SOTD "FREE WEEK" July 17th - July 23rd, 2017

[ronweston]

Thanks, Dave, for your kind words!
And, enjoyed your flaming shave photo!

In my case, due to a missed inbound connection on the recent trip, I had a standard airline toiletry bag and pooh-poohed the shaver! But Friday, after the accident, it was safer than navigating the Feather AC while on crutches!

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You do what you gotta do, my friend. Mend soon.

 

[ronweston]

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Soap: MdC Rose
Razor: Blackland Black Bird
Blade: PermaSharp Super (2)
Brush: Cadman "M55" 30 mm Tuxedo​

Beautiful enviable shave, Josh. Love that Cadman ... another on my list.....

 

[LevelUpShaves]

Menthol Monday shave
Cold to check bones but a good shave all the same.
Razor: 65 Gillette SS Flare tip
Blade: Voskhod
Brush: JR 177 with plisson knot
Soap: Fine Snakebite [emoji216]
Post: Gentlemen Jon Alum
As: Proraso Green

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ronweston]

First shave with a pre-war tech! Man it was great! Truly was a TAD more aggressive and on a fresh Shark SS. Classic shaving Lime and Coconut lathered up with some Cremo Cooling superlathered in.... Lemon Thayers, AV blue and then Nivea Cooling Post balm. Great 2 pass DFS bordering on crossing over!

I agree, Jerad, pre-war techs give an excellent shave. That hand has to be the greatest prop!

 

[ronweston]

Lather Bros. Soaps "Miami Mojito"
Island Bladeworks "Stoya" | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)

This one took me by surprise. After having just used Lather Bros' latest, Flora Colossus, which was slightly improved beyond an already nice performer, El Barbero, I expected Miami Mojito to perform similarly. The surprise is that it feels like it's a generation ahead of the other two. I wasn't aware of a base formula being changed. In fact, Flora Colossus is the latest release, so I would expect it to be the latest base. However, when I compared the ingredients list for the two, I noticed pineapple puree in Miami Mojito, and it's not listed in Flora Colossus. I therefore checked their website, and I saw that "Life's a Beach" contains mango puree. Thus apparently the artisan varies the base, which is nothing new, but I noticed a clear performance boost with this one. I wonder if the pineapple added enough citric acid to overcome the limitations of my hard water. (Yes, I know adding a little citric acid to my reserve water could accomplish the same thing, but with the top artisans, I don't need to do this.) Whatever the case, Miami Mojito is not only above average like its relatives, but it actually is competitive with my favorite top artisans. The lather characteristic was quite creamy and dense. Glide was perfect, and residual slickness was also on a superior level allowing me to make touch-up passes without visible lather. Finally, post-shave was comparable to Jeeves and Catie's---in other words, stellar.

I've never had a Mojito cocktail---Miami or otherwise---so I have no idea if this smells even remotely similar, but the notes are mint, lime, and basil. Gourmands aren't always my favorite, the exception being that I tend to be drawn to anything with lime. That said, Miami Mojito doesn't broadcast the lime right away. Instead, I picked up on the basil initially, and the mint wasn't far behind. By the time I had a usable lather, the lime made a clear presence, but it never took the lead. As the shave progressed, it got sharper and bolder. Of the three soaps by Lather Bros. I've used, Miami Mojito by far has the strongest scent. I would rate it a 4+ out of 5 with regard to scent strength. Again, I was really surprised by this fragrance. I absolutely love it.

As previously stated, the post-shave was outstanding and precluded the actual need for any post product, but I was certainly inclined to use Lather Bros' new alcohol-based, mentholated splash. Back in the Winter, with my first review of Lather Bros., I used El Barbero with its paired splash. I had to correct my initial review because I erroneously called it "alcohol-free". An astute reader noted the ingredients indeed mentioned alcohol, but I had assumed it was alcohol-free in light of the inhomogeneous nature and my inability to detect it otherwise. As it was, the amount of alcohol was minimal in this early splash. Hopefully, Lather Bros' move with Miami Mojito and the obvious higher alcohol ratio is a change that they'll continue to implement. Additionally, the splash comes in the flask-style glass bottle. This splash felt great with immediate cooling and an overall impression similar to the late Folsom & Co. splashes. The lime carried much better in the splash such that it was the dominant note, and the mint was accentuated by the menthol. The drydown revealed the basil as the mint left the scene. Lime was still present, but it was mellowed greatly by the basil. 4 hours later, I continue to enjoy this pleasant fragrance.

Lather Bros. is now a permanent part of my rotation. El Barbero was an above average freshman performer, but the "barbershop" fragrance was nothing special. Flora Colossus boosted performance and is a lovely fragrance. (Admittedly, I'm partial to Flora Colossus due to the Groot comic character homage.) Miami Mojito is a clear performance spike, and that alone is reason enough to use it routinely.

Majestic photo, Matt. Love the natural B&W effect with the actual minimal color. Superb assessment!

 

[ronweston]

I'll be closing this thread now and opening a new one, gentlemen.