Fine shave to end the week

This shave goes out to Anthony Qaiyum of Smallflower, whom I promised I would use an Elite Razor this morning.

The lather today is from Al’s Shaving Products, another artisanal vendor I only recently discovered. I ordered some samples, and today tried the Palermo shaving cream:

Palermo is a decisively masculine scent that opens on a delightfully refreshing and unconventional assortment of grassy green and light sweet notes. As it develops, it gains depth and support from some bolder herbaceous greens, very light spices, and soft woods. The resulting structure is so delicate, buoyant, and charming that it’s almost impossible to resist.

I’d say that the description is accurate: I sniffed several of the sample shaving creams I got, and this was most appealing—unusual but highly pleasant. You should note that he also provides shaving creams with custom fragrances—a very nice idea.

I used a Vie-Long badger+horsehair chimera brush—a really fine brush, IMO, and perhaps a good way for a badger fan to segue into horsehair. The shaving cream was too stiff to adhere to the brush when I twirled it—the tiny container may be part of the reason—so I just smeared some on my cheek and started brushing.

Excellent lather, and I really do like the fragrance. It creates a very thick lather, even after I added more water to the brush. Not that I wanted to thin it, but I do want water on my beard, and this lather absorbed additional water without noticeably thinning.

Very smooth shave with a previously use Astra Superior Platinum blade. The Elite razor—white quartz with gold lacings on a Merkur frame—did a fine job. The Merkur Classic head that he uses is good, and the weight of the razor with the stone handle was quite nice and made for smooth cutting.

A splash of Royall Vetiver, and I’m ready for Saturday.