You might have noticed, if you are very perceptive, that I haven't updated my "Daily Shave" for a couple of days. The reason is, this was a hard shave week for me. I didn't want to tell you , well, I didn't want anyone to worry. No, no, I'm ok, please, don't cry...It's just, well...I have some bad news.
Since I started shaving with a brush, soap and a DE razor, I have found that my skin is WAY more sensitive than I ever thought it was. I don't know if this is a thing that was always true and I was never in a position to notice it, or if it's caused by all the random things I've been doing to my face for the past couple of months, but there have been some...issues.
First, there were the infamous Japanese Shaving creams...Enough said.
Then, things went ok until I tried the Feather. Bad news, but not too bad.
Smooth sailing for a while, improving technique, getting better supplies, and then BANG! Institut Karite happened.
IK is billed as a soap for sensitive skin, gentle and loaded with moisturizing shea butter. When I read about this, I drooled..."MMMmmmmmm" I said, "Buuuu-tteeeeer..... SO I acquired some (4 pucks actually...) and tried it. It burned me. And when I sayburned, not like "Oh, my, that's slithly irritating..." but more like "Dear god, I can't touch my face for two days...".
And that, I think, is where it started. Because I couldn't let it rest. I had to keep scraping that sharpened steel across my face. In the process, I learned that C&E Sienna is also a No No (Dammit! I LOVE the scent!). And now, this last week, I think I did another bad thing.
This last week I tried a Gillette Super Platinum from India, in the black pack. It was sharp. And I just kept scraping. And my skin kept getting rawer. What's worse, I kept putting Musgo Real on it...Musgo real is another one of those products I was drooling after, an old fashioned European cream, loaded with lanolin and a lovely green scent (It is also a fantastic latherer, and gave a great shave...if you aren't sensitive to it, I highly recommend it). But it is also lightly mentholated, and at the end of my third pass it left my skin raw and painful. Not enough to make me give up right away, but eventually I realized there was no way I could continue using it. Just oo much irritation.
I used it for four shaves, with the Blackpack, and...well, let's just say that last Friday my face said "Stop it." I got 5 nicks and serious burn from my Swede, which hasn't happened to me for ages. So yesterday and today I did not shave. Even though I got some new Cella Crema from my mom for Christmas. Even though I have unopened soaps waiting for me. I gotta let it go. For now.
But I'll be back.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
I feel special!
So, a while back, when I first got into this gig, I sent an Email to Omega, the boar brush company, asking for information about their brushes, and wondering about how to get a brush "for review purposes" (hey, I was new!). Looki what they sent me!
I got what has to be their ENTIRE sales catalogue, with posters, brochures, sales info...all their professional brochures! It's nice, in that old-fashioned Italian barbershop kind of way. And, of course, I found something I want. Several somethings, in fact...
So, Thanks Omega! And well done, I'm gonna buy!
I got what has to be their ENTIRE sales catalogue, with posters, brochures, sales info...all their professional brochures! It's nice, in that old-fashioned Italian barbershop kind of way. And, of course, I found something I want. Several somethings, in fact...
So, Thanks Omega! And well done, I'm gonna buy!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Yeah...
It was the Williams.
The blade is sharp, and not quite as balanced as the yellows, but yep...yesterday's fiasco was very likely the Williams.
Hmmm...might not even be worth the trouble of trying it again.
The blade is sharp, and not quite as balanced as the yellows, but yep...yesterday's fiasco was very likely the Williams.
Hmmm...might not even be worth the trouble of trying it again.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Ouch...
Tried out a new shave set today...Williams Mug soap and Gillette 7 O'Clock Blacks. Things...didn't go well...
It was my first time with both the soap and the blade. I'd heard good things about the Black:
That it is sharper and smoother than the Yellow's I've been using, which I love. Well, after today's shave I certainly think the first is true...Luckily they had a few pints in my type at the blood bank...
As for Williams.
Hmmm. I don't know what to think. That's the problem with introducing two new elements at the same time--you don't know which one blindsided you. Either that Gillette Black is a monster, featherlike in its deadliness, or Williams gave me all the benefit of shaving with warm spit. Either way, today's shave sucked the big one.
Ok, so, the blade nicked and cut and burned me. The soap lathered (apparently) fine. Not quite as slick as I like, and the scent was a bit off for me; reminiscent of ARKO, though not quite as penetrating. I don't know what I should do...I want to give this pair a good try, but I DON'T want a repeat of today's performance. Maybe I should switch out the Williams for it's brother-in-bargainhood (Williams is about $1 a puck), VDH, and let the Black have another go at my face. Let's just hope it's bloodthirst was slaked with this morning's sacrifice.
Yeah, let's do that.
It was my first time with both the soap and the blade. I'd heard good things about the Black:
That it is sharper and smoother than the Yellow's I've been using, which I love. Well, after today's shave I certainly think the first is true...Luckily they had a few pints in my type at the blood bank...
As for Williams.
Hmmm. I don't know what to think. That's the problem with introducing two new elements at the same time--you don't know which one blindsided you. Either that Gillette Black is a monster, featherlike in its deadliness, or Williams gave me all the benefit of shaving with warm spit. Either way, today's shave sucked the big one.
Ok, so, the blade nicked and cut and burned me. The soap lathered (apparently) fine. Not quite as slick as I like, and the scent was a bit off for me; reminiscent of ARKO, though not quite as penetrating. I don't know what I should do...I want to give this pair a good try, but I DON'T want a repeat of today's performance. Maybe I should switch out the Williams for it's brother-in-bargainhood (Williams is about $1 a puck), VDH, and let the Black have another go at my face. Let's just hope it's bloodthirst was slaked with this morning's sacrifice.
Yeah, let's do that.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Productive Product Reviews: Auslese Trocken Skin Conditioner
Icy winter is just around the corner, even in balmy Hikari. It snowed today, and the wind blew dry and searing. It's time to get serious about a topic vital to everyone: MOISTNESS!!!!
I gets some mighty dry skin in the winter, and although my TSD Aftershave milk does a good job of taking care of my skin, I feel like I should use it more sparingly as it is an import...and imports are special.
So, when I was standing in the drug store the other day with some yen burning a hole in my pocket, and the men's skin care shelf passed before my eyes, I took an interest.
In this:
Look at that. What a bottle. What style. Man, that is one PRETTY bottle of skin conditioner. I couldn't help but pick it up. Reading the back, it looked like this was a soothing, slightly medicated moisturizing lotion for use after washing or shaving--just what I was looking for.
Ingredients (Maybe, this was a tough one...):
Dikalium Glycyrrhizin (Anti-inflammatory), d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), Aloe Extract, dipropylene Glycol, Water, Ethanol, Ethylhexyl palmitate, methylphenylpolysiloxane, Polyoxyethylene, Polyoxypropylene decyl tetradecyl ethyl, Cetanol, Carboxyvinyl polymer, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Sodium hydroxyl, Polyacryl alkyl, Trisodium Edetate, Propylene Glycol, Paraben, Fragrance
The "Trocken" in the name is, in keeping with the Auslese, German. It means "dry", as in "dry white wine" or "dry sherry". Dry as in not sweet, slightly bitter...And the label says that the scent is "A gentle, non-sweet fragrance..." There's a whole line in this scent, Colognes, AS Lotions, Hair Tonics, and I had such good results from the Original Auslese I figured this was a good bet.
So I got that puppy home and took her to town.
My first reaction when I opened the bottle was, "What scent?" This is a SUBTLE fragrance. Even when applying it, I could hardly make it out--it was like walking into a room that had just been occupied by someone wearing a very tasteful cologne. There's a touch of floral scent to it, perhaps Rose or Lavender, but it is fleeting, and almost imaginary. Subtle. Not a reason to buy this product, but a nice touch.
The product itself is VERY thick; the shaker on the bottle is almost too small, it's kind of hard to get anything out, but that's fine. As with most milks/lotions, a little goes a long way. The product absorbed fast and did not leave any sticky or oily residue. Plus.
Now, as for the effects...Hmmm... This contains Aloe, which is good, it is pretty soothing after a bad shave (luckily, I don't get those too often, it as it goes, I got one today...) and it calms razor burn pretty well. However...it really isn't moisturizing enough for me. It is better than nothing, and certainly better than an alcohol based splash, but in both the soothing/healing and moisturizing aspects, it is not quite to the level of the TSD milk, which is my gold standard. It's better than The Gentleman's Refinery Aftershave Balm, in my opinion, if that helps, but not immensely.
I will use it as a moisturizer at night, to save my AS Milk, but it won't be my daily-use aftershave.
So, with an almost imperceptible scent, and slightly above mediocre results, I can't wholeheartedly recommend Auslese Trocken Skin Conditioner. But man, WHAT A BOTTLE.
I gets some mighty dry skin in the winter, and although my TSD Aftershave milk does a good job of taking care of my skin, I feel like I should use it more sparingly as it is an import...and imports are special.
So, when I was standing in the drug store the other day with some yen burning a hole in my pocket, and the men's skin care shelf passed before my eyes, I took an interest.
In this:
Look at that. What a bottle. What style. Man, that is one PRETTY bottle of skin conditioner. I couldn't help but pick it up. Reading the back, it looked like this was a soothing, slightly medicated moisturizing lotion for use after washing or shaving--just what I was looking for.
Ingredients (Maybe, this was a tough one...):
Dikalium Glycyrrhizin (Anti-inflammatory), d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), Aloe Extract, dipropylene Glycol, Water, Ethanol, Ethylhexyl palmitate, methylphenylpolysiloxane, Polyoxyethylene, Polyoxypropylene decyl tetradecyl ethyl, Cetanol, Carboxyvinyl polymer, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Sodium hydroxyl, Polyacryl alkyl, Trisodium Edetate, Propylene Glycol, Paraben, Fragrance
The "Trocken" in the name is, in keeping with the Auslese, German. It means "dry", as in "dry white wine" or "dry sherry". Dry as in not sweet, slightly bitter...And the label says that the scent is "A gentle, non-sweet fragrance..." There's a whole line in this scent, Colognes, AS Lotions, Hair Tonics, and I had such good results from the Original Auslese I figured this was a good bet.
So I got that puppy home and took her to town.
My first reaction when I opened the bottle was, "What scent?" This is a SUBTLE fragrance. Even when applying it, I could hardly make it out--it was like walking into a room that had just been occupied by someone wearing a very tasteful cologne. There's a touch of floral scent to it, perhaps Rose or Lavender, but it is fleeting, and almost imaginary. Subtle. Not a reason to buy this product, but a nice touch.
The product itself is VERY thick; the shaker on the bottle is almost too small, it's kind of hard to get anything out, but that's fine. As with most milks/lotions, a little goes a long way. The product absorbed fast and did not leave any sticky or oily residue. Plus.
Now, as for the effects...Hmmm... This contains Aloe, which is good, it is pretty soothing after a bad shave (luckily, I don't get those too often, it as it goes, I got one today...) and it calms razor burn pretty well. However...it really isn't moisturizing enough for me. It is better than nothing, and certainly better than an alcohol based splash, but in both the soothing/healing and moisturizing aspects, it is not quite to the level of the TSD milk, which is my gold standard. It's better than The Gentleman's Refinery Aftershave Balm, in my opinion, if that helps, but not immensely.
I will use it as a moisturizer at night, to save my AS Milk, but it won't be my daily-use aftershave.
So, with an almost imperceptible scent, and slightly above mediocre results, I can't wholeheartedly recommend Auslese Trocken Skin Conditioner. But man, WHAT A BOTTLE.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Behold, a Stick Is Born!
I love me some Mitchell's Wool Fat. Great, great soap. Lovely smell, fantastic shave, excellent skin care. It was my first soap, and remains my favorite. However, I have found that since I first started this shaving bidness, I prefer shave sticks to soap pucks.
What's a boy to do?
Put the two loves together!
Inspired by a thread on B&B about turning a Tabac Puck into the highly coveted Tabac stick, I went to work on my battle-scarred puck.
First, I shaved the puck down into slivers using a vegetable peeler. I dropped the slivers into a glass bowl and tried a little "double boiling". The heat and steam softened the slivers a bit, allowing them to be reformed. I dropped the slivers into an empty "twister" deodorant stick and tamped them down with a marker. I added a few drops (DROPS! not splashes) of water now and again to add to the softness. Soon, I had this:
A MWF STICK!
After the stick set for a while, I tried it out.
Unfortunately, the soap set up too hard in the stick,and the twist-action broke when I tried to use it. I had to cut the bottom out and push up with my thumbs. Apart from this little mechanical trouble, the soap performs beautifully!
I've shaved with it and the lather was pure MWF. The shaving/tamping caused no permanent changes, and the stick form is PERFECT for lathering this notoriously difficult soap.
Score!!!
What's a boy to do?
Put the two loves together!
Inspired by a thread on B&B about turning a Tabac Puck into the highly coveted Tabac stick, I went to work on my battle-scarred puck.
First, I shaved the puck down into slivers using a vegetable peeler. I dropped the slivers into a glass bowl and tried a little "double boiling". The heat and steam softened the slivers a bit, allowing them to be reformed. I dropped the slivers into an empty "twister" deodorant stick and tamped them down with a marker. I added a few drops (DROPS! not splashes) of water now and again to add to the softness. Soon, I had this:
A MWF STICK!
After the stick set for a while, I tried it out.
Unfortunately, the soap set up too hard in the stick,and the twist-action broke when I tried to use it. I had to cut the bottom out and push up with my thumbs. Apart from this little mechanical trouble, the soap performs beautifully!
I've shaved with it and the lather was pure MWF. The shaving/tamping caused no permanent changes, and the stick form is PERFECT for lathering this notoriously difficult soap.
Score!!!
A Research Shopping Trip
My Wife and I got a new car (YAY!) and it showed up the day before yesterday. We took a road trip to The Big City, and while we were there I checked out the shaving goods available.
It wasn't pretty.
We went to Kokura, which is a nice big city in northern Kyushu. It's not huge, but it has some major department stores, which are about the only places to find good shaving supplies in Japan.
First, I went to The Body Shop. I was finally able to pick up a tube of their Maca Root Shave cream for 1,630 yen, about $16. Not bad...
Next, to a big department store--Izutsuya. Shaving supplies are usually found in the cutlery sections, cased along with row after row of fine hand-forged Japanese knives. Maybe it's to help justify the prices...Apart from the usual Schick and Gillette multi-blade cartridge shavers, they had ONE DE razor, a Merkur Futur. For 11,000 yen. That's 110 bucks. For a razor that retails in the US and Europe for around $55-$60. Eep.
They also had Merkur DE blades for 825 yen a pack, and a no-name Tanuki hair brush for 7,000. (Their no-name boar was 3000...). Eep again.
SO we moved on, to the big Isetan department store next to the station...which, in the year since we had last been to Kokura, had been bought out by Izutsuya. D'Oh!
The cutlery section again...and there's a bit more selection this time.
There was Futur again (same price as before) and also a gold Merkur Slant Bar.
For 11,000 yen. Which is odd, as the Slant usually sells for quite a bit less than the Futur...
They also had a couple of Plisson brushes. This Pure Black hexagon (Retail 40 Euros) was selling for 12,000 yen:
And this one (I think) for the same price:
Over priced, over priced over priced. I guess products ARE available, if you are willing to pay double the price of importing them from the US or Europe. Thank God for the internet, is all I can say.
It wasn't pretty.
We went to Kokura, which is a nice big city in northern Kyushu. It's not huge, but it has some major department stores, which are about the only places to find good shaving supplies in Japan.
First, I went to The Body Shop. I was finally able to pick up a tube of their Maca Root Shave cream for 1,630 yen, about $16. Not bad...
Next, to a big department store--Izutsuya. Shaving supplies are usually found in the cutlery sections, cased along with row after row of fine hand-forged Japanese knives. Maybe it's to help justify the prices...Apart from the usual Schick and Gillette multi-blade cartridge shavers, they had ONE DE razor, a Merkur Futur. For 11,000 yen. That's 110 bucks. For a razor that retails in the US and Europe for around $55-$60. Eep.
They also had Merkur DE blades for 825 yen a pack, and a no-name Tanuki hair brush for 7,000. (Their no-name boar was 3000...). Eep again.
SO we moved on, to the big Isetan department store next to the station...which, in the year since we had last been to Kokura, had been bought out by Izutsuya. D'Oh!
The cutlery section again...and there's a bit more selection this time.
There was Futur again (same price as before) and also a gold Merkur Slant Bar.
For 11,000 yen. Which is odd, as the Slant usually sells for quite a bit less than the Futur...
They also had a couple of Plisson brushes. This Pure Black hexagon (Retail 40 Euros) was selling for 12,000 yen:
And this one (I think) for the same price:
Over priced, over priced over priced. I guess products ARE available, if you are willing to pay double the price of importing them from the US or Europe. Thank God for the internet, is all I can say.
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