What soap/cream did you use today?

Magnolia v. (Grooming Dept) citrus, florals, incense

If I were a bee I’d go ape for this soap. Its velvet deep florals, rich fruity tones, and honey sweet texture would draw me for miles. Magnolia is strong and tart and it’s definitely interesting, but can I come back to it day after day? Not really. In fact, this tub of soap has been lodged in basket under the bed for over a year now, ignored and unused. The lather is fabulous and the finish sublime, but the intense floral fragrance gets cloyingly sweet. Truth be told, I’ve tried many of GD’s soaps, but I’ve yet to land one that I could call a keeper. Most I pass on to my colleagues, who shave three times a week, and so enjoy a great bold aroma when it’s slapped on their face. But in this hot weather, give me a soap – mild, simple, and clean – that smells just as smooth and short-lived as its lather.

Cold River Schapenmelk Shave Soap

Mystic Water - Adirondack Jack

Is that a pewter mug that's serving as your lather bowl? It's awesome.

And what sort of brush are you using? These lathers are just fantastic.

Thanks for the kind words brother!

The mug is actually just a simple tin mug...but, it was my dad's lather mug when he was learning to use a straight razor back in the early to mid 1980's. I still remember the strop hanging from the towel rack but I don't remember the SR...he was smart enough to know this snot-nosed kid gets into everything and he needed to keep it out of site He gave me the tin mug, a ceramic mug, a Barber's sharpening stone, and a couple old brushes soon after I started wetshaving. Unfortunately, he can't find the strop or SR.

As for brush preference, I've really settled into synthetics. Right now, the majority of them are 24mm and include BOSS, tuxedo, and cashmere. But I've been leaning towards larger knots lately and really prefer a 28 or 30mm. The majority of the handles are made by Wild West Brushworks.

The lathers have been consistent lately but that probably has something to do with the fact I'm using brands most familiar to me. Today's shave was with Sir Hare's Shaving Soap which was my 1st shave soap (per Lipripper660's request/challenge). I definitely used too much water but that's probably because I've been using MW for the past week. All in all, it provided good cushion but felt "drying" on the face. Residual slickness was "meh" but when you've used MW for week, it's not fair to judge another soap's slickness after one use. Scent is Classic Barbershop which is the same scent profile used as Mike's, Shannon's, and Hendrix Classics - all of which have better performance. But Sir Hare will remain in the den for as long it takes to finish it off (which could be 30 years and I may not be around to see that!) simply for sentimental reasons.

After a day off to heal up from what-ever-happened with my Sunday shave I had a go with the Mamba, new feather, plissoft knot, and Trumpers Sandalwood soap. As you can guess, I took nothing for granted and minded every detail of my shave. The lather was unctuous, slick and cushiony. Trumpers scents to me seem luxurious. Understated while not muted. Classy but not pretentious. Timeless and well mannered. I sure wish they would not have gone the "reformulation" route because I understand the current soaps are somewhat difficult to lather.

TSE / CHERRY

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Mike's Orange, Cedarwood, & Black Pepper

XPEC Original shaving cream (first Forester Milan version). Yes, the one with parabens. I'm too old to worry about that.

Sleep with one eye open my friend. My tub is finished and I don't have another. When I first received Diamond I was not too interested in the scent. Boy how it grew on me!