I am only about 4 shaves in and I am gaining confidence using my straight. I'm still not getting shaves as good as I was with the mach 5 but enjoying the whole thing a lot more and I'm confident I will get there. I would like to hear what some of you guys think about my routine, specifically opinions about the products I am using, as I am trying somewhat of a minimalist approach to wet shaving.

Razor - Dovo BQ 5/8 full hollow
Brush - Tweezerman Badger brush (10 dollars on amazon.com)
Soap - VDH Deluxe (I add 3-5 drops of glycerin before building lather)
Aftershave balm - Vaseline face and body lotion for men
Styptic pencil if needed

So I take a hot shower, maybe ten minutes. Get out and dry off and put on my robe. Run the water as hot as possible, heat up my mug with VDH in it, trying not to get water in it yet. Soak my brush. Give it a good shake and get the lather going for about 3-5 seconds, then put 3-5 drops of glycerin on the soap. Continue building lather in the mug till I get a good lather. Begin applying to my face, spend a good minute or so on that, waking up the whiskers and such. Place mug down with brush in the mug. Wiping blade on a cloth periodically, I do my first pass wtg, re-apply lather, second pass xtg, (at this point i plan on re-applying later and doing a 3rd pass atg but I am not yet because last time I got very bad razor burn after doing that). I then splash my face with a lot of very cold water, use styptic pencil if necessary, and then apply vaseline face and body lotion. Am I missing out on a better shave because of sub par materials? I also read something when doing some research about glycerine not actually having moisturizing properties, but drawing water from your own skin from the inside out, therefore actually drying out your skin. I am undecided at this point in my shaving career whether it is better or not, but I know a lot of guys on here believe it helps immensely so I am trying it. My brush seems to be losing a few hairs every time I use it, I am cleaning it out thoroughly after each use, shaking it out a good deal and hanging it back up on its stand. As for stropping I usually do it after shaving, sometimes before or sometimes whenever I have the time if I know I need to strop the razor before the next shave. 40 cloth side, 60 leather. Any suggestions on anything at all are welcome. Thanks.