SoS: July 17, 2017 - July 23, 2017

Straight Saturday's Shave


Proraso Pre Shave
Old Spice Lime
The Brush B-3 by Tom, Badger
Gold Dollar 6/8
CWR
Thayer's Lemon WH
Lucky Tiger

I started off with Proraso Pre Shave. The Old Spice Lime Cream face-lathered well with The Brush B-3 by Tom, Badger brush. I did the two passes with the Gold Dollar 6/8 ended up with a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayer's Lemon WH and then Lucky Tiger AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

 

The scent opens with a dirty lavender that still has a zing to it (courtesy of a bergamot citrus). After about 4 hours the lavender's 'zing' fades, although you can still smell the lavender, a slightly powdery sandalwood and ambergis takes over. That dry down stays the whole day, has great projection and just smells like a million bucks. This scent is like something Cary Grant or some old school silver-screen era actor would have worn. The class level on this breaks the meter.

https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Creed/Bois-du-Portugal-3805.html

Here is a page where many comments were placed by others describing this. I think it's an incredibly well woven fragrance that takes common notes but utilizes ridiculously high quality ingredients and expert craftsmanship.

I had Kevin of Country Club for Men make me his interpretation of it and he did a really great job, however even he could not nail down the scent with the last details. I think that is because the ingredients undergo a special process to give them a certain character. I still HIGHLY recommend people contact Kevin when his new website is up (or just contact him through his etsy store that his website bounces you to) and ask him to make you some soap and aftershave of this fragrance. His interpretation of this fragrance is VERY enjoyable. After buying just 1 soap, 1 aftershave and 1 deodorant, I then later ordered a roughly 10 year supply of it from him. That's how good of a job he did with it.

This is my 3rd ranked fragrance out of my collection of 30 fragrances. #1 is Creed's Spice & Wood (which Kevin has duped damn near perfectly and I also have a 10 year supply of it), and......my #2 ranked fragrance is Ralph Lauren's Safari and Kevin is currently working on a dupe of that. The only other guy I trust to dupe a fragrance competently right now is Chris Cullen of Catie's Bubbles. Kevin and Chris haven't missed on anything I've asked them to dupe. Their noses are impeccable.

 

Shaving of the day. Soap and after shave Irish Moss, Brush Proyet badger two bands, razor Koraat 8/8 . Just fabulous. Good Friday friends.

Enviado desde mi XT1635-02 mediante Tapatalk

 

Nice Old Type Razor set. Looks like one of the later model ABC razor sets just before they weren't made anymore. Not sure if the American Button Company was even involved in those last sets that Gillette made. The history is a bit conflicting from what my research revealed. A fine razor you have there.

These are so rare now that it took me a year waiting before I gave up I would ever find an in-tact set and resorted to buying two slightly dinged Empire sets (which had assorted pieces intact) and had Razor Emporium restore the "Franken-set" to a thing of beauty.

Unless inspected close by someone who knows the difference and the history and when these were made, they would never know that my set is a marriage of two different salvaged sets. It was the only way to obtain my "dream razor" for my silver shave kit. I think it was for the best that I didn't actually obtain an intact full ABC Empire set because it belongs in a glass case and not used because it's a piece of history. So, I did the actual best thing I could've done. I salvaged and restored two virtually-worthless sets and made something beautiful, still historically relevant and serves an actual use instead of rotting in some box ending up in a trash heap.

I would dare say the razor I have is still worth a decent amount despite not being a complete set, due to it's beautiful re-plating and restoration.

If, during my search, I had stumbled across the razor I have now for sale, even if it was a "franken-set", I would pay hundreds for it because it's such a gorgeous razor and case and is still an Empire set nonetheless. The fact that I even have the ability to use this razor is amazing and this thing is a treasure to me. I will only use it every great once in a while in order to preserve it as long as possible.

 

How does the Dark Limes shave soap pair with the Shulton Old Spice Lime scent? I am building a shave kit of Shulton Old Spice Lime and am going to go with the Indian Old Spice Lime scented shave cream (tube dispenser).

 

Beautiful straight razor and a cool color coordination there with your products.

 

Carbon fiber handle? Nice!

 

Great Pic!!

 

Lather Bros. "Flora Colossus"
Island Bladeworks "Bullwinkle" | TGN Finest
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)

​

Until now, my only soap from Lather Bros. Soap Company has been "El Barbero" which I reviewed this past Winter. I've continued to use the soap periodically, but not as often as others due to the uninspired fragrance. El Barbero's performance is good, but the "barbershop" fragrance doesn't bring anything new to the table. It's my own fault for ordering their most traditional fragrance. When I saw "Flora Colossus" pop up on my Instagram feed, I was naturally intrigued. As per my usual modus operandi, the beautiful label and limited run nature hooked me. The fact that it was inspired by the comic character, Groot of Guardians of the Galaxy, this was a no brainer. The proprietor offered me early access to the set, but I paid full price so as not to blemish the integrity of my review.

As mentioned in my prior review, the label execution was near perfect with El Barbero with only a few minor missteps, but Flora Colossus is indeed perfect. There are no bubbles or scratches, and the side label is perfectly aligned. It's really an attractive presentation and an interesting take on Groot and Planet X with vivid neon colors consistent with the Guardians of the Galaxy nebulous motif.

When I compare this to El Barbero, the performance seems to have stepped up a bit, although I have no knowledge of a base formula change. Flora Colossus seemed a bit slicker than El Barbero, but density may not have been as robust. However, it didn't seem to be less protective. Additionally, the residual slickness was incrementally improved from El Barbero. The post-shave feel was average. The artisan that immediately comes to mind for comparison with regard to overall performance is Stirling.

I actually broke this shave up into two shaves: a quick two-pass face shave at the sink this morning, and a two-pass head shave with face touch-up in the shower this evening. I'm typically a shower-shaver, so I'm basing my comments on the latter. Flora Colossus' fragrance is light and airy by design. It opens with lavender of the woody variety and is backed up by a floral note that takes on characteristics reminiscent of warm honeysuckle. It's not exactly honeysuckle, but it feels like the same family. It was the one note that wasn't familiar. I'm assuming this was the documented "Asian Pear", but since I have no idea how Asian pear smells, I can't say for certain. I didn't smell anything that reminded me of the pears I picked off our trees from my homestead. Perhaps this is supposed to be from the blossom itself as opposed to the fruit. Cedar slips in almost unexpectedly amidst the floral accord, adding a little weight and depth but not enough to forfeit the airy nature. I found this to be a pleasant fragrance despite my usual aversion to overtly floral fragrances.

While I usually prefer splashes, this limited run came as a bundled set with balm. This was my first use of Lather Bros' balm, and it performs very much like Soap Commander's spectacular balms. Those familiar with Soap Commander's balms know that's quite an endorsement. Also, like Soap Commander, a very small amount to damp skin goes a long way. This balm is also pleasantly mentholated---maybe a little less than Soap Commander's. The fragrance strength was very light and short lived. Again, I suspect the light nature is by design, and it lends well to this type of fragrance. One should have no expectation that this will serve as a fragrance replacement, and it won't last long enough to conflict with any fragrance you choose to wear. I'm inclined to pair with Catie's Bubbles' Confiant parfum extrait next time.

Overall, I'm very pleased with where Lather Bros. has arrived. The classy and professional presentation is enough to make you take notice, but the performance is easily enough to sustain it. Flora Colossus is an interesting interpretation of the fictional Groot character. I would have imagined Groot having a resinous and dark woody aroma, but Flora Colossus' light, airy, floralized woodiness is a play on the whimsical "life" of Groot which reveals a more unique artistic interpretation.

​

 

Thanks for the info, sounds like a wonderful scent to have.

 

Thank you Tim!

I have grown quite fond of the soap / splash / fragrance combination.

 

It really doesn't pair well. Dark Limes is pretty tart in comparison, reminds me of crushed lime and lemon fruit as well as the leaves of both. Totally different than other Lemon or Lime soaps out there and reason I like it. I already ran through my other Lime scents and last one was the Old Spice Lime.

 

July 21, 2017
Jamie's Night Shave.....
1. Hot Shower.
2. MAN ARDEN Pre Shave Oil.
3. B&M Reserve Spice Soap.
4. SEMOGUE 2000
5. SCHICK INJECTOR TYPE N2.
6. GILLETTE Twin Injector (NOS vintage) new blade.
7. B&M Reserve Spice after shavr mixed with a drop of 444.
8. splash of shulton old spice to finish it off....

 

Time to straighten up!

July 21 - Grand Blade Trial Edition


Razor - Feather SS
Blade - (1)
Soap - Route 66 Bourbon Jungle
Brush - 30DC LE
Post - Alum

I discovered a new to me Feather blade a couple weeks ago. The Feather Pro Soft Guard. Now, I've used the Pro Guard, which is a pro blade with a guard on it, as well as the Kai Mild Guard blade. The guards can be a good choice when learning the pain stick or just to minimize the risk of a severed artery if you so choose. But the Soft Guard, in its glorious pink dispenser, was a new item for me. After some research it would appear that it is designed to minimize the risk of cuts as well as provide a smoother feel, or at least to remove the feeling that you're one mistake away from a cut. The Feather AC blades, especially Super Pro, can be harsh.

I tried to get a picture to show the guard on the blade and this is the best I could get.



You can see the extra guard plate on the blade and the serrations along the edge. The extended "bumps" are actually a guard that extends to the edge. Thanks to Connaught Shaving I did find a good illustration.



Now, you may be asking if the Soft Guard is simply a repackaged Pro Guard. The answer is no. Here's a picture of the Pro Guard.



So, the Soft Guard is a unique blade possibly designed for use by women - the pink dispenser could be the key there.

It is worth mentioning that Feather also makes the Pro Light blade which is designed to minimize exposure for women's shaving or those with sensitive skin. I've never tried the Pro Light as it has a very mild reputation that some call ineffectual. I'm sure those of you who know me well know, though, that I'll be getting a couple of those in, as well as some Pro Guards and Kai Guards to do a complete comparison now that this new blade has shown up. Such is the life of the Blade Czar.

Now, on to the actual shave. I chose Route 66 Bourbon Jungle for the soap. I had nearly forgotten I still have a partial sample of this soap so used the LE brush to whip up a very fine lather. Incredibly slick and very nice scent. The blade is very forgiving. Very. Yet, it cuts well enough to be a Feather. Its most forgiving moment occurred when I got a bit over confident and set it down for a stroke vertically. I mean straight down. With a bit of pressure. Do that with a Pro or Super Pro and you're booking plastic surgery. With the Soft Guard - nothing. Thank you. That could have been vicious.

I did two full passes with a touch up pass on my neck and around my goatee. Very comfortable and smooth if a bit less of a finish that I'm used to. I finished with a barely DFS. It's good enough, but a Pro blade would have me at high DFS or BBS. I did discover one small weeper near my goatee on the left jaw but I worked that particular area pretty hard at one point so that's a technique problem.

My impression overall is that this blade would be great for a newbie pain stick user. It commands respect for what it is, but the guard clearly provides a lot of protection against stupid handling errors. Almost makes me wish I had found it when I was learning!

I'll continue on with this blade for a couple more days. See if I can get to the baby with it without raising irritation which, by the way, was quite light. No problems there. For those who aren't familiar with all of the Feather AC blades here is a handy comparison chart, minus the Soft Guard. Have a great weekend!

​

 

Date: 22 July 2017 is nearly 7:15am in West of London

Brush: - RazoRock Plissoft Big Bruce Synthetic 26/63mm
Lather: - Wilkinson Sword Shave Stick (european version grated into a plastic tub)
Razor: - Parker Variant Adjustable in Satin Chrome (WTG #5, XTG #5, ATG #2)
Blade: - Gillette Silver Blue #2
Post: - Thayers Witch Hazel 'Unscented' / Bulldog Original Aftershave Balm
Fragrance: - YSL L’Homme EDT

 

Proraso Sandalwood
B-400 w/Omega 98
Osaka Suribachi bowl
'63 Gillette Starburst I1
Polsilver Super Iridium
Alum, M&L Florida Water
Trying to beat the heat with a

 

www.splitseven.com

 

SOTD 20170722



Brush: J&T® apple / Cashmere synthetic 24 mm.
Shaving soap: Bon Berger Menthe/Romarin.
Razor: Asylum Rx.
Blade: Kai Titan Mild (8).
After shave: Proraso.

 

Very good write-up and photos Matt. Have a good weekend.