July 7, 2023 - Let the spice flow
- Brush: Colonel Conk Badger (aka Shaggy) #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
- Razor: Stahly Live Blade Razor #UNICORN
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Spice
- Post Shave: Old Spice - Classic Aftershave Lotion
- Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Gratiot League Square
#FOF
Today’s Theme:
For u/cowzilla3 day, I went with my only Old Spice dupe, Stirling Spice. This was a last minute change in my line up. I was originally planning on Catie’s Bubbles - La Piment De Vie, but decided to change up my Frugal Friday line up, and some things needed to be juggled. Everything was a nice spicy blend today with each product bringing different things to the table.
Today’s Challenge:
I got into wetshaving because of another hobby of mine. During COVID lockdown, I got into fountain pens. I was struggling with the pile of work it brought me and getting used to working from home. I was pretty stressed out and decided to start a journal. I used fountain pens for the journal, and fell in love with how they work and write. You have to be focused on your writing with all the wet ink on the page, and it slowed down my overactive mind at the end of the day. I watched fountain pen reviews on Youtube, and people mentioned how great the r/fountainpens community was on Reddit. That got me to Reddit a couple years ago. I was ordering a special ink from an online store, and it sold some shaving gear. To get up to free shipping, I threw in a Colonel Conk brush, bowl, and soap set (same brush used today). Eventually I started looking into learning more about wetshaving, and landed at r/Wicked_Edge, and lurked here for a while.
For fountain pens, it isn’t just the pen, but the whole process of pen, ink, and paper. Ink became an affordable luxury with bottles going from $10-30. The inks can have special properties like shading, sheen, and shimmer. To best see those properties, you need good fountain pen paper. They allow the ink to dry without bleeding or ghosting through the paper. Pens have different features that people like such as nibs which can be made from steel, titanium, gold, and palladium. The tips of the nibs come in many different sizes and grinds, and some people even get custom ground nibs to suit how they write. It is a hobby that ranges all over the place from people buying inexpensive pens (under $10) and up to the prices of cars. I saw one that was priced at $24,000. Now most of my pens fall into the lower end of that spectrum in the $10-40, but I have a few that were higher (still not crazy high though).
Today’s Shave:
I bought the Stahly just for the collection and novelty of a wind up vibrating DE razor. To get that unicorn checked off, I cleaned it up to shave today. It was in good shape already though, so more for peace of mind. Lathered the soap up in my Old Spice mug, and immediately recalled why I don’t use this brush. It sheds around 10 or so bristles every shave, the tips break off, and it is a floppy, shaggy mess. It is very soft with no backbone, yet scratches more than a new and dry boar brush. I will admit, I was able to build a decent lather, but applying to to my face was awful. The Stahly is an anchor of a razor. Very heavy with a bulky handle. Of course I tried it with the vibrating mechanism wound up. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it shaved, especially on my neck. It is a very good shaver, but will go back on the shelf with my other antique and vintage razors. Near as I can age it is between 1956 and 1964. In 1964 the name Live Blade was trademarked, but my razor does not have a TM or other trademark designation. Pretty sure it falls into the right period. The razors were produced into the 1970s, but those models switched to aluminum construction. This one is made from chromed brass. You can see the brass on the handle threads.
Today’s Fragrance:
I think with the mix of scents in Stirling Spice, there were many options for post shave and fragrance. I went with the obvious Old Spice, and decided on Chatillon Lux - Gratiot League Square for the clove and nutmeg notes. The result is quite pleasant. My daughter gave it a thumbs up and says I smell like cake. I swear, we need to get her nose checked out. What I get is the spicy and citrus of the Old Spice scents of the soap and lotion, but with the fragrance, I’m now in a plush leather chain smoking a pipe. I can still smell the clove and a hint of nutmeg in the fragrance, but tobacco and leather are the primary notes I get. Very nice combination, and may become a regular mix for me. I’ll give today’s scent combos a very solid B+.
Todays haiku attempt:
Old Spice, not old man,
Tobacco, leather, and clove,
With hints of nutmeg.