LGSOTD 05-July

• Brush:  Haryali - Synthetic Silvertip #FAUXFUR 
• Razor:  Haryali - Travel Razor #JETSETTER 
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium
• Lather: Gillette – Labs Skincare Rapid Foaming Gel   
• Post Shave: L’Oreal Men Expert Hydra Energetic

It has been years since I used canned goop, the last time I used the stuff the sensor excel was still the big thing and I don’t think they’d got above 2 blades in general (or I certainly hadn’t noticed). Squirted some of the gel onto the brush (actually worked quite well).  There seems to be some sort of cooling effect which actually wasn’t unpleasant.  Despite that it will be very unlikely that this will see the light of day again and will probably join the Cella in exile. 

This Haryali synthetic silvertip brush actually isn’t that bad, did an ok job with the gel, barring dollops that were flicked around. Would this thing ever replace my Chubby 2 SiLVERTiP…not a chance on this earth.  However it’s not a bad little brush to throw into the travel bag if I needed something that I didn’t care whether it got damaged or not.  Also went for the Haryali Travel Razor, the shave actually wasn’t that bad, the quality of the finish a lot to be desired though, the plating isn’t great and there was a lot of dust in the handle but it actually gave an ok shave, but rough on the ATG pass but I don't know whether that was partially the fault of the canned goop! 

Theme for the photo scavenger hunt, but I wanted to get space and travel together and stealing my 4 year olds lego was the only way! 

For today's challenge, this is tough for me.  I do not detect subtle notes or understand how scents interact, it’s just not the way I’m wired. So all I can do is a student dinner (see what’s in the cupboard that you like, throw it together and hope you can keep it down)...so to that end:

I absolutely love Noble Otter Plunder, the strong smoke coming off it is amazing, so I would take that with a good helping of Tom Ford Ombre Leather and a touch of A&E Tobacco Road, and maybe a dash of vanilla (not sure about that one and it's probably in the others somewhere). If you were to crack on for a soap as well, do the same but add to that just a touch of cooling agent (think Stirling Margaritas in the Arctic strength, not B&M Terror - I still have some horrid flashbacks to a very unfortunate incident) and that’d be me.  Smoky, leather, Tobacco, Vanilla and the soap with a hint of chill.  At least in my head that would work for me, whether it would in reality is a completely different matter.

Have a good one all.

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

July 5, 2023

• Razor: Gillette Sensor 3
• Lather: Gillette – Comfort Advantage 3 in 1
• Post Shave: Thayers – Rose Petal

Well, this was a shave. Not great, not terrible. I'm certainly not planning on giving up wetshaving anytime soon for it, but honestly, multiblade disposables and canned goop isn't too terrible. And it's all readily available from Target.

I spent yesterday thinking about what my perfect scent would be, and I think I eventually came to a conclusion:

1. If USS_Spongebob is reading, it's this. There cannot possibly be any other, better scent. Bonus points if there's enough in a soap to cause ~~permanent facial damage~~ long lasting post shave feel.
2. If you are not USS_Spongebob, I think some combination heavily featuring rose, honey, fig, and stone fruits would be a great scent. I now realize that this is more or less Restore from House of Mammoth (Side note: Ben, please restore Restore)

​

DQ Police to the tune of Hip Hop Police by Chamillionaire

Lyrics:

Go, go, go, go, go, go

Keep shavin', homie

Go, go, go, go, go, go

They on the soap

Go, go, go, go, go, go

Keep shavin', homie

Go, go, go, go, go, go

They on the soap

With so much drama in the subreddit

DQ police are listenin'

Be careful of your Reddit history

Looks like another unshaved mystery

It's lather, lather, lather

Ah, it's lather, lather, lather

Yeah, it's lather, lather, lather

Somebody tell 'em it's lather

Lather was the case and they blamed me

Officer, I didn't do it, you can't blame me, make claims

Could you please loosen up the rules in these games?

You can call me what you wanna, man, but I’m still a shaver

No cooperation is exactly what you will get

'Til I talk to my lawyer, you get nothing from me

You've obviously been watchin' too much IamCBD

I'm not a crash dummy, so don't even try

To talk your dirty trash to me, no BFI

If you are not guilty of anythin', then why did you stammer?

'Cause you the DQ police, and, plus, I saw you raising your ban hammer

And the scuttle wasn't empty it was obviously one

If you think I'm believin' that one then you're obviously dumb (huh?)

I know that you heard the sirens, you dived in

To the soap you was latherin' and shavin' in

Instead you shouldn't be whinin', but abidin' by the law

Now it's obvious that you're lyin'

With so much drama in the subreddit

DQ police are listenin'

Be careful of your Reddit history

Looks like another unshaved mystery

It's lather, lather, lather

Ah, it's lather, lather, lather

Yeah, it's lather, lather, lather

Somebody tell 'em it's lather

Lather was the case and they blamed me

Sang and recorded a song.

Another crisp mango song. Is he doing these every day?

July 05, 2023

• Brush:
• Razor: Gillette - King C Gillette
• Blade: Feather (3)
• Lather: Gillette - Pure - Cream
• Post Shave:

Ugh, another brushless shave. A little better with a cream. Just one pass to look somewhat ok. Pure is unscented, but it smells kind of medicinal to me - similar to the Nivea balm, maybe a little bit stronger.

Last day of summer for me! Heading back to “winter” in Australia - on my way to the airport as I’m posting this.

My scent notes for the challenge:

Grapefruit, Bay, Lemongrass, Rosemary

Have a great day folks!
Roll down your car window, sunglasses on - and turn up the volume!

Music
“Existe Uma Voz” - Rogê Spotify / YouTube

Jul. 5, 2023
Razor: Green Cult GC 2.0 II
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
Lather: Nivea For Men - Sensitive Shaving Gel - Soap
Post Shave: Bulldog - Original After Shave - Balm

2nd canned goop shave of the lather games, still feel sticky after use. Bright side is I cheered myself up by thinking of the perfect scents for me. I will add I didn’t use a brush because it was just a pain to wash it afterwards.

I came up with:

sea salt, ozone, Patchouli (farmer at the sea side)

Aquatic and patchouli are my 2 favourite notes so hard to argue against this one

Lime, funky rum, sugar (Daiquiri)

Like is crazy refreshing and funky rum keeps it interesting.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Lather Games 2023 Day 5

• Prep: Warm water
• Brush: APSaveCo - 28MM G5A SHD
• Razor: Gillette - Slim Twist England
• Blade: Gillette - Platinum
• Lather: Kapo - Classic
• Post Shave: Osma - alum block
• Post Shave: Kapo - Classic

In every grocery store even in a small villages you can find this shaving cream. Every man in Bulgaria knows it and every man use it even once in his life. In past years in communism was Bulgarian most used shave cream. Mostly because is Bulgarian ( maybe some people in Russia know it ). I remember it from early ages. My grandfather used it. I still have one in Old aluminium packages sealed and maybe I'm gonna pass it through years. Or used because I'm pretty sure I can shave myself after 30 years with it. It's a cheap cream ( about 2-2.50$ for cream and 3-3.50$ for aftershave ) and really a "chemical" but hey do the job. Have a really good slickness and make lather really really quick but dries the skin and that's why I don't like it very much. The aftershave is strongly alcohol the fragrance is mix between citrus, menthol and classical barber shops scent. When I use it memories comes in my mind about my grandfather who shaves every morning even if he stay at home all day. Which was like tradition to him or habit. Once he told me that when he was in trenches in World War 2 find his way to shave but you know he was from this old kind people tough son of a bitch. And maybe most of your grandfathers and fathers did that too. Very cheap materials to shave but really rich in precious memories! I write it in original name on Cyrillic " Kapo" and if I have to write it and translated to English I have to write it "Caro" and corresponds to "diamonds" in deck of cards. For safety razor I choose old Gillette Slim Twist England. I bought it a few months ago for 5$ just because I don't have nothing from my father and grandfather like shaving tools. I Try to remember and to find something near to the memories of what they useed. I was on early ages when he passed away. And I am amazed how good quality they make so long ago. Precised, everything works perfect. Even now this is great everyday shaver competitive with modern and expensive safety razors. Was a great day with great shave. I appreciate this games more and more.

ROTY

Lather Games Day 5- Canned Shave Goop Day AKA Djudges Revenge Day

• Prep: Hot Shower - Preshave
• Brush: Shore Shave 26mm Motherlode
• Razor: Razorock Gamechanger .84
• Blade: Astra SP Green (4)
• Lather: Barbasol - Soothing Aloe
• Post Shave: Mäuer & Wirtz - SIR Irisch Moos AS

Forget what I said about Almonday because TODAY is the day I was least looking forward to. Last year I think I dodged the bullet with this day by using Gillette's Planet Kind that came in the tin. That allowed me to use a brush and have a damn civilized shave. But this year?? What kind of black magic fuckery is this?? People still use this stuff?

This can was purchased at either my local grocery store or CVS several years ago by my stepson and has lived in my basement shower since. Unfortunately, I have never been able to get my stepson, who is an amazing dude and a friggin' genius, to see the light and change the error of his ways of using this shit. But I digress. I haven't used a can of spray goo since I started wetshaving 15 years ago. I probably haven't used Barbasol in like 25 years. So this should be a trip down memory lane.

A memory lane filled with sadness and grief and disgust opened before me upon the first squirt. Thick, gooey and uninviting, the pile of congealed whateverthefuckthatis laid in my hand. I then had to remember how to apply this to my face since I wasn't using a brush and more sadness ensued. There was no lovely sensation of swirling animal hairs across my face in a meditative way, just my man hands smearing this unholy creation across my frowning mug. Yes, I was actually frowning. Yes, I had hate in my eyes and blackness in my soul. This product literally sucked the joy from me within seconds of hitting my palm. I shit you not, there was no joy to be found. I stared at myself in the mirror with this thick ugliness on my face and thought "How did it come to this? And how did I ever allow myself to sink so low in my youth?".

The shave was...functional. Surprisingly, the Gamechanger felt perfectly mild shaving through this surface that had none of the slickness that I am accustomed to. But the post-shave? (Shakes his fits at the Shaving Overlords) The post-shave made Cella Red seem moisturizing and that stuff puckers my skin. God damn my face was tight. My face was Joan Rivers after 12 facelifts tight. Surprisingly, the Sir Irisch Moos, which is new to the den, did a lovely job of loosening things up (it's way too muggy here to add a balm to the mix). The scent of the splash brought a smile to my face. I've been wanting a bottle of this stuff for years out of sheer curiosity and I pulled the trigger recently. Joy began to return as the fougere-y notes hit my nostrils and I could feel my soul lightening as I skipped out of the bathroom. After taking my SOTD pic, I immediately brought this can of soul-sucking darkness back down to the basement shower. This bastardization should never see the bright light of day. No wonder there is so much sadness and gloom in this world thanks to products like these.

Today's Challenge: Whew, now that I have crawled out of the darkness that was shaving with Barbasol, it is time for me to come into the light scent-wise. Honestly, I'm a simple scent kind of guy and my wife is super sensitive to scents as well. She mostly hates my soap and aftershave collection, but the few things she likes are simple and bright.

My scent notes would be:

Lemongrass, ylang ylang and wild orange as the top notes. Drop a little Bay in there. If I can get a slight (non-menthol) cooling note in that, I would be happy. I'm pretty sure the wife would be too.

Have a great day all!

Canned Shave Goop day

Prep: Warm Shower

Brush: N/A

Razor: Bic Metal

Blade: Bic

Lather: Gillette Series gel - Sensitive

Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Aftershave

Fragrance: Burberry Splash

The shave gel is from Sobeys grocery store, the razors are from Amazaon,all the other software was picked up at my local drug store. It works ok and is inexpensive. Have a great day.

July 5, 2023 – Canned Goop

• Brush: Trader Joe’s 24mm synth
• Razor: Maggard V3
• Blade: 7am Hi Platinum Durablade (5)
• Lather: Pre de Provence – 63
• Post Shave: Proraso – Green Tea & Oat

PdP 63 is, in my experience, widely available at overpriced supermarkets (Whole Foods and the like) from coast to coast. Like most widely available canned goop, it gives a good enough shave but it’s nothing to write home about. My shaving brush also came from a grocery store. Trader Joe’s had a soap/brush/aftershave shaving kit for Christmas a few years back. Again, it gets the job done but it’s nothing to write home about.

Something something perfume challenge.

Important Information

If you're using services other than Imgur - like goo.gl or 1drv - there's a very good chance Automod's going to flag your SOTD as spam and send it to the mod queue without telling anyone. Your SOTD could sit unseen in the mod queue for an indeterminate amount of time resulting in your SOTD not being visible to the judges until a day or two after you posted it.

If you're trying to win this thing, don't trust your pics to sites Automod doesn't trust.

July 05, 2023 – June Shaves

• Brush: Cayuen Abalone w/ 28mm Timberwolf Synthetic
• Bowl: Timeless Shave Bowl, Blue
• Razor: WSC – Winning Razor, mirror polished, w/ Timeless Titanium Crown razor handle
• Blade: Voshkod (2)
• Lather: Cremo Cooling Shave Cream

I haven't really touched Cremo since I got started all those years ago. Some folks use this as a pre-shave "soap" to help smooth out the spots, which is a good idea. The shave is decent enough, this isn't quite as slick as I remember, but I just find I have so much more fun with the regular tubs of soap.

Perfect scent: a mixture of powdery notes from your traditional barbershop mixed with the harsh, jagged fore notes from CF Midnight Stag (gun oil, leather, smoke, etc.). Throw in a few more fougere hints from The Graveyard and you've got a winner.

Have a nice Wednesday!

#LatherGames #CannedShaveGoop

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5073Bq6mNZk ← The Bizarre Airplane Design That Shook Up Aviation

July 5, 2023 – Canned Goo Day

• Razor: Gillette Mach 3 Turbo
• Lather: Barbasol

Canned Goo day is upon us. No trouble picking out what to use today. The father of all canned goo-Barbasol. Pair that with three hours of sleep after staying up too late watching people light money on fire, a quick shower and a Gillette Mach 3. If you are going for drug store variety, that is the combo to use. No aftershave today. I have some Aqua Velva somewhere but my wife was already complaining I was being too loud, so I gave up the search.

https://imgur.com/a/YTQRTy9

• Lather: Gillette - Pure Cream
• Razor: Gillette Trac II
• Post Shave: Duke Cannon - Ice Cold Balm

So I tripled down today. At the beginning of 2022 I was stationed in Germany and had to go to a school for a little over a month in Alabama. The trip out there was challenging to say the least. It snowed pretty hard the night before and I needed to get to the base shuttle so early that the roads weren't plowed yet. My daily driver is a Ford Fiesta ST (with snow tires at that time). I'm pretty sure I plowed a little of the road myself. On the shuttle ride to Frankfurt, we lost a windshield wiper and a few of us rigged up something to get us the rest of the way there. After an uneventful flight on a 767, I landed in Charlotte, wheeled my luggage through customs, and took a puddle-hopper flight to Montgomery. While I made it to Montgomery relatively unscathed, my baggage didn't...evidently the plane was overloaded and they left some of our bags behind. This was Saturday and class was starting on Monday. All of my stuff to include uniforms and more importantly my shaving gear was in my checked baggage...which didn't arrive until late on Tuesday. So I went over to the BX (base store) and got all the shaving gear you see above.

The shave was fine. Not great, but not the worst I've had. The cream actually is really slick and smells clean, as mass market crap tends to do. The razor delivered a decent shave, while it was a bit rough. The balm is pretty menthol-heavy but did the job just fine.

Onto the daily challenge, my preferences have changed over time. When I first got started with wet shaving I was into wood scents. Then I got into smokey scents and Fougeres. At some point I bought a ton of Dr. Jon's 13 and the oud featured there became my favorite scent. If I had to pick today, I'd say a scent that featured oud coupled with a Fougere and maybe accented with lime and smoke would check all the boxes.

Have a great day folks!

7/5/23

• Brush: None
• Razor: Thiers Issard "Evide Sonnant" 6/8, Extra Hollow Round Point
• Lather: Barbasol - Original
• Post Shave: Nivea Men - Sensitive Post Shave Balm

Picked this can of Barbasol up the other day at the Safeway down the street from me. Its been a minute since I've used something like this. I sprayed some globs in my hand and wiped it over a wet face. It still felt fairly dry, so I splashed a little water on my hands and rubbed in the lather on my face. This actually really stepped up the Barbasol game. I don't know if this is a standard approach, I know I haven't done it like that before, but man what a difference. Definitely wasn't terrible.

The Nivea I've had for some time and picked up at the same safeway. It's not a terrible balm by any means. Prior to getting HoM - Z balm, this is what I'd use if my technique lacked during a shave and it has worked just fine for me.

The Evide Sonnant I chose for no particular reason to fit this. I'd thought about using a disposable to fit the theme, but at the same time I was curious how a straight would do with this kind of lather.

For an ideal scent, I want incense. I want to straight smell like I'm standing at the incense section of a head shop. A little something like: Frankincense, Myrrh, Patchouli, Dragon's Blood, Nag Champa, Sandalwood and Lavender.

#ROTY

Jul. 5, 2023

• Brush: Craving Shaving Red Mesh
• Razor: Gillette Black Tip
• Blade: Perma Sharp (2)
• Lather: Edge - Sensitive Skin - Soap
• Post Shave: Nivia - Sensitive Skin - Balm
• Post Shave: Osma - Alum

Whoever came up with “Drugstore Day” is a sociopath….

Why else would we be sent back to the places that we escaped from many years ago….

The drugstore shaving aisle….

I found this can of Edge gel in the bottom of the linen closet. We keep stuff like this for guests, in case they forget something when they come to visit.

I squirted the gel on the brush and began to lather. Slapped in on my face and went to town. 2 passes. There is nothing more to say about this horrible experience.

I am a big fan of "seasonal" scents.....

I used to use something with lots of Lime in the Summertime. So Lime, Bergamot, Neroli would be the basis of any Summer scents...

For the cooler months, I am a big fan of Bay Rum(s). I like Bay Rums with a "twist", like Plunder, or Hook, or B-Cubed. Bay, Rum, Pachouli, Grapefruit, Cloves, Cinnamon...

Finally, today's musical selection.... I have actually heard this on "Muzak"....

R.E.M. - Man On The Moon

**Wed Jul 05 2023**
* **Prep:** A hot shower
* **Razor:** Merker 34C HD
* **Blade:** Feather HI Stainless
* **Brush:** Perfecto Badger
* **Lather:** Barbasol - Classic Cream
* **Post Shave:** Pinaud - Clubman AS Lotion

Day 5 of the later games. Goop day way actually not to bad. Still miss the good stuff, but all in all, good shave.

ROTY

2023-07-04 Canned Goop Shave - That's Goop

• Brush Not Applicable
• Razor Van Der Hagen – Van Der Hagen Traditional Safety Razor
• Blade Van Der Hagen - Stainless Steel Ice Tempered
• Lather: Barbasol - Soothing Aloe (Shave Foam)
• Post Shave: Combe, Inc - Aqua Velva Musk

Okay, so this one has had me the most agitated so far. Yes I used to use goop all the time. However, I have never used canned goop with a DE. Ever. Only with a multi-blade cartridge.

My memory of foam (Memory foam?) is that it was slick but nearly completely lacking cushion or really any protection other than being just slick. While my memory hast turned out to be not completely unjustified the equipment chosen, at least the razor, was not the worst pairing.

Well, first off the brush doesn't add anything to this party so let's pop that one off the list. Just not applicable.

Very few DE razors are available for purchase in a Midwestern grocery store. There is a Gillette (King C.) offering, and a Van Der Hagen offering (sometimes a long handle, sometimes a short handle, sometimes a Merkur Futur knock-off). Out of curiosity a few years ago I picked up the short handeled Van Der Hagen out of curiosity. I think I may have seen a Bevel DE at sometime and I am told there is a Dollar Tree razor (which I have still never seen) but yeah mostly Van Der Hagen or King C. Gillette To be charitable the only thing milder that I own is a Fatip il Piccolo Spec Edition, in an OC configuration (a beautiful razor fit only for display: this razor has one side that just pushes lather around and the other side cuts stubble a bit somewhat kinda sort of) I know that is the worst representation of a Fatip so I chose unwisely. The Van Der Hagen blades are a bit rough to me in aggressive razors though they function well enough - however in the razor by Van Der Hagen it is fine because of the inherit mildness of the head design.

Scent on the Barbasol was soapy fresh-ish. Not much to it. A very restrained amount of menthol in the mix was actually nice. It is effectively designed not to offend, not to be remarkable, and arguably not to be memorable.I kind of miss my Dad's favorite Lime Gillette foam from the 1980s but that was something I jsut couldn't find on any shelves.

The Aqua Velva Musk, which was also bought at a grocery, did it's best burn and followed up with a Musk, leather, lemon, tobacco, talc combination that my family finds to be a bit much. In truth I'm fine with it although it will not win any quality or olfactory award. It is a good, basic, traditional aftershave offering that is not mint, aldehyde, or fougere based. So for an alternative basic aftershave scent it is not horrible and only exciting in that it is not mint based.

Um, so, Anyway.

Yeah. That on a 4 pass left me with a bit of stubble. I thought I had it knocked down but I am noticing it as I type this up.

Tomorrow's shave will be better. I know what I have coming up.

My main problem with this shave is the razor. So mild for my rough stubble. Worse I know it will basically have to come back for the cheapest shave on day 28...shudder. Really lather games is the only reason I keep the Van Der Hagen around.

So that is the canned goop shave.

Take care and have a good one.

No Spotify at the moment so here is a manual list of background music for a pharmacy:

This Classic

Another Classic

Yet More

Oh this one is on fire

This one has swing

Awkward but still on theme

This is probably the most retail one I could find!

​

Anywho

​

Take care and have a good day everyone.

​

Ed: fixed text, what a mess. What a goopy mess.

Rick Roll

Jul. 5, 2023
Brush: AP ShaveCo Synbad
Razor: Blackland Vector Ti
Lather: Barbasol - - Soap
Post Shave: Noble Otter - Bare - Aftershave
Post Shave:* Ariana & Evans - Post Shave Balm - Balm

Good old Barbasol. Used it for so long with a DE razor. Honestly this stuff isn’t so bad.

My ideal scent is something almondy with a little bit of citrus or lemon or something else just to brighten it up a bit. Almond Creme from Stirling and Cella red come pretty close. Still looking. Going to try and make a trip out to Maggards this summer to sniff out my favorite.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

July 5, 2023 – Lather games day 5 – AKA Shoppers Drug Mart smells weird

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Badger
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird #CNC
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (7)
• Lather: Nivea – Sensitive shaving gel
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Orbit

It’s been a long time since I’ve used canned goop. To be honest it is quite easy to work with. Inferior to tubs of artisan soap, to be sure. The LG rules are the rules though, right? Overall it was a decent shave, especially with the Blackbird Ti which is just a fantastic razor. I felt a bit dumb using a nice badger brush to lather canned foam (gel) but it worked alright. The addition of Orbit AS took things to new heights (see what I just did there)?

I’m not sure where this Shoppers Spotify playlist comes from, but it sure has all the hits. Fun fact: in Québec it’s not called Shoppers Drug Mart, it’s called Pharmaprix just because Québec.

If I had to make my own scent – oakmoss, vetiver and cannabis essences are what I would put together to have a dark, resinous, dank, green smelling wonder. All of the soaps with cannabis of some kind in them that I have smelled so far just don’t seem to get it right, at least not what it should be in my mind. Terpenes are quite fascinating, and might translate to very interesting scent profiles. I’m not an alchemist soaper though, so who knows? And as emo-raymoonie might say: who cares, right?!

#PhotoContest

July 5, 2023 – A Can and a Man with a Plan

• Brush: Omega 11126, Ovangkol Wooden Handle
• Razor: Fatip Piccolo
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (1)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Old Spice – Can
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

I really have to apologize for that Air Bud Rules guy. No idea what’s going on with him but hopefully he doesn’t crap up anymore.

Today I am 100% using canned shave goop but I am not 100% sure I’ll be getting any credit for it because this is a truly ancient can of Old Spice’s shaving foam, which they no longer make. I’m not sure one should actually something like out loud and make the judges DQing your points easier but let see what happens here.

This can of Old Spice shave soap is probably ten years old and possibly one of the last of its kind on planet earth. While you can pick up some vintage ones for far more than one should pay for canned goop on eBay I’ve never seen one from the last run on there. I honestly only use it once in a very, very little while because it is almost empty. In fact, every time I use it I’m pretty sure it will be the last time I use it because it must be empty, but it miraculously has one more shave in it each time. I picked this can up probably over ten years ago before I started wet shaving and right around the time I heard they were going to discontinue the Old Spice canned goop for good. I bought 12 cans at once from some supplier in Canada (I think) because even then I was a bit obsessed.

This can is the last of those 12 and I, honestly, was probably never going to use it again, letting it sit in the back corner of my bathroom cabinet like an old friend. I used Old Spice shaving foam since I started shaving and its discontinuation and the slow death of this can actually led me to wetshaving and this wonderful community where, despite my best efforts, I’ve made some great friends. This can, sitting there, represented a bit of that, not to mention a whole slew of shaving memories. But I pulled it out, cleared of the dust, from the lid, popped it opened and prayed that I’d get “just one more.” And I did. Old Spice canned goop lives to shave another day!

Of course, the issue is that while this canned goop was once prevalent on any and every store shelf in America that supplied the world with goopy cans of shaving foam it is no longer. You can’t pick it up and the rules (damn them) say that it needs to be geographically close. Obviously, most people don’t hold on to long discontinued cans of shaving foam or if they do find one they throw it the fuck out because why would you keep it? I think the rules were written around that assumption and laid out this way to ensure no arguments for what is canned goop.

Yes, the ex-Air Bud guy, is once again eying a loophole but not one that will shake the very foundations of the Games themselves as before. One built out nostalgia and a serious issue with throwing once ubiquitous shaving foam away.

A perfect original scent? Hmmmm, it would have top notes of citrus and spice, floral mid notes, and a musky base of sorts. I'd probably brand it with a boat or something and call it something Spice... or Old something. Something like that.

July 5, 2023 – Canned Goop Day

• Brush: Rolls Razor – 19mm Pure Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS #RUNT #SMOLL #ANCIENT
• Razor: Gillette – Blue Disposable #RAINBOW
• Lather: Gillette – Sensitive Gel Foam
• Post Shave: Gillette – Wild Rain
• Fragrance: Faberge – Brut Special Reserve

You sadists asked us to use some canned goop today and us poor brits cant even get the cool looking Barbasol from our Supermarkets so I was left with this now redundant paperweight in the form of Gillette Sensitive Foam/Gel/Grot Goop.

I thought I would go whole hog and use the shoddy blue (handy for the rainbow hashtag), now the last time I had a disposable razor touch me I was in a room with a bunch of strangers staring at and then grabbing my precious crown jewels and no this wasn’t on a night out with u/enndeegee (although he is from up north so anything is game but they tend to only breed with first cousins there) thankfully these were trained professionals giving me the snip. As I lay there thinking this was the most undignified thing I had done the Dr thought he was auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent and I was Simon Sodding Cowell just waiting to give him the golden buzzer (or in this case my soon to be purple plums). I sat there just nervously smiling until at last he was done and then we parted ways never to see each other again…. or so I thought until a few months later I was wondering around my local supermarket and who should I bump into but the Comedic genius of a Dr and down the sausage aisle no less, he looked me in the eyes, then at my now seedless old boy then gave me a little chuckle looked at the salami shook my hand before noting the irony of our meeting place and moving on leaving me hoping he was chuckling about the situation rather than my mediocre member.

Back to the featherlight razor and my days was it rubbish to use, the weight or the razor (or rather lack of) and coarseness of my hair made this a near impossible task and I settled for a very patchy shave. I finished up with some old school goodness, Wild Rain and Brut are just great scents that evoke memories of days gone by.

So the daily challenge could also be a way for a few soap artisans to see what’s popular and most requested and then in turn wait for Dodgy Douglas from PAA to steal their ideas anyway.

Firstly the 3 greatest scents known to man already exist

• Diamond
• Fenchurch
• Brut

Nothing I create in my head will ever be better than those for mentioned scents but if I had to hash something together it would have to replicate the scent of my morning cycle into work. Each morning I cycle the same way and there is a certain area where the hedgerow just comes alive with the most wonderful aroma, I’m no gardener but from memory the scent is comprised of Privet, Cowslip, elderflower blossom, and deep purple buddleia, these scents just linger in the morning air and when there has been a hint of rain the scent is just personified to the point slow down just to take it all in.

I just want to talk about that Rolls Razor Brush

2023-07-05 - Death Before Canned Goop

• Brush: Qshave Pure Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Baili BR179 / Rockwell R1 / CVS Goodline Grooming Safety Razor
• Lather: Proraso - Menthol and Eucalyptus
• Post Shave: Stetson - Original, After Shave
• Fragrance: Stetson - Original, Cologne

First off, I know I'm not alone in thinking that Drugstore Day is the worst (also, I apparently can't be arsed to remember the new names of the days). That said, I will play by to your rules, I will hit all the themes (including this one), but I will not use canned goop! I ditched the aerosol a year or more before I picked up DE razors and soap, and I will not go back!

I'm still not over—*choke*—Only a handful of weeks ago, I was stuck in the hospital for some silly "septic shock" or whatever. Psh. After some 5 or so days had passed (which is the longest I've gone without shaving since... I don't know, ever?), I gave in and decided to ask for a razor, hoping for one of those nifty hospital DEs. Instead, what they brought me was... NSFL WARNING
Never again!

Relevant Post Shave and Fragrance: These are both available at a local CVS! I also just realized that I need to disclaim that I got the Stetson aftershave and cologne for free. From my grandfather. Like 25 years ago.

Razor: The Baili BR179 is currently being sold at CVS under their Goodline brand. Some of you may also recognize this razor as the Rockwell R1. A few years ago, the R1 was being offered as a Christmas freebie with exorbitant shipping, which is how I— Ah, dammit, free disclaimer again. How many of those do I have?
Anyway, it does not make for a very good shave, imho. Is it on the aggressive side for a butterfly? Either way, it's chrome and therefore hideous, so the only logical conclusion is that it's also a bad shave? Honestly, though, my skin could be happier.

Much in the same way that the Baili is re-packaged under a store name, Personna blades are known to be underneath a lot of store branding. While I could have gone and paid 8 bucks for 10 blades, why? Especially when I already have what is surely the exact same blade at home!

Side note: store-bought ramekin instead of my fancy-schmancy suribachi bowl.

Lather: There's not much that I can say about Proraso that hasn't been said countless times, including that it appears in such bottom-tier department stores as Marshalls, which is where I— or was it Ross? TJ Maxx? Whatever. Those are all effectively the same, right? Whichever it was, it still counts for today's theme!

Proraso isn't anything to call home about, but it gets the job done without complaints. That's a lot more than I can say about canned goo. It's also a hell of a lot more I can say about Badger soap, which is far worse than the canned stuff. If anyone has Badger for today, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But I applaud you for sticking to the theme without resorting to goop.

#FOF

If you don't know what Proraso Green smells like, it smells like eucalyptus. If you don't know what that smells like, I recommend what I did when I first learned what eucalyptus smells like: I got this soap!
It may seem a little artificial around the edges, but it's cool and inoffensive with a mild menthol sensation. And I don't think it lingers, which should be a win-win in anybody's book! If it doesn't linger, it means you're not tied to the scent just because you used the soap! That's not to suggest that I think it's bad when soaps' own scents do stick around; on the contrary, that's nice when you want to hang on to that scent. But a soap is easier to use if it doesn't, I feel.

Am I inadvertently taking an opposing position to #FOF here, or is the spirit of #FOF in experiencing the varieties of scents through the process of your shaving ritual? I feel like I can better get on board with that, rather than my potentially-erroneous understanding of it being a matter of playing perfumer-in-the-washroom. More on that below with the challenge, of course.

Post Shave/Fragrance: I'm in a position with Stetson where I'm not sure what it's supposed to smell like, which is a position that I prefer because I'm able to take in the whole of the scent without worrying about what I should be perceiving. But if I try, I think maybe there's some citrus on top, maybe tamed by a floral of come kind? I frankly kind of put off when I see "citrus," but I think I understand it plays an important role in how notes interact. Anyway, there's also something—maybe darker? yet smooth in my overall impression of the fragrance.
Let's check the answer key... Top notes of sage and citrus. Hey! I got one! Also vetiver, cedar, patchouli, musk, amber, etc. Okay, that all makes sense.

It's a supremely masculine sent without being too rugged. My brain also expects a kind of grandpa-ness to it, due simply to the fact that that's who I got it from, but it is decidedly non-grandpa-y. I don't think I really appreciated it when I was a young lad. It's quite good, if you can ignore the whole cowboy theme to the brand. Gross.

Challenge Accepted: Okay, what would I, with my lay-nose, come up with as my "perfect scent"? First, I want to know, perfect for what? Before I get too carried way on some tangent (I am holding back so hard you guys!), some scents that are favorites (in terms of having the smell on me) feature leather and tobacco (I'm already thinking of Mammoth's Tobacconist and Stirling's Oro Valley, two of the best scents I've ever encountered, recognizing that the latter is a dupe). They are for sure things on top of the "throw that shit in here!" list. Other scents that I enjoy smelling include anise, clove, and jasmine. Those are scents that I've sought out, with mixed success. How well would they go together?
Oro Valley has leather and jasmine, although I'm not sure how well my nose picks up the jasmine or if I even understand how or whether jasmine sambac is distinct.
Oaken Lab's Earth of Mankind combines tobacco and clove for a kretek scent, which frankly is exactly what I was after when searching for clove.
I feel like anise could be folded in reasonably well; however, I have the impression that, in scents containing an anise note that is not front-and-center, the anise must play some supporting role, because my nose tends not to pick up on it. That might be okay, because our fictional scent here might otherwise be doing too much.

Side note: this challenge really feels like a u/mammothben cheat sheet! If he's doing the same custom scent thing again, that is.

#photocontest

Photo: I have 4 of those little stand things, which are purportedly intended as store display stands, so they're conveniently relevant to today. They've really helped me organize my cabinet by allowing me to organize razors vertically and thus clearing shelf space, plus the fact that they're transparent reduces visual clutter.
Also pictured, but hard to tell because it's also transparent: that's air, bud.

July 5, 2023 – Gillette Day

• Razor: Gillette Superspeed
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (3)
• Lather: Gillette – Satin Care Sensative Skin
• Post Shave: Nivea – Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive – Santal Auster

Gillette Razor: Check

Gillette blade: Check

Gillette Canned Goo: Unfortunately Check.

Now I didn’t want to buy a brand new can of goo just for this, so I used my wife’s leg stuff. Nothing said not to use it on my face and the ingredients look mostly like what I had when I last used a can of goo over a decade ago now. “But tsr, you’ve only been wetshaving for 8 months? How is that possible.” Well before that I used a norelco shaver which is gooless and before that I used a shave butter from Dollar Shave Club that’s no longer made. (Flashback to how horrible that was.) So this shave was not as bad as my first wetshave ever, but still sucks. I put way to much gel on my hand, scooped some into my sample loading bowl (which served for pass 2 and 3.) Its clear this stuff is for a multiblade razor, it’s too thick for the DE to really get near the skin, but by using wet hands to get parts 2 and 3 I thinned it into usable. Got a socially acceptable shave but irritation everywhere. Used the nivea balm to stay on “big box store” theme.

Which brings us to #fof, I didn’t remember a smell to this stuff when I last used it. Maybe it’s because what I used was targeted at women and a scent is added.l or maybe my memory is just bad. It was vaguely medical aloe. This actually made me smell the aloe in the nivea a bit more than usual which was interesting. But can’t really build a fragrance flow off “medicinal aloe.” To hold the theme of big box store I’d have had to find an EdT there, which was likely possible (Axe anyone?) but opted instead for wordplay. This was an austerity shave if there ever was one. The shave I would have to do if I ever run out of already purchased soaps and my wife and I have to go back to our “to the bone” budget. (Note: I don’t recommend this. It sucks on multiple levels.) So Santal Austere it is. Not my normal style of fragrance, one of the accords plays horribly with my nose. But here we are.

Which is a good slide into #photocontest and the challenge. I’ve tried to incorporate the daily challenge into my photo challenge most days. And today is no exceptions, fruit. Why fruit? Because the apple is in my favorite wetshaving scent:Alive. (yes it’s green apple but it’s all I had.) Had I tried to design a scent it wouldn't have ended up at all like this because I couldn't have figured out this combination of notes would be so emotionally soothing.

Also, as I've mentioned I'm wierd when it comes to scents. I want to shave with a gourmand but not smell like that for more than the shave. So my ideal scent would actually be a progressive trifecta. It would start with the sweet almond of Stirling Almond Creme, mixed in with chocolate and vanilla for the soap. For the splash I'd keep tbr chocolate and vanilla but move them to the background of a coffee accord. This would carry though to the frag but here we'd scale back the coffee, lean into the vanilla and accentuate with Lavender and a sweet tobacco (two of my favorite single notes.)

Would this work at all? No freaking clue. I won't quit my day job and just leave this perfumery to the experts.

Finally, the judges have shown me mercy and I thank them. So I'm still in this and competing heavily for #ROTY.

Today I shaved with Shave Foam - Smells Like Summertime. It comes from Target and smells more like shave foam than summertime. I lathered it with my hands and some extra water. The razor was a fat handle Tech loaded with a Personna blade. I followed up the shave with Le Grand Chypre aftershave (which does kinda smell like summertime). If I could craft my own scent it would be a true cannabis one. Not a skunky, obvious weed aroma, but a citrusy and spicy sativa type smell. I have no idea how to concoct such a thing and apparently neither do the experts. I’ve tried every cannabis scented shaving product available and none really even comes close. I reckon those two hobbies will never intertwine, short of shaving while stoned or using a Gem blade to cut clones.

• Brush: Mis Manos

• Razor: Gillette Fusion

• Blade: Gillette Fusion Proglide

• Lather: Barbasol - Soothing Aloe

• Post Shave: Lubriderm - Fragrance Free

• Fragrance: Ralph Lauren - Polo Sport

Today's Theme: Canned Shave Goop - Barbasol Soothing Aloe and Lubriderm lotion are widely available pretty much everywhere around me. The Ralph Lauren Polo Sport was widely available in department stores and malls 15 years ago, I don't shop in malls or department stores often anymore so I'm not sure if it's still around, but it was way back when.

Today's Challenge: Channel your inner perfumer

Scent Name/Theme: Islay Single-Malt

Scent Description: The Isle of Islay is home to some of the most historic scotch whiskey distilleries and is known for a specific flavor profile of bold, smoky, and peated scotch whiskeys. Removing the boozy notes, the flavor profile also translates excellently to a masculine scent profile. Best enjoyed with a glass of Ardbeg or Bruichladdich.

Scent Notes

Top: Jasmine, Black Tea, Lime, Sea Spray

Middle: Smoke/Creosote, Loam Topsoil, Peat

Base: Maple, Caramel, Vanilla, Burnt Sugar

My theme for today's shave: Shave Like an NPC #photocontest

So I put together this shave thinking I'd be all critical of normies and how they have inferior shaving regimens but as I actually went through the shave I realized that this was basically exactly how I shaved when I first started shaving but better. I didn't know that adding a bit of water to the barbasol and working it into your whiskers instead of just plopping it on top of your face would result in better slickness and raised hairs. I didn't know that watching for grain direction would help. I just didn't really know how to shave at all, and I wouldn't really learn how to shave well for another 15 years or so.

But thanks to this community and other online resources I've developed pretty decent technique and have found that shaving can be enjoyable and therapeutic. So instead of being critical of others, I am grateful instead. Thank you to everyone here, thank you to the artisans and companies that make wonderful shaving products, and and thank you to others around the internet who create resources to help people learn how to shave in a more enjoyable way.

Barbsol soothing aloe and lubriderm are basically unscented, and the Polo Sport frag is basically peak late 90s/early 00's mall frag scent. I legit coughed when I sprayed the Polo Sport on. I just need a chain wallet and some heelies and I'd fit right in with that era.

The album for today's shave is actually one I found at Best Buy when I was a teenager and really into Linkin Park. It's got a live version of My December on it that's just the best thing ever, and I wish it was more widely available even though it's basically just the Hybrid Theory tracklist. #FOF #ROTY

05.VII.2023

• Lather: Nivea Protect & Care Shaving Cream

• Brush: Muhle Rytmo Synthetic ash handle

• Razor: Fairschenkt GC 2.0 plate II

• Blade: Bic Astor Stainless (1)

• After shave: Solea D'amaris Fresh Water (Davidoff Cool Water dupe)

• Post Save: Dr. K Soap Company Cool Mint After-Shave Balm (a heavy cream, very little goes a very long way)

• EdT: Pino Silvestre Original

The Shave:

This is my first time using Nivea shaving cream. It is a very pleasant cream to use, although more thirsty than I expected.

The lather it makes is perfectly serviceable; it has above average cushioning and glide, decent residual slickness, and a very pleasant and neutral post shave feel. What really impressed me however was the stability of the lather. It never seemed to dissipate or change qualities from application until it got shaved. I shave slowly, so lather changing between parts of my shave is normal, but it didn't happen with this cream.

The typical Nivea fragrance is very pleasant and clean, and for me represents the essence of hygiene and cleaning, as we had products scented like this since I was a kid.

All in all I'm very impressed with the cream and its performance, and I'll definitely keep using it. I suspect it'll just get better once I optimize the lather making for it.

The After Shave is also a new acquisition - it's a cheap drugstore A/S - , and I chose the Cool Water dupe today because it fits very well with the notes in the Nivea, and because it is also very barbershoppy for me, as that's the smell that came from every hair care and grooming salon when I was a kid.

It is notably alcoholic, which is why I followed it up with Dr. K.

It is a very consistent and heavy cream due to the beeswax content, so very little is needed. It's mostly superfluous in the summer, but it helped today.

The Pino Silvestre EdT is also new to me, and from a cheap scent, I cannot ask for for more. It is named after a pine forest, the bottle looks like a pinecone, and it smells exactly like a pine forest after the rain. Sharp, earthy, ozone-y, and mossy, it is a simple scent that evokes the feeling you get when reaching the forest line after a tiring hike and the cool humid air of the forest hits you....

I like it, it might not be particularly special or fitting for summer in general, but it's 20 C where I am with rain and storms, so it works.

• Brush: Nope

• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley

• Lather: Edge - Shave Gel for sensitive skin with aloe

• Post Shave: Old Spice - Classic Aftershave

• Fragrance: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere

ROTY

So I find this sub and all the nice people here send me on a journey to discover all these wonderful artisans and introduce me to the world of fragrances that are equally as awesome. Then what do the powers at be instruct us to do? Spend hard earned money on this trash!?!? What the hell. I bought the tiniest can they had of this Edge brand gel? I then sprayed it directly into my hand like a Neanderthal. Smells sorta like lemons and a cheap aquatic Cologne I probably wore in high school. Did one pass... I survived.

Used Old Spice aftershave for the first time which was also available my local CVS. It's fine but not really for me. A grab from the PIF table at the Maggard meet up for use in the lather games. My old lady said I smell awful haha.

As for my own fragrance if I could create one, I would love to make a scent based on smells I encounter working as a production Brewer. When a big malty beer is mashing in you can smell that sweet delicious malt outside the building. Dark beers like porters contain chocolate notes or more intensely sharp roasted notes like that in coffee. Opening bags of fresh hot pellets of the many thousands of varieties and smelling them right as you dump them into the kettle, or into the fermenter as in a dry hop. Dumping the hop and yeast out of the bottom of the tank can be magical too so fruity or maybe spicy and herbal like the noble varieties of England. Or smell like meat or Sulphur depending on the yeast strain and malt bill. The crazy funk when the spent grain man decides not to pick the trailer and it makes the whole tap room smell like feet. Dropping super sacks of malted barley has a really specific smell of the earth. Walking hop fields and splitting fresh cones down the middle to rub the yellow lupulin glands and warm the oils to awaken the aromatics. The sweat of the Brewer himself! It's usually well over 100 degrees on the deck. I think a scent based on this stuff would be more interesting than a scent based on finished beers.

5 July, 2023 - A Lather Games Challenge I Can Join

• Brush: Van der Hagen Boar (from the grocery store)
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword (Germany) (from the grocery store)
• Lather: Pinaud Clubman Shaving Soap (from the grocery store)
• Razor: 1961 Gillette 195 Adjustable FatBoy
• Post: Pinaud Clubman Aftershave (from the grocery store)
• Post: Nivea Men Post Shave Balm (from the grocery store)

While the title of today's challenge includes the word "Canned" the challenges rules state:

Product must be mass-produced and available at a geographically-local-to-You pharmacy, grocery, department, or convenience store (or, for rural participants, available in the nearest municipality that contains such a store).

Since the word "canned" isn't in the rules, I'd safely say my typical shaving routine puts me in the unenviable position to hit this challenge out of the ballpark. I've been DE shaving for two years, and only two months ago bought my first artisan soap samples. As noted next to each listed item, everything other than my razor came from my regular grocery store. The brush was part of a kit my wife made me buy when I got my first razor - the dreaded Viking's Blade Chieftain, which is a re-branded Baili BR179, which is pretty awful as razors go. Since the razor came from the Interwebs, I didn't include it in today's shave. Everything else is always just sitting there on the grocer's shelf ready for the taking.

Challenge: So I'll admit I'm an idiot when it comes to this sort of thing. I like sandalwood, spicy and woody notes, so there's that. Ah, well.

July 5, 2023

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: None
• Razor: Merkur 34G #RAINBOW
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: Edge - Sensitive Skin Gel
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Original
• Fragrance: None

I bought this little travel sized Edge can of gel at a local CVS last year to keep in my travel kit, before I realized I could get a soap stick, so I picked up some Tabac and threw the Edge under my sink without ever using it. This is the first time I've used it, and probably the first time since my teens using a gel. If I would've deliberately picked up something for canned goop day it would've probably been Barbasol. I was super disappointed with the caveat of no Pasteurs, but it is what it is. I did however pick up the 34G from Pasteur's, which is local to me.

The gel itself is certainly useable, but I much prefer the brush-needing counterparts. I must say I do enjoy the translucency of it, makes it easier to line up. Finished up with an easily accessible splash of Old Spice Original. Easily accessible in this case if you're in India, because that's where this bottle came from.

As for my perfect, original scent, I like the combinations of sweet and spicy. Looking at notes from Fragrantica, I would pick cinnamon, clove, tobacco, vanilla, butterscotch, peach cream, smoke, and a touch of musk. Until tomorrow!

#ROTY

July 5, 2023 – Cheap Soap Day

• Brush: Perfecto #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti #CNC
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (21)
• Lather: Cremo – Original
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Classic
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Spiced

I had planned to just use whatever random canned store brand stuff my wife keeps in the shower for today, but a few days ago my kids decided to go crazy with shaving cream in the bath tub and use it up causing me to panic buy some Cremo. Somehow, I had never used Cremo until today, and honestly, I didn’t mind it at all. It was totally serviceable. I probably would have enjoyed more had I just used it with my hand instead of using my god awful Perfecto. I definitely won’t mind having this around for traveling.

So if I were ever to get into scent creation this would be my plan. The depth of lavender has been something that has intrigued me since I started “hypothetically” experimenting with scent making. “Hypothetical scent” would seek to draw out an accentuate some of the darker elements in lavender. Scent notes would probably include lavender, black pepper, neroli, coriander, vetiver, and cedar. Make no mistake, lavender would be the star here, but the other notes bring earthy, spicy, and dark notes to the table would result in a complex and versatile scent.

I’m pretty sure this scent would remind me a bit of cooler weather, maybe fall like, so I’d probably think to give it some kind of fall name. Maybe named after a football game or dance or something. No, never mind thats stupid. It would need some name with sexual innuendo like substitute teacher. No, that wouldn’t work either, too subtle. I’d just call it Lavender Slut and put a ~~half~~ totally naked girl on the label.

Profit.

"Lavender Slut"

July 5, 2023

• Brush: My hand
• Razor: Schick Hydro 4 in 1 Groomer
• Blade: Schick Hydro 5
• Lather: Gillette Foam
• Post Shave: Harry’s - Post Shave Balm
• Fragrance: Liz Claiborne – Curve for Men
• Music: Gillette – The Best a Man Can Get

In a weird way, I’ve been looking forward to today. I haven’t shaved with canned goop since I picked up wetshaving almost two years ago. Even last Lather Games, I used Cremo with a DE razor because I didn’t want to go back. But now, for the first time, I realized if I want to truly be dedicated to the Lather Games, we have to go back. So I’m going back. I’m going back to a simpler time, when I didn’t have to decide what scent profile to use on a given day or what razor I felt like using today.

Shortly after I got the hang of shaving with a DE and using shave soap, like so many from r/wicked_edge, I declared to myself “I’m never going back” to shaving with canned goo and I got rid of any and all of that shave stuff I had. For today’s shave, I went down to CVS and bought a travel sized Gillette Shaving Foam. Off the jump, the scent was kinda reminiscent of my dad in my childhood. It was light, basic, and kinda fresh

The razor I chose for today is perfect for the man (or woman) on the go. It’s a half trimmer and half cartridge razor. It’s actually called a “4-in-1 high performance styling tool that Shaves, Edges, Trims, and Hydrates.” I’ll concede that it does shave, but aren’t edging and trimming the same thing?? And how the hell does this thing hydrate?!? Unless it has a button that shoots out moisturizer, I’m calling shenanigans on the hydration factor. At any rate, it’s at least a 2-in-1. Have you ever felt the need to trim your sideburns before or after your shave? Or when you get out of the shower, do you ever look at your sideburns and think, “damn, I gotta trim this back”? If you answered yes to either of these questions, this is the perfect razor for you! Toss in a AAA battery and you’re good to go! This is perfect for the person on the go who also uses a 4-in-1, Shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, and moisturizer shower gel!

The foam actually felt okay on my skin, but the razor was a catastrophe. It was so big and awkward, sure it’s nice to be able to trim any and all hair back at a moment’s notice, buuuuuttttt…. Is it really necessary? Who’s to say? I say no, but I’m only one man. After this shave, I can safely say, I’m never going back to cartridge razors, and if I do, it’s not going to be this monstrosity. I finished the shave off with Harry’s Post Shave Balm, which actually wasn’t bad. Felt fine and smelled okay. And then for the fragrance, I dug deep into my memory of working at CVS when I was in high school in the late 90s/early 00s. Out of all the fragrances, we sold more Curve for Men than just about any fragrance in the cabinet. Spraying this on brought me way, way, way back to a time of JNCO Jeans with a pocket big enough for my Disc-man, and a flannel shirt tied around my waist. Ahhhh… Those #FOF memories.

For today’s challenge, I’m sticking with my love of gourmand. I need someone to make a S’Mores scent: Marshmallow, Graham Crackers, and Chocolate. There’s a pre-blend out there, but it includes smoky firewood, and I don’t want smoke in my gourmand. I also dream of someone making a scent that smells of coconuts, the beach, and aged wood, then adding a touch of Ginger and calling it Gilligan’s Island.

For the #photocontest, I put all this shit in a hole so I can bury it and hopefully never see it again.

Just because I’m not using a world-class artisan today, doesn’t mean I’m not gonna include an interview. So I went to Gillette’s website and started a live chat. So, without further ado, here is:

10 Questions with… Wendy from Gillette’s Live Chat

Wendy: Hi I'm Wendy. How may I help you today?

1) Me: Hi Wendy - I'm thinking about switching to the King C. Gillette Double Edge razor, like my grandfather used to use. Can I get a better shave with a double-edge razor?

Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us here at Gillette. I am happy to assist you by sharing information on this product with you today. The King C. Gillette Double Edge Safety Razor features: Our Iconic heritage-inspired design, A single-blade razor designed for edging sideburns and strong beard lines to help you achieve your perfect look, Long-lasting sharp blades for ultimate precision - Thin sheet of high-quality stainless steel coated with platinum for durability and an anti-friction coating for comfort, Closed comb head for the best control. When we design our products, we do extensive research and consumer testing to create features that we think you will love. We know that preferences can vary from person to person, though, so we really appreciate your taking the time to reach out.

2) Is it difficult to learn how to shave using a double-edged blade?

I am happy to share with you how to shave with this product. One moment while I collect this information. First, choose a razor that feels good in your hand. Weight is important, as you do not want to apply any pressure. You should let the razor do the work. To shave with a safety razor, do the following. Shower or wash with warm water, then lather shaving cream over your face and neck. Hold the razor guard at a 30° angle to the skin. (You may not be able to keep the razor at this angle around the nose, ears, and chin.) Hold the razor firmly to guide it in the direction of the shave without pressing too hard. The weight of the razor should be pressure enough. Make the skin tight by flexing your facial muscles into appropriate positions or using your free hand to stretch the skin away from the direction that you’re shaving. Start shaving in the direction of hair growth. If necessary, apply more shave cream and shave lightly against the direction of hair growth. The coarser and thicker the hair, the shorter the strokes you will need to use. Use short, choppy strokes when shaving around the jaw and chin. Rinse your face, pat dry, and apply an aftershave product to the skin. I am happy to share a few additional tips: We recommend you change the blade on a specific day each week. A blunt blade can ruin your shave. If you’re new to using a safety razor, take your time. You will not master the technique on the first shave.

3) How long does a typical Fusion, 5-blade cartridge last vs. a blade for a double edge razor?

The lifetime of a blade depends on various factors. How tough and thick your hair is; How often you use the razor & on which areas of the body. How well you rinse the razor. To get the best shave, we recommend you change your blade at the first sign of blade dullness or discomfort. If you can't remember when you last changed the blade, that probably means it's time for a new one. https://gillette.com/en-us/products/beard-care/king-c-gillette-double-edge-razor You can view or purchase this product right from our website. This product would ship to your home with free shipping.

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN THE REPLY)

Jul. 5, 2023
Brush: AP SHAVECO AP400B XL (G5C)
Razor: Karve CB D Plate (SB) * Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (3) * Lather: Aveeno - Therapeutic Shave Gel - Soap
Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - Fougere Mania - Aftershave Toner * Post Shave:* Zingari Man - AS Balm (Unscented)

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

This is my first-ever LG SOTD. I’ve been here since around September 2020. I used the canned goop, listened to the playlist, and did not enjoy the shitty, unscented shave, at least until I got to the toner. But, hey, I posted. And the music offered a sentimental journey that got me reminiscing about some earlier times.

ROTY

July 5, 2023

• Brush: Yaqi 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Karve CB (SB – C)
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1)
• Lather: Barbasol – Soothing Aloe
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Bare

I was going to skip the brush but the lather out of this can was SO DRY. I ended up putting it in a bowl and using a brush to add water and paint. My first attempt (actually trying to mix the water with the lather) broke the lather. On the second attempt I put a bunch of lather in the bowl then used a VERY wet brush to paint that on my face. Did several round of this wet painting per pass. The Karve CB performed great as usual. I chose it to be something very mild. My aftershave is off theme (because I did in fact buy this jar of Noble Otter balm at a Texas grocery store), but the Barbasol left my face so dry that I just had to use the balm in my cabinet that gives me the most moisture.

I want to point out what Barbasol thinks is important for good advertising as well. This can has three call outs on it. It says that it is “thick & rich shaving cream,” it says “SOOTHING ALOE” in a big green bar on the front, and, in the only other thing on the front of the can, it says that there is a “rust-proof aluminum bottom.” That’s it. If you’re walking down a store aisle that’s all you get to influence you into picking up the can. Their marketing relies 100% on brand recognition. I think at this point they’re only catering to BIG PRANK not to shavers.

(Nothing to see here, just an edit putting in my daily challenge that I totally didn't forget about this morning while being completely flummoxed by Barbasol. Nope, definitely not that) I want somebody to make a lavender bay scent. Get some sea salt, plus bay, plus lavender. I have no idea if it would smell good, it's just all of my favorite things. I know Garibaldi is tobacco instead of bay, but just mix Garibaldi and B&M Lavender and you've got gold.

Healthy Activity of the Day: Starting a new book today, Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Force myself to stop staring at a tv so much. Mileage: 11 miles

Tags: #ROTY

July 5, 2023

• Brush: Parker Travel Brush 18mm Silvertip #RUNT #SMOLL
• Razor: Parker A1R Travel Razor #JETSETTER
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (2)
• Lather: Cremo - Palo Santo - Cream
• Post Shave: Thayers - Lemon - Toner
• Post Shave: Combe Inc. - Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Good shave.

---

My overall shave result was as good as any other 2-pass shave that I get; BBS in most areas. For me, this is the perfect level of closeness as a daily shaver.

Two years ago, when I moved back to DE shaving, I would have been completely happy with Cremo which I did, in fact, pick up at my local drugstore. Today, though, I'm just spoiled for choice of shaving soaps that are just exceptional. There's really no comparison between today's popular artisan offerings and a store-bought shaving cream.

However, Cremo did the job. This shaving cream is designed to be lathered by hand. I used the tiny travel brush that is pictured. Cremo builds into a very thin, slick lather. I'm sure I over-hydrated it, but I did manage to get two passes and neck fixups out of that brush.

No issues with the razor, or with the blade, but I'm fortunate that I rarely have them regardless of what I use.

For today's challenge, I'll have to go with what I know. For many years I happily wore Shulton Old Spice. I still have a couple of vintage bottles of this. While I can get away with it [because: geezer], I think my signature scent would be this one, but lighter, crisper and less strong. So, Shawn Maher's Seaforth! Spiced and Seaforth! Black Watch come to mind as a scents that have that perfect balance of notes and that "just right" level of scent strength. And while I love both of these, his modernization of Shulton Old Spice would be absolutely perfect for me.

Theme: Mobile Phones -- #photocontest

July 5, 2023

https://imgur.com/gallery/DhvVXG4

Prep: Proraso Green

Brush: Knot today

Razor: Rockwell 6s R6 Plate

Blade: Treet Platinum (2)

Lather: Equate - Sensitive Skin Shave Foam

Post Shave: Skin Bracer

Worst Lather of the Lather games so far. That is, if you can even call what just happened upon my face "lather". This stuff smelled so bad that I actually shaved my upper lip first just to get it away from my nose ASAP. Straight to the trash with this canned crap. Skin Bracer came in and saved the day though. I love the scent and how smooth it makes my face feel. I wouldn't call it a DFS, but it was a DFA(fter)S

Challenge: I am a lime and citrus degenerate. If I could create a scent, it would most likely feature lime, bergamot, and maybe some lilac or Lavender to pull it all together.

#ROTY

July 5, 2023 - Canned Shave Goop

• Brush: Assured for Men Shaving Brush - 16mm #RUNT #HOLLOW
• Razor: Assured for Men Three-Piece Razor
• Blade: Assured for Men Unmarked Chinese Blade (1)
• Lather: Power Stick - Original - Shave Gel
• Post Shave: Power Stick - Original - Balm
• Fragrance: Power Stick - Cool Blast - Body Spray

Daily Write-Up

For today’s shave - I made my way to my local strip mall for some shaving gear.

The store closest geographically to my house is the Aldi’s on the right in this picture. Sadly, Aldi’s did not carry any shave gear. So I left and moved to the next store.

The next store, Seoul Market, had a health and beauty section. But I don’t speak Korean, and have literally no idea what the things in this store are. Moving on.

Autozone - good selection of items that could be used as pre-shave oils, and I could probably hook myself up with a floor scraper here, but that’s not really my style. So, I put the Valvoline back, and headed next door.

I skipped Heavenly Massage, and went to the same store I went to last year - Dollar Tree.

This actually is a different Dollar Tree, and was very well organized. I quickly picked up a Trickhole of Power Stick items - hopefully this stuff is better than the Bolero I bought here last year. I was worried about a brushless gel, but as I went around the corner to check out, I saw this rack!. I wasn't sure what size these were, but they’re definitely smaller than the 20mm Omega I have… After the shave I measured 5/8", which makes it a 16mm. Definitely #RUNT territory.

The Shave
* Not at all good. * The brush broke the minute I tried to use it. Bonus though, I can see the handle is hollow, and could measure the knot. So, I held the knot at the bump to keep it in the handle while frothing up the soap. * The razor held up for at least one shave though. The positive blade exposure on this is wild. Definitely the most aggressive razor I’ve ever used. Also, because of the thin metal, there is a ton of audio feedback with this razor. * Blade - it seemed sharp. I’ll have to try one in a different razor. * The performance of this gel is not good. Little slickness, no protection. Lots of unfortunate smell.

Soap Theme Justification
* Purchased at Dollar Tree, the geographically closest available shaving items to my home.

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
* Power Stick Trickhole! * Theme of the day is road-side motel. But not the good kind where people are enjoying their holiday. The kind where a single parent is one night's bad tips away from sleeping in the car. * The soap has base notes of a Motel 6 hotel bathroom, with top notes of “pool closed due to contamination” * The aftershave compliments the soap nicely. It has a minty quality, somewhat reminiscent of a starlight mint you might find that a recent john left behind the bedside table. It’s very thick, the thickest balm I’ve ever used. Roughly the consistency of the cheap margarine you buy in a tub. * The fragrance - a product page describes it thusly: “The energizing scent for all-day swagger. For men who want their days cool and their nights hot!” Instead, it feels like “Compare to Axe” - body spray for when you want to cover up the stale nicotine and bug bombs of the Red Roof.

Daily Challenge
If I were a perfumer - I would not have designed any of these items.

Instead...

Shortly after you cross the Piscataqua River Bridge to enter Maine from New Hampshire, there is a visitor center and rest stop - maybe 2 miles over the border. My family has often stopped here, because it's clean and conveniently located.

When you step out of the car - the smell hits you. You've only come a few miles over the border, but Maine smells distinctly different than the country south of here. There's a crispness to the air; a saltiness lent from nearby Casco Bay. This crispness is on top of the damp earth and strong coniferous scents of the surrounding forestry.

Every time we make that trip I'm always taken by how much different it smells - but the smell of Maine is my favorite smell in the world. If a soap maker could get that scent right, I'd probably throw all my stuff on the Bazaar and only use that from now on.

EDIT: Want to try these items for yourself? Enter my PIF!

July 5, 2023

• Brush: Isana – Synthetic #Ancient
• Razor: Razorock- Eco
• Blade: Permasharp (4)
• Lather: Palmolive – Classic
• Post Shave: Balea Men – Ultra sensitive aftershave balm
• Fragrance: Armani – Code

This day is always a walk down the memory lane. Little Marquis (well, not so little, probably 1,90m tall), had to figure out how to shave. My parents are divorced, and my dad was not there for my first shave. But i learned from him that you need a brush and some cream. His choice of cream was Palmolive. I got a cheap synthetic from our local drug store and started to face lather with the cream. I had no idea how the final result should look like, if my lather was good. What I liked was, that I used the same product as my dad and it had that distinctive smell that reminded me of mornings in his flat, where I sat close to the sink, brushing my teeth, while he shaved. Whenever I use Palmolive I think back to those days. Except today. I dont know for how long I have that Palmolive cream now. This tube… I remember I had it in 2019 when I had my last cartridge shave. And I am pretty sure, that the tube was already years old back then. The brush is also the same one I bought with 16 with its original hair. Its sitting in the dark of our bathroom cupboard for years now. When I lathered everything up, it did not have that simple, but fresh smell of Palmolive. It was like dirty water, like a wet dog. I played a bit around with the amount of water to get a good lather. It was more difficult than I remember, or I had little to none claims what I wanted from a lather. I just knew that I can trust the brand. Used the Razorock Eco today as it feels closest to a cardridge razor to me. In the end, I still had a great shave. The lather quality was good and it did not leave me with that squeaky soapy feeling. As aftershave I bought this balm on the weekend. I wanted to be on theme and use something mass produced. Something my dad would also use. He has sensitive skin and avoids alcohol in his products now (but I remember that he sprayed perfume right into his face). I also decided to listen to Genesis during the shave, as he had a CD in his car and still talks about them and Pink Floyd. The aftershave was okay. Felt a bit like my cheap moisturizer cream.

FOF

As Fragrance I wanted to use somethng my dad could also use. It should be somethig mainstream. Thats why I came up with Armani code but after I used it, I realized that I chose the wrong fragrance. I thought about Baldessarini. I wanted to use a scent made for men in their best age. What I got was some scent that seemed to be popular in the ‘Fuckboy’ community during my time where I wore One Million. Both target audience were boys who just finished school and went to their first club nights and hoped to be successfull with the other gender. But although Armani Code is among those mainstream schents, its not bad per se. I find it very difficult to distinguish whats in there, but it is sweet and makes you feel very comfortable. I guess I should have bought that more than 10 years ago. Can totally see that this fragrance would have gotten some compliments. Its for the more reserved boys. Those who aspire to be a gentleman, but know that they are young and have things to learn. I am looking forward to show the scent to my gf. I think she will like it.

Daily Challenge: Our challenge is to create our perfect scent. Let me ask a question first! For what occasion? Let me ellaborate. Just yesterday, we had spring day. There are scents that are seasonal, some are not even made for our type. Like the Armani Code I used today, I am growing out of it, but I ll be using fragrances this month that make you look forward to age. I like to mix and match things to the weather, modd/ energy level, and activity I ll be doing that day.
Lets get into more detail for this challenge.
There are days where I am on the office, hacking on my keyboard and maybe having a meeting. I ll also go to the kitchen to eat some food. So the perfect office scent needs to be non offensive but I also want to have a good presence. For that I choose citrus and bergamot as head not, leading to cedarwood, a little vetiver and musk. Lets call that scent “Corpo”
But I also like to go out, eat some ice in the sun, drink beer in the old town, sit by the river, do a barbeque. For that I need something that lifts my mood up. I want Lime, Yuzu, a hint of vanilla and ginger. I want to be a Surf Ninja
Next, I am ofter attending Magic the gathering tournaments. On one of my first tournaments, I had really bad draws for 3 matches ina row and lost every match. Then I started to eat licorice and my hands were bonkers. I won the next three matches. Since then I have a ritual to infuse my body with licorice before a tournament. Licorice tea, licorice honey, licorice soap and aftershave. On the tournament I eat Anise candy and more licorice. It gives luck, so do I believe. Thats why I need a soap for that occasion. Anise in the front, fading to licorice. I think that should be enough. Maybe some cedarwood and patchoulli, but thats optional. Lets call it Luck in your hands.
Last, I go to the gym about 4 to 5 times per week. There I need motivation. I pump myself up by listening to metal. My playlist consists of songs with keywords like ‘blood’, ‘iron’, ‘kill’, ‘steel’. Here I want toxic masculinity in a bottle. I want leather, smoke, gunpowder, hot iron, blood, ash. We could name it Manowar.
And god damn, we need this as a fragrance.

JULY 5, 2023

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: King C. Gillette Chrome
• Lather: Barbasol - shaving cream
• Post Shave: Thayers - WitchHazel unscented.

Well this was an easy challenge to achieved but one of the most uncomfortable. I was literally not able to fully get the shave I wanted. One of those things where you still feel the stubble after you are done shaving!! Irritating as all hell even with multiple passes so I blame the Barbasol. I must say I have been pampered with all the artisan soaps and creams and balms and my skin is always amazing. Today is dry, and itchy and reddish even though I did not fully remove all my facial hair. Thayers helped but alas the sacrifices we make to stay competitive…lol One may ask why do I have a shaving bowl and a shaving brush in this pic! One would be asking the right question! I attempted to use the brush = FAIL#1. Attempted to use the shaving bowl = FAIL#2. Not a good morning. Facial lotion here I go.

ROTY

Edit: Due to my FAIL shaving experience this morning I was in such a hurry to finish shaving that I did not post about what I would consider the perfect scent! To be honest my favorite scent already exist but it hasn’t being made into a shaving soap yet. Weirdly enough I am a big fan of all things squeaky clean. And there is nothing more clean than the scent of PineSol floor cleaner. Yes the one people use to clean bathrooms.

So I would mix PineSol scent, some menthol, and little bit of lemon and BAM!!! My face would smell squeaky clean all day. Oh the day this will come to fruition is so close I can smell it!!!

• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85mm Safety Razor

• Blade: Shark Super Chrome

• Lather: Barbasol - Original Shaving Cream

ROTY

July 5 - Canned Shave Goop

• Brush: I used a can goop
• Razor: Gillette - Sensor 3
• Blade: Gillette - Sensor 3
• Lather: Edge - Extra Moisturizing
• Post Shave: Lubriderm Lotion
• Fragrance: Clinique Happy and Oak City Beard Company - ISO Super E

Today was more difficult than I thought. I made two stops. The first location had no blades and only had pink pre-soaped razors. I went with the only option at the second. The canned lather takes a lot of the fun out of it for me.

The fragrance went along with the theme, it is WIDELY available Clinique Happy. I don't want to get thrown out, but it is a fragrance I have worn the longest. It is cheap, I don't think anyone would think it is offensive. It is my quick refresh go-to. With my long history, I didn't want to change the fragrance too much, but to channel my inner perfumer, I added ISO Super E to enhance this pharmacy go-to.

ROTY #FOF

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

• Brush: None
• Razor: Harry's 5-Blade Razor
• Blade: Harry's 5-Blade Cartridge
• Lather: Barbasol - Original (Thick and Rich) - Cream
• Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive - Balm

Day 5 of Lather Games: Meh 

** Lather Games Day 5** 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: My bare hands like an animal
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85MM Safety Razor
• Blade: Derby Premium
• Lather: Barbasol - Soothing Aloe
• Post Shave: Chanel - Bleu de Chanel balm

This was the day of Lather Games I was looking forward to the least and that's even with me shaving with old lady scented soap yesterday. So how do I get a little joy out of it? By pairing my most expensive post shave balm with mass produced canned goop.

ROTY

Canned Goop

• Brush: Omega 11047 Mixed Midget Badger and Boar #Small #Mistura #OldWorld
• Razor: Kismet Haarschneide-, Effilier- und Rasiermesser #YTHO
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei (Hair shaper format) (11)
• Lather: Palmolive – Classic Shave Stick
• Post Shave: Pitralon – Swiss Pitralon
• Fragrance: Axe – Dark Temptation

Ok, this should conclude my brush scavenger hunt with 10 hashtags. I will still fetch the missing 5 (#SHD, #Toll, #TexasPigStinkMassacre, #HorseSass (yes), and #Chonk), but that will just be for fun.

For the theme today, I got the shave stick in my neighbourhood pharmacy on clearance, and it's definitely mass produced. I kept the local shop + mass production theme for the relevant post and frag, too: The connection today is each software product is the best smelling product of its category in my neighbourhood. The scents do not really play all that well together: Palmolive has some generic fresh vaguely barbershop scent, Swiss Pitralon is a wonderful delicious pear scent and Axe Dark Temptation is a warm chocolate scent. While Pitralon and Dark Temptation unsurprisingly work together well (who doesn't like canned Williams pears with a hot chocolate coulis?), Palmolive's scent won't fit in.

Oh, would you look at that, my inner perfumer has been channelled: Williams pear with dark chocolate. Boom. The warm companion to Don Josè, another gourmand I adore.

July 5, 2023 – Canned Shave Goop

• Brush: Four fingers and an opposable thumb
• Razor: Assured For Men Men’s System Razor #RAINBOW
• Blade: Assured For Men 3 Blade Cartridge (1)
• Lather: Barbasol – Soothing Aloe
• Post Shave: Brut – Classic
• Fragrance: Eau Studio – Noble Pour Homme

~~/u/Mammothben’s custom fragrance survey.~~ Challenge: I love coffee. I make a cup with beans from my local roaster almost every day. If I ever decide to take up fragrance making as a hobby, I’d want to craft something that incorporates coffee. If any woolly fragrancer happens to read this looking for ideas for an individualized fragrance, please don’t make this verbatim; unless it sounds good, in which case you should make it and give me credit 🤪 . My fragrance notes might look something like this:

Top notes: coffee, black cherry, almond
Middle notes: tobacco, tonka bean, cade oil
Base notes: sandalwood, rose, patchouli

I tried to listen to the Canadian pharmacy's intercom music playlist during my shave, but couldn't get the link to open in the Spotify app on my phone 🫤 .

I stopped by my local Dollar Tree yesterday and bought the Barbasol and cartridge razor. It feels wasteful. But, it’s the Lather Games and I want points. My expectations for this stuff is very low. So, how bad is it?

I read the directions on the Barbasol can. It simply says to shake the can and hold it upright. I wet my face, sprayed some soap into my off hand and went to work. The soap is unsurprisingly very dry. It exploded in volume as soon as it escapes from the can. I used my main hand to drip some water into my lather hand and worked it into the soap on my face. I did this a few times in an attempt to hydrate the lather. The soap smells of aerosol, and a powdery soapy scent. I don’t smell any aloe.

This razor is completely useless. It struggled to remove the Barbasol, let alone cut hair. It required a lot of pressure to get the blades to do anything. Even for the price, I didn’t think it would suck this bad. I guess I could’ve looked for a safety razor, but I wanted that #RAINBOW tag. After one pass, I grabbed my Schick injector to get a more accurate impression of the lather.

Even shaving WTG using the injector there was visible stubble in the lather on the razor. This confirms that the cartridge razor didn’t do much, if anything. No matter what I did, the lather was dry. It was possible to shave with it. I wouldn’t do any buffing using this soap as there’s zero secondary slickness. Post-shave feel is nonexistent. The aloe is a lie. It is convenient. But, there are brushless creams that are just as quick and provide better slickness.

This bottle of Brut was purchased at Kroger. I quite like this fragrance. It’s classic without feeling too cheap. It smells fresh. It’s aromatic. There’s a spicyness but it isn’t too heavy. It’s hard to put a name to the spice. It’s not peppery, or cinnamon… I’m looking through the list of spicy notes on fragrantica and nothing really fits… maybe bay leaf? It has a dry woodyness to it. It smells like oak. There’s a bit of grapefruit. Okay, time to look at the fragrantica entry. There’s a lot of notes I wouldn’t have guessed and few that seem obvious now that I’m looking at them: anise, basil, and lavender. This is one of those fragrances where stuff blends together.

Last time I was in my nearest Lidl I picked up bottles of their Eau Studio brand Noble Pour Homme and Defiance Pour Homme at half price. I assume they are dupes, but I can’t find any information on which fragrances they are dupes of. Today, I’ll be using Noble. It’s a citrusy musky fragrance. I get a big mandarin note bringing an energetic feel. There’s a strong note that I think is oud. I’m definitely getting musk. I also smell sandalwood. I feel like I’m missing something. There’s maybe a note of vetiver, sage, or pink pepper (something spicy). It smells pretty good. The original would be a good date night fragrance, but you could get away with this in an office setting, too. The performance is shite. It's only a skin scent within an hour.

#FOF

July 5, 2023 - Canned Goop

• Brush: None #BRUSHLESS
• Razor: Game Changer .68 SP #CNC
• Blade: Gillette Rubie (2)
• Lather: Cremo - Refreshing Mint
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Classic Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Guy Laroche - Drakkar Noir
• Muzak: Spotify Shopping Playlist
• Tea: Dunkin’ Donuts - Iced Tea - Unsweetened

FOF

Today’s theme:

Before about 3 years ago, everyday was drugstore/grocery store available cream. Last year I got this tube of Cremo and the Aqua Velva at the Walgreens a couple blocks from my home. The Drakkar Noir is sold at my local Walgreens, but I bought it on Amazon. I have to say this is going to probably be my least favorite shave this month. Cremo is ok, and the mint and menthol are very chilly. It is definitely not as nice feeling as a good artisan lather. I’d just rate it as adequate. Reasonable slickness, but not much else there. The Aqua Velva is pretty awful. I think when I last used it about 13 months ago, I thought the same. Not much skin food there with the main ingredients being water, alcohol, glycerine, and fragrance. The fragrance is really strong. It didn’t help that I spilled some on the counter.

That Spotify playlist sure has a lot of Sheryl Crow on it. I skipped ahead to The Cure.

Today’ fragrance:

In keeping to the bought at a drugstore near me theme, I went with the scent of my youth. When I was in high school, I had two eau de toilettes, Drakkar Noir and Polo (the original green). I’d say the scent would be a bit nostalgic, but this Aqua Velva is overpowering my nose and I can barely get anything off it. I might smell like a teen going to a homecoming dance, but I can’t get past the Ice Blue. Today’s scent mix I’ll give an F. I’m going to shower soon and get the AV scent off me. Maybe give a new spritz of Drakkar to relive my horny teen days.

Today’s Challenge:

Fragrance is a strange thing for me. Before I got into wetshaving, I almost always chose scent free products. Sure in high school and college I might have overdone the Drakkar or Polo, but I always felt like too much fragrance made me itchy. Overthe last couple years, I have really expanded the fragrances I use. Ok, the Aqua Velva is giving me a headache and my negative thoughts on fragrance are coming back. I’ve said it many times, but I recently have learned to like patchouli. When it is balanced well by other scents, I get a very pleasant impression of it. Musk is another scent where too much is crazy awful, but a hint is quite nice. It is that really strange thing, but when you get a faint hint of skunk, not that bad, but get right up close to a freshly sprayed dog, or maybe roadkill skunk, it makes you gag. So that is two ingredients I’d want to have. I would want a citrus scent like lemon, grapefruit, or bergamot to brighten up the earthier tones. Next I’d want black tea and vanilla. Three of my favorite splashes are Noble Otter - Thè Noir et Vanille, Noble Otter - Barrbarr, and Barrister and Mann - Cheshire. Another great scent for me is freshly cleaned laundry dried on a clothesline outside. Even better was the laundry on the line at my Aunt’s cabin in the mountains outside Crested Butte, Colorado. So add in a bit of laundry musk, rosemary, and pine. So my signature scent would be fresh laundry with a cup of Earl Grey, while sitting on the front porch at my Aunt’s cabin. A few months ago, I was looking for my Aunt’s Cabin on Google Earth. It has been torn down in the last few years. Most of the cabins that were in the same part if the national forest are gone. My great aunt and uncle built the cabin themselves in the 1960s. My dad helped build the sleeping loft they added later. We spent a couple weeks there every summer when I was growing up. My aunt finally sold the place when she was in her 80s and couldn’t take care of the place by herself. Scents are such strong triggers for memories, and my ideal scent would take me back to those summer days at a cabin with no tv or even radio (no reception). We’d go for walks, fish in the creek near an abandon beaver dam, read lots of books, shoot bb guns off the back porch, and see the dozens of hummingbirds at the feeders hung up by the windows.

TLDR: Drugstore crap sucks. I like tea, citrus, and mountain air.

Haiku #5:

Aqua Velva? No!

Really just don’t get the stuff,

Be nice to your nose.

Bonus Drugstore Day Burma Shave Poem (author unknown):

Said Farmer Jones,

Who’s bald on top,

I wish I could,

Rotate this crop.

July 5, 2023 – LG23 Day 5: Canned Shave Goop

• Razor: Gillette 195 Adjustable E-1 “Mal” #DIAL #BRASSING
• Blade: Gillette Winner (2)
• Lather: Perio, Inc – Barbasol Original
• Post Shave: Mennen – Skin Bracer
• Fragrance: Azzaro – Pour Homme – EdT

Today’s shave is all about the love, people!

Daily Challenge: If I were to (re-)create a perfect, original shaving scent, I would first have to go on a long journey to find that perfect, original shaving scent. Something that exudes the heart and soul of my boyhood barbershop. Something that would flat-out leave my perfuming competitors in my sillage. I would have to say my nose loves the scents of Talc, Rose, Bergamot, Oakmoss, Vetiver, Coumarin, and Musk. If they all come together in a super-nice fragrant package, I am 100 percent, prime-time in love with myself…BOOM! With any luck I’ll get a [Cease and Desist] letter from Douglas telling me how much he loves what I do to him.

Tying it all together: If, indeed, the scent of Barbasol contains the aforementioned notes, it pairs nicely with the powdery, green, musky, and sweet notes of Skin Bracer Original. Azzaro Pour Homme is a natural choice particularly its notes of Bergamot, Vetiver, Oakmoss, and Musk. Eat your heart out, Douglas, you can only dream of creating something this good. In fact you can only dream of creating anything that you didn’t steal first, which is NOTHING! Suck it, Smythe!!

User makes kinky love to barbasol. In slow motion.

User makes kinky love to barbasol. In slow motion.

2023-07-05 Lather Games SOTD

• Brush: Omega 11126 (24x55mm Boar) #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Generic Mach III
• Blade: Generic Mach III (21)
• Lather: Nivea - Protect & Care Shave Cream
• Post Shave: Nivea - Protect & Care Aftershave
• Fragrance: Nautica - Voyage

I worked at the Shopper's Drug Mart down the street from my house years ago while I was in University. I still have bad dreams about it. And the intercom music was brutally repetitive... the featured playlist in today's thread topic is a recreation of pretty much every song they've included in their rotation over the last 20+ years. That job ruined a lot of songs for me.

Anyway, everything I used today came from that store. The chain actually has a pretty decent shave selection - usually some Proraso stuff, lots of Nivea, some variety of "10000-series" Omega boar brush (the model they stock changes from time to time), a few commercial safety razors and maybe a shavette some days... Decent for a huge Canadian pharmacy chain. They also have a cosmetics department with a medium-sized designer perfume collection, so I went with a bottle of Voyage I got for $20 on sale a few years back.

Also, everything except the brush is blue or decorated with blue trim, including the Chinese rice bowl I used as a lather bowl today.

Daily Challenge:

What would be in my perfect original shaving scent if I were the one making it? So far it's Colonia Nove, but I'm tinkering a bit here and there with some new ideas. Right now I'm mulling over a scent that I'll probably call "SandalwOud Spice"... I have a few pre-blended FOs that I really like that I think will blend nicely. It would go something like: Sandalwood (phony; woody-creamy character), Oudh (phony; dusty-earthy-woody character), Patchouli (real), Exaltolide, some phony leathery nuances, and a bit of a waaaaay-off-the-mark Old Spice dupe FO that just comes off vaguely woody-spicy without any of the detail of the original stuff, but nevertheless smells nice on its own merit.

#FOF because apparently wally cares about that or something

Jul 5, 2023 - Canned Shave Goop / Channel Your Inner Perfumer

• Brush: Eberbart 24mm Best Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Wilkinson Sword Classic Razor
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword Classic [1]
• Lather: Speick - Men Active - Soap
• Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive Post Shave Balm - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Mäurer & Wirtz - Tabac Wild Ride - Eau de Toilette

The Local Software

I am very fortunate that our neighborhood Apotheke carries some quality shaving products. Speick is mass produced, but it is still a good value for the price. Nivea aftershave balm has been a staple in my shave den since I started shaving with carts. It just works and it's not expensive.

The Janky Brush

The brush is the first brush I bought when I started wetshaving. I knew nothing about what to look for then, and this brush proves it. It's the scritchiest little, good-for-nothing bugger I've ever used. Using the brush now it's funny to see how far I've come.

The Supermarket DE

This budget razor is the least efficient and simultaneously the most aggressive razor I've experienced. I was expecting it to be mild to the point of boredom, but I was unpleasantly surprised. The blade was easy to get misaligned, so I had to try loading it several times. When I rinsed the razor, something metal inside the plastic cover seemed to rattle around, so I kept checking to make sure the blade was secure. I mean, it was 5€, so there's that.

The Fragrance

Tabac Wild Ride is just what it says it is. It opens clean and fresh, but it's still just a level above Axe body spray. The dry down wasn't pleasant at all. It's a shame because the Tabac Man line of fragrances, like Gravity and Fire Power, are not bad.

It was a shave, but I've had better. I came away shaven, but the software was the saving grace in all this.

Channel Your Inner Perfumer

I like fougères, I like lavender, fig, sandalwood, Palo Santo, and jasmine. Rose or petrichor can be nice when done right. When a scent has any of these in the description then I pay attention. I think any scent that I came up with would incorporate, and probably feature, some of these scents.

Rating: 3/5

2023-07-05 Lather Games SOTD

• Brush: Omega Boar Brush
• Razor: Gillette Slim
• Lather: Znahar - shaving cream

Last time I’ve bought a shaving product in a local shop was many years ago, and not wanting to buy what I won’t need, I found some old shaving cream. Actually it is not that bad and due to it’s small size can stay in my drawer for a couple years more.

As for scent, I like all kinds of oud. It began for me with Tom Ford’s Oud Wood and was like a door to a new world of fragrances.

Tawgs: #ROTY #photocontest music

July 5, 2023 – Canned Shave Goop * Brush: Lefty
Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (2)
Lather: Dollar Shave Club – Shave Butter
Post Shave: Thayer’s - Original * Fragrance: Duke Cannon - Huron

The day I dreaded most on the calendar is here, mass-produced shave day, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s been well over a decade since I swore off the junk sold in the markets, and admittedly I had almost forgotten why. So I made a trip out to Target and without further ado I bring you my experience.

The Goop: Dollar Shave Club (DSC) Shave Butter is one of those products no one ever asked for but was thought up by a person who has never and probably will never use it. I mean one of its main marketing points is that it goes on clear. Sounds great until you try to slather on this greasy clear goop with a scent reminiscent of cardboard. I almost didn’t even use the stuff, but unlike u/alg82 I feel the weight of u/djundjila djudging me and I’m not here “djust participating.”

The Shave: So I went ahead and used this foul goo, but there was no way in hell it was ever touching my brush. To be honest I don’t think it would ever come out if I did. Instead I went with my least favorite hand (lefty) and coated myself like a greased hog. I will give to DSC, they nailed some sort of slickness. The cushion factor however was non-existent as the stuff goes on almost like oil. I thought about using a mild razor for safety purposes, but by this point I was fully committed and I’m not about to half-ass this. So away I went with the harshest shave I’ve ever experienced. What skin wasn’t cut was left feeling like I shaved with sand paper with most of the hair removed. I remember now why I left this stuff.

Post Shave/Frag: After the delightful shave experience came the next hurdle, getting this goop off my face. Cleaning the slime from my face took a fair amount of water and towels, but I soldiered on and kind of prevailed. For my post shave and frag I decided to keep the Target shopping experience alive and went with Thayer’s Original for my aftershave and topped it off with some Duke Cannon Huron.

Theme: All software can easily be found in my, and maybe your, local Target. You too can experience the joys of Dollar Shave Club Shave Butter.

Challenge: Admittedly I’ve never thought of what I would choose for a scent. I’m no perfumer but I will do my best and if it already exists direct me to it. The theme for the soap would be a forest by the ocean. Evergreen scents of Spruce, Pine, and cedar would contend with notes of sea water and ozone. To liven the scent up a little bit perhaps a little rose and mint subtlety. Some mild citrus notes of bergamot and a touch of oakmoss should just about round it out. Would it be good… probably not, but I’d give it a shot.

#ROTY

Jul. 5, 2023
Razor: Merkur 33c
Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome
Lather: Gillette - Sensitive - Gel * Post Shave:* Nivea - Post Shave Balm - Balm

Really got my middle-aged man on today. With nickel back playing in the background I slathered on the shave gel like a barbarian. Chose a mild razor because this gel offered almost zero protection that I am normally used to. Followed up with Nivea shave balm that I actually happen to enjoy. Shave wasn’t great but easy cleanup. 4/10.

As for the challenge I love leather scents. With a splash of tobacco and vanillla. Nothing too strong that lingers forever but a light leather whiff is nice. Reminds me of playing baseball.

ROTY

LG23-05: ~~Canned~~ Deodorant Tube Shave ~~Goop~~ Stick featuring a ~~Canadian pharmacy's intercom~~ u/RedMosquitoMM music playlist

• Brush: Tweezerman #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS #RUNT #ANCIENT
• Razor: BIC Sensitive Single Blade Razor #JETSETTER #RAINBOW
• Blade: BIC (2)
• Lather: Pacific Shave Co. - Ultra Slick Shave Stick
• Post Shave: Pacific Shave Co. - Caffeinated Aftershave Balm
• Fragrance: Etat Libre d’Orange - You Or Someone Like You
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Traveling and therefor whatever's in the Mr. Coffee
• Music: Daftside - Random Access Memories Memories
• LG Tags: FOF

As is tradition, I dug my grocery store shave products out of my drawer for today's low-cost shave. The tiny Tweezerman continues to be a particularly crummy brush, but it does indeed lather shave soap, though that's about all it has going for it. I suppose it's very light, takes up little room in a bag, and I'd actually be happier without it if lost, or broken, or stolen by some unfortunate soul. I have a higher opinion of the BIC Sensitive disposables. This is my second shave with this first razor in the multi-pack (the first was last June) and it seems foolproof—mild aggression, rotating head, and a single blade. And I'm happiest with the Pacific Shave Co. products that have lived in my dopp kit since I bought them from the nearby regional mega-grocer. While the stick soap is a little drying, it's indeed very slick and lathers up almost immediately. You really can't beat the shave stick format for travel wet shaving.

The scent of my Big Box Store shaving products is one-note (spearmint…yep, that's it), and I've used the same set the last few Lather Games, so I'll get straight to today's challenge. I recently picked up the first in Noble Otter's playing card series, Joker, because of the listed citronella note. Sadly, I can't really pick it out in the soap. I feel like citronella is an uncommon focal note in wet shaving (though not aromatherapy) because of its mosquito-repelling associations, but also because that unmistakable lemony aroma is both potent and a tad harsh. If I designed my own shaving scent, I'd like to go where only Rod & Mandy have gone before, and design one built around a strong citronella note. I could take it two directions; play up the bright, energetic qualities of citronella, or counter it with warm, easygoing notes that balance it out. With today's hot, muggy weather, I'd go with the former. I'd also enhance the yellow tones and herbal qualities of citronella; solar citrus, a dose of spicy carrot, maybe a bit of juicy fig, tomato leaf, just enough neroli to sweeten things up (taken past that I find it overwhelming), and a jolt of kumquat or yuzu. For the base, I'd try out reedy vetiver and some tannic woods along with the usual options. Overall, I'd want the citronella to shine without glaring, chemical harshness, but pair it with enough strong, energetic voices to make it part of a choir instead of a soloist out front. Or at least turn that mic down a little.

Speaking of fragrances, I've only worn this You Or Someone Like You sample a few times and I'm finding it extremely difficult to parse. Immediately upon spraying it's all green floral notes, but super humid, like that blast of scent and wet heat you're greeted with upon first entering a botanical garden hothouse. Eventually I acclimate and I can pick out a more distinct rose along with that grassy aromatic texture. That's also when I notice the most notable feature of this blend and the reason I picked it to follow my shave—a clear, playful mint note. (Though not spearmint specifically.) I enjoy You Or Someone Like You the most as it dries down to the base; the rose becomes a whisper, the grass and mint take on the freshness of clean linens drying in the breeze, and the overall effect is airy and pristine. It would have made a lovely followup to yesterday's Spring scents as well.

July 5, 2023 – Month of Lather Day 5

• Brush: None – Goop Don't Need no Stinkin' Brush
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .68-P
• Blade: Gillette Platinum (3)
• Preshave: None – Goop Don't Do Preshave
• Lather: Gillette – Foamy Regular Scent
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Unscented Balm
• Music: Almond Joy & Mounds – Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut, Sometimes You Don't

Daily Theme: If there's anything good about goop is that it shows us what not to love. It's like an Ex. Not just any Ex. But an Ex who broke your heart, mended it, and then ripped it out and fed it to a Wolfman. Now imagine that same Ex marrying your sibling and you're the Best Man/Woman/Person. You still hate your Ex, but now you have to pretent you like your Ex. That leads us to Gillette Foamy, the ex I purchased at a local drug store in Singapore.

Daily Challenge: My wife loves chocolate (a nod to her for assisting yesterday), I see coconuts everywhere on our Philippine vacation, and LG23's participants clearly love almond scents (based on a pseudo-scientific poll taken after Monday's LG shave posts). Chocolate, coconut and almonds. Why is that familiar? <..Sometimes you feel like a nut..> Jingle, get out of my head <..Sometimes you Don't..> Make it stop! Ok Big Almond, you win. My perfect, original shaving scent contains notes of chocolate, coconut and almond and ~~Big Almond~~ I will name it... Almond Joy.

The Shave: The Ex behaved and I eked out a SAS. The Foamy provided minimal lubrication/slickness and if I had pushed for more, razor burn would have ensued. I took what the Ex would give me and lived to ~~fight~~ shave another day. #ROTY

July 5, 2023 – Canned Shave Goop featuring a Canadian pharmacy’s intercom music playlist

• Brush: Cremo – Horse Hair #HORSESASS
• Razor: Assured Safety Razor
• Blade: Assured
• Lather: Cremo – Reserve Blend
• Post Shave: After Shave – Fresh

Cremo brush and cream was from Target. Assured Razor and the “After Shave” was from Dollar Tree. The splash is a cheap Aqua Velva clone and it is literally called After Shave. The brush is scritchy. The cream is alright. The razor and blade is trash.

My basic original scent would be lavender and cedar and maybe some syth menthol. I had a bar soap that I believe had that a similar basic scent.

DAY 5 LATHER GAMES! Man do I not like drug store products... #MOANPOST

• Prep: Water
• Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Gillette British Rocket #REGUS
• Blade: Nacet(2)
• Lather: Kapo - Classic shaving cream
• Post Shave: Kapo - Classic aftershave splash
• Fragrance: Avon - Full Speed Surfer

PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

​

INTRO:

Right, I don't want to really moan about the daily theme, it's more about what is offered here at Bulgaria. I mean you guys can go and get Pinaud Clubman at your stores, that's awesome! Even though we had classical wet-shaving tradition here in Bulgaria, they are ALMOST long gone, good thing is that there is a re-birth of the hobby(in general) so we may see things going better in the future. Fingers crossed!

LATHER:

Man.... People say that the old Kapo(it's pronounced Karo for people who might be interested) was waaaaaay better than this new one, honestly I have no idea, cause it was before my time, but boy was it an average at best lather... The less I say, the better. There are other options, but all of em are just good enough to get the job done....

RAZOR:

Last time I used this was either during the last LG or the Atlas Shaves during February last year. It's my grandpa's razor and it's waiting it's turn for my wallet to fill up a bit so it can go on a replating trip to the USA and be restored to it's former glory! As a shaver it provided me with a much better shave than yesterday's Henson shave. Only gripe I have, and that was a problem also last February, is that the TTO knob untwists itself and sometimes you realize a bit too late.... Other than that, great shavers, old Gillettes shave great!

BRUSH:

Now, the MOAR BOAR!!! Most of you here are familiar with this brush. I'm usually a synthetic kind of guy, but when I saw that there were some left unacclaimed I jumped the gun! The brush is great and gorgeous, only one tiiiiny-teeeeny problem. THIS THING EATS SOAP LIKE IT'S AT A HOT DOG EATING COMPETITION.... It's a problem cause I'm the type of guy who wants to get the most shaves out of a soap. But for creams that are cheap, pfff no problem chug a away! It is very soft, even during the first shave after being soaked for 5-6 minutes it was a great massage to make lather on my face!! Thank you all that were behind this project!!

AFTERSHAVE:

One of the worst smelling things I've used. And it's not in a bad way, it's just so generic and chemical(maybe I've become a snob, who knows).... It's probably the scent of the products that make me moan the most about this daily challenge.

DAILY CHALLENGE:

Wax poetic about my perfect scent I would create, if I had the possibility of doing so? Man I wish I was Red at this moment.... He's gonna be pretty annoyed that I tagged him, cause I've been crying about it since at least a year, but u/mammothben knows how I would love if he made an ANGLE GRINDER scented soap! Yup you heard me right! That's my favourite smell in the world!!! Why? Who knows maybe I was left for a day or two by my mother near a construction site, but then she reconsidered and took me back. Maybe it's all those times I've helped my father with angle grinding stuff. Or maybe I'm just a bit loose in the head.

But this is stuff I've ranted about before. Since the past year some great fragrances have passed through my nose, here's a list:

• The Rambler by Zingari man
• Delta V by Declaration Grooming
• Sutton Distilled by First Line Shaving
• Valedictorian by Summer Break Soaps

These are just new ones from the past 5-6 months, added to a list of a few others(FG, STAG, TOBACCONIST) I also consider masterpieces. But having smelled all these fragrances I'm not sure I can make something that is better than them, again angle grinder is more a meme than anything else(even though I would love the idea). If I did have to create one it would be something as follows:

• Top Notes: Sea Breeze, Bergamot
• Middle Notes: Oud, Honey, Bubble Gum
• Base Notes: Asphalt, Smoke, Tar

How does this all fit together? On paper it doesn't, in my head it's magnificent!! To each their own I guess!

#FOF

I'll try and keep this one short, cause it's already a long post. I chose Avon, cause it's something that is easily available and it's also very generic and fits the scent theme of the cream and aftershave. Scent wise today was awful... Nothing more to add!

• Daily Lather Themes: 5/30
• Daily Challenges: 5/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 10/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 0/2
• Software Vendor Points: 0/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 0/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 5/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 5/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 5/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 5/30

July 5, 2023

• Brush: Maggard Razors Black Handle Timberwolf Synthetic Travel Brush, 18mm #RUNT #SMOLL
• Razor: Razorock Mamba 70
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Super Stainless (Green)
• Lather: Nature’s Promise – Lime
• Post Shave: Maggard Razors – Limes & Bergamot
• Fragrance: Blackbird – Universal Supreme – EdP

I grabbed this tube of goop from my local Hannaford (regional grocery store) a couple weeks ago in anticipation of today, upon noticing that it was aggressively marked down – a sure sign of a quality product. Nature’s Promise is one of the primary private labels for Hannaford, which is usually fine and dandy for food, but I wasn’t so sure about the quality of today’s shave.

My assumption was mostly correct. It was…fine? The lime scent was very saccharine, like a lime slushy, and the consistency was neither soap nor cream. It was much more liquidy than I expected, so I accidentally poured out way too much for a neck and beard shaping day (head needed a break due to not being used to daily shaves). Even using some water and a brush, it didn’t really lather up into what I’m used to with artisan soaps. It was thick and viscous initially, and although water helped a bit, it didn’t exactly build a “lather.” No cuts or frag burn, though, so I can’t really complain.

To even out the sweet lime, I used Maggard Lime & Bergamot, which gave a little bit of complexity. I was going to then use Tyler by Guy Fox, but decided to go with Universal Supreme instead, thinking/hoping that it would create a cherry lime rickey vibe. This didn’t quite work, as the scent of the soap and splash faded quickly on account of not covering my entire head, so I mostly just got cherry. Again, no complaints – just not what I was going for. #FOF

Per the challenge, I fully recognize that I am not a perfumer. I struggle to pull out scent notes, and sometimes I read note lists and have trouble identifying them or even believing that those notes are to be found. For somebody who is really into fragrances and cooking/food, I have a less-than-discerning palate and olfactory ability. That said, I would love a soap that evokes an Aviation cocktail. The cocktail is made with gin, maraschino liqueur, creme de violette, and lemon juice. So, scent notes would probably be juniper, coriander, cherry, vanilla, lemon, and a hint of violet. I would imagine the fragrance being largely herbaceous, with a rounded sweetness and mid notes of citrus, and top notes of florals which fade (to represent how you shouldn’t overload the creme de violette in an Aviation). I imagine some other notes would need to be added to make a more balanced fragrance, and some perfume oils to be in the background in order to make the important notes stand out – I just don’t know how any of that exactly works.

July 5, 2023

• Brush: These hands
• Razor: Leaf Elite
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (1)
• Lather: Barbasol - Original
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - American Blend
• Fragrance: Fine Accoutrements - American Blend EdT

Not much to be said about Barbasol, though with some added water it does provide a serviceable shave. Fine American Blend is a great compliment to the scent, though much stronger. I can't say that I pick up any individual notes in Barbasol -- it mostly smells "soapy".

As far as perfuming goes, I do not know enough about individual components to even take an educated stab at it. However, as weird as it sounds — I really like the scent of citronella (at least in Stirling’s Electric Sheep). It somehow has a really fresh and invigorating note to me. I don’t know how well it would mix at all really (perhaps I should find out one of these days), but a mix of something akin to Old Spice (or maybe one of the fresher dupes/takes) crossed with Electric Sheep sounds intriguing.

Barbasol: Purchased from local Target.

#ROTY

05 July 2023 Complementary Non Dickkhole Tabac Original - Lather Games Day 5

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Dogwood Cadinsor 28mm Zenith Unbleached
• Razor: Gillette Red Tip
• Blade: Gillette Red Tip (16)
• Lather: Tabac - Original (1)
• Post Shave: Santa Maria Novella - Patchouli A/S
• Post Shave: Thayer's Concoction
• Post Shave: Cold River Soapworks Sandalwood Post Shave Lotion
• Post Shave: Tabac - Balm
• Fragrance: Etat de Libre Fat Electrician

Hope everyone's LG is going well as we're in the middle of the first week.

Cheers

July 5 2023 - Lather Games Day 5 - May Sweeney Todd Strike Me Down

• Pre-Shave: Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd
• Brush: 🚫🖌️😓
• Razor: Venus cartridge
• Lather: Evolution of Smooth - Sensitive Shave Cream
• Post Shave: Alaffia - Everyday Shea Lotion
• Post Shave: Serving a dark and a vengeful God
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville

Today I celebrated the fifth day of Lather Games by going to New York City and seeing Broadway’s smash hit shaving-themed musical Sweeney Todd. I wish I could say it was strictly for the Games and that Josh Groban (the titular Todd) lathered me up after the performance, but alas this was a present for my wife so the opportunities for Lather Games related shenanigans had to pass unfulfilled. I was really hopeful that the merch stand would have a brush or really any shaving stuff, but sadly it did not. I was tempted to try and find the merchandise manager and recommend u/J33pGuy13 and u/merikus in case they were looking to have some custom Sweeney Todd Zenith brushes made but didn’t have the time. The show was great even for someone like myself who is not all that enamored of musical theatre, although truthfully the Demon Barber of Fleet Street’s lather could use more water.

Now that we’re home it was time for my annual shave with my wife’s crap that she gets from Target. I must say it was slightly better than year’s past since she now uses this cream stuff instead of true canned goop like she used to. I probably could have used a brush to help whip this stuff up, but decided to use it like 99% of the people that buy it do and just kinda smear it over my face with wet hands. EOS is a step above said canned goop; the scent is vaguely soapy but not very strong and the cream does provide some protection. The worst part is using her dull-ass Venus cartridge. I bought her a Leaf razor last Christmas that currently sits in the shower sad and unused. So I did one quick WTG pass so I could log this shave and finished off with some lotion, also from Target. Sweeney Todd would surely shed a single tear and then slit my throat if he knew I had followed his story with such a garbage shave. I did follow the shave up with a spritz of Seville, a barbershop scent I’m sure Mr. Todd would approve of.

And for the Daily Challenge, I’ve been into wood inspired scents recently so my ideal fragrance would be like the rich wood of Tom Ford’s Bois Marocain but with a creamy sandalwood base like Barrister and Mann’s sandalwood.

July 5, 2023

• Brush: None
• Razor: Harry’s – The Winston #RAINBOW
• Blade: Harry’s Cartridge
• Lather: Nivea - Sensitive Skin Shaving Gel
• Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive Skin Post Shave Balm
• Fragrance: Lacoste L.12.12 Bleu

I remember when I first “upgraded” to Harry’s I thought I was the shit. I got rid of the plastic Gillette Fusion and went to this super high-quality metal (with rubber grippies) piece of art. Boy was a naïve fool at the time. It’s metal, its cartridges are German-engineers. This thing SCREAMS high quality. And because I wanted nothing but the finest for my skin, I used Nivea products for sensitive skin. This was my set-up for years and years and years and years. And today, regressed back and I have to admit, I’m embarrassed I ever thought this was high quality. Like, at the time, I honestly thought I had reached shaving enlightenment with this set-up. I now want to hide my head in shame when I think back to those days.

I used this exact set-up for a long time, so it was sort of like riding a bike. I hadn’t gotten around to tossing this stuff out yet, and it’s a good thing, for two reasons: (1) It gave me the perfect set up for canned goop day today and (2) it made me realize how far I’ve come since I last used this stuff 8 months ago. Using this today helped me realize I can throw this stuff out and never, ever, ever look back. It wasn’t a bad shave, per say, but it definitely wasn’t a good shave. The fragrance I used, Lacoste Bleu, is readily available at pretty much any drug store and is a “nothing special” fragrance to me. The description says clean, sensual & masculine and I say its generic, overpowering, and nondescript. #FOF

If anything, today’s shave made me sad for the millions of people out there that still shave like this. My only hope is one day, they all decide to look and see what else is out there and discover wetshaving. Because there is a better way. And that better way is the way all of our grandfather’s shaved. And today’s shave really proved that to me.

Challenge:

If I need to design a fragrance, I’m going with stuff that everyone has heard of. When I first got started wetshaving, I was extremely frustrated at all the scents that I had no idea what they were (bergamot, ozone, tonka, etc). So I’d like to go back to basics for the every man idiots like me that don’t know scents. So I’m going with Lavender, Lemon, with a tiny sprig of Mint. I think that would be a great summertime scent.

Wednesday, the 5th of July, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 24mm Gelousy SHD Badger #SHD
• Razor: Gillette triangle slot, fat handle Tech #REGUS
• Blade: Gillette Rubie (22)
• Lather: Cremo - Cremo Original
• Post shave: Old Spice - Original
• Fragrance: Coty - Gravity

While the Cremo, Old Spice, and Gravity all came from a department store, that's obviously not true for the hardware. Well, it's possible eighty years ago the razor was bought from a drugstore or similar, but that's not how I got it.

Cremo Original does not have a great scent. It's not terrible, but it's kind of a medicinal soapy scent. There's something I might characterize as a "fresh" element, but this would never be a favorite. At least, not after using much more interesting, varied, exploratory, and strongly perfumed shaving soaps.

That said, the shave itself was nice. I rejected the instructions on the tube and used a brush to lather it up. The lather is much, much better if you do this. And the Rubie in a Tech gave me two quite nice passes.

After the shave... ugh. There's no ingredient list on the bottle, but I bet this Old Spice is nothing but alcohol and fragrance oils. I hate it. And the scent is... not much to speak of. I'm not quite sure if there's a hint of citrus left, or if it's all gone and I'm just imagining it. The spice is muted, and it's still an OK scent, but there's good reasons this only comes out of the closet once a year, for the Lather Games department store day. Gravity is a little better, although it's not particularly interesting, it's not a bad scent at all.

On today's challenge: I don't think I have an inner perfumer. I know what I pick up on from many scents isn't the same as others, and I have a real tough time picking out most specific notes. If designing an ideal scent for now, I wouldn't try to build something around a sense of place, or a person, or to explore an aspect of an accord. I'd just try to build something I'd love to smell over and over and over again.

I'd probably start by building something centered around strong floral notes. Probably rose. Maybe backed up by a couple others... geranium, lavender, violet, I dunno. There's room for experimentation here, maybe with some top floral notes and some lasting longer in the middle of the fragrance. A woody (sandalwood, oud, cedar), slightly spicy (cardamom, black pepper) base would be good, maybe with a hint, just a hint, of vetiver. I'd probably try to work in a certain... I dunno how to describe this, but there's a "headiness" to some perfumes I like, that I think would work well here (Gravity does have a bit of this). I don't know if this is attributable to a certiain note, or ingredient, but if I were a professional, I'd probably have some experience with the fragrance oils to pinpoint where it comes from.

I'll admit this is already sounds quite similar to Chatillon Lux's Rose Santal, or Zingari Man/Byron No. 1. But depending on where it's at, I'd like to experiment with herbal or fruity notes to try to take it in a different direction.

Now after writing about it, I wish I had the chance to experiment a bit. I should look for a perfumery class or one of those kits with different fragance oils, maybe.

Jul. 5, 2023 - The worst shave of LG

• Prep: CeraVe - Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Maggard Green Handle 2 Band Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS

• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper (Translucent Blue Scales) #RAINBOW #YTHO

• Blade: Personna Hair Shaper Blades

• Lather: Gillette - Pure Cream

• Post Shave: Nivea Men - Soothing Post Shave Balm

• Fragrance: Tommy Bahama - Maritime Deep Blue

Again comes the day that everyone dreads. It’s not that this necessarily has to be a bad shave because there is certainly decent products out there but thats not what we do here. Gillette Pure is a perfectly ok shave but for whatever reason I decided to use an open blade today. I only have 15 open blade shaves under my belt and still very much learning here. I have learned to not really push these open blade too far and escaped without bloodshed but it was not a comfortable or close shave at all!

For todays theme, I bought the Blade, Lather & Post Shave locally. The frag is available locally but was PIFd this sample so didn’t purchase it.

For todays #photocontest I set up like r/Wicked_Edge, showing off the bathroom. Bonus points for using subpar lather today.

Daily Challenges: For todays challenge I took a trip to my local fragrance counter to try out some things. I found the frag I used today and got some sample strips. I am not the greatest at these things but I feel like a scent of Cedarwood, Bergamot, Rosemary and Galbanum would be absolutely perfect! The woody undertone balanced with the clean rosemary and bergamot with the nice green undertone of galbanum sounds incredible!

Wait a second what is this hiding at the back of my soap shelf? Damn that smells good! HOLY SHIT WHAT DO I HAVE HERE? It’s like the soap of my dreams! This has to be made by some crazy magician because this is what dreams are made of!

July 5, 2023 – LG 5: Canned Shave Goop

• Brush: Amazon Badger #ANCIENT #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Merkur 23c
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (1)
• Lather: Barbasol – Soothing Aloe
• Post Shave: Burt’s Bees – Natural Aftershave
• Fragrance: Giorgio Armani – Acqua do Gio

How does such a solid playlist lack Canadian greats like Celine Dion and The Biebs?!?

All products available at drug and department stores. This crappy old Amazon badger was my first shaving brush, a no name best badger that came in a kit with the 23c. This seemed like a perfect day for #PHOTOCONTEST (r/wicked_edge), since that sub is how I came to the hobby many a years ago. Furthermore, everyone on w_e knows a stand is completely necessary for your brush to dry properly. Beginning shave products only accentuate the classic w_e photo, to bad I didn’t destroy my neck too show you as well…

As aforementioned, all products are linked by their availability today, so I won’t dwell on scent too long. Barbasol is modeled as a classic barbershop of sorts, the Burt’s bees is similar masculine freshness, with a touch of minty/menthol. The AdG was my first and only big house cologne, that got me all the compliments in the early to mid 2000s. A “classic” so to speak, a citrus aquatic scent that to me has a typical cologne scent that I can’t really discern the individual scent notes, but is blended into a fresh and clean nostalgia bomb. #FOF

As for my scent, I would design a POG Aquatic. POG stands for passion orange guava, and is a common and popular drink in Hawaii. My GFs mom grew up there, and her sister now lives there so we visit a lot. It’s quite sweet, but a lovely fruity drink nonetheless. Lately I’ve had a few POG seltzers and POG Hazy IPAs that have been absolutely delicious and refreshing. It has some of the fresh citrus notes already in many aquatics, but I’d want to spruce it up from just fruit notes to a fruity aquatic. According to the internet I’d want calone and aldehydes to give it that saltiness. I think some cucumber might give it some nice freshness as well. So to all you artisans out there reading this, feel free to make one, and if you want to give me $0.10 for each tub on the back end that would be great. Or just make it and I’ll buy it, but keep it fruit heavy.

soap brands 5/30, post shave 5/30, frag 5/30, post/frag linked 5/30, software sponsors 1/15, hardware sponsors 1/2, razor hashtags 3/15, brush hashtags 3/15, photo contest 5/30, daily challenges 4/25, special challenges 1/5

July. 5, 2023 - SOTD 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Oumo O4 Venus SHD Badger Brush 26MM
• Razor: West Coast Shaving Multi Titanium Collection Razor
• Blade: Treet Platinum
• Lather: Barbasol - Original
• Post Shave: Chiesled Face - Natural Artisan Aftershave Balm

ROTY

• Brush: muh bare hands
• Razor: Gillette King C
• Blade: Gillette King C
• Lather: Gillette - Foamy Sensitive
• Post Shave: Gillette - Cool Wave, Burt’s Bees - Aftershave Balm
• Fragrance: Stetson - Stetson Cologne

I smell like a cheaper version of a dollar store cowboy that was hit with a handful of thistle and rosemary. And by that, I mean I smell great. shave

July 5, 2023 Canned Shave Goop

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: KIKC Pure Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: GEM 1912 #TWINS
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (3)
• Lather: Cremo - Bourbon Vanilla
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Classic Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Parfum Belcam - Classic Match Obsession EDT

I actually really like this theme because it reminds me how truly nice the artisan stuff is that I certainly take for granted at this point. Cremo is slick, quick, and cheap, but really has nothing else going for it. Lathering is next to impossible and the poor lather I can get out of it becomes such a dry airy mess so quickly. The Aqua Velva is great for what it is and I don't mind using it, especially just once in a while. The fragrance was super cheap and honestly smells pretty good for about 10 minutes and then ceases to exist. Was able to pick it all up at Walmart and it is all pretty cheap so I have no real complaints.

Also, turns out when you walk into a store with items and take a picture of those items at their self checkout all while the self checkout is trying to scan everything you have sitting on it, people tend to give you weird looks. Who would have guessed.

Daily Challenge: I have thought about this since it was posted yesterday. In spite of all the thought I feel like I would be lying if I tried to overcomplicate this. I think my perfect cent would be some mixture of a sweetish barbershop like Stirling's with Ombre Leather and then tossing some grapefruit in. Then "dirtying" it up a bit with some gasoline, oil, or smoke like Stag would be perfect in my mind.

July 5, 2023

• Razor: Karve CB OC-F
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Dollar Shave Club – Shave Butter
• Post Shave: CVS – Hydrating Lotion

I used DSC Shave Butter that my wife has in the shower, bought from CVS. True to its name, its like shaving with softened butter. Should’ve used my MMOC to hit up some toast but didn’t expect it to be so buttery. It was a translucent goo that performed terribly and clogged up the razor and probably my drain. Can’t wait to snake out that black monster DSC goo from the depths of my drain hell. No scent either so that, I guess technically, didn’t stink. I decided to have some fun and pick my most aggressive razor to see how the goo did. Not good is the answer. Face is still burning as I write this. Of course I paired my AS with a CVS brand to complement the CVS DSC purchase.

Challenge: Since my nose is pretty sus, I will blend up this concoction like an amateur vitamixer at their first day of Red Mango. I first will take some Stirling Haverford because I like the tobacco/vanilla combo, maybe about 1/3rd. Add 1/3rd Wholly Kaw Amber Bomba because something in that smells really good, could it be…amber? I like a little depth, so SW Autumn Ash into the mix for that smokiness. Just 1/6th. Rounding it all out with 1/6th B&M Lavanille to complement the vanilla. Of course the Lavanille will make this a best seller because of Mouse de Saxe. Thanks /u/pridetwo for that little bit of inspiration and making me $$$. I would call it, "All that is good". Who wouldn't buy it with a name like that?

July 5, 2023 – All Things Must Pass

• Razor: Schick Injector Type I1
• Blade: Personna Injector (4)
• Lather: Ultra Max – Shave Cream Extra Thick
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements – American Blend

Todays theme was an excellent opportunity to go into the independently owned dollar store type place on the old Main Street of my new neighborhood. I’ve been eyeing it up, you can tell from the old awning it was a post-war five and dime when the neighborhood was really thriving. I expected to see evidence of the old shop when I went in, dreaming of the original tin ceiling. And I was immediately let down when greeted with stained dropped ceiling and rows of sad and even more sad imported crap home goods. But hey the store is now going out of business and everything was 30 percent off. It was tough but I decided to pass of the cool water homage scented oil. Luckily I did find this industrial can of Goop. 14 ounces for 1.39 after discount! A dime an ounce, and I tell you it was worth every penny. I mean not the scent but the shave surprised me. 2 pretty gentle pass shave with an acceptable result. But as a man who lived a life of odd struggle here and there I needed a splash I could count on. I mean all these red shave cans are ultimately homages of Barbasol so why not splash the American Blend. Fun shave. But I will never again hand face lather the oddest foamy almost putty like soap with a scent reminiscent of a goodwill sofa with potpourri donated from the early 90s jammed into the seat cushions. Love the playlist tho.

Cheers! 🤙

ROTY

July 5, 2023 – Lather Games: Day 5

Brush: Yaqi Synthetic

Razor: Karve Overlander

Blade: Gillette Nacet

Lather: Barbasol – Sensitive Skin Thick & Rich Shaving Cream

Post Shave: Soap Commander – Passion

Why, oh why, do the shaving gods force us to torture ourselves by using canned shaving cream? One of the pleasures of switching from canned stuff to shave soap was the fact that the shaving soap performed so much better. The only silver lining I can find from today’s theme is that it only lasts for one day.

As for today’s challenge. I think I would start with tobacco absolute and a touch of vanilla. I would add a slightly smokey aspect, and then add some teak and sandalwood. I may also add a touch of rose, but just a small tad.

July 6, 2023 – Canned Goo

• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Barbasol
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Ghost Town Barber

Look, I wanted to hate this crap, but, listen – I didn’t. It’s not that I would go back, artisan soap is so much better. But, like, this wasn’t terrible. My skin didn’t melt off, I don’t have terrible burns, the shave was relatively smooth, and the scent is mild and nostalgic enough to be fine. I had a debate with myself while I shaved – what would I give up if I was forced: DE razors in favor of cartridges or artisan soap in favor of canned goo. The answer is I would take carts and artisan soap (RIP my wallet on those replacement blades), becuase this stuff just isn’t as smooth or moisturizing or enjoyable as all the soap, but, it’d suck to do that. I don’t ever want to go back.

GTB crushed the follow up, though, and I now smell great.

I will say, though, it was very quick and convenient to just have it all ready to go – no prep, nothing. Just squeeze it on my hand, rub it on my face, and boom, shaving.

If I were to come up with my own scent, say I placed high enough in these games – I would be completely screwed. I am terrible at this stuff, but, if I was forced – I would want a hybrid scent: HoM Sonder with Chatillon Lux Admiral with an ode to Creed Island Water. I know – that’s a lot, but, I like the bright green of sonder with the stellar smoky dry down of Admiral and I want my wife’s reaction to be the same as when I use Island Man (Island Water). So – that’s me.

FOF Haiku of the Day

Barbasol is fine
Brings back some fond memories
My dad used this stuff

July 5, 2023 – What Fresh Hell  

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic  
• Razor: Maggard V3  
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue   
• Lather: Gillette – Pure  

Well. This is awful. I usually apply goop by hand the way Satan intended but here I thought I’d see if a brush improved matters. It doesn't. The soap provides a possible amount of lubrication but its a pain to rinse the razor and my skin feels dry and weird after. It’s been a year since I shaved with goop and I had forgotten how bad it is. We call it the LatherGames but today is the spirit of the Hunger Games. An annual reminder of the way it used to be, back when we all shaved with goop daily. Before the peace and prosperity brought to us by Maggard’s and purveyors of decent soap.

For anyone that cares I purchased my goop from the local grocery reject store (grocery outlet).

Challenge: Jasmine. Give me a solid Jasmine soap. Not one with hints, not one with this ‘floral but masculine’ bs. I want that first wiff to transport me home to the wafting smell of the 8ft night blooming Jasmine trellis by the front door. If we are getting fancy Id also like to include the smell of a pine forest after the rain. I don’t have any clue how that would work, but it definitely does in my fantasyland.

07.05.2023- Long weekend hangover

• Prep: Shower

• Razor: Gillette English Tech #REGUS

• Blade: Feather Hi Stainless

• Brush: WCS 26mm Synthetic

• Lather: Trader Joes Honey Mango Cream

• Post: Kiehls Post Shave Balm

My wife picked this for herself to use and I actually must say it’s pretty good and quite slick. Definitely a brushless cream. I tried using a brush with water and it just made it thin and watery.

If I were to make a fragrance, one of my favorite it Tobacco Vanille, but I’d want to brighten it up with maybe citrus or something.