SoS: January 13, 2014 - January 19, 2014

*Saturday*

Prep: CeraVe facial cleanser
Soap: Mike's natural soap, unscented
Brush: HIS synthetic
Razor: iKon ShaveCraft 101
Blade: Gillette SharpEdge (yellow pack)
After: Cold rinse, CeraVe lotion

Comfortable three pass shave to clean up for a family dinner out tonight.

 

Hi Friends,​

SUNDAY-SHAVE​

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-Prep 1: Olive-Oil​

-Prep 2: Floid Sandolor preshave gel​

-Soap: PannaCrema Vetiver​

-Brush: Mühle 23mm Silvertip Fibre​

-Razor: Shavecraft 101​

-Blade: HEMA​

-Aftershave: ALPA Windsor​

-Postshave: Olive-Oil​

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A shave like this is a very fine start into Sunday.Gentle,smooth and very good smelling. Really nice.The combination of the last weeks hasn´t let me down a bit.The blade is as sharp as by the 1st use,the razor seems to get more gentle from shave to shave and the soap...is out of this world.​

I wish all of you a great time.And great shaves.Take care.​

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Greetings​

Thorsten​

 

Bruce, another mighty fine photo. Beautiful razor, one of my favorite aftershaves, and a very unique snurdle dipper. Good show.

 

Sunday:

I can no longer use my Dovo Bismarck due to nervous issues. I'm afraid to injure myself. I'm really going to miss it because it's such a wonderful razor.

#6 Horsehair
Parker 22R/7 AM day unknown
SuperMax Menthol SC
L'Oreal Men Expert Facial Wash
Svoboda AS Balm
Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS
Chabrawichi 555 Cologne

Although I enjoyed this shave a lot I felt like something was missing this morning. The Parker 22R is an aggressive razor which I can handle well, but it's not my favorite choice of DE. The 7 AM blade seemed sharp and smooth enough and it gave me a great shave with no problems. The SuperMax Menthol cream from Bulgaria smells so nice and lathers fantastically, and it gives a really good cooling sensation. That Svoboda balm and Aqua Velva - what can I say, I love them!

 

Sunday, January 19th, 2014



Mastro Livi Double Damascus Steel, 15/16 Full Hollow, Barber's Notch​

• Pre-shave: Myrsol Emulsión
• Soap: Valobra Shaving Cream
• Brush: Mastro Livi Silver Tip Badger Brush
• Bowl: Gerby Bowl
• Strop: Mastro Livi Loom Strop and Hand Palm Stropping
• Razor: Mastro Livi Double Damascus Steel, 15/16 Full Hollow, Barber's Notch
• Post-Shave: Umbrian Extravirgin Olive Oil
• After Shave: Myrsol Agua de Limón After Shave

 

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Dove Men's Face Wash​

Kiss My Face Cool Mint Moisture Shave​

Parker Pure Badger ​

Merkur 37c Slant​

Bluebird Hi-Stainless Platinum (7)​

CWR​

Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel​

Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS​

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I'm really liking the Kiss My Face Cool Mint. Two face latherings with the Parker pure brush prepared my face for the Merkur 37c to do its job. Two passes and touch ups with the Blubird Hi-Stainless Platinum blade left me near BBS. A cold water rinse followed by the Thayers Cucumber WH and Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS left me feeling clean, smooth, and refreshed. Nice...​

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Sunday-“Stirling Week”

Prep: Hot Shower-Stirling Bath Soap
Soap: Stirling Clubman
Razor: ’66 Gillette Slim
Blade: Personna Med Prep (2)
Brush: Whipped Dog Silvertip 22mmx48mm
Aftershave: Clubman

WTG-XTG-ATG (adjusted angle a bit for my beard)


Today is the first day of my “Stirling Week”-(a different Stirling soap each day). I started off with Stirling Clubman using my Slim loaded with a Personna Med Prep. I finished with Clubman of course!

Bob

 

Sunday

Gillette New LC
Crystal (d2)
DR Harris Arlington SS- Face Lather
Vulfix 2235
Master BR
TSD BR Cologne

 

Jeff, I don't recall seeing this SC before (or I wasn't paying attention). Aloe, Vitamin E, tea tree oil, and menthol... do I need to buy some of this?

 

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Prep: Warm shower, Cetaphil Lotion
Razor: Weber PH
Blade: PolSilver SI (3)
Soap: Valobra Shave Stick
Brush: Semogue 830
Post: Witch Hazel, Cetaphil Lotion
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman

For some reason, I used too much pressure when shaving today. I could tell what I was doing and would make myself stop, and then I would start doing it again unconsciously. I finished with a near BBS result, but there is a little tenderness to go along with it. As much as I like a BBS shave, I would prefer to have a comfortable shave and hope for BBS results.

Have a great day!

 

Sunday:
hot shower w/Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood bar soap
Maggard Cherry Sandalwood Vanilla PSO
Robeson straight 2 passes (sorta)
Parker 80R 1+ pass
Astra SP (6)
Semogue Owners Club badger
VDH Luxury unscented with a squirt of Cremo in a warm mug
Thayer's unscented with aloe
alum
Alpa Windsor AS

It's amazing how much trepidation one approaches a task with after having been injured by said activity. My nasty slice from last weekend's straight razor shave gave me much hesitation today. Took my time with my prep, tied my hair back in a ponytail just so nothing would get in the way and was extra generous with the warm water and the pre-shave oil. I added a few drops of glycerin to the puck of soap along with a squirt of Cremo to try and get as much slickery as possible and then I ended up going so slow that I could feel the soap eventually begin to dry on my face.
Anyhow, I ended up with a very fine shave and felt good that I got back on the horse after being thrown. The Astra SP was supposed to have been in the Parker for a 5 shave test but it ended up being the finish for my straight razor shaves along with the finish for at least one or two other shaves with recent vintage razor acquisitions that didn't take the whiskers off. However, I can say that the Astra Superior Platinum performed absolutely flawlessly and is certainly one fine razor blade.
I noticed Thorsten used the Alpa Windsor so that made my choice for today's voda po holeni.

 

Sunday:

Prep: Hot compress, Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Preshave lotion
Brush: VDH Boar
Soap: VDH Scented
Razor: FaTip Piccolo Nickel
Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum (3)
Passes: WTG, XTG (5, 6)
Post: Cold water splash, Dickinson's WH, Nivea Energy ASB

I can't tell for sure if it was a dud blade, a slightly misaligned one, or if my technique with the FaTip just needs that much more work. I caught myself at the neck again with the blade's corner again today, bleeding a reasonably impressive amount considering depth and location. I wouldn't rate the end results much above SAS, but I wasn't going back in there for the ATG pass today. I went ahead and ditched the blade, and loaded a new one into my Merkur, which is a more forgiving shave for me with the Bic, for tomorrow.

 

SUNDay

Pre: Hot shower, Shea Moisture Face Scrub; homemade Citrus PSO
Razor: Merkur Futur; set@4
Blade: Astra SP (1)
Brush: Semogue 830
Lather: Shea Moisture African Black Soap Shave Butter Créme (SMABSSBC!)
Shave: Two passes, plus touch-up
Post: Cold water rinse, alum block, Proraso balm

DFS+ this morning with the noisy Futur. The Shave butter créme is so thick, many DE razors (and I imagine ALL cartridge razors) clog up. No issues though with the wide gap of the Futur's monstrous head. Very little moisturizer needed post-shave as the créme leaves my face smooth & hydrated.
Have a blessed Sunday all...and I hope to be home in time for the NFL games on later today!

 

Way to go, John! Having been in that same situation a number of weeks ago (self-inflicted SR slice), I understand the trepidation. Kudos to you for hanging in there! Good prep & patience does pay dividends!

 

6/8 Grelot
Williams
homemade brush
Nice shave this morning. I have a few pucks that are almost gone so I might work on finishing them off, Williams, Klar and Tabac. Have a good one.

 

John, it's an excellent cream, however it's not available in North America as far as I know. I traded with a friend of mine in Europe, so this was one of the items he sent me. It comes from Bulgaria which makes some of the best creams I ever used, and it's also very popular all over the Middle East. It's also very cheap, apparently.

 

The unscented soaps that I have used recently are:

Mike's - top of the group. Good glide and cushion. Fragrance is a clean soapy smell. Takes more water to get a good lather than many other tallow soaps. My skin feels great afterward.

HTGAM - very good soap. Good glide and cushion, but not quite as good as Mike's. Fragrance is very neutral, almost nothing at all. Very easy to lather. Good skin care.

PPF - good soap. Glide and cushion not quite as good as HTGAM. Fragrance has a botanical note that I can't identify, not funky or unpleasant, but just a little unusual. Lathers well, but not as easily as HTGAM. Good skin care.

Barrister & Mann - good soap. Glide and cushion good, but not quite up to Mike's standard. The maker describes the fragrance as sheepy, because of the high lanolin content. The smell is distinctive, but not unpleasant. Very good skin care.

 

Sunday morning, January 19, 2014

Schick E2 Injector with Schick blade (5)
Semogue 1305 boar bristle brush,
Arko shaving soap with hot water lather,
finish with cold water rinse for a CCS!

 

Bartmann High Class 504 best silver steel 15/16 with worked spine
H.I.S. XL synthetic brush
Tabula Rasa Deep Lavender soap
Avalon Organics Lavender shave cream
Nivea mild after shave fluid
Institut Karite balm

 

Sunday
Prep - Hot shower and body wash and scrub
Brush - Omega boar
Soap - Cella Crema sample
Blade - Gillette 7 O'Clock Super Platinum
Razor - Merkur HD
Post - cold water rinse and CC Bay Rum

I forgot to use my homemade PSO and what a difference and not in a good way! It just wasn't slick and felt like the safety bar was sticking to my skin. Regardless, pretty piss poor shave. But no nicks, no weepers or anything like that. Just not a close shave. Should have stopped on the first pass and started over.