SOTD : Saturdy 28th March to 3th April 2020

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Prep: Bath
Pre: Proaraso Red
Soap: Proraso Green
Brush: Yaqi Moka Express 2 band badger
Scuttle: QShave
Razor/Blade: Rex Ambassador (2.5)/ Polsilver (1)
Post: Alum and cold rinse
ASL: Proraso Green
ASB: B.Men sensitive

The Proraso was the second soap I ever used, the first WS was soon jettisoned, and did not disappoint. Three pass shave, dialling the Rex down to 1 for ATG moustache area.
After 2 weeks with the Rex, I'm still at the stage of conscious competence when using it and have to concentrate to keep the correct angle.
 
All this talk of what people are using to shave is very interesting. However today I found that what I really need for a great shave..........are my spectacles! This morning I folowed my usual routine, lathered up and started to shave when I thought, "this is really smooth today". However after my first pass I realised that my bristles were all still in tact. Quick check, and yes, there was a blade in the razor but on putting on my glasses I realised that having cleaned my razor yesterday (without glasses) and re-assembled it I had put the base plate on upside down- DOH!! So after leaving my glasses on and sorting it out I then had a great shave. So that was:
  • Edwin Jagger DE89 with Permasharp blade
  • Progress Vulfix 404 Grosvenor Badger/Boar Hair brush
  • Proraso White Soap (excellent), one of the first soaps I purchased and still love it
  • Nivea Sensitive post shave balm
and spectacles :giggle:
gives me the desired result.
 
Mon 30th March

Vulfix 404-Mixed
Arran Aromatics-Bay Citrus
Alu.Hawk V1 / Ikon Bulldog handle
Feather Pro [ 3 ]
Tuff Green A/S Lotion

Having decided that the Ikon handle works well with the Alu.Hawk, I am trying it out with a Feather blade as opposed to the usual Schick Proline. On my 3rd outing, I used slow short strokes for the initial clearance, and was extremely pleased at the quality of the finish all attained without the slightest problem.


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Monday

The Fat
RazoRock BC Silvertip synth 24mm
Face lather
Schick E3
Schick Proline
Thayer's Lavender and Aloe Vera
Proraso M&E after shave

A lovely shave from the E3 and feeling very nice in post shave land.

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A picture worthy of any shaving calendar, sharp, bright and well thought out. P.
 
Monday AM 2020-03-30

Rooney 2/1 Ivory Finest (22/56)
Crabtree & Evelyn Lavender shaving cream (vintage)
Wolfman WR1-OC/UFO Little Titan Titanium
Wilkinson London Bridge (10)
Yardley English Lavender aftershave (vintage)

I prefer the smell of C&E Sweet Almond Oil cream, but the lather of the Lavender is just as wonderful otherwise.
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Sotd - Monday the 30th of March - I know - this is true - I have just checked my phone.

Prep - facial scrub
razor - ATT Calypso - M
blade - Gillette 7 o'clock - yellow (2)
brush - Semogue - 2012 LE - badger and boar
soap - OSP - Bay Rum - tallow
post - witch hazel
a/s - Mundus Bay Rum - witch hazel based
balm - none needed
scent - A&E - St Barts.

Result - superb. I could write a thousand words on how good this shave was - I have a lot of time on my hands - but I will not test your patience.

the razor - only my second use of the Calypso - this is a keeper - mild? - certainly - but that does not mean that it isn't incredibly good at taking my beard off - five days in this case - abundantly safe in use - I could let my mind drift and rely on muscle memory alone - without concern - I think the only way you could hurt yourself with the ATT - would be to poke the handle in your eye.

the soap - first use of the OSP Bay Rum won recently on a PIF - as ever the superb OSP tallow soap base - a lovely take on a bay rum scent - rich, strong, complex and not too heavy on the cloves - ideal. Face feel - during and after - pretty much faultless. Slickness - in my opinion - among the best.

the brush - my first mixed knot - third use - I suspected that the combination of soft tips and all the backbone you need to face lather - which is the only way I shave - would really be ideal for a hard soap - lightly bloomed - brush soaked in an espresso coffee glass while I showered - and I think I was right - the brush takes up the soap with alacrity - almost took the embossed OSP logo off it at the first go! See above. The soap sits nice and high up in the knot - accidentally loaded enough for four passes - I'll know better the next time. Incidentally - if you have not tried it - I find real benefit - particularly with a soap this good - to squeeze out the remaining excess lather from the brush - and apply it to my face - for a few minutes - as I do the initial tidy up - then rinse it off - warm then cold water. See what you think?

So - job done - I can't explain how much I enjoyed that - a truly good shave is better than the sum of its parts - it lifted my mood - in these harsh times - small things matter all the more - look after you and yours - enjoy your shaving ritual - yours - I.

Oh - today's shave enabled by @Blademonkey and @RussellR5555 - thank you both.


Arguments that Time Is Not Real

'We can see a clock, but we cannot see time, so how do we know whether time is real—that it exists? Someone might think that time is real because it is what clocks are designed to measure, and because there certainly are clocks. The trouble with this reasoning is that it is analogous to saying that unicorns are real because unicorn hunters intend to find unicorns, and because there certainly are unicorn hunters.


The logical positivist Rudolf Carnap said, “The external questions of the reality of physical space and physical time are pseudo-questions.” He meant these two questions are meaningless because there is no way to empirically verify their answers one way or the other. Subsequent philosophers have generally disagreed with Carnap and have taken these metaphysical questions seriously.


Some philosophers and physicists claim there are other reasons to believe time itself is not real. These reasons are that time is unreal because (i) it is emergent, or (ii) it is subjective, or (iii) it is merely conventional, or (iv) it is defined by an inconsistent concept, or (v) its scientific image deviates too much from its commonsense image. If time is not real, it may follow that there are no real events, no real change.'
 
Pre - Proraso Green
Razor - Feather AS-D2
Blade - Personna Lab Blue (4)
Brush - MÜHLE Sophist Silvertip Fibre
Soap - Cella
Post - Alum followed by Homemade Witch Hazel & Tea Tree Oil
AS - Jovan Musk
Balm - L'oreal Men Expert Soothing Birch Sap

After spending the past couple of months using up my various containers of soap samples I'm back to my rotation of soaps. I think Cella is one of my absolute favourites in terms of performance and cost. I'm finding the Personna Lab Blue to be a perfect match for the AS-D2. Out of the handful of aftershaves I use albeit on the budget side I find the Jovan Musk really soothes my skin and leaves it feeling conditioned.
 
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