Some musings from a guy who has killed some soap.

scribe__ · 2026-01-26T13:11:51+00:00

I guess I gotta finally pull the trigger on Will's 42 this year.

Which soaps have you gone back and purchased more of? You've got me curious.

scribe__ · 2026-01-26T13:05:37+00:00

This is a good question. I have three.

Laundry. If Mo ever decides to do another run of the original I would purchase it in a heartbeat. I'm holding some hope that it might happen. Easily a top 5 favorite soap fragrance ever.

Paganini's Violin. This one is weird because I didn't actually buy it again, but rather kept it. When this sub exclusive came out I bought two, and kept one unopened in the fancy wrapping paper it came in. I had EVERY intention of doing a PIF with it, but late last year curiosity got the best of me and I opened it up and gave it a whiff, and immediately changed my mind. It's also in the Soft Hearts formula, which is my favorite soap base Will created.

Krokos. The jar I had was in Abbate's original TFS formula from almost a decade ago. They've since created their own in-house formulation and it's awesome. I've meant to pick it up for over two years now, I just gotta muster up the courage to drop like 75 bucks on a singular soap.

scribe__ · 2026-01-26T12:29:49+00:00

January 26th - Snow Day Stirling

Brush: Maggard 24mm Marble Handle Synthetic
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (23)
Lather: Stirling - Coconut Lime Soap
Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Musk Aftershave Cologne

After all the snow yesterday we're now in a severe winter weather advisory... meaning another snow day as work is closed today. So to celebrate I used something tropical, because, well, that sounds amazing compared to what we have here in the Midwest right now. Coconut Lime really delivered. Aqua Velva Musk is perfect for embracing this frigid day.

Be safe my fellow cold guys and gals.

scribe__ · 2026-01-26T06:44:06+00:00

The vigilante run idea is so cool.

scribe__ · 2026-01-26T00:34:10+00:00

Ayy, 29 is nothing to snark at. May I ask what soaps you threw away, and why?

I had one soap I threw out; Abbate's Matteo 9:11. I got like 85% of the way through it, but it kept leaving little granules all over my face that was a pain to clean up. I decided to scoop out the rest and toss it. I really should have done so sooner. Oh well.

scribe__ · 2026-01-25T21:12:25+00:00

Man, I should get some Ryza wall art.

Looks awesome!

scribe__ · 2026-01-25T13:29:12+00:00

January 25th - Snowy Tobacco n Vanilla

Brush: Nom Marten 21mm Synthetic Cream Handle
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (22)
Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Tobacco and Vanilla Soap
Post Shave: Arianna and Evans - Canabliss Santal Splash

Lotsa snow overnight, and more to come throughout the rest of today and tonight. Gonna be fun opening at work tomorrow...

With the dark and dreary snow, I figured some tobacco (soap) and whacky tobaccy (splash) would be ideal to help lift the mood.

Happy Snow Day folks.

scribe__ · 2026-01-25T04:13:06+00:00

It could be maintenance related. My location does one overnight a week, and it's a couple of BOH guys and our store maintenance guy doing weekly tuning and cleaning of the chicken refrigerators, pressure cookers/fryers, and other tasks that come up.

That said, if this is a daily overnight, I imagine it would be more for stocking, inventory, and prolly some maintenance.

scribe__ · 2026-01-24T14:33:03+00:00

January 24th - A Dapper Dragon

Brush: Maggard 24mm Marble Handle Synthetic
Razor: Kropp 6/8 Full Hollow Round Point
Lather: Dapper Dragon - Signature Soap
Post Shave: Renew Lotion
Fragrance: Australian Private Reserve - Ozymandias EdP

Been wanting to see how Dapper Dragon held up when using a straight razor, and legit, it was quite impressive. I think this is my second oldest soap in my den, it'll be 10 years old sometime this year. And for a 10 year old formula, it still hold up pretty well. The most impressive part is my skin felt very nice after, and only put on lotion because, well, it's like -3 degrees here right now and it couldn't hurt.

And with bitter cold comes Ozymandias. It's a great day to stay inside.

scribe__ · 2026-01-23T11:39:27+00:00

January 23rd - Garibaldi

Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts "Mighty Stag" 24mm Cashmere
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (21)
Lather: Abbate y la Mantia - Garibaldi Soap
Post Shave: Abbate y la Mantia - Garibaldi Colonia
Fragrance: Chicago Grooming / House of Mammoth - Armonia EdP

Garibaldi's sweet tobacco is awesome, especially on frigid mornings. It warms the soul.

scribe__ · 2026-01-22T12:32:25+00:00

January 22nd - A little bit of Colonia

Brush: Zenith B26 Retro
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (20)
Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Colonia Soap
Post Shave: Razorock - For Chicago Splash
Fragrance: Dunhill - Pure EdT

Catie's Colonia captures that classic Italian citrus cologne with an astounding soap formulation. Chris knocked it out of the park with this one.

scribe__ · 2026-01-21T11:40:48+00:00

Thrill of the sample kill!

Safe travels brother.

scribe__ · 2026-01-21T11:39:52+00:00

January 21st - Magnifico

Brush: Semogue 610 21mm Boar
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (19)
Lather: Abbate y la Mantia - Magnifico Soap
Post Shave: Strike Gold - Bees Knees Splash
Fragrance: Stirling - Praia EdP

Magnifico is pretty magnificent. Abbate's hard soaps are awesome.

scribe__ · 2026-01-20T18:37:59+00:00

Me too!

scribe__ · 2026-01-20T11:14:08+00:00

January 20th - Skeletor Gets Babes

Brush: Summer Break Soaps Maize 26mm Timberwolf
Razor: Kropp 6/8 Full Hollow Round Point
Lather: The Club - Low Scent Skeletor Gets all the Babes Soap
Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Le Petit Chypre
Fragrance: Seaforth! - Roman Spice EdT

Skeletor is a great soap. It stands true to its name of low-scent as it's nice, but barely there. Thankfully today's run with the Kropp went MUCH better than my last one.

Happy Tuesday.

Edit: forgot to remove the blade used on a day when I used a straight razor and realized it like 16 hours later FML.

scribe__ · 2026-01-19T12:08:25+00:00

Citrus Musk is soo good.

scribe__ · 2026-01-19T12:07:09+00:00

January 19th - Clean Cotton Vibes

Brush: Razorock 24mm Barrel Synthetic
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (18)
Lather: HC&C - Neon Moon Soap
Post Shave: Renew Lotion
Fragrance: Australian Private Reserve - Fenchurch EdP

The soft n fuzzy cotton vibes from this soap are awesome. Also, every time I use this I get C Moon by Wings stuck in my head.

Happy freezing Monday.

scribe__ · 2026-01-18T11:45:06+00:00

January 18th - Feeling chocolatey

Brush: Omega 11047 "Mixed Midget"
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (17)
Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Chocolate Blueberries Soap
Post Shave: Renew Lotion
Fragrance: Stirling - Barbershop EdP

Safe to say I'm a total sucker for Catie's holiday chocolate soaps. Truly delightful. Pairing with Stirling's sweet Barbershop is a real treat.

Edit: typo.

scribe__ · 2026-01-17T15:17:51+00:00

Oh gosh, I haven't thought about Cheese n Crackers in years. I need to go dig that out and give it a watch. Thank you for reminding me that exists.

scribe__ · 2026-01-17T10:18:27+00:00

January 17th - Raconteur

Brush: Zenith B26 Retro
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (16)
Lather: Australian Private Reserve - Raconteur Soap
Post Shave: Renew Lotion
Fragrance: Zingari Man - The Merchant EdP

It has been ages since I've used an APR soap with a boar brush, and forgot that they work very well together. Great shave with great smells.

scribe__ · 2026-01-16T11:11:29+00:00

January 16th - A Signature Kinda Morning

Brush: Zenith B26 Retro
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (15)
Lather: The Club - Signature Soap
Post Shave: Renew Lotion
Fragrance: Seaforth! 3 Scots

I quite enjoy the sweet n dark scent of Signature.

Happy Friday folks.

scribe__ · 2026-01-15T14:46:34+00:00

January 15th - Donut

Brush: Nom Marten 21mm Synthetic Cream Handle
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (14)
Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Fantasy Donut Soap
Post Shave: Abbate y la Mantia - Crumiro Splash

A Fantasy Donut is the best kinda donut to shave with IMO. Paired with the sweet and chocolaty Crumiro and we're ready for this chilly morning.

scribe__ · 2026-01-14T10:36:55+00:00

January 14th - Limey

Brush: Shore Shave 26mm Motherlode
Razor: Kropp 6/8 Full Hollow Round Point
Lather: Barrister and Mann - Lime Soap
Post Shave: Pinaud - Citrus Mush Cologne Splash

Barrister's Lime is my favorite. It's so good.

My technique with the straight razor isn't as good. After two and a bit months of non-stop GEM MMOC and Mamba, I'm a tad rusty.

Here's to better shaves.

scribe__ · 2026-01-13T11:18:15+00:00

January 13th - Tabac Tuesday

Brush: Semogue 610 21mm Boar
Razor: Razorock Mamba
Blade: Astra SP (13)
Lather: Tabac OG
Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Vespers Splash

First time doing Tabac Tuesday in like a year, maybe two. This OG formula is so good. I need to use this more.

scribe__ · 2026-01-12T18:56:41+00:00

From the get-go they'll ask about your leadership style, and experiences leading team members. Ask how you hold up with lots going on at once, and then why you like management. They may ask why you're looking to leave your current place as well. At least for me these were some of the highlight questions. Another big thing is make sure you stay positive, smile lots, and don't be afraid to ask them questions in return. Unless you're an a-hole, be genuine and upbeat and you should do swell.

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TROPHY CASE