I mentioned yesterday that the Speick shave stick bore its brand identification only on the bottom of the plastic base. Wilkinson Sword not only has the name proudly (and visibly) displayed on the foil wrapping, it also has given the stick a distinctive color (perhaps chosen in homage to woad — “Woad is the plant from which the indigo dye is made. Ancient warriors such as Boudicca’s Iceni tribe and the Picts are thought to have decorated their skin with woad before going into battle.”). Even if the foil’s gone, the stick’s brand is still evident from the color.
I got quite a good lather, but it did take some time. I washed my stubble with MR GLO, rinsed partially with a splash, and rubbed the stick well over all my stubble. Then I went to work with the damp Rooney Style 2 Finest. The lather developed slowly because, unlike when the brush is loaded from the tub, I had to coax the soap awake, using only a little water — too much, and it would just run off my face. After a first brushing, the brush had picked up enough soap so that, when I added a driblet of water and continued brushing, the lather started to form. I continued to brush and did add a little water twice more, and by then the lather was fully alive and raring to go. It struck me that this small amount of additional time spent in lathering before starting to shave would probably better prepare the stubble.
And indeed I did get a remarkably good result — perfectly smooth in three passes — but credit must be shared by the razor. The RazorRock MJ-90A is probably the razor that an Edwin Jagger razor hopes to be when it grows up: the same design, but better materials and more precision — and, surprise!, a lower price: $30 for a truly great razor.
A splash of Penhaligon’s wonderful Blenheim Bouquet, and the day has started very well indeed.