SoS: June 15, 2015 - June 21, 2015

Does the no6 get soft as omegas and semogue? Mine is a bit prickly, i know i need to break it in more. But im just asking for the result. It already makes nice lather =)

 

I want that soap so bad

 

Happy Birthday !!!

 

I was the lucky recipient of a prize that Monica Gillam (of Van Yulay) offered leading up to Father's Day from a contest she posted on Facebook! I received it yesterday and I eagerly awaited until this morning for my shave with my new winnings! I received a full 5oz tub of the Soap of the Gods "Cafe con Leche" soap, a brand new chrome Merkur 37 Slant Razor (my first slant!), some awesome smelling "Hugo" after-shave balm, an "Oh Man" soap puck and some blades from Merkur and Astra!
My SOtD consisted of the Cafe con Leche soap using the new Merkur 37 Slant razor and finishing off with the Hugo shave balm this morning!
Let me tell you about Soap of the Gods soaps... this is my second tub of Van Yulay's Soap of the Gods soaps. My first one was the Lime in de Coconut soap and let me tell you... the scents are amazing. They nailed the scents on both of the varieties I've tried. If you're worried that the lather will suffer, you need not. I have easily achieved some of the best lather in very little time with both soaps that I've tried. I'd say they were equally as good as any premium soap I've tried if not better when it comes to cushion and thickness. It's hard to explain the texture, but it goes on thick and lubricates like a dream. I'm a fan of Van Yulay soaps now and I am keeping both of these soaps in high rotation in my shaving rituals.
The Merkur razor was my first experience with a Slant design. I really liked the fact it was only two pieces instead of 3 like my Gillettes (New and Tech). It made it a little easier to disassemble to clean and dry the blade afterward. I am saving my Astra and Merkur blades for now, but I did put a new Rapira blade in the razor for this morning's shave. The combo of the soap and this razor left me with a near BBS face and with little or no irritation. I'm looking forward to using the Slant more often!
I had never heard of Van Yulay before from my time here on TSD, so I'm very happy I got to try out two of their soaps so far now. I can highly recommend them as far as quality. Here's a link to their site if you want to peruse their wares: Van Yulay Men's Shaving Supplies. Does anyone else here have any personal experience with their soaps?

Disclaimer: I don't work for Van Yulay. I am just genuinely excited by the products that I happened to win in a random drawing. I wanted to share my enthusiasm and let everyone here in on a product you also may enjoy.

 

Razor: Gillette 195 Fat Boy (f1) 1960 (5) (3)
Brush: Erskine Badger 1947 Birth Year
Mug: Old Spice 1985 Cobalt Blue
Soap: Pre de Provence Shea Butter soap
Blade: Feather (1)
Post shave: Thayers Cucumber WH, Jack Black balm, Tommy Bahamas St. Barts cologne

I loaded the badger with my new Pre de Provence soap. It took me awhile to whip up some lather, as I'm used to using cream. Got some good lather with a neutral soap scent. WTG XTG on my face and neck on 5. ATG on my neck on 3. Nice and slick and with my FB on 3 for my neck I can buff a little on the hard to get to spots for a very nice smooth shave. Must be the Shea Butter. The St. Bart's is very nice. Have a good one y'al!

 

Happy Birthday

 

6/18/2015 Head SOTD

First run with the Progress. Started at 3. First pass was really smooth but not as close as I like. Bumped it up to 4 for the second pass. Still smooth with much better results.

 

Cool brush!

 

Happy Birthday!

 

Yes! You discovered the secret to using a Feather blade, NO pressure! Let the weight of the razor do the work. Nice write up.

 

My #6s still have some nice backbone. All of the hairs have split because of the drying process. This has made the brush have good backbone and a soft application.

 

Thank you very much =) now im much more excuses about it and Will use it more to speed up the process

 

It's my #1 DRH scent.

 

SOTD - Thursday, June 18, 2015

Cool shower
Prep: Homemade PSO
Brush: WD 24/47 silvertip
Cream: TOBS Eton College
Razor: Weber PH Wave handle
Blade: Astra SP (4)
Aftershave: Floid SE Mentolado Vigoroso

 

SOTD 06.18.2015
June Open Comb Focus

Prep: Hot shower
Razor: Gillette New SC
Blade: Voskhod
Brush: Omega 10083 Boar Brush
Lather: Maggard London Barbershop
Post: Cold rinse, Alum, Witch hazel

Thought I'd go with no balm or splash today and just leave it be with the witch hazel.

 

Happy birthday!

 

SOTD 6-18-15

PRESHAVE: Face wash with soap and warm/hot water
RAZOR: ATT R1 / Bulldog handle
BLADE: Astra SP (new)
STRAIGHT: Torrey (4/8"'s I think)
SOAP: First Canadian Bay Rum and Lime (1st try)
BOWL: VDH
BRUSH: Tweezerman Badger
POST: Rinse with warm/hot water to get soap off and then some cold water rinses/splashes and pat try.

Comments: Okay, so I used the Torrey for like two passes (for the most part) and I was hoping to do my complete shave with it but didn't get the shave I wanted (DFS), however I did get close to a CCS except for a couple of areas the neck and jawline so I fired up the ATT R1 and did a pass and a little touch up to complete the shave and to achieve my DFS. That worked good and the only weeper I got was caused by the R1 and not the Torrey so I was please with that for sure! This was like the fourth time using a straight so I was happy that I got some beard off using one! Still feels a bit strange trying to get the right grip to shave the chin and jawline. I might need to watch a couple of vid's just before I shave so I can see how others hold it during those areas. Soap, this is also the first time I ever used this stuff. It is pretty good soap! I had no issues with the lather as it lathered easily but to me it didn't feel like it gave me quite enough protection or slickness but the post feel seems pretty good! I was fine with the scent and it didn't seem too strong. No irritation and one weepers from the DE! All in all, a good shave today!

Please feel free to leave comments on any items used as I enjoy reading them to see what others say about the gear I am using/trying out! Of course, YMMV!

Thx.

 

Razor: Gillette Flare Tip D2 1958
Blade: Gillette, Platinum (7)
Brush: Semogue 1305 Boar Tri Colored Wood Handle.
Soap: Proraso Green
Mug: Soak my brush in the Old Spice coffee mug for about a minute.
A/S: Clubman Pinaud Lime.

Didn't shave yesterday. Today I got a great lather with this brush and soap combination. Ended up with DFS. Tomorrow I will use my newly re plated Gillette Aristocrat 1947 birthday razor. I have not used it yet as I wanted to re plate it first. Looking forward to the up coming weeks shaves.

 

late post, early shave
hot water wash with dove+ care
gdcarrington olive wood/ custom two band
soap commander renewal
Matador Elegante
Ladas(3)
soap commander renewal balm
today's shave was nice. the olive wood brush is a real performer. the fougere soap was really nice. it reminded me of fresh sheets. sorta flowery, but not really girly. it was fresh and light, very clean smelling. I liked it. three passes with the Matador left me smooth and comfy. finished with the matching balm, it has a touch of menthol. again it reminded me of fresh sheets.
hope y'all did as well, or better.
pic won't go through.

 

Happy Birthday...another year younger...