A combined shipment from Stirling and Barrister and Mann arrived today. From Stirling, I finally got my replacement Varen tub (and added the frag) and got a tub of Mountain man to replace my soon-to-be-killed sample of it....
All around great hauls! I myself really cherish the graphics chosen for Beaudelaire 💀🕶️ Also congrats on the new brushes… you should have a brush for every occasion now 😉
Thanks!
I actually already was part of the “Osma-only club” but lost my old alum block last year, however I still had some of the alum sticks by Osma around for small bleeding incidents. But the sale was a great opportunity to finally replace my Luxury Alum™ 😉
I always thought the same when I read what others wrote about it and it already smells gorgeous “dry”. So I definitely recommend you to pick it up, maybe as a sample first?
We’ve all been there. You are peacefully puttering around on the internet, and suddenly you’ve accidentally bought a razor. Or two, as I happened to do a couple of weeks ago. So let’s have a look at one of my latest accidental buys; a Valet Autostrop VC1. At least it was listed as a VC1 – right now I’m less certain, as...
Great job with cleaning this razor! It looks great for its age. Didn’t know that the FHS-10 blades would fit those, I always assumed these would be pure collectors items.
Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Gravefruit II AS; Pacific Shaving Co. Caffeinated ASB
Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Gravefruit II EdP
Well, finally some time and energy for a luxurious wetshave again! In the last few days, I was sick with the rota virus. If you thought the puking scene from The Exorcist was something, you haven’t been in my bathroom on that damned Monday night! But I digress;
One pass WTG head shave plus cleanups and a bit of beard contours. GF 2 is a great scent for the warmer season IMHO and it’s great to come back with a quality SW soap. I only yesterday felt good enough to knock down the longer stubble on my head with a trimmer, but nothing beats wetshaving for the slick bald look.
These KAI blades are still no good for my skin. I should finally seek out the Protouch MG again, expensive as they are but the shaves were so much smoother.
No worries, it was unfortunately spreading like a wildfire at my new workplace and I came in contact with infected residents very often. No wonder that it got to me someday 😅 but thanks for the friendly words 👍🏻
Post Shave: Thayers Cucumber facial mist; Natura Siberica ASB gel
Fragrance: Bentley for Men Intense EdP
Late AF experimental head shave. I wanted to test how nicely the disposable razors from recycled materials work for head shaving, I actually got them for travel and body shaving.
First pass WTG with the Gamechanger, smooth as usual with a fresh BIC. Second ATG with the disposable… It wasn’t bad, but not really exceptional either. I guess I’ll always prefer safety razors, but for short trips it’s a good travel option that wouldn’t hurt to lose.
Notino now stocks Thayers, a great thing for me. The facial mist also works great for applying it on the dome.
The other thing I got was this Bentley EdP. It’s a nice masculine fragrance, slightly similar to Bay Rum but a bit more suited for everyday wear. It’s definitely different than the usual mainstream scents of Sauvage, 1 Million and Le Male and I totally appreciate it for that. Not a sillage bomb or performance beast, but nice for work or everyday activities.
Sorry to hear you’re having problems with the USPS and your phone. For the latter, I recommend rugged phone cases. I personally have one in PU-leather for my phone and so far, it hasn’t let me down even though my phone had some nasty falls. There are also those tiny hardened glass covers for your camera, but I don’t think there’s one which helps with the side covers…
Hope everything turns out well for you!
So today was a pretty good day… I drove to the TÜV (weird german thing were they approve that your car is safe for traffic for two years) and I actually got another two years out of my old Opel Astra J… I just had a lot of repairs done, about 1300€ in total. But now it will carry me through my whole retraining and I can get a new car once I have my RN exams done.
Then I called the next place where me and my classmate will do our hospital internship, a neurological clinic/stroke unit. We’ll have rooms there for under the week and drive home only on the weekends. He and I get along really well and it should work out nicely. We’ll visit there next Wednesday, should be interesting.
I also prepare a speech and some gifts for my favourite ex-colleague/friend who’ll have her last day and farewell party next Monday. I tend to get pretty emotional during such times, especially since we’ve grown really close. It’s the best that she also leaves the place I already left, but it’s sad to think about all the great times we had there which will never come back… Nevertheless, I firmly believe we’ll organise a great surprise party for her and she’ll have an unforgettable evening.
Next, a new colleague from my new nursing home texted me today. She’s also a re-trainee and wants to transfer to my nursing school. They didn’t have a lot of the topics we’ve already covered, so I’ll need to send her a lot of PDFs. However, I’m still happy to help wherever I can. Guess it’s just in my DNA, that’s probably why nursing is the perfect profession for me!
Of course they need to fix a known manufacturing defect. But their customer service quality is what probably puts me off getting a Google phone at all…
Cases aren’t really bad at all, I got one of those book cases where you can also keep cards and small notes - just in case 😉 (pun intended)
Post Shave: Thayer’s Aloe Vera toner; Natura Siberica ASB gel
Despite being the late post, I actually shaved my head about an hour earlier today; just forgot to post here. Seems like my subconscious likes me sleep-deprived.
So today’s shave could’ve been wonderful… Ouddiction is a great scent, K2e is nice and slick… But the blade. I forgot the MFing dulling blade in there. You get the idea. The shave was rough and I actually got caught up a bit on the back of my head and gave myself a tiny little cut there. This hasn’t happened in ages and it’s especially annoying that it yet again happens with the Greencult. All of my worst shaving accidents happened with that razor, so I kinda have a love-hate relationship with it. It’s damn efficient but it seems like I have lots of bad luck with it, even though today it was definitely due to me forgetting to change blades.
Post Shave: Thayer’s Aloe Vera toner; Phytorelax Headshave ASB
Tobacco Tuesday head shave. Again only one pass, but good enough.
Tobacconist is such a great soap. Easily in my top 5 of scents… There’s something so unique and warm I enjoy about it. Plus, HoM has a great base that treats my skin really well.
No fragrance today since I got a bad skin reaction on both my trapezius and left wrist. Probably from spraying on way too many different fragrances. I guess it’s back to spraying on my clothes and elbows for a while…
On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve never had frag burn by a soap, not even the two A&E I own. However, I’m unsure if what I have could be called frag burn… It looks more like an allergic reaction. My scalp reacts really sensitive to alcohol, so any usual aftershaves are out but toners are ok. Skin is weird sometimes…
Tobacconist is definitely S-tier, both in scent and performance 👌🏻
Post Shave: Thayer’s Aloe Vera toner; Phytorelax Headshave ASB
Fragrance: Versace Eros Flame EdP
Yet another head SOTN. Not as comfortable due to an ageing blade, but Voskhods were never really my favs in terms of longevity. One pass, a few touch-ups here and there and voilà, a nice slick dome. Given that I now rock stubble around the stache and I became mainly a head shaver, I feel like I need to weed out a few brushes and razors I simply won’t use anymore. And alcohol aftershaves…
Today I already cleaned out my fragrance collection, save for a few that were gifts. I actually realised what my problem is: I bought quite a few just because the description sounded nice and it had a fancy bottle. But a lot of them contained vanilla - a scent I just find plain boring. It’s a bit different if it’s a darker, spicy vanilla surrounded by more interesting ingredients, but just the normal stuff? Ugh. Way too conformist.
That being said, Eros Flame will definitely stay in my collection. It was one of the first two designer EdPs I got (the other being the better one, the manly citrus bomb of Dior Eau Sauvage, a scent that I simply adore for summer and that’s way better than it’s modern mainstream variant). So yeah, sentimental reasons… It’s nice, definitely. But more of a “blend in” fragrance. Something agreeable, warm yet not too strong or overbearing. It’s kinda hyped on some fragrance communities, but take that hype with a grain of salt. It’s definitely safe for formal settings, e.g. office jobs, schools, job meetings and the like. But nothing with a true “wow factor”. I like the spices and the citrus opening, but the powdery notes remind me too much of barbershop soaps. Neon Sun has a powdery note too, but that would make a much cooler and more distinctive perfume if NO ever gets colognes into the EU. I know, I ramble a lot about fragrance again - but since wetshaving is a largely fragrance-based hobby, I feel like I speak to like-minded souls here. I’ll definitely need to up my fragrance game and invest in something that feels more like me, a true signature scent.
Brush: AP Shave Co. 30 mm Tuxedo Fan w/ black & clear handle
Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Excursion (Canard)
Post Shave: OAM sensitive skin toner; Natura Siberica ASB gel
Fragrance: Yves Saint Laurent - La Nuit de L’Homme EdT
Sunday headshave. One pass plus cleanups, done. The GC is truly remarkable for shaving off multiple days of growth.
So unlike some gentlemen here who actually plan their shaves and choose their fragrance to match their SOTD, I decided that I’d shave with something to compliment the frag I applied earlier in the day. Like a simpleton, I went for the dupe.
CG Excursion is a soap that treats me well. It’s still in the Canard base, not the fancier new one Vida uses nowadays (Darkwing IIRC?). Still, plenty of slick lather with my big brush.
The shaving soap was actually what made me get the matching EdT. La Nuit de L’Homme is a very sweet, charming scent. Not really what I’d reach for nowadays… It’s simply too generic, too conformist. I used to think that it’d make a nice date night scent, but maybe only for dates that are best forgotten. And since I only get EdPs nowadays, it’s also out of the question. I know there’s a perfume of it, but why should I bother? It would simply not be a scent for me. While it’s simply OK and definitely inoffensive, I’d much prefer something with more rough edges. The other YSL which I got as a gift, Y, is sadly also one of those sweet perfumes who are forgotten fast. In the end, I realised that I should get around to reorganize my cabinet and just throw out some of the stuff I don’t use anymore and won’t ever use again. The soap will stay, but the fragrance has to go.
Have a nice start into the new week!
We also had a decent amount of snow around here since late Wednesday/early Thursday. About 20-25 cm of snow, quite unusual in recent times. Other regions in Germany were hit harder, especially the South. Everything came to a standstill there…
The ice situation sounds bad. Sand works well, as do ashes in case you’re having a fireplace in your home… or sawdust.
I actually enjoy walking around in the snow, but hate the driving/traffic experience it creates. Yesterday I almost couldn’t get out of my garage due to lots of frozen snow. So I’m not too sad about the increasing temperatures promised in the weather forecast for next week… The only problem then will be the high amount of water everywhere.
Post Shave: Thayer’s Aloe Vera toner; Phytorelax Headshave ASB
Fragrance: Philipp Plein - No Limit$ EdP
As always, I’m one of the last posts with my head shave of the day.
1 pass, overhydrated my lather so it was too wet for my personal preference. Still usable, but not very enjoyable even though WKs base usually gives me great shaves. Cuero Oscuro is a very dank, harsh leather fragrance. Think antique furniture. But I actually chose it to compare it to today’s fragrance that I applied in the morning…
Philipp Plein, in case you’re not familiar with him, is a german-born designer who designs fashion that kinda embodies the trashy Ed Hardy vibe of the late 2000s with Cowboy and Rock aesthetics. An accurate description I read about his fashion is like “he goes like ‘well, this is a fair price’ and then adds one or two zeros to the price tag”. His brand is therefore a big cliché for the newly rich… Oh, and if you’re ready for something truly cringe worthy, look up the ad for No Limit$ on YT. I seriously didn’t knew anything about this when I blind bought it last year…
Back to the actual fragrance. It is made by Alberto Morillas, so not as bad as it may come off in the commercial. It opens with a very sharp note, mostly citrus and spices. The citrus is gone faster than your hard earned money when you buy a PP jacket, but the spices stay. Together with a rather synthetic leather note and some woody notes that are actually pleasing. The chocolate note is also noticeable and once it comes to life, this fragrance becomes way more bearable for me (and everyone around me). It never really becomes very gourmand-y to me due to the harsh synthetic leather note. Cuero Oscuro is way more pungent, but this leather note is too artificial to me personally. It certainly has a very great longevity (much to my dismay) at it’s price point and it’s certainly unique. But today was the last time wearing it. Despite the praise it got from people who don’t like the marketing and PP as a brand and person, it’s simply too over the top for me. I like leather, Oud and smoky fragrances, but this comes off as too much of a try hard. I adore the natural and comfortable leather scent in TF Ombre Leather and Tuscan Leather. I even appreciate the rugged leather in SW Valley of Ashes. But this here? Way too synthetic. Ok, this closes my rambling about this perfume and designer. Have a good night, folks!
It’s certainly something special. And tbh, I actually enjoy dank/weird scents in shaving soaps and sometimes also in perfumes. It’s some of these “wear it for myself” kinda occassions. 😉
Post Shave: Thayer’s Aloe Vera toner; Phytorelax Headshave ASB
Fragrance: Jean Paul Gaultier - Le Male Elixir EdP sample
Late AF head shave. Oh well, at least I got it done! 1 pass, very comfortable. No irritation whatsoever.
Today’s fragrance… Well, I only added it to my sample pack to get the necessary amount of stuff to ship. Needless to say, I’m unimpressed. It starts quite similar to Versace Eros, but then it quickly fades to an overbearingly sweet vanilla scent. Something I’d rather smell on a lady than on myself, IMHO. The tonka bean and tobacco is barely noticeable. It’s much more like scented candles. Not really like the classic JPG Le Male. Perhaps for a stark contrast, I should wear Valley of Ashes tomorrow?
Post Shave: Thayer’s Aloe Vera toner; Phytorelax Headshave ASB
A very late but fast head shave. One pass, done. I actually wanted to see if I could shave my head with a safety razor in ten minutes. It took 15, but I can still improve a bit…
The Phytorelax ASB is actually something that isn’t just a gimmick for head shavers - it contains a mild sunscreen, smells nice and absorbs quickly. I had it already in 2021ish, but they updated and improved the formula a bit. The only downside is that it still contains dimethicone/silicone oil. You can’t have everything I guess.
Very busy day yet again. Right after nursing school, I picked up my mom and visited my grandma in her nursing home for her 91. birthday. My uncle and aunt were already there and it was a pretty relaxed afternoon. After last year’s big party, grandma doesn’t want any big celebrations anymore. I also went grocery shopping, later did a full body workout with kettlebells and resistance bands at home. I probably will need a lot of coffee to get through tomorrow, but oh well… Life happens and you gotta make the most of it.
Post Shave: Thayer’s Aloe Vera toner; Natura Siberica ASB gel
Just a 2 pass head shave at night. I had a lot of stubble on the dome, so two passes were really needed.
I love smelling LGC, despite the notes sounding like something way different it always reminds me of a very great cola/coke. Plus it’s in Omnibus so the added slickness was very great for shaving off all those pesky little hairs.
My weekend was really productive, yesterday I bought a new coat and gloves and today I finished a crafty project for an ex-colleague & friend together with my mom. Unfortunately I didn’t find time for a workout, but there’s always tomorrow…
Software mail call (sub.wetshaving.social)
A combined shipment from Stirling and Barrister and Mann arrived today. From Stirling, I finally got my replacement Varen tub (and added the frag) and got a tub of Mountain man to replace my soon-to-be-killed sample of it....
YourShaving Anniversary Mail Call (sub.wetshaving.social)
Spanish vendor YourShaving had their 11th anniversary sale recently and today my order finally arrived in Germany....
New arrival: Valet Autostrop VC2
We’ve all been there. You are peacefully puttering around on the internet, and suddenly you’ve accidentally bought a razor. Or two, as I happened to do a couple of weeks ago. So let’s have a look at one of my latest accidental buys; a Valet Autostrop VC1. At least it was listed as a VC1 – right now I’m less certain, as...
Fougère Friday SOTD Thread - April 5th, 2024 (sub.wetshaving.social)
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Sunday SOTD Thread - Jan 28th, 2024
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Free Talk Friday - Jan 26th, 2024
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Wednesday SOTD Thread - Jan 24th, 2024
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Tuesday SOTD Thread - Jan 23rd, 2024
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Monday SOTD Thread - Jan 22nd, 2024
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Sunday SOTD Thread - Jan 21, 2024
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Weekend Free Talk Thread
Sorry folks, missed posting on Friday....
Themeless Thursday SOTD Thread - Jan 18 2024
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Wednesday SOTD Thread - Jan 17, 2024
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Monday SOTD Thread - Jan 15 2024
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Sunday SOTD Thread - Jan 14th, 2024
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