LGSOTD 09-Jun-24

• Brush: Aurora Grooming - LG24 #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: GEM - Junior #FLIPTOP #TWINS
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Master
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Master

Shave and A Haircut - Two Bits

Yet another day I've been looking forward to, mainly due to Zingari. This is actually the first time I've used Zingari Man. I'd wanted to try out The Master for a while, and the games category was the perfect excuse to pick it up. The only other obvious barbershop I have is A&E which is nice, but sometimes comes off a little sweet especially compared to this. This one though, as the description states, is dark and spicy. It just seems to have a little more depth and is a lovely one for the cool and overcast day here. I didn't quite dial the lather in straight away but I got there in the end. Lovely!

Second day for the twins tag switching from the ER to the GEM, again a lovely little razor. I've kept the handles for each of them as received and definitely prefer this one to the other. Obviously as with the ER ble to get in close with no irritation. Admittedly I prefer my modern versions, but you can't argue with the classics.

u/TheBunnynator1001 thank you so much for the brush. I realised after I'd snapped the pic that I didn't showcase it in the slightest so it will have to make a return visit before the end of the games. But it is an excellent brush, it sits very nicely in the hand and lathers up a dream.

Challenge: Surprise Quiz!

32/32, really it's more like 12/32 at most, wanted to nail it but that score is more of a reflection Google and copy/paste ability than it is of me being able to recognise scent notes. I would probably have only got a dozen at most. I was thankful for the first few with sponsor names, at least it gave me a bit more of a chance to get a few more points going in sans Google initially!

Photocontest

Barbershop, a timeless (if ill-defined) scent, as such I'm hitting squarely at the 'Time' theme. Think I'm starting to flag here, the links are getting more tenuous, trust me it's going to get worse!

Have a cracking day all!

Cheers

Marc

June 9, 2024

• Brush: Semogue Galahad C3 Premium boar
• Razor: Weck hair shaper
• Blade: Kismet hair shaper
• Lather: Mike's Natural Soaps - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Clubman AS
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - unscented balm
• Post Shave: Olay Complete

I've used Mikes more in the past couple of weeks than I have in the past year it think. I should use it more. It's a good product. I just have way too many soaps that I don't use enough. And what do I do? I go to a shave meet and buy more.

LG Day 9- Shave and a Haircut- Two Bits

• Brush: Semogue 610 #SMOLL
• Razor: Merkur 37C #ZAMAC
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (4)
• Lather: Proraso - Menthol & Eucalyptus
• Post Shave: Proraso - Menthol & Eucalyptus splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

During Small Business Saturday, I got a call on my phone from an Anonymous number. I tend to let these go to voicemail, but yesterday I let my curiosity get the best of me and answered it on the third ring. When I answered I was met with a "Boungiorno Mister...ehhhhh...loudmusicboy." Uh oh, had the Polizia in Rome finally tracked me down to talk about that swimming escapade in the Trevi Fountain? Or maybe it was my moped misadventure down the Spanish Steps? When I was just about to poop in my boxers just a week bit, he introduced himself as a representative from BIG SOAP. Apparently, BIG SOAP has been stalking this sub since last year's failed attempt at naming rights and even a sponsor role in the Lather Games.

"Signor Lucifero", I think that's what he said his name was and I'm pretty sure it's an alias, went on to tell me how disappointed BIG SOAP was to not have a role in this year's games. "We make prodotti fantastici (according to Google Translate- Fantastic products)..." as he went on and on about the 'classic artisans' and their legacies in the wetshaving world. I got a Master's-level course in the history of wetshaving. As the conversation went on, I became enthralled with his tales of BIG SOAP's contributions to the world. His tone was mesmerizing, it was almost as if I was listening to the dulcet tones of u/VisceralWatch. I soon found myself shaking my head in agreement with his take on the wetshaving world. I even began wondering if our man VW had actually sold his soul to the devil and was he actually 'Signor Lucifero'. Does VW even know his soul is Italian??

And then before I knew it, he was making me an offer I couldn't refuse. "Use Proraso on Barbershop Day." If I swore to do that, he promised me that the BIG SOAP famiglia would take care of me. He said something about offshore bank accounts, a villa on the Amalfi Coast and a lifetime supply of whatever soap I wanted. I was powerless by that point. And my wife would be pissed if I turned down a free (is there really anything in this world that is free?) villa in Italy. So there I was this morning, calmly pulling down the Proraso Green and muttering over and over again that it's "il più grande di sempre" (after I felt like I was speaking in tongues, I Google translated my rambling as "the greatest of all time). And the shave was beautiful. The most glorious shave I've ever had. I even thought my bathroom turned into the Sistine Chapel for a brief moment as I was pretty sure I was hearing angels singing.

So here I sit, waiting for another call from 'Signor Lucifero' aka u/VisceralWatch. My wife has already started packing. I was assured by my new friend that our dogs would have no problem getting over with us, so they're ready to go as well. Farewell, Maine. It's been a ride, but a life sipping wine on a cliff overlooking Italian waters calls to me. Arrivederci!

And now back to a moment of reality- The Daily Challenge- 7/32. I suck at this kind of thing. And no, I didn't use Google to help me. Only Google translate.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

• Edited after posting to come off sounding like less of an asshole.

June 09, 2024 – Lather Games!

• Brush: Cayuen Abalone w/ 28mm Timberwolf Synthetic.
• Razor: YPM – Winning Razor Mk2, polished, tattooed ("The Emperor's Shave!") #CNC #TITANIUM
• Blade: Gillette Winner Stainless (3).
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Ghost Town Barber
• Aftershave: A&E – Ultima Unmasked Unscented Splash

This was one of the first soaps I picked up all those years ago when I first started. It's quite pleasant, very powdery and also sweet smelling, but the scent is a bit on the strong. Nice to work with every now and again.

#LatherGames

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCi8uQS9dFg ← Could You Survive on a Roman Frontier?

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Stirling Two Band Synthetic
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85mm Safety Razor
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Van Der Hagen - Unscented Aftershave Balm

June 9, 2024  

• Prep: House of Mammoth Embrace Doppio Bath Soap 
• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts 26mm Elite Manchurian White Fan
• Razor: Wade and Butcher Extra Hollow 6/8 Improved Tang with Ivory scales from 7-day set by Curley Cutlery Co. [Late 1800s-Early 1900s] #EightDaysAWeek 
• Edge: Max Sprecher (8)
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Desairology - Soap 
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Desairology - Aftershave  
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Desairology - Eau de Parfum

12/32. Woof. That said, many are not ones I'd know, so I can't feel terrible.

Today I shaved with Zingari Man The Master and a Proraso boar brush. I used a Gillette Super Adjustable with a Polsilver blade. I followed up with Ghost Town Barber aftershave and a spray of Stirling Barbershop edt.

June, 9 2024 - Sunday

• Brush: RazoRock F-400 / 34mm black synthetic
• Razor: Yates 921-H
• Blade: Wizamet (6)
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Azure
• Post Shave: Soap Commander - Honor splash
• Fragrance: RazoRock - American Barber EdT

From the sale page of Azure on catiesbubbles.com: "The idea of a modern “blue barbershop” has been stuck in my head for years. I started with the usual suspects of bergamot, lavender, geranium, petitgrain, synthetic moss, and coumarin."

Quiz results

Have a wonderful Sunday all!

June 9, 2024

• Brush: Turn n Shave – L7 Boba
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector (4)
• Lather: Beak and Snout Apothecary – Bard's Barbershop
• Post Shave: Zingari – The Wanderer
• Fragrance: Zingari – The Wanderer Extrait

Barbershop day! So many possible choices from every soap company. I chose this one-off run from one of u/hugbckt’s friends that was PIF’d out a while ago. It’s good soap for a beginner soaper, I enjoy it. ~~I don’t think he ever gave me an official name so we’ll just call it “Medieval Barbershop.”~~ (Edit see below) Now a quick run to #fof namely everything in this setup is Crafter’s Choice Barbershop. Yes, even the Extrait. (Thirsty Badger Dupe List identifies the Wanderer as CC Barbershop even if it’s not sold as a barbershop. My soap is on theme as it was released as a Barbershop, and the post/frags are connected by use of the same frag oil, regardless of their marketing). Now I know CC gets a bad rap around here, but I find that in soap and even the toner it’s a good scent. Pleasant and sorta just there. I used the toner all AA and had no problems. But bumping it up to extrait highlights every flaw it has and none of its charms. It’s wildly unbalanced. Borderline offensive. This stuff PROJECTS. I’m going to turn heads at church I suspect and not in a “ohh that’s nice” way. So, for #photocontest let me tip my hat to the u/onionmiasma, with an onion, since I’m a walking miasma myself today. (Yes Onion, I know the CC burns you, except you reported this soap didn’t!)

Also, in honor of Barbershop day I’ve gone ahead and turned my house into a barbershop. Econimics being what they are I can’t justify the cost of a #2 buzz cut on my son at [big name chain place]. A set of Wahl clippers pays for themselves after 2 uses. And I got a more expensive battery operated set. To match with today’s theme I decided to move up my son’s monthly ~~bloodletting~~ haircut, so he’ll get that later today. He doesn’t know he’s been drafted as a LG set piece. I’ll follow up with the results in a comment once done. I suspect he’s gonna try to run away again. Which is sad, because if he sits still, he gets a nice DE neckline cleanup and some toner.

Quiz wouldn’t work for me at all. Tried on my phone. It’s so ad ridden it crashed my desktop browser after forcing me to turn off ad block. But I’m committed so I did it with a word window open next to it to score myself. 7/32. But I don’t know scents. I suck at the discord Latherbot game.

Edit: Son haircut in comment below. (not risking a major edit here).

Edit I found the original post and this was called "Bard's Barbershop" so I updated the name.

June 9 - I Don't Have Barbershop Soap FML

• Brush: Semogue 610 21mm Boar

• Razor: Razorock Mamba

• Blade: Asco Platinum Orange

• Lather: Stirling - Margaritas in the Arctic Soap

• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger Splash

• Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman Splash

• Fragrance: Stirling - Barbershop EdP

---

I was dead set on using Stirling's Barbershop this morning, only to have it dawn on me upon opening my shave closet that I actually finished that soap off back in January. RIP. So I decided to jump the gun to the next soap I plan to finish off, a sibling of the soap I planned to use today, Margaritas in the Arctic. I'm gonna enjoy these next few weeks, as Stirling soap is just fantastic.

In honor of today's Barbershop theme, I went with the classic Clubman for it's powdery fresh feeling, and the heir to the soap I planned to use, Stirling's Barbershop EdP. The powdery splash and sweet fragrance compliment each other super well. Yes, Stirling's take on the classic scent is quite unique and borderline gourmand, but it is quite versatile when matched with more traditional barbershop pairings. Rod knocked this one outta the park.

#FOF

** 09.06.2024 **

• Brush: AP Shave Co 26MM G5C
• Razor: Blackland razors - Blackbird Titanium OC
• Blade: Gillette Minora
• Lather: Noble Otter - BARRBARR
• Post Shave: Chiseled face - Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Mühle alum stone

From all barber scents I ever tried I like this Ghost town on Chiseled face. But I have to chase points and for today I used Noble otter. And to be satisfied I'll use my favorite barbershop aftershave. This titanium Blackbird is absolute beauty!!! Handle and this open comb, perfect machining, titanium color ....all this make my eyes horny. But still can't beat my Holly Trinity by performance and blade chatter is a little bit much more then I like. Maybe if I have 3-4 day beard maybe I'll not gonna feel it so much but on my one day beard was very noticeable. And a bit pricy for my Bulgarian pocket. It's not gonna be my first choice but if someone gives it to me .... O boy yes I'll be very happy!

For today challenge hmmmmm...... u/OnionMiasma you crazy nerdy soap manic more close to autistic genus only you can make this quiz. 3 minutes just didn't known what to do and I left. Did I have to writing and where or I have to change places. But hey I don't put all blame on you brother I am not very sharp blade. And even if I figure it out how this works and what to do I'm old and my memory fail. And if I don't like one soap or brand I never try to remembered. So I am total disaster on this quiz. 0% at the end (coz I take it again) I find 3 soaps that I have in my collection. Carpathia, executive man, sea spice lime! What a loooooser! Shoot me please to release me from my misery.

LG SOTD 09Jun2024

• Brush: Omega S10005 - 24mm boar synthetic #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Karve - Christopher Bradley SB-C (Copper)
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium (5)
• Lather: West Coast Shaving (Duck Fat) - Pear-brrr Shoppe
• Bowl: CaYuen - Dark Nebula, large
• Post Shave: Afta by Mennen - Aftershave Lotion, Original

Happy Sunday, beautiful people! Welcome to the ninth shave of the 2024 Lather Games. Today's theme is “Shave and Haircut - Two Bits” where we shave with a barbershop themed lather.

I am using West Coast Shaving’s Pear-brrr Shoppe in their duck fat base. The packaging is the only description of this scent and part of why I haven’t found a good reason to place an order with WCS since back in 2021.

“A cooling fruit barbershop scent”

Cooling 🤔

There is not now, nor has there ever been, a cooling agent in this soap. I bought my tub three years ago and they still have the same packaging featured on their website. They also still have no standalone scent description or notice that the soap is not, in fact, cooling. That’s the sort of professionalism and attention to detail that does not engender customer loyalty 😉

That aside, it is a lightly fruity clean scent in the broad genre of clean smelling scents that get shoved under “barbershop”. The base itself is essentially a less expensive - for WCS that is, they’re still charging HoM and BaM tier prices to us - version of Chicago Grooming’s Darkwing base (WCS is another brand they produce under contract). The scent isn’t quite spot on for pear but it’s close enough that the punny name half works at least.

Using my #OLDWORLD brush, a beechwood handled Omega S-Brush with a synthetic boar knot. This is an interesting knot as it does mimic some of the physical splay & scrub of boar bristles, though not much else. I think the fibers would work better in a larger diameter knot than this one.

Since the razor is a repeat from day one, may as well take a moment to sing the praises of the CaYuen bowls. Is it a stupendously expensive shave bowl? Oh, yes - with taxes it was over $90 for the large size. If I could go back in time would I buy it again? Yes, no hesitation.

Unbreakable with a perfectly sized and grippable base that opens up into a 6” diameter, shallow bowl with an overhanging lip and raised spirals. The weight balances perfectly stable in my hands and the shallow but wide bowl lets me go to town with any brush I’ve got with zero handle banging. If I can’t coax a base into a lather I like with this, to hell with that base. The unique patterns from the mica powders used in the urethane is just a bonus. I’m ruined for any more pedestrian lather bowls going forward, good thing it’s largely indestructible under normal use 😅

——

I heard there was a quiz… and that was challenging and more than a bit silly. At least for me 😅

I don’t often remember marketed notes, I remember what I smell, and then figure in that I haven’t even tried seventeen of the quiz scents, and only use five regularly… well, this was not a passing score: 9/32

I felt particularly doofy missing Alive and Rawr, both of which I use regularly and would have picked out, if I’d gotten that far instead of scrunching up my brain to remember some obscure sample description on Maggard’s site 🤤

——

It has been a while since I used this soap (Lather Games 2022?) and today I realized that this is totally HoM Alive’s annoying little sibling. The bases have similarities - both are based around duck fat as the animal fat, both are mixed and packaged under contract by Chicago Grooming (I am assuming there is a large duck processing plant in Illinois based on the pattern 🤓), and the pear and green apple notes that lead these soaps are very similar. The performance of the WCS-DF base is solid, though, can’t argue with results. Alive is a considerably more complex scent that has stuff going on. Pear-brrr Shoppe would work great as a car air freshener, clean and boring.

I don’t generally like barbershop scents, something which this early purchase started me on the path of learning. Only “barbershop” soap in rotation is Ghost Town Barber and it isn’t very representative of the genre. Plus, any fragrance with a noticeable “talc” or a “powdery accord” is a nope - and guess what a lot of barbershop scents have?

Non-exciting scent aside, the shave was fantastic. I am loving the new C-plate in the Christopher Bradley. Getting just as close a shave as with the D-plate but not removing the top layer of epidermis with the hair. The three horsemen are complete.

Enjoy what’s left of your weekend!

Day 9

• Brush: Maggard Razors – 30mm Synthetic #TOLL
• Razor: Gillette – Travel Tech #ZAMAC #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Treet Carbon Steel
• Lather: Apex Alchemy – Cutthroat Soap
• Post Shave: Apex Alchemy – Cutthroat Splash
• Fragrance: Montblanc – Explorer EdT

Barbershop is one of those scents that I loved when I was first starting wetshaving, but then I realized that so many that are pretty much carbon copies of each other. And EVERYONE has a barbershop scent and I can’t get excited about any of them anymore. Even Apex Alchemy, who has a really fun line-up of scents, have a Barbershop. The businessperson in me wonders who is buying all these barbershop scented items? And why are so many soapmakers doing what everyone else is doing? Someone must be buying them, right? Who is buying all these barbershop scents?? WHICH ONE OF YOU IS IT???

The lack of originality is almost painful to watch. As barbershop scents flood the wetshaving market, they’re drowning out any semblance of uniqueness and creativity. How many times have we found ourselves surrounded by soaps, splashes, and colognes, each offering a scent that seems all too familiar? “We want to evoke the memory of a classic barbershop…” AND SO DOES EVERY OTHER SOAPMAKER! The sameness of this barbershop offering really stifles one the one best parts of this hobby – scents that are truly unique! I think I’d rather a soapmaker only release dupes with AI labels than see another barbershop scent get released! At some point, the madness needs to end! SOMEONE END THIS BARBERSHOP MADNESS!!!!!

Apex Alchemy’s is okay (as far as barbershop scents go). Not the best, and not the worst either. It’s not as powdery as some of the other ones I’ve tried and the splash almost has a subtle fruitiness to it, which is kind of unique in my experiences with Barbershops. I paired the Cutthroat soap and splash with Montblanc – Explorer because it’s big on bergamot, like Cutthroat, but then has some Sage & Pink Pepper which partner really nicely with the fruitiness from the splash. All-in-all, I’m smelling great on this fine Sunday morning, the scents of today’s shave me reminiscing of the memory of where my dad I used get his haircut when I was a kid—OH DEAR GOD IT HAPPENED TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! #FOF

For #photocontest – Eyes

Challenge Quiz I’m for real embarrassed. I got 4/32.

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Barbershops”… The top 5 regrettable hair styles of the past:

5.) The Mullet Why?

4.) Bowl Cut We thought this was a good idea!

3.) Frosted Tips This too!

2.) Perms Before my time, but why???

1.) Rat Tails When you don’t want to go all in on a mullet??

2024-06-09 - Bit O' Honey

• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - No. 11
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Deton-8
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - 1904
• Razor: Henson AL13 Medium #CNC
• Brush: Omega 343178 Synthetic #FAUXFUR

Unifying Theme: Numbers

Shave and a Haircut:
Ah, barbershop: The category of scents that has no defining characteristics other than that someone decided to slap that label on it.

Surprise Quiz:
I figured it would be either an array of personal questions (e.g. What was your first soap?) or some version of the bot-driven quiz in the Discord. Lo and behold the latter.

Considering that I don't strive to have an encyclop(a)edic knowledge of scent notes (who does?), there's a freakin' S in Limes and Bergamot, and my cat was yelling at me the whole time only to shut up when there were some 23 seconds on the timer, which happened to also be the very moment I hit the 'give up' button, 5/32 doesn't seem half bad.

I've never seen that hosting page before, but it... leaves a lot to be desired, doesn't it? It's not uncommon for one of my browser or ad-blocker or DNS filter to break some sites, so I thought it might have been the case here. Nope, it was actually working as intended.

#FOF
On to the scents. This started off seeming like the most asinine combination, thanks to the fact that each one is only related by name. Practically, though, it worked out.

No. 11 is one of those "clean laundry" barbershop scents, providing a backdrop for the scents to follow. This is convenient, because Deton-8 drops a bomb of spice (one might even say a Spicebomb) on top of it. Kaboom! I expected a bit of a conflict between Deton-8 and the coffee-forward 1904, but it's a lot less jarring than mixing 1904 with the spices of General Tso. Instead, it's a calming resolution, like settling down under the rafters of a cozy a coffee shop while the memory of spice lingers on.

I should really start frequenting coffee shops again, especially with going back to grad school in a couple months; being in public provides a certain amount of pressure to be productive. Plus, it's a challenge—to say the least—to focus when this cat just won't shut the hell up. No, Artemis, we're not going outside. It's hot.

But I digress.

#photocontest Fil the Frame
Hot damn, that's terrible. I had nothing else for this one, though, and it does help to highlight all those arabic numerals.

Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Zenith B8 (XL aluminium handle, 28 mm × 57 mm boar)
• Razor: Weck Hair - Shaper (blue translucent scales)
• Blade: Kismet - Rostfrei, Polymer beschichtet
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Tonsorial Parlour
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Fleur de France

Quiz: Ouch! I got 10/32, and there are several that I realised I should have gotten once reveiled. Oh well.

My barber is closed on Sundays, so I had a preparatory haircut there yesterday. The Weck is a great little razor for realigning the sideburns.

Theme, and post & frag relevance: Three barbershops.

A word about today's sponsor: SBS is the maker of two of my favourite scents in wetshaving; Valedictorian and Teacher's Pet and I'm looking forward to trying more of them.

Jun. 9, 2024 - GTB to the HYG
Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Arcane Abyss Timberwolf
Razor: Boker King Cutter
Lather: Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber
Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

I rehoned this sucker and had a very comfortable shave. That’s some good forward momentum. I’m not a huge fan of the barbershop genre, Hygge notwithstanding but I do love the CF base.

Jun. 9, 2024 - The Second Air Bud Shave

Lather: MacDuff's Shave Company - Old Strathcona

It appears that u/sukirem has moved on. I received this Barbershop soap via a secret carrier today with a note about how he was in a park with much the same name. But what park and where?

Why did Sukirem have to leave the last city? Did you figure out what city it was? the clues are still available, scattered across the Games, the podcast, and r/AirBudRule. If you have discoverd the last location remember to send me your answer! You'll need to track Sukirem throughout the games to have a chance at collecting this year's Air Bud Treasure! Hopefully his switch in city is because he's one step closer to finding the linchpin that will take down the judges and the conspiracy behind everything, everywhere... all at once.

Of course I shaved with it using the Air Bud Rule and of course the judges will once again not acknowledge the perfectly legitimate points I score. But I continue on. Fighting the power. And don't complete that quiz! You're just providing them with more information to track you and control you! Give them nothing. #AirWillBeBud

Lather: Maggard Razors - London Barbershop

Deja vu

• Brush: Maggard Razors Timberwolf
• Razor: Maggard Razors MR14 with Ikon Bulldog handle
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Wanderer
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Reserve Cool

I’ve done back and forth on this soap and thought for a while it was pretty terrible smelling but today actually thought it smelled pretty good. I’ll try to quiz later but just looking at it, I’m not going to do very well

LG24-09: Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Maggard Razors Gray and White 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: Edwin Jagger DE86
• Blade: Astra SP (36)
• Lather: MacDuff's Soap Co. - Old Strathcona - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Pacific Shave Co. - Spearmint - Caffeinated Aftershave Balm
• Fragrance: Rogue Perfumery - Fougere L'Aube
• Passes: WTG, XTG, ATG

Just a few more travel shaves. Don't want to wrap up the vacation yet, but will be at the point shortly where you want to skip the commute and be home already.

I like MacDuff's "fougère barbershop" Old Strathcona. The fougère structure is there, and it features an herbal opening and a mossy patchouli, tonka, and vetiver base, plus an unusual mushroom note for "a touch of earthy saltiness". And I like the previous generation of MacDuff's labels featuring snapshots of the great outdoors.

Took a pre-coffee attempt at the quiz and got 16/32 with 01:19 to spare. Kicking myself over missing a few of these.

June 9, 2024 – 2024.06.09: Lather Games Day 9 – Shave and a Haircut – Two Bits

• Brush: Paragon Shaving Plisson knot (28mm) with Paragon handle
• Razor: Gem Jr. 1912 #TWINS
• Razor: Ever-Ready 1912
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Man From Mayfair
• Post Shave: Bricktown Grooming – Lafayette Barbershop
• Fragrance: DS & Durga – Burning Barbershop

---

Daily Theme: Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

Theme justification: Wholly Kay Man from Mayfair is listed as WK's "barbershop line."

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: my AS and Frag continue the Barbershop theme.

• Bricktown Grooming Lafayette Barbershop
• DS & Durga Burning Barbershop

---

Scavenger Hunt Justification:

Razor facts: I used a GEM Junior 1912 and an Ever-Ready 1912 for today's shave.

Brush facts: N/A

---

Daily/Special Challenge: Surprise Quiz!

The judges would add a surprise quiz when the sponsor spotlight for the day is an educator.

Here are my results: 26/32. A lot from memory, some from googling. I am ashamed that I missed SSL. It's one of my favorite scents. I skipped the line when first going through the list and never remembered to go back for it.

---

Fragrance description

I did not care too much for the soap's fragrance. I think it was the basil that caused me to shy away.

The aftershave, though, I really enjoy. This was a complete surprise to me. It seems to be a little sweet to the nose. The lavender is the primary scent, with some powder and sandalwood following. It works.

The frag, though, was the star. Not only did it complement the AS to a degree, it took it to another level and creates an interesting story. You're at the barbershop getting a trim, enjoying the day. The past hour or so you had been at the dog park, playing with your newly-adopted chocolate lab. He's such a sweet boy. Plus, he's a great wingman. The cute girl you've noticed around town a couple of times was there with her dog as well, and the dogs started to play together. She came over and talked to you about your dog. Surprisingly, you both hit it off. She gave you her number to set up a "play date" for the dogs since they were apparently best friends now. You took your dog home, and decided to go to the aforementioned barbershop since your hair is a mess. Gotta look your best for next week! During the trim, everything is going great and you're on top of the world. Then you smell it: smoke. "That's weird," you think to yourself. It grows stronger. You put it out of your mind, thinking that if the building was on fire the alarms would go off. The cut continues, though. A few moments later a firefighter burst through the door and yells that you need to evacuate. The building is on fire. You quickly leave, thankful that the firefighter told you before the building collapsed on your head.

You leave and head home to your pup, but you realize that your haircut was only half done. You'll fix it before the pup play date. You're busy, though, and don't find time. When you show up with your dog at the dog park for the play date, she gives a playful laugh. It's a lovely laugh. You regale her with the story and she shows great concern. She's extremely grateful that you survived. You both smile at each other.

10 years later, you're at the dog park again. You, your wife, your two dogs, and your toddler. You think back to the time you first met your wife, right here in this dog park, and the smell of that burning barbershop rushes back to you. You smile at the memory. Then you wonder if you should have a happy memory associated with a tragic event. Your wife asks you what you're thinking about, and you just say, "Nothing," to avoid explaining the complicated thoughts running in your head. You ultimately decide it's fine to smile, and continue on enjoying the day with your family.

---

Now onto the shave!

Wholly Kaw lather worked as expected. No complaints.

For today's razor, I followed /u/Enndeegee's lead. I took my GEM 1912 and combined it with /u/EldrormR's Ever-Ready 1912. I took the heads off to more easily tape it together. Came out pretty good, if I do say so myself. Here is proof that I actually shaved with both sides. I felt like Darth Mual wielding this thing. I can only imagine what /u/Enndeegee must have felt like.

Shave went better than expected, and I didn't end up cutting my palm.

---

Sponsor Spotlight

I love Summer Break Soaps. Great scents, willing to deal with our malarkey, creates a dorito soap and mnt dew splash because one guy asked for it, and more. Helps that Doug is a fantastic base as well.

Plus, /u/Rocketk455 is an educator. As the son of an educator (in a state that hates educators), I do like that I'm supporting education him when I buy his stuff. It's a thankless job, so thank you for what you do, /u/Rocketk455.

---

Totals:

• Razor Hashtags: 8/10
• Brush Hashtags: 7/10
• Hardware Sponsor Points: 2/2
• Software Sponsor Points: 6/16
• Number of Lather Brands: 9/30
• Number of Lather Scents: 9/30
• Number of Post Shaves: 9/30
• Number of Frags: 9/30

---

Contest Hashtags:

#FOF

#ROTY

endeegee double GEM insanity

June 9th, 2024

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Muhle Silvertip Fibre #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable #REVENANT #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Treet Carbon
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Barbershop
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Barbershop

Today is one of in not my favorite theme day, it gives me the only chance this month to use my favorite scent; Stirling Barbershop. If you haven't tried it yet, you're only cheating yourself. It fresh, clean, and sweet. It really invokes that feeling of walking out of a barbershop after a fresh haircut when you just feel on top of the world. Amazing scent.

Pop Quiz Score; 5/32 Pretty tough without Latherbot giving out the fill in the blanks. Even after getting the answers, I probably only could've gotten 1 or 2 more. Good quiz, will certainly separate the wheat from the chaff

June 9, 2024 - Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Yaqi Surf 22mm
• Razor: Yates Precision Manufacturing - 921-M
• Blade: Gillette - Silver Blue
• Lather: DentonMajik - Mayberry Man
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr Splash

I have a sample of Mayberry Man which has somewhat recently become unobtanium. I try to keep myself from using it, but it is shave soap and needs to be used. Thankfully the samples DentonMajik provides are generous and I can keep using it. Thought today would be a perfect day for it. Barrbarr was a perfect finish as always.

As for today's quiz, I did a lot better than I thought I would with a 6/32 or 18%. That was tough for me lol

ROTY

June 9, 2024 – LG Day 9 – ( –··–· –· )

• Brush: Omega Model 10048 Pro 48 Chrome Handle Boar
• Razor: GEM 1912 #TWINS
• Razor: Ever Ready 1912
• Blade: AccuTec Pro Premium
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Seville
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Barrbarr
• Fragrance: Chicago Grooming Co. – Windy City Barbershop

Like many others on the sub, Barbershop scents don’t excite me too much. Today was my first time trying “god’s barbershop” Seville. Off the puck, I’m presented with a zestful burst of citrus and herbs, like laying in the sun-drenched groves of Seville. Upon lathering, the scent deepens, unveiling a soft, earthy lavender and distinct rosemary. This is nothing like any barbershop I’ve been in, and I can see why many see it as an easy addition to their dens. With Barrbarr, we take an aggressive turn. I’m hit with a wave of bubblegum initially, which dries down into a sour lemon candy with a backbone of woods and herbs to keep it from feeling like a gourmand. A light powdery quality reminds me that it does indeed fit into the barbershop genre, but the genre is starting to feel too diverse. I considered using No. 11 for my frag today, but there are only so many takes on a barbershop accord that my nose can handle today. Windy City opens with clear notes of amber and musk, mixing with a subtle, sweet powder and a lighter bubblegum accord than that of NO. It has an inviting softness and timelessness, while remaining grounded by the steel accord that reminds us of the brutal Chicago winds, giving a notable coldness to the ensemble. Altogether, a shave almost entirely disparate from my childhood haircuts, with the only things tying it to my barbershop experiences being the light powdery notes and something about the scent of the boar hair in this particular brush. It may be worth noting, though, that I grew up going to the hair salon in my tiny town, usually with my mom. (I've tried to shake from my memory some of the embarrassing haircuts I was allowed to get.) I don't think any barbershop managed to stay open for more than a couple of years; those shops, like most businesses in my town, were doomed from the start. #FOF

Thanks to others trying the quiz first and noting that you do not have to answer in order. Going in order, I would have been stuck at >!Vernal!<. Being able to bounce around (my preferred test-taking strategy), I managed a solid 19/32. I would like to thank the LatherBot minigame in the sub discord for expanding my knowledge and helping me to passively memorize scent notes. The latter half of the quiz seems to act as inspiration for those unsure what to use for Information Overload day later this month. Even when the answers came up at the end, there were no “oh, I should have known that one” moments. Definitely a situation where either I know it or I don’t. Not sure that anyone other than u/wyze0ne could get all 32 without cheating, but time will tell.

(edited: forgot hashtag)

2024-06-09 Two Bits

• Prep: Coffee, Face wash soap/warm water
• Brush: Semogue - Pharos-C3, Black Horse Hair 21mm, Ocean Green Beechwood #HORSESASS
• Razor: Blackland - Blackbird, DE safety razor, Brass, 101 mm handle - "Brassbird"
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum, DE
• Lather: Eleven - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Clubman - Osage Rub

I have had many a sample of smush of barbershops. I have had trouble deciding on what to have in my collection for this type of scent. I have two barbershop soaps on hand Country Barber from The Shave Mercantile and Eleven's Barbershop. Realistically what is a barbershop scent classically is regional (for example Cella Almond/Cherry and Prorasso Eucalyptus/menthol)

But somewhere along the line a sorta, kinda, somewhat agreed upon set of notes congealed into "Barbershop". To allude to it in musical terms it is a bit like the blues baseline known as 12-bar blues. Upon this progression you hang all the extra notes that make the music it's own unique song. But it is all tied to that baseline or with Barbershop a somewhat agreed upon set of notes with more unique notes hung on it to make the unique fragrance. I am very carefully saying somewhat.

Software information:

Today I am going with the barbershop by Eleven. To it's baseline of powdery, lavender, it at least to me adds or brings forward a slight herbaceous layer (rosemary is a bit elevated). I like herbal notes so this works well for me. The Julien base has also worked well for me so it was a good purchase.

I'm a wee bit hung over this morning. Was at a large birthday last night held at a bar. Fortunately a classical barber product (this one not a barbershop type scent) in the form of a hair tonic - turned - aftershave came to the rescue with a bracing medicinal almost burning brutal eye-watering coldness. Osage Rub. Been around for ages. Seriously I think some enterprising barber realizing he had full-on butchered some poor clients face and needed to quickly resolve the poor souls discomfort simply reached for the thing with the most menthol available to him and just splashed it on out of desperation. And it worked, and became yet another use for Osage Rub.

Honestly, for all you glacial class mentholated soap lovers - get some Osage Rub. It is like $8 for 14 oz.

Today's shave was good - so I did not need Osage Rub. Instead I just wanted it.

So about that quiz.

Keeping in mind I'm a bit hung over. I started it thinking oh yeah I have a few of these soaps. And yes I do. Unfortunately I stared at the quiz as the time went ticking by. My mind saying "wait, how does this quiz work?" Yes, hung over me could figure it out until I had only about a minute left. But I did score 2 - after I started typing in names correctly. Oh well. I think I may need a bit more sleep. Yikes, I'm slow today.

Scent Notes for the day:

Eleven Barbershop - Bergamot, Rosemary, Oak Moss, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Powdery Musk.

Osage Rub - Eucalyptus (and menthol), yeah that is it in total.

Take care and have a good day.

June 9, 2024

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Badger brush I've had forever with the maker's mark rubbed off
• Razor: Muhle Companion
• Blade: Astra Green (Indian)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber

Obviously, this one fits the spooky theme. It's got "ghost" right there in the name. (Covers microphone while aide whispers in ear) Like I said, it's got "barber" right there in the name. It's got all the expected scent notes like leather, smoke and gunpowder. (Covers microphone and nods appreciatively as aide whispers) Bergamot, white patchouli, oakmoss, as I said. Classic.

On the quiz, I got 3/32, and barely that. I would blame my incompetence at operating the quiz site, but looking through the revealed answers, I seriously doubt I would have gotten many more without cheating.

ROTY

2024-06-09 LG SOTD

• Brush: Yaqi Rainbow (26x55 Synthetic)
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SS
• Blade: Kai Captain Mild ProTouch MG
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Seville
• Post Shave: 4711
• Fragrance: Acqua di Parma - Colonia

Barbershop scents: scents that are either historically long-associated with the barbershops of some geographic region, or scents meant to evoke some aspect of shaving. Examples include Pinaud Clubman in the US (thanks to the decades they spent exclusively selling their products in barbershops and country clubs in order to build a brand association with professional grooming), almond or eucalyptus shave soaps and citrus-aromatic post-shave colognes in Italy, lemon shave soaps in Türkiye (e.g. Arko), etc. Products meant to evoke a "shaving experience" include anything clearly paying tribute to the aforementioned products, as well as anything generally meant to evoke the scent of shaving cream (usually some sort of accord of coumarin, amber, moss, and woods); well known examples include Brut, Paco Rabanne pour Homme, Azzaro pour Homme, Drakkar Noir, Barbasol & Friends, or anything based on those landmark fragrances (e.g. Rive Gauche pour Homme, Sartorial, Invasion Barbare, Bon Monsieur, Beau de Jour, etc.)

Anyway

All that to say that I am embracing the Italian side of my family today and going the citrus-aromatic route with Seville, 4711, and Acqua di Parma... the latter two being some of the fragrances that inspired Seville.

June 9, 2024 - Shave and a Haircut

• Brush: Rubberset 49-3 #TOLL
• Razor: Graeger GR100B AC #KAMISORI
• Blade: Dorco AC
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Master
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville EdC

FOF

Shave and a Haircut:

I looked at my selection and asked myself which Barbershop should I use? My response: All of them! Ok didn’t fit 100% of them but hit the big three and gave myself a bonus spritz after I used my selections. Justification for hitting the soap theme: ZM - The Master is blatantly a barbershop and even has a picture of a barber’s chair. For the post shave, once again hitting the theme in the name itself- Noble Otter - Barrbarr. Plus the label art is a riff on a barner’s pole and has an Otter getting a shave like at an old fashioned barbershop. Last Barrister and Mann - Seville is marketed as a barbershop, but the name is a play on “The ~~Rabbit~~ Barber of Seville”. I’ll be giving myself a haircut with a Wahl trimmer and #3 guard later today.

Today’s Challenge:

I am an idiot. I should have known that the djudges would throw u/cowzilla3 a bone and only pick Old Spice as the correct answer. I got a paltry 8.

Fragrantica:

This is a theme that just gives me the warm fuzzies. I never really went to an old school barbershop, so no clue what they should smell like. As a kid, my dad traded services with my mom’s favorite hair stylist. She’d come to our house and cut our hair, or we’d go to the salon where she worked. So a barbershop to me smells like fruity-floral shampoo, hairspray, styling mousse, and permanent chemicals. That is not what these are thank goodness. This was my first use of The Master. I’ve had the sample for a while. When I opened it, I thought it smelled similar to Seville. Citrusy, spicy/herbaceous (but not cinnamon/clove), a bit earthy and woody. Lathered it lost a lot of the scent. Maybe that’s because it is at least two years old. Noble Otter - Barrbarr was one of the first scents I got from them. Every time I use it, I think I could just use this everyday. It is clean with the lemon, but woody and earthy from the sandalwood and patchouli which complements The base notes of The Master. Finishing off this trio with Seville is a no brainer. How can you do a barbershop without “God’s Barbershop”. I first tried Seville in the Reserve base with a smoosh from u/OnionMiasma. It immediately went on my buy ASAP list, except in Omnibus. When Will introduced his EdC’s in Seville, Limon, and Nordost, I got the first two, but waited too long on Nordost. It is a funny thing, but the scent notes to Seville and Barrbarr are almost the same, but they are distinctly different in execution. All three scents worked well to build a harmonious trio. Wait a second, barber’s don’t do trios, needs to be a quartet. I gave myself a bonus spritz of Summer Break Soap - Picture Day EdT. It is a more powdery and clean barbershop scent, but still has enough in common with the trio to achieve

Today’s Sponsor:

What more can be said about the mad genius Kyle u/rocketk455? He somehow got a group of us to commit to a Dorito and Mtn Dew trifecta. It must be part of some sinister plan to take on big soap. Doritos and Mtn Dew are pretty popular products, and if that can be harnessed in the wetshaving world, first takeover the hobbyists, then use that momentum to get in every grocery store, Target, and Walmart. I think some people will claim someone else from these very games convinced Kyle to remake that scent, but why would he make his house stink of stale nacho cheese if it wasn’t part of a bigger plan?

Jun. 9, 2024
Brush: Omega 10029
Razor: Yaqi Beast #zamac * Blade: Gillette Platinum [3]
Lather: TFS - Red - Soap
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co - Island Man - Balm

Ooof hard quiz, I did terribly, nailed indigo though… and only indigo

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

June 9, 2024 - Shave and a Haircut

• Brush: Z Feidu - Barber Brush #HORSEASS #MISTURA #TOLL
• Razor: Gillette - SuperSpeed 1967 Vintage
• Blade: Personna Platinum
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Daddy Longlegs
• Post Shave: Barrister and Man - Seville Splash
• Fragrance: Barrister and Man - Seville Edt

SOAP - This is another new one to me and shout to u/onionmiasma for the smush. I get lots of musk, amber, a bit of rum.

NOW about the shaving brush! This was kind of a gag gift to me. Coworker found out I was into wetshaving and decided to make a joke! Well it worked out cause this was the perfect combo to get me more help in these games. It’s crazy floppy and terribly difficult to get it wet which is super weird. I was able to lather with it but it was not easy to apply a consistent and even amount to my fat face! And as they say “misery likes company” I went and got another one and sent it to my BFF u/curbside_champ to see what he would do with it! They must have shave a lot of the horse to make this beast! I mean this thing is massive but not sure if practical?

RAZOR This is one of my fav Gillette and it’s a work-HORSE!! (See what I did there with the whole horse thing and brush lol…) Very mild and efficient!

THE THEME- It has been a long time since I have taken a quiz where I knew nothing of sorts. Well I did some cross referencing to see if I could match some scents but I still sucked. My score was 47% (15/32). Yes I sucked but actually did better than I thought to be honest since this is my second year wetshaving. I was just typing as fast as many scents possible and see what sticks lol…..

6/9/24 (1/3)

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving Exclusive MOAR BOAR (31 mm × 57 mm bleached boar)
• Razor: Wüsthof 220 "Barber's King" 7/8, Extra Hollow Square Point
• Lather: Noble Otter - BarrBarr
• Post Shave: DentonMajik - Pink Floyd
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth! Fleur de France EdT

Barbershop day is arguably my favorite day. As faux and ill-defined genre as it is (that line really cracks me up), I love me some barbershop scents. The barbshop experience is what first got me into wetshaving.

It started with my Aunts funeral. Since I was a young teenager, I rarely cut my hair, and if I did, I would just buzz at a 2. Shaving, I did even less. I would just knock down growth with an electric trimmer and move on. My Aunt Lorraine always tried to take me a barber. She always wanted to get me cleaned up and looking good. Always offered to pay, but I never took it up. I was okay with my routine.

I was there with her when she passed in 2019. I was asked to be one of her pallbearers. Right then, I knew what I had to do. I went and bought a nice suit and shoes and scheduled a haircut and shave. I wanted to get cleaned up for her. I went in and got Fade and an open blade shave. God damn it felt so good. The dude cleaned me up nicely. When I got home, my wife was stunned. She'd never seen me cleaned up like that. She absolutely loved it. I looked good, I smelt good, and I felt good.

I had decided a month later to go again and went to the same guy. Now, I like to keep a bushy goatee. He completely fucked up my lines. Like, bad. One side of my goatee was half the width of the other. I was not happy. A month later, I tried some other shop. The shave was sooooooooo bad. It wasn't comfortable, it wasn't close, she nicked me and left me irritation.

At this point, I knew an open blade shave had potential to be good. So I said hell with it, I already had stones for my woodworking tools. I bought a cheap Chinese piece of shit off amazon and thus began the descent down the rabbit hole.

I still regularly go in for a fade, but the shaving is never done by anyone else anymore. Even if it's offered for free, I've had to drop "Thank you but no thank you, no one can shave me as nicely as I can."

BarrBarr is one of the GOATs. I think it perfectly captures that western Barbershop vibe. It's sweet, powdery, and refreshing. Pink Floyd is a spot on dupe of Clubman. One of the OG barbershops. Citrus, musk and powder. You just can't talk barbershops without bringing Clubman into the conversation. It is a S tier scent. Fleur de France is, for me, a unique Barbershop, but it hits the marks. It's super clean and refreshing, and that's what I want. The pairing of the 3 was fantastic.

Of course, the razor. What other razor was I going to use today other than the BARBER'S KING?? I wasn't, and I love this razor just for that. It's a huge plus that it's also a fantastic shaver. Comfortable and easy to handle. The steel is fantastic. No notes.

Close and comfortable shave, no nicks or irritation.

For the challenge today, I got 7/32. 6 more than I anticipated.

OP shares a heartwarming origin story. 🥲

LG24-09: Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Purple Hybrid 28mm Declaration Grooming B7 Badger Knot #COMPOSITE #SHD #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #FLIPTOP #MODERNGEM #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE [10]
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Desairology - Soap (Vegan)
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Desairology - Aftershave (Alcohol Free)
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Desairology - Eau de Parfum

Barbershop can be a bit of a nebulous term when it comes to scents. Desairology is no different, but it is marketed as a "spooky twist on classic barbershop scents." It's got bold Oud, reverent Palo Santo, and comforting Sandalwood. This was my gateway drug into artisan soaps.

This is a scent that is best to trickhole because, if not, it will overpower anything else.

Challenge Quiz Score: 59%. Very cool quiz. I got hung up on the AA Shaving scents for too long. I guess I'll have to get more familiar with them.

Edit: updated tags

LG 9 - Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Chiseled & Hound - Badger 26mm #SMOLL
• Razor: Straight Razor King Pelican 32
• Lather: Noble Otter - Barrbarr
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Gothorum Tonstrina
• Fragrance: Darkbeat Parfums - Barber Note Sin Corte No Hay Gloria

.#FOF BarrBarr Tonstina Barber Note

• Barrbarr: Lemon, Rosemary, Basil, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Patchouli

• Gothorum Tonstrina: Patchouli, Bergamot, Sandalwood, Lavender, Basil, and Musk

• Barber Note: Petitgrain, Fern, Aldehydes, Mint, Ginger and Lemon; Lavender, Sandalwood, Geranium, Lily-of-the-Valley and Rose; Moss, Leather, Suede, Coumarin, Cedar, Castoreum, Patchouli, Musk and Guaiac Wood

Three barbershop's scents combined

Jun. 9, 2024 - At the Barbers

• Prep: CeraVe - Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Omega 10049 Boar

• Razor: CJB GR100B Kamisori #KAMISORI

• Blade: KAI Protouch MG (7)

• Lather: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth! Fleur de France

• Post Shave: Australian Private Reserve - Passione

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Hygge

Daily Challenge: I struggled with this for a couple reasons, first the website didn’t load well on my phone, the scaling and scrolling showed up really weirdly for some reason. Also, with no instructions, I assumed you had to do them in order and got stuck at 17/32 despite knowing 6 more down the list. After realizing that, my score really should be 23/32 which is pretty darn good if I say so myself.

Daily Theme Justification: FdF is a French Barbershop scent and quite a good one too! I’m very sad that it was discontinued but apparently was a pain in the ass to create the scent oil.

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: All three have names in language other than English. Fleur is French for Flower, Passione is Italian for Passion and Hygge is a Danish word for the cozy, contented mood evoked by comfort and conviviality. I also picked out a Kami with replaceable blade typical of a barbershop and a Barber style handle brush.

SOTD 2024-06-09 Wow, I don't hate this!

• Brush: Semogue 830
• Razor: Karve - Overlander (copper)
• Blade: Dorco Prime (4th use)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - No. 11
• Post Shave: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary

First I want to thank the one who sent me this sample:
U/Priusaurus , thank you kind soul!
Now prior to trying this soap I had no intention of ever!
Zero, zilch, nada! Trying another Barbershop scent.
On the hook for that one: Seville.

What?! You exclaim! But how? It's the most wonderful barbershop!
And for that very reason I avoided anything "barbershop".
Now, after reading on No.11, and on u/priusaurus' good name;
This poor sucker decided to give it another go.
So CGC No.11 has restored my faith in the category of Barbershop.

The scent is sophisticated and screams sunny summer day.
On opening up the smush I knew that it was a scent I wouldn't hate.

Somehow my brain misremembered what 70th Anniversary smelled like.
I thought it smelled exactly like No.11; it didn't, but it worked.
Now, I think I actually prefer the scent of No.11 to 70th.
Guess I'm now going to be tempted to start looking at more soap.

Yes, the community of enablers and Lathergames.
Of course we love you all!
Understandably so, we are all in the same boat.

And that's the story of how CGC saved ~~Christmas~~ Barbershops.

So Funzo, yes that guy, wanted me to sing you a song.
On pain of death by hugging strangulation, and immolation.
Now I hope you like it.
Guess it's the end for me if you don't...

Barbershop, Barbershop
Oh Barber, Barber, Barber
Barbershop, Barbershop
Oh Barber, Barber, Barber
Barbershop, Barbershop
Oh Barber, Barber, Barber
Barbershop!
[Badum, badum, badum, badum]
...
Sweeter than candy on a stick
Huckleberry, cherry or lime
If you had a choice it'd be your pick
But Barbershop is mine.

• Brush: Stirling - Synthetic 2 band.
• Razor: Henson AL13 Mild - Blue #CNC # RAINBOW
• Blade: Kai - Stainless.
• Lather: Noble Otter - Neon Sun.
• Post: Noble Otter - Neon Sun Balm.
• Fragrance: Jo Malone - Lime, Basil, Mandarin.

A light, powdery, lime forward barbershop scent. I love it and as an 80s kid, it does remind me of that awesome decade - until someone puts out a Depeche Mode inspired scent at least. Neon Sun is Miami Vice cool-it’s a beautiful, summer scent. NO provides top shelf lathers, and this does not disappoint. The Balm is equally fantastic.

I have bought a bunch of fragrance samples from micro perfumes and lucky scent which is a nice way to explore a fragrance without committing to a full bottle. I enjoy having multiple options so the sample sizes are perfect for me. If I finish the sample, I know it’s a keeper.

PHOTOCONTEST Fill the Frame SOTD

ROTY

June 9, 2024 - Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: ShoreShave Burnt Orange, Tangerine, PearlSwirl T4 Fan 26 mm
• Razor: CJB Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
• Blade: Feather Pro Guard (7)
• Lather: Eleven - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Fleur de France
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Picture Day

Theme: all software is/was marketed as a barbershop fragrance.

Challenge: 5/32

Another early morning shave on the weekend.

What is a Barbershop? Italian barbershop fragrances usually smell like almond. French barbershop fragrances are citrusy. In North America barbershop fragrances are often powdery, and often a fougere, or close to it. But, there's no clear definition. So, what makes something a barbershop fragrance? Marketing, apparently.

Eleven’s take on a barbershop fragrance is heavy on oakmoss, with a spicy basil and strong musk. I'm not finding any powder, or lavender at all, really. It feels like someone is missing. This is my first time using a product from Eleven. It took a lot of water before it started to puff up. Once it started it just. Kept. Going. It made a crazy amount of lather. This soap holds lots of water. Further testing is needed. But, the slickness was very good.

It's a shame that Fleur de France was discontinued, because I really like this fragrance. The scent notes on the label read like a typical barbershop with the addition of citron. The proportions of the scents separates this from American barbershop fragrances. A sharp, bright, note of citron is front and center. Rosemary adds some herbaceousness. The musk stands out. The oakmoss and coumarin are restrained and serve to form the base. It feels lively.

Picture Day is an American style barbershop fragrance. There's a strong note of lavender exhibiting a tasteful amount of powder that's not enough to classify this as a powdery fragrance to me. The aftershave is overpowering the frag at the moment.

After a couple of hours, I'm still smelling more Fleur de France than Picture Day. I'll have to revisit the frag when I get home.

I'm finally home, 12+ hours later. I gave Picture Day a spray on each wrist. I get a big green note which I assume is geranium. There's lavender which brings powder into play. Rather than being talc-y, the powder smells musty, or maybe peppery.

#photocontest - water

#FOF

Edit: replaced a pic with a meme.

June 9, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co - Black/Gold Flakes - 30mm Oumo Boar #TOLL
• Razor: Diane Hair Shaper #WECKONISTA
• Blade: Fromm
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Picture Day Soap
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Picture Day Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Hygge EdP

Smoke fills the room, as a meeting of shave artisans from around the globe gather for their monthly meeting. They're all tired. They meet regularly in the dimly lit streets of r/wetshaving where shadows danced with secrets and whispers echoed off cobblestone walls. They were are the darlings of the craft, their creations adored by connoisseurs who sought the exquisite aromas they concocted with passion and precision. But now, they were prisoners of their own success, shackled to the demand for barbershop scents that stifled their creativity and gnawed at their souls.

An artisan named Will took a long, drawn out drag on a cigarette. From the lit end, a long, cylindrical column of ash extended, seemingly defying gravity as it clung precariously to the cigarette. "I just don't know how much longer I can do this," he sighed. "I'm one of the best perfumers in this hobby and they want me to create another Barbershop scent..." He sounded beyond defeated.

A deafening silence filled the room. They all know the reality of the situation. The hive mind had asked for yet another barbershop scent and there's only so much one artisan can take.

Another artisan took a sip of whiskey from the dark corner and breaks the silence, "I'm telling you guys. Give up the barbershop scents. You'll feel better when you do." His voice was soft and gravely, yet his words projected across the room. Everyone stopped. You could cut the tension with a Weck. Kyle emerged from the darkness.

Some sneered, while others just shook their heads. Everyone was silent. That would be impossible! For their operations relied on the barbershop scents to stay afloat. They've created this monster and now they have to deal with the Frankenstein they birthed.

Kyle stood tall in the workshop, surrounded by shelves laden with exotic oils and dried herbs, his hands stained with the orange of Dorito dust. "You'll drive yourself insane if you keep doing Barbershops," he declared. Everyone knew he was right. His words carried the weight of years of frustration. "We're artisans, damn it, not puppets dancing to the tune of the masses. Set yourselves free and create something special! Something unique!"

His words hung heavy in the air. The others exchanged uneasy glances, their faces etched with doubt and fear. But Kyle's resolve was unwavering. He had made up his mind long ago, and he would not be swayed.

The other artisans knew there was truth in Kyle's words. But, they couldn't do it. While they would love to be done with Barbershop scents. They just couldn't. They had to bow to the whims of the masses, sacrificing their artistry for the sake of profit. While only Kyle would reclaim his craft, one tub of soap at a time, the rest would continue to grow weary, praying for a chance of artistic redemption, and just hoping to break free from their Crafters Choice prison.

But the path to Kyle's liberation was not without its obstacles. The public clamored for a re-release of Picture Day. Their voices were a cacophony of demands that threatened to drown out his voice of defiance.

But he would not be deterred. With steely determination and a heart as unyielding as a titanium razor, he would not back down. Kyle was armed with nothing but passion and unwavering belief in the power of his creativity. And a lot of lavender. As he stood in his quest for freedom, he knew that no matter the outcome, he had already won the greatest victory of all: the right to create on his own terms. And the sweet scent of defiance that lingered in the air would promise of a far brighter tomorrow than any Barbershop scent ever could. Maybe one day the other artisans would follow him, but today was not that day. For he was ahead of his time.

Fin.

My #FOF: Finishing up the shave with HoM Hygge is the most no brainer of every #FOF no-brainer there could possibly be. They’re both barbershop styles and share some of the same characteristics, but Hygge has a subtle citrus sweetness to it that really gives it an extra je-nais-se-quois where it is so much more than a barbershop fragrance. It’s clean, wearable, and there’s a musk that gives it an absolutely delightful warmth. These two scents share a lot of similar characteristics, but are wonderful on their own and amazing when layering the Hygge on top of the Picture Day Splash.

Challenge: I got a 15/32. I’m kinda pissed I missed Rawr.

Soap Theme Justification: From SBS: “This is my interpretation of a barbershop style scent, which was developed with my barbershop in mind”

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Barbershops everywhere!

Just a great post. Entertaining, on topic, well-written. Glad this was my last one of the day.

This ~~might be~~ is the post I've enjoyed the most of everything I've judged.

June 9 Lather: MacDuff’s Soap Co. - Old Strathcona * Brush: MOAR Boar 31mm * Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy * Blade: Gillette Nacet * Lather: MacDuff’s Soap Co - Old Strathcona - Soap * Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Splash * Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville - Edt Shaving - Sutton Distilled - Edp * Music: Barber Shop - Tom Waits

TODAY’S THEME: From MacDuff’s scent description for Old Strathcona…

“My barbershop scent: a barbershop (as it applies to the perfumery world--the wet shaving world that word has a slightly different meaning) contains a strong “fougere” element (lavender, geranium, coumarin/tonka bean), a combination that was discovered by perfumers in the 19th century. Fougere has become a staple in the fragrance industry with many modern innovations that have continually revitalized the scent, keeping tradition alive while still moving forward.”

This base is top tier. And this is a fabulous barbershop.

CHALLENGE OF THE DAY: I only got 11/32. If it had allowed me to skip around, I would’ve gotten a ton more. But I had to go in order.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: I have three tubs of summer break soap. Cannonball, daydream, and woodshop. I also have the splash for cannonball. And I desperately tried to find it today to honor summer break in my Shave. But couldn’t find it, dammit. It’s somewhere around here. summer break has a fantastic soap base.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“I must to the barber's, monsieur, for methinks I am marvellous hairy about the face.”

—William Shakespeare

June 9, 2024: Red and blue stripes

• Prep: warm splash of water
• Brush: Yaqi Sagrada Familia Tuxedo 24 mm
• Razor: AtT S1
• Blade: Gillette Blue
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville

All three are classics and I love them. Sunday Liger Gates!

June 9, 2024

• Brush: Elite Razor Neo-resinate 26mm Mother Lode
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna Gem PTFE (3)
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Master - Soap
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Master - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayers - Rose - Toner
• Fragrance: Floris of London - Jermyn Street - Eau de Toilette
• Talc: Yardley Gold
   

---

The description of this scent is that it is a a dark and spicy take on a barbershop scent; the Master referring to a master barber. I quite like this scent and really need to use it more. Jermyn Street is a lemon/citrus/green sort of scent. The kind of thing you would expect from a barbershop imo. Wonderful shave today!

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

scruba games day 9?

Welcome to the u/enndeegee pub quiz.

There's one round with nine questions with a linked theme which constitutes the final 10th question.

Entrants should include their team name which will also be judged based on British public house humour.  

This is more important than recording a proper shave of the day today(or I'm trying to be tricksy again and seeing if I can get it to work for everyone not using old Reddit) as the judge's quiz was not mobile friendly for me. i.e i got 0

---

Round 1:

What is the largest city in Andalucia?

What soap smells better than being sun according to u/semaj3000 ( even though he would only admit it to himself in the middle of the night when crying into his pillow)?

Which football team have won the Europa league/uefa cup the most often(?)[* soap: barrister and mann - seville )

What is the best type of orange to use for marmalade?

What is the final word of the Rossini opera about a wet shaving expert?

What is the name of one of the biggest hits by Band Zonder Naam? 

What is the name of a smaller Cadillac that was in production from 1976 to 2004?

What is the surname of Alvin, Simon and Theodore once adopted by Dave?

What is an anagram of le Elvis?

What is the common theme for all questions?

Player didn't like the official quiz, and created his own.

LG2024- June 9th 💈Barbershop

• Brush: Elite Razor Custom Birch Synthetic
• Razor: Razorock GC .84
• Blade: Astra Green (8)
• Lather: Zingari Man- The Master
• Post: Murphy and McNeil- Barbershop de los Muertos 2

Shave: There haven’t been many Barbershop scents I don’t enjoy despite being a hotly contested scent profile. The Master is one I’m trying for the first time today. Very spicy and dark for a barbershop scent. My 2 favorites in this category are Barrbarr and Hygge but this one could give those a run. Followed it up with Barbershop de los Muertos 2.

Challenge: 13/32. The randoms were ridiculously hard.

Viewing: Nike Puppets were legendary. I absolutely loved these.

ROTY

Jun. 9, 2024
Brush: Art Of Shaving Badger Silver Tip Badger
Razor: Karve CB
Blade: Astra SP Green [3]
Lather: Razor Emporium - Barbershop - Soap
Post Shave: Thayers - Witch Hazel Original - Aftershave
Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented - Balm

Quiz is too hard. Did not complete lol

Jun. 9, 2024
Brush: Stirling 2-Band Synthetic Brush
Razor: Rockwell 6C - Gunmetal
Blade: Rockwell Swedish Steel [12]
Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Daddy Longlegs - Soap
Post Shave: Kroger - Witch Hazel - Aftershave
Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive Soothing Post Shave - Balm
Post Shave:* Stirling - Alum Block

This lather is characterized as “1920’s barbershop.”

4/32 on the quiz.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Barbershop SOTD:

• Razor: Schick Injector G1
• Blade: Schick Injector blade (13)
• Brush: Ever ready Unnumbered
• Lather: Oleo - No. 11
• Aftershave: Oleo - No. 11
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Everett

Of course I'm super late to post on my sponsorship day. As always, truly, thank you all for all of your support. I really had no idea what I was getting into all those years ago, and SBS absolutely would not exist without the support of the awesome r/wetshaving community.

Gotta love No.11. Replica at the Barbershop is definitely one of my favorite barbershop scents out there.

Challenge: I got 7 right.

Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Yaqi Ferrari
• Razor: Edwin Jagger DE89
• Blade: Bic
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Seville

photocontest Bird.

Today’s Challenge: Surprise Quiz

My score was 16%. Great test, next time will be better.

June 9, 2024 – Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Z Feidu - Barber Brush
• Razor: Blackland - Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Personna Lab Blue (6)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory – Daddy Long Legs
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Seville aftershave balm
• Fragrance: Noble Otter - Barrbarr EDP
• The Lather: Second time using the monster horse brush and I think it went a little bit better, but with a name like barber brush I really didn’t have a choice. The scent on Daddy Long Legs is quite unlike any other barbershop I’ve smelled. It is significantly less bright and without the citrus notes of many other barbershop scents and goes for a far more subtle scent that, in my opinion, matches much more to what a barbershop actually smells like. The soap base lathered up pretty well and I really can’t complain about the process.
• The Shave: I was in a bit of a rush this morning to I ended up nicking myself a bit. So I just threw a little salt on the wound (Alum) and finished up my routine.
• Aftershave/Frag: Since it’s barbershop day I decided to go for the non-dickhole barbershop trifecta. Seville added some citrus and bright notes, while Barrbarr brought in more woody notes. Individually each is barbershop scent is good, but collectively I’m constantly in an olfactory confusion. One second I’m fresh and citrus, then all of the sudden I’m dark and spicy. It’s bipolar shaving at its finest. Apparently this is how AI sums it up.
• Theme: Daddy Long Legs bills itself as a 1920’s barbershop scent.
• Challenge: I took the quiz and did better than I could have ever asked for. It definitely wasn't because I knew the scent notes though. It was more about how many soaps from the vendors could I remember.
• Acknowledgements: Thank you u/OnionMiasma for the soap and u/2SaintsDude for the frag for today’s shave.

June 9, 2024 – Lather Games 2024 Day 9: Shave and a Haircut—Two Bits!

• Brush: Farvour Turncraft “Ocean Blue” 26mm Omega Pro 49 Boar #TOLL
• Razor: Gillette “New” #RustyButtRusty
• Blade: Gillette Winner (3)
• Lather: Eleven – Barbershop
• Post Shave: Eleven – Barbershop
• Fragrance: Fabergé – Brut

Use of Theme: Shave and a Haircut—Two Bits

Ahhh…the proverbial, and oft-questioned, due to the mysterious nature of it, Barbershop Scent Day.

Ordinarily, I would have gone with Catie’s Bubbles Tonsorial Parlor—named after the tonsorial parlor which, according to third-generation tonsorian C. Foy, who I assume has done his peer-reviewed research, is an inner sanctum where a man can receive the highest level of barbering services in a setting that compliments this ancient art. For those of you in Rio Linda, it’s like the champagne room at your local titty bar. You can go watch the titties, or you can go into the champagne room where they actually swing the titties directly in your face.

Instead, having to save the Bubs for Don’t Have a Cow Day, I’ll be going with Eleven . I’ve generally grown out of the “traditional” powdery barbershop scents. I still like them, but there are too many other scents to enjoy. The Eleven is nice for me as it relies less on the powdery notes than it does the other traditional barbershop notes. I haven’t had too much experience with Eleven aside from the samples I picked up at Maggard’s both last year and this year. Presumably, I received the new aloe and witch hazel base aftershave. It seems to do a decent job soothing my skin post shave. I still prefer the old fashioned alcohol base, no matter what anyone else says. If I need some additional soothing to counteract the drying of the alcohol, I have plenty of options. Brut gives us the fragrant finish today, its bergamot and sandalwood notes complementing the same notes in the soap and aftershave. Another “dated” fragrance to some of you youngin’s but, I wear what I like.

Daily Challenge: Surprise Quiz

Let’s delve into the world of education, shall we? On any given school day in America, what are the last two words any average kid in any average school wants to hear when they sit down for another average class? “Pop quiz!”

We could sit and argue the benefits and detriments of pop quizzes ad nauseum. They are a looming reminder of the need to study and prepare while causing undo stress on those with learning difficulties. While we use the results to inform learning, their results may actually impede learning by encouraging cramming and poor study habits. Let us look into the more important issue, and the one most relevant here and now, the improper use of quizzes as a means of assessment.

What is the purpose of assessment? Simply put, it informs teaching and learning. What are the two types of assessment? The layperson would say tests and quizzes, and they are partially correct. While there may be more methods of assessment, the two types are formative and summative. The former are used to inform teaching and learning, the latter are used to evaluate the sum total of what has been achieved.

Djudges, what are you assessing? I posit that this is an improper use of a quiz, as there has been no prior announcement to let us know we should have knowledge of something to be assessed. Yes, it is a surprise—a pop quiz—but why assess us without first teaching us? It could be argued that scent counts insomuch as we already get assessed, and this is given up front in the rules, but if knowing the scent profiles is required beyond theme compliance we should receive fair warning. Some only use their noses to pair various fragrances without regard to the notes specifically enumerated unless specifically directed in the rules, e.g. the use of Lavender to meet a theme. This is, after all, the Lather Games and not the Scent Games.

Having said all this, should you present this same quiz again at the end of the games, stipulating that a higher score on the second administration will be the score you use for judging purposes, today’s quiz would be valid, in that it would be used to assess what I know and don’t know so you what needs to be taught so that I learn it and can be fairly assessed.

Alas, I will take your silly quiz and reveal my score to be 3/32 not argue any further as to the invalidity of a quiz administered by non-educators.

Have great shave and be kind to one another.

June 9, 2024 - TWO BITS!

• REPOST: u/tsrblke warned me about this going poof

photocontest

Theme: Money
(inspired by the “two bits” of today’s challenge)

• Brush: Alpha Brush & Shaving Co. - Bully Boy 28mm
• Razor: Edwin Jagger - DE89 #ZAMAC
• Blade: Treet - Carbon Steel [2]
• Lather: Maggard Razors - London Barbershop - Shave Soap with Tallow (sample)
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Seville - Balm
• Fragrance: HAGS - Barberwood - Rollerball Extrait de Parfum

FIRST BIT - AN INTERPLAY OF LEGACIES

Today's theme comes from a song with African American roots.
Also, barbershop quartets have African American roots.

When advertising their barbershop scents, manufacturers often evoke Italian or French traditions. Why?
I wonder if it could be because Figaro, possibly the most famous barber in popular culture, was created for a play by French author Pierre Beaumarchais (also a key supporter of the US revolution, as seen in Apple TV's Franklin), and then made even more famous by an opera by Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini. If you dig deeper, Figaro is inspired by Brighella, a stock character of the Italian tradition of Commedia dell'Arte, strongly based on a component of playful improvisation.

Today we live in a world of intertwined legacies.

African-American music has been the main influence for all the popular styles of the 20th Century, including jazz - a musical genre based, just like Commedia dell'Arte, on playful improvisation.

An example of interplay of all these legacies is IL FIGLIO DEL BARBIERE (The Barber's Son), a quasi-absurdist song recorded in March, 1949 by Quartetto Cetra, an Italian quartet inspired by the African-American quartet The Mills Brothers.
The song tells an eccentric story about Figaro's son, and then concludes addressing directly Rossini in the Afterlife. I'll post the full translation in the comments.

One year before recording Il figlio del barbiere, Quartetto Cetra had also dedicated a song to a guy who is desperate about losing his hair. The song, titled Crapapelada (Milanese dialect for bald head), is featured in this short newsreel / proto- music video. Decades later, in yet another interplay between legacies, Crapapelada made a glorious comeback in a memorable scene with Gale's character in Breaking Bad

We keep embracing and re-hashing each other's cultural expressions, and that's inevitable. Today I posted a little personal rant about how Italians were represented in a SOTD: I fully believe in 's good faith and good spirit, and I am sorry if I came out a bit harsh. We can all laugh about self-humor from within a community (like with this series of barbershop-based clichés), but when the mockery comes from outside, people can easily get offended. I don't have The Answer, but I guess one of the key issues is feeling misunderstood, getting frustrated because "the others" don't even properly comprehend what they are trying to make fun of.

All that said, I'll share an anecdote on the only old-school barbershop I did visit in my adult life, about twenty years ago, in a different Italian city. The barbers, two white-haired brothers in their 70s (one of them with big candid mustaches), had a very classy salon with leather-covered chairs. Only after I had been seated, I discovered that they followed the old-school approach with the utmost rigor. Another client appeared at the entrance, accompanied by his girlfriend. The woman stopped suddenly on the threshold, as if held back by an invisible barrier, like an uninvited vampire. Then, the client sat on the leather-bound couch and opened one of the magazines available to read during the wait. It was the Italian edition of Playboy magazine.

SECOND BIT - LET'S BE EVOCATIVE!

Barbershop scents are rarely interesting to me, but I came to this opinion after smelling a bunch of samples by various brands.

One of them was Maggard's "private label" London Barbershop, which according to the dupe list, is based on an EO accord that is also used by many other artisans. Today's shave confirmed the impression I had at first sniff: forgettable, generic, somewhat "fake".

I followed with B+M Seville (the balm, as the lather had not provided the kind of post-shave I was longing for), which embraced me in an original orange-led citrus accord, combined with a fresh herbaceous note. It doesn't smell like any barbershop I ever set foot in, but it's good, comforting and refreshing. The name feels both clever (citrus + Figaro) and appropriate: in a word, evocative.

Barberwood Extrait de Parfum is an oil- (not alcohol-) based fragrance that represents a worthy addition to the still short list of original scents by HAGS. The official blurb promises that - guess what! - the fragrance "evokes the timeless charm of a traditional barbershop".

To me, it's mostly a warm and soft (sandal)woody / ambery scent that shares some DNA with Ritual. I am not a big fan of sweet "oriental" drydowns, but I am happy I purchased Barberwood in the whole trifecta (I still have to try the soap).

I consider it as an original "fantasy barbershop", where both the "barber" and the "oriental" aspects feel like re-imaginations of distant cultures.

I may be wrong and this could be the most accurate conjuration of the Spirit of Barbershops in Greece (where the artisan, the American-born Dimitrios Charokopos, is currently based), but in any case it's a great scent, and for me it could have a non-barbershop related name, and I would still buy it. It's a rich scent, whose name, while catchy, feels like just a pale reflection of its layered complexity.

FOF

EDIT to add my quiz score: 13/32. Lost time trying to understand how to skip the questions I didn't know how to answer.

ROTY

June. 09, 2024 - SOTD 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Oumo O4 Venus SHD Badger Brush 26MM
• Razor: King C Gillette
• Blade: King C Gillette
• Lather: Noble Otter - BarrBarr
• Post Shave: Nivea Men - Sensitive Soothing Aftershave Balm

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

Player had a really interesting way of hitting one of the photo contest themes that is difficult to hit.

6/9/24 Lather Games shave

• Brush: Vintage Surrey / AP Shave Co cashmere synth

• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles - Tonsorial Parlour

• Razor: Gillette short-comb NEW w/ Suneko

• Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Sunny Lane AS

• Fragrance: Dana - Canoe EDT

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a great weekend 👍

DAY 8 LATHER GAMES! MAN I HATE POP-QUIZES!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: Chisel and Hound Chocobolo 26mm Boti G5 knot
• Razor: No Name Kamisori AC shavette #KAMISORI
• Blade: KAI Captain Titan Mild
• Lather: Noble Otter - Barr Barr
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Desairology
• Fragrance: Hermes - H24

First off I want to give a big shoutout to u/loudmusicboy. The first person to ever understand me in my opinion that Green Proraso smells like a Barbershop. Ever since I first smelled it, since it was my first cream/soap, till this day, that is the scent that evokes Barbershop images in my head. Thank you my friend! I am not alone!!!

As a matter of fact, after learning and sniffing what real barbershop scents are, I was quite puzzled because none of them sang to me "BARBERSHOP", I guess it has to do with the fact that there weren't any barbershops when I was a little tyke, guess their time had passed. There is a resurgence of Barbershop shops in the last few years, especially here in Bulgaria, but somehow comparing it to the olden times, seems they don't really hold a candle. One of the reasons I say this, is because I went to one of the most pristine ones in the capital, and I left.... Well look, I kept a picture of how my face was after they shaved me.... ABSURD

But thanks to this hobby and being introduced to quite a lot of Barbershop scent interpretations I got into the spirit, and now while not being able to judge which reminds me of my childhood, I can certainly appreciate the way in which it was made and how one differs from the others. To end this rant, Barbershop scents are like Johann Sebastian Bach's pieces, for every person you hear, you'll hear a different interpretation(please let me get a musical judge).

Now onto the real Barbershop scent of the day, third year in a row I am using BarrBarr by Noble Otter. I have no idea why it's always NO's barbershop itteration, but somehow it always fits the calendar best. In today's shave I probably got the best lather I've gotten with their soap which contributed to a more than excellent shave. Either it's me, or NO's soap makes a low profile lather, in the sense that it doesn't get voluminous and one should be careful not to drown it, but it had great cushion and superb slickness.

I have used a kamisori style shavette before, but if was a DE variant. I must say that the AC version is much more supreme. In general I find that all SE are better than DE, but that might be just my opinion. I did a two pass shave 1xWTG and 1xATG. Smooth DFS+ no complaints. The only thing I didn't really enjoy(and mind you this is due to inexperience) is that I am used to a traditional European style straight/shavette, which has a certain restriction on your movements. Here there is much more freedom and it made some of my strokes not as confident as I would have liked, but again this a ME issue, and it just means that more shaves with such an instrument should be had.

Another quick shoutout to SW and Desairology! THIS SCENT IS SIIIIIIIIIIIIICK! I think I have found my new favourite barbershop scent! JUST. SO. FUCKING. GOOD. And the way I paired it with H25 by Hermes, it was sublime! Amazing combo for me!

Comment continues below:

June 9, 2024

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Hygge
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw – Amber Bomba Toner

Hygge is an updated barbershop, a new take on something old. As always, Ben provides his memories he has for each scent, so I think it is fitting that I reflect on this scent. My barbershop smelled of burnt hair and perm, from whatever (insert preferred generic word like Super, Master, or Expert)-Cuts mall place I went to for years. Come late college, I ended up at my first barber; open windowed where everyone watches the barbers who were rehabilitated convicted folks. They were incredibly good albeit slow. New city – had to get a new barber. Not as good but they did something new. After the neckline shavette, they splashed me with aftershave. A barbershop scent, probably Pinaud. Onto today, I smell the citrus and oakmoss and the masculine musk off the tub in Hygge. It definitely has the similarities to the “classic” barbershop that I smelled years ago. But more. It is sophisticated and updated, new and improved, representative of growth of both the barbershop scent and Ben as a perfumer. It has a more citrusy piney note that I detect, and more depth of which I cannot specifically pick out but lingers on my face. Hygge is a new modern take. Barbershops, for me, evoke a sense of self finding – even though my barbershop journey seems pretty inconspicuous as far as growth. It really was a defining time period for me as I was discovering myself. Cleaning myself up to look respectable, switching into a career, moving city to city, developing relationships with new people and friends. But I am still me throughout it, just a more updated version.

Today is my passion hobby day, the freshly roasted chicken in the back represents several interlinked hobbies which all revolve around our food system and my obsession with it. I lurk in r/backyardchickens, r/chefit, r/cooking, r/composting, r/fermentation, r/foraging, r/organicgardening, r/permaculture, r/sousvide, r/grilling to name a few. This chicken represents me. Its a local, fully pasture raised, organic freedom ranger, prized for flavor and not breed for consumerism and monoculture money gains. Seasoned with only salt – allowing the chicken to shine and be valued for its flavor merits. I am a very technical cook so hopefully this shows it. I value the organic farming techniques this chicken was raised with; including crop and livestock rotation, open pastured animals, and building soil (ie, compost, compost tea, recycling of a diverse farm like using chicken manure to feed plants). This chicken was sliced onto a salad with Gem lettuce, French radish, strawberries, and scallions; all grown a stones throw from my house and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Its bones will be used for stock to complete the cycle.

Photocontest

Challenge: 38% with 12/32. Embarrassed to say I missed a very cheesy answer.

FOF

June 09 2024: Shave and a Haircut

• Brush: AP Shave Co Beehive w/ 28mm G5C #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Solingen Best Silver Steel 6/8 #STR8SNOB
• Lather: CaYuen Workshop - Le Coiffeur
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville

Anybody else use this soap today? From the website: Step back in time to the classic barber shop with our evocative fragrance. The scent opens with the invigorating charm of bergamot, whisking you to an era of dapper gentlemen. As you breathe in, the herbal allure of fresh basil entices like aromatic tonics on the shelves. Oakmoss infuses the air with the nostalgia of old leather chairs, while white patchouli adds a touch of sophistication, like a well-groomed mustache. Transport yourself to a bygone era, where the essence of timeless elegance and masculine refinement fills the air, creating a truly unforgettable experience.

To call using this soap a truly unforgettable experience might be stretching the truth a bit. It's fine. Smells light and vaguely barbershoppy, but it really is just completely forgettable. Barrbarr and Seville were a nice combination to finish it off though. The theme of my shave today is barbershop scents, if that wasn't already clear.

I got 17/32 and had fun reminiscing to college when Sporcle quizzes were a brief but intense fad.

Sponsor Spotlight is Summer Break Soaps, and they are deserving of the spotlight. Without Summer Break there would be no Remote Learning, a scent that has strangely grown on me over the past few months.

Jun. 8, 2024
Brush: Noble Otter Declaration Grooming B10 SHD Badger
Razor: Parker 94R Heavyweight
Blade: Gillette 7 O’Clock Black [3]
Lather: Noble Otter - Barrbarr - Soap
Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr - Aftershave
Post Shave: GreenBox - Alum
Fragrance:* Noble Otter 🦦 - Barrbarr

Barbershop 💈 Sunday meet:

BarrBarr Shop Sunday

This set and Plunder were the first two NO set I bought.

Barbershop, Bay Rum, and Sandalwood are my favorites in “scent notes”. I have various versions of all of them.

The razor is very nice, but I only use it during the LG so I likely need to sell it.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

09 June 2024 Complementary Non Dickkhole Caties Bubbles Tonsorial Parlour

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Prometheus Red Boti Fan 28mm
• Razor: Aylsworth Apex
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (41)
• Lather: Caties Bubbles - Tonsorial Parlour (1)
• Post Shave: Seaforth! - Spiced A/S
• Post Shave: Thayer's Concoction
• Post Shave: Good Oleo
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm
• Fragrance: Seaforth! - Heather

Cheers

• June 9
• Brush: Omega 10098 Boar
• Razor: Aylsworth Razors - Drakkant
• Blade: Treet Carbon Steel
• Lather: Ariana & Evans – Barbiere Sofisticato
• Post Shave: Epsilon – Blue Mediterranean
• Fragrance: Azzaro – Chrome

Barbiere Sofisticato impressed me from the moment I unscrewed the top of this sample. They claim the scent is like walking into an old-world barbershop and who am I to argue? I imagine a place where the air is thick and everyone knows each other. The type of place where old-timers would gather and there was a true sense of community. Aromas of fine leather, woods, bergamot, and a hint of powdery sweetness would fill the room. It’s masculine, refined, and delightfully nostalgic. The lather was rich, creamy, and super slick. I have no complaints at all with this soap. As the razor effortlessly glid across my face, I couldn't help but imagine I’m being taken back to a time when grooming was an art form and barbers also doubled as surgeons, and every stroke of the blade was a testament to precision and care. This is not just a shave; it’s a ritual. an homage to the traditions of old.

For my splash, I reach for the Epsilon’s Blue Mediterranean Splash. This aftershave splash gave a chilling blast of menthol on this warm summer day. It’s supposed to be an exact reproduction of Floid Blue, which is a classic in barbershops. The initial zing is a reminder of its potency, waking up the senses and invigorating the soul. It’s a truly lovely refreshing contrast to the rich, warm lather of the soap, adding a touch of zest to the classic barbershop theme of the day.

To finish, I sprayed a couple spritzes of Azzaro Chrome. This fragrance is light and invigorating. With its crisp notes intertwined with nuances of bergamot, oakmoss, citrus and aquatic freshness, it adds a final layer of complexity to the barbershop theme of the day. It’s clean and vibrant, and ties the scents of today together wonderfully.

And there we have it, folks. I’m felling and smelling wonderful - like the epitome of barbershop Sofisticato.

Challenge: I didn’t do so hot. 3/32. I need practice.

Jun. 9, 2024
Brush: AP SHAVECO AP400B XL 28 mm (G5C)
Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #MODERNGEM #FLIPTOP * Blade: Personna GEM PTFE Coated [2]
Lather: Barrister And Mann - Seville Shaving Soap (Omnibus Base) - Soap
Post Shave: Barrister And Mann - Seville AS Splash - Aftershave
Post Shave: Barrister And Mann - Seville AS Balm - Balm
Fragrance: Barrister And Mann - Seville - EdT

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Sunday, June 9, 2024

• Brush: Declaration Grooming - Unicorn Ivory Jefferson - 28mm B7
• Razor: Karve Shaving Co. - Overlander (Matte Black Aluminum)
• Blade: Personna Med Prep
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Bandwagon - Soap
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Bandwagon - Liniment

Jun. 9, 2024
Prep: Cremo - Coconut Mango Shave Cream - Preshave
Brush: Semogue Owner's Club Mistura Badger & Boar Ash Wood #mistura * Razor: RazoRock Lupo 72 OC #cnc * Blade: Voskhod Teflon [1]
Lather:* House Of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Jun. 9, 2024 Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits * Brush: Chisel & Hound Quartermoon
Razor: Yates Winning Ti
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue * Lather: Shannon’s Soaps Ltd. - Barbershop * Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber * Post Shave: Osma - Alum
Post Shave:* Jack Black - Double-Duty Face Moisturizer

12/32 👎🏻

ROTY

June 9, 2024 – Chop chop

• Brush: Zenith Boar
• Razor: Maggard V3
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (2)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Pinaud – Clubman

I was oddly excited about this day of LG. I’m not a crazy barbershop fan but I was still excited to put together a nice shave for this day. There’s a story about going to a black beauty supply store on my lunch break to purchase what is definitely one of if not the most iconic bottles of aftershave, especially in the barbering world, but I’m not going to try to wax poetic this evening. I’m just enjoying everyone else’s posts. Today was my “Friday”, three twelve hour shifts in a row and I’m bushed. So what a better shave to finish off the workweek.

To start off with I had to break out the boar to honor the barbering profession. I was excited to try out ghost town barber but in the end was a bit let down in terms of scent, starting with Seville as my first full tub of soap set the bar pretty darn high, but the performance was great. And the moment I’ve been waiting for perfectly powdery nightcap of Pinaud Clubman.

Challenge: very challenging, at first I was too thick to figure out how to play the game and then I went 7/32. Fine, I knew a couple more and brain farted. Strange to think my brain is putting together all this information when I have only owned samples of three of these scents.

Be well. Cheers!

https://imgur.com/a/sotd-lg-6-9-2024-6LvrFdT

• Prep: PAA - The Cube 2.0
• Bowl: Naked Armor - Silver Fox Scuttle
• Brush: Wolf Whiskers - Midnight Orchid with Clear Purple Base Custom Shape Black Wolf Synthetic Knot
• Razor: OneBlade - Genesis #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Kai - Best Carbon Steel
• Lather: Mike's Natural Soaps - Barber Shop
• Post Shave:   Fine - American Blend
• Post Shave: Omega - Alum Stick

I used my OneBlade Genesis today. I have tried hard to like this razor, but I can't seen to get a good shave. I have used the Feather blades and also found these Kai Best blades. They are plain Carbon Steel. That is the only reason I used the OneBlade today, the Kai Best was the only Carbon Steel Blade I had and wanted to use the hashtag. The other thing about my OneBlade is that I picked it up used and pretty cheap because it is engraved with someone else's name. I told my family (and keep telling myself) that it is a special edition version. That is why it has some other dude's name on it.

Back to my shave. I like Mike's soaps. They lather really well! I enjoyed my shave despite the razor I used. Keeping to the barbershop theme, I used Fine American Blend aftershave.

Lather Games Scent Quiz was one of the hardest quizzes I have ever taken and I have a doctorate! 6/32. I only got the simple ones and the soaps I own.

My personal goal of using a different blade, razor, brush, aftershave and soap brand still going strong. I used my brand new custom Wolf Whiskers brush. Thanks Peter! Still having a blast!

ROTY

June 9, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts B11
• Razor: Dr. Squatch Safety Razor #RAINBOW
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - BarrBarr
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville

Daily Write-Up
I like Hygge. It’s also my least-favorite HoM soap that I own. So it pained me to use HoM here, but that’s where it fits.

I wrote the quiz, and still couldn’t get all the answers. I got 30/32 - I had forgotten the second AA Shaving and Wholly Kaw scents.

Sorry that some had challenges with it - I tested it on a number of different devices, and it worked fine.

Soap Theme Justification
Hygge is marketed as “a Danish concept which conveys a sense of comfort and togetherness. The concept reminds us of an old-fashioned barbershop, where people come together to enjoy relationships and the simple everyday pleasure of a good shave.”

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
Barbershop scents, three very different ways.

You have the cold wintery Hygge, the nutmeg-spicy Barrbarr, and the powdery, citrusy Seville.

SOTD June 09, 2024 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85MM Safety Razor
• Blade: Van Der Hagen Stainless
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Monarch balm

09JUN2024

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG24 w/26mm Paragon Synthetic
• Razor: GEM Pushbutton
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE [10]
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Wanderer
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Wanderer

As you can see, a clear Barbershop scent.

Zingari Man's The Wanderer creates an amazing smell that makes it rather hard to beat in the Barbershop department while also giving a clear ode to the Italian Heritage of Barbershop ideals, with Sego meaning Tallow, and Zingari itself being the feminine Italian word for "Gypsies". Funny enough making Zingari Man an improper-ish name, but still an amazing brand. And when I say amazing, I mean AMAZING. Heather has done a fantastic job of making this brand and the scents therein very memorable.

Naturally I had to use my matching LG24 today, and not only that, my Pushbutton (yet again duh) with a GEM blade for the now tenth time lmao. Still going strong, and no nicks or scratches today! For the 10th use in a row this blade is definitely holding strong.

I did not participate in the challenge today as I am slightly mentally challenged already. I would not have passed this challenge to save my life. I hope you guys enjoyed today's theme as much as I did!

ROTY

June 9, 2024 - Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Declaration Grooming B5 Dark Amethyst

• Razor: Wolfman Razors 1.00 WR2/WRH2

• Blade: Wizamet

• Lather: Zingari Man - The Master

• Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Master

Great shave this evening overall, but I think this scent is a bit too dark for how hot and humid it is here in Mississippi. Just happy to wrap up an extremely long weekend with a nice shave. Hope everyone has a great week!

Managed to hit 10/32 on the challenge today. Not good, but not the worst I guess. Several artisans that I've got no experience with unfortunately.

June 09, 2024 – LG24 Day 9 - Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Ever-Ready 100 handle w/ 17mm Boar knot #HOLLOW #RUNT
• Razor: Eversharp Schick Injector Type G Variant 4 #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Blade: Schick Stainless Steel Injector (1)
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Master
• Post Shave: Zingari Man – The Master Recovery Splash
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Barbershop Solid Cologne

Daily Theme & Relevant Post/Frag: Barbershop scents bring back flashes of memory from my youth. It doesn't matter if it's a classic like Stirling Barbershop, a western twist like CF Ghost Town Barbershop, a spooky twist like SW Desairology, a dark and spicy twist like Zingari The Master, or the Crafter's Choice Barber Shoppe EO & FO Blend 123 found in countless soaps, I am transported back to the 60's sitting in our hometown barbershop doing my best to behave while my dad bonds with his friends over coffee. I've forgotten over 90% of the shit that I've encountered in my 61 years on planet earth, but my barbershop memories are tattooed on my brain.

Shawn Maher scents really "click" for me, so Zingari The Master was my choice for today's theme soap and relevant post. Wanting to keep the classic barbershop memory going throughout the day, I went with Stirling Barbershop solid cologne for my frag.

Shave: For being a miniature brush (by my standards) the Ever-Ready boar runt performed surprising well. Because of the lack of bristle volume in the runt, I had work overtime to get the lather properly hydrated. Luckily the Sego base was cooperative, and I eventually got the hydration where it needed to be. This was my first time using the Shick Injector blades (the ones that come in the yellow blister pack and made in China). Boy, am I impressed. I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform over the long haul.

Daily Challenge: Look at how great I am! A 100% score with 1:03 time remaining. Now here's the rest of the story: While trying to figure out how the quiz worked, I inadvertently selected start, panicked and immediately cancelled the quiz. To my surprise, all of the quiz results magically appeared on my screen! Being retired US Navy, where our unofficial motto was "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'" I quickly took snapshots of the screen and then contemplated what's next. I decided that I would test my typing skills and see how fast I could type the answers into the quiz. Well, it took my 4:57 to type in the 32 answers I had snapshotted. So, instead of me being an olfactory savant, I'm really a slow-typing cheater...

User cheated on the quiz, and then was honest about it. I was sincerely wondering how someone got them all. Now I know.

Also, can go back to user's KISS post. Missed handle destruction.

June 9, 2024 - Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Yaqi Barber Pole 24mm Tux
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Voskhod (2)
• Lather: Eleven - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Seville
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville

I ended up grabbing this tub with two others during their black tub blowout. I'm so glad I did, and I will most certainly keep a tub or two of Eleven's stuff in my den. It has really enjoyable scents and great performance. I wrapped the shave up with aftershave and fragrance, which are also on theme for today.

When I first opened the quiz I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to get one. I got 17/32, which is just over 50%, so I'm pretty happy. It was a really cool and fun idea, too!

PHOTOCONTEST - Time

June 9, 2024 – Lather Games: Day 9

• Brush: Zenith Moar Boar #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Tatara Muramasa
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Noble Otter – Barrbarr
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Barrbarr

I have an on and off again type relationship with Noble Otter BarrBarr. Sometimes, I think it’s the greatest barber shop scented soap and aftershave I’ve ever had the pleasure of using, and other times, I find it to be a bit cloying. For that reason, I generally go longer periods before using it again. I figure, this way, I will miss the scent more and forget just how sweet I find it. Fortunately, it’s been awhile since I’ve used it, and I’m loving the scent.

As for the performance Noble Otter products are top notch. I get a nice thick lather, with a nice slickness. I find it rather easy to get the lather going too.

Today’s Challenge: Well, this confirms I have no clue what scents are being used when I shave. I mean, I really just go with what smells good to me. Almost all of the time, unless it’s just a few powerful scent notes (e.g. vanilla, lemon, mint…), I can’t tell what my sniffer is picking up. I got a whopping 4 out of 32, and two of those were lucky guesses.

Okay. Thanks! How do you tell when the bot checks it? Also, is there a way to see scores?

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

Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Vitae Taper w/AP Shave Co 26mm Pure Bliss™ SHD Premium Synthetic Knot #COMPOSITE #FAUXFUR #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #TOLL
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #FLIPTOP #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna PTFE Coated Stainless GEM
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Daddy Longlegs
• Post Shave: Pinaud Clubman - Aftershave Lotion
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Tempo Rubato

Daily Gratitude
Thanks to u/KerblimeySkal for the soap sample. Thanks to ShavinginCT for the fragrance sample. Thanks to EldrormR for including some free blades with my MM24. Thanks to our wonderful judges and other people for putting this whole thing together.

Daily Mistakes
None, I am perfect.

Daily Writeup
Just got done playing Hypixel Skyblock for like 15 hours so it's a late shave and writeup lol. Not much to say about the shave today. Soap is good, not anything special but definitely good. The fragrance smells terrible, I thought I would enjoy it based off of scent notes and because it's kind of jazz themed but yeah it's bad.

Daily Theme Points
Daddy Longlegs is advertised as a 1920s barbershop scent.

Daily Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance Points
Everyone knows Pinaud Clubman aftershave as the absolute classic when it comes to barbershops, almost every barbershop in America has been using Pinaud Clubman for decades, including my barbershop. As for the fragrance I thought I would go for a matching 1920s themed Jazzy almost Barbershop quartet kind of thing, name and the description are pretty nice and relevent because I'm a total band kid but the scent is terrible! But it also has some citrus which is generally considered a barbershop scent.

Daily Challenge
uh... 3%. I got stuck on Barrister and Mann. But I got AA Wapiti right first try! It was the only one I could remember.

Hardware Scavenger Hunt
No new hashtags because I'm too lazy to change razors and have to make new hashtags, I just copy paste. If you want to see my reasoning for these hashtags look at my previous SOTDs.

Photo Contest
Hobby, this is my first of 2 Bauer Lites, this one with Vertex V1 switches and Drop + biip MT3 Extended 2048 Dark keycaps.

TL;DR
I win rookie of the year thank you very much give me my prize. Except I don't know soap names off the top of my head.

Side Contests

photocontest

ROTY

June 9, 2024

• Brush: Commonwealth ‘CW’ Badger, purchased for cheap on Ebay
• Razor: Fatip Piccolo Slant Closed Comb
• Blade: Schick Stainless
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Murphy and McNeil - Nantahala
• Fragrance: Geo. F. Trumper - Eucris EdP

Oakmoss. It’s not a moss, it’s a species of lichen. It’s also hard to describe what it smells like. For some reason it reminds me of antique wood. It has a dry, kind of varnish-y quality to it. I have trouble associating the smell with anything fresh or youthful. It’s distinguished, not playful or spontaneous.

Some “barbershop” scents incorporate oakmoss (or something meant to approximate it—real oakmoss can cause skin irritation). But in most barbershop scents oakmoss is mixed with other notes to create complex, layered fragrances. So along with the intensity of oakmoss you get brighter notes such as fruits and florals, as well as green notes and spices. One commonality among barbershop scents I’ve tried is that they tend to have a lot of notes listed.

Ghost Town Barber, of course, is marketed as a barbershop scent. Chiseled Face says it contains oakmoss, along with other intense notes such as smoke and gunpower. The soap produced a good lather and overall I like how it smells.

Murphy and McNeil Nantahala is not marketed as a barbershop scent. It does have a backcountry theme (referencing the mountains of Western North Carolina) which complements the ‘Old West’ imagery associated with Ghost Town Barber. And it has a lot going on (14 or more notes, according to the artisan), from fruits and florals to pepper and patchouli to wood and water. I can’t claim to have picked up on every single one of the notes in the aftershave, but I like it and think it could be classified (if one cares to do so) as a barbershop-adjacent scent. It gives off a fresher, airier richness than contrasts with the dusty, smokey old-timeiness of Ghost Town Barber.

And that brings us to the first ‘barbershop’ fragrance I ever tried: Geo. F. Trumper Eucris Eau de Parfum. This one definitely contains oakmoss (rumors online claim that they still use genuine oakmoss despite the health warnings), along with other rich and potent notes such as sandalwood, musk, and cumin. So yeah, the vibe would be a serious, old-school barbershop of perhaps a century ago. Dream of the 1890s.

On the pop quiz I got 2 of 37 (the first two). I couldn’t figure out how to type in the answers or skip ahead.

There are a lot of paintings of barbershops. There are moody, reflective barbershop paintings by Edward Hopper and Norman Rockwell, as well as cartoonish ones with cats, dogs, or other human and animal caricatures. Many of the examples online, however, showcase the convivial, communal aspect of barbershops that's traditionally (not to say exclusively) been associated with Black America. The example I chose for today’s edition of Brush Strokes is a drawing made in 1946 by the great, prolific artist Jacob Lawrence.

#ROTY

June 09, 2024

• Brush: Prometheus Handcrafts 28mm P2 Handtied

• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley OC B Plate

• Blade: Ladas Super Stainless

• Lather: Zingari Man - The Wanderer - Soap

• Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Wanderer - Balm

• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Bandwagon

Same same scent as yesterday but different, but still same barbershop. This base is much better than yesterdays. I don't know why, but overly treated knots give me such a hard time. This P2 is very similar to B14. I get why people love the pillowy softeness, but it just doesn't have the backbone I'm looking for. Also with these very treated knots, I find myself constantly not having enough lather. I had to reload for the second pass. Maybe if I used the brush more frequently I could dial it in.

Oh snap, a pop quiz? I got 22/32 answers. It took me a sec to figure out the formatting and how to get the answers to submit.

SOTD - 2024-06-09

• Beard Growth: 24 Hours
• Prep: None
• Pre Shave: None
• Brush: Yaqi - Mysterious Space Synthetic
• Razor: Yaqi Katana #ZAMAC
• Blade: Derby Professional - Single Edge
• Passes: WTG x1
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Tres Matres After Shave Splash

• Fragance: Axe Body Spray Deodorant

• Comments: Ghost Town Barber for today! Like the scent, it’s nice and balanced, really like the bourbon and the citrus notes. First time with this base lather was okay, decent base not the best but better than yesterday.

Also a Katana after a long time. Like this one a lot, one the aggressive side.

Also I did the quiz got 0/32 lol!! 😂

#ROTY

June 9, 2024  

• Brush: Dogwood – Badger  
• Razor: Merkur 34C  
• Lather: Maggard Razors – London Barbershop  

I’ll admit I went for the soap with barbershop in the name. Barbershop scents tend to smell like hospital to me.

Challenge: 22% It was the test my nightmares are made of. One where spelling counts and it ONLY matches on correct spelling. I still can’t write b and d the correct direction.

June 9th - barbershop

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Wild West Brushworks
• Razor: Gillette - Fatboy
• Blade: Gillette - Permasharp
• Lather: Spearhead - Fleur de France
• Post Shave: Epsilon - Blue

I scored 9% oof.

This was a tough call for me, I have many available choices for barbershop scents. I really like the note of geranium in this one, I think it sets it apart. Epsilon blue did not pair very well however. I'm quite sad that I wasn't able to snag an EDT of Fleur de France before it was discontinued.

photocontest

theme today was "fill the frame"