Off work today, so no rush at all and lo and behold, The Enchantress (TM) had turned up in yesterday's post. Only one thing for it... lots of prep and a leisurely shave:
Soap and hot water face wash
Hot flannels applied for a good 5 minutes
Proraso pre-shave
Speick cream / Kent BK2 brush
Then the important decision...
Enchantress Slant coupled with a new Crystal Super Platinum blade (which I think turned out to be a nice combination)
Alum
Taylor's Gentleman's Aftershave (one of the £3.50 brigade off ebay)
Clinique post-shave healer
I have to say, I was pretty concerned as I started to shave, but once I stopped looking at the squiffy head shape and concentrated on the shave itself, the first (WTG) pass went off without a hitch. I'd got a couple of days growth and the slant sliced through it no problem at all.
The second pass (XTG) was also smooth as you like (again, the lightest of touches used) - possibly even nicer than the first as the lather was a little wetter due to the water on my face from the first rinse off.
So... third pass - ATG. No blood, which is a positive, and it worked really well on the coarse hair under my chin and on the sides of my jaw. I was less happy around the top lip, but that's a tricky area with any razor given that the hair is like wire and really takes some shifting.
My neck was where I really felt it. The razor glided over (and, in some places, through) everything - one or two tiny nicks but a close finish. However, post shave I now feel a slight burn in this area and think I'll be back for a second helping of moisturiser later.
Overall, though - it was a great shave compared to the uncomfortable rush-jobs I've had to put up with recently. Not at all as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I'll reserve judgement until I've used it a few times, but B+ so far.
