The Straight Road - Part 23: Friday Fun
Well, it was a strange day because nothing new arrived to my office or home mailbox. I had a vague sense of disappointment as I headed home today, as for the first time this week, I didn't have anything new to add to my shave den. Not that this is a bad thing, as SWMBO decided, during the dinner I had prepared for her, that she wanted me to walk her through the finances and show her where everything stands. Bad time for that, considering how much my SGAD has been raging for the past few weeks. Oh well, I managed to deflect that until Sunday, so we'll see where it ends up.

Name: IMG_8645.jpg Views: 449 Size: 28.8 KB


The Anticipation
I had a bit of trouble deciding what gear to use for my shave today. I could give my new T&H soap a go, as I haven't tried it in a shave yet, or I could finish off my T&H sample of Sandalwood cream and ASB. Then there was the option of MWF, which is always a pleasant shave. The final choice came down to a decision between breaking open the T&H Lavender sample, or going for the West Indian Limes, which would give me a new cream, ASB and cologne to try all in one evening. Then there was the brush choice. After using the Frank Shaving brush for a few days, I figured I'd try something new. I've been a bit down on my Vulfix 2234, which has earned the nickname "Old Floppy" based on my experience so far, but I decided that, given it was a cream day, I'd give the brush another go. Finally, I settled on my ERN 5/8" Barber's Notch in ebony, which has given me good experiences in the past.

The Prep
With the decisions out of the way and the razor stropped, I filled my scuttle with near-boiling water from the stove and treated myself to a relatively quick hot shower. I had dinner in the oven, so I had time to ease into the shave and enjoy myself. The shower was nice and hot, despite being a quick one, then I was ready to go. Lime time!

The Lather
Old Floppy did his job. Not pretty, but not so bad, either. The West Indian Limes "cream" looks a bit more like a gel. It seems a bit gooey, though I wonder if that was due to the hot scuttle. It took a while of stirring and whipping to get an adequate lather, but that's all it ever ended up being: adequate. I couldn't get much thickness, though it did end up slick and protective enough. Of course, the thin layer of lather that ended up on my face did cause it to dry some by the time I got to the left side of my face, but it was still lubricated enough to do the job. The T&H creams are pretty nice in terms of scent and, when they lather up, they are comfortable, but I haven't found them to be that cushiony or thick. At least not like I've been able to get from soaps so far. I suspect I might need more practice lathering with creams.

The Shave
The shave was decent. Not as good as yesterday's, but certainly better than the previous one. The smaller, more nimble 5/8" blade maneuvered easily around my face, though I did ding a couple of ingrown bumps, which brought a bit of blood to the show. I also found that I ended up with some burn on the left jawline, as well as the chin area. Though I was concentrating on being careful of my angle and pressure, I still haven't mastered this razor, or really any of my razors, so I expect these speedbumps as I go along.

The Movember Report
The little guy did a good job of moving around the mo'. I had no trouble with getting close, but not running into, the budding 'stache, so I was pleased with that. I am now at four days growth and looking decidedly scruffy in the upper lip area. SWMBO is already at the eye rolling stage, so I can only imagine what will happen when I have a more full mo'.

The Post
I did my alum, then witch hazel, then the T&H West Indian Limes ASB. The scent of the ASB isn't my favourite, as the first thing I thought of was lemon-scented Pledge, the furniture polish. I dabbed on the cologne as well, for good measure, and went out to try my latest attempt at making shepherd's pie.


The Verdict
I suppose the beauty of these sample packs is that I have been able to discern which scents, and which types of scents, are more likely to appeal to me, not to mention SWMBO. So far, the Trafalgar, Spanish Leather and, to a lesser extent, the Sandalwood, are the winners. 1805 and Grafton are in the acceptable range, while the Limes are not a keeper for me. I think I'm going to stick with samples for a while, as I am still a bit stung from my Tabac lesson. I have ordered a second T&H sample pack just to give the earlier scents another go around. The shave today was decent, though I ended up with some burn. I'm not unhappy with the shave, but I'm not thrilled, either. Old Floppy is still on the bottom of my brush list, even below my Omega 10005 Boar, but he still got the job done.

And sometimes, on The Straight Road, getting the job done is good enough.

Well, Friday night and I'm going to drink some Irish whiskey and relax. I don't think I'll do any work on restoration or lapping my Chinese 12k, but I will probably get to it over the weekend.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack