Jan. 30
A bloodlessly smooth mostly DFS today. But still some drama...
- Razor: Gillette Flare Tip w/Personna Blue blade (5)
- Soap: Soap Commander "Drive"
- Brush: Kong
- AS: Stirling Tsuka (spoiler alert: here is where the drama comes in)
- Balm: Glacial Unscented
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The Shave
Every other month it seems like I'll turn off my alarm, put my hands behind my head, prepare my thoughts to take on a new day... then wake up half an hour later. This was that day--rushed 2 pass shave with buffing strokes, no touch ups. The results were a surprisingly smooth, irritation free, mostly DFS. Because I was tackling this shave so quickly, I really focused on riding the cap, and even though this is a mild razor, the results were stellar.
Tsuka
I got this bottle for $5 on sale from Stirling instead of my planned purchase of Clubman Special Reserve simply because it was so highly rated by so many folk here whose opinions I trust. It arrived yesterday, and I gave it a sniff from the bottle and had some buyer's remorse. Very strident, individual floral tones, and one sweet base scent (maybe the vanilla or tonka bean (whatever that is)) that really jumped out--too far out. The result, for me, was almost a sickly-sweet sort of flower explosion. I ran it by The Missus, and immediately saw that crinkle right between her eyebrows as she sniffed the bottle. Usually the kiss of death. "Maybe it's one of those scents that smells better when you put it on." Not a stunning endorsement, but uncharacteristically generous of her. Perhaps she sensed how crushed I was.
This morning, with fear and dread in my heart, I dutifully applied Tsuka after my shave. Let me first address the scent: My initial thought going into this was, "How could so many TSD members with such good taste, be so very, very wrong?" Short answer is they weren't. Everything blended perfectly. True, it is more floral than I usually go for, but that was part of the reason for the purchase: to broaden the depth of my bullpen. I even find myself smelling my hands occasionally to get another whiff, which probably looks a bit creepy--gotta stop doing that.
The drama came not from the scent, which elicited no negative comments from my wife during the hug goodbye, but from the immediate lava-like burn upon application. I patted it on, waiting for the AS sting that I enjoy so much, but could only feel immediate flames. I almost rinsed it off then and there, but thought that perhaps my menthol balm might help things a bit. Nope, just fire and ice. Twice I reached for the sink, but stopped myself. And then... it slowly faded. To nothing.
I don't know what to think about this. I got rid Baker Street because of its slow, long lasting burn. It was like putting a mildly caustic chemical on my face and having it lightly gnaw away at my face all day. This was like gas and a match, but it has faded to nothing. Could be my rushed shave left me more exposed than I thought; I
am uncharacteristically smooth for a 2 pass, no touch-up shave. Perhaps too much pressure? I'll keep trying Tsuka for the remainder of the week to see if I get similar results, and to see if I feel like I can live with those results.
For now, though, I'm smooth smell pretty darned good, and irritation free. A win, but hard fought.
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