Not much better here in Valley of the Sun. High was only 81 ...low will get down to a chilly 48. Running and ducking now!

So this is my first SOS post so im hoping im doing this right. I have been posting my shave experiences and asking questions in my "welcome" thread and im on shave #4 tonight and wanted to start now putting them here. If you would like to be caught up on my experiences visit that thread and its all there.

Tonights shave consisted of:

Hot shower
Wet face with warm water
Barbasol (switched from gillette gel, mucho better)
Gillette Fatboy
Personna blade
Every Man Jack post shave lotion

So this time i shaved my face all three directions but paid close attention to make sure my angle was good and i got zero irratation and for the most part its stubble free all over. There are a few spots here and there that obviously got missed because im new at this and consistent strokes of the razor needs improvement. Which will come with time.

Now on my neck i only went WTG and XTG and i barely have any irratation. Now its not as smooth as my face but thats to be expected and id rather have some stubble left then red and irratated to the point i cant touch my neck.

Overall, this was a 100x better shave then the last three and progress is good!

Your shaves will continue to get better. Welcome to the Shave Den.

Razor: Ming Shi mp-023g
Blade:Astra SP (1)
Soap: Arko
Brush: Isana Pure Badger
AS: Fa Sport

Ming shi DE surprised me in its first shave. It is such a nice mild razor that gave a great BBS!
Have a great weekend Folks!

Welcome to TSD and you did a great job on your first SOTD post. The shaves will continue to get better.

Welcome to the Shave Den!!

Hello folks, here's the line up for today's SOTD;

1940/41 Gillette Milord Tech razor.
1942 Gillette Blue Blade.
Chinese Badger Hair brush.
C & E Moroccan Myrrh shaving cream.
Nivea AS Balm (sensitive).
Old Spice AS Splash.
Avon Mesmerize cologne.



Enjoy your shaves !!!

This is yesterday's -- can't sleep. May just end going back downstairs and writing. Anyway:

'58 Gillette TV Special refurbished by @JR Reyes
Kroger Chromium (I think)
Rubberset 200N w/ 22mm super soft synthetic by the incomparable @JR Reyes
Country Club Cahaba Blues
Cold water, in bowl lather
Nivea Post Shave Balm
Gillette Aqua Velva
--------
Gotta say, not my greatest shave ever. Not sure what went wrong. The Country Club lathered great. I now know the Kroger isn't the best blade in the world but it's been my go to for 2+ years and since everything else is changing, I wanted one point of reference. My shave cycle was a two day instead of three to four so that might have been it, but finally, I swear the blade was uneven in the razor. I even tried flipping the blade to no effect. Usual WTG, XTG, rXTG, TU

Anyway, spotty and a little irritated. Win some, lose some I guess.

Welcome!!!

GOOD SUNDAY MORNING TSD

Today's shave was the same as yesterday's but today I got a BBS finish with the Schick Adjustable!!!
RAZOR-SCHICK ADJUSTABLE
BLADE-SCHICK
LATHER-BARBASOL
THREE PASSES-WTG,XTG,ATG
POST SHAVE-COLD WATER RINSE,WITCH HAZEL,NIVEA PSB

So it's back to hunting again today,I don't think the deer care about my BBS shave this A.M.! LOL:bang:

Good day everyone

I decided I needed a little break from the routine and since it's Sunday I declared it the "some variation Sunday" for me.

So after a hot shower, I shaved with:

- Stirling Vanilla Sandalwood
- Omega 49
- Gillette New LC
- Gillette Silver Blue (#1)
- Tüff Sensitiv Rasierwasser




Never used neither the soap nor the razor before (in fact I received the New LS just yesterday). And what a great little razor that is. The Stirling soap lathered easily, got a lot of creamy, slick foam that smelled just great. And the LC gave me a very smoth and at the same time very close shave - 2-pass DFS on my first attempt, not too bad.

But the one thing I'll always hate about the GSB blades are those wax spots. Seriously: who needs that? They just make the blade stick to either the top or bottom plate of the razor and leave residue behind.

Oh - and I learned that size does indeed matter. The Omega just holds huge amounts of later compared to the tiny Semogue I used over the last few weeks.

November 22

Feather Artist Club SS
Feather Professional (5)
Semogue 830
MdC scented
Two passes plus touch-ups
Thayer's Lavender witch hazel, unrefined shea butter, and Floid Vigoroso

I have been a little stingy with it because Im on a long term buying freeze and dont want to be without hahaha. It a very good performer, I like it very much!

I had a very nice, smooth, and comfortable shave with the Edwin Jagger Menthol cream. I can't call it a face-freezer, but the cooling effect is pleasant. The lather is a pleasure to work up and it's very skin-friendly. The Gold Bond and Aqua Velva completed the job really well. Time for a new blade tomorrow.

Sunday



First shave with the Red - lovely performer and great scent. Pairs well with Omar's Bay Rum.
Still breaking in the WD boar. I hope it softens up a bit more, but so far it really resembles an Omega, soft yet scritchy as well.
Snow has arrived for the first time 'tis season, stormy as well - dang it's cold! So no menthol today...
Lovely DFS+++ result.​

I like the witch hazel decanter. Very science steampunk looking. Hunt well and prosper.

Sunday, November 22, 2015 - Day 2 without hot water
(Used 1/2 gallon of water heated on the stove)
Axe Face Wash
2 lukewarm towels
Proraso Preshave
Plisson Synthetic
RazoRock Brain Freeze (face lathered)
Merkur 34c w/Gillette Silver Blue (2)
W, X1, X2, touch ups
Cold rinse, cold towel, witch hazel, Creamo Balm, Grey Flannel AS
GES

I have nothing nice to say about heating & cooling guys this morning.

Sunday 22 November 2015



Mastro Livi "Rasoio Italiano" Stainless Damascus, 8/8 Full Hollow, Spanish Point​

I can't stop thinking how fabulous and stunning is this Mastro Livi stainless damascus razor. The blade, first of all. It is made of artisanal martensitic stainless damascus personally made by Mastro Livi in his laboratory, that is made of stainless steels suitable for hardening and tempering. You can in fact see both stainless steels are making the very sharp and super cutting edge, this is possible only in case the steel is totally hardenable. Secondly, the scales. They are a masterpiece celebrating Italy and Italian craftsmanship, of course made by Mastro Livi. Scales are made of black African ebony with a fossil mammoth ivory plate in the middle and two Italian flags at the sides. The flags are made of jade, white turquoise and coral. A flag made of three dots is also inlaid in the fossil mammoth ivory. Simply beautiful! As for shaving performance, the feeling of this Mastro Livi stainless damascus is pretty aggressive and deep, almost as aggressive as Damasteel, however giving a pleasing shave and, you know it, with an impeccable super smooth and velvety result. I am very proud of this razor, not just because it is "Italian artisan made", but also because I personally watched its making.​

• Pre-Shave: RazorGuy Pre-Shave Oil
• Soap: XPEC Original Shaving Cream
• Brush: Frank Shaving Synthetic Hair Brush - 22mm knot
• Bowl: Bamboo Bowl
• Strop: Mastro Livi Medium Loom Strop "Coramella Italiana" and Hand Palm
• Razor: Mastro Livi "Rasoio Italiano" Stainless Damascus, 8/8 Full Hollow, Spanish Point
• Post-Shave: Alum Block
• Post-Shave: Argan Oil
• After Shave: Pino Silvestre Classico

Sunday:

Prep: Hot shower, Nivea for Men Original Moisturizing Face Wash, TSD Jasmine Sambac preshave balm
Brush: Simpsons 56 Best Badger
Lather: Ginger's Garden Coffee Jasmine soap (with mango butter)
Razor: RazoRock Bamboozled RAKE OC
Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum (1)
Passes: WTG, XTG (1, 2)
Post: Cold water rinse, Thayer's witch hazel & aloe vera pad, Myrsol Metilsol AS splash
Cologne: Xeryus by Givenchy

I know I said I'd use the Bic for another day before swapping it, but then I got lazy(er) and skipped a couple of days. Rather than going at 2 days' stubble with an old, dying blade, I swapped in a fresh one after I'd already lathered up. This proved to me that the lather was stable enough to last through my fumbling fingers switching blades, and also proved that, if possible, I should consider letting the lather sit on my face a bit longer as a matter of course. The shave was effortless, comfortable, and DFS+.

SOTD November 22, 2015

Prep: Rusty Blade blend pre-shave oil
Razor/Blade: Gillette Canadian Heavy Tech / Astra SP
Brush/Soap: Semogue / Pre de Provence
Aftershave: Witch Hazel/coconut oil
Mustache Wax: Badger
Love this soap.
[Late edit] Forgot to mention I did my first pass with my Bluebeard's Revenge Shavette. Ended up with a BBS shave...and I wasn't even aiming for one! Still having trouble with weepers on my chin area.