June 24, 2024 – 2024.06.24 SOTD: Lather Games Day 24 – Christmas in July, but in June Eve

• Brush: AKA Brushworxs Metamorphosis Kaiser-i-Hind with 26mm Turn-n-Shave Fullmoon knot
• Razor: Aylsworth Drakkant
• Blade: Wizamet
• Lather: Zingari Man – The Watchman
• Post Shave: Zingari Man – Unscented Balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Alive

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Daily Theme: Christmas in July, but in June Eve

Theme justification: Today's soap, Zingari Man The Watchman, was provided by /u/OnionMiasma. /u/OnionMiasma has participated in over 12 shaves during these Lather Games

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: The relevant theme for today's shave is a continuation of today's theme: stuff /u/OnionMiasma has gifted to me. In fact, he sent all three of these items in one box! See the note he provided for proof.. Items 1, 9, and 13. The photo has been edited to remove our names, but that is all. He sent me this care package shortly after I joined the sub. It was incredibly generous to do for a new member and showed me just how friendly this place is. You're a real one, /u/OnionMiasma.

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Scavenger Hunt ~~Justification~~: COMPLETED

Razor facts: N/A

Brush facts: N/A

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Daily/Special Challenge: /r/Wetshaving exclusive wish list

Now this is tricky. Lots of great things out there. Do we bug /u/Rocketk455 for more meme soap? I don't think so. Not after he made You Did This. We need to let him focus on better things.

Do we pressure /u/MammothBen into giving us green goop, for whatever reason? Nah.

Seems like Stirling is already working on something in the background that might moove us.

So, I think we should leave the next exclusive to one of this year's new sponsors. Namely, I recommend Aaron from Talent Soap Factory. Now, a lot of his scents are gourmand, but I don't think that this exclusive should go that route. I think he should piggyback off of a new, sure-to-be-hit movie: Twisters

What would this smell like, you ask? Well, if you ask any Midwesterner or person who lives in tornado alley, they'll let you know that there is a distinctive smell before a thunderstorm and/or tornado. I typically associate this with Ozone, but I could be wrong. Since Aaron is in KC (according to Etsy), I'm assuming he knows this smell well. I've tried most of the "storm" scents that are popular around these parts, and nothing really comes close to what I'm thinking. Maybe it's because my sniffer is off (which is true), but I don't think it's that far off. To make it easier on Aaron, I've even drawn up a rudimentary label. Bear in mind that I'm no /u/Wyze0ne. I submit to you: "Welcome to Moore, OK!" For some reason imgur didn't like this photo, so I had to go with ibb.co.

So there you go. Aaron, if you're on reddit and see this, let me know if you're up to this. I'm happy to be a smell tester for you.

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Fragrance description

The watchman does his some of the ozone notes I suggest above, but it's definitely more of a sea-salt and ozone vibe. Makes me want to watch The Lighthouse

Alive is not one of my top HoM scents, but it is nice. I think it is just a bit too floral for my liking. I do appreciate the apple that comes through, though. The initial opening spice you get reminds me of mulled apple cider.

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Now onto the shave!

I do enjoy Zingari soaps. While not my favorite scent, the lather was nice and the overall shave was enjoyable. I don't know if it is because of my shenanigans I've been dealing with this month, but today's lather was absolutely phenomenal. Near perfect consistency, great sheen, A+ slickness and protection. Much better than using boiling soap with added chocolate like I did yesterday. Their balms are very nice as well.

Overall, 7/10 shave today.

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Totals:

• Razor Hashtags: 10/10
• Brush Hashtags: 10/10
• Hardware Sponsor Points: 2/2
• Software Sponsor Points: 15/16
• Number of Lather Brands: 24/30
• Number of Lather Scents: 24/30
• Number of Post Shaves: 24/30
• Number of Frags: 24/30

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Contest Hashtags:

#FOF

#ROTY

June 24, 2024

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG 2024 with 26mm AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #FAUXFUR #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (2)
• Lather: A A Shaving – Wapiti
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Ausflug
• Fragrance: Zingari – The Watchman Extrait

Christmas eve, when the sub goes on a giving spree. Today’s smush is from u/onionmiasma, who graciously bought a tub of AA shaving Wapiti and distributed it to everyone to save us all from not getting sponsor points.

I thought I should go ahead and do several things for this shave in honor of u/onionmiasma, so I used the Aurora Grooming Brush he likes. He says it’s “Cubs colors” but I think the red is darker. I just like red. The blue does glow in the dark, kinda like it’s radioactive, which does describe September as it relates to the Cubs.

Also, for #photocontest, I’m doing woodworking. I know u/onionmiasma just loves this cutting board I won last year for Lather Games, so it’s on display today. I’m not a woodworker at all, but u/phteven_j is a miracle worker with wood.

Tying #fof into u/onionmiasma was a bit harder, but then my Ausflug arrived. As everyone is aware it was Onion’s LG prize for last year. Now connecting these together is a bit of a challenge, but they’re all scents describing “the outdoors” in some way. Wapiti is defined in terms of “cool woods” and “Musky woods” (and is meant to invoke forests of the NW.) Ausflug, while it opens with citrus is defined as having a “classic refined outdoorsy base” (meant to be reminiscent of playing frisbee in the college quad if I understood correctly.) Watchman is said to have “soft woody seashore” notes up top (For thematic purposes we’ll make a sea shore on the NW as a call back to the soap). Sandwiching a citrus in between aquatics works pretty well to boot. It’s not quite as crisp as wearing something like Clean’s Rain, but the final effect isn’t that far off.

Thanks u/onionmiasma for the assist, both for this shave in particular, and as a judge keeping LG going another year.

Turning to the challenge. I’m fortunate to have 3 r/wetshaving sub soaps and 2 #subbrooshes. (Plus, Gearhead, which wasn’t an exclusive but brough back due to the sub). While I’m looking forward to u/j33pguy13’s Stirling “Sir Irisch Baas” sub treat (and will buy a trick when it goes live), I’m especially fond of the funny sub collabs, like Remote Learning (yes, we’ll give u/priusaurus some props here for bringing this to fruition. Not like his head can get any bigger). To that end, I’d love to see what Talent Soap Factory could churn out for the sub because he’s definitely got some novel scents. But, here’s the kicker, they’re good. Fantasy Donut yesterday was a lot of fun. I took sniff of Fizz and it teleported me back to the local root beer joint we had in town with unlimited mugs of the good stuff that came with dinner. (I’d be curious what u/hugbckt thought of it, but USPS lost the package I sent him 2 weeks ago). Wolf Mother is a wonderful Coffee and Merlot blend. To that end, maybe he could take the Money Scent he’s got, mix it with a little bourbon and cigar smoke and make a sub scent called “Judge’s Backroom Deals.” (I’m out of other explanations for leg shave day on Father’s Day and outdoor shave in the middle of the week other than “someone cut a backroom deal.”) Or maybe a shave that smells like diesel exhaust called “public shave.” (Actually, no. I don’t want something that’s worse than Midnight Stag.)

2024-06-24 - The gift of giving

• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Behold the Whatsis!
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Nightman
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Remote Learning
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - Guerrilla
• Brush: Summer Break Soaps

Unifying Theme: Xmas Eve in June

Xmas Eve in June:
The lather and aftershave both came from u/souleater7173 as part of Onion's PIF train late last year. Thank you, yet again.

The gorgeous brush is courtesy of u/rocketk455 from his Anosmiac Torture Parade a couple years ago. This is absoutely my favorite brush that I will ever own, but it's is one of those things where I ironically don't use it as much as I might because I want to avoid any kind of wear. Meanwhile, the frag kind of counts for Xmas in June because he threw that in as a bonus when we paid for the Remote Learning soap and a/s. So I'm counting it.

Finally, I won the Wolfman in last year's Games. Thanks to them for their continued sponsorship.

Exclusives Wishlist:
I think u/stirlingsoap was long ago playng with the idea of doing one for our little, uh, Community.
To be honest, I'm not sure what kind of scent it could be. but I would be giddier than a grapefruit goulash if they continued their established pattern of name choices by naming it something along the lines of:

Dreamatorium
Kickpuncher II
Nadir
The Darkest Timeline
Greendale Seven
El Tigre Chino

Rod's probably sick of me suggesting that, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#FOF
Speaking of grapefruit, Whatsis! is all the grapefruit your grandmother can handle. I'm a fan of actual grapefruit. As grapefruit scents go, I've tried exactly two, and I think I prefer Noble Otter's Firefighter. Whatsis! is fine.

Moving on, I think I'm the third, maybe fourth person to have this particular bottle of Nightman and the corresponding tub of soap. I haven't used it more than a couple times because I've been focusing on other tubs, but maybe I'll pass it along to someone else to try.

That's not to say I don't like it though. I wouldn't say I dislike it. I would, however, say that it smells a bit like... gasoline? Or under the hood of a car? That's not quite it... some kind of rubber or plastic, maybe. Yeah, that's it; it's like the industrial smell of some newly-manufactured, nondescript thing right after you take it out of the package. Well, when I phrase it like that, I wouldn't expect u/souleater7173 to have liked it. I suspect it mellows into its "citrus-forward" components (oh, hey, it has that in common with Whatsis!), but I didn't give it much of a chance before Remote Learning.

Boy howdy, what a scent to follow that but Remote Learning! I actually haven't figured this one out. Doritos are definitely there, but does it also have the Mountain Dew? Is it like those jars that contain both peanut butter and jelly in the same jar? Do they still have those? That's not to say that I have an interest in that stuff, but I digress. It's definitely mostly Doritos.

#photocontest Onion
Yes, that's an actual onion. Seriously.
No, not the obvious grapefruit; that's an obvious grapefruit, which was as messy as it was disappointing. No, I mean the ~~pale, round, misshapen blob~~ onion in front (I promise I was still talking about the literal onion!).

June 24, 2024 – LG Day 24 – Sharing is Caring

• Brush: Semogue Owner’s Club Boar, Cherry Wood Handle
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: AccuTec Pro Premium
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Shire
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Summer Storm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – 福 (fú dào)

Today’s soap is brought to you by the letter O, for u/OnionMiasma. Not only did he organize the PIF train I got this through, but he was my direct PIFer. (Piffer? PerIF? Unclear.) I believe he sent it because his wife was not the biggest fan, iirc. In my case, it’s rather the opposite. Green scents are challenging for me, but happen to be my partner’s favorite scent category, so Rawr, Shire, and the like tend only to come out at her request. Between this and the fact that I’ve somehow made it through life without seeing or reading any LOTR property, the rest of this shave is brought to you by Mrs. Hugbckt, and will be the shortest #FOF I’ve ever posted.

“Shire smells like the Shire. It’s nice, it’s grassy, it’s sunny, and makes me think of hobbits. I wanted something that smelled like wet grass to match it, and Summer Storm was the best he had. I thought 福 (fú dào) reminded me of the fireworks that happen at Bilbo’s birthday party.” #FOF

I don’t have much for PIFs in terms of hardware or non-soap software. Noteworthy, however, that my full bottle of 福 is thanks in large part to a HoM gift card I won in an Instagram raffle, so that’s PIF-adjacent I supposed.

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Some musings on sub exclusives:

• I have never smelled Sir Irisch Moos, but I am excited for u/J33pGuy13’s collaboration with Stirling nonetheless.
• When’s the last time NO did a sub exclusive? I’m less concerned about the scent and more interested in a new costume for the otter. A banana suit perhaps?
• As others have mentioned, a Spearhead/Seaforth exclusive would be great. I would love something deep and resinous, as that’s a side of fragrance that Shawn hasn’t done for Spearhead yet, but does so well in some of his perfumery for CL/MO.
• I don’t care that it’s a w_e exclusive, I hope that Roam Two didn’t entirely eclipse the original plan. The current top comment on that thread sounds like something I’d buy in an instant.
• Kyle of SBS is a school psychologist. The yearly Shave Against Suicide is coming up; how cool would it be to create a sub exclusive for this event?! Seems like Kyle would be a great person to do this.

That’s all for now. As my dear friend u/loudmusicboy says, try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

June 24, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Gold/Blue/Black - 26mm Mags SHD Badger
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Noble Otter - Orbit Soap
• Post Shave: Elysian Soap Co – Shaved Ice Splash
• Fragrance: Kenneth Cole – Mankind Rise EdT

From Merriam-Webster (the dictionary people):

Exclusive (ik-ˈsklü-siv) adj. 1 a: excluding or having power to exclude; b: limiting or limited to possession, control, or use by a single individual or group. 2 a: excluding others from participation; b: snobbishly aloof

On a day to celebrate community, togetherness, and gifting things to each other, here the judges go sowing division amongst wetshavers everywhere. Now, I am fully aware when I get into Lather Games mode, I can come across as brash, arrogant, insufferable, intolerable, egotistical, pompous, conceited, braggadocious, smug, and possibly a tiny bit self-important. I think self-awareness is key to life, and I am nothing, if not self-aware. I am not going to be everyone’s cup of mountain dew during the Lather Games. I get that. However, today, I hope r/wetshaving realizes that I will, once again, be the one who stands up for what is right. I’ll be the one to take the heat. The one who is critical of the judges, on the behalf of the little shavers everywhere who have never won the Lather Games but are trying their best out there.

Why the desire for sub-exclusives? Why do we want to exclude others from the certain joy that comes with a carefully crafted scent? Is our hobby not niche enough that we need to separate ourselves into “us” and “them”? Those who belong and those who don’t? Why can’t we be inclusive, instead of exclusive?

Has anyone out there ever been excluded from something? Whether you weren’t invited to a party? Or didn’t make the school basketball team? Or not being able to buy bomb-ass scented products because you didn’t know r/wetshaving existed? Now, I’ve never personally experienced anything like that, but I’m sure it isn’t a good feeling. So today, I propose we do away with sub-exclusives! First, we exclude people because they aren’t part of our little shave group, then what other reasons are we giving for excluding people? Dare I speculate?? Excluding people because they aren’t part of “my group” is wrong and it’s a slippery, slippery slope and I won’t stand for it!

So today, I’m speaking up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. We need to include people, not exclude them! Lest we forget:

First, they excluded r/wicked_edge, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a member of r/wicked_edge.
Then, then they excluded Shave Dad, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a member of Shave Dad.
Then they excluded The Brotherhood of The Holy Black, and I did not speak out – Because I didn’t get tattoos of a shaving brand tattooed on my body.
Then they excluded r/wetshaving – and there was no one left to speak for me.

So, join me, in saying: We’re done with sub-exclusives and we’re moving forward together with sub-inclusives! Who's with me!!!???!!!???

Now, I must get off my soapbox and onto my grooming routine: First off, thanks to u/Tetriside for this smush of Orbit. Orbit is designed to remind its users of clean, cool, outer space. I love a lot of what Noble Otter makes, but Orbit didn’t really do it for me. Instead of making me feel like Matt Damon in The Martian, it honestly just kinda reminded me of the dish of potpourri my mom kept in our house when I was a kid. It’s probably the Eucalyptus and Rose notes, but it did not scream outer space to me. Granted, I’m not an astronaut and admitted don’t know what space smells like, but I’m guessing there’s no Eucalyptus there. No surprise, it’s performed wonderfully and the cooling agent gave it a refreshing kick - but the scent wasn’t for me. It’s probably because it just doesn’t remind me of space at all. I used Elysian’s Shaved Ice Splash because is mentholated and shares Eucalyptus as a scent note. Quite honestly the scent of Shaved Ice smells more like clean, cool outer space than Orbit does. The splash is minty, fresh, clean and… Out of this world! (sorry, I had to). My fragrance was Kenneth Cole’s Mankind Rise. From the first spray, I immediate got a whiff of eucalyptus to tie the whole experience together, then the rest of the fragrance was like my interstellar space ship landed in a forest. It’s a woody aromatic scent that’s not bad, but not really something that is especially unique either. It’s fine, but nothing special I like the fragrance to be the special scent to carry me through the day, and this just kinda was there. Overall, while the scents of today didn’t bring me my favorite shave this month, a galaxy away from the worst. #FOF

Oh, and if Summer Break Soaps and Southern Witchcrafts ever do a combined-sub-exclusive-dual-release of a fragrance that share all the same exact scent notes, but the two scents are each unique to their brand/vision/style, please disregard everything I said in the first half of my SOTD and sign me up for a set of each. I think u/rocket455 may have mentioned that at some point? Or maybe is was u/phteven_j? I don’t know… Maybe I dreamt it? But I would love for it to happen.

Soap Theme Justification: Tetriside was so kind to send this to me.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Eucalyptus in everything. Bonus Eucalyptus fun fact: Eucalyptus is the only thing that Koalas eat. Everyone knows that. But did you know that they will also only eat the leaves off the branch. If Eucalyptus is on a plate or in a bowl, a koala won't recognize the only food they eat as food. It has to be coming directly from the branch or they won’t touch it.

Day 24

• Brush: SmilezforMiles - Synthetic Brush
• Razor: Gem G-Bar
• Blade: Gem PTFE
• Lather: Zingari Man – The Merchant Soap
• Post Shave: Ogallala Bay Rum - Sage And Cedar
• Fragrance: Cartier - Pasha Edition Noire EdT

Once again, thanks to u/Priusaurus for the smush. He’s sent a few my way this year.

This is an awesome theme because it “forces” interaction between participants. And by “force” I mean, it is totally optional. Like everything else in the Lather Games. This isn’t a frat house and no one is forced to do anything they don’t want to do. The beauty of the Lather Games is anyone can participate, and you can interact with the community as much or as little as you want. You can be a u/Enndeegee, a u/alg92, or anything in between. Shit-post, insightful post, whatever - just make it good. Or don’t! Just please don’t make it long and boring. This theme last year got me out of my comfort zone and “forced” me to DM Prius, because he offered soaps in the smush trading thread. And I’m super glad I did. It got me off the sidelines and interacting with people right off the bat. And this year, I made sure to check the smush threads somewhat regularly to see if I could help anyone. And I’m glad I was able to help a couple different people complete their calendar this year.

We are a community of 153,000 members strong! And probably 300 or so of those members are humans! And we have DOZENS of active members! And our human members are from all across the globe. Sure, our commonality is shaving the way our grandfathers did, but we connect on much more than that and represent people from all walks of life – people of different races, religions, political beliefs, professions, ages, music tastes, hair color, eye color… You get the point. All here to share in the way we shave and come together as people… And participate in a marathon internet competition dedicated posting entertaining descriptions of our shaving routines in the hopes of impressing another person tasked to judge your description of your shaving routine. If you did a good job, they give you points. And if you have a lot of points, you’ll maybe win a prize. Behold: THE LATHER GAMES!

So, for today’s description of my shaving routine:

I really enjoyed The Merchant. When I opened his smush, it was like I was greeted by a complex aroma that transported me to a bustling bazaar, filled with exotic spices and treasures from distant lands. As I lathered it up, the scent continued to develop, revealing layers of warm spices, amber, sweetness, and on a base of woods. It felt like embarking on a grand voyage, with each stroke taking me further into the heart of the merchant's world. I kept the spiciness and woodiness going with the splash – it’s a robust, woodsy fragrance. The classic bay rum warmth, combined with the earthy sage and cedar worked in harmony with the soap. This is something that the Merchant would sell at the bustling bazaar! To cap off the shave, I used Pasha Edition Noire EdT. The fragrance opened with a burst of green citrus, quickly followed by deeper notes of amber and cedarwood. It perfectly complemented the earlier scents, adding a final layer of complexity and brightness. Not every shave this month has been a winner, but this one sure has! #FOF

Sidecontest: #photocontest: Prius. Removed the dealership advertisement because I don’t want to give away free ads. If the dealership pays me, I’ll remove the censor.

Challenge: I’m pretty sure House of Mammoth is contractually obligated to create a sub soap by winning March Madness.

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Christmas in July, but in June's Eve”… My personal Top 5 Favorite Christmas Movies of All-Time

5.) The Muppet Christmas Carol – An all time classic where the guy that plays Scrooge is acting like he’s going for an Oscar while being like the only human cast.

4.) The Santa Clause - Nothing says 'Merry Christmas' like accidentally knocking Santa off your roof and having to take over his job

3.) Elf – The classic tale of a human, raised as an Elf, trying to find his real dad.

2.) Christmas Vacation – An absolutely perfect Christmas Masterpiece. Clark Griswold's quest for the perfect Christmas light display proves that sometimes it's okay to blind your neighbors with holiday cheer.

1.) Home Alone - Little Kevin McCallister shows that the best way to celebrate Christmas is by turning your house into a booby-trapped fortress against burglars.

(Editors Note: If you’re one of those people that say “Die Hard” to be cute or an attempt to be funny… Shut up.)

June 24, 2024 - Christmas in July's Eve

• Brush: Bundubeard Sekelbos Hoss
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Wizamet (38)
• Lather: Tallow + Steel - Rainforest
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Mûir(e) Wood
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Confluence

Challenge: How could the answer be anything other than Stirling? How has there not been a Stirling exclusive, yet?

Today’s lather was given to me by /u/Priusaurus. This is the fourth sample he sent me that I’ve used in the Games. So, thanks for being so generous! I’ve used T+S before. T+S uses essential oils for their fragrances, a fact I learned thanks to the short lived Muh Oils theme. In the past, those essential oils have been very strong and headache inducing for me. Namely, Boreal.

Now to the fragrance. I smell a very strong patchouli note. It's overpowering. Dirty vetiver and sweet grass make the fragrance earthy. There's a note of incense lingering around the patchouli. There's a slight sweetness. This doesn't fit “rainforest.” I was hoping this would be mossy. But, it's an earthy patchouli bomb. I don't care for it.

I’m going for a woodsy fragrance theme today. For the splash, I picked Barrister and Mann Mûir(e) Wood. A sweet, jammy note of Blackberry greets me as soon as the fragrance hits my nose. I smell balsam, vetiver, and a bit of oakmoss. There’s an impression of fresh air. This doesn’t smell like an attempt to perfectly replicate woods. It’s more of an homage. I think it’s all the better for it. I love the mix of jammy berry and airyness with mossy and coniferous notes. It feels homey. It’s like if Smucker’s grew on trees.

Rounding out the woodsy fragrances is Chatillon Lux Confluence. This fragrance has aromatic top notes. There are sharp green notes contrasting coniferous ones. I smell layers of woody notes with resinous sweet undertones. The strongest notes to my nose are spruce and juniper. It’s very woodsy. There are a lot of elements. Yet, it feels cohesive and balanced, and detailed. It smells fantastic. It's a realistic woodsy fragrance that works for both genders.

#photocontest - birds. I took this as a safety pic. But, I managed to get one with a real bird. Zoom in the top right corner.

#FOF

Jun. 24, 2024

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Strata W/TnS Quarter Moon Synthetic

• Razor: Feather AC DX Kamisori #KAMISORI

• Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild Pro Touch [1]

• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co - Armonía

• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Co - Seaforth! Roman Spice

• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Co - Seaforth! Roman Spice

Christmas in July, but June’s Eve

Today was a day of a few firsts for me. Starting off with Armonía that was sent to me by u/Infernalinternal as well as the Kamisori out on loan for the games. Unfortunately for my wallet I really liked the Kami, so now I have to buy mine and send him back his. I have a bunch of samples from infernal that I plan I trying in July. Also even though I have used Roman Spice before, I still credit Infernal with turning me onto Seaforth! when he sent me a sample of 3 Scots a few months ago.

I was nervous going into today’s shave, not gonna lie. But I went for it, slow and steady, and I am happy to report 2 passes no blood no irritation. Definitely the opposite of when I used a Weck for the first time.

I’m going to need to grab a tub of Armonía, I love HOM tobacconist but this has a different tobacco scent to it that I really dig. It’s not in your face but it’s noticeably there. I like that very much.

Son update, I think we are in the home stretch. No throwing up two days in a row, and he’s eating normally again. Super stoked about that.

Today’s Challenge I am an admitted Catie’s Bubbles fan boy. I would love to see a sub exclusive made by u/C_Bubbles. I have not tried a soap from CB that I don’t like. I have 10 different ones right now and a back up of 1.

Photo Contest: Theme Air. I had some trouble figuring out what to do with this one, but then it hit me. Fans move air, and we have a few Japanese folding fans and the DX is made in Japan so why not go that route.

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest

June 24, 2024 - Christmas Eve in ~~July~~ June

• Brush: Semogue Owner’s Club Cherry
• Razor: Karve CB C solid bar
• Blade: Treet Classic Carbon Steel #STAINLESSLESS
• Lather: Tallow & Steel - Shag
• Post Shave: Tallow & Steel - Shag Toner
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Limon EdC #FOF

Today’s Theme:

My smoosh, spritzer, and blade all came from u/tsrblke. He must have gone through a ton of stamps from all the smooshes he sent out. I only sent out a couple smooshes myself and a big box of samples, blades, razors, and a brush. I’m not sure who sent out more smooshes, The Tsar or u/OnionMiasma. I bet their inboxes are blowing up with notifications.

Today’s Challenge:

I have read a many of the suggestions so far. Currently I have exclusives by House of Mammoth and Summer Break Soaps. There might be a smoosh or two,or one I’m forgetting. I also have an Aurora Grooming LG 2024 Brush and the Moar Boar.

I have a few I think would be cool, but one might be another importing issue. Seeing how u/djundjila got a Bigger Badger in his Moar Boar handle, is another Subbroosh a good idea? Maybe a 29 or 30mm badger (Fan please) to really start eating up more soap. The Moar Boar isn’t as hungry after a good amount of breaking in. For soaps/fragrances I think I’d go with Spearhead Shaving Co. or Stirling Soap Co. Both are active here and it would be interesting to see what they can dream up.

FRAGRANCE:

I feel like this should be in all caps, but I’ll refrain. This came about because somehow last year I didn’t think Shag was that strong a scent. Sure my home office smelled of patchouli for a couple weeks, but when I lathered it up, the scent mysteriously faded to almost nothing. The winner of the Shag set, up/tsrblke, asked if I wanted a retry with the splash too. I was game. In the last few years I’ve learned to appreciate patchouli more thanks to scents like Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli and its use in many tea inspired scents. I was game for an extra challenge. As I mentioned when I got the package, it conveniently was labeled as Hazardous Materials. Like last year,opening up the mail was a hit of patchouli, and everything in the box smelled of it. Would this year be stronger? I would think it would be the opposite as aromatic oils evaporate over time. I was so WRONG, but not in the way I expected. The patchouli is much more present than I remember, but there is a dark grassy earthiness to it too.p, almost leathery or even rubbery. I’m picking up smoke too, but not jazz cabbage that I associate with patchouli from college. It is more a burning leaves in the fall kind of smoke. The aftershave really brought it all out. I’d say this is up there with the ode to masculinity - Stag. So fitting since they rhyme. As soon as I got the package I had one fragrance I thought would work to take it the YRP direction - Barrister and Mann - Limon. The citrus and rose fragrance could fill in the YR to go with Shag’s patchouli. Again, I was WRONG. When I first splashed some on, sure it brightened things up, but the EdC faded quickly. Maybe if it was parfum strength. I may give myself a couple more splashes. Getting harder to type as my eyes are tearing up a little.

All that said, and I don’t dislike the fragrance which does surprise me as I favor brighter scents. Still there is so much going on with it, that it is giving me a bit of a lesson in scents. Crazy.

June 24, 2024 – LG 24: Xmas in July but in June

• Brush: Rx Shaving Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: 3D Printed Half DE Razor
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (4)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory – Razberri and Tomato Leaf
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Bash
• Fragrance: January Scent Project – Folk Tale

The soap was a free smoosh from u/onionmiasma on the LG thread. I know part of the games is poking fun at judges, and onion gets his fair share having finished 2nd last year. Ironic, considering that’s better than 99% of people, but being number 2 is a tough spot. Super generous guy and single handedly allowed for half this sub to score that AA sponsor point with wapiti. Helped folks caravan to the maggard meet. We also share a love of DMB, so that’s cool too.

The splash was tossed in for free from I believe u/fuckchalzone when he was kind enough to send me his lavender interrupted sample (also free) from I think last years maggard meet.

The frag was a gift that was extra and included in my LG FoF 1st prize package last year curtesy of u/wallygator88. A pleasant surprise and means I got 3 bottles last year.

The razor was won in a PIF on r/wixked_edge curtesy of u/wrong_coyote_9525. I know his 3D printed bowls get a lot of praise as well. If you check his history, lots of cool printed things and giveaways.

The brush was a r/wetshaving Xmas/gift exchange that came from u/rdthedo that he turned himself. Very cool and thoughtful.

The blades were from a free personna giveaway sometime back if you ~~gave them feedback~~ shilled a bit.

For #FOF I’ll be honest, the folk tale leaked so it all smells pretty much like that. It’s a lovely bright scent. I get some light citrus, some florals, and a touch of powdery-ness. The TSF was a bit candy like, with some earthiness, but again had been a bit saturated by the frag. The Bash is a MFK Grand Soir dupe, super heavy on the vanilla.

For #PHOTOCONTEST went with animals. These are my cousins dogs, well, a picture of them.

For the challenge, let’s go with todays sponsor in Stirling for a sub exclusive. Namely because they are awesome (helped make the sub broosh happen too!) and I already have several soaps others from other artisans as exclusives.

June 24, 2024

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory – Peppermint Patti

One cancelled flight, one missed flight, 2 standby failures and one delayed flight plus 32 hours later, I am home from one of the worst airport TSA experiences ever. Luckily, because I didn’t have any of my themed soap which was graciously sent to me by u/impressive_donut114, I’m making it home in the nick of time. It’s the first use of TSF for me and it’s decent. I originally was expecting a chocolate peppermint based off the name of peppermint patty candy, but then I realized it’s peppermint Patti so must be Patti mayonnaise. The mayonnaise is for the creamy lather. Could this be a base race with Doug? Not quite in my opinion. It’s a very peppermint forward cooling soap, not really much otherwise. But there are different types of mint, this one leaning more towards peppermint gum scent. Clean and fresh. Not vegetal or medicinal, nor is it toothpasty or bathroom cleaner mint. Just pleasant. One of those if your in the mood for it scents. As hinted, this reminded me of blue peppermint orbit gum. I have memories of this gum for a weird reason. It was a gum of choose for a bit in junior high school especially during track and field meets. The weird thing, however, is the gum would eventually break down and turn to goo. Pretty quickly and unexpectedly. Looking into it, I was not the only one who experienced disintegrating gum. Well, it was the only sport with coed practices.

Challenge: Honestly all sub exclusives are pretty cool. And they have developed into some pretty awesome ideas. I would probably pick Barrister and Mann, closely followed by HoM or Spearhead. I think these all have the most hits for me scent wise.

Today the photo theme is stale wordplay humor (see above) #photocontest

fof