2023-07-20 Dooblie-doo
- Brush: Omega 343178 Synthetic #FAUXFUR #OLDWORLD
- Razor: The Goodfellas' Smile - Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
- Lather: The Goodfellas' Smile - Shibusa 2
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Campania
- Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Dunshire
Relevant Post-shave and Fragrance: Not only are they all dupes
(that's easy and boring), but they're all dupes of "Acqua" scents
(equally easy but maybe slightly less boring).
Also, the The Goodfellas' Smile razor (brand to match the lather) is a
fascimile of a veritable kamisori.
Finally, the synthetic brush is an imitation (albeit a superior one
*darts eyes around*) of a natural brush.
Challenge Accepted:
How much water do I normally use? I have had the thought that I tend to go
a bit pastier than many, but I would sooner say I do "eh, middle water".
Just to be safe, I'ma do both!
Side note: I think there's an important consideration for water quality—i.e.
hard vs soft water—that I don't think gets mentioned enough, especially when
we're talking about how much water you're using. That's a rant
for another time. That said, I do have a bag of citric acid that I never use
because PITA.
I wet the brush just out of habit, then backpedaled to squeeze and shake as
much as I could out of it to get this.
If I'm being honest,
it wasn't that bad, but it stuck hard to
the razor with a tenacity! On the other hand, it was also straight-up
dangerous, because I had to actually force the thing through that dry paste, so any
slip of the razor would certainly result plentiful loss of skin and blood. The
"lather" kept getting drier still, becuase I live on the surface of the sun.
Next, I got it much wetter than I ever would. It took a lot longer than I
thought it would, frankly. Bits of lather and suds were flyin' every which
way; I didn't know what was happening! While I expect some would say that
this looks close to perfect,
it didn't stick to my face very well, and it fizzled away really quickly.
#FOF
Shibusa 2: Acqua Di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Mandorlo Di Sicilia.
Holy shit, that's a lot of syllables.
I had picked up a sample of the actual frag, and I find it to be a close match.
But focusing on the soap itself, my nose-training during the past few weeks
seems to be paying off, because I definitely get anise off of the top
(huge win; I fuckin' love anise). While I'm still not sure if it would fly for
Almond Day (which is why I originally purchased and didn't use it last year),
there is definitely almond at its core. Base vanilla comes through quite
clearly, as well.
Campania: Acqua di Parma's Blue Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi.
Fou de fafa.
Figs. Shit, fruit. Well, I have only myself to blame. Maybe because it's an
unfamiliar kind of fruit to me, it's not too offensive. But still fruit.
Dunshire: Giorgio Armani's Acqua di Gio. I feel like this leans away from the
woodiness of the original.
Hm, it only just now occurred to me that my username might be seen to start
with the Italian name 'Gino'.
Can I get away from that without Streisanding myself?
#photocontest
Photo: Extinct Animals
Observe the noble samurai fending off the likes of... whatever that thing is!
Side note again: Anyone ever try those long Japanese washcloth things? They're
pretty great. I threw one in the photo, because why not pile on with the weird
nihon-esque theme I have going on here. That particular kind is really rough,
so I generally use a softer one, but they all eat soap like crazy.