Shave of the Day 2015

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Yep you guessed it folks, @Mark a.k.a "The Scallywag" takes out the Enabler #1 spot for this morning's shave. In his defence it was a un-bloody great one.

A shave good enough to have worn into work if:
a) I woke an extra 1/2 hour earlier - still laughingly slow with a straight, and
b) I didn't get flooded in today. A shame really as I'd have liked the show and tell with my wimpy DE buddies at work.

BTW: the Jabonman makes a superlative straight shave lather!
 
Tuesday Night Shave
Pre-Shave êShave Pre-Shave Oil Verbena Lime
Brush The Grooming Co Synthetic
Soap Shaver Heaven Coconut Citrus Sorbet
Razor Gem 1912
Blade Gem Stainless Steel SE (3)
Post Shave Madre Labs Unscented Witch Hazel (alcohol free) & êShave Orange Sandlewood After Shave Soother

Lovely shave again last night. Re-nicked the weeper from Monday night's shave but closed up with a cold water rinse and some Witch Hazel. This might be my longest run without having to reach for the styptic pencil

I've found that while the shave with the Gem feels ultra close after the shave (at least equal to if not closer than the Ikon #102) that the stubble seems to come back a little earlier - maybe it's just that Spring is around the corner.
 
Razor: Slim @ 5
Blade: Vintage Gillette English Platinum, something like 10 shaves down
Brush: Plissitane
Soap/Cream: @Barrister & Mann 'Dickens'
Post: None

This English Plat just keeps going & going. No issue on the cheeks but jawline & under the chin aren't as close as usual. Might have to open it up a bit more next shave.

After my experimentation with the Strewth, I went a bit wetter with the B&M and it had zero issue soaking up the extra bloom water. Will be sad to put the Dickens away for the season, however for all of you out there it is coming back soon. Go ahead and buy it for next winter.

I think the Rhapsody & Seville will be the main soaps for the next little while, then Ferox over summer. It's a shame that we cannot get a special mix of Ferox for us down under, maybe slightly mentholated..... :whistle:
 
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Pre-Shave: Occams pre-shave soap, cold water
Razor: Merkur 42C (from YKW Australian pass-around box)
Blade: Voskhod (1)
Brush: Vie-Long Epsilon 2-Band
Soap: Bald As "Mister Shave Mug" (Soap made and kindly donated by Bald As)
Post-shave: Alum, South Australian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Stirling Vetiver alcohol free Witch Hazel

I love DE's- simple as that – and by the looks of it I love mild DE's. Looking at the circumstances of this shave, everything that could go wrong, went wrong today. I don't want to go too much into details – but the shave itself was simply heaven. The razor is mild and effective, a bit too small for my large paws, but nonetheless a 4 pass bliss full shave. I can wholeheartedly recommend this one – not only for newbies, but for everybody who is looking for a nice, yet very modestly priced, razor.

The soap donated by bald as is stellar – I had mountains and mountains of perfect lather. It was flying everywhere in the bathroom, coming down on the handle and just after my 2nd pass, the brush fell into the sink with cold water – I grabbed it quickly out of there and there was still 3 passes worth of great lather in there!!! Kudos to a great brush and soap.
 
Pre-Shave Draco Noir Pre-Shave Oil
Brush The Grooming Co Synthetic
Soap Van Yulay Spiced Mahogany
Razor Gem 1912
Blade Gem Stainless Steel SE (4)
Post Shave Dickson's Original Witch Hazel & RazoRock One X Aftershave Milk

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The Van Yulay Spiced Mahogany is a really rich scented lather. The piping in the can seems to make loading really easy - it just seems to jump onto the brush. Warmed the lather bowl up before lathering and the scent quickly filled the room. The synth effortlessly created a nice creamy lather. Two passes with the Gem and a nice close shave.
 
#SOTD
A back to basics shave today. Main purpose was to try out the Vokshod's I kindly received at the recent Melbourne meet up (thanks to StueyB I think?). Used the Merkur 34c HD as my benchmark razor.

Yes - the Vokshod was very good. It felt very smooth.

Also bloomed my soap properly this time. Have occasionally done this before but not as methodically as I did today. I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed it. Used the soapy water as Con K has suggested (as a sort of preshave) on his recent Post-Shave video.
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Soap: Razorock Santa Maria del Fiore
Brush: Semogue 1305 IB edition
Razor: Merkur Progress
Blade: Permasharp Super (2)
Post-shave: alum + L'Oréal Hydra Sensitive ASB

I'm not sure yet what I think of the permasharps. The first time I used them (Tuesday) I gave myself a nice slice on my jawline. Not sure what that was about, as I haven't cut myself in yonks.

Anyway, today's shave was smooth and perfectly adequate for a Thursday.

The Semogue is breaking in beautifully. Already soft, and I am liking the extra height compared to my 620.

That soap is great. Do yourself a favour and get some. Great scent. Great lather. A tingle on the face from the menthol (or possibly the eucalyptus). Very pleasant.
 
Brush: Ploccitane
Soap: Reef Point Dragon's Blood (Sample from @SydBJW)
Razor: Gillette Toggle [5] (Loan courtesy of @borked)
Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium [1]
Aftershave: PAA Stewth (Sample from @Monsta_AU and @shavetheman)

We had our Sydney meet almost 2 weeks ago but I'm finally able to use some of the great items given or loaned. (y) The Toggle was generously loaned by @borked after a recent find "in the wild". (Although he isn't telling us where!) Paired with the Pol blade, it made for an efficient shave. I left it on setting 5 but should have dialled it lower for the subsequent passes. (I did set it on 1 for some final buffing.) The Reef Point soap is fabulous; performance and scent are two thumbs up from me. The aftershave has fantastic face feel and a strong scent that lasts. My wife hates the scent but I love it.
 
filobiblic said:
Brush: Ploccitane
Soap: Reef Point Dragon's Blood (Sample from @SydBJW)
Razor: Gillette Toggle [5] (Loan courtesy of @borked)
Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium [1]
Aftershave: PAA Stewth (Sample from @Monsta_AU and @shavetheman)

We had our Sydney meet almost 2 weeks ago but I'm finally able to use some of the great items given or loaned. (y) The Toggle was generously loaned by @borked after a recent find "in the wild". (Although he isn't telling us where!) Paired with the Pol blade, it made for an efficient shave. I left it on setting 5 but should have dialled it lower for the subsequent passes. (I did set it on 1 for some final buffing.) The Reef Point soap is fabulous; performance and scent are two thumbs up from me. The aftershave has fantastic face feel and a strong scent that lasts. My wife hates the scent but I love it.
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The scent will change as the leather recedes. My wife initially wasn't impressed but later in the day she changed her mind. I love it.
 
Osman said:
The scent will change as the leather recedes. My wife initially wasn't impressed but later in the day she changed her mind. I love it.
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Yep. I've noticed that too. This isn't the first time I've used the aftershave. It's got a moderately complex scent that changes as its worn. I love the floral notes that linger as that leathery scent recedes. It's a great aftershave for scent and performance. I'm very keen to pick up some more PAA aftershave/colognes.
 
Draco Noir said:
A totally wonderful shave today - I enjoyed every bit of it. Used the Van Yulay Bay Rum for the first time and wow, just wow! As @StueyB observed about the Van Yulay he tried (Spiced Mahogany?) the fragrances of these soaps are complex and sophisticated. This is no "in your face" blend of Bay Rum ingredients - everything works together so seamlessly that the only individual scent I can identify for sure is cloves. It smells great in the tin, and opens up magnificently when lathered. The lather too is first class - cushiony enough and with lots of glide. Adding more water for a wet lather doesn't cause it to break down.
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StueyB said:
The Van Yulay Spiced Mahogany is a really rich scented lather. The piping in the can seems to make loading really easy - it just seems to jump onto the brush. Warmed the lather bowl up before lathering and the scent quickly filled the room. The synth effortlessly created a nice creamy lather. Two passes with the Gem and a nice close shave.
Click to expand...

Which of you other guys who attended the last Melbourne meet have tried the Van Yulay soap yet? @StueyB and I are both really impressed. A big thanks to @shavetheman - Con, can you please pass on our thanks and positive feedback to the generous original donor? I'm interested to know whether there is any likelihood of a local stockist as well (*cough*). After checking the Van Yulay website, there is an amazing amount of choice on offer - I counted 63 (!) different shave soaps alone.
 
Thursday 27 August 2015

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Robert Klaas 207, 5/8 Full Hollow, Round Point​

In my humble collection of straight razors - now counting 204 pieces - most of them are vintage razors. I am of course very fond of them all, not just for the fact I personally restored and honed them, but also because of my passion for the history of shaving. Robert Klaas straight razors are good shavers and it certainly is pleasure to shave with them. In this shave I also used Prep shaving soap as I realized I was not using this soap since a very long time. In my opinion, it is not the best soap around, however its strong refreshing and cooling effect on the skin makes it pleasurable in summertime. Things are different when it comes to the aftershave: this P.160 Professional Ambre Dorée, despite it can be considered a vintage aftershave - as a matter of fact, it is a discontinued product, just like the well known and stellar P.160 shaving soap - it works very well, leaving a smooth skin and a fragrant aroma recalling Italian barbershops of past times.​
  • Pre-Shave: RazorGuy Pre-Shave Oil
  • Soap: Prep Shaving Soap
  • Brush: Omega Bristle Brush Red #10049
  • Bowl: Stainless Steel Bowl
  • Strop: Mastro Livi Loom Strop and Hand Palm
  • Razor: Robert Klaas 207, 5/8 Full Hollow, Round Point
  • Post-Shave: Alum Block
  • Post-Shave: Umbrian Extravirgin Olive Oil
  • After Shave: P.160 Professional Ambre Dorée
 
Pre-Shave PAA Mentholated ICE Scentless Pre-Shave Soap
Brush Vie-Long Horse Hair 13066
Soap B&M Lather
Razor Merkur HD
Blade Gillette Silver Blue
Post Shave Dickson's Original Witch Hazel & RazoRock XX Aftershave Milk

Absolutely lovely shave tonight. Brought the 34C out of the drawer and took it for a spin. Everything else just sort of fell into place - Latha was rich and creamy and a great scent.
Three passes and a DFS result. Comparing back to my early days with the 34C I'm certain I was using too much pressure before. Need to focus more on technique.
 
I just had a go of the paa mentholated pre shave soap tonight for the first time.
It was a little bit disappointing on the menthol front to my mind, and I'm not sure what it brought to the shave. I'm just not sure I understand why a pre shave soap is needed.

Getting close to finishing that dapper dragon though. Less than 2 months to go if I'm lucky!
 
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