DaveWave94

I adore SE razors, but the downside to them is very little variation in blade types they offer. For example, vintage GEM razors are really great IMHO - but the only great GEM blade for actual shaving are Personna GEM PTFE blades. When it comes to AC blades, I prefer the guarded ones by KAI and Feather - but then again, those two japanese manufacturers are the only two I know of who produce AC blades at all. The Leaf Thorn I own uses half DE blades and it's a good razor, but a bit expensive for the quality of its material (zinc alloy, so don't drop it too often).

My recommendation for a beginner SE razor would be a vintage GEM Star, Flying Wing or Ever-Ready 1912. Note that GEM razors are notoriously difficult for shaving your upper lip though - as I wear a stache I won't be able to help there, but @[email protected] should have some tips.

09.11.2024 - Face Shave test

• Brush: vintage yellow bakelite handle w/ 22 mm SynBad knot
• Razor: RazoRock Hawk V2
• Blade: KAI Protouch MG
• Lather: Abbate Y La Mantia - Blu Tobacco
• Post-Shave: Osma alum block; Moon Soaps Old School "balm"; Natura Siberica ASB gel

Just a two pass face shave around the 'stache and patch. Rather rough shave, a good amount of weepers and some red areas on the neck. Guess that blade's over its limits.

Was kinda refreshing to shave my face again after such a long time, but it shows that I am not used to this anymore. My face also seems to prefer mild and smooth razors, which the Hawk V2 is definitely not. Blu Tobacco was not to blame, it's a very good hard soap that makes me miss menthol cigarettes.

The good thing is, in contrast to head shaving, shaving my face is not a "must do" but rather "can do" for me. Due to the moustache style and my very visible beard shadow, it actually still looks well groomed even with a few days of stubble - I only need to trim the neck and it even looks intentional. Judging by today's IKEA visit and most guys I saw there, I'm definitely not looking like a bum with stubble. But I enjoy shaving around the moustache the most, as it works even better than a zero gap trimmer for getting crisp contours - an oddly satisfying thing to me. I like to spice things up from time to time, so I'm grateful for having that variability/versatility now again.

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.

Welp, our government coalition just threw the towel: german news here

So yes, better very very soon. Don't know when we'll need to vote now...

06.11.2024 - Three times the charm

• Brush: RazoRock 400 Noir SE 24 mm
• Razor: Stando Perun
• Blade: King C. Gillette
• Lather: Barrister & Mann - The Full Measure of Man
• Post-Shave: Osma alum block; Thayer's Original toner; Alterra men natural ASB

2 passes on the face, one on the head. Yep, I switched my usual order today - but didn't like it at all. Face got a few blood spots out of nowhere on the second pass - weird thing is that they didn't even hurt. I probably need to give it a day of rest tomorrow.

Third tobacco soap now - FMoM is a fairly recent addition to my collection but an instant favourite. This is a very sophisticated tobacco - usually it's hard to emulate the dry, cigar leaf scent so most just go with floral tobacco. B&M actually did it very great though... I love it.

Now to address the elephant in the room: of course I am also deeply disappointed by the election results and like most of you, hoped for a different outcome. Regardless, it was a democratic election. The will of the people needs to be respected... but damn: I feel awful for all those who are LGBTQ+, immigrants, POC, disabled or part of another minority group. Do me a favour and look out for those people as well as for each other. It's the best thing to do in tough times.
Germany will face a general election next year... while Scholz was definitely bad, I really hope we don't get our version of a despot then.

I'm not shocked, but severely disappointed. Right now seems to be the best time to support each other in Europe, as transatlantic relationships will come with a climate of uncertainty and stubbornness. My thoughts go out to the millions of Americans who are part of some minority group... Uncertain and dark times, sadly. 😞

Hi, I now have a Matrix link - you can contact me at: https://matrix.to/#/@davewave94:matrix.org

✌🏻

Thanks for your insights - I didn't want to imply that both candidates are the same, IMHO one is definitely far, far worse and a threat to democracy. It was more a general critique of the "two party system" in the US. Yeah, the Greens and the Libertarians exist - but judging by how they mostly reach below 2% of the vote, that's only cosmetic... Anyway, I wish all of you the best ✌🏻

Thanks!

I personally think 48 hours would be enough for everyone to make their choice in a timely manner.

Maybe something like 2 token points for every unranked soap would be okay. I think this wouldn't mess with the general voting consensus, of course depending on how many soaps are suggested.

That's a great idea with a discussion thread! I am sure we'd find a good consensus based on democratic decision making. Thanks again for coming up with the idea of BVWSC 👍🏻

Ah, cool! Thanks! I actually saw Element as an app in my F-Droid client, but wasn't sure what it was. Looks very nice! I downloaded the app now and will set up an account tomorrow ✌🏻

I'm unfortunately not familiar with Matrix. Is that an app? Messenger? I usually only used the private message feature in my Lemmy app of choice, but if you could direct me I'd gladly set up an account 👍🏻

05.11.2024 - Tobacco Tuesday

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: snapped KCG
• Lather: E&S Rasage - Shaman
• Post-Shave: Thayer's Original toner; Alterra men natural ASB

1 pass plus "buffing" on the head; 1 pass on the face. A solid, comfortable shave.

Another themed thing, but just by accident. Figured that I want another tobacco scent today, but opted for one of my newer soaps with tobacco as one of the many notes in a complex fragrance. Shaman smells like luxurious furniture or a really high-class candy store (the kind you only visit to buy something as a gift). The base is very good once you load heavy, very thick and rich lather (as in: this makes my skin feel protected and good even after wiping it off).

I remembered why I ultimately abandoned wearing a moustache & goatee combo and settled for just the Frank Zappa/Doc Holiday combo of stache and soul patch instead: I obsess way too goddamn much about symmetry of the goatee part. But even as much as I want to shave it down, I need to wait - I'm currently dealing with a few pimples (perhaps I am not as well suited to write about skincare after all?) and a particularly troublesome one sits directly on my chin. I'll need to wait until that thing has healed, but today's single pass face shave was used to assert dominance. Like it or not, chin - sooner or lat(h)er, you'll get the razor! 😈

Sending out my thoughts & good wishes over to our american friends; I sure don't envy you folks only having the choice between plague and cholera - having to choose "the lesser of two evils" instead of your real political affiliation sucks. Stay positive, stay calm and keep on keeping on 🤝🏻