SoS: December 9, 2013 - December 15, 2013

Razor: Mergress XL (S3.5)
Blade: Crystal (D2)
Brush: Israeli Olivewood w 26mm HM Badger
Bowl: Buffalo Horn 5” Lather Bowl
Pre Shave Soap: Musgo Real Lime Basil Oil Soap
Pre Shave Oil: Homemade Lime & Spearmint
Shave Soap: Mystic Waters Sardinian Honey
Post: Monster Alum Block
Aftershave: Dominica Bay Rum

 

Friday:

Cetaphil Face Bar
TSD Soap With Lanolin, Irish Spring Type
EJ Best Medium
Dovo Natural
Witch Hazel
Afta Fresh
Brut Dominant

 

SOTD Friday 12-13-2013 (The dreaded Friday the Thirteenth!)

11/16 W.H. Morley & Sons, Full Hollow, Spike Point
Proraso PSC
Speick SC
GT G4 Scuttle
Vintage Austrian Barbershop Boar
Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Nivea Replenishing ASB
No. 4711 EDC

I love this Morley! It is one of the smoothest shavers in my rotation and it is always a pleasure to use. Today's shave is heavy on the German theme. The Speick is great stuff and the fragrance is awesome. Top it all off with the Granny Juice (No. 4711 EDC) and you have a great shave.

 

Friday


Coffee: IKEA espresso, brewed in Areopress
Prep: CeraVe facial cleanser
Lather: Petal Pushers unscented soap
Brush: Oscar11 custom with HIS knot
Razor: Gillette fat handled Tech
Blade: Astra SP
After: cold rinse, CeraVe lotion


Excellent shave in four passes.

 

Merry Christmas

Hot shower
Neutrogena Invigorating facial wash
Crabtree&Evelyn Nomad
Semogue 1460
British Rocket
Wilkinson
Stirling after shave milk

Excellent DFS

 

Friday's Shave
Arko Shave Stick-bowl lathered
Omega 10029
1912 Gem Cutlery Co. Damaskeene/Gem SS d2
Rebul Lavanda Colonia

Just when you think it can't get any better...This pre WWI razor has rocked my shave-cave...the ease in obtaining a BBS bar has been risen.... And this is 2014...what is the definition of the word 'progress' again??

Todays shave was great!! 5 Blade Shaves For Everybody!!
Have a Great Weekend !!

 

~ Gillette New Standard (Richwood set) using an Astra Super Stainless on 1.
~ Calvin Klein aluminum billet handle re-knotted with a TGN Black Badger lathering Provence Sante Green Tea..
~ Clinique, Wen and THE Veg to finish off a DFS in 2.

BTW, the Mach 3 with the aluminum CK handle has never touched my face. It takes care of other areas which will remain unmentioned.

 

DEcember 13, 2013

• Prep: shower
• Razor: Weber DLC
• Blade: Polsilver SI (1)
• Brush: New Forest Tubby 2
• Soap: Calani Dubai sample
• Post: Thayers Medicated Superhazel
• After shave: Proraso lozione dopobarba, Bulldog balm

The past 6 shaves were with the new Mühle R89 JEt and the next 6 shaves will be with the Weber DLC so I'll be able to compare them directly after using the DLC and not go from memory. I think this will be a fair way of comparing both razors.

Anyway, the DLC definitely feels heavier in the hand, thanks to the stainless steel handle. Both handles are a joy to hold during the shave, though. The JET's rubberised handle feels positively sticky while shaving and the DLC's Bulldog handle achieves a similar feeling with the superb deep knurling. The shaving experience with the Weber DLC was milder than the Mühle JET, but it was effective as well. The only problem area for my DLC is a small patch on the right side of the neck, which the DLC is never able to shave - the JET excels here. One think I also noticed is that the head of my DLC can sometimes get a bit warm during my shaves as if the friction of the skin is heating the razor. Strange, indeed.

 

Saturday

DR Harris Marlborough bowl lathered with TGN Super Silvertip
EJ DE89 with Feather (3)
3 passes, cold water rinse and vintage Old Spice aftershave
after a few minutes, top it off with vintage Old Spice cologne

 

Saturday

Prep: Hot Shower-Stirling Sharp Dressed Man Bath Soap
Soap: TOBS Avocado Cream
Razor: ’50 Birth Year Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (3)
Brush: Whipped Dog Silvertip
Aftershave: Clubman

WTG-XTG-ATG (adjusted angle for my beard a bit)

Still with my Birth Year Tech. I used the TOBS Avocado Cream today. The 3rd shave with the GSB in the Tech was smoother and better than the first two. I finished up with Clubman.

Bob

 

Saturday:

L'Oreal Men Expert Facial Wash
Wilkinson Sword
Super Speed/Shark day 6
Gada Cool Mint SC
Anherb AS Gel
Osage Rub AS

Well, Montreal is in a deep freeze weather-wise so I decided to take one of my famous Cracky Wacky Ticky Tacky Deep Freeze Set-ups for a spin this morning and it felt great. This Wilkinson Sword brush needs to be properly broken in so I used it to lather up the Gada Cool Mint cream, which contains a ton of menthol and gives such good skincare. The Anherb gel smells differently than the conditioner but it's just as cold and soothing. The menthol power from the Rubby Dubby Doo nearly blew me away. A fantastic BBS shave in two easy passes.

 

R41 Bulldog
Permasharp Super
Oscar11 Purple Omega
Ingram SC
Alum
Nord Ost ASB

Primo Shave.

 

W&B
Stirling Ben Franklin
homemade brush
This is about as simple as shaving gets. I've never done anything to this razor but sharpen it. There is something very enjoyable about the way a wedge shaves for me. Not better just different, I like the weight and how it noiselessly removes whiskers. Have a good weekend.

 

Speick Saturday:

Prep: Hot compress, Crown Shaving Co. Preshave Lotion
Brush: Simpson 56 Best Badger
Cream: Speick
Razor: FaTip Piccolo Nickel
Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum (3)
Passes: WTG (4)
Post: Cold water splash, Speick AS

Just a simple one-pass, SAS today, in part because I sliced open a blemish under my bottom lip and didn't especially relish the idea of lathering it up again. My face feels good otherwise, tingling and tight from the skincare of the Speick products.

 

Today, I can relax from the regimen of testing and simply "get my kicks" with this brush.

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Dove Men's Face Wash​

Col. Conk Bay Rum Shave Soap​

Parker Pure Badger Brush​

Gillette Fat-handled Tech​

Bluebird Hi-Stainless Platinum (9)​

CWR​

Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel​

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS​

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The Parker pure badger brush face-lathered the Col. Conk Bay Rum to provide two passes and clean-up for the Gillette Fat-handled tech. This was the ninth shave for the Bluebird Hi-stainless platinum blade, and I must say it has done the job. After another near BBS shave, I am retiring this blade. I could probably get a few more shaves out of it, but I want to leave on good terms with the Bluebirds. I finished off this great shave with Thayers Cucumber WH and Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS. I am clean, I am smooth, and I am refreshed.​

 

Saturday
hot shower
Duke 3 Best
Proraso PSC
Proraso White Tub SS
Schick G1/Pella coated injector (3)
warm water rinse
Monster Block Alum
cold water rinse
Thayer's Cucumber WH
Clubman mixed with a tiny amount of Skin Gel

Wonderful shave BBS face and dome !!!

 

Saturday:​

hot shower w/Yardley Pomegranate Rose​

Somersets PSO​

Gillette FatBoy 3 passes (9)​

Voskhod Teflon (2)​

VDH boar​

T&H Rose (sample) cream in a warm mug​

Dollar Store Aloe & Vitamin E Gel smeared all over my face​

Alpa 378 AS​

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Very good three pass shave this morning and possibly the best shave I've gotten with the FatBoy since acquiring it just after Thanksgiving. Only the 2nd time using a Voskhod blade (1st time was in a Ball End Tech) and it was very interesting because I couldn't really feel the blade. I was getting audio feedback on initial passes but not much after that so I had to be very careful not to apply pressure since there wasn't any feel.​

On the negative side, the T&H Rose was disappointing especially considering the quality of their other creams. Wonderful scent but too dry. I tried adding some water for the second pass but that only made it thinner. Trying to lather a third time proved to be a failure so I grabbed some Dollar Store gel out of the cupboard and slathered up for what turned out to be a fantastic finish. I hadn't used this stuff since transitioning from cartridge shaving so I may need to give it another run.​

For aftershave I was in the mood for something old timey today so out came the Alpa 378. Must have been my visit to the antique store last night because I woke up thinking I wanted to use it today. Alpa 378 makes me think of watching home movies on a reel-to-reel seeing grainy images of picnic table summers with potato salad and baked beans attended by ladies with polka dot scarves and cat-eye white rimmed sunglasses while men with cigarettes in their shirt pockets play horseshoes.​

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Saturday

Shavecraft 101
Personna Plat
Coates Lime SC
The Colonel
Lucido Splash
Proraso Balm

It was a wonderful shave today. I primarily used the OC side of the razor as the SB side doesn't cut anything for me.

I listened to Bobby Bazini this morning and remembered all the good memories of my grandfather, who passed this morning.

 

Luke, my sincerest condolences on the loss of your grandfather.