Post Shave: Noble Otter - BarrBarr Aftershave Splash
Fragrance: Noble Otter - BarrBarr EdP
Day 6 of my journey through barbershops.
Today, my wife and I celebrate our 14th Anniversary. So for today, I went with my wife's (and possibly my) favorite barbershop. Along with the Iberia 14.
I just recently made and installed these new Weru scales and topped it off with a brass wedge. I'm loving the look and feel.
I really like the OG Guerilla. It's a great mid-aggression razor for a mild-boi like myself. I tried one of the newer Gen ones in the same gap (.68) and it felt like it had more blade exposure. More exposure isn't needed in my opinion, as it's plenty efficient as is.
I kind of think that most bases work just fine. There seems to be incentive to offer something new to get customers to return to the brand. It will be interesting to see how long Will stays with Omnibus. He said it would be the last one. In the case of Sri, I think his Crème Fraîche base is actually less expensive for him to produce. It feels different from Siero, and I think it is also top tier, but it's not necessarily "better".
Today's razor is Puma 89 #1 in my collection. It has an Ozuku Jnat edge. Yesterday's Puma 89 (#2) had a coticule edge. I can tell the difference in texture between the two natural finishes. Both are extremely comfortable and both produced excellent shaves. The Jnat edge has a slightly softer feel; one that hides the apex a little. The coticule edge is also soft, but provides more feedback on the apex. I am certain that the coticule edge, though pushed as far as the stone would allow, is slightly less keen than the Jnat edge. Adapting one's shaving technique can easily handle this small difference.
You might be thinking Cerberus and Fú Dào? Yep. They complement each other IMO.
Lather: Los Jabones de Joserra - Masala Connection
Post-Shave: Thayer's Original toner; Natura Siberica ASB gel
Fragrance: none
-> 1-pass head and 2-pass face shave. A little bloody, but a relief.
Today I had the urge to change things up and I went from a pretty long stubble beard down to a full goatee (with short stubble). I've had just stubble for a few months now; unfortunately it's not a great look overall with my patchy growth and the first grey beard hairs creeping in at 30, mostly on the cheek area. So now I'm back to the style I've rocked for a few years; however I plan to focus more on the moustache and keep the chin part rather short. Even with just the goatee, I should have enough variation to experiment with...
Given that I haven't shaved my face in a long time, I took it really slow and started on the cheeks rather than on my head as usual. Thankfully I only had two tiny weepers, so it worked.
I hadn't tried Masala Connection yet, so I was quite curious how it would fare today. The scent itself is more suitable for colder months, once it was lathered it reminded me of a fresher or rather modern variation of Dior's Fahrenheit (thankfully, without any old man sweat note). Performance wise, it's very quick to lather up and creates a very dense one. It is very slick too, a great choice for safety razors. In terms of skin health, I felt a slight burn once it was lathered, but no eczema reaction or any redness to speak of. My skin actually feels rather good after using it. We'll see how further uses play out...