A highly satisfying albeit somewhat tardy shave this morning. I was up extremely early, then back to bed for a second sleep, awakened after a few hours by a scam call.
But the shave has perked me up. Barrister & Mann created (or perhaps replicated) a wonderful fragrance for Cologne Russe, and it stands out in soap as well as aftershave. My Aerolite synthetic from Phoenix Artisan seemed just the ticket, and the lather really was exceptional. Perhaps synthetics simply do the best job. I’ll try another example of this soap tomorrow but use a natural bristle and compare.
Three passes with Gillette’s Aristocrat from more than 50 years ago, and my face was perfectly smooth and absolutely undamaged. I think some of the pleasure of this shave came from using Grooming Dept Moisturizing Pre-Shave — this razor does not always strike me as so marvellous as it did today.
A good splash of Cologne Russe aftershave, balmified with a squirt of Grooming Dept Hydratig Gel, and I’m read for the day — which, immediately after I took that photo, turned very grey and dark.