1. Saturday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 01, 2024
2. Sunday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 02, 2024
3. Monday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 03, 2024
4. Tuesday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 04, 2024
5. Wednesday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 05, 2024
6. Thursday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 06, 2024
7. Friday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 07, 2024
8. Saturday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 08, 2024
9. Sunday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 09, 2024
10. Monday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 10, 2024
11. Tuesday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 11, 2024
12. Wednesday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 12, 2024
13. Thursday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 13, 2024
14. Friday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 14, 2024
15. Saturday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 15, 2024
16. Sunday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 16, 2024
17. Monday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 17, 2024
18. Tuesday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 18, 2024
19. Wednesday Lather Games Thursday SOTD Thread - Jun 19, 2024
20. Thursday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 20, 2024
21. Friday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 21, 2024
22. Saturday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 22, 2024
23. Sunday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 23, 2024
24. Monday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 24, 2024
25. Tuesday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 25, 2024
26. Wednesday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 26, 2024
27. Thursday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 27, 2024
28. Friday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 28, 2024
29. Saturday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 29, 2024
30. Sunday Lather Games SOTD Thread - Jun 30, 2024

2024-06-01 - Let's Get it Started in Here

• Lather: A A Shaving - The Hunt
• Razor: Schick Injector #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Brush: Qshave Pure Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Post Shave: Lothur - Oregon
• Fragrance: INeKE - Idyllwild

Pack it up, boys and ladies! You're reading the first post of this year's Games' winner! Seriously, give up now. That way, I can half-ass this thing and still come out on top!

I'm not really planning on exerting much effort this time around, but I still find myself starting this June with several new tubs of soap that I don't need, because I'll be damned if I'm not going to fill the calendar! What's that? No, you're the one with a problem!

Side note: Did you know that June is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month? Just want to put that out there, because certain members of this sub think it's a funny little joke to shit on people who try to support men's mental health.

Bonjour, Lather Games: With three new sponsors this year, none of which I've previously tried, it just came down to a roll of a three-sided die. Or whichever one I didn't pick for a different day. I don't know; roll a two-sided die. Either way, A A Shaving is new to me.

Challenge Accepted: Purchased shortly after last year's Games, this razor sat in a drawer for about 9 months, like some backward gestation before the end of my injector virginity... "Injector virginity." Um... Huh.

Anyway, it took me no more than a handful of seconds to work out the angle at which to hold it, but I do not like that the head has nearly no mass at all; I prefer a more massive head. Um.... Huh.

Side note: That's a pretty sweet patina. I'm not sure why there's been such an emphasis on rust for patinas (patinae?), much less the emphasis on green coloration; I have the impression that there was a chain of false transitivity somewhere. You can have a non-green patina on clean, rust-free metal. But, if you insist, it's literally rusty, too.

Unifying theme: Wooded West-coast Locales
Oregon and Idyllwild are obviously named after such locations, and The Hunt is inspired by the woods of Cascadia. Incidentally, I was literally planning on relocating to the PNW this summer, but I'm going to remain for a while longer here in the Wasteland of Fire and Death, where it has already been summer for several months and will be for many more.

But I digress.

#FOF
Anyway, the scent of pine is dominant in The Hunt, with what I take to be ozone imparting a welcome, damp airiness. Leather, moss, and musk keep it grounded, even dark.

Oregon presents a brighter green, perhaps—I suspect—from a greater prominence of citrus notes. It represents a rather stark contrast to The Hunt's depth.

Idyllwild is also lighter than The Hunt, but is also more generally woody, rather than being so pine-heavy. Idyllwild includes a smokiness that balances well with its lightness, which makes me realize that Oregon doesn't seem to ground its own aggressive brightness.

#photocontest Birds
I have mixed feelings about this contest. On the one hand, the photos are one of my favorite parts of the Games. On the other hand, I was so insistent on hitting all of the themes in last year's contest that I feel my photos suffered for it. So I'm still doing this, but I'm not hunting for all the things (no pun intended), especially if I think I have an otherwise good photo. This one just happens to have a bird.

User comes out of the gate with a well -composed photo that could be used by the artisan for their marketing.

New All the things

Today Scent

• Brush: Smilezformilez Black Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Enders Speed Razor
• Blade: Enders
• Lather: Palmira Sapun Za Brijanje
• Post Shave: Don Draper Green
• Fragrance: Alpa Eau de Cologne Fougére

Fast First Shave.... I struggled to have a close shave with this machine, constantly buffing to cut the beard. The black badger brush is another experience to live, using a hedgehog for lathering is the closest experience.

.#photocontest Fill the frame

.#FOF The oldest scented shave, feel like grandpa.

nice composition

2024-06-02 - Where has all the rum gone?!

• Lather: Zingari Man - The Navigator
• Razor: Bambaw Sea Green #RAINBOW
• Brush: Moar Boar #SUBBRUSH #OLDWORLD
• Post Shave: Captain's Choice - Venture
• Fragrance: ALT. Fragrance - The Scent of Beach

Ahoy, Lather Games!: Nothing is more nautically-themed than Navigator.

Unifying Theme: Seafaring/Coastal
I feel like this is probably a self-evident extension of the day's theme. The whole brand of Captain's Choice fits. The Scent of Beach, while not strictly nautical, fits with the seafaring theme. Consider the following from the description of The Navigator:

Sandy-footed step by sandy-footed step, a man walks along the sun-warmed wooden planks of a dock.

I'm not going to insult you with a lengthy explanation; you get it.

#photocontest Water-faring vessels
I said I wasn't going to strive for all the photo things, but I'm also not going to avoid them. That's a Jolly Roger on the right side of the photo, so that could work for pirates. Meanwhile, there's also obviously the bow and figurehead of a ship on the soap label, not to mention the stern of the ship being eaten by Santa Claus on the left. So I rolled a two-sided die and I'm going with the ships for water vehicles.

Paleontology Day:
In past years, I've never known what to say for this particular challenge. However, considering u/Priusaurus' journey last year, I knew immediately what to do today: I wrapped that Jolly Roger around my neck and went to Pei Wei.

Side note: I recently discovered that shemaghs are not only excellent for keeping the sun off your neck, but are surprisingly cooling. Which is good, because we keep getting these "extreme heat" alerts/warnings, which are entirely redundant. Like yeah, we know; why don't you shut the hell up, Alexa, and let me know about the two or three days in January when there isn't an extreme heat warning.

But I digress.

As with last year, it was opening-time on Sunday at Pei Wei, but there was no one else there this time. I got my food, settled down, and proceeded to shave.

Wait, today's shave was back in my own den? You're god damn right. Shaving in public has been done. It's old hat. Nobody wants to be the guy who shaves outside of a mom-and-pop Thai restaurant, scaring away all of the customers just because you don't want to be outdone by some guy who shaved in a Pei Wei while he was under the influence of drugs. I mean, drugs that you can get at any Starbucks because that's literally their whole business, but still!

Maybe—just maybe—I can once again serve as an inspiration for the most dedicated players, but this time toward sanity. You don't have to do this, u/Priusaurus. Dial it back, for your own sake. We're worried about you. Really.

Either that, or step it up. You don't just have to out-do everyone else, you have you out-do yourself from last year, and I gotta say, you've got a long way to go...

#FOF
Navigator purports to be a woody aquatic scent. What really stands out to me, which I've not been able to figure out, is that it smells like salty sea air—or enough like it that this desert-dweller doesn't know the difference. I smell those sandy-footed steps.

I do wish that Venture and Scent of Beach were a better pairing with Navigator, but they both trace back to Aventus. Venture is a straight dupe, I believe, and I dare assume the name is even a nod to Aventus. In a way, they do work well, evoking fruit cocktails on a tropical island. I find Venture to be too fruity, however, like my head turned into a big ol' pineapple and I just want to cut it off.

Scent of Beach is actually a dupe of a scent called The Scent of Peace, which itself took inspiration from Aventus. Today, Scent of Beach picks up where Venture left off, and somehow turns the dial up even further. It's more well-rounded than Venture (not the highest of bars, granted), but it is loud. The Vice City motif suits it well. I guess that's not a huge departure from the coastal theme, but man, I really miss the sandyfooted steps on the dock right about now, but General Tso distracts from it all pretty well.

Thematically this shot is really cool.

June 2, 2024 - Ahoy, Lather Games!

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: r/Wetshaving Zenith MOAR BOAR (31 mm × 57 mm bleached boar) #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: L. Herder & Son Vintage Straight
• Blade: L. Herder & Son Vintage Straight (13)
• Lather: Black Ship Grooming - Black Beard
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Bay Rum
• Fragrance: Old Spice - Classic EDC

It was a fantastic day 2 of the Lather Games, my fellow enthusiasts! All of today's software was on theme, and I was using his soap, so I thought, why not invite Black Beard for a shave? (The picture happened after the shave, of course). While I had Black Beard here to honor u/Priusaurus and the incredible effort he put into last year's games, I thought I'd do a quick interview with him to get a pirate's take on shaving.

1. How would you feel if your dad participated in a shaving contest?

Disappointed because he should be busy working on my ship.

2. How do pirates shave?

With my hook or sword.

3. How do pirates feel about judges?

Steal all their gold and make them walk the plank.

4. Do pirates believe in Air Bud?

Ummmmm, yes, duh.

5. Do pirates need pre-shave?

No, they don't.

6. Splash or Balm for aftershave?

Splash, because we are always on the water and the sea splashes.

7. How do pirates feel about vegan soap?

Bad, because we only eat meat.

8. How does seawater affect your lather?

Everyone should use it.

PHOTOCONTEST - Pirates ... because Black Beard was here.

nice use of a child

LGSOTD 03-Jun-24

• Brush: Oumo - 'Big Hand' Ex ST-1 27 Bulb #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Atelier Durdan - Vestige ++ #CNC #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Shire 2
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Shire 2 AS
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Shire 2 Balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Shire EDP

Never really looked at the tusk base in detail before, so was delighted to find Duck Fat sitting proud amongst the ingredients. I realise there is the good ole beef tallow sitting right there, but I'll take it as acceptable based on advice, though I did do my best to try and find a cat fat soap, sadly I failed.

I was determined to get Shire into my calender this year one way or another. The tusk base is great, and Shire is my favourite of their offerings, with Beloved coming in a close second. I'm a fan of the hobbit and lord of the rings, have been since I was a kid. Even managed to convince my 5 year old to let me read the hobbit to her as a bedtime story, sadly she hasn't caved and let me read her the rings just yet... I'll get her there.

With some tremendous luck I also managed to get my hands on some of the EDP from Anticatura. He's had two stocking instances and both sold out in minutes, really is fastest finger first, but well and truly worth it! I really wish there was more of a supply (I'm assuming there's demand) of US matching scents, I've been begging for SBS and Chiseled Face (just so I can go whole hog with the stag) stuff to make it this side of the pond, with luck the market grows...apologies I digress.

Quick note on the razor, if you get a chance to try the Vestige (and you're a fan of the GEM format) I highly recommend it. The razor is lighter than I would normally go for, but it is exceptionally maneuverable and gives a very close finish. Despite the lack of blade stops I've never caught myself with the ++ baseplate - if you go for the +++ be a bit more careful!

Challenge OnionMiOsma Day

I've got a block of this stuff that I've had since just after the last lather games. To be fair I rarely use it. I tend to find it quite drying, so only use it when I've been a bit cavalier using something overly assertive. So not really needed here, but the mammoth balm makes up for any drying effect!

Cracking shave with one of my favourite setups!

Photocontest

Aiming squarely at the Animal (not alive) theme today, had to match the animal with the fat!

Hope everyone has a cracking day.

Cheers

Marc"

Beautiful shot, very pleasing. Love the colors. The rubber duck manages to stand out in a surprisingly amusing but mature way.

2024-06-03 - Soylent Green

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Glacial Electric Sheep
• Razor: Clix E-Z Flo #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Brush: Yaqi Metal Timberwolf
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - D-503
• Post Shave: Alum, definitely not Osma
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Telegrama

Where's the Beef: Mutton
Side note: Check out this rust-free patina. No rusty butts here!

Unifying Theme: Literature
The title of the novel is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Dude, people aren't even said to dream of sheep. You're thinking of "counting sheep"; the dreaming part comes later. You should know better than that, Dick.
::ahem::
Philip K. Dick, of course.

Speaking of dystopian-future novels that I've never read, D-503 is the name of the protagonist of Мы (We) by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

I wish I could have kept the dystopian-future thing going, but I had to widen the scope to literature in general, which is fine because I make the rules! Even if Imaginary Authors almost feels like cheating, the aethetic of Telegrama seems at least vaguely appropriate.

#photocontest
Steampunk is an aesthetic genre that answers the question, "What if technology was only hot water and clocks and we dressed up all horny about it?" (paraphrased from u/BennyFeldman @1:25)
I didn't think I was going to have an opportunity to organically incorporate this into any photo during the Games, but I think it happens to fit, also vaguely, with the dystopian-future element of much of my setup today, so that works out. Serendipitous!

#FOF
Are you familiar with mosquito-repellent candles? I am not. If you're unfamiliar with Electric Sheep, it's worth noting that Stirling has a WARNING on the product page imploring people to try a sample before a full tub. I'm pretty sure I dove straight into the latter when I bought this.

I don't know what the fuss is about. It's strong, but refreshing. Like Lemon Pledge, maybe? I don't know what Lemon Pledge smells like. It's intense, and the Glacial menthol kicks the entensity levels up to Awesome. "Not for the faint of heart," indeed.

A dupe of Legend by Mont Blanc, D-503 transitions smoothly, perhaps thanks to its citrus notes, although those same citrus notes are the reason (maybe along with the purported 'dried fruit') that I opted to target the D-503 soap that I had in order to use it up and get it off my shelf. It's not that I don't like it—quite the contrary; tonka and light florals effectively mute the citrus—but it's not a contender for being among my favorites.

Telegrama deviates sharply from D-503, coming in firing on all cylinders with powder and linen, falling away to a firm assertion of vanilla. It's a very clean scent that, in retrospect, actually makes for a pretty excellent pairing with the sharp cleanness of Sheep. Serendipitous!

I suspect it would also tightly intermingle with Maggard's Barbershop and such soaps that use that scent mix. But I digress.

OnionMiOsma Day:
I've noticed a tendency in jobs that I've had, in which I inherited some task—a report or the like—and I later discover that the person I inherited it from hadn't developed a good understanding of it. Not only did that person not know the "why," but it later turns out that the exec or whoever who originally asked for it never really even cared that much about it, not then and especially not now.

I'm convinced that this challenge is the same. Alum is handy stuff, but no one really gives a shit about Osma. For example, consider this pristine block of Osma. I'll never need it, because the giant, chemically-identical rocks of the stuff that I got for a fraction of the price of that tiny block will last me forever.

good composition

June 4, 2024 - K.I.S.S

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Chisel and Hound w/ 26mm SynBad #FAUXFUR #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Ever Ready Shovel Head 1924 #FLIPTOP
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (2)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Banana
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo

Kept it easy today with one of the best single-scent-note soaps out there.

I tied all my software together using last year's Berry theme.

Shave was exactly as good as one would expect using Chiseled Face.

Still wish I was around more for Declaration's Bison base, but Omnibus is my favorite for now though.

PHOTOCONTEST - Trash

Best trash shot. With a nana that makes it on theme

Jun. 5, 2024

• Brush: Simpson Trafalgar T1 #SMOLL

• Razor: Harry’s Truman

• Blade: Harry’s Harry’s Blades [1]

• Lather: Harry’s - Shave Cream

• Post Shave: Harry’s - Balm

• Fragrance: Paco Rabanne - Invictus

I call this a shitfecta™️. This was my setup sans bowl and brush when I decided to shave off my beard and shave regularly again. I used it for a few months. I keep it around now because every other month I have to shave my chest after the doctors office only shaves spots for the EKG tabs. I was going to skip today completely but I’m a trooper. I did not like it one bit. I usually face lather so I went with a bowl and it does not lather very well in a bowl. The Harry’s can take a lot of water but it was just terrible.

Soap justification. I bought this tube at Publix back in September of last year.

Daily Challenge: I usually face lather and when I used Harry’s before I knew any better I hand lathered so today bowl and brush

FOF justification. Harry’s really does not have a sent and I honestly needed something to make this bearable.

Photo contest Theme Garbage.

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest

While your subject is mostly centered (not an interesting use of rule of thirds, I like the leading lines and that they hold my eye in the box.

LGSOTD 06-Jun-24

• Brush: Zenith - MOAR Boar #SUBBROOSH #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Koraat - 6/8 Ebony #STR8SNOB
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas In The Arctic
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas In The Arctic AS
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas in the Arctic Balm

Thirsty Thursday, and after yesterday's abomination I feel like a drink.

Decided something a little refreshing, both in scent and feel with Margaritas in the Arctic. First, but not last, use of Stirling this games. It really is the workhorse of the shaving world, nothing uber fancy, doesn't cost you a ton but just chugs along getting the job done and done well. A nice little chill off the back on this one, along with a drink to follow.

Hardware to accompany it is my Lather Games prize from last year (thank you again u/Ironbeard_SYS), I still love it and it has broken in incredibly well. Along with that is one of my two Koraats, this one I picked up on TSR BST a couple of years ago. Nice 6/8 near wedge, I've come to prefer full hollows but the added weight with this is a nice change of pace at times.

WetTubing Apreciation Day

Sadly not enough time to record a shave this morning, the snaps yesterday were a stretch with the standard morning rush to get out the door. So I'll have to cover it from the WetTuber/Shafluencer angle, frankly though not much has changed from last year. I still go back to Lynn for how-to's on straight honing, though I have expanded marginally to Keith Johnson when I was looking for advice on natural stones, specifically a Welsh Slate hone I grabbed from JJShaves. I've caught a couple of product reviews at the beginning and flicked through to the end for a summary (which were grand), but sorry VisceralWatch I still don't watch other people shave - well apart from my fellow contestants of course.

Photocontest

Target for this one, is 'The Elements: Water', if you look closely there's frozen water balls in there, it covers it, trust me!

Have a cracking day all!

Cheers

Marc

Ooh. I like that a lot.

Thirsty Thursday

• Brush: Αλφα T400 tribute #RESURRECTIONBRUSH
• Razor: Darwin - Hollow Ground #ADJUSTABLE #FOREVERSAFETY #STAINLESSLESS
• Lather: Smitten Soapery - Big Daddy
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Duo
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Sandalwood

Zingari Software sponsor point: Smitten Soapery is a Zingari brand that seems to get revived every once in a while. I wanted to support Heather selling soap under a different name, so I got all four scents. Vote with my wallet, so-to-speak.

Theme, post & frag relevance: This soap is bourbon and sandalwood scented, boozily within theme. I wonder whether it was the starting point for The Duo which also features Bourbon and Sandalwood, but adds a few more scent notes. Both the lather and splash have a very creamy sandalwood note, and Stirling's drier Sandalwood frag leads the progression out of the gourmand category, bookending the theme. The drink is done, time to head back to the bar.

Challenge: I remain puzzled by the wettubing genre, so this challenge is always tricky for me. I mean, I enjoy u/VisceralWatch's videos and watch them regularly, but that's because I'm interested in what my friend has to say rather than my urge to consume wetshaving video content (and because he – conveniently – sends me reminders when a new video drops because he knows that I don't subscribe to anything on youtube and would miss them otherwise). But this year is diffenent! I actually do have a non-VisceralWatch wettuber I watch regularly, and it's our very own u/GcGallant who has started honing straightrazors on video. Go check out his content, he is much more knowledgeable about razor maintentance than VisceralWatch.

#photocontest: The modern resurrection brush next to the antique shiny Darwin Hollow Ground is a sprinkle of colour in this Black and White tableau. I hope it's still in the spirit of the theme that I got rid of only most of the colour.

The red accentuates the B&W. Makes it interesting.

2024-06-06 - Pretzels!

• Lather: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi
• Post Shave: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Fox in the Flowerbed
• Razor: Nameless Straight 3/4" #STR8SNOB
• Brush: West Coast Shaving - Lantern Brush, Silvertip, Ivory

Thirsty Thursday:
Musashi is one of Gentleman's Nod's Origin series, which are scents built around a single note or accord. While it does say "jasmine tea" right on the label, but I wanted to be sure that jasmine tea was indeed the accord that Musashi was built around. So I asked Gentleman's Nod, who said:

You are correct, it was Jasmine green tea.

Unifying Theme: Jasmine

#FOF
Yeah, yeah, it's so boring to use the same scent for both the later and post-shave, but it was for the benefit of two days' photos. Obviously, then, that couldn't be helped.

Musashi has yuzu floating on top, which I could do without, but I've been told that "scents need top notes," and I dare say that I'm gonna trust u/hawns on that one.

There's a woodiness to it that brings to mind my grad school days of yore, when I used to stop into a caffeinery for a green tea on my way to teaching an early class. A girl working there often remarked that it smelled to her like a cup of grass or hay. I didn't agree, but I could see why she said that. But I digress.

Despite the fact that jasmine is indisputably prominently featured in Musashi, I don't get much of it. Enter Fox in the Flowerbed. To no one's surprise, it is definitely floral, and opens up strong with a beautiful jasmine that emodies jasmine tea perfectly. Perfectly. It smells more like Jasmine Green Tea than Musashi. I fucking love it. Alas, the jasmine fades off soon, then there remains as a mellow hint of something I can't quite put my finger on, but it's subtle.

WetTubing Appreciation Day:

"WetTubing"...
Wet tuber...
Wet... tube?👀

Here you go: my shaving video
If you don't want to watch all of that, just skip to the end. Or don't watch it at all, because this is the real one, which I still don't recommend you watch all of. Nothing I wanted to do with it worked out. I'm not going to give it all away, because I'm still holding out hope for the hat-based challenge that we almost had a couple years ago but hasn't been done. The hat didn't work well while trying to negotiate the straight, anyway.

Speaking of the razor, it satisfies the tag, but it is a truly crappy straight, not to suggest that I have remotely-extensive experience with them—quite the contrary.

However, my personal, subjective experience obviously represents categorical fact. This Truth was recently called into question, compelling my mother—my dear, sweet mother—to swiftly propel herself off of the Cliffs of Dover yesterday, plummeting headlong into the Bering Strait, which separates Bablyon from Uppsala, to her watery demise. Not one half of a fortnight later, her remains washed up on the shores of Patagonia, where she was indicted into secular sainthood and celebrated in a festival of seven years. She was immortalized into a mile-high statue that remains to this day.

Behold! Let it thus be known that because I do not get a good shave out of this crappy, photogenic razor, that all straight razors are garbage and no one should use them! They are antiquated and inferior to DE razors in every way! It is spoken!

#photocontest
I had to use that razor today, though, because it worked too well with the photo. Obviously, then, it couldn't be helped.

As for #photocontest, this photo fell together too well to be needlessly ruined by throwing in some random junk. Is it a winner? Probably not, but it's too good to be sullied.
I'm taking the gimme: Air. There's so much air in this photo it's downright loony.

Very pretty picture.

Jun. 6, 2024 - Saint Henri
Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR B35 #OLDWORLD #SUBBROOSH * Razor: GEM Clog Pruf #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY * Blade: Gem PTFE [18]
Lather: Stirling - Iced Coffee - Soap
Post Shave:* Stirling - Iced Coffee - Aftershave

It’s a cold thirsty Thursday in my bathroom with Stirling iced coffee. Love the menthol in this one and it complements the scent so nicely. But today’s post is about a poor attempt at honouring the best wet-tuber out there the one and only u/VisceralWatch

He was my original gem-nabler and the Clog Prüf that I bought from him quickly became a favorite SE that seems to get shinier with each use.

Photo is for the “Birds” (theme. Duh!)

#photocontest

This photo entertained me greatly.

Yes... I'm a 12 year old boy.

June 6, 2024

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Resolute V20
• Razor: Schick Injector #rustybuttrusty
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: MacDuff’s Soap Company – Cardamom Chai
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! 3 Scots

Side note that I read this razor tag as rusty butt rusty until today

It was raining today which was perfect for this cardamom chai, drink based scent. I love cardamom and have used it a lot: cardamom shortbread cookies, cardamom brewed into my coffee, cardamom spiced green soba noodles (happy to dm a recipe), cardamom dental floss. It’s spicy, yet slightly citrusy in the same way that teas or coffee can be. I get that on top while the interplay with cinnamon and clove round this out for a warming journey. Maybe I imagine it, but I think I detect a slight milky note too. This scent evokes the memories I have sitting near a fireplace, quietly. Reading a book or reflecting, maybe just watching the rain come down like today. A blanket keeping me warm and my pup by my side relaxing. It’s for when you just need to take a break from the world and go into that calming space.

Challenge: My 2 seconds of fame. Enjoy!

FOF

I love how water beads into little balls, which is appropriate for Plato. It’s truly a phenomenon that is beautiful. Maybe not like my SOTD, but it can be. I was fortunate it poured today and I was able to take this photo in the rain. The elements: Water

photocontest

This is probably the most visually appealing photo I've judged so far.

Jun. 6, 2024

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Tulip Fanchurian Badger

• Razor: Blackland Sabre

• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE [17]

• Lather: Stirling - Gin & Tonic

• Post Shave: Stirling - Gin & Tonic

• Fragrance: Bath & Body Works - Whiskey Reserve

Thirsty Thursday!

I am a gin and tonic drinker. Gin has been my drink of choice for years, so for me Stirling G&T was a no brainer for today. I really love this soap and aftershave. There really is something to this soap, the juniper is there by the lime, the lime is where it’s at for me.

The shave with the Sabre no matter the soap is just automatic now. There is no thinking just a great shave. Which brings me to today’s daily challenge. Favorite wetTuber. I’m not gonna lie, it’s GeoFatboy. He just cracks me up and there’s no muss no fuss. I’ve never seen anyone lather and shave as fast as him, and when I use the Sabre that’s the closest I come to his speed. It always makes me chuckle when he “Clears the runways and swipes the neck”. He seems like he’s just a cool dude.

I don’t think I need to justify soap, or splash. The Frag, well I chose it for the name, it fits the theme.

Photo contest theme. Time #ROTY #FOF #photocontest.

I like the composition of this photo very much.

Jun. 7, 2024 - trois cent vingt deux
Brush: Dogwood Tooth Fairy B14 Badger #COMPOSITE #FRANKENBRUSH * Razor: Robeson ShurEdge “The Razor The Fits Your Face” - 6/8 spike
Lather: Catie’s Bubbles - 322 - Soap
Post Shave:* Catie’s Bubbles - Blugère - Aftershave

What a difference an edge makes! Big ups to u/whosgotthepudding for honing this razor the right way for me. Boy do I have a lot to learn.

Vetiver bomb. 322 is my birthday so this soap means something to me more than it just being awesome. This custom brush also does. It’s a mix of resin, wood, and bone. Expertly made by dogwoods and sent for knotting by declaration so works for 2 hashtags today.

TL-DR: great shave today. First proper Jnat edge.

My photo theme is Animal (not alive). See if you can guess what animal it was, and what country it came from? Also, today’s photo is called “teeth”.

#photocontest

Something about the skull, the tooth fairy brush, and 322 with a straight just works!

LGSOTD 08-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Bone Lilly' V23 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Ever Ready - 1912 #FLIPTOP #TWINS
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Fougere Angelique
• Post Shave: Thayers - Rose Toner AS

Cracking shave this morning, I do love a GEM razor and this ER is no exception. Don't get me wrong, I like DEs but the more rigid blade just seems to give me a better finish, never mind the fact that the blades last an age anyway.

Fougere Angelique, a lovely soap, sadly couldn't get hold of the splash but the thayers does the trick well enough. I think the next time I'm in the states I'm going to have to go crazy and order a ton to whatever hotel I end up staying in!

Challenge Mad Braggard Day

This one was actually a closer call than I thought. I've not gone majorly nuts with singular orders from Maggards. Now that's not for lack of desire, but being in the UK and stupid import added to it then I have to be a bit more canny. There's a limit of roughly £130, which if you stay below this they normally ignore it. To be fair though, smaller orders with maggards work well considering their incredibly reasonable postage rates, so little and often is where it's at! Though if I were able to get alcohol shipped then this would go out the window and import be damned! The vast majority of my larger orders tend to go to Slickboys, but even then it tops out at around £200...I'm ignoring hardware as that would be obscene! I did not like that challenge, it half forced me to reflect - perhaps I'll change my ways...unlikely.

Photocontest

With this being Angelique I thought I'd aim this one at 'Eyes', seemingly a biblical depiction of an angel, bloomin terrifying if this thing popped up in front of you!

Got me curious around tomorrows challenge, hopefully not quick fire as I do my best not to think too much on a Sunday, do enough of that during the week at work!

Have a good'un all.

Cheers

Marc

A very compelling photo.

Small Business Saturday… but in June

• Brush: Yaqi Ferrari
• Razor: Edwin Jagger DE89
• Blade: Bic
• Lather: Ariana&Evans - Kaizen

I only have bought some samples from Maddard, and Kaizen is one of them. Does it count as being Maggard fan?

photocontest Money.

Today’s Challenge: Mad Braggard Day. I have no experience to buy on bulk from one vendor, so i’m kind of lucky.

nice composition

Jun. 9, 2024

• Brush: Paladin Sumo 26mm Boar

• Razor: Blackland Blackbird

• Blade: Personna Lab Blue [4]

• Lather: HAGS - Barberwood

• Post Shave: HAGS - Barberwood

• Fragrance: HAGS - Barberwood

Shave and a haircut 2 bits.

First shave using HAGS Barberwood, I know some people love HAGS and some hate them. I have to admit I’m not gonna say I love them, but I have 2 trifectas from them this and Isla Muerta and I definitely like both of them. The Frags are roller ball extracts and they smell great. They are not going to get you noticed when you walk into a room, but up close they are noticeable

Today’s theme, that saying brings back found memories of my step-grandfather. But he always said “Shave and haircut (pause) Shampoo.” He always paused and it was a long pause and then shamPOO! He treated me just like the rest of his grandchildren. He was a good man and when he passed, we found a box and he had every card for every birthday and Christmas that the 3 grandsons including me that was given to him. You would never have known he was sentimental like that from talking to him. He was truly missed when he passed.

Soap/As/Frag justification: Direct from HAGS

“Barberwood” is a luxurious and masculine fragrance that evokes the timeless charm of a traditional barbershop. This captivating scent combines notes of talc, musk, and amber with a refreshing burst of Sicilian lemon and the warm, exotic aromas of myrrh, sandalwood, and heliotrope. The rich and earthy base of patchouli, orris root, and honey is complemented by the sweet and cozy scent of vanilla and the woody intensity of oakmoss and tonka bean. To add a touch of boldness and sophistication, Barberwood also features the deep and alluring notes of agarwood (oud) and leather. Experience the ultimate gentlemen’s grooming experience with the intoxicating scent of Barberwood.

Today’s Challenge I scored 10 of 32. Im not very good at remembering scent profiles, but I was lucky enough to remember the 10 from my prepping for LG.

Photo contest theme Darkness. Even in Darkness there is still some light.

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest

Excellent composition. My eye stays in the photo to identify the shaving elements hidden in the darkness.

June 9, 2024 – LG 9: Shave and a Hair Cut Two Bits

• Brush: Zenith Titanio 20mm #RUNT
• Razor: GEM Junior #FLIPTOP
• Blade: GEM (39)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Fleur de France
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Epiphenomenon
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Seville

If you want to dive deep into barbershops, go read u/velocipedic Battle of the Barbershops threads. I’ll aim to keep it short(ish) again today for #FOF. Fleur de France is a French barbershop, despite the description saying it is less powdery to not make it feel dated, I still find it quite so. That is not a complaint, but rather an observation. I would say this is most prevalent in soap form, and musky, where more rosemary and herbal twang come out in the AS/frag (not used today). That said, Epi is a powdery talc bomb. Think babies or old people, and both would be at home with Epi. As for Seville, can’t leave out God’s Barbershop today. Way more citrus than the previous two, a little mossy earthiness underneath. Honestly, this AS is overpowering it a bit even.

For todays #PHOTOCONTEST we went with air, as in airborne. I’m embarrassed to admit how long I was sitting there throwing shave wares over the thick crocheted blanket and couch praying the glass wouldn’t break. iPhone burst photo needs to up its came, so many so blurry. Maybe a video screen grab would have worked better. Minor casualties too, some damaged labels and brushed, so we switched out the latter and kept trying with a different brush for today.

As for the daily challenge, I got 25! Not bad for last years FOF champion. The breakdown, got all 16 where brand was given. 9 of the others. 2 of which I already used in soap form in LG, and I think 4-5 more in some fashion for future. Also of note, I own 19 of these in some form (soap, AS, frag), I have used 22 (including the 19, but smooshes of 3 more). Ones I don’t own but got correct: CB 322 (was looking at vetiver options for the games), WK King of Oud (little lucky 1st scent note is oud), CGC Montrose Beach (salt water and coconut give it away, but not as much as u/onionmiasma’s shave there last year, amirite?). I also knew 2 others were fourgeres but couldn’t get them (WK and CB) and knew the last one was a TSF but couldn’t get the name. I appreciated how Mood Indigo was an acceptable answer too.

Edit: forgot to shout out today's sponsor Rocket! Awesome stuff, enages in the community and silliness (looking at you Remote Learning). Also, as a fellow educator, props. I'm still not on sumer break.

soap brands 9/30, post shave 9/30, frag 9/30, post/frag linked 9/30, software sponsors 6/16, hardware sponsors 6/2, razor hashtags 7/15, brush hashtags 9/15, photo contest 9/30, daily challenges 8/26, special challenges 1/4

Haha good effort!

June 9, 2024 - A tale as old as time

• Brush: Chisel and Hound LG Brush Synth
• Razor: Karve CB (SB-C)
• Blade: Wizamet
• Lather: Noble Otter - Barrbarr
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr
• Fragrance: Noble Otter - Barrbarr

Had to rep the otter for barbershop day. Can't really split this and Seville into a 1 and 2 for barbershop scents for my taste. They're so different, yet so evocative of the same imagery. Relevant post shave and frag by way of a trickhole.

Great shave today, these Wizamets have almost immediately become my favorite blade for this razor, they're so smooth it's crazy. The otter always gives a great lather, and I have yet to find somebody to topple them from the alcohol splash throne.

I got a simply phenomenal 10/32 on the quiz today. I've always sucked at the latherbot game in the discord, that suckage appears to have translated. Kudos to anyone who did well.

Photo contest theme is Time. it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense with this soap, but, personally, this is one of the first sets I ever bought. So every time I use it I get to reminisce about the past. #photocontest

Congratulations, you've been entered into the "Best Shot" photography contest.

Judge comment: unlike the use of dark undertones and the understated clock. Time is slipping away throughout our rich lives as displayed by the simplest of mechanisms"

Jun. 10, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co AP 400 22MM GELOUSY SHD FAN #RESURRECTIONBRUSH

• Razor: Gillette Rocket HD

• Blade: Nacet [1]

• Lather: Declaration Grooming / Chatillon Lux - Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli

• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming / Chatillon Lux - Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli

• Fragrance: Tom Ford - White Patchouli

Happy together!

Well I am going to get the daily challenge out of the way. I love patchouli, it is by far my most favorite scent whether it be soap, fragrance, oil, incense or candle if it smells of patchouli I’m all over it. Now back in the 90’s you were told you smelled like a dirty hippy if you had it on. So for today’s song I share with you in my opinion the best “hippy artist” from the 60’s Mr. Jimi Hendrix live in Stockholm 1969

So with that all being when I saw today’s theme on the calendar, I finally have an excuse to buy it. I now have the Chatillon Lux matching EdT in my cart. I liked it so much that after I was done shaving I took what was left in the brush and washed my face and hands with it. I would absolutely buy this in bar soap, balm and lotion if they made it.

As I am sitting here typing this out there’s a fuck ton of bullshit going on around me. My soon to be 26 yo daughter came home from work and immediately started loosing her shit because my soon to be 24 yo son who is home for summer break and my 14 yo son left “her” bathroom a mess. It’s not hers but when the middle son is not home she pretty much is the only person to use it. She’s 5’2” maybe 105 pounds soaking wet with a pocket full of rocks, he’s 6’1” 260 pounds. I had to pull her off of him. She was all over him like a spider monkey. After I stopped laughing I told both boys to go clean the bathroom. After that my wife walks in and says you have another box. So I said huh, I did not order anything and she just shook her head and called me a shave nerd and walked away. So now I am finally finishing this write up when this pain in the ass decided he wanted pets and then this one got jealous and pushed him out of the way. So now I smell great and I’m covered in Husky hair.

Frag. Tom Ford White Patchouli really goes well with Y/R/P

Photo Contest Theme Wood

#ROTY #FOF #PhotoContest

Nicely composed

SOTD - June 10

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Yaqi - Moka
• Razor: Henson - Al13 Mild
• Blade: Gillette - Platinum
• Lather: Declaration Grooming x chantillon Lux - 88 Chestnut St.
• Post Shave: Epsilon - blue

photocontest bokeh balls

Fun one today. Song choice is easy because of the photo challenge. All of the Lights - Kanye West.

Wish I spend more time shaving and less time taking a bomb photo. yOuch.

This is nice

June 11, 2024 – Green Shoots

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Exclusive Moar Boar 31mm #OldWorld #Subbroosh
• Razor: Wolfman WR1 #CnC #Stainlessless
• Blade: Treat Classic (Carbon Steel) (2)
• Lather: Noble Otter – Rawr
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Rawr
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Alive

Spring! Oh, how I wish it were back and not 90 anymore. I’m breaking out RAWR today. I was informed it was specifically mentioned in previous lather games as a spring scent! Go Theme! I recently acquired the splash and so now is a perfect time to use it. When I saw the art for this soap, I knew I had to have it. The otter on front could be my son. He had a dino coat with big spikes on the head he used to never take off. It was adorable. People recognized him from across rooms by the coat.

For #fof I’m pairing it with Alive. Obviously one theme today is color coordination, all green scents (both for the photo and from a fragrance standpoint.) But both are also spring scents as well. I’ve never smelled the Rawr EdP, I’m sure it’s wonderful, based on the soap and splash, but also subtle. Alive kicks up that green note to 11. Just what I need after a morning of ~~wrangling kids out the door to camp~~ dealing with sick kids who won’t go to camp today (change of plans). Rawr is about parenthood, and parenthood makes us feel alive (and tired).

Spring is a time associated with cleaning, so I decided to take this opportunity to clean up my office/den overflow. See, it’s currently overwhelmed with shave stuff since I went on a pre-games buying spree. Boxes litter my area. That’s my package from u/adworried2048 taking up the chair. So, let’s do some spring cleaning.

There we go. Still not perfect but at least I can sit in my easy chair again. The real deep clean of my den is going to have to happen in the actual Spring. (For any OCD people I apologize in advance for tomorrow’s den tour)

To keep with today’s challenge, for #photocontest I opted to take this picture outside with a grass background. I think it worked very well for both the scavenger hunt and today’s color coordinated challenge. I even managed to match my brush.

Congratulations you've been entered into the best shot photography contest.

Judges comments: grass

Day 11

• Brush: AP Shave Co Complete Brush - AP400B -20mm - Gelousy Badger
• Razor: Gillette – Executive Fatboy
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Noble Otter – Rawr Soap
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Rawr Splash
• Fragrance: Al Haramain - Amber Oud Gold Edition

Happy Spring! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the bees are buzzing. Spring is in the air… In June… Okay. Mentally, I’m channeling Spring today, and fortunately, I have Noble Otter there to help me out. Their spring-time scent, Rawr, smells amazing and has a cute little backstory about kids yelling RAWR to try to scare their dad when he got home from work.

The soap smells great and it is spring in a shave – Bergamot, orange, dandelions, cedar, vanilla, and musk. The bergamot and dandelions really show through to me. (Sidenote: Did you know every part of a dandelion is edible?) I had an aunt that used to make dandelion wine and it was delicious!

The #FOF Rawr emerges as the perfect companion for your springtime shaving needs, and when paired with Amber Oud Gold Edition (AOGE), it is a fabulous combination. Combining the invigorating charm of Rawr with the luxurious allure of AOGE creates a symphony of scents perfect for spring. Rawr bursts forth with lively citrus and green notes, embodying the fresh vitality of nature’s rebirth, while its earthy woods and subtle spices add depth and intrigue. Complementing this is AOGE, with its rich blend of sweet amber and exotic oud, bringing a warm, golden richness that evokes the gentle warmth of spring sunshine. Together, they created a wonderful combination of freshness and opulence, where Rawr's vibrant greenery meets Amber Oud's sumptuous warmth. This combination captures the essence of spring in all its glory—a time of new beginnings, renewed energy, and blossoming beauty, making it one of the best #FOF combinations I’ve had all Lather Games.

Challenge: Given the scents of Rawr, I brought everything outside and took a pic with the grass and dandelions. I thought the gold from the Amber Oud, the razor, and the brush really complemented the gold accents on the Rawr Soap and Splash.

The #photocontest theme is: Grass.

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “April Showers Bring May Flowers”… The Top 5 Songs about Rain:

5.) Have You Ever Seen the Rain? by Creedence Clearwater Revival

1. Blame it on the Rain by Milli Vanilli – I know they weren’t singing, but who cares?

3.) Set Fire to the Rain by Adele

2.) Purple Rain by Prince

1.) November Rain by Guns N Roses – A Perfect Rock and Roll ballad.

Grass & dandelions. Green and gold software and hardware. Nice shot.

2024-06-11 - Purple Haze

• Lather: Eleven Shaving - Clary Sage & Violet
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - 茉莉綠茶 (Jasmine Green Tea)
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Triumph
• Razor: Micromatic Open Comb (MMOC) #FLIPTOP #STAINLESSLESS
• Brush: Summer Break Soaps #FRANKENBRUSH

April Showers:
The very concept of spring is a lie being sold to you. It doesn't exist. There is only the torment of the sun and its ceaseless barrage of death. Simply step outside and see the wasteland of despair laid out before you. Appreciate it well; in mere moments, your desiccated ashes will be blown away into nothingness.

Unifying Theme: Color Coordinated

Color Coordinated:
It's well-established that a color-coordinated setup need not be monochrome. In fact, you can have a color-coordinated setup with exactly zero matching colors; you just need to deliberately navigate the colorspace. For example, purple and green are complementary, a fact that the Joker took full advantage of. There's a number of websites with handy tools to play with how this works. That one even has a feature to simulate colorblindness.

I'm admittedly playing it a little safe, as each color featured in my setup is represented in the aftershave label, which conveniently already has a tidy triad with purple, green, and a tie-in to the razor with the gold.
Speaking of the razor: stainlessless. Also, the purple frankenbrush is SBS with a timberwolf from Maggard.

I decided that I wanted to more fully incorporate the color scheme into the shave itself, fully decking myself out in purple and green, literally from head to toe (the camera doesn't want to capture the green of the pants). Side note: I do not recommend trying to perform fine motor functions with your hands all wrapped up in cloth. Trying to grip the thin handle gets unpleasant fast.

But I digress.

#FOF

Eleven's Clary Sage & Violet is a refreshing departure from the ocean of lavender scents out there (I am so done with lavender). It provides a floral scent that's not... well, that's not lavender. Meanwhile, the sage provides a grassiness that keeps it from being too floral.

茉莉綠茶 is the second jasmine green tea soap that I nabbed as soon as I discovered it existed. While lavender is dead to me, I love me some jasmine. The jasmine is much more prominent here than in the other such soap, Musashi. It's worth noting that the aftershave of 茉莉綠茶 doesn't seem to deliver grapefruit as strongly as the 茉莉綠茶 soap; I favor the aftershave in this regard.

Triumph follows seamlessly, likely thanks to the common jasmine notes, into a classically masculine aquatic to lead into the day, which will, of course, involve remaining under shelter from the relentless sun.

#photocontest Grass
Grass doesn't actually exist, either. Spring is a lie. Grass is a lie. This was a Triumph.

Congratulations you've been entered into the best shot photography contest.

Judge comment: purple

June 11 - April Showers Bring May Flowers

• Brush: Semogue SOC Mistura #MISTURA #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley Brass C-Plate #ADJUSTABLE #CNC #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Blade: Wizamet (26)
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Tres Matres
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Tres Matres
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Tres Matres

Theme: Tres Matres is a floral petrichor fragrance.

Challenge: see SOTD pic

I’ve made an effort not to dickhole fragrances this year. Unfortunately, the color coordinated challenge backed me into a corner, today.

I was heartbroken when Tres Matres was discontinued. It was an early favorite in my den, and is still a fragrance I love. I wish I had some backups. There's a floral note at the opening that smells pretty and is just right for spring. The petrichor accord comes through from the start. I smell ozone and damp earth. I'm getting a lot of sweetness from the floral note, now.

With the splash: again, I get a green floral note in the opening which melds nicely with the petrichor.

The frag isn't much different. The ozone and green note come through a bit more and project nicely. I get less of the damp earth in this.

Razor tags: I have 3 base plates for adjustable. pic of patina for rustybuttrusty

#photocontest - wood

#FOF

Nice shot!

Jun. 11, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Maggards 26mm Boar

• Razor: Weck Sextoblade

• Blade: Kismet Hair Shaper [4]

• Lather: Noble Otter - RAWR

• Post Shave: Noble Otter - RAWR

• Fragrance: Noble Otter - RAWR

April Showers bring….

It’s raining today. Bunch of bullshit. I know I live in Florida, I know it’s the rainy season, I know we “need” the rain but I needed to hit the Daily Challenge color coordinated and Photo Contest Grass. Have been plaining this picture since the photo contest was posted. So yeah that all went to shit today. Got my picture but not how I wanted it. But I do have to thank u/infernalinternal for lending me his Weck with green scales so I could have everything match today.

Went to see my cardiologist today, he said my heart is improving to keep doing what I’m doing and to come back in 6 months. That was the news I needed to hear. It was what I needed to push me forward to take the next step on a plan I have been working on for the last few weeks. I can’t say what it is right now, but hopefully soon.

No sibling fisticuffs today and they are back to not talking to each other so all is well there.

Todays shave… I have used a Weck 4 times now and I have wecked myself in the same 2 spots. Left cheek by my mouth and on my lower left side of my neck closer to the ear side. That one I can understand, only having 1 eye the left side is hard to see. But the one by mouth I just don’t get. August is going to be fun…

I know I dickholed it today, but I honestly put a lot of thought into what I was going to do for today’s picture just for it to get screwed by the rain.

#ROTY #FOF #PhotoContest

that lawn needs weed killer

June 11, 2024 - April Showers Bring May Flowers (Color Coordinated)

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: AP Shave Co. 24mm Cashmere w/ Emerald Handle
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper #WECKONISTA
• Blade: Personna Hair Shaper Blade (3)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Rawr
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Rawr
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Intrepid Man

Near perfect shave with the Weck today. Noble Otter was as good as it always is and the scent on Rawr is top tier. Tied it together with the daily challenge with everything, fragrance bottle included, being green.

PHOTOCONTEST - Grass

I really like how this one is framed.

June 11, 2024 – LG 11: Spring Showers Bring May Flowers

• Brush: Maggard Razors Purple Swirl Resin 24mm 2 Band Fan
• Razor: English Gillette Tech
• Blade: Treet Carbon Steel #STAINLESSLESS (4)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Reserve Lavender
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Champs de Lavande
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Reserve Lavender

I want that purple stuff Reserve Lavender was the culprit to really lead me down the artisan wetshaving rabbit hole, and BM remains one of my favorite brands to this day. Lavender is also a flower, check mate theme.

Today, not only was #PHOTOCONTEST (hobbies) a purple explosion, I opted to take it several steps further. Sound on, Here’s me contemplating today’s choices. I opted to add some ube extract to make purple lather. Photos don’t do the color justice. Hopefully, these showcase better, insofar as staining the brush a neon purple/pink. As for my face, legit a bit willy Wonka. Good thing I don’t give a speech at work for graduation in a couple days…

For our #FOF BM lavender is a crisp, clean, and a smooth take on lavender. Its a recreation of Caldey Island Lavender, which I haven’t tried but is an AS hailing from Wales (where I will be in a couple weeks!). It is safe and sophisticated, classy and suave. It is not really spicy. It smells strikingly similar to the actual plant. As for Champs, its is way darker, grittier, and potent. Herbaceous and medicinal. there is an herbal eucalyptus quality too it that might turn some off, but I enjoy. Its peppery and spicy, but grounded in earthiness as it mellows.

As for today’s sponsor Yates, I had the pleasure of winning a custom razor from them last LG, and it is a favorite in my rotation. Custom LG engraving on the bottom, top cap. I was intending to use it today, but the bead blast titanium didn’t match the silver of the BM frag bottle as well as the Gillette, cest la vie.

soap brands 11/30, post shave 11/30, frag 11/30, post/frag linked 11/30, software sponsors 8/16, hardware sponsors 6/2, razor hashtags 8/15, brush hashtags 9/15, photo contest 11/30, daily challenges 9/26, special challenges 2/4

Congratulations you've been entered into the best shot photography contest.

Judge comment: blurple Legos

SOTD - June 11 - Spring

Feb 25, 2024

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Wild West Brush works - Synth
• Razor: Feather - Artist Clun
• Blade: Feather
• Lather: Spearhead - Heather
• Post Shave: Spearhead - Sea Spiced lime

photocontest touch grass

As a person with colorblindness I find today's challenge offensive.

Sea spiced lime does not go with Heather but I needed it for color coordination.

Initially had planned on using kryptonite because it has a distinctive grass smell for me. After listening to the podcast and getting mad about my vetiver DQ, I decided to play it safe with a lather that had flowers as the 1st and 3rd scent note listed. Had fun taking this picture outside and looking like an insane person.

Nice use of grass to match the software and hardware

LGSOTD 12-Jun-24

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Declaration Grooming B16 #FRANKENBRUSH #SHD
• Razor: Charcoal Goods - Gen 1 Level 3 #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Proraso - Wood & Spice
• Post Shave: Proraso - Wood & Spice Balm
• Fragrance: Proraso - Wood & Spice Cologne

Cream Day

I've had this cream for an age, the scent is lovely and the performance is very good, slick as hell, but with plethora of gear waiting in the wings it barely gets a look in. The cologne is the one that always surprises me, the longevity is remarkable given it's cost, admittedly it doesn't have the apparent layers of other scents but you can't grumble.

Opted for the Dogwood Declaration Grooming B16 and CG Lvl 3 today. With the brush I wanted a simple one in matte black and this did not disappoint. I almost went for a synthetic knot but opted for a bit of luxury with DG and once again a very happy man. The level 3 CG is sometimes a bit intense though, this gives the dart a run for its money in the feel department, so not a daily driver for me but still comfortable to use on occasion.

Challenge - Den Tour Day

I've done this exercise once before, and it is nothing if not eye opening. Sadly I don't have the room to be able to have everything on display. So everything is packed away and I work on a smaller rotation. One thing I really don't want to know is how much I've managed to sink into this, sod it though!

Photocontest

With wood and spice on the cards, it'd be rude not to target 'Wood' for this outing.

Happy hump day and hope everyone is having a good week.

Cheers

Marc

nice colours

June 12, 2024 – Creamed

• Brush: Turn n Shave – L7 Boba
• Razor: Wolfman WR1 #cnc #stainlessless
• Blade: Treat Classic (Carbon Steel) (3)
• Lather: SIR – Irisch Moos
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Varen
• Fragrance: SIR – Irisch Moos

Cream! I was fortunate enough to be involved in one of u/j33pguy13’s raid of the B&B forums that resulted in many Moos cream tubes. I had heard good things about the Moos, so I decided to get one. It’s one of the few scents my wife goes “that’s good” when I lather it up. I picked up a second from him later.

It’s a true cream in a metal tube, so no bowl, just onto the brush and lather. It makes a decent enough lather. Not as good as any artisans, but better than the Cremo I used earlier. For #fof, I call this my Moos-Varen-Moos sandwich. Born out of necessity that I don’t have Moos splash, I tried it, and it works wonderfully. Varen is a bit spicier and darker to my nose. It is more vetiver forward, and that vetiver lasts a long time on my skin, so when I return to the Moos, I get a delicious blend of the two that’s greater than any one individually. Sure, I still do a Varen Trick every now and then, especially in winter, but if you get Moos EdT, paring it with Varen splash or (in my case) balm is a match made in heaven. Moos is special so for #photocontest let’s fill the frame with it. But I’m going to fill my frame a bit differently. I’m using a lens ball to play with perspective here, because why not.

Today’s challenge shows the necessity of improv in lather games. My daughter and I worked out a bit for den tour day again this year, with her leading the video. But she’s sick in the other room. In her honor though we’ll continue the bit just via pictures and text. Pretend the italics is her.

What’s this? An Admission fee?
Mom says we need to recoup the vacation fund you spent on soap.

“It’s my bathroom, also I don’t carry cash. And what about her Sephora bill?”
We take Venmo! And I won’t’ tell her you said that if you tip well.
“Fine” (Makes payment).

Excellent, I’ll lead your tour. Over on this wall we have the TOWERS OF SOAP. See how precarious they are? And how occasionally they get knocked over at night?
“Amazing! Also disorganized.”

Over here we have THE DRAWER OF MYSTERY! Random odds and ends, some of which haven’t been touched in years!.
“Those carts are probably not dull yet!”

And in here, THE MAGIC CABINET! Stuff goes in, sometimes to never be seen again!
“Yes, Yes, I get it, I need to get better organized.”

Would you like to upgrade to a VIP ticket to see the overflow den in the office? It’s only $29.99 and comes with a Seaforth! sticker we found on your desk!
“It’s my office! I’m not paying to go in my office, also give back my sticker.”

Vacation fund, remember!
“I’m good, they Saw that yesterday.

Frag display is not included in this level of tour, but we can tell you the LG 2024 winner’s frag collection has grown substantially since last year, now containing over double the full bottles of last year and many smaller sprayers!
“Thanks! Great tour!”
Don’t forget to tip!

Edit: the honorable u/djundjila informs me the brand for Irisch Moos is "SIR" which is owned by M&W but is it's own brand. I have updated accordingly.

Different perspective makes this an interesting shot. Not your typical “Z” to lead my eye through the shot

2024-06-12 - CASH RULES ALL PEOPLE

• Lather: St. James of London - Cedarwood & Clarysage (cream)
• Post Shave: St. James of London - Cedarwood & Clarysage (gel)
• Fragrance: Nicor - Royal Ebony
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - Guerrilla
• Brush: West Coast Shaving - Two Tone Synthetic 26mm

#photocontest MONEY

MAIN POINT OF SELLING BELGIAN FIVE SEVEN PISTOL IS EXTREME PRICE OF WEAPON AND CARTRIDGE.
BELGIAN FIVE SEVEN IS WEAPON OF MAN WHO WEARS EXPENSIVE ITALIAN FASCIST SUIT OF HAND SEWING, DRIVE HUGE EXPENSIVE NAZI MERCEDES OF A.M.G. SHOP, SAIL ON MASSIVE YACHT TO GREEK ISLANDS. I THINK YOU GET PICTURE. BELGIAN FIVE SEVEN IS WEAPON THAT SAYS IS NO SUCH THING AS CONCERN OF MONEY.
FOR MAN WITHOUT EXPENSIVE SUIT, BIG BLACK MERCEDES, AND MASSIVE YACHT, BELGIAN FIVE SEVEN IS FOR PRETENDING OF BE RICH LIKE BLACK GANGSTER OF AMERICAN CITY WITH GOLD CHAINS OF LOW QUALITY AND JEWELS OF COLORED GLASS. WHEN YOU EXPLAIN USE OF BELGIAN FIVE SEVEN PISTOL IS ONLY FOR SHOOT MAN WITH BULLET VEST WITH CARTRIDGE ILLEGAL TO CIVILIAN, THIS MAN HAS NUCLEAR RAGE. WHOLE IDENTITY OF THIS MAN IS SPENT IN PRETEND PISTOL SHOWS HE IS RICH. IS VERY AMUSE.
FOR REST OF WORLD THERE IS 9 MILLIMETERS OF LUGER WHICH IS SAME WOUND FOR COST LESS.

C.R.E.A.M.:
EVERY BREATHING DAY I WISH SUFFERING ON INVENTOR OF SHAVE CREAM. CREAM IS SHAVING FOR LAZY MAN WITHOUT DEXTROUS SKILL OF HANDS AND BRUSH.

SMELLS ARE ALIKE: SUBSTANCE IS ALL WRONG (BUT MAYBE ALL WOOD)
CREAM FOR LAZYMAN AND INSANE LUNATIC MAKES FRAGRANCE IN WAX.

DEN TOUR DAY:
ДОБРЫЙ ДЕНЬ, MY DEN! XA!
LOOK WITH YOUR BALL-EYES GIVEN BY MOTHER: DEN AND TRIPLE SHAVE AS THROUGH MY OWN EYES!

I LEARN VIDEO EDITING IN OPEN SOURCE BUT THEN BIONIC EYES RECORDED NO SOUND. JOKES AND TUTCHEV POEM LOST BUT VIDEO SHORTER. DJUDGES ARE SPARED.

I HAVE BOXED SWEDISH MORNING CABINET FOR MOVING TO LAND WITHOUT DEATH OF SUN.
LOOK AT КОШКА ARTEMIS! I DIGRESS!

GOOD LUCK WITH GAMES! ИГРАЕМ LIKE RED-HAIRED CHESS ORPHAN.

#FOF

CREAM SMELLS EXACTLY AS WRITTEN ON FLIMSY PAPER ENVELOPE: LIGHT WOOD AND CLARYSAGE, I RECALL FROM YESTERDAY'S ELEVEN WITH VIOLATE. PAPER ENVELOPE IS FOR UNKILLED HANDS THAT ARE INCAPABLE OF USING CIVILIZED SOAP TO CRUSH LIKE CAVEMAN FOR UNFATHOMED SLIME OF POSTSHAVE

WAX FRAGRANCE FROM WEB CHINESE STORE SELLING TRASH TO PEASANTS.
IT SMELLS LIKE BROWN.

wheres the money honey?

June 12, 2024 - CREAM

• Brush: Munnin Woodworks Mother of Pearl APShaveCo G5C 24mm
• Razor: RazoRock Hawk v2
• Blade: Feather Pro Guard (15)
• Lather: Gillette - Pure
• Post Shave: Maurer & Wirtz - Tabac
• Fragrance: Calvin Klein - CK One Shock For Him

Challenge: Den Tour pic 1 - the shelves of shaving; pic 2 - soap box; pic 3 - post-shave box; pic 4 - frag box; pic 5 - razor box; pic 6 - under sink storage; pic 7 - bathroom drawer; pic 8 - overflow has gotten… pic 9 - kinda crazy.

Once upon a time, Gillette Pure was my Drug Store Day lather. It used to be available in my local Wallgreens stores. It’s not on shelves anymore. I guess it didn’t sell. There’s not much fragrance at first. I got a faint green powder and laundry musk in the soap while aloe seemingly hangs in the air. This cream is fluffy. The cream went from the tube, to my hands, then to my face, which was messy. I shouldn’t have rubbed it between my fingers. It made my hands soapy. It looked thin on my face at first. After a pass with the brush it morphed into pasty proto-lather. It puffed up quickly once I started adding water. I hydrated it until lather flung off of my brush. The slickness was okay, but not as good as the appearance of the lather led me to believe. It was at least a bit better than the Barbasol on Canned Goop Day. But, it was drying. The fragrance came out more when it was hydrated. The powder note was more prominent and smelled more distinctly of lavender. Overall, it’s a safe fragrance for a commercial product. It’s similar to what canned foam smells like. It’s non-offensive, and that’s probably the nicest thing I can say about it.

Today’s theme leaves the fragrance options wide open. I started by picking hardware and software that are physically black and white for my SOTD pic. Out of those options, I liked the idea of using other mass-market products in tandem with Pure. I won this bottle of Tabac in a PIF from /u/loudmusicboy. It’s the only Maurer & Wirtz product I’ve used. This fragrance is the most old man thing I’ve ever smelled. To be fair, it’s an old man who has taken care of himself and still cares about his appearance. I’d hate to smell the chain-smoking alcoholic on oxygen wearing a half open bathrobe old man fragrance. It’s floral. I get a mix of carnation, rose, and maybe some jasmine. This is that stinky rose note that modern fragrances have veered away from. It's soapy and woody at the same time, like this was cut from a soap tree. There’s a grassy note in there. Given time on my face, it does kind of smell like tobacco (I’m still uncertain whether tobacco is actually a note, here). It’s definitely old-fashioned. I have a lot of vintage razors. I appreciate seeing what older generations shaved with, and the trends wetshaving products have gone through. So, I’m happy to have this in my den.

I picked Calvin Klein CK One Shock For Him because of the black bottle, and because I thought it would go well with Tabac. The first smell of this makes me think “warm spicy.” It’s woody, but I get a hit of powder up front. Tobacco sits at the edges of the spice notes. There’s a hint of sweet citrus. After dry-down, the tobacco note comes through more. I get a note of amber in the base. The amber and powder combine into a sweet note resembling vanilla. I think it smells better after dry-down. Longevity is short. This doesn't have a lot of depth. It's a bit old, but not outdated. But, it's nice to splash on when I want a hit of tobacco.

#photocontest - Black and white

#FOF

great composition

SOTD - June 12 - Cream. Get the money. Dolla dolla billz y'all

Feb 25, 2024

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Wild West Brush works - synthetic
• Razor: Gillette - FatBoy
• Blade: Gillette - Platinum
• Lather: Castle Forbes - 1445
• Post Shave: Cerave - Cream
• Fragrance: Aqua di Parma - Colonia Intensa

Here is my den and another one of my razors

photocontest

Photo theme was Darkness. Shot it in the dark 30 second exposure where I kinda painted the light in with a LED pole that I kept asking Alexa to change color mid shot. Had to put a blanket over my window. Used a 35mm prime lens that I purchased yesterday from a guy on marketplace.

The barrel lantern belonged to my grandpa. He was still wetshaving into his 90s. He used an omega boar brush. My cousin and I would buy him soap every once in a while and he would say "I wish they had stuff like this when I was young enough to go to the dances."

Really cool shot.

LGSOTD 13-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Mammoth' V15 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Ever Ready - Ambassador #FLIPTOP
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Master Soap Creations - Only The Brave
• Post Shave: Master Soap Creations - Only The Brave AS

Dupelgänger Day

Here we have Master Soap Creations Only The Brave. Dupe of Diesel Only the Brave, popular about 10 years ago but not one I ever got into abs still haven't. This was an impulse buy, along with another half a dozen sets, that I picked up when I was in SA. For the sake of £15 a complete set I couldn't not. This one however, I'm not a huge fan, there's something a little too sweet in it for me. My favourites of theirs is, Most Wanted and Vintage Faberge, probably ticks most of the boxes. Those are dupes of Azzaro Wanted and Brut, but for the life of me I couldn't find Wanted, not surprising given my storage solution for gear, and sadly the Mrs cannot stand Brut.

Hardware accompaniment today being the Ever Ready Ambassador, managed to get this boxed one with a few Corrux blades thrown in. I need to get those sorted before I can use them properly though. Then there's the C&H Mammoth brush that they made in collaboration with Heritage Fossils. Solid brush, the setting on this one is perhaps a little low for my liking but it's still a good one.

Challenge - Draw a Soap Label

I prefer last years electric mayhem, but I didn't have that much time to sort this one, but it'll do the trick.

Photocontest

With all these villainous artisans out there, knocking off fragrances how could I not target this one at 'Pirates'. NB: I have zero problem with dupes, I have a ton!

Happy shaves all!

Cheers

Marc

Congratulations you've been entered into the best shot photography contest

Judge comment: yaaaar!

June 13, 2024 – Putting on the Ritz

• Brush: Maggards Mixed
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (2)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
• Fragrance: Jean Paul Gaultier – Le Male Elixer

What is a dupe? Obviously, it’s a copy of an existing popular fragrance. That’s the definition of it. But more generally, it’s a form of coat-tail riding. An attempt to capitalize on the popularity by repacking for a new (usually less affluent) market. A brazen money grab through imitation if you will. So let’s DUPE. I reached out to u/priusaurus to have him answer questions. Hoping to ride the coat tails of his victory last year into some points of my own now that his original market is saturated. Let’s see what he says:

1. What got you into wetshaving? Looked for a hobby that weirdos gravitated to and wetshaving sounded more useful than HAM radios.
2. So you won LG last year. In this particular niche of the hobby (reddit wetshaving wierdos) we do some pretty whacky things. Is this the strangest hobby you have? If not, tell us what beats it. By far. I still can’t get over the fact that my daily grooming ritual has become a hobby.
3. Are you doing anything different this year as part of your attempt that the repeat? Gave up on interviewing people. It’s been done and no one sane would attempt to duplicate that this year….I honestly think that odds aren’t in my favor. There’s never been a repeat Lather Games winner, so I’m just having fun this year.
4. In that vein, if you could have done one thing different last year what would it have been? It would have been easier if I didn’t try to hide my face in my first public video. Editing was a pain in the ass throughout the games last year. Now it’s kinda become a thing, so I keep my face hidden, even though I think the majority of the people in the sub know who I am.
5. Any advice for the rookies this year they can take into the last half of the games? Stay on theme, pick up all the sponsor/bonus points you can, and have fun with your SOTDs. Legendary points make all the difference top placements. And the judges reward creativity more than your insightful description of sandalwood.

Ah interesting. Well, sometimes dupes put their own spin on a dupe (See Stirling EMP). So, let’s add a few responses here, that is add a little dark spice to my dupe to distinguish it from u/priusaurus’s original department store fresh (boring) citrus fragrance to complicate it a bit.

1. first it’s ham not HAM. Second, I’m not an EmComm (Emergency Communications) type, so I’m not going to argue talking on the radio is useful, but what is useful is you learn a lot of skills along the way. Far more than I do shaving. Here’s today’s #photocontest. A DIY where my daughter and I are learning how to solder. But you have to solder something, so what to do? We made an antenna out of a tape measure and PVC pipes (take note Photo contest judges, there is a tape measure in this photo it’s just become an antenna. It’s a DIY project, made of DIY tools.). Do costal elites even bother with skills that require working with one’s hands? Probably not, can’t scuff up those golf hands. But the skills learned are useful. Moreso than lathering soap in public places. And what’s that next to it? It’s a QSL card from the International Space Station. Sure, LG trophies are cool, and I’ll happily take it this year, but no amount of wetshaving gets you contact with space. My hobbies are even weirder than wetshaving I suppose, but they have some cool results. (Working the world on 100w and a wire is pretty cool.)
2. Ok we agree here. But I guess all hobbies are selfcare so maybe all selfcare is a hobby?
3. This doesn't strike me as quite right. Arugably no sane person would dupe Aventus for the 100th time, and yet, it sells so everyone does it. Here’s hoping that idea works here too.
4. Again, we agree! You should have given up that bit a while ago, it’s just old and tired. Or at least tried to put a new spin on it. (Yawn).
5. Once again we agree. This is good advice, and not a moment too late. I will need to up my game. (But shaving outside in the urban jungle is played out is it not?)

Anyway, on to #fof, Prom King is a dupe of Le Male, a scent my wife likes very much. So, when she got a sampler of Le Male Elixir in her Ulta order a few months ago she tossed it to me and said “use this more.” To wit, I promptly put it away for LG to create this “Dupe-Dupe-Real (Flanker)” progression because LG was more important than using her favorite frag. As mentioned this is a flanker to the original, the upped the sweetness quite a bit (despite calling it a woody aromatic in their ad copy). If the SBS is a good representation of the original, I could go for a full bottle of that, but the bottle is also gauche. As it stands, I feel like we’d be better off getting u/rocketk455 to release Prom King EdT, because it’s better than this flanker, which is cloying. Nevertheless, the splash helps bring it back down to earth from a level of sweetness that's reminiscent of BR450. But I should probably get my nose on the original it’s duping before I draw any true conclusions.

For the Challenge, last year I attempted to use Photoshop AI to generate an image for Runaway, with results that looked like melted faces. I did not want to release that nightmare fuel on the sub so I drew instead. Let’s check in on Photoshop AI again this year.

1. First Prompt “Prom King Shaving his face.” Yikes. It went for ultra realism That’s…not a razor though.
2. Ok adjust, “Prom King shaving his face Cartoon.” Now we’ve gone abstract. That’s not even a person. Nor is he shaving. It's an emoji?
3. Ok last try “Cartoon Prom King shaving his face” I don’t understand what’s going on here. He has a beard and…a magic wand? But clearly not shaving.

End result: AI will not replace u/Wyz0ne anytime soon. His label is better.

Sigh. I read this whole post and was ready to mark it for podcast, and then I realized this judging is just for photo contest.

LGSOTD 14-Jun-24

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps - Boti NC #FRANKENBRUSH #SHD
• Razor: Koraat - 6/8 14-2.0
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Cryogen
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Cryogen AS
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Cryogen Balm

Frigid Friday

God damn, what in the hell was that! I've struggled with what I considered to be an extreme cold before (B&M Terror) so this may be a mistake, I bought this for the games out of morbid curiosity. Opened the tub to be greeted by this awful sight. The initial contact with the face was fine, but the damn thing kept building. I thought I'd managed to get it in my eyes until I realised it was just the fumes. Never before have I had self-hydrating lather, tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't whip that blade around my face fast enough, never mind that I had to go for another two rounds.

I had the splash and balm taunting me as I splashed my face with cold water, well that was a fucking mistake! Tentatively reach for the splash, whack it on the face and it's another eye watering moment, that stuff couldn't soak in fast enough...do I bother with the balm, sod it may as well...fuck why would anyone make this stuff. Now one thing I did cotton onto after using Terror, make sure you wash your hands afterwards, and I mean wash them. I made a grievous error last time that had me wishing I hadn't gone for a pee, not this time my friend! I sit here 10 minutes later and the stuff is still going nuts and my eyes are still watering. I now can't feel my face and I dare not touch it for fear of transfer. What sadist asked for this level of insanity!

It does not get hot enough here to actually feel any benefit, perhaps I'll leave it till I head down to SA this Christmas, or perhaps I'll palm it off on the father in-law when I'm down there and piss myself laughing!

Challenge - Stacking Day

I was more nervous this time around, I had opted for the straight that the Mrs got me for my 40th, quickest photo I've ever taken!

Photocontest

This one I'm aiming squarely at 'Hobbies', I joined r/skating (it's a small group with mixed skating types) a while ago (still a lurker). I went back to skating when I decided to try and teach the little one. First few times she fell she looked at me like I had betrayed her. She's got into the swing of it though, though I think I enjoy it more than the rest of the family.

Hope everyone had a chilly shave!

Cheers

Marc

Nice color work.

June 15, 2024 – It’s worse than that. He’s dead, Jim.  

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG 2024 with 26mm AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #FAUXFUR #SUBBROOSH  
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed  
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (4)  
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Hygge  
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Hygge  
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Hygge  

Today we kill Tubs! Well, some of us will. At least I will. Killing a tub is one of the hardest things for us to do. Now it should be easy, just buy a soap and use it. But as we all saw on den day, we have too many soaps. So, few make it across the finish line.

Enter: Austere August. See by forcing ourselves to use just one soap, we can make a dent in something and at least get close to killing it. That’s how I got here. Except after AA there was still about half this tub left. So also Mandatory May.

Actually, let’s go back a bit. This tub has a history, and you should know it. See, when I entered the hobby in Sept/Oct 2022, Stirling was still the go to starter kit. I already had a razor and brush so I ordered sample soaps and splashes. I instantly realized I liked the scent component of the hobby. Right about then Will announced The Four Horsemen. This seemed intriguing and, War sounded like going to the range in the morning (hot metal! Gunpowder! YES!). So, my first hit with FOMO I ordered all 4 samples. They came, I recoiled. I decided maybe I should just never buy anything but Stirling products again. (Indeed, I wouldn’t buy any B&M products for probably close to a year after that.) Then u/120inna55’s software went up for sale. I was new (and still lurking) so I waited until everyone picked out their unobtanium. Then I looked at what was left. I oscillated back and forth, after all I had just got burned by some scents. I read inna’s reviews finally I decided the price was low enough I pulled the trigger on Hygge, Summer Storm, and Ghost Town Barber. All well received scents here.

When they arrived I was cautious, I opened up GTB, it was good! I used it a lot. I opened Summer Storm, it hits that Midwest grass after a storm note. Then I opened Hygge. I instantly fell in love. Something about the scent resonated with me. Fast forward a bit more, covid, anosmia, LG2023 to Austere August. I decided to use Hygge the entire month. I don’t regret it. I didn’t tire of the scent. It’s still one of my favorites. And it shows. It’s the only scent I’ve been able to get to this level. It was the only full tub (admittedly used) that even had a ring of death on it when LG24 was announced. So, I set to get it to one last shave today. I used it for most of May (finishing about a week before LG.

In preparation u/djundjilla was kind enough to run the usage numbers This will be the 73rd recorded use (he ran those a day before I stopped using it). Keep in mind, I was using this before I posted here, this was a used tub, and I’ve smushed a few times out of it. The actual usage is probably over 90. Taking that into account my den has probably 2-3 years worth of Mammoth Soap, just Mammoth. That’s why it’s so hard to kill a tub.

So, this is my first kill, (tagging u/visceralwatch) I should do something special. First for #fof, I’m going to trifecta, because it’s a great scent and appropriate now that I cannot trifecta until I buy more. And a 21 Spray Salute! What’s a 21 spray salute? Well, it’s like a 21 gun salute, except with fragrance. u/mammothben sent out room sprayers as add ons with Santa Noir orders and guess what I got Hygge! Now, my first floor has 3 rooms, if you don’t count the kitchen (because food), so that’s 7 sprays per room. Sorry family, house is gonna smell great for a while. READY…AIM…SPRAY! As for #photocontest, well I guess the empty tub is Trash now, or I’ll repurpose it (as the theme suggests) into something else. Sample storage maybe? I did record the date of the kill.

And the challenge. Well, I’ve been working on better, wetter lather so I guess we’ll reverse that today and go pasty. But keeping in mind I only have the soap I have, no more no less. But in my experience, synth, place face lather with no actual water=pasty. So this is my result.. My lather looks like I stuck an albino porcupine on my face. Good thing tusk is a forgiving base and you always get a good shave.

empty tub is not trash

June 15, 2024 - yarr harr is that a shitty photo I see?

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts w/ Declaration Grooming B10
• Razor: Blackland Razors Vector (Lite)
• Blade: Schick Proline
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Spice
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Sundrunk

This is the tub I used for Austere August last year, and I would say it has about a third left to it. I don't really understand how I did that using the MOAR BOAR for an entire month, unless I'm chronically underloading. I think I'm chronically underloading. It is by far my tub closest to dead. Post shave is relevant because it is my splash that is the closest to dead. There's like a couple millimeters of splash left at the bottle and every time I think I've killed it I didn't. JUST DIE ALREADY. Sundrunk is here to bridge the scents. The orange zest really helps tie the old spice dupe with the lemon in Sonder, while the rhubarb helps get into the unique florals in the scent.

Today's shave sucked. Y'all are jerks for making me do pasty ass lather with a good soap. I should not have used the lite plate for the vector. It clogged too fast, and was way too sticky to be effective.

Photo contest theme is Pirates. I'm in the middle of putting together some shipments from my bst post on the discord, and the pirate ship logo was screaming at me to go with pirates today. So here it is. This photo sucks a lot. The light coming from the background is super overwhelming the already weak light coming from the rest of the room and it just looks bad, but it's on theme. #photocontest

This entire photo is very funny to me and isn't a real candidate for best shot, but I'm making it one in part because it's self-professed as shitty.

June 15, 2024 – LG 15: Near Death Experience

• Brush: Chisel and Hound V8
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy #CNC
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (12)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Satsuma
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Satsuma
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Satsuma

Shaves in the earlier morning, and finally getting to posting probably 12 hours later. First and I believe only trickhole of the games, as all 3 are nearest death, especially the soap and frag. Stirling satsuma is divine. It’s quite simple, but so juicy and bright, and very close to the real fruit. #FOF

For the #PHOTOCONTEST went with fill the frame. Not sure how well I will do while on vacation with the rest of these, probably should have done a harder one today. That said, I do have my travel LG calendar days packed!, so we’ll see what we can still make happen photo wise but will have same set up for about 2 weeks.

For the challenge, best way to get a pasty lather is sunshine outside, so here’s my little setup today. Notice those stellar tomatoes in the mirror. I’m normally a mid hydration guy, so went super pasty today. Also, video proof as well.

As of our sponsor, stellar brushes, cool collabs with HoM. Used my CH V8 today, nice and gelly dense badger. Have a TDR too with a B6 which is one of my absolute faves.

soap brands 15/30, post shave 15/30, frag 15/30, post/frag linked 15/30, software sponsors 11/16, hardware sponsors 7/2, razor hashtags 9/15, brush hashtags 10/15, photo contest 15/30, daily challenges 13/26, special challenges 2/4

Congratulations you've been entered into the best shot photography contest!

Judge comment: good job on filling the frame, looks nicely put together.

LGSOTD 18-Jun-24

• Brush: Simpson - 'Colonel' Best #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Blackland Razors - Tradere SB #CNC
• Blade: Feather - Hi-Stainless
• Lather: Williams - Mug Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Thayers - Lemon Astringent
• Fragrance: The Essence Vault - 283 (Creed Viking) EDP

I wanted to share my experience with this new (to me) Williams Shaving Mug Soap. I don't know whether anyone has ever tried this before, but it has utterly blown me away. As soon as the brush touched the puck it exploded with volumous slick lather It's the best shaving experience I (or anyone else) have ever had. To my utter shock though I've found that this has gone out of production, how could that possibly be!? This is the best thing ever and nothing else can ever compete.

To add to this, I tried using these new Feather blades. I've never experienced anything quite like it. So sharp and smooth, the razor barely had to touch my sensitive skin to remove my tough wirey hair. This is my new go-to blade, and I will never use anything else ever again.

To top the shave off, finished off with the Thayers Lemon. Now I don't know whether anyone else has cottoned on to this little gem, but it is amazing. My skin has never felt so soft and smooth.

All of this is thanks to everyone's amazing advice, I wouldn't be where I am without all of your amazing input...

Now, I hope that was somewhere in the right ballpark, but if I've completely missed the mark then ah well. That was an acceptable shave, the soap scent is just that...soap, I mean I suppose that's the only real need. The lather was just about passable, and I hate feathers, expensive (relatively) and rough for me, but I do actually like Thayers, so I have that going for me. Of course being a complete tit this morning, I was in a rush and didn't remove the blade for pics!

Photocontest

In honour of the theme, I'm aiming this one at 'Darkness', this being the end of the line for this Soap, and likely it's existence in my den.

Have a grand one all.

Cheers

Marc

Though AI generated background (?) I like the contrasty lighting of your subject that meets with the background.

June 18, 2024 – LG 18: RIP in Pieces

• Brush: Maggard Purple Swirl Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Voskhod (2)
• Lather: Australian Private Reserve – Lavioletta
• Post Shave: London Razors – Mountain Laurel
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Just Right for a Tuesday

Today I headed over to Ross, where I know they always have cheap ~~proraso~~ APR for like 5 bucks. They didn’t have any AS so I hopped in the car to TJMaxx to get some ~~Nivea~~ overstock from London Razors AS. Luckily I also found some BM frags there too, great spot for niche pick ups instead of the department stores. The feathers I got are super sharp, so I corked it several times which somehow turned it into a voskhod. That made it so I then had to shim it to get it back to the right sharpness. Then I loaded up some GeoFatBoy and KenSurfs videos to make sure my technique was right.

For our #FOF today, APR lavioletta is a bright lavender and violet forward scent. It’s crisp, clean, a vibrant green forward scent. Quick notes of citrus quickly heed to floral lavender backed by a lightly mossy and woody base. LR ML is another bright and floral scent, especially in AS form. I find the cedar also distinctly comes through. Lastly, continue with floral forwards we get to BM Tuesday. It’s a safe and versatile scent, relying heavily on lavender and violets like todays soap. There’s a light spice from the vetiver and nutmeg, keeping the scent from being one dimensional.

For our #PHOTOCONTEST we went with soccer (aka football). Brand new Liverpool Football Club ball seemed ripe for the photo.

Down vote for Scouser ball

June 18, 2024 - RIP in Pieces

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Chisel and Hound Kingfisher - V12
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Titanium Razor #CNC
• Blade: Feather (1)
• Lather: K Shave Worx - Saratoga
• Post Shave: K Shave Worx - Saratoga
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag

For today, I used my absolute favorite K Shave Worx scent. This is one of those scents that I don't want to use because I don't want it to be gone, but I want to use it because it's just too good. I have been looking forward to pairing this set with Stag because, to my nose, Saratoga is just a sweetened version of Stag. The leather from both mixed better than I thought, and I will almost certainly be using Stag every time I use Saratoga.

As for the shave, I think I am doing something wrong. For some reason, I am getting these bumps after I shave. You can barely see them, but they are there. I used the alum like I have been told, but I am getting quite a bit of razor burn followed by the bumps. Any tips would be great! I also don't understand why I have this growth after just a couple of hours. I used Feather blades today because I want to be able to go three days with no growth, and I figured since the Feathers were so sharp, that would help. Could it have something to do with this razor? I keep hearing something about riding the cap, but then I feel like I am rubbing the bare cap across my face. It isn't until I lower the angle again that it seems like I am cutting any hair. Honestly, I will probably get one of those slant razors from PAA because I hear those are more aggressive and should help. If anyone has any experience with one of the PAA razors, I would appreciate your opinion. If I go that route, when I order the razor I could also pick up some soap from them and the cube since lack of pre-shave might also be my problem.

PHOTOCONTEST - Baseball

Really nice shot

LGSOTD 19-Jun-24

• Brush: Simpson - 'M7' Manchurian #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Wolfman - WR2 SB 1.25 Basic Polish #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Revolution
• Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - Revolution AS
• Fragrance: Catie's Bubbles - Revolution EDP

Juneteenth

Having had no clue what this was, going into it, I had to do a quick bit of googling only to realise it was...ah of course I knew about that, turns out I've just never heard it called that. Everyday's a school day!

Of course this had me doing a bit of legwork through my calender to figure out what I could slot in here. So back to the Google machine I go. But bloody hell it was tricky trying to figure out where the various manufacturers were based. In the end, with some luck, I came across a location for Caties Bubbles (thank god for a contacts page with an actual address), so I think New Jersey counts for this effort.

Once again very lucky to get my hands on the full set of this over here in the UK, and again I have Hairykopite to thank for it. Almost smells like I should be in a library, and as weird as that might seem, that is a comforting scent to me, always love a good book.

Challenge - Meme Day

Possibly a bit random, and lengthy (for meme), but it still rings true.

Photocontest

I fought like hell with this one, couldn't get it to where I wanted, but I tried for 'Bokeh Balls' on this one, and thought the light source would be relevant given the soap descriptor. Different periods but at least linked to history. Worth a shot!

Have a grand one all.

Cheers

Marc

I love everything about this shot. Great work!

LG 19 - Juneteenth

• Brush: Trotter Handcrafts - Badger 26mm
• Razor: Dorko 43
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - 322
• Post Shave: Los Jabones de Joserra - Altamira
• Fragrance: Lalique - Encre Noir A l'Extrem

photocontest Darkness

.#FOF Inspired by the darkness of the theme's photo, 322's vetiver patchouli combo followed by the oud cypriol musk that creates a leathery animal accord infused with the Encre Noir's vetiver, incense, suede, tar, oud and ended by honey-praline's sweet note.

Darkness is not just the absence of light. Your photo is mostly lacking color, yielding a dark character along with the subject matter. But there is hopefulness in the purple.

• Day 19
• Brush: Boti – 28mm Synthetic
• Razor: Gem G-Bar
• Blade: Gem PTFE
• Lather: Ariana & Evans - Cha Cha Matcha
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Mountain Man Splash
• Fragrance: BVLGARI - Man Rain Essence EdT

To get the administrative tasks out of the way first, Ariana & Evans is made in Connecticut.

Want to know how dumb I am? I’m sure you do. When I started wetshaving, I saw that Ariana and Evans was popular in among a lot of groups, so I looked at their offering and blind bought a couple sets. I really liked the scent of both, but one (Cha Cha Matcha) burned the shit out of my face, so I sold the set. Fast forward a year or so, and I “need” to buy a sample to push me over the free shipping threshold. I was clicking through the options, came across Cha Cha Matcha, thought to myself, “I remember I really liked the scent of that one. Maybe I’m exaggerating how bad the burn was in my head.” And I bought a sample… And used that sample today… And do you want to know what happened? It fucking burned the shit out of my face again! I’m so goddamn stupid and I’m pissed at myself. Like, how dumb can I possibly be? There’s no logical reason why I should have expected things to be different this time, but like a girlfriend that gets back together with her abusive ex-boyfriend, I decided to give Cha Cha Matcha one last chance, and it got me again. A tiger doesn’t change his stripes and A&E should come with a burn warning and I’m a big dummy who takes far too long time to learn his lesson.

ANYWAY, Juneteenth is a fairly new Federal Holiday and ~~right-wing nutbag snowflakes~~ people with different opinions than me are up in arms like someone just randomly made up a day to get off of work. They hear Juneteenth and roll their eyes like Hallmark invented the holiday just to sell cards. MFer, no! There’s an important reason behind the date and one that should be recognized. These are the same people that want to “preserve their history” by keeping up confederate statues, but not actually teach what happened before, during, and after the Civil War and recognize what a fucked up time in our history that was. Fuck that. And Spoiler Alert: Just because slaves were finally freed, it doesn’t mean all people magically became equal that day in 1865. Double Spoiler Alert: Shit still ain’t equal today and it’s not going to be equal tomorrow. Not trying to start something here, but I’m in a spicy mood because my face burned, so blame this rant on A&E. AND ANOTHER THING: How about that asshole from A&E saying reddit wetshavers are fat and gross? Fuck that guy, and his burny soaps too! Plus, does ANYONE think this fucking guy is in any position to be calling people out on their looks?? Now, I’m not going to say anything about what Peter Charkalis looks like, because I don’t want to be the type of person that bullies another person because of how they look. But I will bully someone if they’re an asshole. And Peter Charkalis is a giant asshole. And I mean giant in the figurative sense – not the literal sense, because well… nevermind. His comment really rubbed me the wrong way and it honestly made me want to not use his soap today, but then I thought this would give me a chance to rant like a crazy person a little bit. I hate how popular his stupid soaps are.

Challenge: In honor of Meme Day, here’s a live look at the judges when they announced the surprise leg shaving day.

And a bonus Ariana & Evans meme for good measure.

For #photocontest: Water vehicles (yes, I drove to a spot where I know there was a couple boats just to get this picture)

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Juneteenth”… My Top 5 Favorite Things Invented by a Person of Color

5.) Traffic lights – Think traffic is bad now? Try living in a world before Garrett Morgan decided that there was a better way than absolute chaos.

4.) Potato Chips – Ever think about the visionary who thought to thinly slice, then deep fry potatoes? George Crum was an absolute genius, if you ask me. Obesity rates be damned!

3.) Fire Extinguisher – Before Thomas Martin came along, I guess people would just say, “Damn. That thing is on fire. That sucks.”

2.) Refrigerator – I guess keeping food fresh is kind of important, right?

1.) Super-Soaker – Quite possibly the most impactful item on this list. Ever participate in a water gun fight when you had a stupid cheap plastic water pistol and you were outgunned by your opponent. I have. And it’s no fun. Lonnie Johnson leveled the playing field for children in water gun fights everywhere.

I applaud you going the extra mile for the scavenger hunt.

Jun. 19, 2024

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps Declaration Grooming B11 Badger

• Razor: Henson AL13++ #Rainbow

• Lather: House Of Mammoth - Everett

• Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Everett

• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Black Orchid

I first want to thank u/infernalinternal for loaning me his brush. Now I have to spend more money on a DG knot.

Today’s shave was great. Everett is just a great soap and splash. It never disappoints. I love how the smell of the lather and splash fill the bathroom while using. The soap when shaving and the splash when cleaning up.

I used the Henson AL13++ today. I used it to get the Rainbow tag but I honestly forgot how great it shaves. I might have to get it back into rotation.

Tom Ford Black Orchid Parfum goes really well with Everett. The sweet and fruity notes pare really well. As I’ve stated in another post a few days ago I am a Patchouli freak so for me goes with everything and the light hints in Black Orchid play very well with the toasted marshmallow of Everett

Now on to today’s theme. Juneteenth I learned a long time ago to never talk politics or religion on a message board. I know that when people say that, they usually have an unpopular opinion on such matters. All I will say is, I was the first white kid in my predominantly white NJ high school to join the African American club back in the 8O’s.

Todays challenge. I made this meme this morning, it’s been something I have been saying since I read the horror stories of a certain vendor.

Photo Contest. I went sugar and sweets. We don’t have a lot of sugary cakes and candy but we do have a ton of the sweet sugary ice pops that dominate my freezer from May to October

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest.

What a great concept paired with the Everett label.

June 19, 2024 – LG 19: Juneteenth

• Brush: Maggard Purple Swirl Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Voskhod (3)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Rumble
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Ravish
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Rumble

Actual footage of start of LG of u/priusaurus, u/mrtangerinesky and u/djanovshaving. Oh, and here’s u/onionmiasma. On with more memes, I can’t be the only one like this from the 16th, or who feels like this after messing about with my calendar or simply waiting. Showing up to these threads can be hard though, but at least I’m safe. Speaking of, one more for the dogpile. Here’s some low hanging fruit cause I know the judges love that. They’re about as smart as most “artisans”.

Does anyone want to read a #FOF today? Rumbles chocolatey and boozy, and ravish complements it well as a cinnamon vanilla bomb. Both fall in the gourmand realm.

For our #PHOTOCONTEST went with Sugar and Sweets which pairs well with the scents of today.

As an aside, since knee lather day, I’ve spent the last 2 shave smearing soap directly on my face as I don’t have a mug and can’t be bothered to use a lid from the full size soap I have. Ultimate Face Lathering Technique or UFLT for short.

Just in case, all products today are from Union states, and they all start with R, and scent wise actually go decently together as well.

Edit: let’s do a few more stand alone: me in the LG threads, looking at den tour day, trying GRUYE, certain users here, don’t choose favorites, I think what W_E users need

Dark chocolate digestives 🤭

SOTD - June 19

Feb 25, 2024

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: AP Shave Co - Gelousy 26mm Badger
• Razor: Dorko Straight razor
• Lather: Spearhead - Roman spice
• Post Shave: Cold Water

here is my meme

I honestly know very little about the American civil war or Juneteenth. But I think this soap is made in Ohio and I think that's good.

I was very dissatisfied to find out none of my photos were mentioned so far in the podcast. I will be unsubscribing.

photocontest

Theme today is wood. Went for a soft cinematic look.

Very pleasant photo

Day 20

• Brush: SmilezforMilez 22mm Synthetic
• Razor: Gem 1912
• Blade: Gem PTFE
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Cannonball Soap
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Cannonball Splash
• Fragrance: Nautica – Blue EdT

Today’s shave was absolute summertime grooming excellence. I dove right in with Summer Break Soaps' Cannonball soap and splash, topped off with a couple spritzes of Nautica Blue EdT. Because if you can't spend your summers at the beach, you might as well smell like you jumped into a pool.

First up: Cannonball!! The scent is a delightful mix of chlorine and citrus. Reminds me of that one time my drunken uncle spilled his pina colada all over the Lido Deck, while doing the Cupid Shuffle, right before he was put into a Carnival Cruise’s drunk tank. Ah, memories… But I digress, Cannonball has that "I’ve been at the pool all day, and yes, I like to party too" aroma. Perfect for convincing yourself you’re on vacation while you’re actually just trying to get through another Thursday and shaving in your backyard. The splash is like being slapped in the face by Wendy Pefffercorn from The Sandlot. It packs a nice mentholated punch, but after the initial shock, I was left left with a cooling sensation that’s like jumping into a pool that isn’t heated. It’s a refreshing splash of reality to wake me up from the realization that it’s not summer break by the pool and I need to go back to work after shaving outside.

Finally, Nautica Blue EdT. This cologne is basically the olfactory equivalent of those flip-flops you bought last minute at the beach gift shop. It screams “I’m ready for summer,” even if the closest you’re getting to the ocean is the kiddie pool in your backyard. I guess that’s my way of saying, it’s functional, but lacks some sort of soul and depth. Certainly not a bad scent, but not something I’m necessarily ever excited to wear. I honestly can’t quite put my figure on what's missing, but it's something. It’s got a breezy aquatic feel to it, and is balanced out with some florals, citrus, and sandalwood/cedar, but it's not something I reach for often. I will say it does do a nice job capturing the essence of the freshness of the ocean. It fit in with Cannonball very nicely and perfectly works with theme of the day. This entire shave routine reminded me of a Summer that you just don’t want to end. #FOF

photocontest: Elements: Water. Everything but the soap sank.

Challenge: Shave outside! Done and done. I remember last year a storm came through and I had to wait until like 10PM to shave. Luckily, it’s nice and sunny today. When the challenge was posted yesterday, I went into my work Outlook and blocked off 9AM-10AM to give me time to shave outside before it got to be too hot. Working from home is the best.

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Sunny Days”… My Top 5 Best Treats to get from an Ice Cream Truck

5.) Drumstick – Classic, ready-made ice cream cone with a dusting of nuts (for your health). The best part is the bottom of the cone had chocolate on the inside which (1) prevented ice cream from dripping on your hand and (2) made for an absolutely heavenly last bite. So good!

4.) Strawberry Shortcake bar on a stick – Sometimes you want something substantial, but aren’t in the mood for chocolate. The Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake bar is exactly what you need!

3.) Ninja Turtle with gumball eyes – Okay. Admittedly, these weren’t the tastiest of treats, but god damn they were the most fun.

2.) Chipwich – Pound for pound, probably the best value in the ice cream treat game. If you had one of these bad boys you can go right ahead and skip dinner.

1.) Choco Taco – The absolute GOAT.

(Editors note: If you even think to say Screwball, you are uncultured swine and you can go ahead and fuck right off. The sherbert in Screwballs suck and the gumball at the bottom is even worse and it’s not even in the shape of a fun character. I hope the Screwball company went out of business.)

Great shot

Jun. 20, 2024

• Brush: Rubberset 400 Un-numbered 26mm Zenith Boar

• Razor: Blackland Sabre

• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE [20]

• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Contemplation

• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Contemplation

• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Contemplation

Sunny Days!

I grew up in Jersey City but every summer I spent the entire time on at the Shore. My parents were divorced, my dad lived down the shore so I always spent my summers with him. Going to the beach, walking the boards, or just hanging out with friends. It was a glorious time. When I was old enough and financially able to, I moved out of my mom’s house and moved to the Shore. I pretty much lived within 10 minutes of a beach for the next 17 years. When I moved to Florida I did not want to live by a beach but did move to a home with a lake view. I really like living by water. I drive over the Tampa Bay everyday to get to and from work, and just seeing all that water just relaxes me.

Anyway enough rambling, I dick holed it again. Contemplation is too good not to just go start to finish with it.
Just to make sure lather justification.

From DG site: There is a stark difference between spring and summer, and Contemplation falls squarely in summer

Today’s challenge. To honor u/Old_Hiker My wife thinks I’m nuts but here it is. I shaved in front of my house. It was the perfect day for it. The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky and we got to see some ducks at the end. .bef

Photo contest Hobbies

I love to cook. Does not matter stovetop, oven, gas grill, charcoal, pellet grill, barrel smoker or flattop grill. I love it.

#ROTY #FOF #Photocontest

nice shot

2024-06-22 - Sound and Light

• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Son et Lumière
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Son et Lumière
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Son et Lumière
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - Guerrilla
• Brush: Yaqi Metal Timberwolf

Spooky Season: Many autumn-themed scents don't do much for me, so I was pleased as pepperspray when I saw the description for this scent:

[...] Son et Lumiere is a drizzly autumn walk through a (clean) city.

Unifying Theme: Doin' the triple

Halloween:
I expect a number of carved onions today, possibly with the Toyota emblem carved into them.

Alright, so there's this thing I picked up at a Goodwill a couple years ago for a Games photo. It's a pumpkin and I figure I can carve it with this razor.

I have no idea what it's made of, but it gave the razorsaw hell and it doesn't look like I should be breathing this stuff.

That slice does make it—strictly speaking—successfully carved, but I think I can do better. Before starting, I sawed off the stem in order to better clamp it down, revealing that the thing is hollow.

I wonder.... Hey, it broke!

What is that made of? I don't know how to identify fiberglass, but it doesn't seem to be outside the realm of possibility, so I'm calling that 1 legitimately-scary carved pumpkin.

#FOF
I realize I'm out of FOF now, but I just want to say that Son et Lumière is a contender for my top 5 favorite scents, among Abyss and Tobacconist. It's a rain-smell that doesn't exist (and not just because autumn doesn't exist).

Well, it's not a rain that I'm familiar with, but that's just because I associate rain-smell with creosote. It's criminal that there aren't any scents that feature creosote. But I digress.

I will add that once, when I was wearing this in the creosote-scented rain, I had the distinct impression that I exuded the unmistakable smell of wet dog.

#photocontest I don't think I'd ever encountered he name "Bokeh Balls" before, but you'd be hard-pressed to convince me you didn't have this exact label in mind when you chose to include it in the list.

Great shot.

LGSOTD 23-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Finned' V14 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Frederick Reynold - Swayback
• Lather: Hoffman's Shaving Co. - Affogato
• Post Shave: Hoffman's Shaving Co. - Affogato

Today I decided to go with Affogato, a lovely Italian dessert that combines two of my favourite things, espresso and ice cream. Seeing as I was going to shave with it I may as well make myself one as well. The soap is a little sweeter than I would like and needs a bit more espresso in it, but it is Sweet Sunday after all.

Challenge - Kitchen Day It's just my own kitchen but it at least made for a comfortable Sunday shave. You'll have to forgive the random coloured liquid and test tubes, there was crap everywhere from me cooking and this was the most clear space. My daughter was performing "experiments", seeing what happened when mixing different colours liquids.

Photocontest

Considering the day I'm aiming this one at 'Sugar & Sweets', the affogato was delicious, though perhaps a tad early for ice cream.

Have a grand one all.

Cheers

Marc

Looks like butter in a glass lol

Sweet Sunday

• Brush: Yaqi Ferrari
• Razor: Muhle R41
• Blade: Bic
• Lather: Ariana & Evans - Peach & Cognac

photocontest

Sugar & Sweets

Today’s Challenge:

Kitchen Day

Congratulations you've been entered into the best shot photography contest!

Judge comment: nice contrasts, good job on filling the frame

June 23, 2024 - Sweet Sunday

• Brush: Farvour Unicorn Puke APShaveCo Silksmoke 26 mm
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo Silver
• Blade: Wizamet (37)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Cakehole
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Peaches and Scream
• Fragrance: FZOTIC - Corpse Reviver

Theme: All software scents smell like dessert, sweet beverages, or sweets.

Challenge: I tried to use a hand mixer for the lather. The brush went crazy. So, I had to give up on the idea. I used the reflection in the oven door to face lather and shave. Thanks to Starbucks for the rinse cup. It kind of looks like crema.

Today's lather is Cakehole from Talent Soap Factory. Thanks to /u/Priusaurus for the smoosh. Cakehole is marketed as a vanilla cake scent. It’s sweet, but not as much as I expected. There’s vanilla, but it lacks the depth and complexity of vanilla bean. There’s a note of sweet bread. It does smell like cake. It's the standard Duncan Hines boxed cake mix. The soap was good from what I could gather squating in front of the oven. I have enough soap left for another shave. So, I’ll have to test this soap base again at a later date.

I believe this splash is based on a cocktail. Peaches + Scream is very peachy. I’m not sure how the smell of cream exists in fragrance, but this smells (dairy) creamy. Teak is an interesting touch that fits surprisingly well. It’s subtle, and rests beneath the peaches. Hints of bourbon and amber add a touch of warmth and compliment the airy, fruity notes. It's an approachable fragrance. It's not too sweet, or too heavy. I think this is a crowd-pleaser.

Corpse Reviver is an amber vanilla fragrance with lots of gourmand scent notes. I smell an intense dark chocolate note. After a minute or two, the chocolate gives way to brown sugar sweet whiskey, plum/date/fig fruit, and vanilla. Eventually, I get a bit of an animalic note. But, it doesn’t change much over time. This fragrance is decadent. I love the heavy dose of dark chocolate. It’s not an everyday scent. But, it would be fitting for a night out.

#photocontest - air

#FOF

Is this photoshopped? If not, this is a spectacular shot.

LGSOTD 24-Jun-24

• Brush: Blackland - Signature #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Blackland Razors - Dart #CNC
• Blade: Astra - SP
• Lather: Santa Maria Novella - Toscana
• Post Shave: Ariana & Evans - Tobacco Road AS
• Fragrance: The Essence Vault - 290 (TF Tobacco Vanille) EDP

Christmas in July, but in June's Eve

This shave is brought to you by u/TheStallionPartThree, I am very grateful for the help on this one. Despite being a transatlantic effort, he kindly sent me a number of very generous smushes, none of which I had tried before and one of which I could never try otherwise, ROTY 2023, which smells fantastic. This package almost had me rearranging my calender so I could get the ROTY in there, but sadly I have to be patient until this event is over and done.

That being said, the Santa Maria Novella Toscana is no slouch. Nice easy lather and very subtle but pleasant scent. The menthol addition is also a welcome one this morning. Along with this he'd also kindly provided some Astra blades, which of course would be rude not to set into use today as well. Excellent, shave, lovely scent and a great finish, TheStallionPartThree thank you once again, saved my calender (assuming I haven't buggered up elsewhere) and it is very much appreciated!!

Daily Challenge: r/Wetshaving Exclusives Wish List

Now, I half expect to see someone asking for a Maggards Old Spice Dupe just to cover a few bases for next year, and whilst that might be amazing I have another couple in mind. I know we've already had CGC, SW and SBS (was there a DG one as well?), how about sponsor of the day, Stirling. We already know it is one of the best in terms of bang for your cash and it lasts an eternity...anything with a smoke, tobacco or leather (or probably anything just for the novelty) and I'm in! The only request I would make if it ever happened, make the splash sans alcohol so we lowly Europeans can grab it as well!

Photocontest

This one being a tobacco scent I thought I'd try for exhaled smoke (well vape really) to show 'The Elements: Air'. I had thought about using a can of compressed air to blow stuff around and I missed my chance with a sailing yacht, but thought this would do the trick.

Have a cracking day all!

Cheers

Marc

Great shot and clever way to get the scavenger hunt theme in.

June 25, 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Exclusive Moar Boar 31mm
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (3)
• Lather: Siliski Soaps – Santa’s Pipe
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Santa Noir
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – Memoirs of a Trespasser

Christmas in June. I know it’s more traditionally called “Christmas in July” but since the academic fiscal year ends in June, and you spend all your remaining annual funds at that point, this formulation rings well to me. I’m using a lot of gifted things in this shave, an PIF’d tech, Pif’s soap smushes. I broke out MOAR BOAR, which while not PIF’d was graciously brokered to me by u/j33pguy13 and I consider it a gift of sorts.

For #photocontest I’ve done Bokeh Balls. I have a 50mm f1.8 lens that does Bokeh so well. So, I pulled it out with some Christmas lights for this challenge to really highlight the Bokeh. (Ender Dragon was the request of my son. Who am I to say no to that?)

My #fof is a little more esoteric. Last year when this theme came up and someone used Memoirs, I couldn’t help but think “’Memoirs of a Trespasser’ would be the name of Santa’s autobiography.” So, in a sense this is a Santa themed shave from start to finish, Santa’s Pipe, Santa Noir and Santa’s Memoirs. Moreso though, this shave brings sweet smells (honey, vanilla, orange) through the entire shave, while not being particularly too sweet in any one area (Santa’s Pipe is balanced by the Patchouli and Tobacco, Santa Noir by the sandalwood and musk, and Memoirs by the oak barrel.) A good shave to enter the final days of the games. (Though IA stuff tends to go quickly on my skin.)

Challenge: I imagine the judges were asking for a Santa Hat, but I couldn’t find ours on short notice. Though I’ll be shocked if “Santasaurus” does not make a second-year appearance. While I don’t have a santa hat, I have the next best thing, my [House of Mammoth beanie. u/mammothben threw these in with Black Friday orders back in 2022. This was my first full tub order after I bought the used Hygge that I killed earlier in the games. It was an Alive dickhole set (balm, because my face was not liking splashes back then.) This was the moment I fell in love with scents. I got a snapback hat to get over the free beanie threshold, but the beanie became my favorite of the two. The stitching on the logo needed some trimming but, I used to help with my mom’s embroidery machine so that was pretty straightforward. I snipped the stray threads to clean it up and make the logo pop better. Beanie immediately became my “winter hat” and has accompanied me on many holiday light displays and driveway shoveling.

Edit: I was reminded reading posts that I also lathered in my baseball helmet ice cream bowl. So hats were everywhere!

Congratulations you've been entered into the best shot photography contest!

Judge comment:it's a decent shot but could with being tighter, perhaps remove the sample tub

Jun. 25, 2024

• Brush: Summer Break 28mm Knight Knot

• Razor: Red Impe 5/8 Blade

• Lather: Barrister & Mann - Promises

• Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Promises

• Fragrance: Christian Dior - Fahrenheit

Christmas in July, but in June

Went to my other Cardiologist today, told me me to keep doing what I’m doing and he will see me in a year. That right there for me and my family is the best Christmas in July, but in June gift we could ask for. I think my boy is finally over what was going on with him so that’s also great news today.

Today’s shave is another one I’ve been looking forward to. I love B&M Promises. It when I use it, it really does remind me of north east winter smells. Going to family up in north west Jersey in the winter or family up in Scranton, PA riding snowmobiles and getting snowed in Yeah I miss those days. It was also my first ever straight razor shave. The impe is on loan from u/infernalinternal and now I’m looking at straights. YoU WiLl sAve MoNEy It’S soOoOoOOooooOOO MuCH CheAPeR..

I chose Dior Fahrenheit for today. It has always had the reputation of smelling like gasoline and you do pick that up some and Promises has that same note.

Soap Justification: From BM website “Winter is a special time in Upstate New York. Deer season opens, folks fire up their wood stoves, and the mountains become dusted with caps of glittering snow.

But, more exciting than any of those, the snowmobile trails open again. Promises is an ode to this most exhilarating time of the year, the smell of a warm drink from a thermos while out on the trail with friends. Notes of orange and bergamot are suffused with the warmth of real honey, whiskey lactone, peat, and nutmeg. To finish it off, we’ve incorporated the strange, rubbery, industrial character of a high grade saffron molecule to give the scent the feel of being out on the trail with idling sleds all around.

Promises is a slice of Northeastern wintertime. Let it snow!”

Today’s Challenge: Shave with a hat on

Here is a short video proof of Hat and straight

Photo Contest: Theme Bokeh Balls Also keeping with todays lather theme, yes I hung Christmas lights up in my bathroom

#ROTY #FOF #PhotoContest

Congratulations you've been entered into the best shot photography contest!

Judge comment:I like balls

Day 27

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Svolaer Aurora 28mm - SHD Badger
• Razor: Gillette Executive FatBoy
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: AA Shaving – The Hunt
• Post Shave: 345 Soap Co – Estes Splash
• Fragrance: Boucheron - Jaipur Homme

AA’s The Hunt has 22 listed scent notes. 22!! Does that mean I get double credit?? I think it’d be quicker for AA Shaving to list the scent notes that aren’t included with this soap. Holy shit – 22. When I read the list of scent notes, I had to take a break and get a snack halfway through. We’ve got woodsy notes, citrus bursts, floral undertones, spices, ozone, and possibly even unicorn tears. I think they just accidently dropped their fragrance oil collection into the soap and ran with it. I also got a kick out of this line from their description, “The Hunt is a great scent for the fall, summer, spring, and winter that is sure to please.” So that narrows it down to EVERY SEASON. Why not just say year-round?? And who orders the seasons like that??? Has anyone in human history ever ordered the seasons, starting with fall and going in reverse chronological order? That is crazy person behavior if I ever saw it. These people need to be locked up and have the key thrown away. We can’t have people that list the seasons in that order just roaming free. I will say, the scent was nice and enjoyable, and does it achieve it’s goal of taking my nose deep into the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, so they have that going for them.

For my splash, I picked Estes, which has a pathetic 9 scent notes listed… Fucking amateurs… Similarly, they are trying to evoke the scent of the mountains, except this time in Colorado. And they do it with half the scent notes. Both scents are designed to take you into the mountains, but I guess the mountains the AA Shaving goes to are far more complex. Imagine needing to take more than double the time to do the same thing as others? It’s like AA Shaving is u/MudAccording and 345 is everyone else player Lather Games. For my fragrance, I chose Jaipur Homme by Boucheron. Not surprisingly, it shares some of the same scent notes as the soap and splash, but more importantly, it’s a nice, warm spicy amber. And it’s no slouch in the scent note department with 12 listed: Lime, Jasmine, Cardamom, Carnation, Rose, Patchouli and Cedar, Cinnamon, Lemon, Bergamot, Benzoin, Tonka Bean. It’s like they took every scent known to man, put it in a bottle, and called it a day. Citrus, spices, woods, flowers—it’s all in there. With the olfactory overdose my nose experienced today, I’m all sorts of confused. Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria!! #FOF

Sidecontest: #photocontest: Elements: Earth

Challenge: I did indeed shave with my left hand. Once again, you’ll have to trust me on this. We’re on the honor system, right?

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Information Overload”… The Top 5 Pictures of Overloaded Cars and Trucks

5.) When I make a quick trip to Ikea

4.) More tables, ladders, and chairs than a WWE match

3.) Big load on a tiny truck

2.) Should we get a Uhaul? Nah, we can fit it all in my truck

1.) How many people are on this thing?

Congratulations you've been entered into the best shot photography contest!

Judge comment: nice simple shot, maybe think about additional elements or props to fill the space

SOTD June 27

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Yaqi - Moka
• Razor: Merkur - Progress
• Blade: Gillette - Permasharp
• Lather: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889
• Post Shave: Old Spice

Left hand shave not too bad. I shave with both hands typically. Chose not to shave with a straight razor today though. No cuts so that's decent.

photocontest

Black n white

Nice shot

June 27, 2024 - Information Overload

• Brush: APShaveCo 24mm Cashmere Fan
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Wizamet (41)
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Blacksmith
• Post Shave: Gentlemen's Nod - Zaharoff Signature
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes - Musk Deer

Challenge: I did a two pass shave using only my non dominant hand.

Theme: The Blacksmith has 10 scent notes. Zaharoff Signature has 16 scent notes. Musk Deer has 11 scent notes.

Zingari Man The Blacksmith is a r/wetshaving exclusive. The fragrance is a dupe of Bvlgari Man In Black. It’s very leathery. I detect some cardamom, and something floral. There’s a woody note buried under the leather. There’s hints of rum and spice. It’s an upscale, leather-forward fragrance. But, I find it a bit lifeless. I think I’d like it more if the rum and spice were dialed up.

This Zaharoff splash is throwing me for a loop. When I splashed it on, it just smelled like bergamot, which isn’t even one of the advertised scent notes. So, I grabbed the bottle to give it another sniff. Now, it smells very musky, woody, with a peppery note. There’s still something reminiscent of bergamot. I think it’s the combination of cardamom, lavender, and pear, maybe mixed with an ingredient in the toner. It's a designer-style fragrance that's safe for most occasions, but doesn't spark joy for me.

A couple of years ago during the r/wetshaving secret santa, I was the lucky recipient of the full Zoologist sampler. There’s a lot of winners in the set. Musk Deer is one of my favorites. I’m immediately enveloped by a strong note of musk with soft powdery undertones running up against a wall of dry cedar. Over the course of an hour it hasn’t really changed. The fragrance feels warm, and quite dapper. It’s more of a fall fragrance.

This brush is a complete APShaveCo brush.

#photocontest - Pirates. This post was typed on my handy pirate keyboard. We were warned about pirates. But, the spirit of piracy is hard to stamp out. My SOTD pic is ~~me~~ a pirate showing off their shave wares and illegally downloaded music.

#FOF

I seriouisly applaud your creativity to hit this theme! Got a good chuckle out of me

June 28, 2024 – Cheap! Cheap! fun! fun!  

• Brush: Omega 40033 24mm #hallow  
• Razor: Gillette Tech  
• Blade: Bic Chrome (1)  
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Lightish Red  
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva – Ice Blue  
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Deep Blue Sea  

Today’s title references commercials for a local frugal liquor store. It's all about the money saving. Now I added it up, and no surprise, among all the stuff in my den, Stirling remains the value leader. Honestly, it wasn’t even that close. Next closest was the Daveli Farms soap, but by the time I got it had increased to $9 for a 3.5 oz puck (with no tub!) Stirling is just a hair cheaper (I did a rough calculation and normalizing to Stirling tub, DF would be about $15, just over the Stirling price). Additionally, Daveli also had a mandatory $3/item shipping cost. Now, normally I wouldn’t include shipping in my calculation, but if the cost is mandatory per item (and it doesn’t cost $3, to throw an extra puck in the bag mailer it came in) then it probably needs to be counted since no amount of buying spreads the shipping out. Given that it’s more like $12/3.5 oz which is way over Stirling price. Plus, Daveli no longer sells shave soap as far as I can tell (they no longer have any web store presence. They appear to still sell bath soap on site, so who knows.)

Plus, as I noted at the time in my review, Stirling was just better. So, win/win. Not surprisingly, my den is full of Stirling stuff. Yes, I have more Mammoth, but whenever I order coffee from Stirling (which is quite often) a sample or full tub finds its way into my cart. Which is how I ended up with this tub of Lightish Red. I couldn’t pass a on a ~~Halo~~ generic shooter soap. (Seriously love the helmet on the label.) For these reasons and more I will always stan u/stirlingsoap to everyone who stumbles into the DQ thread asking where to get started. Rod excels at what he set out to do: make a good product at a fair price. I could shave with Stirling for the rest of my life and my wallet would be better off for it. (Speaking of which, I have a Stirling Wallet! They’re awesome, get one! Thanks, sub Secret Santa!)

Everything used here is cheap. For #fof, I paired up a bunch of cheap, color themed things, Lightish Red, Aqua Velva Ice Blue ($5/bottle) and Stirling Deep Blue Sea ($27 for a full botte). I’m certain this is the cheapest stuff in my den, but none of it is bad. The progression from woody, to minty, to aquatic also worked pretty well!

Because I have to use the cheapest stuff, but the rules specifically state “no cartridges” I pulled out my tech. It was $0.49 new according to the internet, which adjusted for inflation is about $5. I originally thought I was going to need to use that shitty $7 Walmart Badger again, but no! As it turns out my Omega Boar, purchased from London Razors, was only $6, making it the cheapest brush I have. Saved by a cheap, but not bad boar. Lastly blades. Had to do some digging, because I have a lot of random blades, but at about $0.19-$0.20/blade the Bic blades sent to me by u/bmac92 are my cheapest on hand. To put all this in perspective, If I used 3 Stirling tubs a year (my estimated usage), 2 bottles of Aqua Velva (WAG, I have yet to finish 1), 50 blades, cheap brush, Tech, it’s just under $65 for the first year of shaving. Brush and Tech carry over, so closer to $55 in year 2+. That’d buy me 32 Harry’s Cartridges, with no soap or splash. Not even a year’s worth. All the inexpensive gear can be seen, per the challenge, in the SOTD pic. (I didn’t include EdT in this calculation because it’s not really necessary to shaving. But you could throw in a Stirling EdT, a steal at $27, and that is probably less than your yearly canned goo cost. Or take the money you saved and buy fancy cologne).

Now a frugal shave would not be a shave in my fancy renovated bathroom. No this, bathroom with its semi-custom sinks and cabinets is not frugal, it’s what a coastal elite would do. Where to go then? My kitchen isn’t high end, but not really frugal either. No, there’s only one frugal shave spot in this house. It’s not outside, I have a fancy patio there. Nope, it’s down at the basement utility sink. The cheapest utility sink I could find at Home Depot. No mirrors, they cost money. Yes, sink is dirty. It’s a utility sink.

Finally, #photocontest, I’ve got a toy boat for water vehicles. How does it tie in? Well, if I had more frugality, maybe I’d be able to afford a real one. I’m limited on expensive hobbies, so for now, the toy is all I get.

Edited for note: Savvy players may rememeber I used Arko last year. that was a smush, it is long gone. This year I did not trade for "cheap smush" to force my calendar. I did what the den said.

that sink is disgusting

2024-06-29 - Sandalwood

• Lather: Haslinger - Sandelholz
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Oud Sigma
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Oud Sigma
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - Guerrilla
• Brush: Yaqi Metal Timberwolf

Unifying Theme: Wood

Sandalwood: That's what Sandelholz means.

Do our homework: "Do our homework" has never made sense. Why not reframe this as something like "Sportsmanship" or "Fellow Player Appreciation"? Focusing on the judges detracts from that.

Then again, the judge notes lead me to believe that at least one judge has a habit of assuming ill intent behind earnest gestures of good faith, suggesting they may need all the help they can get.

I haven't been following a lot of the activity during these Games. I know u/Priusaurus had prepared a whole list of things in advance, which may or may not have been derailed by daily challenges.

I have the impression that u/tsrblke has been doing good things, although—by my own fault, not his—I couldn't tell you what, except that he probably established himself as a contender for that "Friend of the Games" before it was even announced.

Also, a nod to u/batmanbrady: I wasn't sure what to expect, what with his account being created only just before the Games. It was cool to see him with pretty good posts, and then he unwittingly triggered a whole thing by mentioning his brother-in-law.

#FOF
I'd tried exactly one solely-sandalwood scent before this, and I didn't care for it. Sandelholz succeeds in being not only inoffensive, but classically soothing.

Oud Sigma is a scent that I bought the whole trio of solely because I was overcome with excitement by the name. As scents go, it's not bad, but its overlap with Razorock's Tuscan Oud leads me to the conclusion that I do not much care for oud.

#photocontest Pirates
I nearly forgot that I meant to break out the Jolly Rogers again before the end of the month.

great shot, apart from the jolly roger being upside down