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  • Gemütlich Sat 25 Jan 2025

    • Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving exclusive MOAR BOAR (31 mm × 57 mm bleached boar)
    • Razor: Weck Sextoblade Med Prep
    • Blade: Kismet Rostfrei, Polymer beschichtet
    • Lather: Chiseled Face – Gemütlichkeit
    • Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Gemütlichkeit

    Relaxed Saturday afternoon with Gemütlichkeit. I'm enjoying the difference between the soap and the splash. The soap has a dark, hearty oat meal cookie soul with a coffee and chocolate in the background, and the splash comes in with sweet caramel and coffee. Like a Toffifee with coffee. I'm still not wild about the menthol in the splash (just why?), but it's low enough to still enjoy the warm scents. At least today. Maybe I'll complain more about the menthol again next time 😅

    • Maybe I’ll complain more about the menthol again next time

      I think menthol/WS-23 is way overdone, and I have a suspicion that it is used to cater to those who regularly have irritation when they shave.

      • Yes, Mammoth Ben said as much in his abc shaves episode

      • I agree with your suspicion and I believe that what also contributes to the overuse of menthol/WS-23 is that people expect and sometimes flat out demand a "refreshing feeling" from their aftershave. Most old school lotions or balms contained menthol, so artisans feel like they're forced to include it. Sad for those of us who like warm scents in winter where it really degrades the whole experience.

    • Menthol in warm scents is huge nonsense to me too. Since those are bound to be used in cold to even icy cold weather conditions, why tf would we need a cooling agent there?! It's all understandable with summer scents, but not with warm & cozy gourmands. On that note, Gemütlichkeit doesn't sound very gemütlich at all 🤔

  • Sextidi 6 Pluviôse an 233 de la Révolution, jour de Laurier-Thym

    I have underused my AC shavettes; less fun than straights, but less involved for shaving as well.

    Have a good evening!

    Shared via [emacs](https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/) & [sotd.el](https://gitlab.com/shavin1/sotd.el)

    • I also switched to a shavette today. With straights, it's easy to forget that there are also other nice razors 😅

      Have a good evening!

  • Saturday, January 25, 2025

    • Brush: Omega - 10048 boar
    • Razor: Yates Precision Manufacturing - 921-M
    • Blade: Personna - Lab Blue (2)
    • Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber
    • Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber Aftershave splash
    • Post Shave: Stirling - Glacial Unscented Aftershave balm
    • Fragrance: Stirling - Oro Valley EdT

    An easy shave on a beautiful morning. I'm busy with errands today and then going to the symphony with my wife this evening. Should be fun!

    Have a good Saturday y'all.

    🍳 Created with Neovim & sotd.nvim 🍳

  • January 25, 2025

    • Brush: Zenith B40 28mm Boar
    • Razor: Koraat 7/8" Near Wedge Spanish Point
    • Lather: Pasteur|Master Soap Creations - Bloom - Soap
    • Aftershave: Pasteur|Master Soap Creations - Bloom - Aftershave
    • Fragrance: Tom Ford - Black Orchid - Eau de Parfum
    • Talc: Yardley Gold
       
      2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

    I am always a bit surprised by Bloom. It is a dupe (and a pretty good one) of Tom Ford Black Orchid. Black Orchid is a fragrance that I find masculine despite its name and description. Here's what I get from the internet:

    The opening of Black Orchid is beautiful and complex, with dark, sweet floral and fruity notes mixed with citrus, all overlaid by the rich, earthy truffle. As Black Orchid dries down, the subtle spicy notes enhance the sweet darkness of the fruity florals

    On the face of it, I would not think this is a scent I'd like, but, for me, the blend is such that I only pick up hints of the fruity and floral notes and in the dry-down these add a touch of mystery to what comes across with a spicy earthiness.

  • 25.01.2025 - A Saturday Test

    • Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
    • Razor: KAI Captain J-7 kamisori shavette; RazoRock Cyber Medium w/ RR Bamboo 316L handle
    • Blade: KAI Protouch MG; Rapira Platinum Lux
    • Lather: Los Jabones de Joserra - Masala Connection
    • Post-Shave: OAM sensitive skin toner; Alterra men natural ASB

    -> 2 passes on the dome with the safety razor and 1 around the doorknocker on the face with the kamivette. Very enjoyable shave and no bleeding!

    For some odd reason, I had a craving to use my kamisori shavette again. As this doesn't lend itself well to head shaving, it was time to trim my stubble into a more suitable beard style to try it out. I have to admit, working with very short stubble complicates shaping a partial beard a lot but I managed. Despite that, I only went with a single pass to ease my face skin back into shaving (and honestly, the zero gap trimmer did irritate my skin already). I haven't used it for a full shave of the cheeks in ages, but I am satisfied for now with my technique. I went for a rather narrow goatee with sharp edges and that's where shavettes shine: clear & defined contours.

    Masala Connection is a great soap. It's yet again a soap where you can barely make out individual notes, but José seems to be living by the mantra that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. This in particular is such a beautiful blend of almost all notes that I enjoy in wetshaving and fragrances that I really regret that he doesn't do toners/alcohol free balms. The base is really creamy once you load like a madman (note: that's how I mostly roll anyways) and despite the cinnamon in it, it gives me no skin irritation - just a very slick shave, perfect for razors like the kamivette.

    NSR: had a big dopamine rush going into this shave since I finally managed to nail a lesson on my bass course that was giving me trouble. It took some elbow grease, but the feeling of finally conquering it was awesome. Deliberate practice is a real game changer!

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