Razor: Yaqi Mini, red & black
Blade: Persona Platinum
Brush: Semogue TSN LE 2012
Lather: Pereira Shavery Orange Blossom w/ activated charcoal
Aftershave: Proraso Liquid Cream After Shave
Additional Care: Alum Block, BullDog Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb
Yule is upon us…
Like so many others, Norwegians feels the need for a mid winter bash or feast. Today we call it Jul (a word using the same root as the English Yule), but the basic concept is in other times and places known as Midwinter blot, Yule, Mōdraniht, Dísablót, Kwanzaa, Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, or many other names. The basic concept remains the same; throw a big party at the darkest time of the year and hope that the sun takes the hint and starts to come back…
In Norway Yule is celebrated on December 24th. The midwinter celebrations are a direct continuation of the old midwinterblót, given a thin christian veneer when Norway was christianised a millennia ago – but our habit of throwing a party when the sun turns goes back way beyond our written history, and well beyond our sagas and mythology. I can easily see the very first people who settled here having a celebration when the sun turned, 8-10 thousand years ago.
I wish everyone a God Jul and a Godt Nytt År – or as they would say a millennia ago;
Razor: Merkur 39C Slant
Blade: Persona Platinum
Brush: Gustavo Rimano Manchurian Badger, imitation horn
Lather: CRSW Glide Morning Ghost
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block, Gentlemen of Sweden Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb
PS: For those wanting a nice, unbreakable bowl from Pereira Shavery, there is less than two days to support the crowdfunder – and there are still a few of the limited edition green bowls available as far as I can see.
As I’ve mentioned before, Pereira Shavery is currently running an indiegogo campaign for their unbreakable shaving mug – which I reviewed a while back and which I like very much, and which I think a lot of you might enjoy too.
Today I learned that they are running a time limited special offer on some of their prototypes, which means that;
– You can get one very quick, since they are already manufactured and just needs to get shipped
– You can get in a bright colour that is fairly unique – as far as I can gather there is only two dozen made in this cheerful green colour, and you can get some!
If the one I have was in this colour, I would never have to look around to spot it. It’s bright, it’s cheerful, and I’m tempted to get one myself in addition to the prototype I received earlier.
To get yours – and you have to move fast, the offer is only good for a little while – follow this link and claim one or two.
Please note that the offer is limited to two per backer; one for home and one for travel, or one for you and one for a friend.
The idea was to get my beloved wife a large, dedicated brush that would be a) large and long enough to lather her legs, and b) her own. As it often happens, it snowballed a bit… but not much.
After asking the Ladies and Gents over on the Shave Nook – my favourite wetshaving forum – she fell for a rainbow coloured Yaqi brush.. and since getting stuff from China is cheap, I tossed in a few other things as well.
For starter, I picked up a long handled open comb safety razor for her to try – if she don’t like it I can easily sell it on or PIF it to someone who needs / wants it.
Secondly, I picked up a colourful short handled open comb safety razor for me – I like open comb razors, and something with bright colours can come in handy if a couple of things comes to pass.
Lastly, I added a cheap beard/moustache brush – because I needed something to quality for free shipping, and a beard comb don’t always cut it.
Razor: Merkur 39C Slant
Blade: Persona Platinum
Brush: Vie-Long #12705B
Lather: Cold River Soap Works Olfactory Hue
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block, Gentlemen of Sweden Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb
Stumbled over this photo on imgur, and wanted to share… creepy, with a side order of sadness and nostalgia.
Razor: Merkur 39C Slant
Blade: Persona Platinum
Brush: Vie-Long #14033
Lather: Cold River Soap Works’ Barbere Sapone
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block, Gentlemen of Sweden Original Beard Oil, & Pereira Shavery Boomerang Beard Comb
Comment: First shave with a PIFed soap – great performance and a scent that suits me.
PS: If you’re still on the fence about getting yourself or a loved one an unbreakable shave mug, there is less than a week left on the Pereira crowdfunding campaign.
Started my midwinter break, got up at noon. Saving up beard for a special shave over the weekend 😉
Jack from over on the Shave Nook – my favourite shaving forum – and Larry from Cold River Soap Works teamed up to send a PIF, and I was overwhelmed when I discovered not just a soap, but two of CRSW’s Glide in my mailbox.
I have some previous experience with Glide as I outlined in March, thanks to a previous PIF via the Nook, and if the scent is anything to go by the Barbiere Sapone and Olfactory Hue are an even better fit for me than the Morning Ghost (and I like the later quite a lot). Both passes my wife’s nose with flying colours too, which is always a bonus when it comes to soaps – not all my soaps do, much to my despair…
So a big shout out to Jack and Larry – thank you for making my shaving journey even more interesting!