Hoarding Lite

I totally forgot to mention the new blade, Wilkinson Sword, in Chaoying earlier. No complaints, though I won't know how to characterize it for sure until I get it in a more familiar razor. I found them on a lovely fall outing to the state park where I was married, where we all took a mile hike, onward to Ocean State Job Lots, the magical place where all As Seen On TV things wind up. Maybe they're expanding to YouTube? Paul H. Films inspired me to snag Nivea Men creme, too. Other acquisitions worth mentioning...

TABAC! It comes in a jar, but you don't have to buy the jar to get a puck, a fact easily overlooked when figuring the net value, still under $10 for a puck that I would consider to be full-size. I don't know if it was somebody's link, or the stars aligned when I was poking around Amazon, but it finally occurred to me to get some, and I'm glad I did. It smells like a powdery old-school cologne, like English Leather or British Stirling, perfectly at home in my collection. Not nearly as nice as PdP No. 63, but I expect I'll actually be able to use this for shaving more often. Since I also had a puck of Williams waiting to be smashed into the shaving rainbow, I took some photos, so you can check out their dimensions side by side, and after kneading, independent of the shape they were marketed in:

Similar hardness, but the smaller puck was harder to spread (thin), ending with many loose pieces.

Sharpologist recently posted a glowing report from a man who received an expensive comb made of animal horn. I had been investigating wooden combs for myself, since, thanks to Italian Barber, I now know what sandalwood smells like. When I put in my order, however, it was for the cheapest version of the two materials -- wood not specified. Such cheapness is not usually rewarded, but this time, I was very pleased. Neither comb creates static, or scratches the scalp. The wood exfoliates gently and distributes oils, while the horn styles the hair as if by telekinesis. You can see the horn comb in my expanding collection of matchy-matchy grooming accessories:

L to R: Boo-boo juice, in pump bottle from a dollar store; Cup that once held a bamboo plant; Mini crock
(both from recycling facilities); Baili special offer badger brush; Great Gatherings bowl from Big Lots;
Spray bottle from a local discount store; Horn comb from Amazon.

With Williams ejected from the bowl, and my skin tolerating a fair quantity of glycerin on a regular basis, I think I'm going to try warm lather again. My plan is to microwave water, heating the bowl, carry it to the bathroom in a slightly larger plastic salsa bowl, into which I will pour the water on arrival. Make lather in the ceramic, then drop it into the salsa bowl atop the remaining hot water. It tests nicely for buoyancy vs. weight -- should be a fine little poor-boy scuttle, IF the plastic doesn't melt.

Should I have gotten a black salsa bowl instead of red? Red for "hot" makes sense. Red is one of my favorite colors. Red, white, black and chrome are fine matches, to my ink-and-paper way of thinking. The trouble comes when the rainbow soap cups come into the picture, clashing with the only other color present. It sounds stupid, but I bet I'll be drawn to PdP in the crock, just on aesthetics. I so wish I could be a one-soap guy!

The shaving rainbow, composed of Dollar Tree travel snack cups for toddlers.
Blue - Williams, Green - Palmolive Classic, Yellow - Arko, Orange - KMF-VDH croap, Red - Tabac.