July 24, 2024 – BVWSC First Shave

• Brush: Wild West Brushworks Blue Space 26mm Cashmere

• Razor: Ralf Aust 5/8 Stainless Full Hollow Spanish Point

• Lather: Abbate Y La Mantia - Don José - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Wholly Kaw - Hiatus - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Creed - Aventus

• Talc: Yardley Classic
   
  2 passes. Bowl lather. Excellent shave.

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Today was the first group shave of the Buena Vista Wetshaving Social Club.

AYLM Don José was a great way to start things off. I had zero problems with the lather. I put about a 1/4 teaspon (1ml) in a bowl, heavily loaded a damp brush, and built my lather on the face; adding water there. I found the lather to be creamy and very slick.

And I like the banana and coconut scent. I found that the sweetness of this combination was toned down in a way that made me think more of a rum drink than a dessert. As such, Hiatus, with its leaning towards a Piña Colada, matched perfectly. Since Hiatus carries the coconut, but adds pineapple, I used Aventus with its pineapple note for the fragrance. Don José has menthol in it, and while I would have preferred that it wasn’t there, I did not find it objectionable.

This was another trial run with a stainless steel razor. Again, excellent shave. I find no fault with stainless. I prefer larger razors, though, and might not want to spend all of August using a 5/8.