07.11.2024 - In Stag we trust

• Brush: Omega Roma Colosseo 31 mm
• Razor: Stando Perun
• Blade: King C. Gillette
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag
• Post-Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag ASB

2-pass head shave. A really good shave today.

What happens if everything around you seems to turn to shit and chaos? You fall back on the things you know you can trust. Your Ol' Reliable. To me, that's Midnight Stag. A dark, dank and very polarizing scent of leather, smoke, musky notes and freedom. It's definitely not for everyday wear, but once in a while it really shines. The balm seems to have gone bad... but no big loss, as it contains paraffin and dimethicone. More space for new stuff.
I like the simple CF base. Comparable to Stirling IMHO and just very easy to whip up a nice lather with.

I also went through with my plan to cut my facial hair down into just moustache and a triangular soul patch. Everything was almost healed, but I didn't want to wait another day. Put some witch hazel toner and a menthol balm on the facial skin, so I hope it'll recover enough to give it a proper shave tomorrow.

So what chaos? Apart from the abysmal news from the US election, my country's government coalition broke apart late last night. Read about it here from a credible source Funny how yesterday I actually wrote about my own concerns for our general elections next year and today I woke up to these news. Now it's sure that I and many others will vote far earlier than September 2025. Of course the old government was very unpopular and incompetent, but the worst were the neolibs (FDP) IMHO. If we really get Merz next year, it sucks. He's a billionaire politician and a warmonger. Diplomacy isn't his strong suit as he's far removed from the ordinary folk in our country in his views. The far-right will also have gains again and I hate that... but it is what it is.

28.10.2024 - Halloweek 1: Sweeney Todd

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: snapped KCG (new)
• Lather: HAGS - Barberwood
• Post-Shave: HAGS - Barberwood AS toner; Manuka Health repair balm

2 passes on the head, 1 around the beard. Good shave overall, minor burn.

Seeing @sahenders@sub.wetshaving.social post inspired me to use some of my soaps with morbid/dark/creepy artwork for this Halloween week. Let's see if I can manage a consistent string of daily shaves until Thursday...

Barberwood seems to feature Sweeney Todd, the murderous barber of Fleet Street. If HAGS would actually pay good artists instead of relying on AI-generated slop, it might've turned out a bit better. However, we got this thing here. Ugh... I'm personally not against AI generated pictures for teachers who want to give some interesting visualisation and can't draw for shit, but for official art on products you sell?... Eh, come on. Get a real artist. Scent is your typical sweet powder barbershop, inoffensive and a people pleaser. I personally prefer the unique takes like Old Strathcona and Ghost Town Barber much more.

I haven't seen the movie with Johnny Depp, as I personally deeply dislike musicals. But there's one Depp movie fitting for this season that I wholeheartedly recommend: The Ninth Gate
This was one of the first "darker" movies I saw when I was ~13/14. I've seen it a few times since - the trailer doesn't really do it justice. It's a slower movie at the start, but once it picks up momentum it goes ahead like a boulder down a steep hill. Also, this one really needs you to think and come to your own conclusions. I still fear a majority view it through a christian/religious lens and are afraid of it bc of that. Personally I think Polanski is a POS but if I couldn't separate art from artists, I also wouldn't be able to enjoy H.P. Lovecraft as much.

Have a great spooky week, folks! 🎃✌🏻

As a wetshaver from the EU, I can give another view regarding samples: You can consider yourself lucky that in this hobby, where most top-notch artisans are US-based, they often offer samples. Over here in Europe, almost every soap tub is a blind buy, just judging by scent notes and other wetshavers' reviews - unless it's a european artisan like E&S Rasage, who offer nice little samples of their soaps and aftershaves. But unfortunately, "try before you buy" is simply not happening over here in most instances. If you want to buy samples, a british or american vendor is your best choice and even then you might end up paying a lot more than you hoped for thanks to duty fees.

Perfume or the fragrance community in general is comparable to our hobby, but there you have the luxury of trying out scents in brick and mortar stores or getting 2 ml sample spray bottles. A lot of scents are just expensive for the luxury factor and the brand name, others are more fairly priced but it's still "you get what you pay for". I don't expect extreme longevity from a 20€ perfume, but one for 150€ should better have some staying power to justify that price tag. I think a lot of this goes for every hobby: well established brand names can charge more than newcomers, popular brands often cater to a more mainstream audience, there are some "hidden gems" here and there and also some things were the hype was simply unjustified.

But overall, I sincerely agree with your take that this hobby won't save any money. Sure, if you do it like my grandpa's generation and just always use the same soap until it's empty, just own one razor where you only need to replace the blades and use only one brush until the bristles fall apart - then it's a money saver. But despite our best efforts to comfort ourselves with that "traditional" wetshaving will save so much money, it won't when you get seriously crazy into this hobby. I openly admit that one year I spent close to 700€ in soaps, aftershaves and razors and it's something I'm definitely not proud of...

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?

13.05.2024

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: Leaf Thorn Fig
• Blade: Leaf half DE
• Brush: AP Shave Co. 30 mm Tuxedo Fan w/ black & clear handle
• Lather: Moon Soaps - Union
• Post Shave: Thayer's Cucumber facial spray; Moon Soaps Old School "balm"

2 pass head shave to inaugurate the new razor. Very smooth dome and nice feeling.

So the Thorn was said to be a great razor for head shaving and I can actually agree that this reputation is deserved. It's not totally perfect though. My only gripe is that water can accumulate in the hollow part of the handle where the TTO mechanism sits, but everything else about it is really fine. Despite being sold as an aggressive version, it feels mild to me without sacrificing efficiency. I was a bit worried about the handle, but it turned out to feel good in my hand and not slippery at all. I also shaved my neck today and here it felt harsher. OTOH, going ATG as the first and only pass with a new razor is probably not the recommended way of doing things. I had to use alum on my neck, but in general shaving with it felt really smooth for a first impression. I will try it with a plethora of different soaps and a few different blades.

As for the Moon Soaps "balm", like I wrote in the Mail call post it's actually more of a lotion. And it's even thinner than the WestMan balm that I own. The toner was absolutely not needed with this one. While the scent is very mild, the skin feeling is rather positive, so - kinda undecided about this one.

Tomorrow I need to get up early since I need to attend a funeral for a former colleague. I'll meet up in the morning with other former colleagues, two who have grown to be very close friends, to go to the graveyard together...

Thing is, shit's weighing down on me. This former colleague was just entering her retirement last year in June, we hoped she could finally enjoy some quiet time just for herself... But nope. She always had respiratory issues, but the last bout of pneumonia left her in an almost crippled state by my friends description. Despite her denying her failing health, she died of kidney failure. I was just a few weeks at the internship at Bad Liebenstein when my friend S. texted me the bad news in the evening... I immediately sank down into my bed in total shock. My classmate and roommate Tom immediately got up and asked if everything was alright. But nothing was alright. I got up, motioned him to grab his jacket and we went for a smoke/vape. I still remember how unreal this situation felt, my hands and legs shaking, my voice trembling. It's definitely awful...

The worst part: C. was just 63 when she died. She was a fan of whiskey and the last time we saw each other at my farewell party in the old workplace, I promised her that I'd visit her again and drink a good Scotch with her. Now this promise is lost... I deeply regret that this was the last time I've seen her and that we never drank whiskey together. Very unfortunate, since she was one of the most welcoming colleagues I ever had. Always made sure that I feel validated and accepted. I think this could serve as an important life lesson - don't postpone things for too long, since ultimately it will be too late to spend time with people who are important to you.

Sorry for venting, folks. It's just that I usually keep everything to myself and sometimes it just bursts out. Hope everyone of you has a nice weekend...

SOTD 14.01.2024

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: Greencult GC 2.0 II plate
• Blade: Voskhod
• Brush: TGS Galaxy 26 mm
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Le Grand Chypre
• 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...

SOTD 29.12.2023

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: Headblade S4 Lunar Eclipse
• Blade: HB 2
• Brush: TGS Galaxy 26 mm
• Lather: Speick - shaving cream
• Post Shave: Thayer's Aloe Vera toner; Natura Siberica ASB gel
• Fragrance: Bois 1920 - Oro Nero EdP sample

Phew, almost forgot my SOTD post again... It was a very busy day.

A quick head shave I did after a very fast shopping trip. One pass + cleanup with the HB. One nick due to being too rushed. Seriously, f**k cartridge razor systems. Other than that minor inconvenience, I was surprised by the quality lather I got out of Speick cream. Very slick and nice. The final decision on the EdP is: pass. It fades to a boring vanilla scent and I got absolutely zero positive responses about it. Totally not my style... The nice similarities to Interlude Man by Amouage last too short. And I wore it all evening...

So today I went to print my pictures with my colleagues, then visited my parents in the afternoon for a coffee to celebrate dad's 57th birthday (we have a rather difficult relationship and it went surprisingly well for that). Then in the evening, I drove to my old nursing home one last time to celebrate with my colleagues. Originally, we had a Christmas party planned for last week's Friday which was cancelled. So we did a "Year's End party" today instead - which also turned out to be a farwell party for me! I was very surprised by all the warm words and the many gifts they gave me. Seriously, I had to hold back tears... It's not an easy time for me atm, but they did the best they could to give me a proper and dignified farewell. I'm so grateful that in the short time were I worked on their station (only transferred there in September of last year) I was able to make some new friends who wholeheartedly accept me like I worked for over a decade with them... Honestly, I'm still a bit overwhelmed... I lost good colleagues, but our friendship will stay - and for that I am so very grateful!

SOTD 27.12.2023

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Flying Wing/Bullet Tip gold plated
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Brush: AP Shave Co. 30 mm Tuxedo Fan w/ black & clear handle
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Unscented soap
• Post Shave: Thayer's Aloe Vera toner; Natura Siberica ASB gel
• Fragrance: Bois 1920 - Oro Nero EdP sample

A fast head shave done before today's shift. Just one pass and done!

The real star today was the fragrance sample. It was the second day of wearing it and it immediately reminded me of HAGS Aftermath - which in turn is a homage to Amouage Interlude Man, a great but expensive perfume. Maybe I'll get a full-size one day.

SOTD 14.11.2023

• Prep: head wash
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Brush: AP Shave Co. 30 mm Tuxedo Fan w/ black & clear handle
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Unscented
• Post Shave: Thayer's Aloe Vera toner; Stirling Glacial Spearmint ASB

The odd occurrence of wetshaving my head: a 2 pass shave, but only WTG. I had lots of stubbly hair to remove, but I still wanted to take care with the MMOC with a fresh blade.

However, I really like shaving my head with SE razors. They seem to be very intuitive for the bumpy terrain IMHO and they're often better suited simply by design (closed blade tabs, a certain foolproof cutting angle). Some blood was drawn due to my skin currently having breakouts almost as bad as during puberty; but no significant irritation otherwise.

I really like rocking my bald look again as it gives me some much needed confidence back! Btw, I was able to negotiate a day of trial work for this Saturday. Early shift, but I sure hope it'll be worth it!

SOTD 05.11.2023

• Prep: warm water
• Razor: Greencult GC 2.0 IV plate
• Blade: Voskhod
• Brush: TGS Galaxy 26 mm
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Unscented
• Post Shave: Thayer's Aloe Vera toner; Pacific Shaving Co. Caffeinated ASB

2-pass face shave. Not that this was a bad shave but... Well, this is super dull. Unscented soap is basically shaving just for shavings sake; it turns traditional wetshaving back into a chore.

It helps me to wetshave my head a few times; but for my face I should use everything else! Really, if you take away the aromatherapy aspect of wetshaving, it becomes rather pointless to me personally. It also reminds me of the time where I was suffering from a Covid nose and actually couldn't smell or taste anything. Everything seemed boring and bland... Not the nicest memory on a Sunday night.

Stay safe everyone, hope you'll have a nice start into the new week!

Forgot to mention yesterday that my job interview on Thursday went really well. It seems like this nursing home isn't focused on profit, but actually on providing good quality care for their residents.

Now, I need to wait. The director of this nursing home needs to make a few calls with my nursing school about signing a cooperation; I need to work 1-2 days on a trial basis for them to judge if I am a good fit (and it'll be most likely weekend days) and then I'll have to do lots of paperwork due to my retraining and all. Germany is famous for lots of contracts and paperwork and it makes it all the harder for a trainee/re-trainee to change jobs...

On the plus side, they have capacities for some of my favourite colleagues - one already sent out her application yesterday via email, two others are planning to send theirs next week. It'd really be the Best Case Scenario if we could all transfer together, put in our notice of cancellation on our current bosses desk and give a mighty middle finger to that business! However, I need patience. Next week I'll know more...