First scents!

Well, I just completed making my first scented soap and pre/post shave oil. I'm pretty pleased with the results! The scents are awesome and just what I was looking for. One was lavender/peppermint/rosemary and the other lime/peppermint. I did one bar of each, using the unscented soap from classicshaving.com. I'm pleased with how well their soap melts down and allows the oil to mix. Couldn't be happier. I'll have to fuss a little with the oil ratios in the future to get it "just right" but for now they're great and I'm thoroughly excited to try shaving with the new soaps.

My next trick will be a bit more... tricky... as it requires 100 proof vodka. I have no clue where to get that. I intend to make my own cologne! That'll be a bit trickier, but should be a lot of fun.

Once I've tried that I intend to actually make my own soaps out of the bare ingredients, then scent them to my specifications. If all goes well, I'll have my own from-the-ground-up soap and cologne! Should be fun.

The oils are a bit expensive to start up with, but when you're only adding, say, 7 drops to a bar of soap, 1oz of each should last quite a while.

Be the first to get in on the pre-order list! haha Just kidding.

Nancy Boy Cooling After-Shave Gel

Here's the linkie: http://www.nancyboy.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_15&products_id=4

This stuff is fan-freaking-tastic! They threw in a sample bottle of the stuff when I got my shaving cream from them. Today, after I finished my shave I initially put some Ogallala Bay Rum & Sandalwood on. But, I didn't like the rather tight feeling it left my face with. So, I opted to get something a bit more moisturizing.

I remembered being pretty happy with the results of the first time I tried it a few days ago, so said "what the heck!" and threw some on over the Bay Rum. I'm totally happy with the results. The scent is just absolutely phenomenal. I won't say too much about it because I'll start gushing. Suffice it to say that I *really* like it. And my face feels cool without a hint of tightness. The scent did push out the smell of the Sandalwood, but it was worth it for how it feels. Granted, upon leaving the house I'd probably still opt for the Bay Rum since it lasts a good bit longer than the Nancy Boy stuff.

Regardless, they are both just bang-up products. I wring my hands with eager anticipation until the next time I get to use either. I just wish Nancy Boy would produce a cologne with their signature scent. If I could get this aftershave to last the day, it would be soooo awesome. Blennheim Bouquet got nothing on it! ;)

WOW! 1917 Gillette Aristocrat

So, Kara and I went to Planted Earth so she could buy a couple flowers. What I didn't know was that PE is an antiques store. What I *also* didn't know is that hidden in a display case was a 1917 Gillette Aristocrat razor. I had a feeling when I was hunting around that there was something nice, somewhere.

The razor was in its original case. The case wasn't much to look at, but it's original. The razor was extremely tarnished, as well. (The 1917 Aristocrats are triple-plated silver.) I mean bad. I thought it was pitted, too. Still, I couldn't help but take it home with me. I know that Aristocrats are highly coveted in the classic shaving realm. So, it was worth the risk to see what kind of shape it was really in.

Which... was... AWESOME! I gave it a good bath to get rid of the tarnish and can NOT believe the condition of this razor. It's 93 years old, but looks like it's been used for a year, maybe. Apart from micro scratches that are pretty much a fact of life with silver that is used to constantly slide over something (like stubbly skin) it's just in great shape. No bends, nicks, etc. Apart from the slightly used (but not worn) finish, it's phenomenal. I just can't get over how nice it is.

Some poking around on the forums confirms that this is an extremely rare find. I've already gotten a letter of interest from a collector, but I really don't know what it's worth yet. They are hard enough to find pictures of, so I don't imagine that asking for at least $100 is even remotely unheard of. Time will tell. Of course I'll have to shave with it at least once. ;)

Oh my lather...

So, in the classic shaving world there's this thing called "superlather" that's basically what it sounds like. More lather than you can normally drum up with just a cream. It's done using both shaving soap *and* shaving cream. The soap is applied to the brush first, normally higher up on the bristles and closer to the knot, then you put your normal cream allotment into the mug and make lather as normal.

I tried this yesterday with a Palmolive shave stick soap and my new Nancy Boy Signature scent shaving cream. The results? Wow! I'm amazed at how much good lather I got going that route. It was phenomenal. Slick, protective... just a great shave. I have to also say that I'm thrilled with how much I like the Nancy Boy cream. I'm actually going to try my hand at making a couple cakes of shaving soap that are similar to the Nancy Boy formulation for their cream. (In terms of scent.) I've got a couple unscented cakes enroute from Classic Shaving and purchased the proper essential oils separately. I'm so excited to try it. If Palmolive/Nancy Boy yielded such great results, it only stands to reason that a soap scented similarly to Nancy Boy will be even better.

Obviously, I'll let you know how it goes. ;)

BTW, the Palmolive shave sticks are great. They have a... well, more soapy smell than the more expensive creams, but it's a nice, pleasant scent. They lather quite well, and generally do a good job. These are my first shave sticks, and I quite like them. One of the perks is that they seem like they'll last a while - which is great. They're also pretty cheap if you can find a good way to get them in bulk or shipped cheaply. If you're in Europe you can find them for around $1, which is phenomenal. Unfortunately, you do pay for the privilege of having them here. The cheapest I found them was on superlather.com at 2 for $7. Not bad. But they charge more for shipping/handling there than the actual costs of the sticks which kinda sucks. Props to ma/pop businesses though, so I tip my hat to them. If you can find them cheaper elsewhere, let me know.

P.S. - Grr. I found that you can get 3 sticks shipped from the UK for just over $16 which is certainly a better deal per-stick. Buying these in bulk from the UK would definitely drive the costs down. Maybe a bulk buy? Anyone?

Oh my leather...

I want one of these something fierce. I wonder how long I'd have to haul around a normal messenger bag before i could justify it? Probably way too long...

In search of well-being.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about ways to improve my life lately. And, I don't just mean... well, I don't know what I don't mean. What I do mean is thinking a lot about things that could stand some improvement. Things I could focus on. Things that would help me become more of who I'd like to be.

I've always had aspirations. And I know I go through my cycles where I will make a flash-in-the-pan effort to improve something or try something differently. I thought it would be good to sit down and break down the major areas (that I see) that can always be improved upon.

They are: mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial. One could almost combine mental and emotional, but I think it's one thing to keep a sharp mind and another to be happy. I think that these are major components in achieving an overall sense of well-being. And I think that they're something that most people (myself especially) can improve on. I don't mean that strictly as a "I need to do this" thing, either. I mean it is within most people's means to improve in those areas, regardless of their current station in life.

Time-permitting, I'd like to hit on each of those ideals over the coming days. I'm mostly doing this to allow a little introspection into my own life. Hopefully as I discover ways to improve my own well-being, you'll find something that will bolster yours, as well. Won't you join me on my journey?

Couple o' recipes...

Kara and I really like these, and since I'm tired of having printed pages kicking around, I figured I'd just put the links up here to refer to later. I *suppose* I could just create recipe cards for them, but please... I AM a bachelor, after all.

Pizza Pasta Salad - Surprisingly good! A great alternative to the "normal" salad. Works great as a main course. We've had this a few times.

Heath Bar Cake - OMGWTFLOLBBQ So good.

Molten Chocolate Cakes - Also delicious. Can you tell we like desserts?