June 16, 2024 - Old Man Leg Day

• Brush: Semogue Owners Club - Cherry Wood
• Razor: Gillette English Ball End Tech
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Williams - Mug Soap
• Post Shave: Thayers Facial - Toner Rose Petal
• Fragrance: Ralph Lauren - Polo Cologne Intense

FOF

Today’s theme:

Every brand used predates me. I was born in 1970. Williams soap started in 1840 and went out of production around 2022. Thayers started making their products in 1847. King Camp Gillette first started work on his patented safety razor in 1895, but the company was incorporated in 1901. Just like cartridges today, the business used safety razors to sell blades. The Gillette Techs come later being introduced in 1939. This one has notched cap so manufactured likely between 1964 and 1973. There is no date code that I can see, just Gillette Made in England under the plate. P4 would be my birthday razor. Semogue brushes started being made in 1954 in Portugal. The one would fit the OLDWORLD tag, but I finished my scavenger hut a few days ago. Last the youngest company represented start in 1967, Ralph Lauren. This cologne was introduced in 1978, but the company at least started before 1970. So I kept it pretty old school today.

I had thought about going vintage lady razors. I picked up this vintage Curvfit Razor -for personal daintiness. It had two blades in that tuck, but both had rust along the edge. I didn’t trust it enough, nor want to test the tetanus booster I got earlier this year. From the drawings on the box and instructions, it looks more intended for axillary depilation. I also had a couple other vintages I could try, like my Wilkinson Sword Empire 7-Day Razor, or Ever Ready Shovelhead 1924.,:but while the Wilkinson is worth 2-3 hashtags (7 day, non-disposable, and carbon steel safety), it is close to stock. The strop is still wrapped in waxed paper, but it took a hard bump sometime and the bakelite blade organizer is broken near the hinge. It is a pretty amazing little razor though. Kind of wanted to show that at the same time men were being sold razors like the Empire, women were marketed that gimmicky Curvfit or the Kewtie. I think Curvfit was sold from the 1930s to the 1950s. This one looks to be post war. The packaging for the earlier ones is more Art Deco.

Leg Day:

This is the second goofiest challenge presented so far (tomorrow tops it). I certainly did shave my legs last year, and due to some circulation issues, didn’t really need to shave again. I never had very hairy legs, and it is pretty fine and blond or light brown, but several years ago, most of the hair below the knee went away. Even the wiry ones on my big toe. There is still some there, but it is very faint and hard to get in a photo. To meet this challenge, I needed to shave all the way up. So I made a lather in my vintage Old Spice Mug. It was pretty dry and I had to work more water into it, but it just kept drying out in the mug. Dry lather in pic 1, but better not great in pic 2. After leg lathering to kept from loading more lather and drying up, I started to shave. Not safe for lunch. As you can see, I found some hairs to shave. I ended up redoing the lather several times. This Williams soap just starts to go away after a bit. I finally finished up smoothing my legs.Just one pass took longer than my normal shave routine. Lots of Thayers ~~Facial~~ Leg Toner to sooth the dry itchiness this left.

Feats of Fragrance:

Ok Williams Mug Soap has the scent of soap. That’s it, just soap. Starting with an empty palette today. To keep my vintage vibe going, my choices were Thayers, Ice Blue Aqua Velva, or Tabac. I didn’t want the Ice Blue on my legs, but it was also made by Williams, or bought by Williams in the 1920s. I used Tabac for soap yesterday, but not the lotion. It would have been ok. With Leg Day, the floral punch of Rose Petal just felt like it fit better. No old man stank was going on these dainty legs. Rose is a strange scent to me. In my head, rose scents used are just flower scented. I never think that it really is what roses smell like. Probably because modern roses used for bouquets have been hybridized for the straighter stems and tighter flowers, but lost most of the scent. Old school big blossom roses I guess still have the scent, but I’m not often around them. Still this Thayers is a nice clean floral. That left my choices for fragrance today. Trying to keep to a brand/company before 1970 left all of the artisan scents I have off the table. I could have used another variety of Tabac - Original EdT, Man Gravity, Man Silver, or Craftsman, but they didn’t feel right. Today is Father’s Day, and there was one choice for me that fit. Last year for my birthday, my daughter (and wife) gave me this enormous bottle of Polo Cologne Intense. It is a citrus/woody scent with Grapefruit, Sage, and Patchouli as the main notes list on the Ralph Lauren site, but Fragrantica is a bit more detailed adding basil and mint to the top notes, violet leaf and thyme into the middle, with bottom notes ambroxan & vetiver. Described as an aromatic fougere, it has been a pretty refreshing scent for today. Very clean and green for a leisurely brunch. Now I need a nap.