Monday, the 17th of July, 2023
- Brush: Yaqi Professional 24mm badger
- Razor: Gillette gold "fat handle" post-war Tech #RAINBOW
- Blade: Gillette Rubie (28)
- Lather: Storybook Soapworks - Carnivale
- Post shave: Highland Springs Soap Company - Eclipse
- Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus
I'm now in day four without power. They say they're working eastward, and will be back making repairs in this area tomorrow... but at this point I'm no longer optimistic. This is the longest outage I've experienced since 2007, I think. Or maybe that was 2008? I forget now, but it was a many years ago.
Anyway, it's a good thing I'm not relying on an electric shaver! Today's shave is all about software collaborations. Carnivale is a scent produced by Australian Private Reserve (RIP), put into soap by Storybook Soapworks (the company is also gone, but the owner not deceased, at least as far as I know). It's a lovely scent, and I really regret not getting the perfume when it was available. This is a soap which lathers up fast, although I'm not in a hurry today, and the shave was great.
After the shave, I turn to another APR collaboration, this time with Highland Springs Soap Company, Eclipse. It's a much darker scent, befitting the name, and also much more potent. Even the soap is quite a bit more potent than Carnivale. Finally, another dark scent, albeit with a spot of bright fruit, Cerberus. This one didn't involve APR, but was a three-way collaboration between House of Mammoth, Noble Otter, and Declaration Grooming.
As for the challenge, I still have never bought alum. Well, not for myself, anyway: I have sent someone else alum I bought, but not used alum, oh, no. You know that stuff's dangerous. And even though I don't do it often, nicks happen on occasion. I mean, if I wouldn't reuse a bandage, why would I want to reuse alum, when it would get bloodied after a nick? I don't think I need it for feedback: my skin will certainly tell me, even without alum, if I've overshaved. So, what's the point?