Share your Shave of the Day for Tuesday!
June 24th, 2025: All About That Base
- Brush: Omega - 10077 Boar
- Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy Ti
- Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
- Lather: Catie’s Bubbles - Le Nude - Soap
- Post Shave: Zingari Man - Sego Unscented - Balm
Daily Theme Justification: “Our luxury shaving soap with no added fragrance or essential oils for those with sensitivities or so there is a blank canvas to build your own scent for the day.” - Le Nude ad copy
Daily Theme: This was my first time (at least to my memory) using an unscented soap. At first I really thought unscented soaps were a waste of time. After hearing people that still want to shave if they’re sick, can’t use fragrances due to medical issues, or just wanting to wear a fragrance with no other scent interaction, I finally understood the point behind it. Not much to speak of on this shave other than the Lux base is a great affordable base and finishing it with Sego Unscented makes this my first truly unscented shave. I could see myself using this soap more just to take breaks from others, or to really focus on splash or fragrance scent.
Daily Challenge: I really don’t think I have been around long enough to have seen bases come and gone and get really familiar with them. However, I would think I have to say the tallow Tabac base is surely missed. I know it is possible to get great lathers from the new vegan formula, but from my limited experience, the tallow puck did lather much easier and the quality was excellent. Thankfully, I have a barely touched puck that I can reminisce with. As for current favorite bases, it is hands down Catie’s Bubbles Premium Base. It is incredibly easy to work with and it a privilege to use it when I do. It is the base that I own the most tubs of.
gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social 2 weeks ago
June 24, 2025
Brush: Wald Stratos Haunter 29mm A1
Razor: Koraat 14-2.0 8/8" Full Hollow
Lather: Pasteur|Master Soap Creations - Bloom - Soap
Post Shave: Pasteur|Master Soap Creations - Bloom - Aftershave
Post Shave: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
Fragrance: Tom Ford - Black Orchid - Eau de Parfum
Talc: Yardley Classic
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
This soap has no scent at all – unless you smell it. If you do that, it is a pretty faithful dupe of Tom Ford Black Orchid. There is a woodiness and dark earthiness to this scent that makes it pretty compelling. I should use it more.
I started into wetshaving at the very end of the base wars so this is not a question I can answer from long experience. I did try some of precursors to the current set of soap bases from BaM, Wholly Kaw, Spearhead, and others, but I don’t pine for any of them. My attitude is that I’ll find a way to make any soap base work for me.
That said, I’m certain that when my “old” Tabac runs out, I will miss that base the most. It is wonderful and I find it hard to believe that the new one measures up.
As for my favorite soap base. I can’t list a favorite, but I do have a list of top-tier bases, each of which brings something special to the shave. Most of these are regularly used here on the sub but two really stand out; the base used in Eufros and the base used in Faena The Taurus. The latter is very unique. They don’t have a name for it, but I’m happy to bore you with a description of changes made to their, already good, base:
“The addition of water buffalo milk from Northern Greece gently melds with the renowned Greek goat yoghurt to become the central piece of this new formula. They combine to improve the cleansing and nourishment factors. The addition of organic shea butter and peach kernel oil enhance the conditioning properties and the gliding of the new formula. Aloe vera and home crafted St. John’s wort oil tame the end-result to eliminate skin irritation.”
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