Day 18
- Brush: SmilezforMilez – 22mm Synthetic
- Razor: Gem 1912
- Blade: Gem PTFE
- Lather: Dr. Jon’s – Flowers in the Dark Soap
- Post Shave: Taconic Shave - Lavender Lime Splash
- Fragrance: Paco Rabanne - Phantom
For those unfamiliar (and as a reminder for those who are), Dr. Jon's was an artisan soap maker known for their intriguing scents. They closed shortly after I started wetshaving and I only have a couple samples of their products. Flowers in the Dark wasn't your typical lavender situation. Sure, there is lavender, but it is like a lavender field visited by a rogue bolt of lightning, which struck someone and landed them in a coffin made of cedar. I absolutely love it. It’s lavender, with a faint ozone tang, a whisper of the wood of a freshly milled wood (intriguing, right?)
Now, Dr. Jon's is no more, a victim of, well, I’m not entirely sure what. It may have been an explosion of a batch of aftershave or, in a form of poetic justice, and the founder was struck by lightning, while frolicking in a lavender field, and he’s buried in a cedar coffin. I doubt know. I couldn’t be bothered to research why they went out of business, so that’s the story I’m choosing to believe. At any rate, Dr. Jon’s absence leaves a void in the world of curiously scented shave soap. And I have mixed feelings using this sample I have, because I know it’s not going to be made anymore. Like, I know I should use it, but I really enjoy this scent and I don’t want to finish it. I clearly have issues letting go and need to talk to the therapist about it.
ANYWAYS
I lathered up from this tiny sample, a single tear tracing a path down my cheek, which eventually helped hydrate my lather. The shave itself was like a dream. The soap is great and I couldn’t help but think of the poor founder of Dr. Jon’s getting struck by lighting and dying in that lavender field. RIP in peace 🙏🏻
To close out the shave, kept the lavender theme going with the splash and fragrance. Taconic’s Lavender Lime splash, is fresh, floral, and refreshing – giving an entirely different lavender vibe than the soap I used. Phantom, by Paco Rabanne, is more like a brighter version of scent of the soap, bringing an earthy elements, yet with a clean, sharp bite of citrus and a creamy lavender heart that shouldn't work, but somehow ends up smelling unexpectedly cool and is very nice to wear. #FOF
For #photocontest: bucket
The challenge today is to be one with r/wicked_edge, but I’m not entirely sure what that means. Wicked Edge is a vast resource for wetshavers new and old! On a completely unrelated note, I want to show you all my new invention: The Triple Gem! I got tired of doing three pass shaves, so I taped extra Gem blades to the top and bottom of my 1912. Boom! I can do a 3 pass shave in the time it used to take to do a 1 pass shave! Am I brilliant or am I brilliant? I made sure to use the strongest tape I could find because I safety is my top priority. I’ll be taking pre-order starting next week!
iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:
In honor of “RIP in Pieces”… My Top 5 Best Stores that Don’t Exist Anymore
5.) RadioShack – Need batteries? Wires? AC adapters? A computer? Speakers? If you needed it, Radio Shack had it.
4.) Sports Authority – 12 Year old me would spend literally hours in Sports Authority while my family would walk around the rest of the mall. It was there I bought a life-sized cut-out of Ken Griffey Jr that still lives in my parent’s basement.
3.) Brookstone – Oh my god. They had the most useful, useless overpriced junk that I absolutely needed. Somehow, they still have an online storefront, which is shocking, because the entire appeal was walking in, sitting in the massage chair, and maybe splurging on an impulse purchase of a portable weather-station.
2.) Toys R Us – If 12 year old me loved Sports Authority, Toys R Us was for ages 4-11. Man, it was something special when my parents brought me there. Just had to make sure I avoided the pink aisles like the plague. God forbid any of my 10 year old friends see me even look down that aisle. Don’t want anyone to start any rumors…
1.) Blockbuster – They could have had it all. Instead, they banked on the fact that people wanted to browse movie rentals in a physical location instead of relying on the fad of the internet. Whoops! Shootout to that one remaining Blockbuster in Oregon that’s refusing to admit defeat. It’s like the Japanese soldiers that stayed in the jungle after WWII because they thought the war was still going on.