September 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

OK, today was the first wildcard in the box that I tried. I have no knowledge or experience with the soap. It's Wet Shave Obsession - Zaro. It is supposed to be a Fougere scent, but the main (and only) note I smell is caramel. I don't know if it's an old sample, or something weird going on, but since I really love the scent of caramel, I figured I'd give it a go. Again, a solid soap. It whipped up into a very creamy lather that performed well in most aspects. Not my closest shave ever, but certainly nothing to complain about. My only complaint here, is my face definitely felt dry at the end, so the soap appears to be less moisturizing than the others I've used so far. Also the smell is nothing close to what is advertised. Also, this soap maker apparently has dropped off the map, so the soap is unobtanium. Between that and the dryness and the smell that doesn't match the description, I'll probably rank this the lowest of the soaps I've tried, but at this point we're really splitting hairs. So much so, in fact, that because of how much I liked the smell, I'd be very tempted to buy a tub of this one if one became available. The fact that I'd be willing to buy the lowest ranked soap should give you an indication of how good these soaps have been so far. In fact, there really hasn't been a bad soap in the bunch.
Because of the storm, I'm going to try and get this box out today to avoid transit issues during the storm. In the meantime, I'll be shaving with and reviewing my own soaps that are also in the box for comparison. Bonus reviews baby.

Keepers For My Den
Barrister and Mann - unique, complex scents and rich, thick lather. Some scents can be polarizing.

Honorable Mentions
Midnight and Two - nice scents...although they could be a bit stronger, good lather... although it could be a bit thicker, good slickness when watered down, great face feel and moisturizing properties.

Didn't Make My Cut (YMMV)
Mike's Natural - a good, solid soap choice. I pick up an off scent in the base, which is not objectionable, but very distracting to me with some scents.
Martin De Candre - a solid, well respected soap, but nothing jumps out as being really outstanding to me. Also a bit pricey.
I Coloniali Mango - great scent, but discontinued, too expensive, and I had issues with lathering properly.
Wet Shave Obsession - Zaro - Another solid soap choice. Good thick lather, good overall performance, but a bit drying post shave feel. The scent doesn't resemble Fougere at all to me, and smell just like caramel to me. Ironically, I like this smell enough to consider buying it if it were to become available at a reasonable price. (The soap is currently unobtanium).

 

SEptember 7 SOTD:

Stirling Synthetic Brush
Route 66 Ghost Town
Ever-Ready 1924
Stirling Unscented PSB
B&M Cologne Russe

It is nice to get back to some SE razors. This was probably the best shave I have had with the 1924, and it was a great one. I hope everyone is having a great day!

 

It's a pretty powerful app. And I find it very intuitive. I use it and I use filters from Photo Lab.

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That little gem of an avatar was the source of Sharptooth.

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Great pic! That filter works beautifully.

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Finally



- Nanny's Silly Soap "Arabian Nights"
- Tuxedo Brush
- Wacker 6/8" wedge
- Lucky Tiger AS

I hadn't shaved since Sunday - I almost looked like Grizzly Adams

So again no stropping on leather today, just a bit of palm stropping right before the shave. Nonetheless - the razor got rid of the stubbles without any problems. Two passes (WTG and ATG) - almost BBS. Fun thing about this razor: although it has a round tip it is one of the very few I sometimes nick myself with if I don't pay attention. No accidents today though, in fact it was a trouble- and irritation-free shave

 

Jim, What did you think of Cologne Russe? This was one case where my wife though it was OK but I couldn't stand it

 

Great photo Jim. What is Ghost Town like?


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Thank you, Chris!

 

Great picture!

 

Thank you, Andrew. I am on the fence with it. I like but I am not sure I love it. My wife hasn't had a chance to weigh in on it just yet. If she likes it, it will definitely sway my opinion.

 

Thank you, Clint! Ghost Town obviously has the great Route 66 performance. There is a powder scent to it along with some lavender. It is a very pleasant scent.

 

It is really hard for me to say. It is set super shallow because I just glued it into a stock depth WD handle. (10mm maybe?) It has a ton of loft. It splayed fine for me I think, but honestly I was so damn tired last night I really wasn't paying attention.

I will have to use it more.

 

Smells like the Drug Store SEptember!!!! (Stirling Booster)

September 7

Razor - Gem 1912
Blade - (3)
Soap - Stirling Ozark Mountain
Brush - Jayaruh #46
ASOD - Old Spice

Moving right along to the third shave with the Gem/Gem combo. Stirling Ozark Mountain soap and I really like the scent on this one. I got the sample just because I lived in the Ozarks for several years and was curious as to what they would consider an Ozark Mountain scent. Silly me. It's made in Booneville, Arkansas. They should know what they're doing. And they do. They describe it as being "woodsy and spicy" and they do a fine job of that. I can pick up the hint of wood smoke as well as the various aromas that tend to be common to the Ozarks. Very nice job of capturing a rather unique and somewhat abstract scent. Oh, yeah, the lather.......it's Stirling. 'Nuff said.

The third shave on the Gem PTFE blade was the best of all so far. Clearly my technique is more solid and that makes a huge difference. Each night on this blade has produced less irritation and tonight's was barely noticeable with the alum. Great near-BBS finish and a great after-shave feel due to the tallow. Beef in this soap, not sheep. I probably have at least three more shaves on this blade as it doesn't feel like it's begun to give up the ghost at all yet. I may switch to something else tomorrow but I'll keep the blade loaded to come back to later this month. Overall a very enjoyable shave not only tonight, but for all three nights that I've used this setup. Nice way to start the SE portion of my SEptember! Tomorrow morning - Old Spice before heading out the door.

 

I got my PIF box in today, which meant two new soaps, a Zenith Boar brush and a bottle of PAA Al Fin aftershave. I also got a cool blade pif from @PLAla which included some injector blades. I was excited to use my new injector razor, so I was really bummed when I went to load it and realized one of the blade stops was worn and chipped off to the point that it will not hold a blade. So...I punted and used my RazoRock slant.

Soap was PAA Cool Spice. It's not a dead ringer for Old Spice, but it's strong and it's pretty darn close. I like the scent a lot. This stuff lather so easily it feels like cheating. Again, it's not my most slick soap, but it makes up for it with cushion.

The star of the show was the Zenith Boar, which instantly became my favorite boar brush. It's soft, but still has some scritch and backbone. It has less loft than my Omega or Stirling, but holds a ton of lather and gives it up easily. I went three passes without reloading the brush, and could have gone 3 more easily. The handle is heavy and feels well balanced.

Overall a great shave with a small weeper on the neck. I tried some Proraso Styptic Gel, and man...so long as I can find this stuff I will not go back to a Styptic pen. Instant stop with a very tiny amount, and zero mess. Of course, I finished off with Old Spice.

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Thursday night September 7

Supply Provision Single Edge injector on two-dot plate / Personna ( 7)
30DC LE Maple Cashmere synthetic brush
Rockwell Razor Barbershop soap
Alum and Aqua Velva Classic Blue Ice

I seem to have learned the knack of using the SP injector on the middle plate now. Two passes to a near BBS with no nicks, weepers or irritation. The alum was silent. The alcohol aftershave burned pretty good though before the numbing menthol kicked in.

The Rockwell Barbershop soap is a vegan formulation that comes as a hard-milled puck dropped in an old-fashioned metal tin. My damp Cashmere synthetic loaded easily on the dry puck, after which a teaspoon of water in my latherbowl yielded a good slick lather. It painted on in a good, thin even layer and provided lots ofprotection for the shave. Postshave feel seemed good, until I wiped it out with the aftershave. The scent is old leather with hints of licorice and the other scents (neroli, cedar and lilac). It doesn't remind me of any barbershop I have ever been in but it's pleasant. I would say Rockwell is selling a high quality soap (and cream) alongside their razors.

My "drugstore" part of the shave was the aftershave. I don’t know how many years it has been sitting in the back of my medicine cabinet but the bottle is made of real glass. I think today's Aqua Velva is sold in plastic. I think this is at least 1990s vintage if not earlier. It still burns and chills though.

 

SEptember 8 SOTD:

Stirling Synthetic Brush
Stirling Cocoa Forest
Gem Bullet Tip
Stirling Unscented PSB
Clubman Vanilla AS

 

SEptember 8, 2017
Cobra Classic
Schick Proline (6)
BSB-2 with Vie Long 2 Band Fan
Reef Point Tranquility
Fine Lavender

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Another great shave this morning with everything working well together. A splash of Fine Lavender and I think I am ready for the day. I hope everyone has a great Friday.

 

Gillette Red Tip
Perma-Sharp Super
Omega Baby Pro
Palmolive SC
Superior 70 Bay Rum

A nice shave from the Red Tip this morning.

 

Friday's SE Shave


Proraso Pre Shave
Palmolive Classic Shaving Cream
B 400 by Tom
GEM Bullet-Tip
CVS SE
CWR
Thayer's Lemon WH
Barbasol AS

I started off with Proraso Pre Shave. The Palmolive Classic Shaving Cream face-lathered well with the B 400 badger brush by Tom. I did the two passes with the GEM Bullet-Tip and CVS SE blade and ended up with a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayer's Lemon WH and then Barbasol AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...