Saturday August 19 - Actually Adjustable, All Sample August
My second sample from the Tickle Trunk:
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Prep: Cool water face wash with Martin de Candre handsoap
Razor: Gillette Black Beauty on "4" / IP Super Platinum ( 2)
Brush: Simpsons Chubby 2 Synthetic
Lather bowl: Jason's maple walnut with lather studs
Soap: Barrister & Mann Waves (sample)
Post: Rinse, alum, rinse, Lucky Tiger Face Tonic, Clubman VIBR
For Canadians of a certain age, the Tickle Trunk is a childhood throwback. There used to be a children's program called "Mr. Dressup". He did skits with a couple puppet friends and various adult guest stars. He had a big steamer trunk he called the "Tickle Trunk" that held a seemingly endless supply of costumes and props for whatever skits he was going to perform on that show.
My sample box reminded me of Mr. Dressup's Tickle Trunk -- a box containing what will probably seem like a neverending supply of shaving soap and cream samples. Today I used Sample #2 - the second of the two larger screwtop sample jars in the righthand compartment. B&M Waves soap.
It has been quite awhile since I bowl lathered a dollop of soap, and I realized I had forgotten a key property of soap compared to cream -- it lasts a long long time. I scooped an almond-sized portion of Waves out of the sample jar and spread it on the bottom of my lather bowl (leaving about 2/3 of the sample still in the jar). After whipping that soap portion hard, I lathered my face twice and left the bowl and brush still filled with lather to spare. I then rinsed the extra suds out of my bowl ... and found an almond-sized dollop of soap still sticking in the bottom. My shave had made no appreciable dent in it. I will shave again tomorrow using today's portion of the sample. In fact, I think I could probably shave daily for most of a week using it. The sample jar may well contain enough soap for a month of daily shaves... If my sample case contained similar soap rather than cream samples, it would be enough for a couple of years.
My sense of smell isn't the greatest, so complex scents are wasted on me. All the talk of "top notes", "middle notes", "bottom notes", "supporting fragrances" and "lingering after hints" means absolutely nothing to me. I therefore prefer simple scents rather than "symphonies". Waves is supposed to be an "aquatic" scent made up of a mix of lavender, geranium, bergamot and sea waves. It does smell pleasantly floral and maybe a bit aquatic. It's nice enough but I don't know that I would want that scent every day.
The soap lathered quickly and easily. It painted well on my face and provided excellent performance. B&M soaps are always slick and protective with good post-shave skin feel, and this soap was no exception. I believe this one uses their "Reserve" soap base.
My last shave was four days ago. Two passes left me cleanshaven. Alum was silent. I finished with Lucky Tiger and VIBR. (As promised, Waves is a light scent that doesn't clash with most other splashes or colognes.)
I will use Waves again with my injector, then move on. I expect I can put any unused soap in my lather bowl back into the sample jar and use it all up after I have done my round of samples. Maybe some week when I want to have an aquatic theme...
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