June 7 - I'm Actually Using a Proper Themed Soap

• Brush: Semogue 610 21mm Boar

• Razor: Fatip Grande Open Comb

• Blade: Asco Platinum Orange

• Lather: Zingari Man - The Magician Soap

• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger Splash

• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Orbit Splash

• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Agua Fresca EdT

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Decided to give myself a couple of freebie days between soap projects. I wracked my braid for ages wondering if I had a vetiver scented soap, and realized I picked up The Magician at this years Maggard Meetup. Legit, this fragrance is greeeen and awesome. The vetiver really rounds out the fragrance as elegant with a hint of mysterious. Like a magician.

What wasn't so magical is the irritation this aggressive AF razor caused to my lower neck. I haven't used this razor in ages, and though everything else feels awesome, my lower neck isn't. I'll use something more forgiving tomorrow.

Today's fragrance pairings are more refreshing fragrances. But I learned that there are different kinds of refreshing... Orbit is refreshing in that it's light, kinda cozy and has the chilliness factor. Agua Fresca is refreshing in a fruity, sweet way. I thought they might work together to bring the ultimate refreshing feeling, and it didn't work like that at all. I get whiffs of the spacey splash popping out from the fruity fragrance, and it just doesn't work. Ya live and ya learn.

#FOF

June 7, 2024 – 2024.06.07: Lather Games Day 7 – Vetiver You Want

• Brush: AP Shave Co Cashmere 24mm Ruby Ripple
• Razor: Henson Shaving razors – AL-13 Mild
• Blade: Wizamet (2)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Vetyver Santal
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Santa Noir Balm
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – Rose Santal

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Daily Theme: Vetiver You Want

Theme justification: Barrister & Mann Vetyver Santal is (was) listed on their website as follows:

We blended a healthy dose of lemon essential oil with Haitian vetiver and elegant, creamy New Caledonia sandalwood absolute to create a light, clean, fresh vetiver scent well-suited to cooler weather

I pulled Sharpologist’s site since the scent is no longer listed on B&M’s website. Shout-out to /u/MammothBen for providing me with a big box of random samples, which included this soap.

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: today’s theme revolves around santal, in both name an scent. Vetyver Santal for the soap, House of Mammoth Santa(ł) Noir balm, and Chatillon Lux Rose Santal for the frag.

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Scavenger Hunt Justification:

Razor facts: N/A

Brush facts: N/A

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Daily/Special Challenge: GeoFatBoy Special

I’m not Geo, but I am a FatBoy, so I have no excuses when it comes to this challenge. 1 pass only ATG. No problem.

I loaded up my Henson mild for the job. It was not too bad, all things considered. Job was relatively easy and no irritation. Further shave details below in the shave section.

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Frag description

Look, Wally. I know my descriptions haven’t been great, but this one is really going to scrape the bottom of the barrel. However, today was interesting. The soap only had a faint scent. Not sure if that was due to the age of the sample, the condition it was kept in, or if it naturally had a very light scent. Regardless, it smelled like dried grass (so vetiver).

The AS and frag, though, combined to make me feel like Seal was kissing me with a rose. That is to say, musky rose is the dominant combined scent.

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Now onto the shave!

Despite the possible issues with the scent, the soap lathered easily. Became nice and slick. The only issue was due to the cashmere brush. Since it is so soft it had a somewhat difficult time with the hard soap. Thankfully it really wasn’t an issue since it was a one-pass shave.

Now, I did as the challenge required. I only did one pass and it was against the grain. Honestly, it wasn’t too bad. The Henson was a good choice for this challenge due to its extreme mildness. I have to say, if I’m in a hurry I could see myself doing this method to achieve an adequate shave quickly. The result of today’s shave was a relatively smooth face and neck with almost no irritation. Was it the nicest shaving experience? No. Could I do it again? Yes. Will I? Not if I can help it.

Side Note: Today’s plan was to use a carbon steel blade, but I checked my stash and couldn’t find any. Glad I found out now and not later. /u/OnionMiasma is already hooking me up. What a guy.

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Totals:

• Razor Hashtags: 6/10
• Brush Hashtags: 7/10
• Hardware Sponsor Points: 2/2
• Software Sponsor Points: 4/16
• Number of Lather Brands: 7/30
• Number of Lather Scents: 7/30
• Number of Post Shaves: 7/30
• Number of Frags: 7/30

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Contest Hashtags:

#FOF

#ROTY

June 7, 2024 - Vetiver You Want

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG2024 Blurple Synthetic
• Razor: Parker Adjustable Injector #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Parker Injector
• Lather: Martin De Candre - Vetiver
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Field Day
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Velouria

Today’s Theme:

I didn’t have what I think I could say that’s a vetiver soap. Sure it is in lots of stuff, but I just think ok, it is a “green” scent of growing plants? Luckily we have smoosh trading, and once again u/tsrblke set me up. MdC - Vetiver is just vetiver. That’s pretty spot on for the theme I’d say.

Today’s Challenge:

Why would anyone start against the grain? I guess for points. That’s the only reason I shaved atg and only atg. Just don’t unless you have a need for a fractional improvement in points. I usually shower after my shave, but today I went before. I wanted every chance to improve my shave I could get. Also grabbed my Parker Adjustable Injector because it may look like it has a huge gap, it shaves pretty mild for me on any setting. I went with 1, but I’ve tried them all and yes the gap gets measurably wider, I can barely tell a difference in feel. The wider gap makes it harder to clog I guess. Post shave, I feel like I scraped the whiskers more than shaved. Lots of stinging too from the splash.

Feats of Fragrance:

Obviously today needed to start from a base of Vetiver, but all I knew about it was it was a green plantlike scent. So I smelled the smoosh, ready scent descriptions, and went through my splashes. I don’t know for sure if Field Fay has vetiver in it, but smelling it after the MdC soap made me think it could. They had a similar grassy note to them. The harder part was the final fragrance and finding one that had vetiver, or at least took off running from that playground grass scent. I went with finding one that has vetiver. I was down to House of Mammoth - Indigo or Maher Olfactive - Velouria. I decided why not both? They both have vetiver listed, and I could sneak indigo into the mix since it is my bar soap in the shower. I’m not certain how successful this really is. Indigo gives me a more peppery berry scent to my nose, while right now Velouria is a mix of the top notes of violets, blueberry and frankincense. It has two kinds of vetiver listed as notes, so as it dries down, maybe more green will come out. It’s a nice scent, but I think I’ll have to see how it evolves over the next couple of hours.

Sponsor Time:

Aurora Grooming is fairly new in the wetshaving world. I recall when he started selling brushes, he reached out to the sub to see what we thought of his work. Then of course he jumps in and not only becomes a sponsor, but made a LG2024 exclusive brush and has the audacity to only charge $35 for it. They even have custom coins for the base. When I ordered mine I was so specific with my color choice saying ok purple, blue, green, or red. Obviously, I gave very specific demands since I have such high standards (cough Colgate Toothbrush?). Undeterred by my strict demands, I get an email asking how about a dark purply navy blue being called Blurple? Well the picture of the pour looked blue/purple, so sure, Blurple it is. Now my brush was just a blank piece of resin, but in just a few days, it arrived (helps that I’m about a 4-20 hour drive from Norfolk depending on traffic). In person it beat my expectations. I love the color and using the powder pigments gives it a nice chatoyance. The shape is very comfortable for me too. If you are on the fence, get one.

FOF

June 7, 2024 – Vetiver 3 ways

• Brush: Semogue TSN 2023 LE Mixed knot #MISTURA #OldWorld
• Razor: Gillette Slim #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (1)
• Lather: Martin de Candre – Vetyver
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Dirtyver
• Fragrance: Rogue Perfumery – Vetifleur

Vetiver is one of my current favorite notes. u/EldrormR sent me this gigantic smush of MdC Vetyver (don’t worry it wasn’t from the brain bowl.) I spread some of it around to others, so this “smush” is fueling today for a few. When I sniffed it, I said “this is good.” I’m noting Vetiver more in other things too, Varen, CB’s Maggards Meetup scent, etc. And finding I like that note. And it lasts a long time on my skin (Varen balm for example still smells through hours later. Don’t worry it makes an appearance this year). So, I decided to lean heavily into that vetiver element for #fof today. Vetiver 3 ways. These scents are all interesting, MdC is the spicy vetiver I love in the other things, Dirtyver true to it’s name has almost a muddly quality to it, and Vetifleur moves the Vetiver to the base and freshens up after Dirtyver. The same thing working in different ways.

Vetiver has an earthy quality to it so for #photocontest lets go with Earth, and some dirt (I need to get my grass to grow here.)

Today we go against the grain. This is a curious position for me. I’ve stated before the reason I don’t do the public shaves is I am averse to conflict generally (which is odd because my job is all conflict, it’s literally in the title of my office. But I digress.) As such the notion of “going against the grain” is not something I do much in life or in shaving. (Which is not to say I’m a conformist. I’m fairly non-conformist actually, I mean for God sakes, I’m not even 40 and my current hobbies are ham radio and wet shaving, I’m just weird. I just simply don’t seek out conflict and, if I find it, I try to exfiltrate myself from it as soon as possible. My friends are largely other non-conformist weirdos, and I don’t hang out in popular spots. When someone says, “Why don’t you do XYZ!” I usually go “meh” and walk away. So, to find myself drawn into this ongoing psychodrama between u/cowzilla3 and u/onionmiasma was a bit startling to me. But I suppose I must play the part. The drama needs a new villain to keep it fresh. And so I say: You sirs are fools, your mothers were ~~hamsters~~ Synth brushes and your fathers smelt of ~~elderberries.~~ Batters Up. I shall push back against the grain of the judges and the…dude pushing back against the judges! (This shouldn’t be physically possible but I guess we’ve come full circle or something).

Also, I did shave once ATG, (going down at the bottom of my neck and up everywhere else.) It was..meh. I set the Slim to 1 and upped it to 2 halfway. Thing is I don’t do an ATG pass normally, not worth the squeeze as it were. So, I couldn’t hold the angle, so it didn’t shave very well, so I look scruffy. Have some irritation around my lip and nose. I wonder how many will try to claim they’re going “against the grain” by not doing the challenge.

Also, I want to say something about the sponsor. I’ve been sick so I haven’t had the desire type much sponsor stuff. But Aurora Grooming has really been bringing it recently. He jumped head first into this Sub and created a fun sub brush with a custom coin. I used it yesterday and it’s a really fun shape. I bought a silly brush but he fitted a knot a sent and let me know the turn wasn’t perfect and that upset him (it’s wonderful). Now I know he’s got to “expend his business” or something so he’s sold out to those people at r/Wicked_Edge for a sub exclusive. But he’ll always be ours first! I haven’t been here long enough to watch the sub help launch a brand, but I hope this one works.

2024-06-07 - I Want Vetiver

• Lather: Saponifico Varesino - Desert Vetiver
• Post Shave: Saponifico Varesino - Desert Vetiver
• Fragrance: Saponifico Varesino - Desert Vetiver
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - Guerrilla (2023)
• Brush: Yaqi Metal Timberwolf

Unifying Theme: Hat Trick

Vetiver You Want:
Ah, vetiver. What are you and how do we pronounce you? /ˈvɛtɪvəɹ/, surely. I have the impression, though probably unsubstantiated, that /vɛˈtaɪvəɹ/ or /vɛˈtivəɹ/ aren't uncommon. Or perhaps you could opt to be more faithful to the original French, with /vɛtiˈve/, although that's straight-up ludicrous because vetiver is an English word in its own right, even if it is a borrowed one.

It reminds me of a time when someone tried to insist that the plural of ninja should be ninja because Japanese doesn't have grammatical plural. Like, that's great, dumbass, but ninja is also an English word, and guess which language actually does have grammatical plural?

But I digress.

GeoFatBoy Special:
Alright, so a single against-the-grain pass. ~~Vetiver~~ Whatever, an initial ATG pass doesn't bother me. I'm honestly a little surprised that so many of you are so bothered, but I can't speak for you. Obviously. I don't have your skin! Yet.

I would like to take this moment to address the razor, which surely helped for an annoyance-free ATG pass. This beautiful razor was a contribution from Wolfman Razors in support of our 2023 Lather Games, and I was the lucky recipient. There was a little bit of a debacle because I originally asked for a larger gap than worked for me. I'd like to also call out u/Priusaurus, who was encouraging while I sorted it out. Wolfman was more than happy to swap out the razor head, and it has been my daily razor since.

#FOF
I haven't used Desert Vetiver much since I got it, partly because I have so much other soap I need to use up, and partly because it has—in my mind—a kind of "special occasion" vibe to it. Maybe because it's not what you'd call "cheap," but both the lather and scent are nothing short of luxurious.

I originally didn't get a whole lot of vetiver out of it—am I an idiot? No (well...), but I had a few raw-er vetiver scents serving as a baseline (e.g. Varen, Hallows, Dirtyver), whereas Desert Vetiver is more complex. While Dirtyver revels in being unadulterated, in-your-face vetiver (not that there's anything wrong with that), Desert Vetiver wraps it up in a way that is appropriate to respectable society (that sounds more denigrating to vetiver than I intended).

There's a heart of vetiver that intermingles with amber, surrounded by a cushion of subtle florals and pepper. Lavender is clearly there, but I hesitate to mention it because I don't want to bring attention to it; it doesn't even bring attention to itself. I like this, because I'm pretty fed up with lavender, but I appreciate this.

On a related but separate topic, I'm just going to willfully disregard the likelihood that it was a joke, and am instead just looking forward to the licorice/anise + vetiver scent that u/c_bubbles is cooking up after u/tonality's recommendation.

#photocontest Cactus
I know what you're thinking:

"Hey, u/ginopono, why are you using a stylized depiction of that desert? Couldn't you just, you know, go outside and take a picture of the real thing?"

No.

No, I'm not going outside during the season that is literally called "Don't Step into the Sun or You'll Die"! Why do you think the picture doesn't even have the sun? There might be a day or two in January when it's safe, but for now, I'm staying where the sun can't get to me.

June 7, 2024 – LG Day 7 – Vetiver isn’t just dirt, apparently

• Brush: Semogue Owner’s Club Boar, Cherry Wood Handle
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Mike’s Natural Soaps – Vetiver
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Carpathia
• Fragrance: American Perfumer – Honeyed Vetiver

Today is my first time using a vetiver-forward fragrance that doesn’t just smell like dirt. It’s opened my eyes a bit, honestly. Thanks to u/wyze0ne for the smush – I’m considering snagging a tub when my buying hiatus/GRUYE is over. Mike’s Vetiver is deep and earthy and holds a nuttiness which reads as somehow sweet, like a forest floor covered in freshly cracked nuts. Clean earth, nothing like the dirty, smoky Dirtyver, which I had previously judged this scent note by. Not having any vetiver-forward splashes, I reached for SW Carpathia, as its wet stone note hits my nose as dirt/earth. This was initially gross to me when I first tried it, but it has grown on me enormously. As the stony opening fades, it dries down into a musky, bitter, herbal accord that feels like I’ve been transported into a dungeon in a fantasy TTRPG…that’s also somehow sexy? Even though there’s no vetiver here, it adds to the complex earth accord we’re building. Finally, Honeyed Vetiver is a feat. Think about how honey smells. Not literally how honey smells or tastes, but how we imagine it. That’s Honeyed Vetiver. It’s floral yet earthy, sweet but not sickly so. It is the true essence of honey, and makes today’s fragrance combination far more than the sum of its parts. I smell good today. #FOF

Challenge: I shaved against the grain, one pass, my entire head. I had to crank up the adjustable to 8 or 9 because I wasn’t getting an adequately close shave with the 5 it had been set at, and I didn’t want to cheat and do a second pass. You never know who might be watching. This was the least comfortable shave of the Games so far. Somehow, no bumpy redness though, so I guess my technique is alright. I don’t plan to shave against the grain again any time soon.

You know what should be cut against the grain, though? Meat. Muscle fibers (aka “the grain”) run in a particular direction in most cuts of meat. It’s worth noting that some cuts of meat find the grain switching direction in certain spots, because muscles are complicated. Also, some cuts (read: muscles) don’t get much of a workout, so the muscle fibers aren't very pronounced, and cutting ATG/WTG doesn’t really matter, like with filet mignon. For most cuts, however, slicing against the grain shortens the muscle fibers, making the meat easier to chew and enhancing its tenderness. Even if your uncle overcooked the strip steak (again), cutting against the grain will make your eating experience better. When meat is cut with the grain, the long muscle fibers remain intact, resulting in a tougher texture. This is bad. Don't do it. For more details, we can look to Kenji (there you go, u/bmac92).

LG 7 - Vetiver you want

• Brush: Zenith - MOAR BOAR #OLDWORLD #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: Straight Razor Wade&Butcher For Barber's Use 8/8 #REVENANT
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Dirtyver
• Post Shave: Aion Skincare - Vetiver
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Dirtyver edp

Today election was Catie's 322 soap, but I couldn't decide if it smelled more like vetiver or patchouli so I opted for DG Dirtyver. It's on my top tier of vetiver scented soaps, I can't recommend it enough to all vetiver lovers.

The Wade&Butcher arrived in a "decent" shape for a late 1800's straight razor, but the scales needed a little hydration and polishing, I couldn't save the pivot pins when I had to disassemble the blade to clean the rust in the tail and pivot area. I had to replace it with a new one, the scale wedge pivot is the original.

The blade was a little bent I needed to correct the geometry to beign able to hone it and clean some ugly rust holes on the edge.

.#FOF Not too much creativity today, begin and finish with Dirtyver, but in the interlude Aion Vetiver introduced some air in the composition with a less vetiver oriented scent, in this the vetiver is more of a vessel for the others scents than the main note, it remains me to Pannacrema Vetiver PURE2O soap, with a colonia scent.

I almost forgot today's #CHALLENGE write-up. In one word, NEVER. I never shaved against the grain so I just did first my second pass only that's across the grain and ended the shave. I may not win the points, but I saved the face.

June 7, 2024

• Brush: Terrafirma Soapery – 28mm G5C #COMPOSITE #PREMIUMPLASTIC #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Gillette – Blue Tip SuperSpeed
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Mike’s Natural Soaps – Vetiver Soap
• Post Shave: Tallow & Steel – Rainforest Splash
• Fragrance: Guerlain – Vetiver EdT

First things first, thanks u/Tetriside for the smush

I gotta be honest here, I didn’t have any wacky shavanigans planned to celebrate Vetiver Day. If I had to describe Vetiver in one word: Earthy, I guess? I don’t really know. This isn’t really a scent I’d typically go for. But the beauty of the Lather Games is trying new things (check), interacting with the community (double-check), and have entertaining posts (shit!). Okay. Gotta think. Gotta think of something… ANYTHING. I google “Vetiver” and it’s a grass… What the hell is entertaining about grass? I briefly consider creating a shaving brush out of blades of grass, but I only have one smush of this soap and I’m not confident enough that would work. I don’t want to burn the one smush of anything Vetiver I have on something that could ruin the smoosh, DQ me, and tank my chances of a repeat. What else could I do? I cut my grass. And it IS getting a little too tall… Could I shave while cutting my grass?

In the words of Kevin Garnett: ANYTHING IS POSSIBBBBBBLLLLEEEEEEEEE!!!

Gather up my shave stuff and head outside to shave and mow my lawn. Multitasking at its finest! Is this a stupid idea? Undoubtedly, but I’ve also had worse. And do I feel the need to go above and beyond and do stupid shit for the Lather Games?? Also, a resounding yes!!

So, here I am shaving while mowing the lawn for Vetiver Day.

From a logistical point of view those silly lawnmower safety switches make shaving and mowing a little difficult. I opted to bowl load, and hooked the Stirling Travel bowl to a carabiner clip, attached to my belt loop so I could lather one handed. The interesting thing about mowing the lawn while shaving and only doing an against the grain pass is you only get one take. If I were to do this again, I’d alter the camera placement a little bit and maybe speed up the video in post production, but all and all, I think I nailed it.

The scent of vetiver was perfect for a nice outdoor shave. Lathering with it gave me a sense of one-ness with the earth (which was immediately counteracted by the gasoline fumes from my lawnmower.) The scent of the soap was actually deeper than I initially expected. I used T&S Rainforest for the splash, which has Vetiver one of the top notes. I thought I was smelling Vetiver pretty prominently, but others could say it’s mostly Frankinsence and Fir. Whatever. It’s all naturey things. Then for the finishing #FOF touches, I used Vetiver by Guerlain, which is very obviously Vetiverific! This isn’t the scent profile I typically go for, but it was nice for a change. All in all, it great to be outside, shave outside, and smell like the outside while doing outside things!

Challenge Against the grain for just one pass. Done and done. Actually, worked out well for multitasking to only have to do one pass. I did choose the mild Blue Tip Super Speed for today’s shave (for obvious reasons), but it wasn’t bad.

Soap Theme Justification: Ummmm… Ya know. It’s in the name.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Vetiver is ever-present in the splash and the frag is called Vetiver… So… Yeah…

Jun. 7, 2024

• Brush: Dubl Duck

• Razor: Gillette 1963 Aristocrat #ADJUSTABLE

• Blade: Nacet [6]

• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles - 322

• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles - 322

• Fragrance: Christian Dior - Sauvage Elixir

Vetiver you want with a GeoFatboy against the grain special.

Just yesterday I posted that GeoFatboy was my favorite wetTuber and now It’s shave like him day. I have no problem going against the grain as my first pass, when I started shaving 36 years ago it was always against the grain just to get it over with. To this day if I’m in a rush ATG it is.

I love CB 322, I have 2 tubs and 2 bottles of AS just in case Chis ever stops making it. I normally use it on the 22nd of every month as a reminder of 3/22/23 when I was told I was in heart failure. I’ve posted the whole story before so to make it short and sweet, I use it to make sure I never forget where I was and to keep doing what I’m doing so I don’t end up there again.

Frag I went with Sauvage Elixir, just like 322 a little goes along way. The base notes of Patchouli and Haitian Vetiver for me, are in perfect harmony with 322.

Photo contest Theme Animal

This is my Molly Girl AKA The Little Shit. She was my dog, I had dogs before her and I have 3 Huskies right now, but she was my dog. She went everywhere with me. Years ago I worked at a marina, and she would come to work with me every day. She hung out with the other 2 marina dogs Axel and Amy. They were brother and sister, and Molly was the little shit trouble maker. She was called little shit so much that if you just said shit, she would come running. Sadly 9 years ago, while my middle son was walking her, she just dropped. Turns out she had an aneurysm and went just like that. I am sad that i did not really see her that day when I left for work she was sleeping on the couch. I still remember the phone call from my wife and rushing home. I’m tearing up just typing this out. So anyway today’s picture is My Molly girls ashes.

P.S. I used the Dubl Duck brush in honor of her. She used to love chasing the ducks by the lake.

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest

June 7, 2024

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: Fine Accoutrements – Fresh Vetiver
• Post Shave: Australian Private Reserve – Coeur de Vert
• Post Shave: Zingari – Unscented

Today’s shave was possible thanks to a smush from u/Impressive_Donut114. I didn’t really know what vetiver smells like and only know that there are different types of vetiver. Maybe I will need to explore other iterations of vetiver someday. Onto my olfactory reverie, where I immediately caught a big hit of florals. There was some grassy/earthy dampness (vetiver?) but the florals were very prominent to me. This was not what I was expecting as I awaited the smell of walking through a grassy field to materialize, now just a fleeting expectation. As I was washing off, I think I may have had a touch of powderiness come into play too. Maybe this is the fresh that accompanies the vetiver. I have already spoke of my potpourri loving grandma, but this scent is undeniably my maternal grandmother who had an affinity to use floral perfumes, a nod to her flower garden. I dreaded it when I was a young child, an overpowering punch of flowers and powder that was so common with “old people.” I can tell you exactly where I stood each time I went into that house, stood in line for a hug and kiss, then tossed my coat onto the master bed to head downstairs to play with my cousins. Is it my favorite technically created scent? No. But that shouldn’t stop me from enjoying it either.

Challenge: I did it, I went straight to ATG and nicked my neck too. I used my most aggressive razor last year. This year, my least. I think I prefer the least.

FOF

Today I used the The Elements: Earth. My SOTD coming from my garden bed of peas, and more importantly, dirt = Earth. #Photocontest

Day 7

• Brush: Yaqi – 20mm Badger #SMOLL #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Gem 1912 #TWINS #FLIPTOP
• Razor: Star 1912
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Shannon's Soaps – Vetiver Soap
• Post Shave: Dr. Jon's - Rose of Phrygia Splash
• Fragrance: Givenchy - Gentleman Society EdP

Vetiver: For when you want to smell like dirt!

First up, Shannon's Soaps – Vetiver. Let me tell you, this soap packs a punch. It's like scrubbing your face with a forest floor. It's rugged, it's earthy, gritty, and just a tad bit reminiscent going camping in the woods. Ever want to pretend like your shaving with mud, and not shaving soap? Because this is it. It actually lathered up nicely and provides a nice shave, so maybe smelling like Mother Earth isn't the worst thing ever. It’s an interesting wake-up call for a regular morning shave, but maybe a tad too "mountain man" for the office. Fortunately the splash and fragrance take this shave beyond smelling like the woods.

To finish the shave, I used Dr. Jon's Rose of Phrygia Splash. Now, before you scoff and imagine your grandma's doilies coming to life, hear me out. This ain't your average wilting tea party rose. This is a rose that rides motorcycles and takes names. It’s got vetiver to nail the theming of today and this dark, mysterious vibe going on, like a rose that wears a leather jacket! Like a badass in every 90s sitcom!

Finally, to tie this #FOF olfactory masterpiece together, I threw on some Gentleman Society EdP. It’s woody, and has vetiver. Absolutely smells more refined than the one note vetiver shave soap I used, but still has that earthiness to remind me that I’m alive! This fragrance swooped in with a classic, crisp finish and it toned down the forest lumberjack from the shave and dialed up the debonair.

Is this really a challenge?? I feel like, as a whole, people are a bit over-dramatic about shaving against the grain. I’ve put my face through much worse than an against the grain shave. No problem. Did half my face against the grain with one 1912 and the other half against the grain with the other 1912. Now I need some moisturizer!

For #photocontest: Elements: Fire

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Vetiver You Want”… WTF is Vetiver?? From what I understand, it’s basically grass, so in honor of grass: The Top 5 Celebrity Stoners:

5.) Matthew McConaughey – Alright, alright, alright…

4.) Cheech and Chong – Sure, cannabis is cool now, but these two haven’t been shy about hiding it since their 1978 movie “Up in Smoke”

3.) Willie Nelson – Another OG of the grass game. Has his own brand called “Willie’s Reserve”

2.) Seth Rogen – Is he still a thing? I feel like there was a time when he was in every single comedy movie being released and unfortunately, it seems like that time has come and gone.

1.) Snoop Dogg – Snoop! Snoop-A-Loop! Bring your green hat!

June 7, 2024

• Brush: r/wetshaving Zenith Moar Boar #SUBBROOSH #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Henson AL13
• Blade: Treet Carbon Steel #STAINLESSLESS (2)
• Lather: Martin de Candre – Vetyver
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – ? 2019
• Fragrance: FZOTIC – Vetiverissimo

Don’t watch GeoFatBoy. Apparently I get one pass ATG, so be it. To quote coastal elite all around masshole douchebag Dave Portnoy “one bite, everyone knows the rules” (does he know u/priusaurus? At least Prius is a stand up guy). Today, in honor of National Donut Day and GeoFatBoy, today is “one bite everyone knows the rules, one pass everyone knows the rules.” This shave dedicated to the man who bumped me from the podium last year u/impressive_donut114. Also, for today’s #PHOTOCONTEST, obviously Donut. To all the photography hacks waiting for Sweet Sunday, how original.

Let’s keep #FOF short and sweet. MdC vetyver (thanks for the smoosh u/solongamerica) was a brighter citrusy take, kind of along the lines of lemon grass or verbena, but still rooted with some earthiness. DG ? is an earthier take, also probably due to the rosemary and tobacco also in there. Vetiverissimo, at least on the short time I’ve worn it today, is the earthier and dirtiest of the bunch. Think hot dried out grass, but somehow a bit of wet earth clinging to the roots.

As for our sponsor, I am not super familiar with Aurora grooming, however part of their mission is preventing veteran suicide through donations from sale of products. As I mentioned yesterday in my video, it is Men’s Mental Health Month, so let’s keep lifting each other up through our LG shenanigans, check on those we care about, and check on the internet strangers following a shave calendar in June.

soap brands 7/30, post shave 7/30, frag 7/30, post/frag linked 7/30, software sponsors 4/16, hardware sponsors 6/2, razor hashtags 5/15, brush hashtags 8/15, photo contest 7/30, daily challenges 6/26, special challenges 1/4

June 7, 2024 - Vetiver You Want

• Brush: Semogue 610 #OLDWORLD #SMOLL
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird SS #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet (24)
• Lather: Mike's Natural Soaps - Vetiver
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - Rebelle
• Fragrance: Berceuse Parfum - Allegretto 7.2

I love puns. But, “Vetiver you want” is terrible.

Challenge: More wetuber nonsense. Can’t I just wear a bandana? I used the Blackbird for efficiency and did 1 pass ATG.

Vetiver is a scent note that was hard to get grasp on when I first took an interest in fragrance. It’s not in my pantry, or my garden, or growing in my yard. I don’t know of any uses it has outside of perfumery. I have some soaps and edts that have vetiver as a scent note. But, there's other notes fighting for attention with those fragrances. I saw a question in the daily thread about vetiver soaps a few months ago and someone recommended Mike’s. I hadn’t used Mike's soap. But, it was in stock. I thought it would be a good chance to smell a single note vetiver scent. So, I ordered a tub. It’s nice to have this frame of reference for vetiver. The tradeoff is that when I smell this my brain thinks "this is what vetiver smells like,” rather than trying to identify the scent of vetiver in the fragrance. So, how do I describe this? The scent off the tub is grassy and sweet. When lathered, the sweet note is resinous and there's spice bordering on smoky which takes me back to incense day last year. It's a complex scent. The soap base is much firmer than most artisan shave soaps; i.e. it's not a croap. That made it easier to spread a scoop of soap into my loading bowl. It doesn't produce much lather. I had to go back for more soap. It had good slickness. But, doing a single ATG pass was still a little uncomfortable.

I won a soap and splash set from Wholly Kaw in the Lather Games a few years ago. I had used a smoosh of Rebelle and liked it. And, that’s what I ended up getting. This is in my top ten fragrances from a wetshaving artisan. I smell a grassy vetiver note right away, along with leather and oud. Not to go off-topic, because today is about vetiver, but leather has been an underwhelming scent note for me since taking an interest in fragrance. I love the smell of quality leather goods. In fragrance, leather has been kind of boring. And yet, I love this fragrance. Leather is an anchoring note here, while two scents I really like, vetiver and oud, jazz things up. Oud is the strongest note. But, vetiver is definitely present.

For some reason, I thought Will from Barrister and Mann was involved with Berceuse Parfum. I must’ve been mistaken because his name is nowhere to be found on the fragrantica page for Allegretto 7.2. I have a few options for fragrances with vetiver. I chose Allegretto because it’s the most vetiver forward. Spraying it on now, I’m getting a strong vetiver top note. In fact, it’s difficult to pick much else out right now. Eventually it opens up a bit. There’s a touch of smoke, noticeable cedar, and a vague greeness. It’s not heavy. But, it’s certainly not green, powdery, or aromatic. Vetiver runs the show. This feels like a fragrance for a fall outing, hiking to a waterfall, visiting an apple farm, etc.

#photocontest - Grass, like vetiver.

#FOF