SOTD by u/RedMosquitoMM

Aug. 3, 2022

• Brush: Zenith B36 "Copper Scrubby!" 28x50mm Boar
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM (3)

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Lime - Soap

• Post Shave: Porter's Lotion, WSP - Neroli - Balm

• Fragrance: Acca Kappa - Black Pepper & Sandalwood

• Passes: WTG, XTG

• Coffee: Peru, Inkawasi, La Convencion - v: Bourbon, Typica, Caturra - p: Washed
• Music: Charles Mingus - Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus
• August 2022 SOTD Photo Album

Today's lather was much improved. It was richer, about at the hydration level I prefer, and protective, though my face still felt abraded by the time I got the lather to that point. This Scrubby doesn't mess around.

1. I started with a soaking brush and only let any extra water drip off. I didn't squeeze out the brush or flick water off.
2. This made a mess, which is to be expected. I loaded for about 40 seconds. The mess on top of the puck started off really sudsy, and overflowed down into the sink, but eventually settled a bit into a promising proto-lather.
3. I tried to be as gentle as I could with the face lather, but these tips still don't have much give.
4. No weepers today and the shave felt much smoother than the last two days. However, the MMOC handle felt extra slippery; one of the downsides of face lathering nobody talks about (despite lots of hand rinsing and toweling off).

I was surprised to see I consumed much less soap today (1 gram). I had better results than my first two shaves, and it felt easier to hydrate the lather, which suggests I had been overloading. Noted.

#GEMsOfWisdom / #RawHoggin

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#sidetracked u/Teufelskraft

I feel like my first two selections suggested I only listen to music from a specific decade, and both relied heavily on their vocal performances, so today's selection is both instrumental and considerably older. However, this one's yet another low-key number. I'll get to more lively stuff later this month.

"Harlem Nocturne" is one of those standards that everybody and their cousin has recorded, but my favorite is Illinois Jacquet's 1956 version from Swing's the Thing. There aren't any blues solos here, or bossa nova rhythms, or private eye noir by way of Twin Peaks atmosphere. Jacquet plays the song straight, a crooning serenade softly echoing down dark city streets. His tone on this recording is lovely; relaxed, rich, and breathy, all while gracefully fluttering between passionate, forceful lines and quiet moments of reverie. This is late night jazz at its moody best.

YouTube: Illinois Jacquet - "Harlem Nocturne"