Aristocrat Focus November 25: Stirling Synthetic Brush Pre de Provence SS Gillette Aristocrat Stirling Unscented PSB Canoe AS I didn't get a picture today, as I was too rushed. I did get in a good shave though. I have gotten the PdP down well enough that it is almost automatic on the lather. I also went with a Big Ben blade in the Aristocrat, and even though I was rushed, I still managed the best shave I have had from these blades. A good hump day shave
Those 2 are certainly the top ones. I would rather deal with the skunk than have "great balls of fire".
No shave for me today, either. I'm back in the Pain Stick game tomorrow. My condolences to Mr. Fire and Ice. This tops anything Neal could have devised. Blazing Saddles is my vote for a CT. Burnished Leather also comes to mind. The tanning process can be very tricky, indeed. We're all asked to explain the origin of our CT from time to time. I'm sure Adam will have fun telling his story.
Well I'm not really focused anymore but I know you all want to hear about the box and my experiences with its bounty. Today I tried the Mystic Waters Lime face lathered with my 20mm WD synthetic. I put a dash of hot water on top of the soap for about 5 min before I tried to lather it. I had my brush soaking to hold warmth. I shook almost all of the water out so it was a mostly dry brush. I then started very slowly loading the brush and picking up the extra water from the soap on the brush. I then smeared the thick soapy paste all over my face and really worked it in. then I started dipping the tips of the brush in a mug of warm water and lathering along. I kept that up a few time until it was a soft creamy lather. Maybe 6 min all together. I decided to load up an Astra SP in the Stalhy because neither me nor my fiance like it as well as we do other razors. I finished the first pass but I still didn't like how it felt so I pulled the blade and broke out the Fat Boy. I set him at about a 5 and breezed through a XTG and a partial ATG on the neck. Warm then cold rinse and back to the box for more product. I pulled out Pinauld's Citrus Musk sprayed it on and rubbed it in. The fiance loved my citrus smell so I'm happy to add both these products to my buy list later. The mystic Waters Lime was almost better for each pass. It was everything a soap should be for me. I said this over in the box tour thread but I tried the veg on my arm and. . . My fiance loved it. She wants me to use it tomorrow for the holiday. I managed a DFS but I wasn't really trying this evening.
Let's go to the replay gentlemen, and a bit of analysis. Just a quick observation from the "Mikey" of this little band of brothers. As the one who seems to have a reputation for "he'll try anything", it may be worth noting that I do NOT have a menthol fetish nor do I find it necessary to add menthol to anything. The only menthol I use is Proraso and C.O. Bigelow, which is, of course, Proraso. Do I hate menthol? Nope. I just have a respect for the things menthol, in abundance or over-abundance, can do. Just saying. More disasters and near-disasters have happened here after hearing those words in your head around here. When will we learn? When those words pass through our minds the best thing to do is probably put the razor down and back away slowly. That is a great point that I also was reminded of yesterday, though not in as bloody a way. The things we shave with, straight, pain stick, DE, SE, are all SHARP! Complacency leads to bloody messes. Literally. As for the menthol on the hands? Just be thankful it wasn't Icy Hot. Just saying.
Today is a travel day and I actually had time for a leisurely shave this morning. You would think it would be the best shave of the month. Nope! I screwed up. I touched the blade down at too steep an angle when working around my goatee and left a one inch mark. Fortunately it wasn't very deep and didn't bleed very long. Otherwise it was a very nice shave. SOTD TOBS Grapefruit Rubberset 400 Feather AC SS Feather Professional (5) Witch Hazel Legend Chrome Azzaro cologne Happy almost Thanksgiving!