These are my ultimate tools of the trade!
1) Santa Maria Novella, shaving cream. No need to talk scents when discussing shaving soaps, it's all about performance. This cream does not lather abundantly, drowning your dish/container in overflowing lather. The lather that SMN produces is the densest of them all. Once lathered up, you will not see any hit of skin through the lather and more than enough soap remains in your brush for a second pass. I understand that a good lather can make your soap more comfortable but this one goes further: it gives you a closer shave. How that's possible I don't know. Ask the shaving fairy... (I have Tabac, MDC (Originale/Agrume) and Proraso (White/Green) in my den but this one beats all of these...
2) Semogue SOC Badger. A more recent purchase. But I haven't used any other brush since, from it's first shave. It's light and it's precise. It only deposits lather on the skin, not on the floor or the ceiling ;-). I haven't tried the resin siblings of this brush but I kind of like it that the point of gravity seems to be on the brush side rather than on the handle side.
3) Fatip open comb. I have 5 of these. Enough said.
4) Willy's blade.The mystery of razor blades. Willy's are magic. They work from the first shave and I only replace them after what 8 or 10 shaves? I haven't found anything that even matches the performance of these blades. I tried the Wizamet Iridiums and while they are quite good the first shave, I get small nicks on the second or third shave. I understand Willy's went out of business during covid but they're still available if you look for them...
5) Proraso Green After Shave. Not in the picture and it almost feels like sacrilege... No shave is finished without a splash of good old alcoholic after shave, and the Proraso is one of the best! I hate balms, it always feels like I start sweating under a layer of balm.
1) Santa Maria Novella, shaving cream. No need to talk scents when discussing shaving soaps, it's all about performance. This cream does not lather abundantly, drowning your dish/container in overflowing lather. The lather that SMN produces is the densest of them all. Once lathered up, you will not see any hit of skin through the lather and more than enough soap remains in your brush for a second pass. I understand that a good lather can make your soap more comfortable but this one goes further: it gives you a closer shave. How that's possible I don't know. Ask the shaving fairy... (I have Tabac, MDC (Originale/Agrume) and Proraso (White/Green) in my den but this one beats all of these...
2) Semogue SOC Badger. A more recent purchase. But I haven't used any other brush since, from it's first shave. It's light and it's precise. It only deposits lather on the skin, not on the floor or the ceiling ;-). I haven't tried the resin siblings of this brush but I kind of like it that the point of gravity seems to be on the brush side rather than on the handle side.
3) Fatip open comb. I have 5 of these. Enough said.
4) Willy's blade.The mystery of razor blades. Willy's are magic. They work from the first shave and I only replace them after what 8 or 10 shaves? I haven't found anything that even matches the performance of these blades. I tried the Wizamet Iridiums and while they are quite good the first shave, I get small nicks on the second or third shave. I understand Willy's went out of business during covid but they're still available if you look for them...
5) Proraso Green After Shave. Not in the picture and it almost feels like sacrilege... No shave is finished without a splash of good old alcoholic after shave, and the Proraso is one of the best! I hate balms, it always feels like I start sweating under a layer of balm.
Star Bar #4 lather catcher with a Gem fresh blade =Some fine shaving IMO. (It does not get much better for shaving tools & software for myself.)
