... with the RazoRock SLOC open-comb razor
The Pre-shave: Proraso white
The Cream: Taylor Of Old Bond Street Lemon & Lime
The Brush: Simpsons Trafalgar T3 Synthetic Faux Ivory Shaving Brush
The Razor: RazoRock SLOC
The Blade: Gillette 7 o'clock
The Balm: Bluebeards Revenge
The Shave:
I don't want to exaggerate here*, but this shave was almost operatic in both its content and its execution**. And by operatic I mean extravagantly theatrical and histrionic as opposed to relating to or characteristic of opera.
It's the second shave in a row where everything went about as smoothly as it's possible to go in a shave. For instance, I hadn't used the Taylor Of Old Bond Street Lemon & Lime shaving cream in a good while and rather than getting my shaving cream / water ratios in a mess, I was rewarded with mountainous peaks of perfect lather, whipped into a perfect consistency by my Simpson's Trafalgar T3 synthetic brush.
Equally, the RazoRock SLOC had been sitting in my shave cabinet unsused for far too long***. I'd have expected maybe a little nick or two around the upper lip area - fairly standard when I haven't used a razor in a while - but no. It delivered a sensational shave. I deviated from my usual Feather blade and opted for a Gillette 7 o'clock and, certainly in the SLOC, it provided me with a smooth, comfortable three-pass shave that any enthusiast would be proud of. I'll be using the blade again in another razor to see what results I get, but judging by the performance it gave me here I may well have found my new favourite blade.
* Actually, I do want to exaggerate. Very badly indeed. And I'm going to laugh out loud while I'm doing it.
** 'Execution' is probably not the best word to be using while talking about shaving, as just one slip with that razor could lead to bloodshed and disaster.
*** I suppose the only drawback of trying to keep my shaves of the day interesting - for me, if for no one else - and to have something to write about, is that I don't like to use the same razor on too many consecutive shaves. Plus, having invested good money in my razor collection, I feel that I should be trying to give them all a fair crack of the whip. I go in phases, though. For instance, as I write this I'm aware that I haven't used a straight razor for a while. It may only be a few shaves back on this blog, but in reality it's a few weeks. I don't write about every single shave I have. There lies madness. Plus, I simply don't have the time.