Review & SOTD - Proraso Green Soap

Welcome all to another installment of my blog and video log!  The soap of the day is Proraso Green, a long standing soap in the wet shaving world.  Is it worthy of a place in your rotation?  Watch the video and see what happens!

SOTD 7/8/16

Hot Towel, Triple M Oil, Proraso Green, RazoRock Monster, RazoRock Bazooka, Astra SP (26), Cold Rinse.

A great shave was had today, you'd not know the blade was 26 days old!

I'd really appreciate your likes and subscriptions if you see something you like.  Let me know you've subscribed and I'll check out your channel and subscribe in return.

Many thanks!

Nick

Phoenix & Beau "Obsidian" - Shave of The Day & Review

Greetings gents!

Welcome to another post, with another video review of a fantastic soap.  Below is a brief outline of the tools used today.

SOTD 6/8/16
Phoenix & Beau Obsidian, Cadman 26mm Silvertip, RazoRock Bazooka, Astra SP (25), Cold Rinse.
Simply stunning shave, scent to die for, performance that is second to none.

Please let me know your thoughts!

A Mitchell's Wool Fat SOTD

Evening gents!

Today I videoed my shave to highlight the wonderful MWF, and how to get a cracking lather from it.  Is it rocket science or is it best to revert to basics for it?  Find out below!

As always, thanks for reading and for watching my recent installments.  Please like and subscribe if you find the content helpful or entertaining.  Comments and criticism always welcome, every day is a school day!

Thanks!
Nick

A Phoenix & Beau Spitfire SOTD Video

Welcome gents!

I've lovingly prepared a video shave of the day today.  All the info is in the video, check it out guys and I'd very much appreciate your likes and subscribes!

 

Thanks again guys!

Nick

Shave of the Day - A Memorial Shave

Welcome to Sorrell Shaves

Today is a hard day for me, as it marks the sixth anniversary of the day we lost my dad.  He was a great man, who taught me many things, one of which was shaving.

 

I started out at a tender young age, finding whatever razors were around at the time (usually BIC disposables, the horrible orange plastic things) and hacking away at the fuzz emanating from my young face.  When my dad cottoned on, he taught me the ways.  I started out with what I recall being a Gillette Red Tip, only to migrate to a Gillette Sensor Excel, a Gillette Mach 3 and on occasion when I was out of blades, my dads Wilkinson Sword Quattro.

That brings me on to todays shave.  With six years passing, I'd not been able to bring myself to use my dads razor, but it is something left to me and it is something he'd want me to do.  So, with that in mind, this last week I set about obtaining the things I needed to replicate a typical shave of my dads.  I had his razor handle (Wilkinson Sword Quattro), and his old brush (another Wilkinson Sword brush).  He was a regular user of either L'Occitane Cade soap or the Wilkinson Blue Bowl soap.  I had also been left his old L'Occitane bowl but this was beyond use due to corrosion, so I purchased a replacement.  Sadly, the Cade soap has been discontinued, but I had a Wilkinson Blue Bowl soap in my collection already.  I simply put the puck in the L'Occitane bowl, an acceptable hybrid of items.  I purchased Quattro Titanium blades for the first time, £7 for four cartridges!  I remembered well his use of two splashes as I grew up, Brut and Old Spice.  I had the Old Spice in my cupboard too.  I added the Phoenix & Beau Balm as I know he would have sung it's praises highly.

With that, I prepared in my usual manner with a hot towel whilst the brush soaked.  I loaded the brush heavily on the puck as I was going to face lather today.  I took the time to lather whilst I contemplated the vast amount of happy memories, and it felt like my dad was standing there with me, like the first time he showed me how to lather.  I took the razor to my face, and found that the shave passed quickly and without drama.  I performed a two pass shave as my dad taught when I was a youngster, first with, then against the grain.  The razor gave a very good shave, close and smooth.  I did have to load the brush again for the second pass, but this is typical of the small knotted brush.  Once the shave was finished, I performed my cold towel session, then finished with the balm and splash.  A good shave was had today, it was a nice way to remember my dad on this hard day.

Hot Towel, Wilkinson Sword Blue Bowl Soap, Wilkinson Sword Boar, Wilkinson Sword Quattro, Wilkinson Sword Quattro Titanium (1), Cold Towel, Phoenix & Beau Balm, Old Spice

REVIEW - Nanny's Silly Soap "Moroccan Sands"

WHAT IS IT, AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
Nanny's Silly Soap - Moroccan Sands

APPLICATION METHOD AND DESCRIPTION:
Load the brush (damp synthetic) for about 15-20 seconds, whip lather in a bowl, adding water until ideal consistency is achieved.  Apply to ones boat race in circular fashion, paint until even.  Shave.  Admire.

SCENT:
Now, this is where I can only quote Janice from Friends - Oh! My! God!

I LOVE this scent.  It reminds me of being in a Wiccan ritual, of heady piles of incense burning upon smouldering charcoal, filling the room with mystic smoke, designed to invoke the Gods and Goddesses.

LATHERABILITY:
I have yet to find a soap that presents a problem in lathering.  Some take a little longer to build a quality lather, others (like this) spring up a lather almost as soon as you introduce a damp brush to them.  A 15-20 second load produces plenty of lather for a full three pass shave plus touch up.  No problems here.

PERFORMANCE:
During the shave, I felt the lather protected well, cushioned against the blade and importantly, enabled a close, safe shave.  I felt no real problems occur during the shave, bar the first time I used, the lather didn't last very long on my face if applied a little thin.  No real problem, just ensure it is applied properly et voila.  It also has glide for days, very slick indeed.

POST SHAVE:
As I am sure you will have noticed if you've read any of my other reviews, that this is one of the most important aspects I consider when using and reviewing a soap.  Most vegetable based soaps leave me a little underwhelmed, not so with Nanny's.  I felt that this is up there with most tallow/lanolin containing soaps.  Having a scout through the ingredients list, I am left in no doubt that this is down to the shea butter content.  Top marks Nanny for this!

CONCLUSIVE COMMENTS:
Well, there is something special contained within the red anodised tin, something very special indeed.  The scent is heavenly, the performance superb, what more could you ask for?  I would definitely purchase again, and indeed will definitely try some of the other scents in the Signature range.  Worth every penny.

The Concept of a 'Shave Of The Day'

Welcome to the latest ramblings from Sorrell Shaves!

Today we're focusing on the concept of a Shave Of The Day, otherwise known as a SOTD.  A SOTD is quite simply a snippet of information, often shared on forums and social media, regarding the items you've used to complete the days shave.

It will more often than not include a photograph of the items used, arranged in a pleasing manner.  Some people (like myself) have a backdrop for their photos, whilst others prefer an 'on location' shot taken in the bathroom.  There is no right or wrong, it's all down to preference.  There is no requirement for professional quality photos, just a quick snap is more than sufficient.  I take the vast majority of my SOTD photos with a Lumia 950 or iPhone 5.

The important part is the information you share on your SOTD.  I like to include a list of the items used, such as the SOTD from today:

Hot Towel
Mitchell's Wool Fat
Omega 49 Brush
TSR Bowl
Merkur 39C
Astra Superior Stainless (10)
Cold Towel
Barrister & Mann Reserve Splash (NP)

You may have noted the number after the blade used for the shave.  This refers to the number of shaves the blade has completed.  NP after the last item in the list indicates simply that it is Not Pictured.

So there we have it, a simple introduction to the Shave Of The Day.  You'll notice them all over Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and forums.  For many, they are a source of inspiration, a way of seeing what other people get great shaves with.  You may like to share yours, you might not.  It's entirely up to you. 

Thanks for reading,
Nick