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Propaganda Vol 3 and the aftershave, with Phoenix Ascension
I like the fragrance of Dr. Jon’s Propaganda a lot, so I gave in to the temptation to buy the soap in the latest formulation, Vol 3. Oddly, the lather was not quite so good as previously, so I suspect...
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Eucalyptus and Spearmint in Dr. Jon’s Vol. 3 formulation, with the Baby Smooth
Yesterday’s Vol 3 experience was not so good as I had hoped, and I suspected it might have been the brush, a silvertip badger. Barrister & Mann specifically recommend a synthetic brush for their...
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Brush problem resolved, with Rose of Phrygia as test case
No problem at all using a badger brush with Dr. Jon’s Vol 3 today, the exemplar being Rose of Phrygia: “Dark, sweet spices over vetiver and tobacco with top notes of two different rose accords.” I...
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The wonderful Monday shave — CK-6 and a slant FTW
I’m feeling my face — smooth, soft, satisfying. I owe it to the pictured products and tools and a certain amount of practice. Dapper Doc’s lilac & fig fragrance is pleasing, and the lather was...
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The excellent Maggard V2 open-comb, with Phoenix and Beau Specialist
Phoenix and Beau’s Specialist (a limited edition for West Coast Shaving) has a fragrance profile that fits my taste — or, perhaps, smell: “vanilla, vetiver, malt whiskey, hops, barley, & freshly...
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Declaration Grooming’s Milksteak formulation: A must-have soap, today the...
The gentle brush with the snakewood handle is from Strop Shoppe back in the day. Declaration Grooming’s Milksteak soaps are generous with the lather — always an ample supply in the brush. Perhaps they...
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Avocado and Above the Tie R1
Avocado is good all round: avocado oil (the highest smoke point of any cooking oil (520ºF) and a monounsaturated fat with a nutritional profile much like olive oil — like olive oil, not a seed oil but...
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Zi’ Peppino’s interlocking tub with the Feather AS-D1
I have found a very few instances where the top of the lid interlocks with the base of the tub, quite satisfying when using the lid as pedestal (although pretty clearly intended as a benefit for the...
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After the Rain, Irisch Moos and the Marvel razor (no connection with Marvel...
After the Rain is another fragrance in Declaration Grooming’s Milksteak line, and a very nice fragrance it is, too. With RazoRock’s 400 brush, the lather was exquisite, and my Fine Marvel did an...
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A wonderful boar brush and Darkfall, with the redoubtable iKon 102
My Omega 20102 is now well broken in, and it’s a wonderful brush — but you already knew that from the title, right? It has excellent capacity, a very nice feel on the face (a perfect degree of give...
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I love a good shave — and I picked a good razor
This shave was good all the way through — starting with the brush, Phoenix Artisan’s Starcraft. Although the 24mm knot is a bit larger than my ideal, it’s quite usable and very comfortable, both in...
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Floris No. 89, beloved by James Bond, and the wonderful Dorco PL602
James Bond (and presumably his creator Ian Fleming) had a high regard for Floris No. 89 (that being the street address of the shop). The fragrance from the shaving soap was exceptionally good: Orange...
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More Floris, with Geo. F. Trumper and the Above the Tie R1 — and Rooney...
This Rooney Finest has an interesting and pleasant feel on the face — a fine granularity that, with the resilience of the bristles, gives a kind of “crunchy” feel. It made a lather from the excellent...
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Fine shave and a list of best shave soaps of 2021
The Plisson brush is extremely nice to use. In comparison to the Rooney Finest I used yesterday, it has a slight more granular feel on the face and is not quite so resilient, but (like the Rooney)...
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Adjusting the lather for an optimal shave
Pan’s Pipe is one of Dr. Jon’s Vol 3 shaving soaps, and I like its fragrance a lot: “notes of Lilac, Ivy, Orange Zest, Dirt, Oakmoss and Cannabis.” With the Yaqi Target Shot synthetic shaving brush, I...
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Big brush, little puck, slant razor, great shave
Because the Klar Seifen puck is so small, I was curious to see how well it would work with a large brush. (I often use the Wee Scot with this soap.) The Omega Pro 48 (10048) is the largest brush I...
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Shaving with the Colonel: Great glide from a cheap soap
A high-glycerin soap makes a superb lather in soft water: creamy, thick, and slick. Mama Bear shaving soaps are a delight, and this morning I brought out my tub of Col. Conk and enjoyed that pleasure...
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Arko and Vie-Long, topped with l’Occitane Cade
A comment on the Sharpologist article on the best shaving soaps of 2021 pointed out, quite correctly, that Arko was not included in the list. It’s also the case that lists of the best places to eat in...
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Another great lather from an inexpensive soap, only with a great fragrance as...
High-glycerin soaps like those by Mama Bear (good fragrances, sold in tub or stick) and Col. Conk (meh fragrances, sold only as pucks) make excellent lather if the water is soft. (They may also do all...
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A cedar shave with a new soap and the able assistance of the iKon Shavecraft 101
Prompted by the Sharpologist article on best soaps of 2021, I decided to check out the Grooming Dept. and got a tub of Cedarwood shaving soap, which uses their Nai formula, “the ultimate vegan shaving...
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