Outstanding shave of the day featuring Stirling Pumpkin Spice.

Razor - Mac Metalworks No.13 (Tech)
Blade - Astra Superior Stainless
Brush - Stirling 24mm Boar
Soap - Stirling Pumpkin Spice
Aftershave - Stirling Gatlinburg

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Williams Wednesday's OC Shave


Proraso Pre Shave
Williams
Jayaruh #229
New Deluxe Tuckaway
Gillette Silver Blue
CWR
Thayer's Lemon WH
Pinaud Clubman

I started off with Proraso Pre Shave. The Colgate Mug Shaving Soap face-lathered well with the Jayaruh #229 synthetic brush. I did two passes with the Gillette New Deluxe Tuckaway razor and Gillette Silver Blue blade and ended up with a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse, I finished off with Thayer's Lemon WH and then Pinaud Clubman AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

Mickey Lee Soapworks - Unforgiven
Rubberset 200-4 | Omega Boar
Star 1912 | Gem PTFE


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I'd heard such good things about Mickey Lee Soapworks' "Unforgiven" for a couple years, but I was just a bit too late to the game. Fortunately, they resurrected it, complete with outstanding artwork courtesy of /u/la_yerba_mate.

I won't go into depth about MLS's base since I've covered it before, other than to stipulate that its performance is among the best. It vies for top spot in the post-shave category, for certain.

Unforgiven is as advertised, although I will say that off the dry tub, I could swear I detected burned tobacco. Lathered, that note is not present, and it's far more sophisticated than that. The smoky birch tar is prominent but not to the level of L&L Grooming's Darkfall. Just a moment later, warm woody notes enter, but never overcome the birch tar. An insidious sweetness infiltrates the otherwise smoky fragrance. Caramel and patchouli are listed as notes, but together with the birch tar and rosewood, they're a bit non-specific, and that works quite well in this accord.

The matching splash follows suit if not a bit fuller and warmer. After about an hour, the smoke takes a steep drop-off leaving a warm woody fragrance with the aforementioned very slight sweetness. I can no longer detect it beyond 3 hours.

Unforgiven is without question in my bailiwick. Off the dry tub, I wondered if it wasn't a competitor to Barrister and Mann's "Roam", but lathering it takes it in a very different direction. It's closer yet to L&L's "Darkfall", but where Darkfall descends and even takes on a cooler fragrance, Unforgiven warms up. Unforgiven fits nicely between these two on my shelf. In fact, due to the relatively short-lived nature of Unforgiven's splash, I think the Darkfall EdP will pair nicely.

Now for a bonus pic. I couldn't decide which one to use. I don't typically resort to filters, but this one called for a more vintage feel. I therefore desaturated most colors, pushed up the blacks, and added a yellow tint. There's probably a package filter for that, but I don't know how to do it with my existing software.

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Thank you for a great review. I want some

Tonight's shave was with a Big Wedge. I had a silent and smooth, 2 pass shave, that left me BBS. These old Cast Steel Wedge blades are fun.

Razor- George Wostenholm IXL, Celebrated Razor.
Brush- B400 By Tom
Soap- Arko/Avon Spicy
Aftershave- Florida Water

OCtober 24, 2017 -
Jamie's Night Shave
Uncle Jon
PAA/ck
Rocnel SE G
Whipped Dog 30mm boar

Wednesday SOTD



Razor: OneBlade GENESIS
Blade: Feather FH (D3)
Brush Savile Row 3226
Bowl: Sweese Porcelain Suribachi 5”
Pre-Shave Scrub: Wickham 1912 Shamrock Tweed
Pre-Shave Oil: Homemade Lavender Mint
Shave Soap: Wickham 1912 Shamrock Tweed
Post: Monster Block Alum
Aftershave: Wickham 1912 Shamrock Tweed

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SOTD - 24 October 2017



h/t to @Norcalnewb for the Palmolive stick

Have a great evening!

Some of the best bowls I picked for my shave sets were affordable, vintage items that just 'fit' a look I wanted. You just never know where you might find your next shave mug/bowl.

Awesome Halloween pictures and shaves! These pics are great!

Shower Soap - Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Lemon Verbena Bar Soap


Razor - DaveOcean33 "Atlas"
Blade - BiC Chrome-Platinum
Shave Brush - Gentleman's Hangar Synthetic
Shave Stand by Robert Evans on Etsy. Must request custom project to order.
Shave Soap - Mama Bear's "Bounty"
Preshave Oil - Lather & Wood's "Unscented"
Aftershave - Country Club for Men "1837"
Post Shave Balm - Retseliney Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum
Deodorant - Organic Essence "Lemon Tea-Tree Mint"
Fragrance - Creed Royal Water

Wednesday's Shave

This could be the last Royal Water shave of this season (maybe one more if there is any aftershave left) before it gets packed away for spring and the fall/winter scents make their way into the spotlight.

Travel shave
VDH boar brush
Col conk bay rum
Bismarck razor works 5:8 registered
Nivea sensitive aftershave balm
I’ll be using this setup for the rest of the week while I’m away from home.

RECENT SHAVES


Prep: Musgo Real Oakmoss
Razor: Schick Injector
Brush: Razorock Plissoft
Soap: Viking Ironside
Post: Reef Point Aviator balm


This shave was much better than the last time I used this razor. Noticed the blade was not loaded all the way, made a world of difference. The Viking soap made a great lather and has a leathery scent that paired well with the Aviator balm. Very nice refreshing shave.


Prep: MLSW Sandalwood pre shave butter
Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic
Blade: Gillette Rubie
Brush: Fine angel hair synthetic
Soap: IColoniali
Post: Das Boom Detroit Lotion, Peach Thayer's WH

Decided to bust out the old I Coloniali, this stuff is excellent but is discontinued so use it somewhat sparingly (like it would ever run out lol). This one is a bit unique since it is a spicy scent but has some menthol in it. Super slick lather but no Santa beard here. Very pleased with the results and finished off with a dab of Das Boom lotion, picked up this sample from a pass around box a while back, really like it so may have to get a bottle since the sample is almost finished.



Prep: pre shave soap mix
Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic
Blade: Gillette Rubie
Brush: Razorock BC Plissoft
Soap: Grooming Dept Mallard
Post: Family Dollar Spice A/S


Had a wonderful BBS shave yesterday. The scent of Mallard is chocolate forward with sandalwood, ginger, and coffee notes more in the background. It is really different and smells wonderful. Soap performance is excellent as with all Grooming Dept soaps, really impressed with this one. Finished off with Dollar store Spice.



Prep: pre shave soap mix
Razor: Gillette Flairtip Super Speed
Blade: Gillette Platinum (1st shave)
Brush: Razorock Plissoft
Soap: Stirling British Leather
Post: CL Taum Bauk A/S, CL TSM Fougere salve


The British Leather whipped up a creamy lather, but was not enough to sAve the shave. Got really bad irritation on my neck, but the shave was a bit to close. Decided to throw on some TSM Fougere salve to help repair any damage from today's shave. Hope everyone is doing well and getting great shaves!

Thank you for your kind words.

OCtober!!!

October 24

Razor - Gillette NEW LC Delta Echo
Blade - (2)
Soap - Mitchell's Wool Fat
Brush - 30DC LE
Post - Alum

Using this combo makes it very easy to write a shave report. Here it is in one word. Superb. Or, how about.......incredible. Perfect. BBS. Spectacular. Well, you get the idea. I have to give at least partial credit to the Sharp Star blade. Finest NOS blade on the planet. And the New LC with MWF from the LE brush - it's a lot of initials that all spell WOW!

Have a great day!

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Geo F Trumper Rose cream
B-400 Tuxedo synth brush
Ceramic Suribachi bowl
Gillette NEW LC OC 3pc
Personna Lab Blue blade
IsoPlus Black Magic AS lotion

Turned up to 5... 3 pass BBS!

10/25/17 Shave of the Day
Face Wash with Mineral Fusion Face Soap
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Sandalwood Shampoo/Conditioning Puck
Cold River Soap Works Limited Edition Jeff's Soap - No One Fights Alone
Wolf Whiskers Blue Train Custom 24mm Silvertip Badger Brush
Creative Flame Pottery Stoneware Shaving Scuttle
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Grackle DOC Razor
Voskhod Teflon Coated Russian Blade - 5th Shave
RazoRock Alum Stick
Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner
Brut Classic Scent Splash-On
NIVEA Men Sensitive Cooling Post Shave Balm
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Sandalwood Natural Deodorant​

Too true!

Hi Paul. I really enjoy Tombstone - both the AS & soap. Both perform excellent - The soap lathers easy, provides a good dense cushion, and there is plenty of slickness. My face feels moisturized and soft afterward. The AS provides a nice tingle and leaves me feeling refreshed. The scent lingers most of the day without being overbearing.

To me the scent is hard to describe. You can clearly smell the gun powder and leather, surrounded by a mellowing and slightly floral note. It all works well together and is a bit more complex to my nose.

I honestly can say that I have never had an issue with any PAA or CK products. They have always performed outstanding. I do agree their AS are on the pricier side, but I do think they are of premium quality. For the record, I do understand that Doug Smythe is not his birth name, but a shaving character name he developed for the brand - like a second persona. I met Doug and enjoyed talking with him. Fran has helped me out with a few orders, and I have nothing but good things to say about my experiences.

In any event, I highly recommend Tombstone for anyone that is interested in the product.
Steve