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![A shaving brush with a black synthetic knot in a clear lucite square handle stands next to a tub of shaving soap on its side. The round label is brown with gold lettering: "Wholly Kaw" in large script letters at the top, "Monaco Royale" in slightly smaller block letters beneath. To the right is an orange glass bottle with a pewter crown as cap. The rectangular label is white, and printed in italic orange letters is "Royall [sic] Mandarin." In front, lying on its side, is a chromed DE razor with a handle having a black rubber-clad midsection.](http://leisureguy.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/sotd-2023-07-29.jpeg?w=680)
Phoenix Artisan’s Astraeus shaving brush has more backbone than I expected, but not excessive — just a surprise. It’s a nice 22mm knot, the size I prefer, and it immediately aroused a fine lather from Wholly Kaw’s Monaco Royale shaving soap made with his donkey-milk tallow formula (note the ox head on the label). The soap also comes in a plant-based formula, but the one I have has these ingredients, as listed on the label:
Vegetable Stearic Acid, Distilled Water, Donkey Milk, Beef Tallow, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Castor Oil, Kokum Butter, Cocoa Butter, Glycerin, Shea Butter, Lanolin, Essential Oils, Fragrance Oils
The lather is rich and satisfying and the fragrance pleasant:
Top notes: Lavender, Bergamot, Neroli, Petitgrain
Middle notes: Oakmoss, Cedarwood, Tonka Bean, Ambergris (synthetic)
Base notes: Guaiacwood, Agarwood, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Labdanum, Musk [not Elon – LG]
The three passes went very well, thanks to a fresh blade and the Edwin Jagger head. I especially like this version — the handle has a very nice grip. I noticed again the unusually fine smoothness of finish, and I am beginning to be convinced that letting the lather lie on my face before the third pass is the reason.
A splash of Royall Mandarin finished the job and launched the weekend.
I noticed again the ease of finish of the shaving process, in not having to wrap up by cleaning the brush (which is cleaned and put away before the third pass). I am so accustomed to the final step of cleaning the brush that ending the shave without having to do that still leaves me slightly off-balance. It reminds me of the first few doctor visits I made after moving to Canada from the US: after seeing the doctor, I just left without having to stop at the front desk to make a co-pay or deal with the insurance. — See doctor, then leave: it seemed like something was missing.
The coffee this morning is again Bean Around the World’s Guatemala Santa Clara, and a very fine coffee it is — and as a bonus, I have the knowledge that I am helping support a school in Guatemala.
