LGSOTD 11-Jun-24

• Brush: AP Shave Co. - Lemon Drop 26mm TGN Boar #FRANKENBRUSH #TOLL
• Razor: Yintal - Shavette #RAINBOW
• Blade: Gillette - Silver Blue
• Lather: Gentleman's Nod - Juniper
• Post Shave: Gentleman's Nod - Juniper AS
• Fragrance: Gentleman's Nod - Juniper EDP

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Decent excuse to bring out Juniper Reverie, a really nice, if subtle and fresh-ish scent for spring. The longevity isn't great on my skin but on clothes it hangs around for a decent time. I've only got a couple of Gentlemans Nod sets (this and Ernest), feels like it shares some similarities but I like both so there's no complaints from me.

AP Shave Co. Lemon drop with TGN Boar knot performs brilliant. It's a tall fella (couldn't find my calipers to measure again so it's an old one), but brilliant at whipping up a lather and has fair amount of backbone.

Holly crap though this 'Rainbow' razor is god awful. I could have put something better together with a plank of wood and some cable ties. The blade clamping is non-existent, I had a very dicey moment where the blade slipped out and I had to rearrange mid-shave. How I managed to get away with my face intact I have no idea. As soon as this thing is over and done with, it's going in the bin, wouldn't give this to my worst enemy!

Challenge - Colour Coordinated

I hated this challenge, at one point I had an entire picture where it was pretty much all yellow, hurt my eyes to look at it. So despite the massive amount of time allowed, this was the best of the bunch.

Photocontest

On the plus side I managed to sneak some 'Birds' into it without it being too random.

Have a good'un all.

Cheers

Marc

June 11, 2024 – Green Shoots

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Judges comments: grass

Day 11

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

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

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

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

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

The #photocontest theme is: Grass.

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

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

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

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

3.) Set Fire to the Rain by Adele

2.) Purple Rain by Prince

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

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

2024-06-11 - Purple Haze

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

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

Unifying Theme: Color Coordinated

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

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

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

But I digress.

#FOF

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

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

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

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

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

Judge comment: purple

June 11, 2024 - Magnolias in the dirt

• Brush: AP Shave Co AP400XL 30mm SynBad
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Noble Otter - Lonestar
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Lonestar
• Fragrance: Noble Otter - Lonestar

My favorite part of spring, living down here, is walking the dog and just being absolutely assaulted by the scent of Magnolia flowers. Lonestar nails the experience of the outdoors down here absolutely perfectly, balancing the magnolia with sage, hay, and other grassy notes. Post-shaves are relevant by trickhole.

I don't really know how much more praise I can give the otter before somebody starts saying I'm a paid shill. Top tier soap, best splash bar none. I guess you could complain that the fragrances don't really evolve much throughout the day. However, I'm not going to do that because Lonestar is the best scent in wetshaving. I stand by that claim.

Today's daily challenge tied in nicely with the photo contest. I went with the theme of The Elements: Earth. Lonestar is colored like the clay dirt down here in Texas, but unfortunately I don't have that. What I do have is this big rock that matches that same kind of bronze-y color. We're coordinating that reddish-orange bronze color through the packaging of the software, and the choice of brass hardware. It's just a nice coincidence that the SynBad knot also has the kind of bronze-y fibers. I picked this specific rock because of it having that defined split between light and dark, and then tried my best to line up the software containers along the line in reverse color. I really like this picture. #photocontest

April Showers Bring May Flowers

• Brush: Omega 10098
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable
• Blade: Astra
• Lather: Ariana & Evans - Fruit de la Passion

photocontest Water.

Today’s Challenge: Color Coordinated

June 11, 2024

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Resolute V20
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: Gentleman’s Nod – Juniper Reverie
• Post Shave: Gentleman’s Nod – Juniper Reverie
• Fragrance: M;Men

This soap/AS scent is marketed as part of GN’s Spring Élan collection. I get big whiffs of citrus and juniper, which should be expected. It is sharp and crisp, a bit strong for my liking. And perhaps I like a bit more “natural” feel to the scents where I can clearly pick out notes that I am more familiar with. The cognac accord is seemingly lost to me but I do notice the florals and coffee, and the incense as the day went on. Or maybe I was just drinking coffee right after I shaved. It was more cologne-y than I expected when reading the description. I used the tiniest bit of fragrance from my 15+ year old bottle of M;Men, with its grapefruit and rosemary notes, before walking into my fragrance free workplace. If you think outdoor shaves are daring…..you have never met 1000 Karen’s descending upon you to let you know how they are allergic to literally anything and they might die if you are within 100 feet of them as they cough right at you to let you know. Overall, this soap/as reminded me of college and getting ready to go out for the weekend. I usually did not use fragrance but many did and I remember the sharp crispness of them. And Juniper Reverie brings me back to MD20/20, Natty Ice, and Admiral Nelson.

Challenge/photo theme: I tried to match up the whites, blues and yellows for the challenge today. I even made sure to include the fragrance. Then I also tossed in an antler from my first buck for an animal (not alive) theme.

Photocontest

FOF

June 11 - April Showers Bring May Flowers

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

Theme: Tres Matres is a floral petrichor fragrance.

Challenge: see SOTD pic

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

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

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

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

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

#photocontest - wood

#FOF

Nice shot!

Jun. 11, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Maggards 26mm Boar

• Razor: Weck Sextoblade

• Blade: Kismet Hair Shaper [4]

• Lather: Noble Otter - RAWR

• Post Shave: Noble Otter - RAWR

• Fragrance: Noble Otter - RAWR

April Showers bring….

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

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

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

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

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

#ROTY #FOF #PhotoContest

that lawn needs weed killer

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

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

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

PHOTOCONTEST - Grass

I really like how this one is framed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Judge comment: blurple Legos

April Showers Bring May Flowers

• 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: Gentleman's Nod - Juniper Reverie
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Classic Aftershave (American)
• Fragrance: Motif Olfactif - Voile D'encens

Daily Gratitude
Thanks to Arch for giving me a killer deal on a soap lot including this soap. Thanks to ShavinginCT for the fragrance sample. Thanks to my mom for buying me the aftershave. Thanks to EldrormR for including some free blades with my MM24. Thanks to my dad for finding a flower and getting the bugs off of it then holding it in front of my SOTD. Thanks to our wonderful judges and other people for putting this whole thing together.

Daily Mistakes
I should have properly planned today better, I originally had a sample set and I knew I would have to change it for the daily challenge but I was so busy I forgot until last minute.

Daily Writeup
Man this cologne smells terrible! I could hardly breathe after applying it. Today was the first day of marching band and it was meh, I don't like marching band. Then I went over to my grandma's house to help her with some arts and crafts but it took way longer then expected so I had to rush to work without shaving. So I just got home from work and put together a shave and shaved and now I am writing this, way past my bedtime because I have marching band early morning tomorrow.

Daily Theme Points
Don't get it wrong, Juniper Reverie is in fact a spring soap, when Gentleman's Nod first introduced the scent they said, "Spring has arrived - And so has a new fragrance collection." Not convinced? Just look at that logo art, looks like some grassy soap to me! Still need some more convincing, look at the scent notes or just smell the soap, "...soft florals," is directly listed as one of the scent notes. Reminds me of before the summer marching band heat, oh how I miss it.

Daily Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance Points
Today for the relevant post shave and fragrance I matched it by color and tone for the daily special challenge. Old Spice is a pretty light bottle but not exactly white so it matched the sky of the soap label very nicely, for the fragrance I went with a fragrance that is more yellowish orange to match the actual grass of the soap label art.

Daily SPECIAL Challenge
I explained a bit in the daily relevant post shave and fragrance section but to finish off the picture I put it with a brush with some white to match good, a white towel, and last but not least, a nice spring light flower to finish it off and make it relevant for the theme.

Hardware Scavenger Hunt
No new hashtags so if you want to know about these ones you can see my previous posts.

Photo Contest
For the photo contest today I went with darkness because frankly that's what reminds me of spring, maybe it's because when I was a very young child I had breathing issues at night occasionally and my mom would take me outside in the cold and smell the lavender with me, and lavender is a springy scent so it's very nostalgic. Today's photo theme I decided to go outside in the dark and have a spring flower to remind me of those days.

TL;DR
Late shave. I win rookie of the year thank you very much give me my prize.

Side Contests

photocontest

ROTY

SOTD - June 11 - Spring

Feb 25, 2024

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

photocontest touch grass

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

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

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

Nice use of grass to match the software and hardware