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2 days agoTo be fair, there’s a ton of different bases with different names by a variety of soap makers. It’s hard to keep track of everything that’s out there.
DaveWave94
31 y. o. | M | he/him | Thuringia, Germany
- 7 Posts
- 604 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
Cake day: September 29th, 2023
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16.07.2025
- Brush: yellow bakelite handle w/ 22 mm AP Shave Co. SynBad knot
- Razor: RazoRock Hawk V2 w/ Cyber handle
- Blade: KAI Captain Protouch MG
- Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Irving Park
- Post-Shave: OAM sensitive skin toner
-> 2 passes on the head, 1 for neck line and cheek line each. Nice and smooth!
For the BVWSC shave (it’s Thursday by the time I’m posting in my time zone, but the shave happened while it was still Wednesday) we used Irving Park by the very talented Vida (owner of Chicago Grooming). Thanks to @[email protected] for the generous sample!
YSL Rive Gauche and by proxy Irving Park would on paper be something I shouldn’t like, thanks to anise, lavender and geranium - scents that usually turn me off. That being said, on paper is different from the real world: it’s blended nicely with the other pleasant notes that it smells really good to my nose. I would say I can notice and appreciate the hint of bergamot, but I don’t really get anything else individually. It’s really a thorough cologne blend. A good one though. For those male wetshavers who aren’t as crazy as us hobbyists with tons of different soaps, I can see this being a solid daily driver. Perhaps better suited for the other 3 seasons except summer, but today it was a rainy day over here so it actually worked for me.
As for the performance, it was as great as expected. Never had any problems with CG lathers. I had to use a tiny brush for sample lathering which was a bit awkward for head shaving, but the sample lather became useable pretty fast. Good primary and residual slickness (important during head shaves) and a very nice post shave skin feeling.
Overall, a really good shave. Thanks to Boss for the opportunity to try this soap!
Two people, one thought 😂
[…] both the older base (did it have a name?) […]
The old CG base was called “Canard” IIRC and I agree that it is a very solid performer - I’m not familiar with Darkwing though…
13.07.2025
- Brush: AP Shave Co. black & clear handle w/ 30 mm Tuxedo Fan knot
- Razor: Ever-Ready 1912 SE
- Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
- Lather: House of Mammoth - Indigo
- Post-Shave: OAM sensitive skin toner; moisturizer
-> 2-pass head shave, very nice and smooth.
Don’t know, today felt like a day for Indigo. Slow, lazy Sunday with very indecisive weather. Currently it’s raining buckets after a very humid day.
A bit tired, helped my parents install their new larger TV and re-organize their whole living room. Both of us now have the same soundbar, a very nice upgrade in terms of audio quality.
Sometimes leaving behind something that doesn’t benefit you in any form is the best way to kickstart change/growth. I wish you best of luck with the job search!
08.07.2025
- Brush: AP Shave Co. black & clear handle w/ 30 mm Tuxedo Fan knot
- Razor: Ever-Ready 1912 SE
- Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
- Lather: Wickham Soap Co. 1912 - Magnum
- Post-Shave: alterra men sensitive ASB
-> single pass, mostly WTG on both head and around the circle beard. Belated celebration shave of passing my practical exam. Not super smooth, but close and comfortable!
Haven’t used a GEM in a while and I still ask myself why. Sure, the MMOC is a bit rougher than my other razors, but this one? Mild, efficient, great audio feedback. My first ever contact with a GEM single edge razor was a Star 1912 that I won in a PIF and subsequently also PIFed to someone years later. I love the ease of the clamp mechanism holding the blade down, the grip of the handle, the weight… I know a lot of people complain how difficult it is to shave under the nose with GEMs, but for beards those things rock - really sharp lines are possible with enough patience and a steady hand. Since the last few days, I gradually trimmed back my long stubble and once again I arrived at the henriquatre/circle beard/full goatee. And it seems like this is actually the best look for my patchy growth, the extended version wasn’t looking very flattering at all 😅
Magnum is a great soap. Compared to modern bases, the lather is a bit more frothy/airy, but the scent is godlike. Truly one of my top tens just for scent alone… It’s masculine but still comfortable & a people pleaser. Kinda like an old cologne, so the name is very fitting. I’m still really proud of myself for passing 2/3 of all final exams and this was a nice reward.
Thank you very much! Indeed, those 4 hours were very hard mentally and physically - but at least it’s finally done. I really hope to have some rest and relaxation once my paid leave starts on Monday…
I passed my practical exam today!
Got a 2 (or B for our american folks) overall. I made some unfortunate mistakes, but in general it was good. Still feels really surreal though. Now only one oral exam at the end of August between me and my degree…The only negative is that I’m totally exhausted now. I’m even too tired for a celebratory shave… already fell asleep in my armchair for over an hour. My exam today was 4 hours total and my already short attention span is absolutely fried. Unfortunately I need to work two early shifts over the weekend since we’re short staffed - it’s summer holiday season after all. But after those two shifts, I finally have my well-deserved vacation time of 2 weeks. So no complaints from me.
Happy Independence Day from across the pond!
Sounds like a fun weekend.
03.07.2025
- Brush: AP Shave Co. black & clear handle w/ 30 mm Tuxedo Fan knot
- Razor: Wilkinson Sword Hydro
- Blade: Hydro 3 cartridge
- Lather: Abbate Y La Mantia - Blu Tobacco
- Post-Shave: OAM sensitive skin toner
-> 2-pass head shave with a cartridge. Boring, but smooth - due to nerves and tons of things on my mind, I just needed an autopilot razor today.
Blu Tobacco gives a great menthol tobacco scent and a gentle cooling sensation while not sacrificing any lather quality. I really enjoy this soap and I hope it helps me to keep cool for tomorrow!
First day of the practical exam done. Writing my care plan in just two hours was a very limiting time constraint, I just hope I didn’t forget too much. Tomorrow it’s four hours of putting everything into practice… I need to remember a lot of things, difficult for my ADHD. But still, I want this and it needs to be done one final time!
Thanks! First day went by OK, tomorrow will be a little more stressful… But I am determined to give my best effort!
02.07.2025
- Brush: AP Shave Co. black & clear handle w/ 30 mm Tuxedo Fan knot
- Razor: RazoRock Cyber Medium w/ Superknurl handle
- Blade: BIC Chrome Platinum
- Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Rope Swing
- Post-Shave: OAM sensitive skin toner
-> 1 pass head shave and a bit of buffing the dome with a cartridge razor (my safety razor fell down on the floor behind my washing machine and the blade was ruined by dust - shit happens).
Hottest day of the year so far so it was time for Rope Swing yet again! After suffering through the heat today, such a cold shave (also with cold water!) was really blissful. Just a toner today since balms tend to leave my head really sticky on hot days. Overall, a smooth and relaxing shave.
So tomorrow my practical exam finally starts, although with the written part first (documentation and care plan). Friday I’ll need to put everything into action. Am I nervous? Sure. But I don’t want to show it and I don’t want to let it stop me. I’m well prepared and while it will be hard, I really want to get this done nicely.
Welcome! Glad to hear that safely razors are working well for you.
As for shaving soaps and making your own lather with a brush, there’s definitely a learning curve to it but you can bet that it’ll feel like a tremendous improvement over canned foam and gels! High-quality shaving soaps also don’t contain any parabens, but a lot of skin-friendly ingredients. I’m a head shaver with a scalp prone to breakouts, itching and razor burn and noticed a clear improvement from switching. YouTube tutorials are your friend, it’s how a lot of us used to learn the technique. Feel free to ask for recommendations here, our instance is small but pretty knowledgeable!
30.06.2025
- Brush: AP Shave Co. black & clear handle w/ 30 mm Tuxedo Fan knot
- Razor: Leaf Thorn
- Blade: Perma-Sharp half DE
- Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Rope Swing
- Post-Shave: HAGS - Apocalypse ASB
-> 2-pass head shave. A very solid shave except for a nick behind my left ear yet again (I suppose it’s some skin blemishes from my glasses that make this occur)
Really hot day, so I longed for something to cool down - enter Rope Swing, which even has “cooling shave soap” printed on the tub. The synthetic cooling agent pairs surprisingly well with the green scent. Unfortunately I don’t have anything matching for post-shave products, finding alcohol-free toners or balms with menthol or WS-23 seems to be a rare occurrence.
First day where I am back to work for my practical exam week. Thursday and Friday are my days. I’m a tad bit nervous, but everything is manageable. Let’s get this over with!
I have, just forgot to properly tag you in my post mentioning it. Thanks again!
26.06.2025
- Brush: AP Shave Co. black & clear handle w/ 30 mm Tuxedo Fan knot
- Razor: Leaf Thorn
- Blade: Perma-Sharp half DE
- Lather: Barrister and Mann - Le Grand Chypre
- Post-Shave: alum block; Lavera Men sensitive ASB
-> 1 pass on both head and face. Today the face shave was way more comfortable for some reason, even after waiting for one day my dome didn’t really agree with the blade today: one nick behind my left ear, several weepers. That’s what the alum block was invented for…
LGC was my first Omnibus base soap, but like a few others I feel like it was more of a lateral step towards more greasy/skin food bases instead of a step up. Excelsior was really, really solid FWIW. Not trying to knock on Will’s new base in any capacity, just an honest personal observation. The scent though? Great for summer, like a nice cola/coke with citrus. It’s a mix of different ingredients which I didn’t expect to smell like that, but it’s a welcome surprise.
Today my new cordless vacuum cleaner arrived. It’s great and a definitive improvement over my older model. I’ll write some more about in in FTF tomorrow. Now I only wait for the car cleaning kit I ordered for my old one to arrive, as I intend to keep that as my little Opel cleaning assistant.
Since the LG participants are sharing songs today, I was reminded of the side-side challenge I used to run in one Austere August a few years back. So why not join in on the fun?! Here’s my share for the day: Kerosene by Big Black - don’t be intimidated by the noisy guitar, the gritty & snappy bass tone makes up well for it. The lyrics are a bleak case of cabin fever known by a lot of people who live in very rural areas… (I might make the song sharing a more regular occurrence as I enjoy that more than just summarising my shave)
18.07.2025
-> single pass head shave at night. Fast and comfortable.
I forgot that I own this razor, only remembered when I threw away the old packaging of it (among other things) away yesterday. It had some rust, but I was able to get it off with some cleaner. Still need to treat the coating with something, but it already shaved very well. This one is the Stando model where everything is set to neutral/medium IIRC and these seem to be very good for my skin.
Peaches & Cognac follwed by Pomona was an interesting fruity, sweet and slightly spicy progression. It hurts a bit to use Pomona considering SWs recent folding, but still better than letting it rot.
For me it’s already Sunday night, I have to work in the early shift this weekend again. Well, let’s hope it won’t be too stressful… Have a nice weekend ✌🏻