Italian Shave Wednesday: Mandarin, Spice, and a European Tour
Well, hey. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, depending on when you’re watching. It’s me, your friendly neighborhood Deacon, Deacon Gene. It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means. Italian Shave Wednesday.
Today we’re taking a little European vacation. Started in Florence, made a quick hop to Barcelona, finished up in Lisbon. Not bad for a Wednesday morning shave.
I also want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who’s reached out. The well wishes, the encouragement, the prayers. We’re at T-minus five days until I go in for the surgery. I’m in debt to all of you. Means more than I can say.
How we landed on mandarin and spice
Last night I was talking to Brenda, my beautiful wife. She said it’s hump day, had this whole desert thing in mind. I said I don’t have a hump day soap. But then I thought: desert, Middle East, known for spices. Aha. Mondial 1908. Mandarino e Spezie. There you go.
The soap: Mondial 1908 Mandarino e Spezie
Mondial 1908 is out of Florence. The Mandarino e Spezie, let me read the label here, the eyes aren’t what they used to be: “Volatile and sweet mandarin fragrances harmonize with the spiced ones of cinnamon and pepper. At the same time, it conveys passion and energy. Exotic fragrance, deep pleasure, making the shaving a wonderful experience.”
I like a soap that makes promises.
The lather I built in my RazoRock ceramic bowl was beautiful. Dense, good slickness, and the scent came right through. Spicy, citrus-forward. Exactly what it says. I had two passes done before I even showed the razor on camera.
Brush today is my Omega Silver Professional. I just felt like it. No argument from me.
The aftershave: Floïd The Original Aftershave
Mondial doesn’t have a matching splash, so I went with Floïd The Original Aftershave. Fits the Italian theme anyway, because now it’s made in Firenze.
The notes are spicy citrus, floral, musky, with a hint of menthol. Specifically: orange, mint, and cardamom, together with cedar, patchouli, and sandalwood. Originally put together in 1932 by Juan Bautista Cendros, who owned a barber shop in Barcelona. He sensed something was missing from the shaving ritual and created this. Originally made in Barcelona. Now made in Florence, Italy. See? We’re back to Italy. You kidding me?
There is menthol in this thing. It will freeze your face off, but you’ll enjoy it. Alcohol-based. The bottle is a reducer type, not a sprayer, so you just tip a little out into your hands. Lovely. Spicy. Fits the day.
I got both the Floïd and the Musgo Real from my buddy Mike, Mike Sandoval. He used to run Shaving 101. Great site, great ideas. Now it’s under new ownership at Classic Shaving. Worth checking out.
The cologne: Claus Porto Musgo Real No. 3 Spiced Citrus
For the cologne I went with Claus Porto’s Musgo Real No. 3 Spiced Citrus. The notes: verbena, woody notes, lime, coriander, incense, and other spice notes.
Three products, three different countries of origin, all working in the same lane. Spice and citrus, Florence to Barcelona to Lisbon. That’s exactly what Italian Shave Wednesday is supposed to feel like.
The razor: RazoRock German 37
The razor today is the RazoRock German 37 slant. It’s the homage to the Merkur 37 slant. Look at that blade gap. Oh yeah. The third pass closed things out clean. Residual slickness from the Mondial was good enough that I didn’t need to re-lather for the touch-up. I could have if I needed to. Didn’t need to.
Blade is an Albatross. Sharp. No drama.
Alum block after the shave, then the Floïd The Original Aftershave. The towel today is one I got from a Shave Dad giveaway, Lancaster Razor Works. Don’t know whether they’re still in business, but good stuff.
Before I go
Quick moment of silence for Donald Gibb, who passed away yesterday at 71. The Ogre himself, from Revenge of the Nerds. Rest in peace.
Now, what’s coming up. Pre-op testing tomorrow. Sunday I’m preaching at all three masses at St. John’s in San Marcos. That’s going to be my last chance to serve at mass for a while, so I asked the pastor if I could preach. He said yes, and then he added, “Why don’t you do all three?” Then he kind of snickered because he didn’t have to write the homily. Gee, thanks, Father.
After that I’m headed to Austin for the surgery and recovery. I probably won’t be doing videos until I get back home. I can’t apologize for that because I can’t help it. But there’s plenty of content on the channel to catch up on while I’m gone. Go through some of the older stuff you might have missed.
A couple of things I’d like you to check out in the meantime. TheShavingCadre.com. One of the best shaving websites on the internet, as Sensei Dave says. He’s not wrong. And if you’re on Facebook, go find the Shave Dad group. My buddy Jerry from back in the old neighborhood runs it. Unbelievable group. Great camaraderie, great brotherhood.
We’re in the 480s on subscribers now. Where did that come from? But thank you.
Also, I’m working on deaconshaves.com. Still a work in progress. Getting back into some old programming and web-mastering days, working through some JavaScript and HTML. It’ll get there.
One more thing: Texas Wet Shavers meetup on Facebook. June 6th, Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas. With the doctor’s clearance, I may be there. We’ll see.
If shaving isn’t one of the most exhilarating parts of your day, you might be doing something wrong. Be good to yourselves and to each other. Have a great day and smooth shaves.
Ciao for now. To quote Arnold, I’ll be back.