December 2016 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Great looking picture and setup with a beautiful razor Adam.

 

Very good setup and picture.

 

Thanks for the kind words Jared. Have a great Wednesday, stay warm!

 

Adam that is one beauty of a blade. Enjoy!

 

Lovely picture and shavette!

 

Thanks Clint!

 

Chris, love the Rockabilly. Hope you enjoy the show!

 

Today's shave in my Focus went very well. The Bolzano blade seems to like the more aggressive settings. I dialed it up to "8" for first pass and down to "7" for the second. No touch up needed! In a nod to decadence I had an "Italian" shave this morning: Proraso Green shave cream(tube), Bolzano blade(yes I know they're made in Germany), Omega 6212 brush, Dominello Vitali Calming Post Shave Moisturizer. No Italian AS, so Clubman had to do. Have a great day fella's!!

 

December 14, 2016

Razor: '48-'49 Gillette Milord
Blade: Crystal (1)
Brush: VdH Boar
Soap: Williams + Dove Hydrating Cream

I took yesterday off to rest my face from Monday, but am back today. For today, I moved to the more plebeian but still decadent cousin to Neal's Aristocrat, the Gillette Milord. As for the blade, I had a couple of the Crystal blades from some samplers and have been wanting to try the Crystal blade since Neal rated them so highly in September.

The first pass had great performance from the razor and blade but seemed to lack slickness. It's been a while since I used Williams so I'm not sure if this was a technique fail or a need to adjust expectations. To be on the safe side, I added the Dove cream to make a superlather for the second pass. This turned out to be a good decision.

All told, a DFS+ with no complaints from the Alum. So far, I'm impressed with the Crystal blades, though we'll have to see as the week progresses. OTOH, I think I need to give the Williams some thought.

 

Thank you both. My wife and I have the same difference of interpretation.

 

Fantastic looking razor. The Black Beauty is just one very cool looking razor.

 

Adam congrats on the razor. It looks fantastic. Love the scales.

 

Brush Parker Best Badger
Soap Tabac Stick (thank you secret santa).
Razor 1947 Aristocrat
Blade Feather (2)
Aftershave Ginger's Garden Suede with a good amount of Tabac cologne.

Another DECedent shave. I soaked this badger in hot water for about 10min, then squeezed out the water. I wet my left palm and hand lathered the tabac stick. This created enough lather for a single pass. This is my 2nd time using a soap stick and my 1st time hand lathering. After a smooth 1st pass, I found the brush was not loaded enough for a second, so I hand lathered it again for a second pass. Second pass XTG and just as smooth. The Ginger's Garden aftershave went on slick and leaves my skin very supple. The scent is fantastic and marries very well with the Tabac cologne. Have a great day gents.

 

The PLux is my favorite Mostochlegmash offering, and to me seems the sharpest of the bunch. And you are finished off a puck of Tabac ??? How long have you had it? Tabac seems like it it good for at least 5 years of daily shaves.

 

Nice shot Jim!

 

That is a beautiful razor Adam!

 

Thank you. There something to the Black Beauty that I definitely like. If it was a birth year razor for me, it would be an easy choice to keep it.

 

My wife might tell you that if we used my interpretation, there would be more than one per week.

 

Thank you, Andrew! Have a great Wednesday!

 

Thank you Doug!
My first synthetic was a The Body Shop I received from @Marverel . A good serviceable brush . This Tuxedo is a whole 'nother creature. I saw several members had installed the knots in their handles and liked the looks. Took a while to ship from Canada from APShave Co. It's worth the wait! Though I started with and still enjoy the scrubbiness of a boar brush, the Tuxedo knot is so soft I don't feel the bristles, only the lather. It must be what a high end badger is like - gel tip? There is plenty of backbone to load product. Stiff enough to bowl or face lather. When the knot gets to my face it's only the lather I feel. Did I say highly recommended?
I like it enough I'm thinking about their latest offering. There is a preorder deal on 3 knots. A larger 30mm Tuxedo, an all white 24mm, and a 22mm faux horse.