LGSOTD 04-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Eyespot' V18 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Gillette - Slim J2 #ADJUSTABLE #REVENANT #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Treet - Classic Carbon
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Lavender
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavender AS
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavender Balm

It may almost seem like a copout going for the noted set from the theme, however B&M Lavender is my second most used set this year. I always veered away from what I thought might be overly floral scents. However, I took the leap and gave it a bash and turns out I love it. Unfortunately, this opened the doorway to another flood of sets coming in, in the form of Homecoming, Beloved, Trouble Maker, Lavender Noir…it’s a gateway software, still no regrets (apart from the strain on my wallet and storage – oh and the eyerolls from the other half).

This C&H brush is one of my favourites that I’ve picked up from Rob, I've managed to pair them back a little so now I only have 6 in hand. Spalted maple laminated with paduak, bog oak and plastic with a resin ferule. The fit in the hand along with the setting of the V18 fanchurian is just about perfect for me.

Opted for the restored Gillette Slim that I picked up from Anticatura. I was after one of these for a while and almost dove in on a few Ebay specials, but in the end decided to go for one that had been given some extra attention to make sure that it was up to scratch. They go through full restoration steps, disassembling, cleaning, replating and dial painting before finally setting the gaps to factory specs. I’ve only tried a couple of adjustables (Rex Ambassador and Gilette Fatboy), this is the only one that has managed to hang on in there with the collection. Along with this I decided to throw in the Treet Classic Carbon. Now, I’ve not had that much luck with Treet blades, for some reason I just don’t get along with those I’ve tried, and unfortunately this one was no bloody exception, at least on the first outing. It was smooth enough in use but I got some hectic feedback. I’ll give it another couple of goes, but initial impressions make me want to chuck them in the bin and stick with my Wiz's or GSBs.

Challenge – Base War Stories

I’ll be honest I don’t think I’ve been in it long enough to see that many bases come and go, or not so many that I've had my hands on and noticed. There are a couple of Soap makers who seem to produce base after base after base, but the changes (for the most part) feel incremental at best. Though that being said, I’ve seen a couple of recent tallow bases fall out of vogue (or perhaps companies penny pinching) the main one being Mitchells removal of tallow. There are a number who say it’s perfectly fine, and I did try it out a good while ago, it just seemed to take a lot more work to get something similarly stable, equally though others complained of the same failing with the original. Just with the name it feels like it should have animal fat in it. Saying that there’s no wool in it either, so I shouldn’t complain!

As for my current favourite base, once again I’m not sure I really have one, the majority out there produce good to great lather. If I had to absolutely decide on one, then I would probably lean towards B&Ms omnibus. Apart from the post shave feel (which is excellent), it seems to cope well with a variety of water hardness. The water around here is moderately soft however when I return to Yorkshire for a visit we’re looking at the hard end, and neither cause and issue when whipping up in the morning.

Photocontest

Target for this one is ‘Fill the Frame’, struggled more with this pic than any other, my dodgy phone didn't want to focus!

Have a good one all!

Cheers

Marc