June 13, 2024
- Brush: Stirling Soap Co. Finest Badger 24 mm Fan Knot
- Razor: Fatip Piccolo Slant Closed Comb
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (Green) (5)
- Lather: Master Soap Creations – Frosted Lavender
- Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Uitwaaien
- Fragrance: Mountblanc – Explorer
Stacking
These stacks they keep me down, so I build some more
—Fugazi, “Stacks”
Today I put things in a stack. Went better than expected. Especially considering yesterday’s monstrosity.
Stay Frosty
For soap I used Master Soap Creations Frosted Lavender. I don’t use menthol products (Orbit was too intense for me). MSC FroLav was so frosty that while making the lather I could already feel it on my face (or so I suspected—maybe psychosomatic). When I applied, though, it didn’t seem that cold. Initially. Then it got cold. Stayed cold. Stayed with me.
Uitwaaien aftershave seemed a good pairing. Has an unusual cooling effect immediately evident.
Mountblanc Explorer isn’t cold by itself. It’s actually got a funky/armpit note. But Mount Blanc—I assume Mount Blanc has snow on it. And it's a mountain—so cold. And "Explorer" could imply venturing to some distant, cold place. Let us face ourselves. We are Hyperboreans; we already know how far off we live. Beyond the north, ice, and death—our life, our happiness.
Cracked Ice
In today’s edition of Brush Strokes I wanted to feature the cartoon character Chilly Willy. But I have to instead share this remarkable diptych, depicting cracked ice, painted by the Kyoto artist Maruyama Ōkyo. This was painted in the late 18th century. It’s just ice. With cracks in it.
#ROTY