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#1380 by warhawk on 23 Jul, 2015 13:10
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Thursday, July 23, 2015 SOTD
Weber DLC
Feather
Mystic Water Soap: Marrakesh
EverReady 150 w/ TGN Finest
Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement Al Fin
WARHAWK
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#1381 by warhawk on 25 Jul, 2015 13:34
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Saturday, July 25, 2015 SOTD
Razor: iKON ShaveCraft #102 w/ Tuckaway Handle
Blade: Feather
Soap: Mystic Water Soap: Marrakesh
Brush: Semogue SOC 2012 SE
Dessert: Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated FINE Fresh Vetiver
Wow!!! Another fun and relaxing super, shave. What a way to start the weekend. Hope all your shaves are super, smooth. Enjoy your weekend gents. I know I am.
WARHAWK
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#1382 by 120inna55 on 25 Jul, 2015 20:54
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Head & face shower shave. 2 days growth.
Technique: WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.
Soap: RazoRock Santa Maria Del Fiore
Brush: Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest)
Razor: Mongoose B3
Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild (1)
Post: Alt-Innsbruck
I decided that since it took 3 shaves for the Feather AC Pro to get comfortable, it's not for me. That 4th shave was very comfortable, but I don't see the point in enduring uncomfortable shaves just to break in a blade. Thank goodness for tryablade.com. I tried the Kai Captain Mild for the first time. It was like night and day. This was a very smooth and comfortable blade right off the bat.
I'm loving the Alt-Innsbruck. I need to get an atomizer for it, though. I used it for the scent only. I don't really need a post-product with the RR SMdF, but the light menthol in the Alt-Innsbruck felt good nonetheless.
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#1383 by warhawk on 25 Jul, 2015 21:19
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@120: Hi Matt: I am glad that you got a great shave with the Kai Captain blades. I look forward to hearing how the Kai Captain blades continue to perform. I also look forward to seeing the Triad Handles on your Mongoose. Glad that you are loving the scent of the Alt-Innsbruck.
WARHAWK
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#1384 by 120inna55 on 29 Jul, 2015 22:01
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Head & face shower shave. 2 days growth.
Technique: WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.
Soap: Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversary SE
Brush: Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest)
Razor: Mongoose B3
Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild (3)
Post: Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversary SE After Shave
My prior experience with Saponificio Varesino has been with Manna di Sicilia and Flying Mango, both of which are exceptional soaps. Thus far MdS has beat out Flying Mango by a slight but quantifiable margin. Flying Mango, while still a top tier luxury soap, didn't have quite the post shave properties of that of MdS. I also noted less cushion from Flying Mango. Scent is so subjective, I hesitate to even expound upon it, but I found the scent of MdS preferable to Flying Mango. I also found the Flying Mango scent to be faint and somewhat short-lived. Based on my first experience with SV's 70th Anniversary Special Edition, I can say with some confidence that it will at least tie MdS in all aspects, and edging it out in the aroma department. I'm pretty sure this will be my new reference soap.
The packaging of the 70th Anniversary SE is beautiful, but the tin is quite thin and flimsy. I want to preserve it's appearance, so I transferred the puck to a stoneware bowl just for loading purposes. The absence of a taper at the top lip of the tin means the puck isn't trapped in the it like the Flying Mango soap. I bloom almost all my soaps, so I let some warm tap water soak on the firm puck while I showered. The dry puck feels like any other triple-milled soap. However, care should be taken when blooming the 70th Anniversary SE. It softened up quite a bit with a surprisingly thick layer of white paste where it had been exposed to the water. It made the load easy, but maybe a little too easy. I don't want to over-state it, though. The stamped logo was still present after the shave, but you need to keep in mind it softens up a bit easier than any other hard soap I've used.
The rest of the shave was just plain luxury. This is an extremely dense and slick soap with a beautiful sheen. The Mongoose glided perfectly though the 2-day stubble that had been noticeably softened by the soap. Three head and face passes went by almost too quickly. The touch up to my stubborn patches only required a wet hand for lubrication due to the nourishing soap's properties. The scent wasn't quite as robust as MdS, but it makes a presence nonetheless. Much like MdS, I just can't describe the scent profile due to my lack of vocabulary on the subject and the complexity of the notes. I think I recall some faint citrus notes that are on the sharper side. Think lemon instead of orange. There are certainly some woodsy late notes, but it's not your typical pungent cedar. It's probably still in the fir family, though. I can't speak to the longevity of the soap's scent, because I was compelled to use the paired aftershave.
The after shave wasn't required in light of the superior protective and moisturizing properties of the soap. It felt great anyway. The thick, squatty bottle has a vintage, retro style, and the label is essentially a badge that shares the same pewter-like design of the soap tin. The ingredients label for both the soap and the after shave are affixed to the throw-away plastic sleeves in which they were shipped. This lends to a very clean aesthetic for both the soap tin and the after shave bottle. SV recommends you shake the bottle before use and dispense a small amount. The consistency is like that of milk or a very thin balm, and the flow limiter in the bottle is quite effective. It doesn't allow free flow at all. In fact, I had to actually shake out a few drops into my palm. It's hard to speak to the performance, because, again, my scalp and face already felt great before I every applied it. The scent duplicates the soap almost exactly, but I did notice some very light eucalyptus notes. The citrus and wood notes eventually won out, and I still note a very light remnants of the after shave lingering some two hours later.
I'm on day three of the Kai Captain Titan Mild blade. I've noticed no degradation in performance. It's just as smooth and comfortable as it's maiden voyage. I have several other blades to try in the tryablade.com Mongoose Sampler, but I can't see how any blade could offer anything more than what I'm getting from the Kai. I've gotten the hang of the Mongoose. It will certainly be in the rotation. It will enjoy longer stretches than my DEs since I get a lot more mileage out the SE blades.
This was a top-shelf shave courtesy of some high-end products that live up to their names. It's a good time to be in the wetshave hobby!
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#1385 by warhawk on 01 Aug, 2015 15:42
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@120: Hi Matt: I enjoyed your thorough review. Love the pics. Keep them coming my friend. Sounds like you are enjoying your Mongoose.
WARHAWK
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#1386 by warhawk on 01 Aug, 2015 15:46
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Saturday, August 1, 2015 SOTD
Razor: Mongoose B1 w/ BRW Bull Mastiff Deluxe Handle
Blade: Feather Professional
Soap: Mystic Water Soap: Jasmine
Brush: Semogue Owners Club (SOC) 2012 SE
Dessert: Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated FINE Fresh Vetiver
What a way to start the month of August with a very relaxing and enjoyable safety razor shave. Ahhhhh...... life is great. Enjoy your weekend gents. I know I am.
WARHAWK
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#1387 by 120inna55 on 01 Aug, 2015 17:36
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Yep, Mel, I'm digging the Mongoose quite a bit. I'm now quite comfortable with it. 4th day on the Kai Captain Titan Mild, and still performing perfectly.Stirling Soap Co. "Texas on Fire" | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest) | Mongoose | Kai Captain Titan Mild (4) | Fine Snake Bite | Nicole Pangas "Ghost Skulls" Shaving Bowl
I'm smoking ribs tonight anyway, so I may as well continue the theme with my shave. Stirling is such a unique soap. I don't know if it's the clay that sets it apart or not. I can't think of any other soap in my arsenal with clay. The thick velvety lather of Stirling can not be matched.
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#1388 by 120inna55 on 03 Aug, 2015 21:41
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Acqua Di Parma Collezione Barbiere | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest) | Mongoose | Kai Captain Titan Mild (5) | Acqua Di Parma Colonia Balm | Nicole Pangas "Ghost Skulls" Shaving Bowl | Acqua Di Parma Colonia EdC
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#1389 by warhawk on 04 Aug, 2015 14:29
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@120: Hi Matt: Is that the old or new version of the AdP? I have heard that the old scent was better. What's your take on it?
WARHAWK
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#1390 by 120inna55 on 04 Aug, 2015 14:54
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Never used AdP before, and this is a newly purchased container. So I can't make make a comparison. I've been using the cologne for some time and I LOVE it! I started using the cologne when I found out that RazoRock's XXX was patterned after it, and I've been a big fan of the XXX scent for a while. RR did a great job of replicating AdP Colonia.
On a lark, I decided I wanted to try the real deal, so I purchase the AdP soap. As you would expect from a high-end soap, it makes a luxurious, dense, slick, lather. The scent of the soap isn't quite the same as the cologne, but it has elements of it. In other words, the soap compliments the cologne, but doesn't replicate it. That's ok with me, because it actually adds some depth to the experience. The real surprise in this was the Colonia aftershave balm. Don't let me lose you here, but the AdP Balm, smells more like the AdP Cologne than the XXX balm does. The AdP balm really surprised me in its performance. It only requires a small amount, and it left my scalp and face feeling silky as if I had applied powder. A really REALLY nice feel that lasted throughout the day. I'm glad to add these to the rotation along with the Mongoose.
Now, I'm just waiting on my Santa Maria Novella Crema da Barba and the paired Tabacco Toscano EdC that's in the mail. I'm trying out some higher-end stuff as of late, just to get a sense of it. -
#1391 by 120inna55 on 06 Aug, 2015 17:29
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Los Angeles Shaving Soap Co. "Myrkvior" | Ever-Ready 100T (TGN Finest) | 1951 Gillette Super-Speed "Black Tip" (steel-handle) | Treet Platinum Super Stainless (1) | Pinaud Clubman | Nicole Pangas "Ghost Skulls" Shaving Bowl
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#1392 by warhawk on 08 Aug, 2015 22:39
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Saturday, August 8, 2015 SOTD
Razor: iKON ShaveCraft #102 w/ Tuckaway Handle
Blade: Treet Platinum
Soap: Cold River Soap Works Select: Puro Fresco
Brush: Simpson P8
Dessert: Ice cube rub, refrigerated WH, refrigerated Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Al Fin
WARHAWK
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#1393 by 120inna55 on 08 Aug, 2015 22:46
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Nice combo, Mel.
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#1394 by 120inna55 on 10 Aug, 2015 21:21
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