30 Day Rule/Focus; August 2023. All Are Welcome!

Aug 6 SOTA

Good afternoon.

Straight Razor Shave #473
13/8 ArtRazor 1000 (33)
MrEE LE #10 Cashmere Brush
Angora Soaps Midnight Lavender SS and AS Stirling Alum Block
Modessa Witch Hazel
Beard Growth: 24 hrs



As promised, I brought Artie out to play. Did a 3 pass shave for an error-free close, comfortable result. I am happy to say that I finally finished this puck. However, I still have an untouched puck of Midnight Lavender. Here's today's lather:



The alum feedback was there, but it wasn't an awful sensation. Hit the face and neck with the witch hazel. Splashed on the matching aftershave and I am good to go for tonight's service. Take care.

 

Great Sunday shaves and photos, gents!

 

Sunday August 6 - Adjustable, Artisan August

Prep: hot water
Razor: Gillette SuperAdjustable 194 refurbished and cerakoted by Delta Echo Razors (defunct) on #4
Blade: Russian Gillette Rubie Platinum Plus (2)
Brush: APShaveCo Elegant Emerald resin handle with 24mm APLuxury bulb (mixte) knot
Soap: TOBS Lavender Shave Cream (croap)
Post: Rinse, Lucky Tiger Face Tonic

My last shave was Wednesday, I believe in the evening. So a four-day stubble to mow.

I am classing the APShaveCo brush as "artisan" as he is a small Canadian maker. I quite like the APShaveCo's APLuxury knot. It is a badger/boar mixture - 70% two-band finest badger to 30% boar - that is densely packed. It comes in either bulb or fan shapes. I have the bulb. The dense packing of the knot together with the boar content results in a badger brush with a lot of backbone.

I don't know if TOBS is "artisan" or "commercial" now, but given its illustrious history and excellent quality, I am calling it "artisan" for our purposes too. Great scent, excellent lather and good glide, slickness and protectiveness as usual - even when the product is a cream that has dried to the point of being a fairly firm "croap".

I did one pass to get back to a respectable cleanshaven state.

I didn't bother with the alum today, just splashed on some Lucky Tiger and am ready to go.

Hope everyone had a good weekend leading into an excellent week!

 

Thanks John.

 

Nice shave and setup John. TOBS has a fine reputation. One day when my inventory is low, I hope to get a tub of TOBS.

 

thank you John.

 

fantastic shaves gents.

 

Thanks Gary.

 

Thanks, Gary.

 

SE Shave # 339 - Sample Soap Sunday Shave - Lemoncello

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: Yaqi SE Chrome
Blade: Perma-Sharp
Brush: Strike Gold Shave Minion 24 mm Badger
Lather: Van Yulay Lemoncello
Aftershave: Stirling Lemon Chill - Glacial
Additional Care:
Omega Alum
Dickenson’s Original Witch Hazel
Stirling Unscented Glacial Balm

perfect weather this Sunday for my daughter’s birthday bbq. Fortunately I am not hosting which means I can sit back and relax.

Wonderful shave this morning with the Lemoncello/Lemon Chill Glacial. Once again I received the SWMBO SOA. Three passes to super smoothness.

Hope you all enjoyed your Sunday.

 

Super Sunday Shave Joe. Glad you had a relaxing time during your daughter's birthday celebration.

 

What a great shave this morning . The Zingari Man soap(Explorer)jumped onto the brush(Stoylin li'l brudder) I did get some redness along South Porcupine, bright red in fact, but there was no pain involved. Clean and fresh everywhere else but for the Ingrown Hair area(NW Cactus). 2 passes The Coniferous w/menthol felt reeeal nice for the aftershave. That's a good one to add menthol to, as you're already in the forest with the Coniferous. No cologne. As Outstanding As It Gets.

 

Interesting, I wonder if you will notice any difference in the shave?

 

View attachment 285742

SE Shave # 339 - Sample Soap Sunday Shave - Lemoncello

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: Yaqi SE Chrome
Blade: Perma-Sharp
Brush: Strike Gold Shave Minion 24 mm Badger
Lather: Van Yulay Lemoncello
Aftershave: Stirling Lemon Chill - Glacial
Additional Care:
Omega Alum
Dickenson’s Original Witch Hazel
Stirling Unscented Glacial Balm

 

07 Aug 2023 (Adjustable, Arko August, Artisan August, Anything goes, Adapting-Adjusting-on-the-fly August)

6 AM pre work shave

August = Anything Goes! Cold water shave, cartridge and electric
Prep = face wash, cold water rinse, T&H no 10 used as prep and lather
Razor = Gillette Sensor Excel cartridge
Electric Razors = Braun 9 series , Auxiliary back up and for rotary multidirectional buffing
Post = CWR, Alum was silent, CWR, Thayer’s, Brut, Proraso ASB
Scent = Guerlain pour home EdP

Very nice shave with the Braun cleaning up the left overs not taken down by the cartridge, utilizing circular motions as well as ATG in the tricky areas resulting in the closest shave I have had so far in my tricky areas just under the chin, around Adam and in the swirls in my right lower neck
Super smooth plus! No damage! Bidirectional BBS will not happen on this face so this is as good as it gets for me, happy with that
Score: 9.5 / 10 (half a point lost for a non DE shave)

May just resort to the Braun for final touch ups in future as an adjunct to my DE shaving

When my Proraso white Preshave Prep finishes I could just use this No 10 from T&H or even just use some shaving cream from a tube as a pre shave

 

SE Shave # 340 -DECLARATION GROOMING MICROMATIC MONDAY

Rating: 5 / 5

Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
Blade: GEM Stainless
Brush: Leo Frilot Custom NYR 26 mm Synthetic
Lather: Declaration Grooming After the Rain
Aftershave: Declaration Grooming After the Rain
Additional Care:
Omega Alum
Dickenson’s Original Witch Hazel
Stirling Unscented Glacial Balm

Perfect selection of software for the current LI weather. Rainy and cool, while the title suggests the weather has improved, the scent profile fits the weather. “Like a walk through a forest after a spring shower with notes of wet pine, muted lavender, cedar, and white pepper.”

The MMOC took care of the 25 hour growth easily without any …NY or irritation. The alum report was silent. This razor, once you have it dialed in, is a very efficient tool.

Hope you all have a great day gentlemen.

 

That's a lot of "A's" ya got there for August, buddeh.

 

I think you previously posted this shave. See post #230.

 

Excellent shave Chris. I don't always go for BBS every time out. I believe that an excellent shave is one in which you don't lose any blood and your skin is irritation free. I am fine with just freshly shaved look. Everyone has different standards. Some shavers think that even with multiple cuts that it is a good shave while others think a less than BBS result is a subpar shave. You are the master of your shave and therefore determine what constitutes the quality of your shave. Use whatever you need to get the shave you want. As I always have said, " It's your shave; do it your way.

 

Marvelous Monday shave Joe.