Simpson’s Persian Jar 2 Super is a fine brush — though I should note that this brush was made long before the Vulfix acquisition — and today it worked up a super lather from Barrister and Mann’s intensely fragrant Cologne Russe:
Based on one of the oldest forms of perfume, Cologne Russe is a throwback to a scent created by the House of Guerlain for the Russian royal family and discontinued in the early twentieth century.
We blend lemon, bergamot, petitgrain, and herbs with violet, rose, bay, and amber to produce a rich, beautifully fresh scent derived from the colognes of old. The scent is distinctly warmer than most other cologne-type fragrances, owing largely to its inclusion of castoreum, benzoin, and vanilla.
The Rockwell 6S is a superb razor with a handle whose knurling avoids harshness without sacrificing grip. I started using the 6S with the R3 baseplate (after trying them all, and they all are excellent while being also comfortable and efficient), but I later moved to the R4. Once again an efficient and enjoyable shave.
I noticed yet another benefit of the third-pass trick: the shave’s end is snappy. Because the brush has already been cleaned when you finish the third pass, you rinse the razor, rinse and dry your face, and apply aftershave, and that’s it. You’re done — no fussing with the brush at the end.
The aftershave here was of course Cologne Russe — I really like that fragrance — and the shave result is exceptional smoothness. I think letting the lather lie on my face while I clean the brush, before starting the final pass, does indeed contribute to a better result (especially when the lather is from a high-quality soap).
The coffee today is Bean Around the World’s Guatemala Santa Clara, a medium-roast coffee: “Chocolate • Caramel • Sweet.” I think I now prefer a medium roast to a dark roast. The roastery notes, “known as our “schoolhouse blend” amongst the roasters, proceeds from this roast go towards funding our school in Guatemala.” (Thursday is normally a tea day, but I wanted to try the new coffee.)