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Not quite Music City USA

fhalden

fhalden

"Like BarberDave… I make my own fun”
I'm going to take another swing at doing a shave journal. I tried doing one on another forum, but at that time it wasn't really right. I must say that I find this forum much more positive, laid back and supportive of its members, so here goes...

I live in a small town just outside of Nashville, TN, although I spent most of my adult life (I'm 52) living in Baltimore, MD. I've come here to take care of my convalescent mother, and I have to admit that I don't have much going on, not that there's anything to do while under stay at home orders. Shaving, which I've enjoyed for years, has become the highlight of my day. As such, it's something I've endeavored to imbue with a sense of variety, so I've collected several razors, vintage and modern, and a wide variety of soaps and Aftershaves. I greatly enjoy pondering what combo I'll use each day, but up til now, I've not taken notes, or committed my impressions to writing. Today I had a couple of new items, but chose only to try two out. My lineup was:

Prep: Hot shower, Ach Brito Glyce Soap, Proraso Red Pre-shave cream
Razor: Rex Supply Envoy ( my favorite)
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (2)
Soap: Martin de Candre Agrumes ( first use)
Brush: Parker Long Loft Badger
Post-Shave: Osma Tradition Alum Block, cold water rinse
After-Shave: Fine Platinum (First Use)

I went with the Envoy because I've mastered it like no other razor except my EJ89LBL. It's a more efficient razor than the EJ. More blade feel. It's right up my alley. I wanted to use this razor because I irritated my face big time using my new Timeless SB. I rested yesterday, and the Envoy handled the 2-day growth effortlessly. The MdC is my third jar, and out of the three, the scent I prefer. It lathered up nicely. I'm not a lather perfectionist, and like mine on the wet side, if the soap is slick enough, which MdC definitely is. I did four no-pressure passes, and the alum block stung not a whit. A big success today. The big finish was trying out Fine Platinum Aftershave, which I really like. I have that, American Blend, and Italian Citrus. I like the Italian Citrus best, but citrus is my favorite scent type.

All in all, it was a very successful and enjoyable shave - far better than my misadventure with the Timeless. I'm going to give that razor a few more chances, and if I can't get a better shave with it than I have so far, I'm going to sell it.

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Welcome to the journals! Fine Italian Citrus is an outstanding scent for sure.
It’s been a long time since I used Ach Brito Glyce as part of my preshave routine. I’m pretty sure I have an unopened puck of their Oakmoss somewhere...
 
Awesome journal entry! I have been meaning to try out Fine products, but then I get distracted by something else. I believe their Platinum scent is their version of Creed Aventus which is an awesome scent. You are a good man moving to Tennessee to take care of your mom. I look forward to reading more of your journal entries!
 
fhalden said:
WTG, XTGx2, ATG. Ive been doing it that way since I first watched a Mantic59 video years ago. This recent Timeless issue is my first.

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You'll have to pardon *that* Dave, he's a little crazy, just like me. I have the same routine, kinda. I just don't do a full atg pass.

Also, welcome to the journals! I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to start a journal. I'm not a part of any other forum, but I feel we have a great group of gents and a very small group of women.
 
bentheduck said:
You'll have to pardon *that* Dave, he's a little crazy, just like me. I have the same routine, kinda. I just don't do a full atg pass.

Also, welcome to the journals! I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to start a journal. I'm not a part of any other forum, but I feel we have a great group of gents and a very small group of women.
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It's cool. I'm blessed with a pretty resilient face. I've never exhibited sensitivity to any soaps or creams, and the four pass shave hasn't bothered me. I've nicked myself from time to time, but that was me not paying attention. This razor burn I got with my Timeless is really the first bad result I've had, and I'm chalking that up to mishandling what is a pretty heavy razor. I'm going to give it another go and maybe give it a whole 30 days to really give it a chance. If I can't get it under control, I'll probably sell it. Thank you so much for the kind welcome. I really like it here!

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Tonight, right around sundown, my mother came in from her room and asked, "When was the last time we had pizza?" I honestly had no idea, but certainly not since I moved down here. "I'd have to guess," I said, "but probably sometime in 1986." She then revealed that she'd been wanting a pizza for some time now. So, one phone call and 60 minutes later, we were eating Pizza. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and she was very happy. We ate across the room from each other because social distancing, but had a nice chat about who she had phoned that day, and the small-town scuttlebutt she had gleaned from Facebook. It was a small blessing, this time together, and I strive to appreciate it. Appreciating tonight's shave was a snap:

Prep: Hot shower, Ach Brito Glyce Soap, Proraso Red Pre-shave cream
Razor: Feather AS-D2
Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless (2)
Brush: Parker Long Loft Badger
Soap: Stirling Iced Pineapple (first use)
Post-Shave: Osma Tradition Alum Block, cold water rinse
Aftershave: Pinaud Clubman Reserve Sweet Rum (first use)

I had two products on tap tonight that were first time tries. I figured pairing them together would give tonight's shave something of a "Piña Colada" theme. My soap was Stirling Iced Pineapple and my Aftershave was Clubman Sweet Rum, one of three brand new Pinaud Clubman Reserve scents I just received yesterday. I went with the AS-D2, mainly because I wanted a mild shave, having not quite fully recovered from the irritation I encountered with my Timeless. Along those lines, I went with my years-long pal, my Parker Badger, which the years have rendered devoid of scritch. I did four passes, except for one remaining tender spot on my left chin. I bowl-lathered the Stirling to give my face a little break, and it whipped up nice and thick. Stirling soaps are fine products. I use their bath bar as well, and really like Black Cherry for that purpose. The shave went very smoothly, my muscle memory readily finding and maintaining the right angle on the razor. Not quite a BBS, but a really nice shave, as there was no discomfort, and I could revel in the menthol chill and pineapple freshness of the lather. It'll be a definite go to soap on hot Summer days. The Sweet Rum is nice, somewhat similar to Whiskey Woods, and like the other Clubman Reserve scents, short-lived in potency of scent. A half hour out, and it's all but gone.

Now, I'm spending the rest of my evening listening to a replay of a Cardinals baseball game from 1985, a time when a pizza with my mother was not uncommon, but never so dear as today's.

Happy shaves everyone!

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