July 9, 2023 – Death Before Decaf * Brush: Paladin Chief 26mm Satin Juma Smoke
Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
Blade: Astra SP (1)
Lather: Gentleman’s Nod - Musashi * Post Shave:* HAGS – The Awakening splash

Admittedly I don’t normally drink coffee or tea. I’m more a regular soda for breakfast kind of guy. Sound unhealthy? It is, but healthy is not what today is all about. A while back I decided to give Musashi a try though as I wanted to see what a tea scent was like and so thankfully I had a tea scented soap to use for today.

The Soap/Lather: The scent of this soap out of the container is strong. I mean really strong and quite off-putting. If you can get past this point and lather it up the scent evens out a little bit and becomes rather enjoyable. The soap lathered up quickly enough, although the kitchen sink gave me a little more water than I would have liked. With my slightly overhydrated lather I was ready to go.

The Shave: I didn’t expect this shave to be too difficult. After all it’s only a change of location. What I forgot all about is the one thing a bathroom has and a kitchen doesn’t that seriously affects shaving, a mirror. My wife was fairly confused with the fact that I was lathering in the kitchen, but after almost two decades with me she’s seen enough of my shenanigans to just shrug this one off. She was even kind enough to allow me to use her portable mirror. That’s right, my wife handed me her face powder and told me the mirror on it was all she had. To say this shave was challenging would be an understatement. The severely limited view, lack of a second hand to stretch skin, and the paparazzi pictures my wife was taking were not at all helpful. I managed to make it through the shave with just barely enough lather and only a few inquisitive questions from the kids. I quickly wrapped up the shave with The Awakening splash and cleaned up my mess.

Theme: Today’s theme was coffee or tea scent and Musashi definitely nails it. The strong Jasmine scent is clearly discernable and somewhat overwhelming. For splash inspiration I looked to my favorite tea in a can, Just Peachy. Yep I made my own Just Peachy shave by using The Awakening which has not only the peach notes, but a Jasmine note as well to help blend it into the soap scent and carry the tea scent through.

Challenge: I did in fact shave in the kitchen, and I do not recommend it.

#ROTY