SoS: February 17, 2014 - February 23, 2014

Dove Men's Face Wash
Col. Conk Amber Shave Soap
Semogue 1305 Boar Brush
Gillette Fat-handled Tech
Gillette 7 O'Clock (2)
CWR
Thayers Cucumber WH
Pinaud Clubman AS

I am relly liking this Col. Conk Amber Shave Soap. I face lathered it with the Semogue 1305 boar brush. Two passes and touch ups with the Gillette Fat-handled tech and Gillette 7 O'Clock blade left me near BBS. I finished off with a cold water rinse, Thayers Cucumber WH, and Pinaud Clubman AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

 

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Prep: Warm shower, Cetaphil Lotion
Razor: EJ DE89L
Blade: Voskhod (1)
Soap: Williams Shave Mug Soap
Brush: Semogue 830
Post: Witch Hazel, Cetaphil Lotion
Aftershave: Old Spice

After a "No Shave Saturday," I had plenty to shave today and it turned out fantastic. I know that Williams has its share of detractors, but I find it to be a great soap. If you've never tried it, give it a try. For the $2 cost, it's worth the gamble.

Have a great day!

 

Sunday - dedicated to my dear friend Ryan!

Hot shower followed by two hot towels and a facial massage
Neotrogena Men Facial Wash
Large Horsehair Barbershop
Super Speed/Permasharp day 7
Stirling Margaritas in the Arctic SS
Anherb AS Conditioner
Floid Classic AS

Lately I'm using more soaps than creams because I want to re-visit stuff I haven't used in a while. This MITA soap which my man Ryan sent me is absolutely wonderful. Its scent is lovely, its lather is sumptious, and its menthol effect is STRONG - ok, not to the point where you'll get tearing eyes and a runny nose like you would with the Glacial or Yeti Snot, but still strong enough to match Proraso Green. The skincare from this soap is fantastic. My skin felt so relaxed and soothed that I easily could have avoided using any balm or aftershave splash, but I used it anyway to get some more menthol cooling. The Anherb conditioner and the Floid Classic are two must-haves for me at all times if possible. This shave was a delight from start to finish - three passes got me so BBS that I'm almost as smooth as my wife and daughter!

 

5/8 C&S
Mike's
homemade brush
I finally redid my clown brush handle and came up with this beehive style. It's not buffed out and everything is just friction fit. This is my favorite Omega boar knot (20248) and right now it's set at 50mm, 52/53mm seems about perfect for me but I wanted to try it a bit lower. I might try it at the same loft with an oversized hole before I make up my mind. Have a good one, I might do a set of scales today either for a W&B or my Torrey. Have a good one.

 

Gillette New LC (Rhodium Plated)
Voskhod (d1)
Vulfix 2235 Super
Palmolive Stick/MWF –Uber Face Lather
Master Bay Rum

 

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SOTD Feb 23 -- Blade safari day 20

Prep: hot shower
Razor: WW2 Gillette Khaki with ball end handle
Blade: Israel Viking Sword (day 4)
Brush: Vie-Long
Soap: Proraso Green
Passes: 3 (WTG, XTG, ATG)
Post: Alum, Dove Men Hydrate+ AS Balm

I've been getting mild results from the Israel Viking Sword that I decided to all in on this shave, WTG,XTG and ATG. I'd say it was a good call yielding a DFS with minimal irritation.
I also got one of my better lathers from the Proraso Green, still not much of a menthol kick from this soap though.
I had both my brush and bowl soaking in hot water while I showered, the resulting warm lather was bliss.

 

SUNDAY
Final Day of 'Show-Us-Your-Mug' Week

Use my 'mini bowl' to whip lather up this morning—a nice little ceramic piece I received as part of an ebay 'razor' deal.
I also added a few drops of the TSD Menthol Balm to the already-mentholated 'Black Ice';—with very noticeable 'face-chilling' results.
An excellent shave this morning, too. DFS+!
Have a blessed Sunday, all!

 

iKon Shavecraft 101 day two
Much better shave today, but still a few weepers. I did not shave yesterday, and decided to try Astra SP, and I got a smooth feeling shave for the most part, just a bit of tugging on my neck. That is where the weepers opened, too. I noticed that the weepers happened when I used the SB side, and not the OC. Overall, everything worked well together for a cold DFS.
Prep: Proraso PSC
Soap: Synergy Frost Byte
Brush: HIS
Razor: iKon Shavecraft 101
Blade: Astra SP
AS: Krampert's Finest Frostbite

 

Filarmonica 14 Sub Cero
Muhle 33 H13 Olivewood V2 brush
3P pre shave
QCS Vetiver soap
Aubrey North Woods AS
Lea AS balm

 

Sunday morning, February 23, 2014

Schick E2 Injector with Schick blade (3)
Semogue 1305 boar bristle brush,
Arko shaving soap with hot water lather,
finish with cold water rinse for a CCS!

 

Sunday shave
Gillette tech with astra sp
Koh I noor boar
Cella
Osage rub as

Didn't have to shave today was still dfs from yesterdays shave With The Shavette but did a quick two pass touch up for church anyway.

 

Razor: IKON Deluxe OC
Blade: Feather (D4)
Brush: Omega 11126 boar
Bowl: Buffalo Horn 5” bowl
Pre Shave Soap: MRGLO Lime Basil
Pre Shave Balm: TSD Iced SubZero
Shave Cream: Taconic Bay Rum
Post: Monster Alum Block
Aftershave: Nivea Sensitive ASB
Cologne: Ogallala Bay Rum


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Finished up my Bay Rum Week which was actually 8 days worth of Bay Rum soaps and Creams and if I was forced to settle on just once scent to shave with each morning it would be the classic Bay Rum. To be honest, I was quite surprised that I have Ten different Bay Rum soaps/creams and eight different Bay Rum AS/ Colognes. If it wasn't for the fact I ran out of storage containers I probably would have opened up the two remaining pucks which are Pirate Cove Bay Rum and their Bay Rum with Lime. I have over 30 soaps on the shelves so I might have a slight addiction to wet shaving.

 

Sunday morning -


Prep - Noxzema & hot towel
Lather - Mitchell's Wool Fat & suribachi
Brush - Omega 40033
Razor - Gillette Single Ring
Blade - Feather (6)

2 pass
Warm water rinse & cold water splash
Alum block & Witch-hazel AS

 

Razor: Merkur 38c
Blade: Personna Reds
Brush: Rooney Super Badger
Pre Shave: Hot shower & Homemade pre-shave oil
Shave Soap: Al’s Calypso
Post: Alum Block & Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman

3 passes, a little polishing, and I'm BBS most everywhere with a couple rough spots but overall a damn good shave.

 

Sunday morning - 2/23/14

Prep: Hot shower and homemade PSO
Razors: Parker SRB and Merkur 34HD
Blades: Shark SE and Gillette Silver Blue
Lather: Stirling Coniferous
Brush: Omega 31025
Post: Cold water rinse and Old Spice aftershave

I decided to push just a little further with the Parker this morning. I shaved both cheeks and jaws, around my mustache and down the sides of my neck up to the adams apple. I was getting a little shaky right over my jugular and my chin, so I grabbed the Merkur to finish pass 1. I used the Merkur for passes 2 and 3 and then did some touch up to my neck and below my ear on the jaw with lather in my left hand and the razor in the right. Facial and neck contortions along with slick wet lather left me with a DFS over the face, jaw and neck!
First use of the Coniferous soap sample. Scent was okay, lathering was pretty good. I do think I tend to get it a little wet and will need to try to not add that last drop or two of water before I go to my face.

 

I dub last night's shave Subzero Saturday.

Prep: hot shower, Cremo Face Wash, TBS Maca Root Scrub.
Brush: Turkish #6 Brush.
Razor: '62 Gillette Slim set on 7 for the first pass, 3 for the second pass.
Blade: Personna Med Prep.
Soap: Stirling Glacial.
Post: cold water rinse, Krampert's Frostbite.

Since I've been having to drive really far to my job training site, I haven't had time to shave more than once a week. I'm up at 4, get to work by 5:45 and don't get home until at least 6:30 PM. By then all I do is eat, take my dog out, shower, and go to bed.

But this shave was cold and felt great. My Stirling Glacial really mellowed out since I left it uncovered for a few weeks. It lathers a lot better than it did at first and still has enough menthol to make the menthol hater uncomfortable. Stirling is a soap I can use and count on getting a BBS shave with little or no irritation or nicks. And I received a bigger chill from Krampert's Frostbite.

 

Sunday, February 23rd, 2014



Mastro Livi Classic, 6/8 Half Hollow, Round Point​

• Pre-shave: Myrsol Emulsión
• Soap: Saponeria Artigiana Shaving Cream
• Brush: Omega Badger Brush 63167
• Bowl: Gerby Bowl
• Strop: Mastro Livi Loom Strop and Hand Palm Stropping
• Razor: Mastro Livi Classic, 6/8 Half Hollow, Round Point
• Post-Shave: Umbrian Extravirgin Olive Oil
• After Shave: Floïd The Genuine After Shave

 

Sunday:
hot shower w/T&H Grafton bar soap
Taconic unscented PSO
Parker 80R 2+ passes
Crystal Super Platinum (3)
Semogue Owners Club badger
T&H Grafton cream in a warm mug
Thayer's unscented with aloe
T&H Grafton AS balm
T&H Grafton cologne (sampler)

Incredibly close to a BBS shave this morning. I was a bit surprised though to have a weensy bit of irritation around the corners of my mouth (edge of the moustache area) after the first two shaves with this blade were so good. I was definitely using zero pressure but the beginnings of a burn were unmistakable so I'll be anxious to see how this blade does through the next two shaves of it's five shave test.

No predictions for today's Daytona 500 but I'm sure I'll catch a few winks during the middle of what a friend of mine refers to as NAPCAR.

 

That area (corners of the mouth) was always my biggest pain when cartridge shaving. I never could get close enough without nicking the edges & having weepers. I hated that!
I felt my face resembled the Joker some mornings post-shave…