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: 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.

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.

• 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.

Jun. 9, 2024

• Brush: Paladin Sumo 26mm Boar

• Razor: Blackland Blackbird

• Blade: Personna Lab Blue [4]

• Lather: HAGS - Barberwood

• Post Shave: HAGS - Barberwood

• Fragrance: HAGS - Barberwood

Shave and a haircut 2 bits.

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

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

Soap/As/Frag justification: Direct from HAGS

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

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

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

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest

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

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 – LG 9: Shave and a Hair Cut Two Bits

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

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

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

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

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

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

Haha good effort!

June 9, 2024

• 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 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 - A tale as old as time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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"