What's new
The Shaving Cadre

Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun

For the Love of Old Spice - Illini's Shave Journal

Nothing particularly exciting to write about today, which sometimes can be a good thing. Wife and I have made it through a whopping 16 of the MCU films in "spaghetti order" so far, with 7 titles remaining. I am overly impressed at both her excitement to continue to watch these as well as excited that she hasn't burnt out yet! I'm a lucky man, indeed!

Broke through the Barber's Chair so think this one might be done by the weekend. Which would be perfect timing as I'm beginning to itch for some bright springtime scents. The unseasonably warm weather has given way to the mid 50s, which although seems colder in comparison is probably closer to average for mid-April. Nonetheless I'm looking forward to bright fruity notes from CBL Back Alley Barber as well as the green notes in the B&M Sunny Lane.

Hope you have a great Hump Day Cadre!

Wednesday April 14th, 2021
Razor : '52 Gillette Bakelite Tech
Blade : Personna Lab Blue (68)
Brush : Yaqi Tuxedo Barberpole
Pre : Hot Shower
Soap : CBL Tonsorial Barber's Chair
Post : Seaforth Spiced

PXL_20210414_140331509.jpg​
 
GearNoir said:
Awesome!

Out of the 3 attempts...Best Bruce Banner? Best Hulk?
Click to expand...

Here is something I didn't realize - the Hulk I actually saw in theaters way back in 2003 (the one with Eric Bana) is actually NOT considered part of the MCU and the 2008 movie with Edward Norton is actually the start of the MCU Hulk. Having not seen the Bana version in many years, I can't rank him but I will say having watched Norton and Ruffalo portrayals back-to-back, I do prefer the direction Ruffalo took Banner by a pretty substantial margin. No idea if that's because of the scripts, directors, actors themselves, etc. probably because Ruffalo hasn't really had his own movie. Wife fervently agrees and said of all the movies we've seen so far, Incredible Hulk with Norton was "the worst by a wide margin." Harsh!

I had never seen Doctor Strange until last night but felt like a "trip" at various points! Enjoyed it just fine but not one of my favorites. The new-to-me RR Black Hawk V2 should be arriving tomorrow which is exciting. Might also be taking the day off and going to the Zoo with the wife and little guy. We'll see. Weather is looking better than on Saturday and I have more than enough PTO so the case for it is high.

Going to try and kill the CBL Barber's Chair by the weekend. Went with another superlather this morning, not for a boost in performance but just because I love the way these two barbershop profiles mix together on the face. Been a little colder here the last 48 hours so reached for the Christmas Eve balm despite it not exactly fitting the barbershop theme. Great shave.

Thursday April 15th, 2021
Razor : '56 "Grungy" Gillette Blue Tip SS
Blade : Personna Lab Blue (69)
Brush : Whipped Dog HM
Pre : Hot Shower
Soap : CBL Tonsorial Barber's Chair & TOBS Mr. Taylor
Post : Stirling Christmas Eve

PXL_20210415_134206865.jpg​
 
Fightingillini22 said:
Here is something I didn't realize - the Hulk I actually saw in theaters way back in 2003 (the one with Eric Bana) is actually NOT considered part of the MCU and the 2008 movie with Edward Norton is actually the start of the MCU Hulk. Having not seen the Bana version in many years, I can't rank him but I will say having watched Norton and Ruffalo portrayals back-to-back, I do prefer the direction Ruffalo took Banner by a pretty substantial margin. No idea if that's because of the scripts, directors, actors themselves, etc. probably because Ruffalo hasn't really had his own movie. Wife fervently agrees and said of all the movies we've seen so far, Incredible Hulk with Norton was "the worst by a wide margin." Harsh!
Click to expand...
Yea, Bana didn’t play Banner “smart enough”. His Hulk was definitely the vengeful beast though!

Norton did Banner really good I think...very nerdy-esque. I think his Hulk suffered though.

Ruffalo has fallen in as the best of both for me...and I’m not sure why either. I would love if Marvel explored Hulk more independently!
 
GearNoir said:
Yea, Bana didn’t play Banner “smart enough”. His Hulk was definitely the vengeful beast though!

Norton did Banner really good I think...very nerdy-esque. I think his Hulk suffered though.

Ruffalo has fallen in as the best of both for me...and I’m not sure why either. I would love if Marvel explored Hulk more independently!
Click to expand...
Agreed on all fronts! Hoping he either gets a standalone movie soon or a mini series on Disney+.

Happy Saturday Cadre! Did end up taking the day off yesterday and took our son to the Zoo for the first time. It was absolutely gorgeous outside and he actually seemed to enjoy the animals, especially the dolphins! Truly a fantastic day off. Had a quick shave before the zoo with CBL Barber's Chair, I think I'll get one more shave and then start a clown tub of soap as chasing these bits around is getting old!

Friday April 16th, 2021
Razor : '53 Gillette SS
Blade : Personna Lab Blue (70)
Brush : Razorock Beehive
Pre : Hot Shower
Soap : CBL Tonsorial Barber's Chair
Post : Clubman

The new to me RR Black Hawk finally arrived yesterday too. Can't wait to give her a test drive later today. The seller threw in some Feather Pros which was nice. Also picked up the AC sample pack from TryABlade. This was the first hardware acquisition I've made in a while - the AC style has been on the radar and the price was too good to pass up even when the new price of a Hawk is cheap too.

PXL_20210416_214434652.jpg
 
Smattayu said:
Same here. I was actually pretty angry that they took one of my favorite Hulk storylines, Planet Hulk, and used it as a mere backdrop in Thor Ragnarok.
Click to expand...
Yea they could have done a lot with that...I wouldn’t mind if they rewound a bit to fill in some blanks.

A Maestro movie or two would be a big hit I think. Could have plenty of cameos from the last franchise Phase.
 
Maryland998 said:
Nerd alert. ;) This thread has turned into a scene from the "Big Bang Theory".
Click to expand...
Ha! Don't partake in Marvel movies?!

First shave with an AC this morning went much better than I anticipated! It is definitely a different technique. Didn't realize how much you need to ride the cap and probably got a little too aggressive with the angle a few times, but only one small nick and some minor irritation on the neck in places I can even get it still with a DE on an off day. Was worried the Feather Pro would slice me up, especially since it's a fresh blade and I had never used an AC before so very happy with the results! Will need to continue shaving with it to further refine my technique. Once I get that down I'll start trying the variety of AC blades I have now.

Last shave with the Barber's Chair. Fantastic performance start to finish on this tub. This is the first tub of CBL I've finished and it certainly won't be the last. Next up will be a combo of CBL Back Alley Barber alongside B&M Sunny Lane as I'm officially in the springtime spirit!

Saturday April 17th, 2021
Razor : Razorock Black Hawk V2
Blade : Feather AC Pro (1)
Brush : Omega 11575
Pre : Hot Shower
Soap : CBL Tonsorial Barber's Chair
Post : Soap Commander Endurance

PXL_20210417_195825950.jpg
 
Greetings Cadre - hope you all had an enjoyable Sunday! It was a fairly relaxing one for us over here. Got some cleaning done around the house, and wrapped up our viewing of all 23 MCU films during down time. That was quite the investment in terms of time but I'm happy to say my wife made it through all of them and really the only one she didn't like was The Incredible Hulk, which is fair since I really don't like it either. Believe it or not, she was sad when we got to the end.

Second shave with the Black Hawk yesterday was better than the first. No irritation this time and one very minor nick that stopped with a splash of WH. My 1.5 daily pass shave isn't as close with the AC as it is with a DE yet, but definitely due to me still learning how to shave with an AC blade and being extra cautious. Decent lather from the B&M Sunny Lane, although not as good as I remember or get with other soaps like CBL or Seaforth. I'm either spoiled now or just need to dial it in more. Time will tell. Scent is still fantastic, though.

Sunday April 18th, 2021
Razor : Razorock Black Hawk V2
Blade : Feather AC Pro (2)
Brush : Stirling Boar
Pre : Hot Shower
Soap : B&M Sunny Lane
Post : 50:50 blend of Osage and Skin Bracer

PXL_20210418_192814058.jpg
​
This morning I reached for my second "springtime" scent, CBL Back Alley Barber. A great yogurt-y lather resulted in another good showing with the Hawk. Technique continues to improve and I'm looking forward to really mowing down the stubble once I get truly comfortable with it. Scent from the Back Alley Barber put me in a great mood to start the week, and chased with some Barbasol Brisk for a little blast of cool.

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Monday April 19th, 2021
Razor : Razorock Black Hawk V2
Blade : Feather AC Pro (3)
Brush : Ever Ready 100T with Plisson Knot
Pre : Hot Shower
Soap : CBL Back Alley Barber
Post : Barbasol Brisk



PXL_20210419_142905387.jpg​
 
GearNoir said:
Looks like you and the Hawk are getting along decently! Good news 😎
Click to expand...

So far so good! I was a little intimidated by the Feather Pros going in but just a couple nicks over the course of the first couple shaves and none yesterday or today so I'd say the intimidation was ill-founded. I had a bad time with Feather DE blades way back in the beginning of my wet shaving career, so that's haunted me since. Now with nearly 8 years of experience I guess I should give myself more credit! :LOL:

Received another virtual gift card yesterday from the survey company so that coupled with my reduced soap stash meant it was finally time to place a long awaited order with CBL. Picked up pucks of Far-a-way, Hombres, and Peanut Butter, all 3 of which had been sitting on my wish list for a while now. Can't wait to give them all a go. Considering doing a faux 3017 of the Back Alley Barbershop now as my springtime soap to make more room for the new arrivals.

I should also learn to stop counting the winter out here in Chicagoland. It's back to 30 degrees and snow today and tomorrow. Sigh. Have my second Covid shot this afternoon too. Haven't heard good things about the second one, so anticipating feeling under the weather for a day or two but it is MORE than worth it.

It's also 4/20. I will say that the decriminalization of pot here in Illinois has been a strange thing to take in as someone who grew up during the prime days of the "DARE" program in the 90s. As someone who spent the first year after undergrad on an expat assignment in Amsterdam, I saw what decriminalization could look like, but honestly didn't expect it to happen a mere 7 years later here at home. Seems like a slam dunk to both the state tax man coffers as well as law enforcement, but what do I know!

I do know that this sample of Catie's Bubbles QCV is quite old, pretty sure from around 2015. I honestly don't know how recently Chris has even offered this scent. But CB is one of those "first wave" artisans that is still around, making great products, that I feel like get overlooked most of the time. His LPV scent continues to be one of my all-time favorites. Digging out this sample of QCV for 4/20, with its "notes of cannabis flowers" has reminded me that I need to pick up another tub soon, as it's been too long since I've had a full CB tub in the den.

Tuesday April 20th, 2021
Razor : Razorock Black Hawk V2
Blade : Feather AC Pro (4)
Brush : Rudy Vey Custom with Plisson Knot
Pre : Hot Shower
Soap : Catie's Bubbles QCV
Post : Skin Bracer

PXL_20210420_143441005.jpg​
 
Got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday afternoon and so far, so good. Sore arm like the first go-around and some minor fatigue this morning but nothing else of note. This is a huge win in my book, as I was fully expecting to be down for the count today. It's a great feeling to have both shots under the belt. One step closer to returning to a more normal world.

As much as I love my Old Spice mugs, I just struggle to load many of my brushes well from them. So I took my puck of CBL Back Alley Barbershop and moved it to an old container simply for ease of loading. Gave me an absolutely stellar lather this morning, although the Black Hawk gave me a couple very small nicks. Two steps forward, one step back in honing a new shave technique would be my guess. Or just an off day. Either way, still very much enjoying the AC SE style razor and glad to have picked it up. Chased with PAA Sundown and despite the couple nicks enjoyed the shave!

Wednesday April 21st, 2021
Razor : Razorock Black Hawk V2
Blade : Feather AC Pro (5)
Brush : Yaqi Tuxedo Barberpole
Pre : Hot Shower
Soap : CBL Back Alley Barbershop
Post : PAA Sundown

PXL_20210421_144327009.jpg​
 
Fightingillini22 said:
Got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday afternoon and so far, so good. Sore arm like the first go-around and some minor fatigue this morning but nothing else of note.
Click to expand...
I also had no ill effects from the second shot, other than a sore arm. Some of us get lucky that way.

So you took the AC plunge! I went from a Schick injector to AC, so the transition was pretty much seamless. I love the AC particularly for neck shaving, as I get it done with fewer strokes. It just mows them down effortlessly. Enjoy your shaves, Ryan!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top