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Doug's Journal of Shaving Happiness v2.0
- Thread starter dkeester
- Start date
I have found myself doing that also KJ. If I was a casting agent in Hollywood Every IT part would be played by Doug. Him sitting in a cubicle grumbling about the throngs of dumb ass's that can't get their computer to do what they want. A couple of hot pepper plants growing in the corner. Handling in person questions like the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld.. Classic.
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Journal Entry #549
2020 Shaves (DE: 108, SE: 18, Straight: 8, Cart: 0, Skipped: 6)
05/21/2020
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/PAA Cube 1.0 mentholated pre-shave
Razor: Merkur 38c
Blade: Astra SP (2)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: PAA Peregrino 24mm
Soap/Cream: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (1)
AS 1: Thayer's Coconut Water Facial Toner
AS 2: Nivea Sensitive ASB & Lucky Tiger Vanishing Cream
AS 3: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (1)
Fragrance: Penhaligon's English Fern EdT
Overview
A Ferny Morning to you
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
Fougere. I'm a fan. So, I was really looking forward to today's shave. The SV Felce Aromatica was a Christmas gift from my parents a couple of years ago. I had been saving it, but now seemed like the time to dive into it now that it is spring, I have several new to me Fougere fragrances that I purchased from @Spider back in January, and the whole Covid-19 situation. I made sure to double check with our forum's SV Brand Representative how to lather this thing during the Zoom call last night. Today I followed those instructions as best I could remember. I bloomed the puck with only about a teaspoon of water. I squeezed the extra water out of my brush before loading. I dumped the bloom water into my bowl and then loaded for 15-20 seconds. Building the lather in the bowl was really fast and that small amount of water made a very dense and shiny lather in the bowl. I found the first pass to be a bit dry, so I added a tiny bit more water for the second pass. That pass was better, but still felt a little dry. Both passes were really, really great. The residual slickness is some of the best that I have experienced. I could almost have done the second pass on just water. Even though I think I don't have the water ratio correct yet, I can see why @BarberDave is such a huge fan of SV. The scent is amazing and the performance is elite. Unfortunately, I am a tiny bit irritated around my mouth and in two small spots on my neck. That has nothing to do with the soap and has everything to do with me being a bit too overzealous with the razor. That will not stop me from feeling really good about my BBS, however.
Gear
The Merkur 38c is hefty. It needs a little more TLC than the 34c does due to the weight, but it gives just as excellent a shave. Also, Astra SP is still a really big winner in a Merkur razor.
As I wrote above, I need to dial in the water a little better on the SV. But even with the water ratio off a bit, this soap is off the charts good. This may be the best triple milled shave soap in current production. I don't know how long it is going to take me to finish off this 150 gram puck, but I don't care. Today's shave was excellent, and I expect as I get better with the water future shaves are only going to be better. I think I may become a fan.
Pen's English Fern is a killer scent. It is great out of the bottle and I think it works well on my skin. Even though my bottle is almost completely full I may get a second since it is now discontinued.
Other Thoughts
Looking forward to doing some more honing.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
2020 Shaves (DE: 108, SE: 18, Straight: 8, Cart: 0, Skipped: 6)
05/21/2020
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/PAA Cube 1.0 mentholated pre-shave
Razor: Merkur 38c
Blade: Astra SP (2)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: PAA Peregrino 24mm
Soap/Cream: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (1)
AS 1: Thayer's Coconut Water Facial Toner
AS 2: Nivea Sensitive ASB & Lucky Tiger Vanishing Cream
AS 3: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (1)
Fragrance: Penhaligon's English Fern EdT
Overview
A Ferny Morning to you
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
Fougere. I'm a fan. So, I was really looking forward to today's shave. The SV Felce Aromatica was a Christmas gift from my parents a couple of years ago. I had been saving it, but now seemed like the time to dive into it now that it is spring, I have several new to me Fougere fragrances that I purchased from @Spider back in January, and the whole Covid-19 situation. I made sure to double check with our forum's SV Brand Representative how to lather this thing during the Zoom call last night. Today I followed those instructions as best I could remember. I bloomed the puck with only about a teaspoon of water. I squeezed the extra water out of my brush before loading. I dumped the bloom water into my bowl and then loaded for 15-20 seconds. Building the lather in the bowl was really fast and that small amount of water made a very dense and shiny lather in the bowl. I found the first pass to be a bit dry, so I added a tiny bit more water for the second pass. That pass was better, but still felt a little dry. Both passes were really, really great. The residual slickness is some of the best that I have experienced. I could almost have done the second pass on just water. Even though I think I don't have the water ratio correct yet, I can see why @BarberDave is such a huge fan of SV. The scent is amazing and the performance is elite. Unfortunately, I am a tiny bit irritated around my mouth and in two small spots on my neck. That has nothing to do with the soap and has everything to do with me being a bit too overzealous with the razor. That will not stop me from feeling really good about my BBS, however.
Gear
The Merkur 38c is hefty. It needs a little more TLC than the 34c does due to the weight, but it gives just as excellent a shave. Also, Astra SP is still a really big winner in a Merkur razor.
As I wrote above, I need to dial in the water a little better on the SV. But even with the water ratio off a bit, this soap is off the charts good. This may be the best triple milled shave soap in current production. I don't know how long it is going to take me to finish off this 150 gram puck, but I don't care. Today's shave was excellent, and I expect as I get better with the water future shaves are only going to be better. I think I may become a fan.
Pen's English Fern is a killer scent. It is great out of the bottle and I think it works well on my skin. Even though my bottle is almost completely full I may get a second since it is now discontinued.
Other Thoughts
Looking forward to doing some more honing.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
SV gets a lot of love. Perhaps some day...
uh WE live in the same town dude, just ask and I have some at the shop
LOL
So glad you liked! as @NurseDave stated Settle in for Lux!
Lol I guess you did use 70th for a shave once. But that's a lot different than me using it at home.
I can give you some to take home LOL
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Journal Entry #550
2020 Shaves (DE: 109, SE: 18, Straight: 8, Cart: 0, Skipped: 6)
05/22/2020
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/PAA Cube 1.0 mentholated pre-shave
Razor: PAA "Name Taker" handle w/Maggard V3 style head
Blade: Astra SP (3)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: PAA Peregrino 24mm
Soap/Cream: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (2)
AS 1: Thayer's Coconut Water Facial Toner
AS 2: Nivea Sensitive ASB & Lucky Tiger Vanishing Cream
AS 3: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (2)
Fragrance: B&M Barrister's Reserve FERN EdT
Overview
A shave too close.
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
The lather was great today. I added about 2-3 teaspoons of water total to the soap and got really great results. Lots of slickness and it didn't feel as dry today as it did yesterday. Another shave or two and I should have it fairly well dialed in. The razor, however, really scraped at my face. I came away from the shave full-on BBS, but the blade was definitely present. My face feels very exfoliated. It was a great smelling shave and my face is wonderfully smooth. The irritation is slowly fading.
Gear
This handle was not good with this head. IIRC, I got this razor head as part of a "scratch and dent" razor from Italian Barber back in 2016 or 2017. It looks like the same head as a Maggard Standard V3, but I haven't measured blade gaps or anything like that... So, generic Zamak razor head... I didn't like the feel of it, so I will be trying something different with this handle in the future.
The B&M Barrister's Reserve FERN is good stuff. I think I like it better than the Penhaligon's. It starts out as a smoky, earthy aromatic fern but drys down to more of a powdery barbershop scent. I think I will be picking up more of this one too, especially the soap and AS splash (when there is more room in the den, that is). The backup bottle of English Fern will probably be the next frag purchase, however.
Other Thoughts
I picked up a 90 sheet pack of SiC wet/dry sandpaper from Amazon. It goes from 400 to 3000 grit. This should make lapping my Arkansas and Cnat stones much, much easier. I wonder just how glassy I can get my SB Ark?
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
2020 Shaves (DE: 109, SE: 18, Straight: 8, Cart: 0, Skipped: 6)
05/22/2020
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/PAA Cube 1.0 mentholated pre-shave
Razor: PAA "Name Taker" handle w/Maggard V3 style head
Blade: Astra SP (3)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: PAA Peregrino 24mm
Soap/Cream: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (2)
AS 1: Thayer's Coconut Water Facial Toner
AS 2: Nivea Sensitive ASB & Lucky Tiger Vanishing Cream
AS 3: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (2)
Fragrance: B&M Barrister's Reserve FERN EdT
Overview
A shave too close.
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
The lather was great today. I added about 2-3 teaspoons of water total to the soap and got really great results. Lots of slickness and it didn't feel as dry today as it did yesterday. Another shave or two and I should have it fairly well dialed in. The razor, however, really scraped at my face. I came away from the shave full-on BBS, but the blade was definitely present. My face feels very exfoliated. It was a great smelling shave and my face is wonderfully smooth. The irritation is slowly fading.
Gear
This handle was not good with this head. IIRC, I got this razor head as part of a "scratch and dent" razor from Italian Barber back in 2016 or 2017. It looks like the same head as a Maggard Standard V3, but I haven't measured blade gaps or anything like that... So, generic Zamak razor head... I didn't like the feel of it, so I will be trying something different with this handle in the future.
The B&M Barrister's Reserve FERN is good stuff. I think I like it better than the Penhaligon's. It starts out as a smoky, earthy aromatic fern but drys down to more of a powdery barbershop scent. I think I will be picking up more of this one too, especially the soap and AS splash (when there is more room in the den, that is). The backup bottle of English Fern will probably be the next frag purchase, however.
Other Thoughts
I picked up a 90 sheet pack of SiC wet/dry sandpaper from Amazon. It goes from 400 to 3000 grit. This should make lapping my Arkansas and Cnat stones much, much easier. I wonder just how glassy I can get my SB Ark?
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
Some love for a powdery scent! I'm a fan of it, too. Doesn't smell like barbershop to me unless there is at least a hint of powder.
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
Well that’s foreboding!
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
I like it a little more. But, a big part of that could be that it is still in production...
Blasphemy!
I'm with you Doug if it's "unobtainium" that knocks a few points off the rating. My $.02
Fluffy
Fluffy
dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Journal Entry #551
2020 Shaves (DE: 109, SE: 18, Straight: 9, Cart: 0, Skipped: 6)
05/23/2020
TSC Straight Shave #37
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/PAA Cube 1.0 mentholated pre-shave
Straight: ZY 430+
Shavette Blade: none
Strop: Tony Miller Plain Chocolate Strop (60 laps on cotton, 60 on leather)
Razor: Fatip Piccolo
Blade: Israeli Personna (1)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: PAA Peregrino 24mm
Soap/Cream: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (3)
AS 1: Thayer's Coconut Water Facial Toner
AS 2: Nivea Sensitive ASB & Lucky Tiger Vanishing Cream
AS 3: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (3)
Fragrance: B&M Fougere Imperiale EdT
Overview
Well, that went bad fast...
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
The shave was great. The lather performance was top notch. The edge on the ZY was really, really good. I am BBS- after two straight passes and a DE pass. I wish my face felt better, though. My face is on fire almost an hour after the shave. I put on a heavier dose of the aftershave than I have previously and my face is red and burning. I am really bummed out about this.
Gear
The performance of the soap is amazingly good. I can see why @BarberDave loves it so much. However, my face is not happy with something in the scent profile. So, the puck is going to get washed off and this is going up on the BST soon. I will have to try one of the other scents that SV offers.
The ZY performed amazingly also. I managed to get a really nice edge on it. I am very pleased. So far the SB Ark wins as a finisher. I will have to polish my Chinese 12k stones some more to see if they can perform better.
Other Thoughts
I hate that my face does this to me when I am using something that I really, really like. This isn't the first time and it won't be the last. Moving on to something else tomorrow.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
2020 Shaves (DE: 109, SE: 18, Straight: 9, Cart: 0, Skipped: 6)
05/23/2020
TSC Straight Shave #37
Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/PAA Cube 1.0 mentholated pre-shave
Straight: ZY 430+
Shavette Blade: none
Strop: Tony Miller Plain Chocolate Strop (60 laps on cotton, 60 on leather)
Razor: Fatip Piccolo
Blade: Israeli Personna (1)
Bowl: Fine Lather Bowl
Brush: PAA Peregrino 24mm
Soap/Cream: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (3)
AS 1: Thayer's Coconut Water Facial Toner
AS 2: Nivea Sensitive ASB & Lucky Tiger Vanishing Cream
AS 3: Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica (3)
Fragrance: B&M Fougere Imperiale EdT
Overview
Well, that went bad fast...
SOTD Pic
None
Shave Quality
The shave was great. The lather performance was top notch. The edge on the ZY was really, really good. I am BBS- after two straight passes and a DE pass. I wish my face felt better, though. My face is on fire almost an hour after the shave. I put on a heavier dose of the aftershave than I have previously and my face is red and burning. I am really bummed out about this.
Gear
The performance of the soap is amazingly good. I can see why @BarberDave loves it so much. However, my face is not happy with something in the scent profile. So, the puck is going to get washed off and this is going up on the BST soon. I will have to try one of the other scents that SV offers.
The ZY performed amazingly also. I managed to get a really nice edge on it. I am very pleased. So far the SB Ark wins as a finisher. I will have to polish my Chinese 12k stones some more to see if they can perform better.
Other Thoughts
I hate that my face does this to me when I am using something that I really, really like. This isn't the first time and it won't be the last. Moving on to something else tomorrow.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.