SoS: Dec 18 - 24, 2017

SOTD 12.22.2017
Face Shave
Pre-shave: early morning walk with the dogs, black coffee and a hot shower
Brush: Barburys by Sibel
Soap + Cream: Williams Mug Shaving Soap + Barburys by Sibel Shaving Cream whipped up in a Suribachi bowl
Razor: Gillette Fat Boy E-4 (dialed in at #4)
Blade: Wilkinson-Sword (5)
Post-shave: Assured WH, Nivea Sensitive Skin PS Balm, C.O. Bigelow Barber Cologne No 1585 (Elixir White)

Head Shave
Everything was the same except I dialed the Fat boy to #9
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Excellent shave. BBS in 3 passes with a little touch up work. Enjoy your evening and have a wonderful weekend. Merry Christmas

Bulldog Face Wash
JR168
Phoenix and Beau Whitechapel
Gillette New LC
Gillette 7 O'Clock Green
A little alum, and
L'Oreal Men Expert Hydra Sensitive Post Shave Balm

 

Saturday Planned SOTD



Razor: Supply Provision The Single Edge
Blade: Schick (D1)
Brush: SOC 2012 Limited Edition Badger\Boar
Bowl: TDG Style 4 5½” Cypress Sinker Log
Pre-Shave Scrub: Saponificio Varesino Honey & Grain
Pre-Shave Oil: Black Ship Grooming
Shave Soap: Black Ship Grooming Cap'n Dark Side
Post: Monster Block Alum
Aftershave: Black Ship Grooming Cap'n Dark Side
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Saturday Straight's Shave


Proraso Pre Shave
Van Der Hagen Luxury
GarnerPW IX
Dbl Duck 5/8
CWR
Thayer's Lemon WH
Speick

I started off with Proraso Pre Shave. The Van Der Hagen Luxury Shaving Soap face-lathered well with the GarnerPW IX synthetic brush. I did two passes with the Dbl Duck 5/8 and ended up with a close, comfortable shave with no nicks, cuts, or blood. After a cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayer's Lemon WH and then Speick AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

 

Tonight's shave was with another German Razor. I had a smooth 2 pass shave, that left me near BBS. Zero issues.

Razor- J.A.Henckels 70 1/2. Zwillingswerks. Germany
Brush- B400 By Tom
Soap- Arko/Sandalwood
Aftershave- Pinaud Clubman

 

For Saturday morning:

Neutrogena Men Facial Wash
Razorock Plissoft 26mm Monster
Super Speed/Astra day 6
Gillette Menthol SC
Lucky Tiger AS Cream
Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS Splash

Not freezing but still pretty darn chilly!

 

Phoenix and Beau - Borealis
Zenith XXL Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE

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The stunning albeit controversial artwork featured on Phoenix and Beau's Whitechapel is what initially attracted me to the brand, but the performance is what kept me. As a result, when I got a glimpse of the seasonal "Borealis", it was a no-brainer. I love the stark, rich colors contrasted against the black background.

I've seen lackluster reviews of their base, and the only reason I can fathom that is due to the thirst of this soap. If you've had disappointing results from this base in the past, consider revisiting it with quite a bit more water. I find this base to perform very similarly to Barrister and Mann's white label with just about the same water requirement. You'll certainly be rewarded with excellent slickness from the extra water.

There are very few soaps in my den that don't have matching post-shave products. I know it's a ridiculous stipulation because it's quite rare that a soap's fragrance lingers much longer than the shave, but it's my own weirdness. Phoenix and Beau has had a placeholder on their site for some time now, teasing at upcoming aftershaves. I'm ready for them to roll these out.

The documented scent notes on Borealis are Siberian fir, Scotch pine, frankincense, tangerine, star anise, and allspice. Prior to actually receiving the soap, I'd considered a few of the splashes in my collection with fir and frankincense notes with which to pair it. However, upon opening the tub, the decision was easy. Tallow and Steel's "Boreal" is a very close match.

Borealis opens with bold fir and pine notes filled in by a low key citrus. The fragrance gets colder and more resinous as the shave progresses. If I didn't know going in that anise was a component, I wouldn't have detected it. Instead, I believe it, along with the tangerine, is responsible for the crisp, cold feeling. The allspice also keeps a back seat to the fir and pine, lending only hints of cinnamon and clove. This is a nice Winter fragrance that's far from being a novel Christmastime scent.

While not a copy, Tallow and Steel's Boreal pairs quite well with Borealis, trading the cooling anise for minty monarda and the resinous frankincense for the sharp and woody cedarwood. Borealis is the festive brother of the wintery Boreal. These two were meant for each other. Other potential pairs in my den could be Barrister and Mann's "Le Grand Chypre" and "First Snow".

 

Oh yeah. Me likey the Old Spice!

 

Razor - Merkur Futur
Blade - BiC Chrome-Platinum *8th Shave
Razor Stand by RV Shaving
Shave Brush - Omega Hi-Brush 20mm Synthetic (Model# 46745 – 0146745)
Brush Stand by Desire Metal Works
Preshave Oil - Lather & Wood's "Unscented"
Shave Soap - Country Club for Men *Woodly Spice scent (Custom created scent, not normally available, you must contact to request)
Aftershave - Country Club for Men *Woodly Spice scent (Custom created scent, not normally available, you must contact to request)
Post Shave Balm - Retseliney Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum
Deodorant - HeartJCreations *Spiced Woods (Custom created scent, not available unless obtained by Country Club for Men)
Fragrance - Creed Spice & Wood

 

I really should use a Shavette more often. Veddy nice shave. The Parker SRX that came from @PanChango was loaded with half a Shark blade. It had no issues running through the Tabac that was worked up by the 30DC Tuxedo.

 

Time to change that tooth brush....the silver looking one.

 

Decadent December!!!

December 22 - Toggle vs Fatboy

Razor - 1959 (E4) Gillette Fatboy & 1960 (F4) Gillette Toggle (6)
Blade - (3)
Soap - Stirling Barbershop
Brush - 30DC LE
Post - Alum

Well here we go. Final night of comparing the Toggle and Fatboy as I near the end of my time with a Toggle in my den. It's been a fantastic couple of weeks, and very fun for me even if it has brought my reputation as a stunt shaver into question. This much luxury gear and this many luxury shaves in a row haven't made me soft, I promise. But I have found myself in no great hurry to grab the Soyuz 1 and a Tiger.

My plan tonight is to use both razors. Half a face each and rotate passes. So, here's how it laid out. Fatboy on the right for the WTG pass, Toggle on the left. Toggle on the right for XTG, Fatboy on the left. And, half of each side with each razor for the ATG. Looking for feel of the razor, handling, ease of the shave, differences in balance etc. that might cause someone to choose one over the other. Ignoring the cool factor of the Toggle in modern times and also ignoring the price difference when manufactured. That's as objective as I can make a shave. It isn't perfect, but it's somewhere down the road.

Stirling Barbershop with the 30DC LE Tuxedo. Fantastic lather so that's a neutral. Let's skip to the final result. BBS in three passes as usual. Nothing extra needed.

So what's the difference? It's subtle, but the Fatboy's balance is superior to the Toggle by juuuuuuuuust a hair. That extra weight in the Toggle, and the fact it's shifted slightly to the head, creates a difference in handling that doesn't feel quite as "easy" as the Fatboy. However, it isn't difficult to adjust to the Toggle and make it work perfectly. It just isn't quite the "intuitive feel" of the Fatboy. The feel on the face during the shave? The same. The result? The same. Ease of holding the razor? Extremely close but the Fatboy just wins out. Knurling seems a bit nicer and that balance thing still applies. Again....subtle difference and I tried to shrug it off during the XTG pass and ignore it but it never completely left my awareness.

Fantastic and double decadent shave that settled the issue for me. I am working on a complete review of the Toggle that will include my comparison with the Fatboy, but the short version is this. Given the slight advantage in feel and handling the Fatboy seems to have, and applying the price difference back in the day, $10 for the Toggle, $1.95 for the Fatboy (or up to $2.49 depending), it's pretty easy to see why testers back then put the Toggle down and kept the Fatboy in their hands. A legend was born while a really cool and unique design faded into history. Until we showed up. I'm glad we are seeing more of the Toggles around. Maybe some day I'll find one in the wild I can get for a steal to add to my den. It is a fantastic shaving tool with a great and fascinating history, and it's just a cool thing to have around.

Hope your weekend plans are joyous, fun, and most of all safe! I know many will be travelling over the next three days or having company in your homes. Check in whenever you can and we'll keep your place at the table here until you're able to sit back down and relax from the holidays.

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SOTD - 22 December 2017



Have a great evening!

 

Proraso White soap
B-400 Tuxedo brush
Suribachi bowl & cool water
'55 Red Tip & Rapira blade
Alum, Proraso Blu lotion

 

Good Morning Everyone SOTD 12/23/17

'52 Gillette Super Speed
Personna (8)
E-Shave Badger
Suavecito Shaving Crème
Cold Water Rinse, Alum Block
Suavecito Menthol Vanishing Crème
Aqua Velva Ice Blue A/S

Have A Great Day !

 

Pre: Warm water face wash
Brush: Shavemac TSR 2015 ST
Soap: Sudsey Soapery Lavender & Peppermint
Razor: General Brass
Blade: Feather Pro
Post: Warm then cold water rinse, Vitamin E Oil, Aqua Velva Ice Blue

A no nonsense shave this morning.
The super slickness provided by the Sudsey Soapery, let the General annihilate the stubble quickly and smoothly.
The decongesting qualities of both the soap and splash helped me feel almost human.
Have a great weekend everyone.

 

SOTD 20171223.



Semogue 1250.
Proraso green shaving soap.
SSSeygus with long (10 cm) handle.
Asco Super Stainless (red/blue wrapper) (5).
Proraso green AS.

 

12/23/17 Shave of the Day
Face Wash with The Sudsy Soapery Lavender & Peppermint Soap with Soothing Oatmeal
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Sandalwood Shampoo/Conditioning Puck
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements CUBE Mentholated Preshave Soap
Crown King Lump Of Coal Artisan Shave Soap with Activated Charcoal
Cremo Vie-Long Spanish Horsehair Shave Brush
Creative Flame Pottery Stoneware Shaving Scuttle
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements White Bakelite Open Comb Slant Razor
Bolzano Superinox Blade - 7th Shave
RazoRock Alum Block
Homemade Lime & Rose Witch Hazel
RazoRock Mr. Pink After Shaving Splash
Rockwell Barbershop Post-Shave Balm
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Sandalwood Natural Deodorant​

 

December 23, 2017

Paladin Buck Rogers
CRSW Glide Madman's Bouquet
OneBlade Genesis V1
Feather FHS-10
Proraso Cypress & Vetiver ASB
Tom Ford Grey Vetiver

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