St Valentine's Day - Evening
Started early with some Jack Daniels.
Music Carlos Santana.
Hot Towel
T&H Ultimate Comfort PSO
Fox's Super Smooth Southsea Spray
Pure Badger 23mm
Ever Ready 1912 (potentially, a Radio handle)
GEM Stainless Coated [1]
Hot Rinse, Cold Rinse & Alum Wash
Shibden Spice
C&S Cuba
Bowl Lathered
Two Pass - With & Cross the Grain
First, the soap. Once again, a pleasure to lather up, initially quite foamy which would give a thin covering with poor protection but nobody stops after 15 seconds of building a lather. What happens next is sublime and something I discovered with his Bay Rum soap. You keep building and building and building ... don't add water. It will thicken, it will build and then something which cooks look out for when whisking cream - resistance on the brush. Suddenly it really thickens! Now add a drop of water to loosen it up and it will stay just like that for three passes, or more.
I live in a soft water area and use a porcelain bowl, warmed up with the brush soaking in it which I prepare with my pre-shave ritual.
The scent is curious and I couldn't figure it out, but think there might be some neroli in there. It's fresh and certainly evoked that nasal scent of sea foam. Again, subtle; certainly not intrusive, but gently reminds that its there as you shave. Very well pitched.
Next, reflecting on my first shave with my new razor, in a word: £2 well spent!
The handle is much lighter than other 1912s that I have in my collection and it made for a very nimble shave. I found, contrary in behaviour to my heavier handles for double edge razors, that it was an instinctually light shave, barely touching. One pass with a fresh blade was perfectly acceptable. I know my face and there are a couple of areas that I make a diagonal stroke over, so that one pass works out well. Two passes made it perfect.
Homemade Bay Rum aftershave and then a good helping of C&S Cuba - basically, all the things I love about Bay Rum with added tobacco. What's not to like? Erm ... "that" smell that explodes after a couple of minutes of application. After checking the litter tray, I find that I'm one of those people that can smell "that smell" in this, but after another couple of minutes, that's gone. Perversely, I rather liked the experience
