SR Shave #605:
Today's shave was marvelous! The entire set-up was perfect, and so was the result.
First, the soap. I went with one of the new-to-me Wild West Shaving Company soaps, the "Private Reserve No. 2". Bottom line up front: I totally dig this one!!! The scent is right in my wheel-house, no doubt. It's like I previously mentioned in my initial impression of the test lather, with one adjustment: I'd say that the black currant seems to be the dominate note now, which is excellent. Sidebar: when I was stationed in Germany, the house I lived in - the landlady had currant bushes lining the front of the house. She gave me a jar of her homemade currant preserves once, and I've been a fan ever since. OK, back to the soap. I really, really dig this scent. I would go so far as to say that it's a "sophisticated" scent. What does that mean? I don't know, but it's the type of thing where I would definitely use this if I were going out with the wife for something fancy. If I had to wear a tux, then this would be a soap I'd choose for the occasion. Performance-wise, excellent. I'm no stranger to WWSC soaps, and this one is as good as the others I've used. It has a nice post shave face feel. I'd put this at "elite" status; certainly no lower than Chad's new Tier 1, Box2. Now I've got 4 more WWSC soaps to use over the next few days.
Second, the brush. The Rudy Vey w/Shavemac 2-band silvertip (not DO1) whipped up a perfect lather. This knot is fantastic, and I decided to use it today in honor of Josh having just received his first Shavemac 2-band silvertip. I really should use this brush more often.
Third, the razor. I opted to use the Ralf Aust 5/8 full hollow w/Alfredo's custom scales. This edge is still fantastic. I had honed this on an all synth set-up thru 20K and have since only given it slight refreshes, once w/12K + 20K, and once w/20K only. I decided to give it a few laps on the Natural Whetstone black translucent prior to today's shave, and it's ultra, uber smooth. Did a rare 3 full passes and had a totally, completely irritation-free BBS(-) result. Wonderful!
Fourth, the post-shave routine. Immediately following the shave, I went with a mix of Fine Snake Bite + Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel; then finished up with Bleu de Chanel EdP. I'm tellin' ya, the BdC paired perfectly with the soap scent! This is a repeat combo for sure!
Today's shave was marvelous! The entire set-up was perfect, and so was the result.
First, the soap. I went with one of the new-to-me Wild West Shaving Company soaps, the "Private Reserve No. 2". Bottom line up front: I totally dig this one!!! The scent is right in my wheel-house, no doubt. It's like I previously mentioned in my initial impression of the test lather, with one adjustment: I'd say that the black currant seems to be the dominate note now, which is excellent. Sidebar: when I was stationed in Germany, the house I lived in - the landlady had currant bushes lining the front of the house. She gave me a jar of her homemade currant preserves once, and I've been a fan ever since. OK, back to the soap. I really, really dig this scent. I would go so far as to say that it's a "sophisticated" scent. What does that mean? I don't know, but it's the type of thing where I would definitely use this if I were going out with the wife for something fancy. If I had to wear a tux, then this would be a soap I'd choose for the occasion. Performance-wise, excellent. I'm no stranger to WWSC soaps, and this one is as good as the others I've used. It has a nice post shave face feel. I'd put this at "elite" status; certainly no lower than Chad's new Tier 1, Box2. Now I've got 4 more WWSC soaps to use over the next few days.
Second, the brush. The Rudy Vey w/Shavemac 2-band silvertip (not DO1) whipped up a perfect lather. This knot is fantastic, and I decided to use it today in honor of Josh having just received his first Shavemac 2-band silvertip. I really should use this brush more often.
Third, the razor. I opted to use the Ralf Aust 5/8 full hollow w/Alfredo's custom scales. This edge is still fantastic. I had honed this on an all synth set-up thru 20K and have since only given it slight refreshes, once w/12K + 20K, and once w/20K only. I decided to give it a few laps on the Natural Whetstone black translucent prior to today's shave, and it's ultra, uber smooth. Did a rare 3 full passes and had a totally, completely irritation-free BBS(-) result. Wonderful!
Fourth, the post-shave routine. Immediately following the shave, I went with a mix of Fine Snake Bite + Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel; then finished up with Bleu de Chanel EdP. I'm tellin' ya, the BdC paired perfectly with the soap scent! This is a repeat combo for sure!
