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August 31, 2023
And thus finishes my AA-ish August. It was time.
Have a good night!
August 31, 2023
2 passes. Face lather. Good shave.
Kismet Blade - Losing My Edge
#Monthofweckoning
August Photos
I'm saying goodbye to Austere August from the road with another Slurry Lather™. Again, I've started with a wet brush but slightly less water than I've used before. The idea is to get all the slurry with less water strewn about to clean up. I don't recall if @sgrdddy@sub.wetshaving.social has played with this aspect or not.
Anyway, this has been another fun Austere August. I will be carrying SV 70th into September. I'll explain about that in tomorrow's comment.
Congrats to the Weckonistas who started with no Weck experience and made it through!
Excellent photos all month long! Having a fresh take on the same set for so many days is not an easy task.
Thank you very much! I ran out of steam. I was only coming up with compositions that relied on photoshop hackery but weren’t very good so I never used those.
I was planning to do a photo each day, but wanted each photo to be unique and not a rehash of something I’ve done before. Anyway, it turns out that I can’t come up with 31 unique ideas that I like. :)
And that's a wrap, another Austere August in the books. A summary:
For my first AA, I did the MMOC challenge, broke in a Zenith boar and used a Sea Spice Lime trick hole. Last year, for my second AA, I started AA with that same razor and GEM blade (which had 69 shaves on it by then) to make it to an even 100 by the end, and I raw hogged an unbleached Zenith. Both of these felt like real challenges at the beginning, but turned out to be easy in hindsight.
This year, I deliberately took it easy with just the Weckoning challenge, and I enjoyed it just as much.
#Monthofweckoning
The last day of austerity is here. I completed 22 shaves of the 31 days this month at the Extreme level. Overall, it's been a fairly easy month.
I've learned to appreciate the Aluminum CFL. I've had nearly zero irritation or nicks from this razor all month, even when testing a little more pressure than was necessary. I doubt the Weck and OCMM adventurers this month can say the same. It could easily be a daily driver, but not necessarily for me.
In the end, I found a method that produced close, comfortable shaves with little effort. I could not achieve exceptionally close shaves unless I started the shave with multiple days growth. This isn't a mild razor, but it certainly feels likes one. It's also not the most efficient razor in every case. It's kind of in a strange middle ground.
The Maggard boar knot was basically broken in after the first week, and it's been a real pleasure to use all month long. I've learned more about the Stirling soap base using the boar with it all month. I already knew Stirling is such a good value for the money, and even after 22 shaves, it seems like I've barely made a dent in the tub. I wish I had weighed the tub before and after for more proof.
Sonder is such an incredible scent, but I think I've become slightly nose blind to the nuisance of it after AA. Some time away from it will help. It's a good thing the month has finally come to an end because I'm almost out of my EdP sample.
Rating: 4.5/5
Austere August: Day: 31
MRTNG's Ultra Nightmare Mode
Midnight Stag Challenge
Going to do a slurry lather today as well. But I am going to work the lather a bit longer on the face during each lather stage.
I learned that if you overload by a hair, but keep it quick, you may finish your three passes before you get to the drier lather.
(Timeless - Stainless Steel .68 - Open Comb ::: Gillette - Nacet - M ‹529 uses›)
Same: First pass has some tugginess to it. But no irritation that lasts longer than a little tuggy stroke. Latter passes feel fine and give a reasonably close shave. 4 pretty quick passes.
Because I loaded for a little too long, and didn't add more water on the fourth pass, it was a little less slick than the first 3, but it did get the job done anyway. But I could feel a bit of drag in my razor.
Razor and Blade Performance/Comfort Rating: 2 out of 5 (Okay)
(Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - White Label)
I just love all the aspects of this scent!
Scent Strength: 6/10, nicely present during shaving.
Lather... Today was to see what happens if we spend a little longer lathering than we have been usually. Notice not loading, but just working the lather on the face for longer.
Because of the extra working, the lather became mature/homogenous in the second pass instead of the third. It stayed that way in the third, but a funny thing happend with the fourth.
Apparently I had loaded for a little too long. If I had stopped at just 3 passes, I wouldn't have noticed the lather getting a bit too dry. But the fourth let me know it wasn't quite as slick. I could have just sprinkled/or dipped to get some more water, but I just went with it.
Was a nice lather for 1-3.
Hydration: Dry End of Perfect (for me)
Bowl: No Bowl
(Zenith - r/wetshaving MOAR BOAR B35/508A XL ‹54 uses›)
Same: Comfortable soft tips that do flex some, but that are supported by a base with strong backbone. As with all young boars, I look forward to the tips splitting with more uses and getting softer with use. I am generally using a hair dryer to gently treat the tips and age them just a bit faster than normal.
During the Shave Feel:
Cheeks: Felt blade but comfortable
Neck: Felt blade but comfortable
After the Shave Closeness:
Cheeks: Very Close Shave
Neck: Several hairs are showing some tip length (still a pretty good shave)
Ending of Blades Ledger - entry form and the data spreadsheet
