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Doug's Journal of Shaving Happiness v2.0

Astra SP can last a month. That I know. But I think I can get a 7 0'clock black there too! Go for that one.
 
I placed an order for those blades from Ted Pella's. Shipping was a bit more than I had expected, but if the blades are as good as you say they are, then no biggie.
 
cmh737 said:
I placed an order for those blades from Ted Pella's. Shipping was a bit more than I had expected, but if the blades are as good as you say they are, then no biggie.
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Yeah the shipping was a bit high. That is why I ordered two boxes of GEMs and some Personna Injector blades all at once.

I should have warned you about the shipping. Apologies.
 
dkeester said:
Yeah the shipping was a bit high. That is why I ordered two boxes of GEMs and some Personna Injector blades all at once.

I should have warned you about the shipping. Apologies.
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No worries. I also ordered injector blades as well.
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Journal Entry #121

Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Shave Secret oil
Razor: GEM
Blade: GEM PTFE Stainless (1)
Brush: WCS Psycho Synthetic
Soap/Cream: CBL Damascus Juniper 2018
AS 1: Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel
AS 2: Nivea Cooling Sensitive Post-Shave Balm
AS 3: Pinaud Clubman
Fragrance: none

Overview
We interrupt this 3017 to bring you a very special SEptember shaving announcement...

SOTD Pic(s)


Shave Quality
Razors of this type shave close. So close that the shave can feel like the top layer of skin is being shaved off. This can either be a fabulous experience, or pure hell. Today it was shave nirvana and it smells like Juniper spirit. There was feedback from the alum and the aftershave but about 90 minutes on my face feels wonderful.

Gear
This GEM razor is a beast, like the Ever-Ready from yesterday. (They are almost the same razor.) I don't find the Muhle R41 to be aggressive. I find this razor to be aggressive. It will scrape you up. It will cut you. But when you use it right stellar shaves happen. Like all GEM-style razors start by laying the face of the razor flat against your face then only lift it about the width of the spine on the blade.

The CBL soap... I have been wanting to try Chris' soap since I first heard about it over on the other forum last year. It was worth the wait! Chris mentioned being influenced by Williams Tonsorial and Colgate Tonsorial. I haven't tried either of those yet, but I have used modern Williams which is still an "old school" type of soap. I was reminded of well-lathered Williams today as I was shaving.
The first thing I noticed was the strength of scent. The soap is strongly scented, but the scent is great, so a strong scent is good on this soap. Loading was really easy with the WCS Psychedelic Synthetic. I tried to go easy on the water. The soap created a lighter lather than most modern soaps that I have used. Most modern soaps have a gel-like consistency when lathered. I didn't get that from the CBL. It was lighter on my face, but dense and protective. It also didn't leave the residue that many modern soaps do. The lather was slick and protective with good residual slickness (enough for some water only cleanup strokes) but rinsed clean afterwards. My skin feels conditioned and soft post shave. I think Chris succeeded in creating something very "old school" but turned up a notch or two. I can't wait for my order to arrive.

Other Thoughts
Short weeks are both good and bad. Happy hump day.

Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
 
Top shelf shave Doug! Have a great day!

Maybe Chris will chime in...what scent is Damascus?
 
Great read Doug. And remember the CBL that sent you is NOT the formula that you ordered from. It is an iteration I think one or two before what he settled on.
 
Cvargo said:
Great read Doug. And remember the CBL that sent you is NOT the formula that you ordered from. It is an iteration I think one or two before what he settled on.
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Well, then I fully expect the soap on order to be even better than what I used today.
 
Great shave and read Doug!
Yes I have a few of Chris's soaps and I'm looking forward to using the new formula that he is selling.
 
Nice write up on the CBL soap Doug! Those GEM razors can shave real well if you get the angle correct, which is something I struggle with, or at least have in the past.
 
Journal Entry #121

Pre: Hot shower/splash of cool water/Shave Secret oil
Razor: GEM Junior
Blade: GEM PTFE Stainless (2)
Brush: WCS Psycho Synthetic
Soap/Cream: AOS Eucalyptus Cream (22)
AS 1: Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel
AS 2: Aqua Velva Sensitive 5-in-1 ASB
AS 3: Florida Water
Fragrance: none

Overview
SEptember and the 3017 continues

SOTD Pic(s)
None

Shave Quality
Another really close shave today. I decided to go for three passes today. While I am full on BBS, I have irritation all over. I should have stopped at two passes. There was no blood, but the FW lived up to KJ's description as Hell Fire. On a positive note; I smell great.

Gear
The GEM Junior is a beast just like the GEM I used yesterday. This time the beast left me a bit raw. Like Injectors, GEMs get milder as the models progress.

The AV aftershave balm is great stuff. I wish I didn't have such problems finding it locally.

Other Thoughts
The Leuchtturm 1917 A5 size notebook with dotted pages is the best notebook that I have ever used. They even handle fountain pen ink decently. I just wish they weren't quite so expensive.
https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/notebook-medium-a5-hardcover-249-numbered-pages.html

Thank you for reading and commenting on my journal. I hope you have a great day and stellar shaves, Cadre.
 
dkeester said:
There was no blood, but the FW lived up to KJ's description as Hell Fire. On a positive note; I smell great.
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For some reason, probably due to a really mild shave, I felt nothing from it yesterday. But today I used Blue Steele (FW/AV mix) and it burnt like a son of a gun!
 
Good stuff Doug, glad your enjoying the GEM shaves!

Not big on notebooks myself, but I do remember many fun art classes playing with differently weighted papers and other materials! It’s an interesting medium!
 
Nice Doug. You almost had me pull my ebay listing of my Gem but a Variant showed up today and stole my attention. Nice shave sans the rawness.
 
GearNoir said:
Not big on notebooks myself, but I do remember many fun art classes playing with differently weighted papers and other materials! It’s an interesting medium!
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I just use them for taking notes at work and stuff. I haven't become very artistic with them yet, but I see the potential. I can see using them to create knitting and crochet patterns, as well as other things.
 
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