The Green Ray, Soap Commander Love, iKon 102, and Saint Charles Shave...
Rose, IMO, is one of the great shaving fragrances, and Soap Commander Love is a particularly nice rose with an absolutely splendid lather—and no tallow. Love doesn’t seem to be currently available,...
View ArticleOmega 20102, Wickham Garden Mint, Maggard V3A, and a splash of Tabac
Wickham’s Super Smooth Garden Mint makes a refreshing lather with a spearmint fragrance, and the well-broken in Omega 20102 did an excellent job. With three trouble-free passes, the Maggard V3A head...
View ArticleMickey Lee Soapworks Bee Witched, Rockwell 6S R3, and Saint Charles Shave...
This soap was a seasonal special, and so far as I know he’s not made it again. I like it a lot: great fragrance, fine lather (this morning courtesy of my Simpson Persian Jar 2 Super). Three extremely...
View ArticleCanadian shaving vendor new to me: Top of the Chain
They carry quite a few familiar brands as well as some that are new to me. Take a look. I was interested to see that Mickey Lee Soapworks (which they carry) has an aftershave for The Drunken Goat.
View ArticleMühle synthetic, Phoenix Artisan Dark Chocolate, and the Baili BR171—and...
This dark-chocolate shaving soap and aftershave was a Phoenix Artisan special for a Valentine’s Day, and I continue to like it as a nice change of pace. The Mühle synthetic mimics the feel and...
View ArticleRooney Victorian, Lenthéric, RazoRock Old Type, and Penhaligon Blenheim Bouquet
A very nice summer shave, though summer is still a week away. I love the fragrance (and the lather) of Lenthéric, a vintage soap that’s held up well, and the Rooney Victorian I have is an exceptional...
View ArticleVie-Long hybrid badger-horse, Barrister & Mann Lavanille, and the Dorco PL602
I find that I don’t much like badger+horse hybrid brushes. This is the last one I have, having gotten rid of two others, and I think I may pass this on as well. Badger+boar works well enough, and I’ll...
View ArticleThe two-day shave with the RazoRock Italian Flag synthetic, Stubble Trubble’s...
It’s always a great pleasure to shave a two-day stubble. Stubble Trubble’s Up & Adam is a favorite soap, and the RazoRock 24mm synthetic made a great lather. My trusty vintage Merkur white...
View ArticleOmega Mixed Midget, Klar Seifen, and the RazoRock Mamba
Klar Seifen is first rate, and the Omega Badger + Boar brush did a very good job. Three passes with the Mamba did produce a couple of small nicks, but quickly taken care of with My Nik Is Sealed, and...
View ArticleA good summer shave: Nancy Boy Signature shaving cream, Feather AS-D1, and Seick
The Edwin Jagger synthetic brush was a little large to use with the tiny travel tub, but I managed. Still, next time I’ll use one of my small brushes. Nancy Boy Signature shave cream is definitely a...
View ArticleRooney Style 2 Finest, Declaration Grooming Unconditional Surrender shave...
I was tempted to get this shaving soap by the design (TBH) but also the ingredients and the fragrance. The former: Stearic Acid, Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Avocado Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Bison...
View ArticlePhoenix Solstice on the summer solstice, with the Fatip Testina Gentile
A natural choice, I think, particularly easy given how much I like the soap and its fragrance. I used Phoenix Artisan’s Green Ray brush and thoroughly enjoyed the lather. The Testina Gentile did a...
View ArticleSnakewood brush, Mickey Lee Grand Havana, and the iKon stainless open-comb
The snakewood brush I bought from Strop Shoppe back in the day, and a very nice brush it is, with an exceptionally soft and fluffy knot that at first flummoxed me until I found that I liked it. Grand...
View ArticleMickey Lee Soapworks The Drunken Goat and the German 37 slant
My trusty silvertip from the Copper Hat made a fine lather from my somewhat antique tub of The Drunken Goat, but I note that the puck is much diminished so I may end up having to get a new tub (with...
View ArticleThe Duke, Geo. F. Trumper Sandalwood, Merkur Progress, and Klar Seifen
A good little shave today. My Simpson Duke made a very nice lather from the (pre-outsourcing) Trumper Sandalwood, and the Progress removed stubble cleanly and easily. A splash of Klar Seifen’s...
View ArticleVie-Long horsehair, Dr. Selby 3X Concentrated Shave Cream, RazoRock Stealth,...
I do like Dr. Selby’s 3X Concentrated Shaving Cream, and the Vie-Long easily made a great lather from it. Three passes with the Stealth left my face smooth, and a splash of Alpa 378 finished the job.
View ArticleG.B. Kent BK4, Van Yulay Puros la Habana, and Edwin Jagger
A very pleasurable and very effective shave today. I really do like Van Yulay soaps, and Puros la Habana has a perfect cigar fragrance. This soap is made from lard, and it provides a very slick prep:...
View ArticleMr Pomp, Van Yulay Achilles, and the Merkur 37G
Van Yulay’s Achilles soap makes a (fine) lather that is tan rather than white, much like Barrister & Mann’s Lavanille. The ingredients in Achilles don’t reveal to me the source of the tan color,...
View ArticleRooney butterscotch Emilion, Antica Barbieria Colla, and the iKon X3
A fine shave today. Antica Barbieria Colla is a very nice shaving soap, and the aftershave milk is also good. The X3 did such a smooth job I barely felt it, but at the end my face was perfectly...
View ArticleRooney Style 2, Colonia shaving soap, Above the Tie S1, and Creed Aventus
I don’t really know what to cal this shaving soap. It’s pretty clearly a Colonia shaving soap, but also has Asylum Brush Works as a co-author, as it were, and the soap itself is Saponificio Varesino...
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