks Charlie! This would be my most decadent setup in terms of soap, vintage razor, and let's not forget...'Murica's finest blade. Two sweet passes, way up on the cap, yielded the DFS. Like @NCoxSTL , I face lathered R66, and it is foolproof. Arko easy is an apt description, but in a lanolin formula! The skinfeel after Route 66 is the best, and since it was a blood free day, I just skipped the Alum and rode off into the night like a hero. Charlie ( @wristwatchb )and I provide balance to the universe, our passion for Lilac Vegetal bears the same intensity, albeit in polar opposite directions. Speaking of polar, it warmed all the way to 51f for a short time on the prairies today. Other than that...all is quiet in Colorado.

Have a nice Weekend!

 

December 9, Decadent

Gillette Black Beauty ( 3 )
Schick Plus Platinum ( 12)
B+B special edition purple-handled Omega boar brush
Proraso White soap
Alum and Thayers Witch Hazel Original
Clubman VI Bay Rum splash

Today's brush exploration put the Omega boar in the arena. I found it much easier to whip up a good lather with than yesterday's EJ Super Badger. Almost like using a slightly better grade version of my old drugstore brush. Which, come to think of it, probably finally answers for me the question of whether the old brush is badger or badger-dyed boar...

The shave was uneventful, apart from the Gillette being surprisingly aggressive for most of the first pass, until I remembered to check the handle and lock it down the final quarter-turn. After that, things were much more comfortable for the rest of the shave. Despite the tiny little operator's faux pas, however, I finished with no nicks, no weepers, no irritation and totally quiet alum. I used the post-shave products just because and not from any real need.

With the weather a balmy -20C here (-4F for you Americans), the extra warmth on the cheeks from the VI splash felt quite welcome.

Tomorrow, I will try the EJ Super Badger again but with my old TOBS Avocado croap since I now have that soap dialled in. I am also curious to see how many shaves this Schick blade is going to go as it still seems sharp and smooth after 12.

 

December 10, 2016
Mongoose B2 with Triad Ti
Feather Super Pro (10)
Simpson CH 2 Synthetic
Route 66 Bay Lime Twist
Witch Hazel
Folsom & Co Capri

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I too was a recipient of Charlie's @wristwatchb generosity and Christmas Spirit with an truly unexpected gift of Route 66 Bay Lime Twist. The scent is a very bright take on traditional Bay. I enjoyed the lime front note and was pleased to find the scent rounded out with other citrus notes as well. Citrus scented soaps are always a favorite with me and I can tell I will truly enjoy Bay Lime Twist. Thank you again Charlie. As expected the CH2 Synthetic easily whipped the Bay Lime Twist into a wonderful slick lather. The two pass shave followed by minimal touch ups ended in a near BBS. I finished up the shave with a slash of F&C Capri. I hope everyone has a fantastic Saturday.

 

Enjoy the Route 66, Neal! I'll be interested to see how you like it. It is definitely one of my favorites. Kathleen picked out the scent just for you, my friend.

I'll be doubly honored if you try it with Murica's best blade sometime.

 

Neal, I'm glad you like the Route 66 soap! That was one of the best reviews I've read about it's performance. Nice job, and congrats on catching the детка!