Latha Limon & DE 89:

Today's shave was great. Barrister & Mann always deliver top shelf performance and their Latha Limon is excellent. You get a lemon, orange and rose scent with this soap which is amazing, and I paired it with one of my favorite aftershaves, which is Aqua Velva classic ice blue:

This was a 3 pass ice rink post shave that I got today. I also went ahead and put a new Astra green blade in the DE 89 since this was the 4th shave on this blade. I would have posted this sooner, but I got a little busy and I'm about to go get a hair cut and run some errands.

Fougere' Santal & The 209:

Today's shave was great. Reef Point Soaps are excellent soaps and have a nice fresh and clean post shave feel to them which is awesome. I went with their Fougere' Santal scented soap and I paired it with my mom's favorite aftershave which is Brut:

The 209 is still going strong. I got a squeaky clean post shave in only 2 passes along with a neck area touch up. Now I did NOT post yestderay's shave because I was simply just too busy yesterday. So don't worry, I have NOT left the hobby.

Number 20 of 2016:

Well this will drive some people crazy. But say hello to my 20th soap for 2016. I had nearly a pound of soap in here at one point and one them is no longer available which was the Eh+. I had C.a.D, ClubGuy, and Eh+ in this container and I burned right through it:

I'm also just going to be getting one soap at a time as I can because next month, I will be starting with my liquid propane heating system. Last year, we didn't start using it until pretty late in the year which was awesome, but I have a sneaky suspicion that we won't be as lucky this year. It's like it starts early one year and then late the next, then it switches back the following year.

11235 & The 66:

What an incredible shave I got this morning. Phoenix Artisan Accoutrment has awesome products and their 11235 scented soap is incredible. It's a floral perfume type of scent for those wondering. I've been told that this pairs extremely well with 4711's aftershave splash but I can tell you it also goes very well with Skin Bracer as well:

The 66 did extremely well. I loosened up a bit on my strop and it worked extremely well. I ended up just doing 2 passes and a neck touch up and got a really clean shave.

Le Petit Chypre & The Doc:

Today's shave was great. I got a bit of a late start this morning, so this ended up being an early afternoon shave. Barrister & Mann should be in everyone's shaving arsenal in my humble opinion. I went with their Le Petit Chypre scented soap and matching aftershave which has a nice warm, woodsy and earthy type scent and the aftershave has a very nice soothing effect:

Since I used Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement's double open comb razor with a fresh Feather DE blade, I got a squeaky clean type post shave in 3 passes. Now I did have to go back and touch up the area to right of the bottom of chin which seems to be a bit of a problem area for me as of late and it seems to be getting worse. I have NOT ruled out starting a straight razor honing service. It's just on hold on a temporary basis until I can get another honing stone which will be a Shapton 12K and if I can swing it, an Arkansas Surgical Black oil stone will be added to my honing arsenal. My friend said that the edge I put on his Gold Dollar 66 was perfect and that it was just a shade under being close to his DE safety razor. And I only went as high as a Norton 8K, so a 12K stone will be great. I'm hoping I win this contest that TomoNagura is having.

Reflection & The 209:

This morning's shave (around 11 AM) was great. Soap Commander has delivered yet another awesome shave soap. Reflection has an incredible scent which is Oakmoss & Amber. And to my nose, this has a clean and fresh cologne scent that BOTH Barbasol Brisk and Skin Bracer seem to pair extremely well with this soap, but they do NOT match it. The Barbasol Brisk was the icing on the cake for this shave with that menthol cooling effect it has:

In terms of post shave feel, I literally have an ice rink type of shave. And it only took 2 passes and a couple of touch ups to get it. I could have went with 1 more pass in terms of comfort, but I didn't feel the need to do one and I was pretty smooth after the against the grain pass. Sometimes it's best to just do 2 passes or less if you have sensitive skin. You don't need to get a BBS every time you shave. That's what kind of damage the cartridge world has done in my opinion.

Mail Call:

Today's mail call is from Soap Commander and let me tell you, they hit a grand slam. Wow what a soap and the bath bar was an extremely nice surprise:

It came sealed and when I opened it, the smell was simply epic. It also got here fast as well. I had to wait an extra day because the post office doesn't put mail out on Sundays but it was more than worth the wait and thensome:

These 2 aftershave splashes pair with it perfectly but are NOT an exact match for it. Reflection has an oakmoss and amber scent which to me smells like a clean and fresh cologne type of scent. I have to get the matching aftershave balm for this one, wow:

And the bath bar you see below, tore me all to pieces but in a very good way. You guys are going to love the new scent that they're releasing this wednesday. The scent of this bath is Verbana & Berries which has a sweetened cologne scent and I love it:

And one of the parts I really enjoy the most about ordering from Soap Commander, is the hand written note you get with your order. That's a very nice and personal touch:

I am estatic and truly excited about this mail call. And with the next seasonal scent being released this coming wednesday, I will have 3 out of 4 seasonal soaps for 2016 which is really cool. I also have 1 more water stone to get along with another oil stone and some paste along with some new leather for my strop which has just about had it before I start my honing service up. which will be soon. I'll be charging $15 dollars per razor and more details will soon follow.