Lupo and Floris: They love each other

I managed to balance the Lupo on the rounded side of its head, but it was not easy. I really love the razor, but that rounded portion means the razor must rest on its guard, and that I’m not crazy about.

But to begin at the beginning: I wet the little Omega Mighty Midget well and let it sit while I showered because of the mix of boar and badger in the knot, and it rewarded me by making a really stunningly good lather from my Floris No 89, which is at least two formulations back.

The Lupo did a fine job. It really does seem a bit more efficient than the Baby Smooth while being quite comfortable and not inclined to nick. Three passes, a rinse, dry, and splash of No 89 aftershave, and I’m ready for the day—a little late. Up in the night.

Late start, great shave with Creed’s Green Irish Tweed and the iKon 102

The Wife is away, and so I got a sluggish start. When she’s home, her work schedule keeps me on track. I was so slow that I placed the lid upside down, but from there it all got better. (I just realized that you can’t say either “from there it was all uphill,” which sounds as though things got increasingly difficult, or “from there it was all downhill,” which sounds as though things went to hell.)

The Emperor 3 Super is a fine brush, or at least it was back in the day, and the lather from Creed’s Green Irish Tweed shaving soap is really excellent in both consistency and fragrance.

Three passes with the 102—still perhaps my favorite slant—left my face smooth for a little of the GIT EDT. A fine way to start the week.

First shave with RazoRock Lupo

I’m still a sucker for a new razor, and it increasingly seems as if the smaller manufacturers like RazoRock have figured out the optimal head geometry: I seldom get a new razor nowadays that is uncomfortable or inefficient. The Lupo is my latest purchase, and (as you see) I went for the gold anodized version. (It’s an aluminum razor.)

First, though, the prep: I chose Phoenix Artisan’s Planet Java Hive in his CK-6 formulation, and again I discovered how much I like this soap. My Wet Shaving Products Baroness easily and immediately raised a fine lather, and the fragrance is, to my nose, extremely pleasant.

The Lupo covers the razor tabs completely, which I like, though the head’s rounded ends make it unsteady when poised as in the photo. Here it’s leaning on the tub of soap to maintain its stance. This is not much of an issue, though I do keep my razors in a drawer in the position shown, and the Lupo can’t really do that; it must rest on the guard.

The razor is CNC machined, and the threads engage very smoothly—a tactile assurance of quality workmanship. The handle is quite comfortable. The razor is extremely comfortable and efficient, with a fair amount of blade feel. Those who say they like an “aggressive” razor will probably like this one. At $30, it’s a bargain.

Three passes to total smoothness, then a good splash from the Planet Java Hive to finish the job.

The weekend now begins—and on a very nice and fragrant note.

A travel shave except for the aftershave

This is the Simpson Case and its travel cylinder. The Case was once known as the Wee Scot 3, with today’s Wee Scot being the Wee Scot 2, and a discontinued tiny razor being the Wee Scot 1. I actually do use the Case on trips, and this morning it showed its mettle by working up an excellent lather from my D.R. Harris shave stick, which I like for travel because of the cap.

Three passes with the Feather AS-D1 (I being lucky enough to get one of the good ones instead one of the ones that wouldn’t cut), and then a good splash of Paul Sebastian aftershave. I could try this a travel shave because it is quite obviously now less than 3 ounces, but you can imagine the tiresome discussions with TSA—discussions that would end badly for me, I’m sure. Air travel in the US is no longer very pleasant. It once was, reader, it once was.

Travel shave at home

Prompted by a comment from Ryan on yesterday’s shave, I decided to do my own travel shave here at home.

The Omega baby badger is a fine little brush, and Arko a solid standby that works well even in hard water, and between the two of them, I got a very nice lather.

The Dorco PL602 is a terrific razor, and its light weight and low cost (plus its great comfort and high efficiency) make it ideal for travel. Three passes and my face was totally smooth, with not even the slightest threat of a nick in the process.

A good splash of Royal Copenhagen, and the day is launched.

Seifenglatt Pumpkin Pie Spice and Booster Oriental Spice

Spice is the name of the game today, and my Phoenix Artisan worked up a wonderfully fragrant lather from Seifenglatt’s one-off Tarte à la Citrouille. The Dorco still is a great pleasure to use, and splash of Booster’s Oriental Spice finished the job and started the day with pleasure.

Energy and the Model T

Mama Bear’s Energy has a very nice fragrance: “Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime, with hints of fresh Cucumber and Jasmine, and a touch of Pineapple, Blackberry and Champagne.” As she notes, it’s perfect for spring and summer. And the Plisson synthetic brought forth a marvelous lather.

My Rockwell Model T did a fine job for all its bulk, and in three passes my face was smooth and ready for a splash of Floïd, which I continue to like a lot.