SOTD 21-27 May 2017

Mixed emotions this morning. I tried my first straight only shave. There were some positives; no blood, almost zero feedback from the alum and I ended up with a DFS. Plus this soap and AS combo are fantastic. The negatives were all in my first pass, it was very uncomfortable. The blade almost felt as if it was hesitating and I had to use an uncomfortable amount of pressure to stop it from jumping. To eliminate a sharpness concern I grabbed a fresh off the hones razor that I know was done correctly but I had the same issues with it. The 2nd and 3rd passes went great once the initial reduction was done. Could it be that my beard is just too coarse? I really don't like to use hot water because I get some irritation when I do but I need to use something you soften up the hairs. I'm open to suggestions.

My initial thinking is either your blade angle was off or the razors really aren't as sharp as they need to be. Kami's are harder to shave with than a regular straight; do you know if the blade is a traditional Jamaneese grind or a western grind?

It's a western grind. I've been using this razor for a while but I always did the first pass with a SE. The gentleman that did the honing on the other straight I tried this morning is well known for his edges, I have zero doubt of its sharpness. I tried all angles from shallow to open and all had issues but definitely less with the shallow. I'm going to work on softening the hairs and see if that helps. Thank you

Charcoal Goods Razor Level 2 SB with Magnum Handle
Feather Platinum
Grooming Dept Bonum Mane
Saponificio Varesino 2.0 Brush in Cocobolo

Stirling Baker Street
30mm WD Silvertip on WD Ivory Handle
'77 Gillette Super Adjustable
Gillette Platinum (13)
Stirling Baker Street Splash

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Paladin El Dorado
Panna Crema Nuavia Blu
Wolfman Guerrilla
Gillette Silver Blue
Barrister and Mann Reserve Cool
ADP Blu Mediterraneo Ginepro

Saturday AM 2017-05-27

Georgetown Pottery G12 Scuttle (Green Oribe & Purple)
Rooney 1/1 Finest #2 (22mm/49mm)
Floris JF shaving soap (tallow)
Feather AS-D2/Stork EX3 Titanium
Wilkinson Light Brigade (7)
Floris JF aftershave (vintage)

Prep - Noxzema / Hot towel
Pre shave - Proraso
Razor – Merkur 34C HD
Blade – Permasharp
Brush - The 'Americana' (Shavemac 24/48 D01 2 Band)
Soap – OSP - Eucalyptus + Menthol
Post - Cold water rinse, Wholly Kaw Cuero Oscuro Aftershave Toner

For me, OSP is a good soap, but not a 5* one... so, even with the Merkur 34C HD, a little irritation was to be had... other than that, I'm BBS.

The Holy Black "Decadence"
Island Bladeworks "Bullwinkle" | TGN Finest
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)

[Image: FzyWkfF.jpg]

Being a sucker for unique packaging, I really can't explain why I'd initially passed on this limited Club exclusive.  The Club exclusives are actually the only reason I signed up back in January.  As soon as the shave of the day photos began dropping, I immediately regretted my decision.  I therefore posted about my regrets and Nathanael John contacted me not for a sale, but rather that he wanted my address to give me a set.  I was overwhelmed by his generosity.  

The set arrived yesterday, and mailbox smelled like a bottle kirschwasser was broken during transit, yet everything was intact.  The packaging is as impressive as the photos.  Both the glass splash bottle and soap jar will remain keepsakes long after the products are gone.

Decadence is my first experience with The Holy Black, and it won't be my last.  I have some vague recollection of missteps in their past which regrettably factored into my decision to leave them further down my list.  Apparently, these issues are well behind them.  It's a shame I delayed trying them because this tallow-based soap is on the level of my other favorite artisanal soaps.  The lather is very easy to dial in, and it's extremely creamy.  It acts like there's clay in there, but I don't find it on the ingredients list.  The glide is as good as anything I've tried and the residual slickness is possibly better than most.  One or more of the fragrances did cause a little warmth, but nothing that would keep me from using it often.  The post shave left my skin feeling hydrated and healthy with no redness despite the warm sensation.  The fragrance strength was quite strong throughout the shave, being cherry liqueur forward with cocoa and almond liqueur close behind.

While the splash bottle is an elegant presentation, reminiscent of a squatty version of Disaronno, it's not very practical for use.  I pulled a little out via a syringe.  I'll probably reserve a small amount in a small bottle with a flow limiter to overcome this.  The fragrance is so sweet, I expected at least some tackiness, but I detected none.  It literally smelled and felt like I was splashing a liqueur on my skin.  Again, I experienced some warmth, but unlike the soap, there was a brief blush, but it passed quickly.  The fragrance perfectly matches that of the soap, but 2 hours later is the first time I detect coffee.  Otherwise, it's cherry and almond liqueur all the way with faint hints of cocoa.  If you're not an absolute fan of gourmand fragrances, you may as well pass on Decadence.  That said, the splash does settle to something less novel and more wearable than you might expect.  I believe the cocoa and coffee round it out to achieve this.

Overall, this was a very good first experience with The Holy Black.  They do know how to make an heirloom presentation, but more importantly, they know how to make a superior performing product.  I look forward to using this again.

1973 Gillette Deluxe Trac-ll
Personna Twin - ll Cartridge-3
Semogue 1305
Cremo Cooling SC
Gillette Aftershave Gel

Clayton



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