Rooney Style 2, Dr. Selby’s 3x Concentrate Shaving Cream, Rockwell R3, and...
I found a better place to take the photo, as you see. And I note that differences attract one’s attention: this is a sunny room (the living room), and in the old apartment I took the photos using only...
View ArticleVie-Long horsehair, Strop Shoppe Russian Tea, Merkur Progress, and Saint...
Strop Shoppe’s Russian Tea this morning smelled to me like Constant Comment tea (which I haven’t had in a while, so I may be off): an orange-spice fragrance. In any event, the lather produced by my...
View ArticleReturn of the Dorco PL602, welcomed by Mr Pomp, Yardley, and Penhaligon...
As mentioned earlier, my Dorco PL602—a really excellent razor in terms of comfort and efficiency, though not so excellent in choice of materials (made to minimize cost)—broke when taking out the blad:...
View ArticleSimpson Emperor, Coates Rose shaving cream, Feather AS-D1, and Stetson Classic
I’m still looking for a good photo spot in the new apartment, a search somewhat hindered by the continuing gradual unpacking. Today the kitchen counter is made to serve. I came across this tube of...
View ArticleA “shave créme” is not a shaving cream: Archipelago’s Botecario de Havana...
I squeezed out an almond-sized amount of Boticario de Havana Shave Créme, spread it over my stubble, wet the Copper Hat silvertip, and brushed in eager anticipation. The formula’s inclusion of orange...
View ArticleTrying Botecario de Havana along with a Rod Neep brush, Meißner Tremonia...
Since I now know that Botecario de Havana is a pre-shave balm, I thought I should give it a go. To make a long story short: it may work with canned foam, but it is inimical to true lather. Not only...
View ArticleRazoRock synthetic, Tcheon Fung Sing, Edwing Jagger, and Ghost Town Barber
Moving is a time of loss (the former habitat and city, things discarded or loss) and a time of discovery (new habitat and city, things found). The shaving cream today turned up in the move, and so far...
View ArticleRooney Finest, B&M Leviathan, and the iKon 102
Who knew that leather, coffee, and sandalwood went together so well? Barrister & Mann, apparently. The Rooney Style 2 made a fine and fragrant lather quite easily, and the 102 provided an...
View ArticleMühle silvertip, D.R. Harris Rose shaving cream, Dorco PL602, and Savory Rose...
After the créme debacle, I decided to go with a real shaving cream, D.R. Harris Rose is extremely nice. The Mühle butterscotch brush worked up a very good lather immediately, and the trusty Dorco...
View ArticleA perfect Monday shave: WSP Monarch, Asses’ Milk shaving soap, Stealth, and...
It’s difficult to characterize the difference in the lather from this soap. The fragrance is mild and the lather is quite … what? “soft,” comes to mind: a good thick consistency and excellent glide,...
View ArticleG.B. Kent BK4, a fine soap, Above the Tie R1, and Dark Rose aftershave
This unlabeled soap was an offering from a shaving shop no longer with us. It’s a very fine soap, with a traditional English lavender fragrance, and the lather made with my Kent brush was all that one...
View ArticleA harmless tubular shave
A shave from tubes. I Coloniali is—was—an extremely nice shaving cream, now I believe no longer made. As noted on the label, it’s made with rhubarb, not a common shaving ingredient. My Rooney...
View ArticleWhipped Dog silvertip masters Tcheon Fung Sing shaving cream, as iKon 102...
Last time I used Tcheon Fung Sing shaving cream, the brush was a little too wet, which impedes the formation of good lather. Today I hit the sweet spot, easily loading the brush well and then working...
View ArticleAnother rose-fragranced shave, with Love (Soap Commander’s)
I seem to be enjoying la vie en rose these days. This morning I used The Grooming Company’s synthetic, and though initially I did not much care for it—it’s noticeably more resilient and less soft than...
View ArticleReturn to Tcheon Fung Sing, but the soap, with Fatip Testina Gentile
Since I enjoyed my second outing with Tcheon Fung Sing’s shaving cream, I thought I’d return to their shaving soap. The Edwin Jagger synthetic, like The Grooming Company synthetic, was not immediately...
View ArticleA RazoRock shave: Zi’ Peppino and the Stealth
This relatively large RazoRock synthetic did a fine job, but I did give it three good shakes before starting to load—synthetics do hold a lot of water despite being nonabsorbent, and because they’re...
View ArticleFirst-rate products make a first-rate shave: WSP Prince, Martin de Candre...
I would agree that the photo suggests the caption “Which of these is not like the others?”, but the Dorco PL602’s comfort and efficiency places it firmly in the first rank of razors (though the...
View ArticleRiMei returns, with Phoenix Artisan Solstice
Since I am trying inexpensive razors that provide a very comfortable and very efficient shave, I thought it was time for a return to the RiMei, an inexpensive Chinese razor. First of course is the...
View ArticleAntica Barbieria Colla, the Progress, and Truefitt & Hill Trafalgar
My Omega 21762, the Razor & Brush commemorative version, easily worked up a fine lather from the tub of Antica Barbieria Colla shaving soap, and the redoubtable Merkur Progress delivered a very...
View ArticleOmega Pro 48, AOS Sandalwood, iKon 102, and Saint Charles Shave Sandalwood
This morning I used the third of my surviving boar brushes, the Omega Pro 48 (10048) shown. It has a large knot and often I find I must add water during the loading to help the soap move up into the...
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