Razor: Ikon SBS
Blade: Astra Green
Brush: Copper Hat Synthetic
Soap: Zingari Man The Magician
Aftershave: Zingari Man The Magician
Other: Thirsty Badger lather bowl
VACATION! That’s right, I’m off for a couple weeks (plus a few days) and am getting ready to hit the road. Today was prep day, we are packing up stuff, doing some laundry, went and bottled some homemade wine (http://www.wine4you.ca) and tomorrow we are heading west to explore.
Today I revisited my Zingari Man Magician set. This is a really nice scent. Orange Blossom, Oakmoss and Fern. It has a nice bright floral note to go with the fougere vibe of the oakmoss/fern. It is on the lighter side of medium, I wish it was dialled up a touch, but it still does the trick. Today I decided to push the water a bit and worked in as much hydration as I could without breaking it. Man, what a killer lather. I was rewarded with a fantastic shave. The slickness (lathered and residual) approached elite levels, and the post shave was excellent. A little reminder to really work on your lather for each base to get the best out of it.
This Ikon is not my favourite razor. It’s head heavy, like boat anchor or Thor’s hammer heaver. It has 4 different aggression levels depending on which side of the head and which way the cap is flipped. I’m ok with that but there are no visible numbering so you have to remember which pattern gave which aggression level. In the end, I picked out what I felt to be the most aggressive combo. Despite it’s shortcomings, I can’t argue with the shave. Paired with one my favourite blades and the fantastic performance of the soap, I got a top shelf shave. Super smooth, no irritation. Everything felt great and after 3 passes, no clean up needed. As close to BBS as you can get without chasing it.
The brush of choice today was my Copper Hap synthetic. This heavy aluminium handle feels great in the hand and performs very well. Soft tips make for a great lather and a comfortable experience. We are going to be in Victoria during our travel so I’m really hoping to get a chance to check our their store front.
I finished up with the matching Zingari balm. Heather’s balm is fantastic, my favourite performance wise in the den. It goes on light, absorbs well and leaves the skin feeling soft and hydrated. I’ll have to keep on her about doing an unscented mentholated one so I have that perfect summer option to go with anything. But this guy, it paired perfect with the soap, no complaints.
A fantastic shave to start the vacation.
