Autumn - Wet The Face Seasonal Release

Company: Wet The Face

Product: Autumn

Well it’s that time of year again and soon all the colors of fall will be upon us and what an amazing display of mother nature at its best. The start of fall for us also means our fall release called Autumn. It's one of my favorite and judging from the sneak peek I provided on FB Wednesday it appears it could be one of yours as well.

We took what makes this time of year special and brought into our shaving soap and aftershave splash and we feel once you open them and smell that autumn goodness you’ll instantly be transformed back in time when playing outside with your friends and family among the colorful backdrop of trees was the best life had to offer.

Shaving & Talking # 7 - Featuring Cool Cologne Lather Shave Cream

 Shaving & Talking #7

Around 4 years ago I had my first try with some overseas shaving products and one of them was Cool Cologne Lather Shaving Cream. A fantastic cream for very little money. Today we bring that one back to the forefront to use it again in our shaving & talking video this week. 

If you never tried this one please do so the performance is great but it could use more menthol but that’s just me. You might have to look for this one online because it only sold in the UK, Well, at least it was 4 years ago. 

The Quiet Man - Tallow Version

Company: Wet The Face

Product: The Quiet Man (Tallow)

Today we release The Quiet Man Tallow version, the last shaving soap of our tallow line for this year. As I’ve said in the past, we have gotten rave reviews for this tallow formula. We believe in it so much we are letting our customers pick the next vegan soap to convert to Tallow. We started with 4 of our most popular shaving soaps but, now it’s your turn to pick. If you are not part of our FB group then please make it a point to join. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to pick which one will be next.

Pearl Man Coffeeop Shaving Soap

Company: Perl Man

Product: Coffeeop Shaving Soap

Today we try the other Pearl Man shaving soap called coffeeop. This soap is manufactured in India. The words artisan shaving soap show predominately on the side label and one has to wonder when do you drop the moniker of an artisan when it's been manufactured by a well-known private label company?

On my first use of this soap a few months ago I didn’t pay attention to its label but now with this second try, I took a closer look. Mahavir Health is the manufacture of this product it’s recognition in the field of manufacturing, exporting, importing, and supplying an outstanding range of Bath Soap, Herbal Soap, Fairness Soap, Shaving Cream, Talcum Powder, Fairness Cream, Skin Toner Cream, Sun Screen Cream, Hair Food Cream, Herbal Toothpaste, etc. Does that sound like an artisan shop to you?

Captain’s Choice - Leather Accessories / Resin Synthetic Brush

Company: Captain’s Choice

Product: Leather Accessories / Resin Synthetic Brush

This week we have something new from Captain’s Choice. Leather accessories and a resin handle synthetic shaving brush which I am calling Ocean. The design of the handle mimics the waves of the ocean which I think is spot on.

One of the leather accessories is a razor jacket. We’ve seen all these before but what makes this different is the antiqued brass button. This I have never seen on any piece before its a nice touch if you ask me. I notice that most razor poles (handles) should fit through the hole provided if it's too small for your razor then you'll need to make adjustments. I'll use mine not because I travel but because it just looks so cool. 

Next, we have the leather brush roll cover. This hand-crafted piece includes a black leather strap that secures the brush inside but is not so tight that it can’t breathe. The brush roll promotes the drying of the brush allowing air to flow freely around it. Protecting your brush and razor is now easier than ever thanks to the captain’s brother who happens to be a leather craftsman.

Company: A&E
Product: A&E Vanille De Tabac

A while back I received a sample of A&E Vanille De Tabac this would be my first try using one of Peters products. I remember watching his Youtube videos and around 2015 or so I even tried honing for the first time it was a gathering in Belmont park that Billy T was giving and Peter was there. I had just purchased all the stones with a case and was eager to learn something new. I never did continue with honing I had no time to devote to it but loved seeing everyone involved. I think I have a Youtube Video of that day on my channel.

Watermelon Strawberry's

New From Wet The Face

Well, August is already here, and in a few weeks summer will be over. Before we say goodbye to barbecues and bikinis I have one more shaving soap to release before the temperatures drop. Today I’m releasing Watermelon and Strawberries. One of the simple pleasures of the summer is having a slice of watermelon with family and friends I remember mom bringing out a bowl full of strawberries for all of us to have as well and now you can bring back those memories every time you shave.

Proraso Green Shave & The Occam's Razor

Proraso Green Shave & The Occam's Razor 

One just has to say the word Proraso and a flood of responses come forth and almost all of them are positive. Today I go back to using this wonderful shaving cream for my shave today. Green is the color I’m using and for people who don’t know the green has menthol which on these hot humid days is just perfect.

Shaving & Talking #6 featuring The De Vergulde Hand

Shaving & Talking #6 featuring The De Vergulde Hand

Today Shaving and Talking is brought to you by

something that was giving to me by my Swedish friend Maximus. He sent this to me in 2016 after he tweeted about it and then he offered one to me asking for a review which I did. This is somewhat of a staple with the dutch you can buy it in locals stores for about 3 to 5 dollars. They have been in business for over 450 years so they might know a few things about making soaps.

Nor'Easter Shaving Cream & Italia Aftershave

Company: Captian's Choice Products Nor'Easter Shaving Cream & Italia Aftershave

Captain’s Choice Nor’Easter has to be one of my favorites, but I never used the shaving cream just the shaving soap. Today we bring out the shaving cream and follow it up with something new for me called Italia aftershave. One would think they don’t exactly go together and you would be right but I still wanted to use it.

I like the packaging of the cream it comes in a smaller tub but you can use much less and get better results from the shaving cream formula. You have an opening to dip your brush in to do a face lather or you could take a dime-size amount in your hands and rub it into your beard with your fingertips.

Blood Orange - New From Wet The Face

Company: Wet The Face

Product: Blood Orange

Today we have a new release that we've been working on for some time now. Not only creating the scent but the label design as well. I released the label way ahead of the soap creation to our FB group to get feedback and they did not disappoint. I had great suggestions from the group which improved the design. I think having more eyes on the artwork did improve the outcome. So I might be doing more of this kind of thing in the future.

Pearl Man - Fresh Scent Shaving Soap

Company: Pearl
Product: Pearl Man - Fresh Scent Shaving Soap

A few months ago I did a review on the Flexi adjustable razor V2.0 and when that package arrived inside was a few unexpected surprises one of them being two shaving soaps from Pearl Man. Coffeeop which to me smells like chocolate and the other Shaver’s Spirit The Fresh beginning which is the focus of this review it has an amazing fresh clean scent.

This shaving soap comes in a 100g or 3.5oz plastic tub with a screw-on lid. A cartoon-like picture of a man with a mustache and the words the Artisan Shaving Soap. So I have a question, what's the name of the soap? Shaver’s Spirit or The Fresh Beginning or is it both?

Grey's Vetiver Tallow Version - Wet The Face

Company: Wet The Face
Product: Grey's Vetiver Tallow Version

This week we release another tallow shaving soap in our line called Grey’s Vetiver. This is one of my personal favorites the scent is from Tom Ford and I have been told it very close to the real thing.

This soap is using our new tallow-based formula which has been getting raves from our customers, they like the soft soap version over the hard pucks of last year and find them easier to store and manage. We agree!

The Shaving Nook's Flying Mango

Today we revisit the shaving nook’s amazing soap called The Flying Mango. A very much anticipated release back around 2015. This was inspired by the shaving nooks group and created with the help of Saponificio Varesino. Since 1945, Saponificio Varesino has been crafting traditional soaps for laundry, industrial, and grooming purposes in Italy. And while they are proud of their almost 75-year history, they aren’t resting on their laurels but are continuing to perfect new crafting methods to bring the best soaps to the world.

The packaging was in an aluminum tin but not the strong kind it was a bit flimsy which for something coming from Saponificio Varesino was disappointing, to say the least.

Shaving & Talking #5 Featuring Solstice

Shaving & Talking #5

From PAA (Original Formula)

Today I find myself without something new to review but no matter we have something that I think will please everyone. It’s from PAA the soap is called Solstice. A while back Douglas contributed to our Wet the Face giveaway with this shaving soap and he also included one for me to use. So this seems like a perfect time to use it once again. If you never had the pleasure of using this one you're missing out on a fantastic scent & lather experience.

Lagom - New From Wet The Face

Company: Wet The Face
Product: Lagom

I have to admit I watch a few YouTubers that do try on hauls. Some of them buy or if very popular get sent outfits from major brands to model. This young woman her name is Estelle Berglin she sometimes goes by the name Swea who is from Sweden is one of these YouTubers. In this one particular video she was discussing the Swedish word Lagom which means not too much, not too little, just the right amount, and is a philosophy that aims to balance, and those who practice it encourage that Lagom is applied to all aspects of life. Being part Swedish myself I thought maybe there is something to this by balancing one's life and then I thought maybe I can use this philosophy in another way.

Captain’s Choice - Island Time

Company: Captain’s Choice Product: Island Time

Today we look at something new from Captain’s choice perfect for the summer months called Island time. Although I only have the aftershave we can pair it with We the Face Hawaiian Tropic’s shaving soap.

The bottle for the aftershave comes in a four-ounce amber glass and as for the Ingredients: Alcohol, witch hazel, fragrance oils, essential oils and extracts, glycerin pretty simple formula that gets great results.

The sent is what would be found on a typical island I get pineapple as the top note which stays with you to the end. Also present are some other tropical fruits but I not able to pin them down. Overall very pleasant scent and not overbearing.

Vanilla Tobacco Tallow Version - Wet The Face

Company: Wet The Face
Product: Vanilla Tobacco Tallow Version

Today we have another tallow release called Vanilla Tobacco. When I started Wet The Face this was one of the first shaving soaps I offered. In the beginning, I didn’t know much about tallow but over six years I made it point to create a tallow product and that lead us to introduce our tallow pucks in 2019. We had amazing and helpful feedback which guided us to tweak the formula and make the change to the new soft soap tallow as requested by our customers. 

Mag T - Magnetic Safety Razor

Company: MagT Product: Mag T 'DELTA' - Double Edge Safety Razor

When I first saw this new razor I was floored by its design. A striking new concept in safety razor style and functionality. I’ve never seen anything like it before. This razor uses magnetics to hold and keep the razor blade in place and something else the creator points out the magnetic properties also keeps the blade sharp. Oh, the truth in advertising well, two out of here ain’t bad.

Cate’s Bubbles - Ocean Grove

Company: Cate’s Bubbles
Product: Ocean Grove

In my journey into wet shaving, you never forget the first few shaving products you try. Seven years later some of these companies are long gone and some have stayed on not only just surviving but flourishing and being featured in Fortune 500 like Cate’s Bubbles from the humble beginnings to an all-out manufacturing facility truly an amazing accomplishment and the shaving soaps are in every wet shavers den. 

Wet the Face - Stranger Shaves

Company: Wet The Face
Product: Stranger Shaves - Intense Almond

Our new release Stranger Shaves is inspired by the Netflix series called Stranger Things. My goal was to create one of the strongest scented soaps as an artisan can dare create and I think with this release that goal was achieved.

As soon as the lid is opened you will understand the power of this scent. You don’t even need to add one drop for it to fill the room it’s that strong.

Sometimes shaving can place you into the upsidedown and with this Intense Almond scent, it just might. I will say this is the strongest scented soap I have ever created and released. If you love almond scents then this one is going to knock your socks off!

Harry’s Shaving Cream - Eucalyptus

Company: Harry’s
Product: Harry’s Shaving Cream - Eucalyptus

Once again I found myself looking on the shelves of our CVS and found a whole new setup devoted to shaving. The CVS by me is going through a kind of metamorphosis. This happily included the shaving section which was ignored for some time. Things have certainly changed which lead me to pick up a few items they had brushes, shaving creams, splashes, pomades it was a shocker to see. One that caught my eye was Harry’s shaving cream now I have seen this before but it was never in this store before and since I’ve never used it I thought it was time to give it a review.

The packaging is like any modern shaving cream I do like the flip-top this makes it much easier to use and the writing is easy to read unlike the Method Men I used a few weeks ago.

The scent (eucalyptus) is just fine no problems but I didn’t notice any other choices unless I missed them on the shelf or maybe this was the only one they had stocked.

Vintage Barbershop - Tallow Version

Tallow has had its pros and cons for as long as I have been into wet shaving and I’m sure it will continue after I’m long gone. I’ve seen everything from Beef, Dear, Duck, and Pig fat the list goes on. Some artisans even render it themselves. I’ve always strived to look for the best beef fat I can use in my tallow-based shaving soap pucks we released a few years ago.

We had some great feedback on them and since then the biggest question was when do you think you’ll have them in a soft-based formula. We thought about this, did we want to make a change out of hard pucks? So looking at trends we decided to reformulate the tallow puck into soft-based tallow shaving soap. We think this makes perfect sense for Wet The Face and our customers. We hope you enjoy the new formula let us know what you think.

Don
Wet the Face

Maggard’s Razors - Groves of Italy

Company: Maggards
Product: Groves Of Italy

Today we have a new sample from Maggard’s Razors. If you don’t know who they are your most likely new to wet shaving. Maggard Razors was established in October 2012. A husband and wife team – Brad and Casie Maggard – has become one of the premier online and retail stores for getting wet shaving products. They have about 10 employees and offer straight razors, safety razors, thousands of wet shaving supplies, and restoration services. One could say they are very successful.

Method Men Shaving Cream

Company: Method Products
Product: Method Men Shaving Cream

Whenever I’m out doing errands no matter the store if they have a shaving section I always take a peek. This time I was in bed and bath and I found something I never tried before it’s called Method Men Shave Cream.

The packaging is attractive but the light gray with white text is extremely hard to read but other than that I like the way it looks and like the flip top to open and close lid it's appreciated.

The scent on this cream seems to be floral but the website reads it a crisp clean nautical note. Be that as it may, it still smells good but wouldn’t use it every day I would grow tired of it pretty fast.

Shannon’s Soaps - Lakeshore Drive

Company: Shannon’s Soaps
Product: Lakeshore Drive Rust Belt Reserve

Reaching back into the box of samples once again we select one from a company called Shannons Soaps. This is called Lakeshore Dr. Rust Belt Reserve. I’ve never had the pleasure of using one of Shannon's soaps before so I was eager to give this one a try.

As samples go I had more than enough for at least two shaves with this one, I scooped some out with my finger from the sample jar and without issue placed it into the Wet the Face shaving bowl. Loaded the brush up with water and emptied the contents right into the bowl then began to lather. In seconds you could see it was lathering up real good and the scent was increasing as well.

Sakura - Wet The Face Release

Company: Wet The Face
Product: Sakura

Sakura is our new release for March we timed it with the annual blooming of the Cherry Blossoms because its name and scent are synonyms with the flowering tree. Cherry blossoms in Japan are known as Sakura and it would not be an exaggeration to say they are a national obsession. Different varieties of cherry blossoms bloom at different times, but most hit their peak in Tokyo from the end of March to the beginning of April. Currently, Sakura is one of the most popular names for girls in Japan. In ancient Japan, farmers used the blooming of the sakura flowers to help them know it was time to plant their rice crops. 

Bathhouse - Steam Shaving Soap Tablet

Company: Bathhouse
Product: Steam Shaving Soap Tablet

We reach back into the gift box Benjamin Moran gives us and we see something from Bathhouse Soapery & Caldarium called Steam a shaving soap tablet. I’m used to seeing pucks but never a tablet before. I love the odd shave and the light blue color I knew as soon as I saw it I found the new soap to review for this week.

The packaging was simply a clear plastic wrapping with a black label with white writing on the top and bottom of the tablet. The reason for the clear wrapping was easy to understand why would anyone want to hide this beautiful color blue.

Dettol - Fresh Shaving Cream

Company: Dettol

Product: Fresh Shaving Cream  

I get many requests for trying products so many in fact if I did all of them I would need to take out a loan just to pay for them. Once request last week was for something I never heard of from India it’s called Dettol Fresh Shaving Cream. The subscriber said I have to try it so I headed over to Amazon and found it for a few dollars and order one. 

Faena Shaving Soap & Aftershave Balm

Company: Faena
Product: Shaving Soap / Aftershave balm

One of the amazing things about the wet shaving hobby is the variety of artisan products one has to choose from. That being said I’m always finding something new and this week an artisan company reached out for me to review a few of the handmade products from Greece.

In the box, we have three products tallow-based shaving soap an aftershave balm, and bar soap reviewing only the two that pertain to wet shaving. By the way, this took a long time to get to the US almost a month.

Leaf Shave - The Twig Single Edge Razor

The single edge razor is getting lots of attention lately with several new releases over the years we have many to choose from but one that I’ve used recently could be jumping ahead of the pack this one is from the company Leaf and it’s called the Twig.

This remarkable razor came to me via an announcement from Leaf as a Kickstarter. They made sure the backers knew what was going on every step of the way right up to the shipping. When it finally came I had to wait due to it being almost the end of the year not wanted to do the review at that time. Finally, after two other razor reviews, I’m ready to tackle the Twig.

Pearl Flexi Adjustable Safety Razor V2.0

A few months ago Pearl a shaving company released what they called the Flexi Adjustable Safety Razor and it made a big splash in the wet shaving community. After a week later a few people started to comment on this strange alignment problem. It was reported that when turning the razor to about 2-3 on the adjustment dial you would witness the dipping of the blade to one side.

After seeing many youtube videos on this subject and talking to several wet shavers and having images of this problem sent to me I have to say this is a real issue. The Pearl company was on this in a big way they told the customers that anyone that was not happy with this razor release they will be sending them a new razor as soon as the second batch with corrections was completed and this February that batch had been completed and I was lucky enough to be part of it as a reviewer of the product. I am calling this one the Pearl Flexi Adjustable Safety Razor 2.0 and this is what the review will be based on.

Nothing But The Base - Wet The Face Release

Company: Wet The Face

Product: Nothing But The Base

I've been approached countless times with the question of when will Wet The Face come out with a shaving soap that has no fragrance. Something that would not irritate the skin or cause a reaction due to the natural fragrance oils. The wait is now over with our release of Nothing But The Base you’ll have absolutely no fragrance with all the benefits of our natural base formula.

1965 Slim Gillette Adjustable Razor Review

Company: Gillette

Product: 1965 Slim Gillette Adjustable 

Made Possible By Benjamin Moran

I always wanted to try a 1960 Gillette vintage razor the razor of my birth but I could never find one that fit my budget or was the right year. I gave up a long time ago until I got this email from Benjamin Moran. He wanted to donate some shaving soaps and brushes for our giveaways. He also added that he just got back from revamping a 1965 Slim Gillette Adjustable and would I like to review it for the group and without hesitation, I said yes! My dream had come true.

Billy Jealousy Whipped Shaving Cream

Company: Billy Jealousy

Product: Whipped Shaving Cream

Many years ago I subscribed to Luxury Barber Box and I would always get something from the company Billy Jealousy. Since I didn’t know the brand too well I collected whatever I didn’t want to use in a box along with other things I was going to try at a later date. Flash forward 5 years I just found that box again and I will be giving the Billy Jealousy Whipped Shaving Cream a try.

Shaveology Butterfly DE Safety Razor

Company: Shaveology
Product: Butterfly Double Edge Safety Razor

Today will be looking at The Griffin Razor or some call it the Shaveology razor. I had mine ordered late last year but held back until now to do this review. Today in this video I’ll be using it for the very first time. What makes this one different? let's find out.

The packaging is sure attractive. This would stand out on any shelf selling wet shaving apparel. When you turn the box over you get these bullet points of features but nothing I haven’t seen before. The phrasing is new “Modern Gentlemen” “New Breed of Gentlemen” Join the club you get the picture and the last thing was Proud Supporters of Soldiers Angels a nice touch and a worthy cause. Inside the box, you're greeted with a nicely done pamphlet explaining just how to load and take care of the razor. A guarantee between gentlemen (oh brother) from the founder Adam A. such a gentleman he doesn’t even list his own last name. He said he wants you to be 100% satisfied but only guarantees that for 90 days. Next, we have a polishing cloth, 5 Platinum blades, and a leather razor cover for protection and travel, and finally the butterfly double edge safety razor.

Company: Captain’s Choice
Product: Land Ho! Shaving Soap / Aftershave Balm

Going back to last September Scott from Captain's Choice wanted me to review an aftershave called Land Ho!. It has a marvelous scent and worked well but what was missing was the shaving soap. Just a few weeks ago I received this package that not only contained the missing shaving soap but it also had shaving cream and aftershave balm a complete set. Naturally, it included a letter from Scott explaining this fact and if I could continue my review with the now missing pieces. So, I will be using the shaving soap and aftershave balm in this review and save the shaving cream for a later video.

Last Shave of 2020 - Hello 2021

Looking back on all the years past I can’t recall a happier time when I was so glad a year was over. Now that 2021 is finally here good things are about to happen. The covid vaccine is on the way too many front-line workers including Nursing Homes residents. We have a new president which I think this country needs right now and I’m still here after working every day going to Manhattan in March and never stopped I conceder myself lucky that I still had one to go to.