SoS: March 20, 2017 - March 26, 2017

Today's shave
Hot water wash with a washcloth
FS Silvertip
Bombed Route 66 Bourbon Jungle
George Wostenholm celebrated IXL 6/8 half hollow barber's notch
Pinaud Special Reserve
(Victory lap with yesterday's fatboy)
Today's shave was nice. I've had a run of DE's, a return to straights was in order. But with a little intrepidation. Route 66 provided perfect lather, the FS silvertip applied the slickness nicely. Two quiet passes, i felt nicely shaved. I performed my final pass with yesterday's razor. I found very little hair and a lot of smooth skin. I finished with a rub of alum, then a wash of reserve (that's a manly concoction, like a leather jacket on my face).
Hope y'all did as well, or better.

 

Mickey Lee Soapworks The Drunken Goat
Wolf Whiskers Brush
Koraat Razor
Lucky Tiger
Florida Water After Shave
Have a great weekend!

 

Day 30 of 30 days of straights

I had a good shave today, at least a DFS. This finishes 30 days of learning straights. After 30 days, I am still cutting myself on a regular basis and my face looks like a cheese grater attacked it. But, I have managed to get decent shaves almost every day. Focusing on one thing really does make a difference. What's next? Well, I have 3 new Henckel razors, one of which I have been using regularly. The next 30 days I will explore the differences between the three.

DIY Pre-shave Oil
ABC
30mm High Mountain White set an extra 10mm deep
3 passes, WTG, XTG, XTG
Sampsons All Natural Aftershave Balm
6/8 Round Toe Henckel 17 1/2

 

That's a fine looking suribachi, Sir!

 

Saturday

Prep: Warm Shower-Stirling Bath Soap-Scots Pine Sheep
Soap: Reef Point Submariner
Razor: Gillette Fat Boy
Blade: Vintage Personna 74 Tungsten (1)
Brush: Honey Farm Designs/TGN Premium Silvertip-24mmx50mm
Aftershave: Reef Point Submariner

WTG-XTG-ATG (adjusted angles for my beard)

Reef Point Submariner today. 20 seconds to load the HFD/TGN Silvertip. Easy, thick, slick, lather. I loaded a new Personna 74 Tungsten in the Fat Boy. Excellent smooth, close shave. I finished with Reef Point Submariner aftershave.

Bob

 

03/25/17 Shave of the Day
On the road in Louisville KY for Mid-America Trucking Show
Mason Boutique Octane Shave Soap
RazoRock Plissoft Monster Synthetic 26mm Brush
Better Homes & Garden Bazar Bowl
RazoRock Wunderbar Stainless Steel Slant Razor
Personna Blue Comfort Coated Blade - 5th Shave
Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner
Clubman Pinaud After Shave Lotion
NIVEA Men Sensitive Cooling Post Shave Balm
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Sandalwood Natural Deodorant​

 

March 25 SOTD:

Stirling Synthetic Brush
TOBS Eton College SC
J Wiss Barber Notch
Stirling Unscented PSB
Avon Spicey

 

SOTD: Quiet Saturday shave using one of my favorite old Sheffield razors, this "Celebrated IXL" 13/16" razor from George Wostenholm & Sons (mid-1800s); Route 66 "Bay Lime Twist" soap; vintage Rubberset boar brush and Fine "Snake Bite" tonic to finish. No complaints, simply smooth & easy. Have a great Saturday, all!

 

Sum-Extra 88
"Cheerwine" Boar Brush
Klar Kabinett Shaving Soap
Booster June Clover After Shave Lotion

 

March 25/2017 Saturday

Razor : Razor Rock Silver Hawk
Blade: Feather Pro Guard (1)
Cream: La Toja
Pre Shave: DIY
Btush: VD Badger
AS: AV Musk

One of the finer shaves, I like the Feather much better than the Kai Mild. Much smoother and just maybe a bit sharper (?) Two passes, WTG/ATG with more clean-up than I like, but what the heck, just more fun with a razor that I`m trying to get used to. There are so many ways of having fun while "Wet Shaving", I`m really gonna hate when I`m no longer able to shave myself, but I can enjoy to the fullest `til then. Happy Camper (for sure). I raise a cup of coffee in toast to great shaves for my fellow members. For example, the razor and blades I used this morn. were gifts from, you guessed it, a fellow member. Ain`t life grand? God Bless to all.

Bill

 

More of the same this morning... Another fantastic shave...

Gillette Tech (Triangle) Bulldog
Feather (2)
Semogue BC Cerda
Soap Commander Love
Alum
Superior 70

I am getting near the point of being good after one. The continued use with the same razor over the last few months has really helped me dial it in....

 

Full beard and head shave with the Ikon Tech. Finishing a head shave without serious injury with this "safety razor" (a joke among Ikon designers) is akin to surviving a hanging. Or listening to all four sides of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. One certainly feels a mix of accomplishment, good fortune, and "what just happened". The particular difficulty with the head shave is in maintaining the proper steep angle the Tech requires. Doing that was easier on the beard, two pass BBS, no weepers.



Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

25 March 2017

* Blackbird Polished 101
* Iridium Super
* WSP Manchurian + Oscar11 Amber Barbeiro
* Mystic Water Sensitive Skin
* Unrefined Shea Butter


​

 

Well worth the wait.

 

Van Yulay - Smoky Mountain Whiskey
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)

​

It's no secret I'm a fan of Van Yulay. However, looking back on my previous reviews, I note I was ecstatic about their soap and splash performance, but pretty critical of their lackluster packaging and somewhat chaotic website catalog. I'm happy to say the website was improved almost immediately, and the labels' art and execution has improved with each offering.

When I heard this offering actually contains real Laphroaig single malt scotch (whisky), there was no way I could pass it up. I was given the opportunity to test this soap pre-release. I have not, however, received this free of charge. I simply don't trade reviews for products, and Van Yulay of all companies, understands that I will not write a favorable review for a product I don't like. It is my understanding that the product I used here is the final release and is now available to the public.

Beyond the excellent performance of the soap, another aspect of Van Yulay's products that's always been excellent is the bold fragrances. Smoky Mountain Whiskey doesn't deviate from this. I'm a fan of Islay single malts which typically impart notes of peat, smoke, and salt. SMW is more like a semi-sweet bourbon filled out with a moderate amount of smoke and this is countered by a crisp and clean ozone. Off the puck, this is very similar to Van Yulay's Achilles, but lathered it's quite different. Where Achilles has tobacco elements with bourbon, Smoky Mountain Whiskey doesn't have tobacco and is considerably less sweet with highlights of clean, crisp, misty air that complements the smoky whiskey base. It's a very bold, yet pleasant fragrance.

Van Yulay's alcohol-free splashes are also excellent performers, providing soothing and nourishing qualities. The ingredients of Van Yulay's splashes give off their own creamy fragrance that tends to initially mellow whatever fragrance oils that are included. These creamy notes diminish fairly quickly, allowing the intended matching fragrance to come through. The excellent skin feel provided by these splashes is such that I often use them on non-shave days.

Smoky Mountain Whiskey is another nice offering from Van Yulay. Whiskey/bourbon fans will definitely appreciate this one.

 

Prep - Noxzema / Hot towel
Pre shave - Proraso
Razor – Merkur 34C HD
Blade – Polsilver Super Iridium
Brush - 'Mama Chub' (Chubby 2 Two Band)
Soap – Wholly Kaw - Fern Concerto
Post - Cold water rinse, Chatillon Lux – Bon Vivant Post Shave Toner

Sublime... another faultless shave, this time with 'Mama' and the Kaw laying the foundations...

 

Really nice layout Bob, especially the 74 blade. I had some 74 injector blades at one time, I would get 24-28 shaves per blade, they seemed to get sharper up until I hit around 21. I was wondering about the mileage on the de blades. I have so many blade now, I hesitate buying more.
Bill

 

Sunday morning's shave:

Razorock Plissoft 26mm Monster
Super Speed/Astra day 7
Florena S/C
Lubriderm Moisturizer
Old Spice A/S Shave Splash

This Florena cream is fantastic - what a nice scent, lots of rich lather, and is it ever soothing. I find that the P&G version of Old Spice is close to the original Shulton one, but there are definitely differences. It's still good stuff!

 

The General [] JR 125 [] B&M Leviathan

 

Fantastic write up. As usual.