Theme Thursday - Godspeed Voyagers!
Excellent shave, incredible scents!
It’s a Voyager 1 themed Thursday at r/wetshaving, so I want to plug the documentary It’s Quieter in the Twilight about the handful of JPL engineers still working the Voyager project.
Rating: 4.5/5
The scent notes for Narcisse look really intriguing.
Gentleman’s Nod - Musashi
Sep 4, 2024 - Orange You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana
Rating: 4/5
Sep 3, 2024 - Still Life with Apple
Crisp apples and fresh laundry to start today off.
Rating: 4/5
Glad to hear that the soap arrived. The soap base creates a low structured, very slick lather. The proto-lather can be a bit stringy at first if you start with your brush on the drier side. I think the scent profile of DSP is much more about being deep in the forest and less about the night sky. The invigorating evergreens and oak moss are much more prominent, while the lavender helps to round the scent out.
Oro Valley++
This soap caused me to seek out a sample of the Ombre Leather fragrance, and it did not disappoint.
Sep 2, 2024 - Macduffs Monday
While I’ve sampled DSP before, this is my first use with the new set, and the first use with this brush. They’ve been sitting on the shelf patiently waiting until September.
Rating: 4.5/5
AA24 - Day 31 - Final Day
Brush: Zenith Multi-Color (2006 XSE) 21mm Unbleached Boar Knot
Blade: Gillette Platinum [31]
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Soap (Mutton Tallow)
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Splash
Fragrance: Gentleman’s Nod - Jackie - Eau de Parfum
Tags: $ShepherdsofStirling $RawHoggin $Discord
Hopefully, I managed to earn the 🍀🐑Shepherd of Stirling🐑🍀 badge using Varen for the entire month. Same razor, same soap, and same brush in Extreme Mode, plus the same blade challenge from Ultra Nightmare mode.
Varen was not a difficult scent to use for the month. In fact, I appreciate it’s complexity more now than when I started. Mutton is a fantastic, premium base as well.
This brush has progressed nicely, but I still don’t think it’s fully broken in. After a month of use, the boar stench is barely noticeable. I believe I’ll stick to bleached boar knots in the future.
This is the longest I’ve pushed a DE blade, and I’m not inclined to do it again anytime soon. I’m glad that I managed to finish out the month with it. I had to adapt my technique for the last week in order to still get close and comfortable shaves.
With the familiarity of this setup, I also managed to reduce the time of my routine by an average of five minutes. This was a personal challenge for the month that I was trying to achieve.
Final Tub Check: 163g
Overall Usage: 38g
Average Per Day: 1.2g
AA24 - Day 29 - Lavendursday
Brush: Zenith Multi-Color (2006 XSE) 21mm Unbleached Boar Knot
Blade: Gillette Platinum [29]
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Soap (Mutton Tallow)
Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavanille - Splash
Tags: $ShepherdsofStirling $RawHoggin $Discord
AA24 - Day 28 - Witchcrafts Wednesday
Brush: Zenith Multi-Color (2006 XSE) 21mm Unbleached Boar Knot
Blade: Gillette Platinum [28]
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Soap (Mutton Tallow)
Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougère Nemeta - Aftershave (Alcohol Free)
Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougère Nemeta - Eau de Parfum
Tags: $ShepherdsofStirling $RawHoggin $Discord
I guess it’s been awhile since I’ve used Nemeta because, in my mind, I was worried that Varen would overpower it, but that was not a problem.
AA24 - Day 27 - Barrbarr
Brush: Zenith Multi-Color (2006 XSE) 21mm Unbleached Boar Knot
Blade: Gillette Platinum [27]
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Soap (Mutton Tallow)
Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr - Splash
Tags: $ShepherdsofStirling $RawHoggin $Discord
Another cool morning, and pairing with BarrBarr was a great choice.
AA24 - Day 30 - Fougère Friday
Brush: Zenith Multi-Color (2006 XSE) 21mm Unbleached Boar Knot
Blade: Gillette Platinum [30]
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Soap (Mutton Tallow)
Post Shave: Noble Otter/House of Mammoth - Cerberus Fougere - Aftershave
Fragrance: Declaration Grooming/House of Mammoth - Cerberus Fougere - Eau de Parfum
Tags: $ShepherdsofStirling $RawHoggin $Discord
I had to get in a pairing with Cerberus Fougère before the end of the month, and it did not disappoint.
One more day with this blade, and then I can bin it. I’m looking forward to using a fresh blade again.
6th