Feathered Comfort, DE shaves 44 & 45

I have found the Feathered land,

I think I will be getting rid of all the other blades I have and sticking with feathers from now on.  They are just that nice that I cant see going back to any other at this point.  With how thick my whiskers are the other blades dull to quickly, if they aren’t sharp enough in the first place.  The feathers are just a cut above.

I mixed things up a bit with these shaves, 44 was with the slim that I have been using lately, but with 45 I loaded my EJ with a feather to see how it would do.  Both were great shaves.  Clean, smooth and now pulling or tugging.  Bleeding is nearly non existent as well.

Shave 44 was slim to non as usual.  The blade set at 4 just glided across my lathered face.  Makes things feel so much better when the blade just slices instead of pulling its way across your face.  I think this blade is about done as it is starting to dull, but I have put a few shaves on it now so its time is probably near.  Used the extreme comfort again just to add some moisture to my face.  I have been sick lately and my face has been very dry because of it.

For a change in scenery I went back tot he EJ for a fixated shave.  I put a feather in just to see how much different they really were compared to the other blades I have used with the EJ.  I will say there is no comparison.  The EJ did its magic as it always does, but did it in a way that it has never performed before.  Just like with the slim, the feather brings out the best in the EJ.  I will say that this blade makes any razor better.  Again with the extreme comfort, still sick and still dried out.

So hopefully soon this shave will be feeling better and will be keeping up with the shaves.  I hope this season finds all of you doing well, at least better than I am feeling.  Happy shaving every one.

Till next time, cant wait till the next DE shave.

BG

Customized Shaving, DE Shave 43

I think I like wet shaving the most due to the customization it provides,

Im not talking that I have a razor that is custom-made for me, but also in a way I am.  The thing about wet shaving is you arent locked into the mainstream limited choices.  With modern razors its multiblade or bust, and all the so-called shave creams are synthetic blends of chemicals.  With wet shaving you get a different feel and pampering as well.  From the numerous choices in razors, blades, soaps, brushes, mugs………. I could go on and on.  They all lead to the custom personal shave that generations before us had.  You can find what works best and not have to live with a sub par shave every day.

Today was a fatboy shave.  I still had the Personna Blade and it worked good.  Before I met the feather I found this blade to be quite nice, and it still is.  The difference is I have found my custom shave with the Feather blades over the others I have tried.  I am not discounting the persona blades in the slightest, they are a very good and sharp blade.  The shave was still good and was very nice, just dont think this is the end all be all blade for me.

Again I have been going back to the Nivea Extreme comfort balm.  My face has been quite dry lately and a little irritated and this stuff calms it right down.  All part of the customizing of my shaving experience.  I have 5 balms and 2 splash on after shaves that I can rotate thru to find the best for me.  There is also a different after shave for different occasions.  One for every day work, one for going out on a date, and one for those really dry days.  All in all I am just having fun finding my shaving niche.

Till next time, cant wait till the next DE shave.

BG

Feather Part Deux, DE shave 42.

The feather was another hit today,

I must say I was expecting much worse but receiving the best shaves thus far with any of my blades.  I am a feather fanatic in a feathery frenzy over the Feather Blades.  These suckers are awesome.  The slice, they dice and they might even do the laundry.  Well maybe not the last part, their good but not that good.  I had less irritation and not bleeding this time around and can only attribute it to what I have changed, the blade.

The shave was great, as if you didnt notice already.  Lather rinse, repeat is the name of the game.  So I played it like non other this morning.  From the shower to the final after shave balm things were fantismal.  I used the slim today with the feather locked and loaded.  It just glided over my three-day growth with no problem.  Who knew a feather could cut so clean?  My face after a three-day hiatus looks a lot better.  I cant wait for the day I dont have to constantly shave every day, I think that is one of my bigger issues.  I used the Cool Kick balm again, really beginning to love this stuff.  It is light and keeps my face moist throughout the day.

Not much else to chime in on.  Hope you all arent too board to tears with my daily ritual.  I try to keep it as real yet witty as possible, there is only so much a shaver can talk about.

Till next time, cant wait till the next DE shave.

BG

Feather shaving, DE shave 41.

Well I passed through the feathers today,

I came out unscathed and intact I might add.  After drumming up enough courage and calming down my shaky hand, I put in the blade to my slim to prep for uncharted waters.  These waters arent the kind you just go into haphazardly, you need to make sure you have a blood supply near by if they lap over the side of the boat.  fortunately I didnt need a doctor this shave around.

I must say that all the hype must have come from somewhere, but not from this side of the shaving world.  It didnt seem to death-defying, at least not any more than any other blade.  I would rank it up there as a very very good blade, but not sure if it is the skin remover that I have read so much about.  I better find some wood to knock on before I jinks myself.  So I would defiantly recommend this blade to the mid to advanced user.  It is probably on the top of my blade list at this point from what I have used thus far.

As for the shave, well not much different from the other good blade shaves.  Rinse, lather, repeat.  The actual shaving part went very nicely, smooth and seemed to slice thru any whisker that got in its way.  No tugging, pulling or what not.  I was impressed and disappointed at the same time.  I thought this was going to be a blood bath to remember, maybe some other time.  This shave didnt make any headline news this week.  The after shave balm has been working out well since I switched to the Cool Kick.  Seems to be a lot lighter and my face thank me for buying it.  Now just need to get it the rest of the way healed up so the little bug quits pointing at my face and saying, “hurt, hurt”.

Till next time, cant wait till the next DE shave

BG

Astra shave, DE shave 40

Hit another big number today,

Along with the big 40 I also used a different blade, the Astra.  Used it in the slim, only have a few new razors so I had to go back to the beginning of the rotation.  I will say it is kind of nice to have a selection of razors to choose from.  Each of them shave a bit differently and it is fun trying to figure out those differences.  Along with that I have been using different blades in each, so that puts an added flavor in the mix

Along with the normal shower I, as you have been reading, have been using the Nivea Revitalizing face scrub.  I have grown to like it for a couple reasons; first that it cleans my face and seems to be helping a lot in the realm of my face breaking out, and second it seems to add a bit of slip to my face when I go to shave.  Must be the conditioning part of the scrub that the label advertises.  After that I lathered up and got to shaving.  The new blade was OK, not as good as the Crystal or the Personna blades in my mind.  It seemed on par with the Wilkinson blades, good blade but not top notch.  The biggest difference I noticed was the dragging of the blade.  It didn’t seem to slice thru the whiskers like the others.  The shave was good, just a little work on getting it closer and a small rash after.  Other than that it was another good shave.

I also used the Nivea Cool Kick this morning to see if that would help out with the greasy face feeling, it is a bit lighter of a balm.  Seemed to do the trick.  With the warmer weather approaching I think I will be using it more.  In summer I might just be using a straight after shave like Old Spice, something just to splash on.  I think I have one blade type left, the Feather.  I will try to be adventurous for the next shave and see how well it works out.

Till next time, cant wait till the next DE shave.

BG

Slim Super, DE shaves 38 & 39

Got another razor in use,

Well not for the first shave, but the second one I did.  Had another night at work so I used my first slim that I have packed away in my work spit kit.  Then I used my Super I received in the mail a couple of days ago for the next days shave.  I must say, I really cant tell the differences in the slim and super, they look different, but not sure past that.  Also blades make a tremendous difference, brands that is.  Can completely tell when Im using a better blade vs the ones that are just run of the mill.

As for the work shave, 38, it was just ok.  actually it wasnt all that great.  Still the hot water isnt working in my room, so that is working against me, and I was using what I thought was a good blade but have since learned differently.  For a while now I have used the Wilkinson Sword blades, till I got the new variety blades.  I noticed a huge difference in going back to them from shaving with the others this past week.  Not as good as the Crystals or the Personna’s that I have used.  The Wilkinson blades pulled and didnt slice as nice as the others.  Even with doing my normal regimental stroke routine, WTG, XTG, then ATG, things were still scratchy on my face.  So I think I will do without those blades for now.  Other than that not much to report.  I do think that I need to figure out what Balm is best for spring time, the Nivea Revitalizing with Q10 is a good winter one, but a bit heavy now that things are warming up.  My face felt a bit greasy all day after using it.  On a cold dry day it is great, but with the temps rising I think I will have to put a lighter balm in my spit kit for work.

Now for the better Super shave.  This razor is not much in different design than the slim.  The only real big differences I noticed is the adjustment know is a bit different, as in different levels for the number settings, and the handle is longer and black.  I do think it gave an excellent shave.  I am torn as to what Gillette gives the better shave, I like them all.  Today I used the Crystal blade again, forgot to change it up a bit.  Still I liked this blade in this razor.  Smooth shaving all around and no burning.  I think the added length is good as it seemed to help hold a better angle for longer times.  I had this one adjusted to a 4 and it did a very nice job, no pulling or tugging.  Hear is a pick of the razor,

So soon I will be trying out another blade, dare I say a feather blade?  Stick around and see if a blood bath ensues.  I have been enjoying the new face wash, seems to clear up my skin.  Went without balm today to see how my face would do and it did great.  It was a bit dry, but at least not oily.  I think I might try that new Arctic Freeze balm a bit more often for the spring summer months.  Seems a bit lighter than the rest.

Till next time, cant wait till the next DE shave.

BG

More Nivea Stuff

Well I have found more,

Nivea that is, a couple new things arrived on the shelf of the local drug store.  I was supposed to be getting just a styptic pencil and some candy for ladybug.  What can I say, I just cant help myself.  This shaving stuff has gotten into my blood, directly and indirectly.

As for what it is I found, and subsequently purchased, was another balm and a face wash.  The thing that got me on the face was, one my face has been breaking out, and two, it had pre-shave printed on the label.  Marketing will get you every time.  Now understandably this product has been out for a while, but the nice little pre-shave label got my attention.  Here is a pick,

I must say that it did seem to help with cleaning up my face.  I hope if nothing else it will help during those transition times when my face, no matter what I do, goes on strike.  It has little beads in it that seemed to get deep into my face to scrub out all the gook and crud, definitely felt good at any rate.  Hears hoping that it will help out.

As for the after shave, im not sure how long it has been out, but I havent ever seen it before on the self or the web site.  On their site they have something called the same, Cool Kick, but not the same as what I bought that also said it was, Cool Kick Arctic blast.  Might be the same but who knows.  It defiantly has a cooling effect, which is nice.  Dont know how it would react to a bad razor burn tought.  I liked it, seemed thinner than the other balms Nivea makes.  Smells good to, here is a pick.

There you have it, yet some more products to use and put up on the shelf.  I swear I will need my own bathroom if this keeps going at this rate.  The ladybug might have to cut me off for a while so I can save some money instead of spending it all on razors and shaving equipment.

Have a cool kick of a day,

The Shaver

BG

The Fatboy has Arrived, DE shave 37

Its hear,

The best of the Gillett’s, so some say.  The cream of the crop, the one every one is clamoring about.  The bees knees, the cats meow.  Who know a razor could cause so much commotion, after all its just an old razor.  To some though this razor is the pinical of shaving perfections, the Gillette Adjustable Safety Razor made from 1958-1961, or lovingly refered to as the “Fat Boy”.

Why you might ask is this called something so belittling, well it is anything but.  In this case it is a title of Honor, something to be revered in the shaving world.  It is called the Fat Boy, FB, because of the design of the handle and head of the razor.  This razor is just an overal chunk of a razor, fat handle, thick head, at least compared to its predecessors.  The larger handle makes for a nice feel in your hand and the larger head helps with curbing any bad shaving angles you might have.  It is a more forgiving razor so to say.

Hear is a pick of a what a FB looks like, I am at work so I dont have a pic with me. I will put mine up in the next post or so, mine doesn’t look nearly this good.

So what is the big difference compared to let say my slim that I have been using these past few shaves.  Well the biggest noticable difference when you hold it is the handle, a bit thicker.  When holding them side by side you also notice the heads are different in size as well.  Hear is a comparison pic hopefully to help you see what I mean.  The slim is on the left, the fat boy on the right.

As for the adjustable part, they seem to be pretty much the same, I have both the slim and the FB set at a three.  Seems to work great for both.  Again these arent the pics of my razor, but will be posting them soon.  Darn me for forgetting to bring it with me to show you.  Oh well you get the idea.

Now since we have a base line for the fat boy on the block, I will move onto the shave.  By the way I tried out one of the new razor blades that I received in my last shipment of goods.  I put a Persona blade in the FB, they are made in Israel.  They must know how to make a blade.  I just used the Crystal blades in my last post, also made in Israel.  At any rate it did a good job.

The shave was good as usual lately.  Had a days growth, which I am convinced now is a possible key to a great shave.  Grow the hairs out a bit so the razor actually has something to slice off.  The lather wasnt fantastic, but good.  Other than that things went swimmingly.  Between the fat boy and the new razor I am impressed.  They both did a stupendous job.  I cant really tell if the fat boy did much different from my slim, im sure it did, but I got the same great results non the less.  The blade just sliced and diced the whiskers, didnt have any pulling or tugging at all.  So far I have been impressed by the blades I have ordered thus far.  Havent met a blade I havent liked yet.  Im still a little stand offish for using the feathers due to their super sharp, and face dicing, reputation.

Didnt have any irritation or much blood.  That new alum block that I got is really doing the trick to stave off any irritation I might have had.  My face feels a lot better now too.  I had a couple sores again due to the weather but they are going away.  Things are just moving along, not much to report other than another great shave.  I have another razor that showed up that I will be using soon, keep that radio dialed in to the shaving station.

Till next time, cant wait till the next DE shave.

BG

Dialed to perfection, DE shave 35 & 36

Well the title says it all,

I will admit it finally, I like the Gillette’s.  I didnt at first just because I thought they were a bit ugly and the whole top opening thing didnt seem right to me at first.  After using my slim now for the past couple shaves I am sold on them now.  Even the looks have grown on me, a nice retro look didnt hurt to many.  I will hang onto the slim for the time being.

Will just put this out there, both shaves were pretty much identical.  I will say that shave 35 lasted a long time.  When I grow out my beard for a couple of days on a weekend then shave for work come Monday, things just go so smooth.  I think growth is a key part to shaving.  I know that my face has to be clean-shaven for work, but I find that a couple of days growth shaves smoother than the daily ones where I only have hours on a shave.  Needless to say come the second day of shave 35 my face just needed a touch up, not a regular shave.  I probably could have just gone without shaving, but then what would my dearest fans have to read about.  Lather was a plus today as well, not so much in the scuttle, but just and over all thickness that had great cushion for my face.  Again growth probable helped with that as well, agitated the soap as it was applied.

For shave 36, should almost count this as half a shave.  This was a touch up shave and actually as I touch my face now there is hardly any stubble to be found.  I do have a couple sores on my face that detract from the over all comfort of my shave, but they will be gone soon.  I am hoping this great shave stuff keeps going on.  Im still on the crystal blade and will be trying out another one in a couple of days when this one goes bad, so stay tuned.  Maybe I will get brave and try out a feather blade, maybe on the weekend where I can keep the viable carnage to a minimum.  The feather bladed are known as the sharpest around, so they slice you up even easier than others.  Another note on lather, this mornings lather was superb as well, but this time in the scuttle.  Seems that some days it is perfect in the scuttle, or other days the scuttle is just there as a brush warmer and it only face leathers.  Who know, but they all have been great lately.

The slim is still dialed to a 3, think it will be staying there since the shaves are so awesome at that setting.  I cant wait till another couple of aquisitions arrive.  I got a fat boy in the mail coming and a Super.  Both of which are adjustable, the fat boy is the prior generation to the slim and the super is the later generation to the slim.  Again stay tuned for those razor reviews.  On the subject of reviews, some of you might have already read about my Nivea products.  Since getting such great shaves in I have gone back and used the Replenish balm a couple of times and it doesn’t burn nearly as bad as it did when I was just starting out.  I will reiterate, if you are a beginner go straight for the Extreme Comfort and then the others when you have some good experience.  Trust me, your face will thank you.

Till next time, cant wait till the next DE shave.

BG

Slim is Smooth, DE shave 34

Dialed it down this time for a better shave,

I figured since I got some decent irritation with the last shave I should dial it down a peg.  I put it on 3 and set off to see how things would improve.  They werent bad last time, just not great.  Also wanted to make sure that it was the new razor and not the Crystal blades.  I didnt want to give a bad review when it wasnt warranted.  Probably have to shave with Crystals on the EJ to give a fair comparison.

At any rate the shave wasnt half bad.  Got a nice thick lather going and brushed it on.  I must say there are just some mornings that I realize how nice it is to have a scuttle, some more than others.  Always nice having warm lather rather than cold.  Besides the nice lather the new setting was just what the shave doctor ordered.  It was less aggressive and I think took a bit more of the whiskers off since it was a gentler shave.  Didnt have to worry about irritation so much so I paid more attention to angle.  Boy did it help, I will dare say that it was as good as I have been getting with the EJ lately, but will have to confer with my other razors before giving the final word.

I am a lot more satisfied with my new old find.  Didnt want to have a bad taste in my mouth for Gillette, since they have been such a big hallmark in the shaving world.  I will say I am actually becoming found of them as well, the looks thing is getting to me so much now.  actually I kind of am liking the looks more and more.  Who knows, maybe I will start liking sports next.  Well I wont push it that far for now.

Till next time, cant wait till the next DE shave.

BG