At the WTG pass, I asked myself why I didn't use this razor more. Then, the ATG and XTG were quite harsh. I passed the straight on a loaded strop – I'll test again tomorrow.
Post-Shave: Thayer's Original toner; alum block; Alterra men natural ASB
2 passes on the head; 1 plus cleanup on the face. Great dome shave, bad face shave.
First off apologies about the lack of my skincare article - I had about 4 rough drafts but each time my inner perfectionist deemed them not good enough. Imperfect grammar, rambling too much, information being too superficial... I'll try to get back at it this coming week.
Today was a test shave: first of a cartridge razor that I'll take around for travelling near the end of this month. I really like Wilkinsons/Schick's Xtreme 3 disposable razors for head and body shaving, but finding an old one with replaceable cartridges at the dutch discounter yesterday was cool. It's not as flexible as the dispos, but still passed with flying colours.
Then came the moment of using my old kamisori shavette again... and oh boy, do I suck with it. Bless the Japanese for guarded AC blades, otherwise I would have mutilated my face badly. The handling and coordination requirements are vastly different to any DE or SE razor. I liked how great it felt to sculpt the contours of my moustache, but the goatee was troublesome. So I actually scraped off a tiny patch of epidermis near the lower left part of it, on the neck. But well, without the guard it would've been a solid cut. Alum fixed what my lack of technique caused.
The soap is an old sample of E&S. I had way too many of these and now's a good time to kill it. Barber is a very solid barbershop scent, but more in the perfume definition than the wetshaving one. Less sweet, more aromatic. I like this, but not enough to get a full tub.
Brush: Zenith 506B MB (27 mm × 51 mm Manchurian badger)
Razor: Zwilling J. A. Henckels 14 (8/8", extra hollow ground, carbon steel)
Lather: D.R. Harris – Marlborough
Post Shave: D.R. Harris – Marlborough
A warm and woody evening shave with new-to-me Marlborough. The soap is not very strongly scented, and with my stuffy nose I could barely smell it. Luckily I got the splash, too, and its a delightful warm woody fragrance strong enough to overcome my cold. I can see why u/LoudMusicBoy likes this and I will be coming back to it during the colder months.
Post: Ginger's Garden - Unscented AS balm (+ menthol)
Frag: Stirling - Deep Blue Sea EdT
This morning was my first real shave with Barber Blue, which is one of the sets that I was fortunate enough to win in the children's cancer fundraiser drawing last month.
It's a lightly-scented mug soap that whipped up into a rich and protective lather. Shave performance was great once I got enough water into the lather. My only real complaint is that the scent in the soap is quite weak compared to other artisan soaps I've used.
The splash is much heavier on the scent, definitely an aquatic accord. There's a nice level of citrus and bergamot. Also a decent hit of WS-23, which I wasn't expecting.
Overall a great shave. I'm on the fence whether I want to keep this set or move it along. I don't love the mug soap format, mostly because it takes up more space in our tiny apartment bathroom.
Brush: Zenith 506B MB (27 mm × 51 mm Manchurian badger)
Razor: Zwilling J. A. Henckels 14 (8/8", extra hollow ground, carbon steel)
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. Friends to the End
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. Friends to the End
Fragrance: Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Baccarat Rouge 540
After two days of safety razors, a big straight razor was in order again. The big smooth Henckels, the scrubby Zenith, and the warm amber of FTTE made for a delightful relaxing and meditative Sunday morning shave.
Post: Ginger's Garden - Unscented AS balm (+ menthol)
Frag: Barrister and Mann - Fougère Aromatique EdT
This was a super relaxing shave. It felt like I went from the height of the trees (Evergreen Forest + Coniferous) down to the musty, mossy, fern-covered earth (Fougère Aromatique). A luxurious (™️) and relaxing end to the weekend for sure.
This was also my first lather with the T2 brush. It performed quite well, arguably better than my Yaqi synth. I'm glad I picked this one up.