Zingari Man Il Signore: Italian Shave Wednesday with the Full Trifecta
Buongiorno, buon pomeriggio, buonasera a tutti. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, depending on where or when you’re catching this. Deacon G here. You know what day it is. Not just hump day. It’s Italian Shave Wednesday, where everything on the shelf is Italian-made, Italian-themed, Italian-based. That’s the tradition. That’s what we do on a Wednesday.
I got up early, jumped in a hot shower, took care of two of the three S’s, then ran the dogs out and headed to cardiac rehab. Numbers were a little up this morning, but that’s a conversation for my cardiologist, not for the shave video. The point I always come back to: listen to your body. When in doubt, talk to a doctor.
The Gear
Got my RazoRock Ceramic bowl out. The Omega Gold Professional is soaking. I also used my soap spoon from the Texas Wet Shavers meetup. Andy’s going to know exactly what I’m talking about. Takes some getting used to compared to a regular spoon or a guitar pick, but once it clicks, it works.
For the razor, I didn’t plan ahead. I just reached into the bin where I keep my Italian razors and pulled one out. Blew a little dust off it because it has been a minute. That’s the RazoRock Cyber Razor, the mild version. Italian Barber makes this one under the RazoRock line and sells it directly at italianbarber.com. Interesting design. If you’re newer to the hobby and want a daily driver with the angles already built in, this is worth a look. Similar in that way to some of the other guided razors out there. I’ve got a Bolzano blade loaded in there. Went in with the Proraso Red Pre Barba and the Osma alum block. Full Italian Wednesday on the counter.
Zingari Man Il Signore
At the Texas Wet Shavers meetup, I won a door prize: a gift certificate from Zingari Man. Big thanks to Doug and Barry for putting on that event. And Heather over at Zingari Man, thank you for your generosity with those giveaway cards. So I went out and used it. Picked up the complete Il Signore set: soap, aftershave serum, and the EDP. Go figure. All in.
“Il Signore” translates to “the gentleman.” The scent notes are Sicilian lemon, Sicilian lime, fir absolute, and ambergris.
A quick word on ambergris if you’re not familiar. It comes from sperm whales and floats on the ocean’s surface. Fresh? Not something you want near your face. But after it’s been sitting on a beach, drying out, weathering for years, it changes. Some people describe it as warm and rounded. Others get something more oceanic, more mineral. Depends on the nose, depends on the batch. That’s what I read, anyway. Look it up yourself and decide.
The Lather
Made the lather in the RazoRock bowl and came back to show you. Look at that. Plenty in there, too.
The Sicilian lemon on Il Signore is not that over-the-top tart you’d get from a Florida lemon. More subdued. There’s other citrus in there that pulls it back just enough to say “I’m here” without screaming. You pick up some green from the fir absolute underneath that. And then there’s a woody, vanilla-adjacent, sandalwood-leaning quality from the ambergris in the base. That’s my nose. Your experience may vary.
Heather’s base gives you real cushion and glide. Slick enough that I probably could have done a second pass without re-lathering. I chose not to poke the bear this time.
The Shave
Mild razor means a second pass, maybe a third. That’s just what it is. You work with what you’ve got.
I’ve been doing a lot more with my left hand lately. Got a trigger finger situation on my right hand, surgery is coming, quick local procedure, in and out in 15 minutes. But for now I’m adapting. Going across the grain with the left is easier for me to see what I’m doing without nicking myself. You’ll catch me switching hands in the video.
BBS is not always the goal. Sometimes DFS and socially acceptable is exactly right. A good shave is a good shave. You decide what that means for you.
Finished up with the Il Signore aftershave serum. Feels very good. Really well done on that formulation. Then the EDP spritz. More of the woody character up front in the spray, at least to my nose. When the set first came in, Brenda walked by and said “Oo, that’s different.” She approved. Happy wife, happy life.
Hope everybody had a good Fourth of July. We caught the fireworks from the church, food was excellent, the church made some money. Good time.
World Cup thoughts, since it was on my mind during the passes: the US played flat. I don’t know why. I wanted them to go further. Hats off to them for how far they got, but they just didn’t have it together. Monaco’s run, though? Nobody saw that coming. France vs Monaco is going to be a fascinating game given the history between those two countries.
Stay tuned for Saturday. I’ve got a special video dropping about something I won from Mark Zerati, and I’m excited about that one.
That’s the shave this morning. RazoRock Ceramic bowl, Omega Gold Professional, RazoRock Cyber Razor, and the complete Zingari Man Il Signore set. Solid morning. If shaving isn’t one of the most exhilarating parts of your day, you might be doing something wrong. Keep it smooth. Ciao for now.