Ugh.

Been a heck of a week.

Stress comes in all shapes and sizes, and I think I got a fairly complete set this week--good and bad, big and small. And so the ol' shaving thing got set on the sidelines for a bit. So much so, in fact, that I found myself TOO TIRED to shave at night (like I ususally do), and then rushed around in the morning and had to go for a couple of one pass, no touchup, BRUSHLESS shaves. Of course, those were one-pass no touchup brushless shaves with a Filarmonica "Especial Para Barbas Duras" and T&H 1805 cream, so they actually went pretty well.

However, the shattering of my routine only added to my stress, and interfered with me being able to cope with what I was already having trouble getting past, and a nasty vicious cycle began.

But last night, I was able to take some time and get back into the groove--back to the hones, back to the nice, leisurely night shave, and wow...you know, it never ceases to amaze me how truly therapeutic this stuff has become to me, and how dependent I have grown upon those few minutes of just focusing on me and the blade. I felt like a new man last night, and today was a whole lot better than yesterday.

When I need to recenter and get my head clean of the nasties, nothing works like a session on the hones, and a good old fashioned shave.

So, sorry I neglected my poor blog here, and I promise I'll get back on the job (though not for too long--Next month is back to my mom's house, and I don't expect a lot of blogging to be done...but you never know.)

Thanks for listening.

Jim

Holding Pattern

It's been a quiet week on the shaving front...Sorry about that.

Not a whole lot to report...I've been working on cleaning up the Kawaguchi collection--and cleaning is all it really is, some minimal rust around the hinge pins and a few years' worth of cobwebs in the scales is really the only thing to take care of. A spit and polish so to speak. When I'm finished, I'll post some pics and perhaps some details, if I can dig them up.

I'm also restoring a lovely old Torrey straight which has finally made its way from Kansas to my hot little hands...it's gonna be a beauty when I get done with her, indeed.

I'm planning to work on some honing as well, but really...it's just been kind of a work week around here. My shaves have been good, reliable ones--some tests of the Kawaguchi razors (good, but not great edges...) and some getting reacquainted with neglected friends (Cella, Valobra, Tabac...)--but nothing worth mentioning, I'm sorry to say.

In the next week, however, I've got some new things I'm hoping to share with you, and a big project that I'm excited about...I hope you'll stick around, and I'm sorry it's been kind of dull for the last few days.

I believe the word is CRAPTACULAR.

Oy, what a week I've had.

Between car crashes, unrelated trips to the hospital, hauling tons of books up and down stairs, caring for sick family and working overtime at work, things have been a weeeee bit unpleasant around the house.

So this week's shaves took a backseat to just getting the hell out of bed--quick and dirty. I did get a good week of shaves out of the Futur loaded with a 7 O'Clock PermaSharp, using MWF and Tabac stick...so I can't complain. But yeah, nothing magical or blogworthy.

I'm hoping to change that this week...I've got some Irisch Moos shave soap coming, and I'm working on some honing challenges with my straights, and I'm developing a WHOLE NEW ACQUISITION DISORDER!!!! So, let's get back to business, and enjoy us some shaves.

All Apologies

Sorry gents, it's been a bit of a full week or so over here, so I've not quite been up to blogging.

I'm in the middle of a move, and we've had a sudden addition to our household, so some things have been put on the back burner-including this blog. Looks like it's going to be a good week before things get smoothed out, but I do believe that at the end of this next week, things will be better than ever before. I've got some special projects in the works, and there will be new reviews and products to show you, so stay tuned.

I will be checking in during the week, so don't give up on me just yet!

In the mean time, let this sexy shot warm your cold cold nights:

Roundup

I see I've been remiss in informing my loyal readers of all the little goodies I've been trying out lately. It's a depressingly long list...

Well, let's start with the creams. I recently got about 6 different creams to try, mostly samples, and I still haven't gotten around to all of them.


First up is J.M. Fraser's, from Canada. I never would have pegged Canada as being a wetshaving resource, but there you go--this cream is one of the best I've ever used. It whips up a smooth, cushiony, slick lather that leaves my face feeling great after my shave. Fantastic stuff, and one I will definitely be trying again.

Next we have The Shave Den Mojito. This is a sad one...It's a minty, citrusy cream that was giving me a very nice looking lather when...the burning set in. *sigh*. Mint, apparently, joins menthol on The List.

I also tried out some Saint Charles Shave Lime cream. This was odd--I couldn't get this one to lather at all. I'll give it a couple more tries, the scent is nice, but unless something about it changes, I'm afraid it's outa here!

I got a sample of Crabtree and Evelyn's Sweet Almond Oil Cream--this one is discontinued, and nly available second hand. I am trying to avoid these kinds of things, because I'd hate to become one of those poor souls drooling after the last remaining tub of "Olde Harringtonne's Maple-Chamomile Facial Cream for Shaving", but this one sounds so yummy I couldn't resist. Oddly, there wasn't a hint of Almond scent to the cream, but the lather was fine and full. It slightly warmed my face, though, so I'll have to watch it.

Finally, I have two samples of Connaught shaving cream, sent with my last order of blades. I got Sicilian LImes and Peppermint. The scents are awesome, but I haven't tried them yet--I'll let you know how they go.

I've also been trying some new DE blades--Gillette Super Bleues from France. Very good, smooth, long lasting blades--on par with the Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edges/PermaSharps I've grown to love. Good stuff!!!

Then there's my new soap--Palmira, from Serbia/Macedonia.

A great tallow based soap, with a very nice almond scent. The scent has faded a bit since opening, but the lather is still thick, creamy and protective. Another great find...I might have some trouble re-upping on this one, though...

Well, that's the state of the shave as she goes. Stay tuned, things are afoot in straghtville!

Consider your Date Upped.

So, I realize I have been remiss in my blogging recently. I've been car shopping, and man, car shopping in Japanese takes it out of you.
I do have things to share, though...


First, I realize I never updated you on The Gentlemans [sic] Refinery. First, Any company that doesn't proofread its own name gets one strike from the get go. It took me a while to actually realize it wasn't just the little pamphlet they sent me...The actual company name is wrong.
Ouch.

As for the products....I gave the shaving cream, preshave oil and AS Balm three shaves. Ok, well, the cream got 2.5. And they were promptly pitched. The shaves were ok...at best. The cream left my face feeling dry, and the AS Balm offered little to no soothing properties in the long run. The moisturizer is good, though, still using it. But for the prices these guys charge... $40 for the Balm? Nope. Go to The Shave Den and get some Aftershave Milk instead. MUCH better performance, for less than half the price. And you can choose your scent (I recommend Mayan Gold, samples are available)!


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The Van Der Hagen stick gave me fantastic shaves for a good week. Then I realized how quickly it was disappearing and discovered the benefits of the expensive soaps. They last FOREVER. Seriously. My puck of Mitchell's Wool Fat has lasted me for months and the only change in size is where I broke off a chunk to give to a friend. So, there you go. The money does have a place...

So I have put the stick away to try some other products.

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Like this:

Valobra. Valobra Valobra Valobra. How Italian. How romantic. How smooth and moist! This is a shave stick with belly...it has a very mild understated scent (the tallow comes through, which I think is Good Stuff.) and what a shaver! It's got vitamin E and Soy Lecithin for my skin, and my skin says YES. Paired with its Paisano, my Omega boar brush, the lather is thick, rich and smooth. The shaves are close and comfortable, and the moisturizing is great. I will be using and buying again.
(Available From Giovanni at Razor and brush or Paul at Connaught Shaving.)