0·
18 hours agoBy popular demand:
Wholly Kaw - Cuero Oscuro Link here A dark leather blend that’s really interesting.
DaveWave94
30 y. o. | M | he/him | Thuringia, Germany
- 0 Posts
- 33 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
Cake day: September 29th, 2023
You are not logged in. If you use a Fediverse account that is able to follow users, you can follow this user.
28.01.2025 - Tuesday Bourbon Mood
- Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop Fan hybrid knot
- Razor: Leaf Thorn
- Blade: Perma-Sharp half DE
- Lather: Wholly Kaw - King of Bourbon
- Post-Shave: Moon Soaps Old School “balm”
-> single pass head and face shave. Rather good, some minor irritation on the face but nothing serious.
King of Bourbon is a great soap, but as I rarely use WK I had a bit of trouble building a good lather at first. However once I got it right, it was great.
Those Perma-Sharp are new. I thought they were made in Turkey, but wrong - it’s Russia again. Granted, either country is run by a dictator, but it seems like I can’t find something made in the EU that doesn’t suck. These here are really good and tbh, I don’t think the russian people are to blame for their shitty government. The blades did a very solid job in the Thorn, that’s for sure.
Still only one pass on the face. It has healed for the most part. There was some slight irritation right next to the left side of the goatee, but nothing extreme. Kinda what I expected. The pseudo-balm takes good care of it, but I suspect it slowly starts to go rancid… granted, with that awful consistency it’s probably a given thing.
27.01.2025 - short MMMMFF
- Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
- Razor: GEM Micromatic Bullet Tip/Flying Wing, gold plated
- Blade: GEM PTFE
- Lather: House of Mammoth - Tobacconist
- Post-Shave: Moon Soaps Old School “balm”
-> single pass head shave, a very short flight but nevertheless very enjoyable.
I begin to get seriously tired from the brush, but my inner sloth has prevented me from picking up something else.
Tobacconist as great as always, same goes for the Flying Wing. This razor is a classic case of “they don’t make them like they used to”. Unfortunately, as I really have a soft spot for GEM razors. Well, at least it shows no signs of failure despite being a stubble annihilator for literal decades. It’s fast, it’s looking good, it’s everything I could ask for as long as I regularly change blades… really cool Monday insight.
26.01.2025 - KAI bites
- Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
- Razor: RazoRock Cyber Medium w RR Bamboo 316L handle; KAI Captain J-7 kamisori shavette
- Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux; KAI Protouch MG
- Lather: Barrister & Mann - The Full Measure of Man
- Post-Shave: alum block; OAM witch hazel & cucumber toner; benecos 2in1 aftershave face balm
-> 1 pass head shave and 2 around the goatee. Nice smooth head shave, but very rough on the face today - lots of weepers and redness.
Today’s shave is a reminder that I shouldn’t be too cocky with guarded blades. After yesterday’s shave with the KAI went pretty well, I thought that I could already ramp up to a 2-pass shave. I was wrong. It felt rough, it was especially awful around my neck and I got dozens of weepers. My face is still red and aching. Probably caused by lack of technique and recklessness. I know some scoff at alum, but today I was really grateful for owning that Osma block…
I guess my face will need a day of rest tomorrow. Perhaps I should ease back into that with some mild safety razor shaves between the KAI usage. Well, you live and learn 🤷🏻♂️
Maybe it’s a bit different for me as a head shaver, but I kinda like it on really hot days and when it’s done well - a good example would be SBS Rope Swing for WS-23 and Moon Soaps Union or AYLM Blu Tobacco for menthol. It fits with those scents and the cooling agent is more subtle, less overdone. However, I really dislike the menthol in my CFG Midnight Stag splash. I don’t want to be “refreshed” with this scent; nor do I see the point in warm/dark scents. But I definitely don’t like those “ultra-cool” things like Cryogen or Stirling’s Glacial editions anymore: what’s the point in menthol so cold it makes your eyes water? I want to enjoy the things I use, it’s not a “who’s the toughest shaver” contest.
I agree with your suspicion and I believe that what also contributes to the overuse of menthol/WS-23 is that people expect and sometimes flat out demand a “refreshing feeling” from their aftershave. Most old school lotions or balms contained menthol, so artisans feel like they’re forced to include it. Sad for those of us who like warm scents in winter where it really degrades the whole experience.
Menthol in warm scents is huge nonsense to me too. Since those are bound to be used in cold to even icy cold weather conditions, why tf would we need a cooling agent there?! It’s all understandable with summer scents, but not with warm & cozy gourmands. On that note, Gemütlichkeit doesn’t sound very gemütlich at all 🤔
25.01.2025 - A Saturday Test
- Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
- Razor: KAI Captain J-7 kamisori shavette; RazoRock Cyber Medium w/ RR Bamboo 316L handle
- Blade: KAI Protouch MG; Rapira Platinum Lux
- Lather: Los Jabones de Joserra - Masala Connection
- Post-Shave: OAM sensitive skin toner; Alterra men natural ASB
-> 2 passes on the dome with the safety razor and 1 around the doorknocker on the face with the kamivette. Very enjoyable shave and no bleeding!
For some odd reason, I had a craving to use my kamisori shavette again. As this doesn’t lend itself well to head shaving, it was time to trim my stubble into a more suitable beard style to try it out. I have to admit, working with very short stubble complicates shaping a partial beard a lot but I managed. Despite that, I only went with a single pass to ease my face skin back into shaving (and honestly, the zero gap trimmer did irritate my skin already). I haven’t used it for a full shave of the cheeks in ages, but I am satisfied for now with my technique. I went for a rather narrow goatee with sharp edges and that’s where shavettes shine: clear & defined contours.
Masala Connection is a great soap. It’s yet again a soap where you can barely make out individual notes, but José seems to be living by the mantra that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. This in particular is such a beautiful blend of almost all notes that I enjoy in wetshaving and fragrances that I really regret that he doesn’t do toners/alcohol free balms. The base is really creamy once you load like a madman (note: that’s how I mostly roll anyways) and despite the cinnamon in it, it gives me no skin irritation - just a very slick shave, perfect for razors like the kamivette.
NSR: had a big dopamine rush going into this shave since I finally managed to nail a lesson on my bass course that was giving me trouble. It took some elbow grease, but the feeling of finally conquering it was awesome. Deliberate practice is a real game changer!
Oh damn 😂
This is why it’s usually preferable if the creators themselves demonstrate the product. Bro tilts it at an angle where it doesn’t even shave and holds it like a super thin paintbrush.
Hey, congratulations!!! That’s a very big step up and you’ve achieved it pretty fast. I think it wasn’t so long ago that you told us about your inconveniences at your old job. Well done! Hope your new workplace will treat you better 🍀🍻
I hope to make it last this time around, it actually feels way better now than every time I tried before. Happy to pick up another hobby besides wetshaving!
You’re right. My goal is minimum 10 minutes every day for the next weeks, which I currently am exceeding by far 👍🏻
Yes, that’s an awful death. He was a very strong smoker IIRC, usually seen with a cig on set. Great that you were able to quit! I still vape, but at least I was able to leave cigarettes, cigars and the like behind me.
WARNING: ADHD hyperfocus induced rambling ahead!
On Monday, I started an online course for learning to play electric bass. The pros are that I can fit this course anywhere I like into my daily schedule and learn however fast I want. It’s five monthly payments (+ lifetime online access to all contents) and while some could do it in 3 months easily, I think I will take those 5 months and really try to be as good as I can. So far though, I am having a good time despite the occasional cramp in my wrists and fingers.Thing is, this isn’t my first attempt at bass. My first interest in the instrument came up over 13 years ago, shortly before my 18th birthday. I got myself a Motörhead Best-of CD for dirt cheap and for the first time, I could hear the songs in great quality on my stereo. Lemmy’s bass playing was clearly cutting through the mix and it was simply magic. That gnarly growling tone was fascinating. Around 21, I got my first bass and attempted to learn with YT videos. Years later, another one after having given up a few times more. And the final one around 2022, when post punk bass sounds made me fall in love with the instrument again… If you thought wetshaving is sometimes crazy with new acquisitions, you haven’t seen musicians. So up until recently, I had 3 basses (and also two keyboards!) and could barely play anything. Doesn’t really help that I have to play lefty basses due to an old injury and that’s a little tricky. But at the end of the last year, right when I was watching some footage of a live concert of AC/DC with my parents, I decided to finally do it. If I’m counting right, it’s now attempt number 8 or 9 at learning bass - but thanks to the enthusiastic presentation of the instructor and the flexible schedule, it finally doesn’t feel like a chore anymore! I’m actually having fun. My goals aren’t very high, but that actually takes off a lot of pressure as well.
I also plan to get at least some basics on the keyboard down after the bass course is done and I am at least halfway decent at that. Just enough knowledge of the keys to be able to play a synthesizer one day, my other love besides the bass. There will surely be a break during the nursing exams period, but I am determined to finally become a real musician by the end of this year.
Now I plan to donate/sell the old instruments I don’t need anymore. My current bass is a beautiful petrol blue 5-string by Sire and it feels great. My end goal is to be able to play the Twin Peaks theme song someday, on all instruments heard (I recall that it isn’t actually a bass but a baritone guitar that Angelo Badalamenti used, but thankfully there are enough tabs for bass covers out there!). And now that I mentioned Twin Peaks, RIP David Lynch. We shared not only a first name, but also a deep interest for all things weird, surreal and macabre. I plan to watch one of his movies this weekend.
Likewise, I hope everyone of you around here will have an awesome weekend too! ✌🏻
It’s probably my 8th attempt at it, but so far it’s finally fun instead of a chore. And it grooves! 🎶
22.01.2025 - A creamy tobacco SOTN
- Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop Fan hybrid knot
- Razor: RazoRock Cyber Medium w/ RR Superknurl handle
- Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
- Lather: E&S Rasage - Shaman
- Post-Shave: Moon Soaps Old School “balm”
-> 2 pass dome shave and 1 pass on the neck. A very comfortable shave.
I grabbed a random soap from my cabinet today, and luckily it is a very nice one - Shaman is a very warm, soothing and creamy tobacco. It’s perhaps one of the fattest soaps I own though, i.e. really oily. Loading this actually requires effort, but if it goes right it’s a really rewarding experience.
I wondered if the Cyber might do better with my favourite handle of all time, the Superknurl. Obviously this makes it handle-heavy which is generally avoided, but I actually like it. Not that the original hexagonal handle of it is bad though, sometimes I just prefer razors with a little bit more heft to them. And I kinda like creating “frankenrazors”, but maybe that’s just an outdated term for individualising your shave experience.
Very solid shave overall, the aftershave lotion that calls itself a balm was fitting nicely in terms of scent.
NSR: I have started an online course for learning to play bass and so far, I kinda feel alright with it. I’ll probably write more about it on Free Talk Friday!
Understandable, I wouldn’t want to waste it either!
I definitely agree. It’s sweet but not cloying, boozy but not overpowering and the added tobacco, leather and spices give it a solid backdrop with a sophisticated feeling. A really great scent for all seasons. 👍🏻
I forgot you already own a kamisori-style shavette in my recommendation yesterday. Oops.
Personally I feel like Feather AC blades are not really comparable to their DEs, at least for me. The ProGuard are the only usable ones, but they are harsh despite the guard comb. I feel way more at ease with KAI ACs, either the “Captain Pink mild” or the guarded “Protouch MG” are very nice and comfortable blades.
20.01.2025 - Boozy SOTN
- Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
- Razor: RazoRock Cyber Medium
- Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
- Lather: A&E - Peach & Cognac
- Post-Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Samhain AS toner
-> 1 pass on the head plus a bit cleanup. Quick and easy.
Today I was longing for something fruity so Peach & Cognac it is. It was the first A&E soap I ever got, so it’s still in the OG Kaizen base (meanwhile, they came out with K2, K2E and Ultima bases). I must say it smells delicious - like some kind of nice liquor would. Bonus point is that it also is very easy to load and lather up.
I thought Samhain might be a good companion due to the shared boozy notes, but overall it’s too overpowering. The peach however kinda smooths it out a bit, but it’s definitely not the season for it anymore. I guess Pomona would’ve been the better combo companion, but at least I tried.
I think in such instances it’s good to check out the official site if there’s one and in this case, HAGS has one . Kinda interesting that it’s yet again just one guy, but I think that explains the AI tub art and dupe usage. He does a good amount of collabs/commission work for european wetshaving stores though and all bases are really solid. It’s just since he’s based in Greece, not many in the US know/care about him.
Out of the loop on that story about j33p though, sounds like a wild ride.
30.01.2025 - Ghosts and Barbers
-> single pass head shave. Need to give the face some well-deserved rest. Good shave overall.
Today was a really slow but nevertheless exhausting day for me. I feel like I am more fatigued by slow, dragging days than high energy ones. This shave was a nice comfortable affair to improve my mood and the two barbershop scents fit together splendidly.
Tomorrow is the last day of nursing school, thankfully. Everything is pretty annoying atm and all that sitting on my ass is getting to me. Neck pain, back pain, headaches from the constant listening and cramming huge topics into my head one day before a test. On Sunday I will start my first run of night shifts - even though the “graveyard shift” usually has a negative connotation, I look forward to it. I’m a night owl so I should feel right at home, but I’m still curious how it’ll feel!