September 30th, 2025

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps - Ord w/ TnS Quartermoon Synthetic
• Razor: Yates Precision Manufacturing - Merica
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Barrister & Mann - Fougère Gothique - Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Fougère Gothique - Aftershave

I got a smush of Fougere Gothique from u/Schontzm earlier this year and I liked it enough to buy a set from u/JoboozeRum without ever using it. My first impressions of the set are not exactly clear. B&M (in my opinion) makes a lot of scents that are more aiming to conceptualize an idea that kind of exists out of just purely scent notes. I can't find exactly where I read or heard it, but FG was supposedly suppose to smell like the devil if you met him in a bar. I feel like that an accurate description. I smell a lot of the ashiness, earthy notes, and a distinct animalic note. It is certainly a well crafted scent, but I will have to keep using it awhile to really get some coherent thoughts on it. Sometimes the better scents are slow burns for me.

Sep. 30, 2025

• Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR
• Razor: GEM Open Comb Micromatic Gen. 2
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Gatlinburg - Puck
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented - Aftershave
• Osma: Osma - Osma
• Scuttle: Georgetown Pottery - G20

I hadn’t shaved in about 2 weeks so even the OCMMOC had trouble mowing down my beard. Ultimately I had some irritation but that’s what you get for not shaving for nearly 2 weeks.

September 30, 2025

• Brush: Wald Stratos Goldvein 29mm A1 Fan
• Razor: Filarmonica 14 Especial Gen 1
• Lather: Saponificio Varesino - Desert Vetiver - Soap
• Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Aftershave: Saponificio Varesino - Desert Vetiver - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Hermès - Terre D'Hermès Eau Intense Vetiver - Eau de Parfum
• Talc: Yardley Gold

3 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

This was my second shave in my 14 Shoot-out series and the first time I have tried an Escher edge on a 14-style razor. The result was exceptional. I was able to get a very comfortable, extremely keen edge from the Escher stone which some say produces an edge that is less keen than is produced from something like a Jnat. Obviously, each stone is different, and this particular stone has no issues reaching Jnat levels of refinement. Great shave today.

Shave Video

30.09.2025

• Brush: TGS Galaxy 26 mm
• Razor: Stando Perun
• Blade: BIC Chrome Platinum
• Lather: Noble Otter - Ace
• Post-Shave: Zingari Man - The Master, recovery splash
• Passes & Info: 1 pass on the head and 2 on the face around the full goatee. Pretty smooth and good shave!

So yesterday was awful, I didn't even get to the event as the city was overrun with cars & people, no parking spots available whatsoever. Unfortunately this triggered an anxiety attack, which I had to let pass before driving home slowly. I'm really glad about my (relatively) new car - all the sensors and assistants made me feel safe despite being stuck in traffic hell. I made the conscious decision to take things slower from now on, as this is clearly a sign of accumulated stress.

Anyways, today I also had a day off and it was relaxed. I finally had time to re-shape my circle beard, so a good shave was in order. And man, was this a nice experience. NO Ace was definitely a great choice for a new soap - it doesn't lose its smoky notes when it's lathered and the wood and leather create a nice blend with them. There's some perfume type scent in there too, maybe to smooth things out. It's a very unique scent and one that just vibes with me. Plus, usual great Noble Otter performance in terms of slickness, lather quality etc.

The Perun was a solid choice too. It actually gave me a nice, enjoyable face shave - something that I almost had given up on achieving. Made me smile into my mirror and helped me to feel way better. It's definitely great for both face and head shaving, which is rare for me. Usually razors do better in one of those departments only, but this shave was great on both the dome and the mug.

September 30th, 2025

• Brush: AP Shave Co. "Amber Smoke" - Silksmoke 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Super Speed Black Tip
• Blade: Goodline Grooming Co. (2)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Cool - Soap
• Post Shave: Proraso - Red - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Stirling - Ramblin' Man - EdT

September 30th, 2025

• Brush: Wolf Whiskers - "Gianmaria" w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Joseph Rogers & Sons Near Wedge (11)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Nag Champa - Soap
• Post Shave: London Razors - Mountain Laurel - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Jōvan - Musk - EdT

I stropped 80 times before this shave and it paid off. This razor seems to be made of "soft" metal. I think it would be fun to get a Rockwell hardness testing kit to see where each of my razors falls. @gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social has of course demonstrated that some razors don't need much stropping, but he has admitted to choosing razors with "hard" steel.

Nonidi 9 Vendémiaire an 234 de la Révolution, jour de Panais: Tabac Tuesday

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks Gloire de France with Zenith 505BC Boar 🐗
• Razor: Thiers-Issard 188 7/8 'Coq et Renard'
• Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz Tabac
• Postshave: Naissance 702 Witch Hazel
• Postshave: Tabac Original After Shave Lotion
• Postshave: Nivea After Shave Balm

Not as slick as I remembered – but maybe I did it wrong.

Have a good evening!

~Shared via emacs & sotd.el~

SOTD 2025-09-30

• Prep: Stirling Soap Co. - Haverford Pre-shave Oil
• Bowl: Captain's Choice - Obsidian Copper
• Brush: Semogue Owners Club - Cherry Wood Boar 24mm
• Razor: FaTip - Lo Storto Gentile
• Blade: Feather - New Hi-Stainless
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Bay Rum (sample)
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - I, Rich Moose Aftershave
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - I, Rich Moose Balm
• Post Shave: Proraso - Polvere Post Rasatura
• Tags: $SampleSeptember

Sample scoop 1 of 8. This latter has a nice fresh scent but it wasn't a big scent.

Have a good one!