September 2018 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

I must say, I never knew what Gin smelled like until using Clubman Gent's Gin. .

 

September Focus

Valobra Fougère~~Simpson CH2 SiLVERTiP~~'40 Milord Tech~~Personna 74 (2)~~Brut
Focus Gear: n/a
Once again, Primo strays from the focus path...
Today's shave starts with the Valobra Fougère, courtesy of @Keithmax
Anyone who has experience with AoS Tallow soaps, is essentially familiar with this soap.
It's the scents that set the Valobra branding apart from the AoS.
STRONG & POTENT
This is without a doubt, THE most pungent of all my soaps. When I open the storage container that holds
all of my soaps, the predominant scent is this fougère---bar none.
What lather!
What slickness!
What volume!
What cushion!
What protection!
(I have a Phd in hyperbole)
After the bloom, I seriously, could have taken my fingers, scraped off the loose soap
and, sans brush, lathered and shaved. But where's the fun in that?
Therefore, I chose my Simpson and loaded even more!!!!!!
No cuts today with the same razor/blade combo. I purposely shaved over that little red dot on my left cheek
(Styptic pencil at the ready)
NADA.
Didn't chase the preverbal baby, but came darn close.
Great shave with an even greater finish with Brut.​

 

Thanks, Clint. What’s the old joke- ‘It’s not too early to start, if you never stopped’.

 

It's the HP 14-ak045wm - 4GB RAM, Intel Celeron, 16gig eMMC storage. Under $200 so it will be a good one to play with as far as cost is concerned. I'm looking at this kind of like blade trials. Give it a thorough run for its money and see if I wonder why it took me so long to switch to Chrome OS or wonder which Windows laptop I'll buy next. One advantage I have is that most of my cyber world resides in the Google universe already, so it should be seamless.

 

Another great report and photo, Joseph. Yet another soap to add to my list.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

That's what I say a lot, too...."And now ANOTHER company to research!"

 

Sounds like the shaving gods decided it was your turn to put a little blood on the steel! Those mystery cuts are the most frustrating. No rhyme, no reason, they just are. Of course, the other possibility would be that blood on steel is exactly one of the criteria that leads to this thread, therefore, the shaving gods simply gave you the criteria needed to post! A blessing, in that case, wouldn't you agree?

By the way, the only true criteria for posting here is because we're here. As always, focuses can be unfocused and themes can be completely ignored. We're just wild and wacky that way.

 

Fantastic photo and report. What other Fougere soaps do you have? I am just wondering how this compares in terms of scent. I have C&S Oxford and Cambridge which is the same base so I am familiar with soap's performance.

 

I have a similar one for part of my collection. It's a 12 hole edition and I'd need another one or two to completely house everything. I love the way they work. Adds a touch of class as well with the wood. As far as not counting toward an NB? Just make sure every picture you post has test tubes in it. Then there's no question.

 

I have been know to do just that thing on vacation. Lately, I have been very good avoiding adult beverages. Going to Lexington next weekend so I can safely say there is bourbon in my future.

 

We've been working with Chromebooks in the school for about four years now, I think it will do everything you need it to Neal!

Excellent shot Perry! How do you rank the scent of Dunshire compared to the other Stirling cologne dupes ?

Amazing photo, Jim!

Excellent pic Clint!

Great setup, John!

Excellent shot, Jason!

Beautiful gear, Joseph!

 

Thanks, Andrew!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

Thanks, Andrew! It's a nice rendition of Acqua Di Gio. Maybe a little sweeter scented than the original cologne, but a fairly close match. Nice scent.

 

Thank you Andrew.

 

Thank you Jim. I am finishing up my post-graduate degree in Enabling. (Straight-A student, BTW)

Neal, that was my EXACT thought as I was shedding those red blood cells. HOW did you know?

Thanks Clint. My only other fougère is MdC. NO comparison. Valobra blows it out of the water. (Cheaper too!)

Mercì Andrew.

 

If it smells as good or better than MdC Fougere then you can count me in. It is on the buy list. Thanks for the enabling.

 

italian barber...

 

i was curious who would spot that....

 

Thursday morning September 20

PAL Adjustable injector on Low / vintage Schick Super Chromium (8)
JR #267 birdseye maple and boar brush
Hendrix Classics Barbershop soap sample
Alum and PGS Black Willow Toner and Florida Water

I went back through my posts to see how many times I had used this vintage American-made Schick blade. Turns out this is its eighth outing. Still sharp and smooth. And after two passes I am also smooth.

The soap sample now covers only half the bottom of the mug. I figure about five more uses should finish it off. Unless I take the Simpsons CH2 Soap Destroyer to it; then maybe only three...

I used the Portland General Store Black Willow Toner today just because it was sitting there and hadn't seen much use. From the ingredient list, it's mainly black willow bark steeped in apple cider vinegar with some aloe, tea tree oil and frankincense EO mixed in. It makes my face feel cleansed and taut and would be good to combat acne. However I then splashed on the Florida Water, because who wants to wander around smelling like moldy tree bark all day? The toner gets good marks for its healthy properties but zero marks for scent... Hmmm, I seem to recall saying something similar last time I used it, which might be the reason it has sat unused for months...

Hope the day treats everyone well as we head down the slope into the weekend!