The Wanderer's Journey

[AimlessWanderer]

Awesome! That's fantastic. Thanks Doug

I was really struggling to know where to start, and that's going to make things MUCH easier.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Oh, just a reminder Doug @Somerled, I can't use menthol (which varies from an hour's discomfort to what looks like minor chemical burns, and several days of pain, depending on strength). It's a booby trap that I wish manufacturers would highlight more clearly.

 

[Somerled]

Oh, just a reminder Doug @Somerled, I can't use menthol (which varies from an hour's discomfort to what looks like minor chemical burns, and several days of pain, depending on strength). It's a booby trap that I wish manufacturers would highlight more clearly.

I only have one AS that, as far as I know, has menthol - Proraso Green. So, I'll leave that one out.

What I will give you is

1. Old Spice with Fresh Lime
2. SV 70th Anniversary
3. 4711 (barber shop scent)
4. My homebrew Old Spice with essential Lime Oil.
5. not sure yet, I don't have that many AS's

I could give you some Vintage Avon Spicy (old spice copy), or Original Old Spice. As you can guess, I like old spice
I also have Proraso Wood & Spice Cologne if you want.

There's 5 sample atomisers coming so I'll let you choose number 5.
I like balms and have all 3 of the Proraso Single Blade variants, but I have a feeling they will be too thick to use in atomisers.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I only have one AS that, as far as I know, has menthol - Proraso Green. So, I'll leave that one out.

What I will give you is

1. Old Spice with Fresh Lime
2. SV 70th Anniversary
3. 4711 (barber shop scent)
4. My homebrew Old Spice with essential Lime Oil.
5. not sure yet, I don't have that many AS's

I could give you some Vintage Avon Spicy (old spice copy), or Original Old Spice. As you can guess, I like old spice
I also have Proraso Wood & Spice Cologne if you want.

There's 5 sample atomisers coming so I'll let you choose number 5.
I like balms and have all 3 of the Proraso Single Blade variants, but I have a feeling they will be too thick to use in atomisers.

That all sounds brilliant, Doug! I'd like to go for standard original Old Spice for No.5 please, as while I almost certainly will have used it at some point, it won't have been since my late teens. It would be interesting to compare that with the lime versions.

Whichever one I use up first, I'll wash out and refill with my own homebrew for you to try (assuming I don't **** it up again. Ha ha!). Would you like me to include any part samples of these...?

The Russian Leather will almost certainly be near full. It doesn't smell bad, just isn't my style. Smells more like talc than aftershave to me. The Citrus Musk is ok, but lacks depth somehow. The Harris ones are all nice, to my nose. The Arlington makes for a really nice "everyday" scent. Sandalwood too for that matter. I find the Bay Rum a little more... conspicuous. Obviously they might all smell different to/on you.

Yeah, I can't see balms working in the sprays. I'm really content with the Nivea Sensitive and a squirt of EdT for balm use. It's the lotion that's the last part of the puzzle for me, for those days when balm would be too heavy.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Shave mail !!!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Fun and games with the new acquisition...

My first shave with a Razorine

This popped through my letterbox earlier today. A beautifully polished Razorine shavette. I'd been expecting its arrival, and had put off my shave till it landed. I gave it a cursory look over, complete with smile and nod, and decide to load it up with a fresh Astra SP. And that's when...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Somerled]

Fun and games with the new acquisition...

My first shave with a Razorine

This popped through my letterbox earlier today. A beautifully polished Razorine shavette. I'd been expecting its arrival, and had put off my shave till it landed. I gave it a cursory look over, complete with smile and nod, and decide to load it up with a fresh Astra SP. And that's when...

www.badgerandblade.com

Hmmm, don't like the problems your having with alignment there Al.
I would be very tempted to return it.

I know you wanted to try something a bit different, but I can't help feeling you'd be better off with one of these Rasoio universal lama intera - https://www.barbaebaffi.it/item/rasoio-universal-lama-intera.html. Probably the best full DE blade shavette there is.
I have one, don't really use it much. But it is very good.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Hmmm, don't like the problems your having with alignment there Al.
I would be very tempted to return it.

I know you wanted to try something a bit different, but I can't help feeling you'd be better off with one of these Rasoio universal lama intera - https://www.barbaebaffi.it/item/rasoio-universal-lama-intera.html. Probably the best full DE blade shavette there is.
I have one, don't really use it much. But it is very good.

Yup! Just noticed the thread is truncated too, and there's barely any secure engagement. It's going back!

If the seller (or Gianni) can offer a replacement, I'll be happy to accept one that doesn't have these quality issues. As it stands though, it ain't good enough.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Back to the regular DE today. Just a quick once over, no fuss or frivolity.

I did get shave mail though. My welsh slate hones arrived, and offering up a steel rule to them, yes they will need lapping. Although there was less than a mm of daylight between steel and stone, so it won't be an arduous task. Once I'd unwrapped them, I realised I hadn't thought about the storage of them. I knocked up a couple of bubble wrap slips to keep them in for now, and I'll come up with something better later.

How do you guys all store your honing stones?

Got a reply back from the Razorine supplier today, and they said they'll send a replacement off to me on Monday. Hopefully, this one will be up to spec.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Bundle and Rust Goats Milk soap followed by a drop of the Harris Bay Rum today. Great scent, but it's a little dry. It doesn't have the glycerin like the Arlington and Sandalwood does.

In the next couple of days, I should also receive a small order from Shavedash. When I got the soap samples from Connaught recently, there were a couple of soaps that Doug had recommended a while ago that I couldn't get from there, namely SV and PannaCreama. Of course, I added a few extra to nudge it over £15 for the discount.

Hopefully tomorrow, my little box of soap samples will have these added to them:

Czech and Speake: No 88
Floris of London: Elite
DR Harris & Co: Marlborough
PannaCreama Nuavia: Nera
Cyril R Salter: Tallow
Saponificio Varesino: Felce Aromatica

These samples (and the five that's already in there) will be slowly consumed over quite a protracted period. I'll be using them to punctuate the consumption of the backlog of craft soaps. Kind of a little treat to reward myself for using up another ramekin serving, and working back down to just Mitchell's and Palmolive. Having now gotten Mitchell's back in circulation, it takes willpower to reach for the craft soap instead. There's actually a very real chance some of it might end up being consigned to the bath.

The latest batch of homebrew aftershave looks completely clear, but I'm still going to wait a little longer before adding the witchhazel. I might even dispense a bit into a shot glass, and try a test mix first. I really don't want to waste another batch.

Not had the focus, coordination, or vision to tackle trying to lap the hones yet. Same applies to portioning up and grating the Mitchell's. So there's lots of stuff in limbo right now; soap, Razorine, hones and homebrew. Everything's here or on the way though, so I'm good to go when the wind is in the right direction.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Al, how's the Arlington splash? I've used the soap and really loved the scent, but sometimes the scent of the soap and the scent of the splash fail to correspond.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Al, how's the Arlington splash? I've used the soap and really loved the scent, but sometimes the scent of the soap and the scent of the splash fail to correspond.

Happy shaves,

Jim

I've not used the soap, but do like the aftershave sample, Jim. It's a really nice fresh scent, suitable for everyday use. It's certainly my favourite out of those five samples. Sadly, I couldn't get a sample of the Marlborough, but have a sample of the soap coming to get a feel for it that way.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I've not used the soap, but do like the aftershave sample, Jim. It's a really nice fresh scent, suitable for everyday use. It's certainly my favourite out of those five samples. Sadly, I couldn't get a sample of the Marlborough, but have a sample of the soap coming to get a feel for it that way.

Thanks, Al. The soap is a good one.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Switched to a Perma-Sharp blade today. Usual soap and brush, finished off with the Harris Sandalwood. I applied a little more than last time, and it was a little sickly sweet at first, but soon settled down. Of these samples, I think Arlington would be the only one I'd buy a full bottle of. Hooray for samples! I'd hate to have bought a full bottle of one of the others, to then find it didn't work for me. Same applies to most of the soap samples I've tried too.

 

[Esox]

Switched to a Perma-Sharp blade today.

Damnit! I knew I forgot to add something to my soap order again lol.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Damnit! I knew I forgot to add something to my soap order again lol.

Oops!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

One down, one to go!

I opened up the remaining tin of the Sheffield Skincare Co craft soap, the Porter Muck, to see how much I'd used. There was about three quarters of it left, but it looked suspiciously two-toned (it is well beyond its 6 month usage window though). I scooped it out to try to maul it into something remotely soap-bar shaped to delegate it to the bath tub, but it was incredibly tacky, as if it had started to break down, and the two tone effect looked even less appealing than it did in the tin.

Launched! Goodbye!
One craft soap left!

The Bundle & Rust Goats Milk soap is a better performing soap than the Porter Muck anyway, so I'm happy to keep chugging on with that. For now. It hasn't turned suspicious in the tin yet, but I still have 1/4 of the first tin left, plus a second tin I haven't even started yet, and whatever is already served up in the ramekin. It does go a lot quicker than the Mitchell's and Palmolive, but at a guess there's still at least 6 months worth of it to work through, and I won't be sticking to it exclusively.

So, just that, Mitchell's, Palmolive, and samples left now. Much better! I don't feel so swamped now. I dare say a lot of folks here would go into panic shopping mode if they only had three soaps left, but to me it's relief, and I feel like I'm getting back to something approaching normality

Also...

I hadn't noticed, but the latest batch of samples has landed already!

Also...

Did a test mix of the homebrew with witchhazel ... and it went cloudy

Can't win 'em all

 

[Somerled]

Also...

Did a test mix of the homebrew with witchhazel ... and it went cloudy

Can't win 'em all

Posted the samples this morning. My guess is they will arrive on Wednesday, all being well.
You talk of your homebrew going cloudy, what makes you think that's a bad thing?

The SV 70th Anniversary is cloudy, it's meant to be that way. Best to give it a little shake before you use it though.
My homebrew, Old Spice Original and Lime essential oil, was a bit cloudy when I made it. But it seems to have cleared up over time - guessing thats the Oil fully mixing with the OS. Still, I always gave it a little shake before using it.

BTW, you got the last of what I had of my homebrew, including what I was using. I have a load of essential oils, so, I'll have to have a think of what my next elixer of youth project will be.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I have a load of essential oils, so, I'll have to have a think of what my next elixir of youth project will be.

FTFY!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Posted the samples this morning. My guess is they will arrive on Wednesday, all being well.
You talk of your homebrew going cloudy, what makes you think that's a bad thing?

The SV 70th Anniversary is cloudy, it's meant to be that way. Best to give it a little shake before you use it though.
My homebrew, Old Spice Original and Lime essential oil, was a bit cloudy when I made it. But it seems to have cleared up over time - guessing thats the Oil fully mixing with the OS. Still, I always gave it a little shake before using it.

BTW, you got the last of what I had of my homebrew, including what I was using. I have a load of essential oils, so, I'll have to have a think of what my next elixer of youth project will be.

Oh, nice one! Cheers Doug! That was quick!!!

When I added the witchhazel to the first batch, it didn't just go cloudy, but curdled. There was a thick film of undissolved oil sitting on the top. As such, as soon as this test mix went cloudy, I thought "Here we go again". I put the top on the little bottle I'd mixed it in, and walked away. Coming back to it this evening, it's still cloudy, but no oil film.... There is a chance.... If it works, I'll be sure to fire some your way.

Not shaved yet today, as workmen are putting a new roof on the next door neighbour's house...again. Second one in 18 months. Apparantly the first was a disaster. So today, and for the past few days (I got yesterday off), it's been somewhat noisy to say the least, and it's played havoc with my migraines and other neuro problems. Not fun. Might have a go later.