LGSOTD 30-Jun-24

• Brush: Zenith - MOAR Boar #SUBBROOSH #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Atelier Durdan - Vestige ++ #CNC #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Trouble Maker
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Trouble Maker AS
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavender Interupted

Well that's all folks, it's been a fun run and everyone has done well to make it through. There's been a lot of excellent posts, some entertaining hijinx with only a small amount of drama.

So for for today's theme and challenge - International Day, all my gear is from a country other than my own current residence.

Zenith - MOAR Boar - Palermo, Italy

Atelier Durdan - Vestige - Veyron, France

Personna GEM Blade - Verona, VA, USA - or possibly Obregon, Mexico

Summer Break Soap - Trouble Maker - Kearney, NE, USA - I think this is the rough origin, my searching skills failed me.

Barrister and Mann - Lavender Interrupted - Hartwick, NY, USA

Fingers crossed those are at least roughly accurate, either which way none of it is made near me in North Wales, so I'm at least safe in that respect! Though it would be considerably more convenient they were.

Photocontest

Final theme for the month 'Soccer', I most certainly call it football though! With football being the world's most popular sport I think that fits fairly well with the international challenge! That being said I can't stand the sport, I'm rugby through and through. This is actually my daughter's football, she loves to play.

I never set out for any wins, my only intention was to have a little fun, play along and enjoy everyone's quality posts. So in that respect, I've won and achieved what I set out to do! I've thoroughly enjoyed the photocontest, really must plan better though, there were a number of missed opportunities, but still fun.

Really though, I'd like to thank the various sponsors for stepping up and to the djudges for running this thing. You can see that it takes a lot of effort and time to plan and execute this, I mean we're looking at a global competition here, so trying to arrange something that everyone can participate in (at least to a degree) is an impressive feat. So thank you for giving up your personal time both before, during and after as we know it doesn't end with the final calender day, it is very much appreciated.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has taken part. Without the efforts the majority put in, this would be a boring affair. So thank you all!

To that end, for the final time, everyone have a cracking day and I'll see you for AA!

Cheers

Marc

LG 2024 Goodbye

• Brush: Alpha Brush & Shaving Co. - Bully Boy 28mm - CHINA
• Razor: Henson AL-13 Medium - Blue - CANADA
• Blade: Feather [1] - JAPAN
• Lather: Eufros - Atlantico - SPAIN
• Post Shave: HAGS for Yourshaving – Apocalypse - GREECE
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Embrace (sample) - US

Me: Italy

THE LATHER: ATLANTIC STORIES

Like many other things in my life, my adventures in the wetshaving world have been strongly connected to the ties that bind the two sides of the Atlantic together, in a relationship where differences are more of a value than a limit.

More than one of my LG posts this month have been related to this teme.

One of the cultural values I most appreciate from the Anglo-Saxon world is the idea of a social contract that allows different individuals to come together within a shared system of values. It's this contract among willing individuals that creates the institutional authority. It works much better than the passive-aggressive power relations among individuals that have no shared trust system. Especially in hi-stress situations, it's only human to regress to our core instincts, like fight or flight, control or submit, etc.

THE POST-SHAVE: APOCALYPSE

HAGS is a Greek brand.

While in modern culture we associate Apocalypse with a global catastrophe, the original Greek meaning of the word is "revelation".

I had initially planned to touch other topics, but I have to be honest and share what has been the most impactful revelation of the last month.

Trust me that if we wanted to find posts containing the string "roty", we would. However, we are looking for posts containing the string "#roty", and we do find them all. Those 14 remaining roty participants are welcome to appeal their cases like you are. J33p will decide about their cases, or not, as he pleases.

This is what u/djundjila replied to me in this post, after I offered in good faith to personally help with the hashtag problem that was affecting 10 out of the 15 ROTY players this year, for a total of 63 posts.

My posts about the systemic hashtag issue have been mocked as whingeing by u/enndeegee, and whining by u/djundjila. The latter clarified that he remains persuaded that if I can't fix my hashtags,

I have to conclude that people who mess up their hashtags consistently simply didn't care enough to double check

I have been struggling with similar previous answers for some time, then I had my own revelation: while I tried to put the utmost care in my entries, I really don’t care to comply to the sadistic requests of paranoid people who would rather mock me than contribute to help me understand, and constructively address an issue that has affected many users. When I volunteered to help, I was further called out as a whiner, and many people downvoted me.

I thought the Air Bud Rule was some kind of paradoxical joke, but I was faced with a harsh reality: there seem to be a tremendous and purulent wound that infects the relationship between the judges and the players. I was not there in previous years, and I don't know what happened.

While I remain sympathetic towards the judges for all the effort they have been volunteering, I take issue with the sense of entitlement, the downtalking, the mockery of requests or even offers for help.

One judgment that judges already shared with me about my persona is that I am a whiner.

Maybe I am.

And you know what? It's perfectly legitimate.

If you use your authority as a judge to publicly mock people, and leave actual hate speech float around without even replying to preserve the safety of the sub, well, there's a chance you may hurt people.

And hurt people may whine. You are free to downvote me, DQ me, ban me, do whatever you think will make you feel better than you are behaving. It won't help.

REVEALING THE BURDEN OF EXPERIENCE

I think I am older than most of the people who are writing here, old enough to own the fact that we are all more vulnerable than we would like to show.

As adults, we are always responsible for our behavior, even when it doesn't reflect the nice and easy-going image that we or our friends tend to keep. We can be good people overall, and still make horrible mistakes.

I have been online since the 1990s, I have seen the birth of the idea of flame wars, and I have developed enough antibodies to survive this shit. Possibly because I have around the internet for three decades, I will never downplay how easy it is to write aggressive posts that seem all fun and games, until the person on the other side, frequently a perfect unknown, gets hurt. It seems absurd to have to remind that online posts have real life consequences.

Beyond my personal misadventures with the stressed-out judges, the concern I'd like to share here is about the state of TRUST within this community. It's obvious that there have been serious trust issues floating around this sub well before I set foot here. Nervous and overwhelmed people can humanly become petty. I suggest to tackle the problem at its root, because my situation is just a symptom. The issues will keep hovering around even after I'll no long be here.

Another collective concern: in addition to the problems for "innocent" players that were not involved in any previous shenanigans, I point out the reputational damage to the sponsors.

If anyone asked me about the opportunity for a brand to be associated to the Lather Games, I would strongly discourage them, as it would mean to be in the hands of folks who volunteered for something that stresses them so much they become aggressive towards the players.

THE FRAGRANCE: EMBRACE

I committed to these LG to have a practical equivalent to one of life's biggest challenges: looking at yourself in the mirror, everyday, accept who you are, and try to improve on that.

I have been around long enough to know that sooner or later in life everyone feels the pressure of this challenge, and we all make mistakes. It's ok to be vulnerable and ask for help. It's only human to want to be surrounded by loving people, especially when others are channeling hate.

I would really like to thank u/mammothben for creating a fragrance that reminds us of the importance of showing connectedness and hugging each other, even in the worst circumstances.

A big hug to all.

Jun. 30, 2024
Brush: Beekman 1802 Davesforth Badger Badger
Razor: Merkur 37C
Blade: Gilette 7 O’Clock - Super Platinum [11]
Lather: Westman - Rastilho - Soap
Post Shave:* Pinaud - Clubman Classic Vanilla - Aftershave

I believe Westman is from Portugal.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

SOTD World Traveler * Brush: Omega - 10098 Boar Brush.
Razor: Henson - AL13 mild.
Blade: Feather - Stainless.
Lather: Cella - Bio Cream. * Post:* Cella - Bio Balm.

Cella cream and balm =Italy Razor = Canada Blade = Japan Brush = Italy

An assortment of some money from my travels. I studied abroad in Greece and it was the best time of my life. With the Euro you miss some of that country specific cash, but I suppose it makes things easier. Get out there and travel the world and your own country. There is so much more to life than a screen or Reddit points though it’s been a fun adventure. I’m in the U.S..

Coins: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Denmark, Norway, Canada , Turkey, Greece

Bills: Costa Rica, Euro, Australia, Turkey, Greece

photocontest money

ROTY

2024-06-30 - Smell ya later! (or not)

• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia - Garibaldi
  Italy
• Post Shave: Oaken Lab - Earth of Mankind
  Indonesia
• Fragrance: Phoenix and Beau - Spitfire
  United Kingdom
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - Guerrilla
  Canada
• Brush: Yaqi Metal Timberwolf
  China
• u/ginopono
  United States

Unifying Theme: Tobacco.

Bon Voyage:
If you don't have any knowledge of geography, then look to my photo to see the items all arranged by their relative position on a map!

If you do have any knowledge of geography, then you'll readily see that that'd have to be one really fucked up map.

June 30, 2024

• Brush: Semogue Galahad C3 Premium boar
• Razor: Parker Variant
• Blade: Feather
• Lather: Valobra - Cologne
• Post Shave: Epsilon - Blue Mediterranean AS
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - unscented balm
• Post Shave: Olay Complete

RIP Valobra. This was a great brand that went away unexpectedly. The brand was bought by the parent company of Proraso and then was suddenly discontinued for some reason. Some people have said that the corporate entity wanted to take the brand out of competition with Proraso. I have a hard time believing that one. Because Valobra occupied a much different space in the market than something like Proraso. Others have stated that discontinuing Valobra was an accident. What? Seriously? I find that claim to be pretty ridiculous. Whatever the reason for its disappearance it's a loss. Valobra made great shaving soaps.

Today I shaved with Godrej shave round and an Omega boar brush. I used a Fatip il Piccolo Black and Gold with a Polsilver blade. I followed up with 4711 aftershave and a shot of Habit Rouge.

Another round of games, another obvious domination. Try not to send all of my prizes at once, my mailbox is on the smaller side. Better luck next year, losers.

June 30, 2024

• Brush: Simpson Trafalgar T3
• Razor: Wolfman Guerilla (Gen 1)
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox (18)
• Lather: Australian Private Reserve - Raconteur - Soap
• Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive - Balm
• Fragrance: Azzaro - Pour Homme Night Time - EdT

Bon voyage, Lather Games!

My country - United States 🇺🇸
Brush - Isle of Mann 🇮🇲
Razor - Canada 🇨🇦
Blade - Germany 🇩🇪
Lather - Australia 🇦🇺
Post Shave - Mexico 🇲🇽
Fragrance - France 🇫🇷

• June 30
• Brush: Omega 10098 Boar
• Razor: Baili Twist to Open
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Tallow & Steel – Himalaya
• Post Shave: Epsilon – Scottish Spirit
• Fragrance: Boucheron – Jaipur Homme

Challenge & Theme: Here’s where everything, including me, is from:

• BatmanBrady - USA
• Omega 10098 Boar - Italy
• Baili Twist to Open - China
• Gillette Nacet - Russia
• Tallow & Steel – Himalaya - Canada
• Epsilon – Scottish Spirit - Spain
• Boucheron – Jaipur Homme - France

Lathering up with Tallow & Steel’s Himalaya is like stepping into a secluded mountain sanctuary. The scent is a rich, invigorating blend of fresh, crisp alpine air mixed with a heavy dose of earthy notes of moss and cedarwood. As the rich, creamy lather enveloped my face, I can almost feel the cool breeze and hear the distant echo of a mountain stream. It’s a refreshing start to the day, that’s for sure. After the shave, Epsilon’s Scottish Spirit splash brings a bold and bracing twist. Continuing the outdoor experience, the scent is a robust blend of smoky peat, aged oak, and a hint of heather, capturing the essence of the wilderness. To round off this olfactory expedition, a spritz of Boucheron’s Jaipur Homme adds a touch of exotic complexity. The fragrance is a rich tapestry of spices, floral notes, and warm woods. Opening with a burst of citrus and spice, it quickly deepens into a heart of cinnamon and nutmeg, before settling into a luxurious base of vanilla and woodsy notes. It’s like coming back to a nice resort after from spending the day hiking in the wilderness. A nice balance of opulence and ruggedness. Today's shave was a really nice olfactory experience from mountain wilderness, ending with a touch of exotic luxury. Perfectly balanced to keep me feeling fresh, strong, and ready to overcome whatever the day throws my way today.

Thanks for putting on a really fun Lather Games. I didn’t really know what to expect heading into this, but I had fun with it. Already looking forward to improving next year!

LG Day 30 - Bon Voyage, Lather Games

• Brush: Semogue 610
• Razor: Karve Brass CB OC-F
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (11)
• Lather: D.R. Harris - Windsor
• Post Shave: Proraso - Menthol & Eucalyptus

What? It's done? This is the last shave controlled by our Shaving Overlords? You mean I can go back to having, what's the term...freewill(?) with my shaves? What the fuck am I going to do tomorrow when I have to stare at my den and choose my own shave? All the choices. All the scents. Well, I'm definitely not going to have any subpar shaves until the next LG. I'm definitely going to be use summer-y scents for the next several months. I'll probably even start July off with the two new soaps I got from DG's sale that have been collecting dust this month. There will be no canned goo. There will be no pressure to stack my shaving items and then play Jenga with them. The next 11 months might be...relaxing.

But one more shave before we go and this shave definitely country hopped. Since I live in the US, no US products were involved in this shave.

• The razor is from Canada
• The brush is from Portugal
• The blade is from Russia
• The soap is from England
• The splash is from Italy

Since I only have US-made balm, I sucked it up and didn't use any today.

So Bon Voyage Lather Games. It's been quite a month and it's been fun. I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow back at the old SOTD thread.

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

LG SOTD 29Jun2024

• Brush: Yaqi Purple Haze - 24mm (synbad) synthetic
• Razor: Henson - Ti22 Medium
• Blade: Silver Star - Super Stainless (1)
• Blade: Treet - Falcon (1)
• Lather: Los Jabones De Joserra - Passion Incense
• Bowl: La Creuset - Yellow Mug

Welcome to the thirtieth and final shave of the 2024 Lather Games. Today’s theme is Bon Voyage, Lather Games where we bid farewell to a month of scripted shaving by shaving with lather made somewhere other than where we were born. Taking the difficulty up (and possible satisfaction down), adding in the World Traveler special challenge where every bit of gear used is from a different country than the other gear, and none of those are where I was born (USA).

As covered on earlier shaves, don't do fragrances and I don't have anything to use as a post-shave that was made outside the USA. But, do have a selection of other gear from around the world to shave with today.

• The lather is something brand new to me, Los Jabones De Joserra, a mouthful of a brand made in Spain that I picked up a sample for recently.
• The brush is the first nice brush I ever bought myself, my Yaqi Purple Haze that was made in China.
• Going to whip that up in another makeshift bowl, this is a Le Creuset mug made in France that my daughter picked up when she visited there.
• Razor is my Henson Ti22 that was made in Canada.
• The blades facing off in today's fight are the Silver Star, made in Egypt, and the Treet, made in Pakistan.

As special challenges go, this one is on the easier side since wetshaving is a fairly international affair and there were a number of combinations I could have used to fulfill the conditions.

——

The shave…

Off the puck the lather was squarely in the spicy aromatics branch of fragrances and lathered that opened up more intensely. This is very much a fragrance you might have found in a mall import shop in the days or yore and lives up to the “Passion Incense” name. I don’t see it as tub worthy likely but it’s pleasant and I’ll be back to test the lather with a more standard hardware set up.

Today was the opposite of the tiny vintage brush and a large modern bowl, it was a modern brush versus a vintage sized mug and much banging about was had. The soap held less water than I expected but didn’t break thankfully and it was very slick. Since I am skipping any sort of post shave, experienced the full dry down and post shave from this stuff and it’s solid. I got a very close shave, no irritation, and my skin feels good. The fragrance holds the same balance as it fades out, another plus. It reminds me of BaM’s Melange minus the fireproofed chimney brick scent. A good first impression and I’m likely to try other scents from LJDJ.

——

Tournament of Blades Fight 424, Round 1. Silver Star - Super Stainless (Egypt) vs Treet - Falcon (Pakistan)

No question today, the Treet gave a near perfect performance. I can’t really fault anything from the Silver Star but its feedback was not nearly as butter smooth as the Treet’s.

Winner of R1: Treet - Falcon

——

And there we have it, another Lather Games in the bag.

• I shaved with twelve different razors from six brands, three of them hardware sponsors. I fulfilled five of the razor HWSH hashtags.
• I shaved using twenty different brushes from eight brands, one of them a hardware sponsor. I fulfilled six of the razor HWSH hashtags.
• I shaved with thirty on-theme lathers from twenty-three brands in twenty-five bases (Stirling and Cella getting in there twice each with base variants). Thirteen of the brands were software sponsors. I completed the “30 Lather Scents Bonus”.
• I completed twenty-four of twenty-six daily challenges and three of four special challenges.

I went further than I have before. By my reckoning, my score looks something like this:

• Daily Theme Points: 60/60
• Relavant Post Shave & Fragrance: 0/6
• Daily Challenges: 4.8/5.2
• Special Challenges: 1.5/2
• Daily Judge Evaluation: ?/20
• Bonus for Legendary Posts: ?/5
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 1.1/2
• Hardware Sponsor Points: 2/2
• Software Sponsor Points: 13/16
• Software Sponsor Bonus: 0/1
• 30 Lather Brands Bonus: 0/1
• 30 Lather Scents Bonus: 1/1
• 30 Post Shaves Bonus: 0/1
• 30 Fragrance Bonus: 0/1
• GRAND TOTAL: 83.4 / 98.2 Pre-Judge Points

Without the judge’s input, I’ve got a passing grade of 84%. Not bad but any chances of doing well are going to come down to how I am measured by my judgey peers.

That is it. Enjoy what is left of your weekend! Tomorrow I get to bust into my BaM veggiebus samples I’ve been dying to try and had no where to slot in during the games 😄

User does djudges' homework by grading own performance in remarkable level of detail.

Possibly auditioning for djudgeship in LG v11?

Jun. 30, 2024 Bon Voyage, Lather Games! * Brush: Omega 10049
Razor: Merkur 34C
Blade: Feather
Lather: Australian Private Reserve - Fenchurch
Post Shave: Australian Private Reserve - Fenchurch

Brush - Italy

Razor - Germany

Blade - Japan

Soap - Australia

Splash - Australia

Me - USA 🇺🇸

#ROTY

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Stirling Two Band Synthetic
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85mm Safety Razor
• Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: The Gentleman's Groom Room - Essence of Scotland Berry Fields O' Blair
• Post Shave: Van Der Hagen - Unscented Aftershave Balm

Soap is from Dundee, Scotland I'm from The United States of America

It was a good Lather Games I only argued with the judges once this year

"It was a good Lather Games I only argued with the judges once this year"

It might be the sleep deprivation kicking in, but I got a good chuckle out of this.

June 30, 2024 – Love ya babies.

• Brush: Zenith Boar
• Razor: Great Grampa’s German Jawn
• Blade: Dorco ST-300
• Lather: Phoenix & Beau – Spitfire
• Post Shave: Myrsol – Agua Balsamica

Good morning wetshaving cadre! Welp, here we are. We made it. I promised myself I would do better than last year. And I did, I left a ton of points out there but I had a ton of fun and got to be creative and get weird with it. So why not one more bit of fun, whats say we do a public shave and keep it on theme for today. I’ll finish out the games the way I intended to open it, on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in the state of Philadelphia, and in the United States of America, where yes judges, I am a resident/citizen.

Last year I got my first recognition on the pod by responding to u/J33pGuy13 and his insistence that ROTY candidates needed to “Step it up!”. I couldnt help but respond with some snark. In my school age years I was never one to get in trouble for my initial disturbances but the ensuing outbursts to those in authority. I was once arrested and got myself shackles instead of cuffs because I ignored the officers instructions and went back in my car for a cigarette. So as one to not take the suggestion from authority lightly I spite shaved on a step stool for a few subsequent shaves. This year I stepped it up metaphorically by putting a bit more effort into my write ups/challenges/photos by taking advantage of the license many other shavers out there give in being accepted and even respected for doing kooky shit.

Well, I’ll keep the bit going one more time and shave at one of the most visited sights in my home city by international visitors, the Rocky steps. At any time of day or night you can find people emulating our hometown fictional figurehead by running up the steps and raising their arms in exaltation. Rocky seems to have been a perfect representation of our hard-nosed underdog city and resonates the world over. This morning is no different, someone getting their tourist shot with the statue, someone finishing their workout, and another filming a family member doing their best impersonation of Mr. Balboa. Today I join them not in the run, but spirit, as I shave victorious at the top of these steps for going thirty rounds with all you other sickos.

Here’s the gallery.

In front of me is Benjamin Franklin Parkway which is adorned with flags from around the world and behind me the Philadelphia Museum of Art which displays artwork from great masters around the globe. On my face today an international setup representing the UK with lather, Germany with razor, Spain with aftershave, Italy with brush, Korea with blade, and why not a little bit of water for the lather from the island of Fiji.

It was a beautiful and peaceful shave to cap of the month. Like many things going on in a major city no one paid me much mind except for a few strange looks and a remark by some tourists. Big thanks goes out to u/crossan1983, not just for his great SOTD shots throughout the game, but for sending me a generous sample of soup from around the world. Ultimately, I decided on the Phoenix and Beau, a great rugged leathery scent and soap that deserved better than the nervous lather I provided it. I could go on and on but ill try to keep it tighter than I already have. I’m at work and have got a big day ahead of me and not sure if I’ll have time to get back to this and provide a better write up. Thanks so much to everyone involved here.

One more time, a quick note of recognition to u/airbudruler, who not only provided the theoretical groundwork to self-emancipate myself from the shaving oppression and play my own game, but also helped drag me a little deeper into this world and have a ton of fun. Cheers to everyone. And for now and always…

Enjoy the shave between the blades!

User shaves at the site of Rocky ascending the stairs in Philly.

June 30, 2024: Congratulations on another Lather Games y'all!

• Prep: warm splash of water
• Brush: Yaqi Sagrada Familia Tuxedo 24 mm
• Razor: AtT S1
• Blade: Gillette Blue
• Lather: Phoenix and Beau - Whitechapel
• Post Shave: Thayer's - Lavender
• Fragrance: none

My SO and I love true crime and we love this soap. Happy Sunday!

Finally time to put a new blade in and I'll be happy for it tomorrow.

Bon Voyage SOTD:

• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
• Blade: Leaf Super Platinum (5)
• Brush: Summer Break Confidence B9a
• Lather: Henri et Victoria - Costa
• Aftershave: Declaration Grooming - Contemplation
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Contemplation

I hale from the US, this soap is from the far away and strange land of Canada.

Although Costa isn't my favorite scent, Henri et Victoria never fails to disappoint. I've also enjoyed pretty much every other scent I've tried from them.

As for the games, it's been real guys, it's been fun, and honestly it's been really fun. I might like to be an old grump about the games sometimes, but it truly is one of the big things that sets this community apart. Huge, huge, huge thanks to the judges and anyone else who had a hand in organizing and making this thing happen. You don't have to do it, but you do it, and that's awesome!

June 30, 2024

• Prep: House of Mammoth Embrace Doppio Bath Soap
• Brush: Billy Goat Brushworks Amazon 26mm Declaration B15
• Razor: Wade and Butcher Celebrated Hollow Ground For Barber's Use 15/16+ Half Hollow Barber's Notch on custom bone scales
• Edge: Griffith's (2)
• Lather: Saponificio Varesino - Settantesimo Anniversario - Soap
• Post Shave: Saponificio Varesino - Settantesimo Anniversario - Aftershave

Home Country: USA
Software: Italy
Razor: England
Brush: Australia

Cheers to all the slackers and half-assers this year. You didn't do anything embarrassing, and you're not so invested that you have a meltdown now or in the days to come when scores are tabulated. This is the way.

LG - 6.30.2025 - Bon Voyage

• Pre: Proraso Rinftescante Pre-Shave (Italy)
• Brush: Omega 66 Boar 24 mm (Italy)
• Razor: Merkur 23C (Germany)
• Blade: RK Stainless (India)

• Lather: Proraso Green Tube (Italy)

• Post: Alt Innsbruck Aftershave/Cologne (Austria)

I live in the USA 🇺🇲

Got a mail call just in time to hop in on my 2nd Lather Games post before the break.

It was my first time using a boar brush and it was a nice experience. Felt like it made more sense about how much water to add than with badger. I ended up with just the right amount of a slick, refreshing Proraso lather.

Also my first time using these RK Stainless blades, I read they're a love it or hate it blade. I enjoyed them. My (novice) take is that they're a more aggressive, or maybe bigger, blade. Paired with the mildness of my 23C, it made for a nice close shave.

On to the Alt Innsbruck by 66-60. This is an instant favorite. I bought it halfway blind, based only off a dupe I sampled (PAA Al Fin). Its beauty is in its simplicity - classic, floral, light, present but gentle. I would never have chosen a fragrance like it in my 20's, partying and chasing women, but as a dad headed to church on Sunday morning, it is sound.

Shave Score: 8.5/10 

June 30, 2024 – Lather Games!

• Brush: Omega – Model 20106 Black Handle Boar Hair Shaving Brush #TOLL [Italy]
• Razor: RazoRock – Stealth Slant, stainless with PVD coating. [Canada]
• Blade: Gillette Winner Stainless (3). [India]
• Lather: Purely Skinful Handmade Essentials – Palo Santo [Also Canada, eh?]
• Aftershave: Ultima Unmasked Unscented Splash. [Sometimes made in Philippines?]
• Fragrance: Paris Corner Charuto Tobacco Vanille EDP [France]

I've forgotten how smooth this razor is. Very comfortable and deliciously smooth if your lather is on point. No problems or hassles as we cleaned up; no nicks or spots, although I did use a lighter stainless handle to reduce irritation. I only dislike the fact that the blade tabs aren't covered, so you must be careful around the ears and around the nose. I'll have to make a point of reintroducing this razor into the rotation in days ahead.

The soap scent is very light, somewhat sweet, and almost breezy or "fluffy". Almost like an incense gently wafting through an ancient temple in days gone by.

#Challenge is as listed above. I'm in USA.

#LatherGames

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_GX8zwwcro ← Is There A Sunken Bronze Age Civilisation Under The Black Sea? | Dark Secrets | Absolute History

June 30th, 2024

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Zenith 506U N
• Razor: Gillette RFB
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: MacDuff's Soap Company - Almond Biscottie
• Post Shave: Mandom - After Shave Lotion
• Fragrance: None

Before getting into the formalities of today's challenge, I wanted congratulate all of the competitors, and thank all of the Djudges. This month just flies by and all of the work and effort put in by everyone isn't unnoticed but the opposite, greatly appreciated. Thank you again and I can't wait for next year.

I am an American who lives in America.

Brush; Zenith made in Italy

Razor; Gillette made in England

Blade; Gillette made in Russia

LATHER; Macduffs made in Canada

Aftershave; MANDOM MADE IN JAPAN

** 30.06.2024 **

• Brush: AP Shave Co 26MM G5C
• Razor: Mühle R41 Kosmo
• Blade: Tatara
• Lather: Zingari Man - MOUSSE ILLUMINEE
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - MOUSSE ILLUMINEE
• Post Shave: The Bluebeards Revenge alum block

Last day! When I listened Lather Games podcast and I remembered what judges said to write where I from. I can say I that I now live in Bulgarian capital Sofia. Hardware and software is from Brush - Canada Razor - Germany Blade - Portugal ( but I know that Tatara razor blades are made in Czech Republic if I am wrong correct me in comments and my suspicions are that is where make TIGER blades) Soap and Aftershave - USA Alum block - UK ( most of the time I used Mühle alum stone but for the challenge I change with UK brand to be more "international" and not to annoy u/OnionMiasma with Osma)

I want to tank to all people that comment my posts and judges!

June 30, 2024 – Bon Voyage

• Brush: Omega 40033 24mm #hollow
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Bic Chrome (2)
• Lather: Paradesha Farms – Bay Rum
• Post Shave: Tallow + Steel – Shag
• Fragrance: Parfums De Marly – Pegasus

Bon Voyage, saying goodbye to yet another games. Bittersweet. I laid it all out there this year, and we’ll see where the chips fall. Am I disappointed in how I did? I was at first, but I shouldn’t be. Sure, some of my bits didn’t work as well as I wanted, others fell apart as the games progressed. But I put together a good point run, nabbed more legendary points than last year. I tried to balance shit posts with serious posts. I made international shipments of incriminating baggies. I had fun. That’s what matters in the end. I mentioned to u/hugbckt I’m probably not going all out again. Maybe I’ll change my mind on day two next year like u/onionmiasma. I suspect not though. My family needs a break from a month of chaos over the summer. FYI for the judges, I bolded the relevant info below for ease of skimming (but it’s not that long.)

For today’s theme we return to where we started, the team run. When I reached out to u/adworried2804 about teaming up, I asked if he could find me a soap from the Philippines. Keep in mind, I live in the US, so the coordination of getting stuff between us was not easy. He wasn’t sure if he could find the soap, but he went looking and sure enough he found a bay rum from a local maker. Country 1, check. Continent 1. English Tech, country 2, continent 2 Bic Chrome: Greece County 3. Brush, Omega Boar, Italy, country 4.

Now here’s where it gets hard, for #fof I had to get…creative. Shag, made in Canada, country 5 woot continent 3!. Pegasus, made in France, Country 6. All different countries, a world tour in a shave (and 3 of 6 continents regularly inhabited continents.). And to be honest all different scents. This is a cacophony, the tower of Babel of scent combos. The shag is potent pachouli. The Pegagus cloyingly sweet. And again, I have to go to church smelling weird. (I also used nivea post shave not listed because of the bots. Made in Mexico. Countries: 7.)

For the last day I didn’t want to play it totally serious, but how do you do a travel shave that’s not overbearing (yes, last year’s post went on too long.) Well I told my daughter someone has to go on a trip for this to work and she obliged by packing her bags. Joke’s on me though because I have 3 hour round trip drive to the sleep away camp. Also, a second idea came to me during a conversation with none other than u/pridetwo on the discord. I noted my wife has given me a ton of dopp bags since I started shaving. More than you can use since I don’t travel that much. Basically every free gift in a dopp bag lands in my lap. And u/pridetwo said they were useless because “you can’t lather them.” To which I responded, “but you can lather in them.” His retort was “SOTD with it, or it doesn’t count.” Well, travel day seems perfect for that. Sometimes on trips, your forget your bowl, it gets lost, or something else odd happens, and us bowl latherers have to improvise. So here’s a makeshift bowl lather in a dopp bag. Satisfied u/pridetwo? (Note: Dopp bag did not have a “made in” sticker on it anywhere. It was included in an Ulta order my wife made as a promo. Generally, these lower quality freebies are made in China, so I made sure my brush wasn’t made there. Other possible countries include: Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, none of which are in my shave. Countries: 8)

Finally, #photocontest we’re going to do money. Wait, how does that tie in? Have I completely given up my photo themes after yesterday? No. I mentioned to u/onionmiasma I spent some time in high school in Your Honduras, working in a nutrition center for impoverished children. So, here is a Honduran Lempira (yet another country included in the shave, up to 9!) I’ve been carrying around in my wallet for the last 21 and a half years to remind me of that time. It’s worth less than a nickel, but it serves as memory of both the good and bad I saw while working in the nutrition center. Years later another graduate of my high school would go down to the Center in college. (For various reasons, funds, housing, etc., only 6 seniors were allowed to go each year and he was not one of them his year. His brother was chosen later, which is how he became connected.) He fell in love with the mission and moved there to run the center. Soon he started a charity to both fund the center and expand upon its work. Amazing what a little yearly service project at a school in the Midwest can grow into. (The annual service project has been on hold for a number of years, hopefully they’ll restart it soon.)

Bonus country: I took this picture with my Canon T6, made in Taiwan, countries: 10.

Thanks to all the organizers and judges this year. I know drama hit at the end but let it roll off your back. Thanks to the side contest organizers too. You add extra fun.

6/30/24

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving Exclusive MOAR BOAR (31 mm × 57 mm bleached boar)
• Razor: Hadoson Matsukura 60 7/8, Frameback Square Point
• Lather: Kepkinh - Zeus
• Post Shave: Oaken Lab - Earth of Mankind Aftershave Splash
• Post Shave: Los Jabones de Joserra - Passion Incense Aftershave Balm
• Fragrance: Mäurer and Wirtz - Sir Irisch Moos EdT

Bon Voyage Lather Games!

What a fun year. I feel like I stepped outside of my more usual box this year than I did last year. With larger posts and more effort. This year, I also only needed a couple of smushes to make it work. I already look forward to next year, and I hope to not need any smushes. I also want to shoot for 30-30 on soaps and splashes.

I really enjoyed some of the competition this year. Watching some step up to their full potential and watching others have their psyche completely broken. What a roller coaster.

To the meat and potatoes of my post:

• Location: US
• MOAR BOAR: Italy
• Hadoson Frameback: Japan and Sweden
• Kepkinh: Greece
• Oaken Lab: Indonesia
• Los Jabones: Spain
• Mäurer and Wirtz: Germany

I am 7/6 on countries and products. How many other players will have that ratio? Hm?

This whole scent lineup was also a roller coaster. Kinda works all together... It's unique, to say the least. The entirety of it is STRONK.

I look forward to next year's LG, and I also look forward to just chilling for a month with whatever I'd like. Congratulations to those who finished the month out!

Jun. 30, 2024 - The End of the Games as we Know it!

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving Exclusive MOAR BOAR (31 mm × 57 mm bleached boar)

• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley SB-C

• Blade: Astra Green (5)

• Lather: Kepkinh - Artemis

• Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive Post Shave Balm

• Fragrance: Azzaro - Wanted

Welp, that’s a wrap! It’s been a great month full of all kinds of posts. Hilarious write ups, spite shaves, crazy lathers, and a few posts that I pulled out the popcorn out for.

Thank you to the djudges for your time, effort and passion for putting on these games! Yall are appreciated ❤️

Thank you to all of the other competitors who made this month what it was! This was my 4th year playing and it’s so much fun every time!

Daily Challenge: Everything was made in different countries, myself included! My typical face wash is made in the US so I skipped it today to be all on theme.

My Brush was made in Italy

My Razor was made in Canada

My Blade was made in Russia

My Lather was made in Greece

My Balm was made in Mexico

My Fragrance was made in France

Daily Theme Justification: I was made in the US and still live there

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: All on theme by being from countries that I do not live in.

June 30, 2024 - Addio Giochi di Sapone

• Brush: Semogue 1800 - Portugal
• Razor: Solingen Best Silver Steel - Germany
• Lather: Whispers From The Woods - Pomelo - Australia
• Post Shave: TFS - NASA Marte - Italy
• Fragrance: Guorgio Armani - Acqua Di Gio Absolu EdP - France
• Shave Bowl: IKEA - Blue Kids Bowl - Sweden but probably made in China
• Shaver: Environmental Gap 380- USA
• Consecutive Days with a Shave: 700

Today’s Theme and Challenge:

All products used today were from different countries and continents from where I live. The SOTD picture is more of a shave of the vacation set up, but shows everything used today.

I’m currently on vacation in a small town in Wyoming. A few weeks ago I did a count and if my math is correct, today marks 700 consecutive daily shaves. The streak started on August 1, 2022 with my first Austere August. With the 700th ending on the last day of the LG, I decided I needed a special shave for it. About a 30 minute drive from my folks’ place is a spectacular view. I got up in the pre-dawn hours and started getting ready. I ended up getting to Red Canyon Overlook just a little after the sun had crested the horizon and was in the golden hour. I paused a moment to learn about Wyoming wildlife. Yesterday when we drove up we almost hit three Pronghorn Antelope crossing the highway. After soaking in one of my favorite views on Earth, it was time to set up my rental shave den. Since visiting a state with frontier roots (Oregon Trail went very close to here) and a cowboy tradition, I had to be a shave like the cowboys would have done. It was time to shave. I should have wet the brush before heading out. Starting dry soaked up a lot of soap, and the high elevation and very low humidity had the lather drying out on my face. I ended up lathering each part of my face just before I shaved a section. The tinted back windows gave a pretty decent reflection. I finished two passes before packing up.

Feats of Fragrance:

The world traveler challenge really dictated what to bring. It also kept me from dickholing a set from MacDuffs. Other things restricting my choices were the brush and aftershave. I settled on the citrus scented Pomelo. It is an entirely citrus scent. The name should be a strong indicator of this. The scent is like a bowl full of lemon, orange, and just more citrus. It is a really nice blend that is similarto Dr. Jon’s - Hydra. I don’t have more than a few aftershaves from outside the US. Tabac, 1 MacDuffs, and this TFS from Italy. NASA Marte is a citrus forward aftershave. It comes of very fresh and a little sweet. The wind had picked up, so I spray my travel spritzer to my face inside the rental SUV. I brought along two fragrance samples I have that were both labeled Paris France: Acqua di Gio Absolu and Drakkar Noir Intense. The aquatic and woody Absolu was a fantastic match for the set. It starts with a burst of citrus in bergamot, grapefruit, and lemon. The woody patchouli, rosemary, and amberwood gave me a feel that I was in the nearby evergreen forests. Sometimes being constrained in your choices can be serendipitous. Having the limits today led to one of my favorite combinations this month. I sat back and watched the sunlight move down the canyon. I was in my happy place for sure. I had a peaceful morning meditation before driving back down to town, and got to my parents’s house. I passed my brother-in-law who was finishing up a morning run. The two of us were the only ones up in this really full house. I made a nice cup of Earl Grey (more citrus please), and sat on the veranda sipping my tea while having a nice chat before the madness starts when the kids wake up. #FOF

Final Thoughts:

This is my third time going on these LGs. I thought about just reading and not participating, but ultimately the lure of these shenanigans drew me back. I had an oh shit moment where I realized I totally goofed which derailed the full plan for Wildcard Wednesday, but 2/3 of it was done at least. I knew I was going to be away the last weekend and almost used that excuse to not play. I am very happy right now that I did. I would have missed seeing this small town at dawn. When I was a kid, the ranchers would drive their cattle down main street, bringing them down from their summer pasture in the mountains. I lived here for 10 years from age 5-15. We moved away before my sophomore year in high school. Over the years I’ve lived in 9 states, and a year in England. As soon as I see that view of Main Street, I feel like I’ve come home. About 20 years ago my dad semi-retired and moved back here.

So thank you all who set up the games, sent out smooshes, gave advice, shit posted, and made this a month of fun.

SOTD 2024-06-30 UEFA European Championship Shave

• Brush: Semogue 2020 Best Badger - Portugal
• Razor: Cesar - Old Type - France
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword - Classic (1st use) - Germany
• Lather: D.R. Harris - Twenty Nine cream - England
• Post Shave: Saponificio Vanesino - 70th Anniversary Lotion - Italy

Today we have a special guest here with us from across the pond.
He's come to us today from all the way over in Canada!
Everyone welcome, FireDragonMonkey [wait for applause]

Dear viewers, thank you.
I must apologise though, as I know very little about Football
Even still, I will do my best.

I see. Nevertheless, let's still have a little fun.
Shall we start off with some predictions?

Canadian as I am, I feel a bit of an outsider to the Euro Cup.
As well, I don't have a "national team" to root for.
Still, I enjoy a good game.
To that end, Group A: I choose Germany.

That seems as little surprise; they're in the lead in their group.
How did you come to that decision?
Even the leaders get upset.

Mainly I choose them because I don't have any blades from the other
European countries.
And I don't know enough about ~~soccer~~ football. Now for Group B I picked Italy,
Since I've got this aftershave from there.

Ok, let me stop you there. You're making your predictions,
From wetshaving products you own?!

Since it made sense to me; yes indeed I am.
And for Group C, I chose England.
Considering I've got this shaving cream in a new scent I
Really wanted to try.
I also chose France for Group D.
First because Cesar razors don't get enough attention;
I also chose it because I already chose England for the soap.
Can't shave with two soaps now can I?
Even though I wouldn't be surprised if it became a future challenge.

Have you any reasonably chosen predictions?!
And what of the other two groups?
Something less random I hope...

Being honest, I completely forgot about Group E.
Even still, I hear Baume.Be makes good products I'll need to try.
Ending off with Group F, I've chosen Portugal because of this
Nice brush I've got from Semogue.

Dear viewers, I sincerely apologise for subjecting you to such
Embarrassment from someone who knows so little about football
That they would choose their predictions for the Euro Cup
Entirely based on wetshaving products they owned.
Really, I've never heard of a more unusual and unreasonable
Method for selecting teams before.
In all my days...
Needless to say that FireDragonMonkey will not be invited back.
Even if we did need a correspondent from Canada.
David Moyes' unsanctioned clone, signing off.

!Do you dare spin the wheel of destiny?!<

The 🦌 is coming.

I don't know anything about sports, but acrostics are fun. I think OP has been doing these all month or at least more than once.

June 30, 2024 - Sunday

• Brush: Zenith 507U XS / 27mm extra soft horse
• Razor: Mühle ROCCA R95
• Blade: Astra SP (1)
• Lather: WestMan Shaving - Maza Gran
• Post Shave: Kosmetik R. Neuner - Alt Innsbruck splash
• Fragrance: Lubin - Le Vetiver EdT

Bon Voyage Lather Games!

I'm from the USA and this is an All Europe shave with some excellent products.

The brush is from Italy 🇮🇹

The razor is from Germany 🇩🇪

The blade is from Russia 🇷🇺

The soap is from Portugal 🇵🇹

The aftershave is from Austria 🇦🇹

The fragrance is from France 🇨🇵

2024-06-30 Bon Voyage, Lather Games

• Prep: Coffee, Face wash soap/warm water
• Brush: Semogue - Semogue 830, Boar bristle 22mm
• Razor: Robin Razor - Snap! 2.0, SE (Half DE)
• Blade: Schick - Stainless Steel
• Lather: BBS Soap Shop - Flamingo
• Post Shave: Saponificio Bignoli - Mora E Muschio

Today's Theme: Bon Voyage, Lather Games

I am from the USA

BBS Soap Shop's Flamingo, my soap for the day, is made in Greece

Today's Challenge: World Traveler

Brush - Portugal

Razor - Canada

Blade - Germany

Soap - Greece

Aftershave - Italy

Scent Notes for today -

Flamingo: Scent Notes: (Top) Citrus, (Middle) Grape, Strawberry, (Base) Amber, Cedar

Saponificio Bignoli – Mora E Muschio: red berries, blackberry, blueberry florals, white musk, cream and vanilla notes.

Well that's a wrap

Take care and have a good one.

June 30, 2024 – 2024.06.30 SOTD: Lather Games Day 30 – Bon Voyage, Lather Games

• Brush: Maggard 22mm Black & White Synthetic
• Razor: Henson AL13+
• Blade: Wizamet
• Lather: Bundubeard – Kletterkees
• Post Shave: Areffa Soap – Cocaine splash
• Fragrance: Calvin Klein – Obsession

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Daily Theme: Bon Voyage, Lather Games

Theme justification: Today's lather, Bundubeard Kletterkees, is made in South Africa. I reside in the United States of America, which is different than South Africa. I'm not too bad at geography, so I can confirm this fact.

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: Today's relevant theme is "Products not made in the USA." To go with my my lather for today, I've gone with Areffa Soap Cocaine aftershave which is made in Ukraine and Calvin Klein Obsession EdT which is made in France (last line on the sticker). Again, due to my geography skills, I know none of these places are the USA.

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Scavenger Hunt ~~Justification~~: COMPLETED

Razor facts: N/A

Brush facts: N/A

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Daily/Special Challenge: World Traveler

I have already described my software above, but to recap: Bundubeard soap made in South Africa; Areffa Soap aftershave made in Ukraine; CK Obsession EdT made in France; I live in the USA.

My hardware is also made outside the USA:

Brush: Maggard 22mm Synth - Made in China (confirmed by Brad (/u/undream22) on Discord in May)

Razor: Henson Al13 - Made in Canada: "Our Razors are fully designed, manufactured, assembled and packaged in Canada.

Blade: Wizimet - Made in Russia

Bowl: random bowl purchased in Japan - Made in Japan

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Fragrance description

Bundubeard Kletterkees smells very fruity, without being overly sweet. It's a nice anytime scent, in my opinion.

Areffa Soap Cocaine is a dupe of Franck Boclet Cocaine. I'm not a fan. The fragrance is extremely floral and sweet, not something that I enjoy too often.

Calvin Klein Obsession is what my grandfather wore, so it reminds me of him (and older men in general). I wore it all through High School, so now other than the nostalgia I don't care for the scent. It does remind me of going into his wood-shop, though, so that is nice. I guess that is the point of scents, right, to transport us to a different location (time being irrelevent)? I used the Obsession balm earlier this month, but the scent of the EdT is a lot better.

---

Lather Games Farewell Address & Final Shave!

Today is it. The last day of the Lather Games. We've had a lot of fun over the past 30 days and made some memories. Some good, some bad. I'm glad I was able to take part. I've done a lot of things I thought I'd never do over these Games:

• shaved with Doritos-infused soap
• made a shaving video and put in on youtube
• shaved with frozen gear
• shaved with toilet water
• shaved my legs
• I slathered lather mixed with chocolate glaze on my face to shave
• shaved with fountain pen ink
• and more

WARNING FOR ANYONE WITH ARACHNOPHOBIA. SPIDER PICTURED IN THIS POST!

That's why today we're saying, "Bon Voyage" to the Lather Games. That's not all I'm saying goodbye to, though. Earlier this month, I was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider. You can read about it on my SOTD here. I'm doing fine now thanks to time and a round of antibiotics. The spider, though, unfortunately did not survive. I'm assuming that I squished it in my sleep.

Ultimately, I am sorry that this spider had to die. It was probably incredibly scared (as much as an arachnid can be) by the big man in its habitat. Typically when threatened they flee, but it's hard to do when you're being rolled on by a giant is about to squish you. Spiders are very important to the ecosystem, so killing them is unnecessary and saddening. It was just doing what was natural to it; not the spiders fault that the venom caused me pain.

So I thought it was only right to give the spider a proper send off. It didn't turn out exactly like I had hoped, but it is the thought that counts, right?

I gathered my supplies for this shave, then headed down to a local park.. The park I chose did not have any public grills, so I had to just use my pan by itself. Time to construct the funeral pyre. This is how it started out, but due to a thunderstorm last night everything was wet. It made today absolutely perfect in terms of weather, but left no burnable twigs et al. I powered on, though. I added the spider (which had unfortunately broken into pieces while being stored) to the pyre.

I found a nice spot overlooking the water that was still in a safe area to light the fire. I intended to have some sparklers going, but unfortunately they wouldn't light. I eventually had to add some napkins from QT in order to get the fire going. I added some drier grass too hoping that would help. I didn't achieve the proper fire I was hoping for (combination of poor pyre, wind, and not completely dry twigs), but in the end the spider was sent to Valhalla via fire.

I then turned my attention to the shave. I spread out some soap into my bowl, lathered up, and shaved.

Bundubeard's mutton tallow is extremely nice. Easy to lather up and very slick. Smells great too!

After a nice shave, I washed off my razor, washed the bowl and brush with the bathroom faucet (and will clean them again at home), and disposed of the ashes.

I do hope that the slain spider finds peace among the ducks, geese, and fish. Everyone, and everything, deserves peace.

And with that, we bid adieu to the 2024 Lather Games. Here's to 2025!

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Totals:

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

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Contest Hashtags:

#FOF

#ROTY

2024-06-30 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 2015 HD (Portugal)
• Razor: Merkur 41c (Germany)
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (Russia)
• Lather: The Goodfellas Smile - Abysso (Italy)
• Post Shave: Epsilon - Blue Mediterranean (Spain)
• Fragrance: Azzaro pour Homme Cologne Intense (France)

Hey look at that we're done

June 30, 2024

• Brush: Wald Nimbus Bloodline 27mm J3
• Razor: Smart Helix Apollo (setting: 0.85mm Plate)
• Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless (1)
• Lather: WestMan Shaving - Alma - Soap
• Post Shave: PannaCrema - Nuàvia Verde - Balm
• Fragrance: Zaharoff - Signature Rosé - Eau de Parfum
• Talc: Yardley Classic
   

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Another Lather Games is done! Congrats to all those who participated! My goals for the games were, make a shave-related photo each day, and enjoy the craziness. I'm happy to have accomplished both goals.

Thanks so much to the judges and organizers. You guys rock!

Oh! * Me: USA * Brush: Germany
* Razor: Ukraine * Blade: Japan * Lather: Portugal * Post shave: Italy * Fragrance: France * Talc: United Kingdom

I'm out!

June 30, 2024

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Omega 10049
• Razor: Muhle Companion
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Muhle - Sandalwood

I live in the United States, and Muhle Sandalwood comes from Germany, so I'm on theme.

I made an attempt at the daily challenge, but I think it's largely a failure. My razor is also from Germany, so I probably lose out there. The brush is from Italy. I didn't check on the blade until afterwards, but the Internet suggests it could have been manufactured in a number of places, one of which is Germany. 🤷

ROTY

June 30, 2024 - Bon Voyage, Lather Games

• Brush: Parker Safety Razor - Chrome Handle Silvertip Badger
• Razor: BAILI - Classic 3-piece DE
• Blade: Shark - Super Stainless Blades
• Lather: E&S Rasage - Oasis
• Post Shave: Proraso - Rinfrescante Eucalyptus and Mint Splash
• Fragrance: HAGS - Megalodon

THEME Noooooooo… Don’t tell me is over! I was having so much fun. Waking up super early or staying up late. Writing all day to make the challenge interesting for readers. It’s too soon… encore!!!! Well it has been fun folks but all good things must come to an end. I must say I have enjoyed this games way more than last year and that’s purely because I know way more than last year when I was not only a ROTY but new to wetshaving in general. Well truth to told I’m not as sad that it’s over but glad I hanged on till the end and what better way to end than have a very international diverse shave!

Let me start by listing the countries my gear is from: - u/2SaintsDude - Southern California USA - Parker Safety Razor Brush - India - Razor - China - Blade - Egypt - Lather - France - Post shave - Italy - Fragrance - Greece

SHAVE Now crazy enough Oasis is a very aquatic scent ideal for summer days. It is slightly spicy which I complemented using proraso which has a bit of a bite but very refreshing for summer as well. Finished off with Hags Meg which is very crisp and clean on the citrusy side of things which adds to the outside summer vacation by the poolside sipping a margarita type of feel!!

CHALLENGE: Today’s shave had such great potential! I always wondered about this French company that does artisan soaps and decided to try them. Now keep in mind I am a big fan of strong scents. If the scent I am using is not offending those around me then it’s not strong enough. I literally want people to ask me what the hell I have sprayed myself with - hence PineSol being a top note for me 🤣. Rasage is nice but way too frail. It leaves you wanting more which is a good business model but not very rewarding for me. Now could a splash or Edt contribute to the lack of luster? Possibly! The Proraso literally took over and I couldn’t distinguish anything else until the Meg which added this warmth that I know will last the rest of the day!

I want to thank the judges and all those involved in putting LG2024 together! I had a great time!

I also want to give special thanks to those amazing sub members that have made my LG2024 a reality like u/curbside_champ for the smushes and splashes samples! To u/onionmiasma - thanks for the soap smushes. u/priusaurus for TSF smush. u/bmac92 for the awesome fountain pen. u/TheBunnynator1001 for the awesome custom brush. In part thanks to all who have commented my posts and answered MY comments. You guys rock and AA here I come!!!

June 30, 2024 - Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Omega - Bambino
• Razor: Leaf - Twig
• Blade: Gillette - Silver Blue
• Lather: Nivea Men - Sensitive Shave Gel
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Splash - Indian
• Post Shave: L'Occitane Homme - L'Occitan After Shave Balm
• Fragrance: Old Spice EdC

Today's Theme: I live in the United States, so I kind of panicked yesterday realizing that I only had American soaps. I have a of Proraso cream, but that meant I couldn't use my Omega brush. I rushed to Walmart late last night and did find a shave product that was not made in America, which seems strange because we have become so accustomed to things being made in China or somewhere besides America. The shave gel actually lathered up somewhat decently with the brush despite it being canned goo. It is certainly a step above Barbasol, but still below Proraso products. I actually enjoyed the fresh clean scent and the shave was okay, the Twig is almost unusably mild for me.

Today's Challenge: As stated above, I'm from the States. The only thing I missed today was a pre-shave, but I don't hardly ever use them.

Brush: Omega Bambino is from Italy

Razor: Leaf Twig is made in China

Blade: Gillette Silver Blue blades are made in Russia

Lather: Nivea Men Sensitive Shave Gel is made in Poland

Post Shave: Old Spice Splash is from India

Post Shave: L'Occitane Homme After Shave Balm is made in France

Fragrance: Old Spice Eau de Cologne is made in Canada

Extra Words: Thank you to the judges for organizing all of this. This was my first ever Lather Games and I had a blast. It was much more dedication than I initially thought it would be, and I did not even go that hard compared to some of the others competing. Thank you for the smushes u/Eructate u/hugbckt u/Tetriside u/bmac92.

ROTY

June 30, 2024

• Brush: Stirling Boar 24mm (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó)
• Razor: Karve Overlander (Canada)
• Blade: Gillette Platinum (1) (Российская Федерация)
• Lather: Lothur - Dave (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
• Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive Balm (Estados Unidos Mexicanos)
• Fragrance: Creed - Millésime Impérial (République française)

First of all, I live in the United States. All the items in my shave are not from my homeland.

The brush is the very first one I purchased. I have an email from Rod Stirling confirming it is in fact made in Jie-nah.

This Overlander was gifted to me by u/Engineered_Shave. He forced a patina on it, it looks really cool. I think I'm going to shine the head back up, leave the handle as-is and do a passaround. I equipped the razor with a Russian-made Platinum, which are my go-to blade until I run out of them in the mid 2030's.

The lather. Ick. This stuff is gross.

Post shave - this is one of the first posts I bought. I don't like it as well as the artisan balms, but it works fine. For the price I'll absolutely get Stirling unscented instead.

Frag - this French-made frag was a sample from Bloomingdales, I think. It's probably my favorite Creed scent, but it's just ok. I'd take many of the scents from artisans active here all day over this.

Relevant AS/Frag Notes: All are from places other than where I am from.

Thanks to most for a really great Lather Games.

And now, in the style of u/iamhonestlylying, my Top 5 people or groups I want to recognize for making this a great games

1.) The other judges, both the standard judges and the photo contest judges. I really enjoyed the camraderie as we did podcasts, chatted back and forth to discuss specific posts, and vented to each other.

2.) u/Enndeegee - while he is included in the bullet above, because he inadvertently became a photo contest judge due to my inability to effectively proofread, a special shout-out to him for all the effot he put in to engage people in the games. Yes, he will score very far down the list because as an actual player he's pretty.... how do the British say.... rubbish. But, we would all be poorer if you weren't here. I chose my soap today specifically to honor you. Do the thing you do.

3.) u/Djundjila - yeah, he's included above in the judging. But, I know it's been said before, but I'll say it again. There is absolutely no way the Games happen without his tireless effort and the portal he created. Yes, we ask for very small inconveniences of the players to make sure everything is picked up correctly, but as a result we were able to thoroughly read and score 2,161 posts for the games (excluding today) due to his magic portal. And - the players get to hold us accountable - I know that some feel the games are better off without this point, but they're absolutely less fair - almost every single appeal was legitimately a judge error, that happens when we're doing this as a side gig. I appreciated the transparancy as a player, and I really appreciate it as a judge.

4.) The top 20-30 players who put in the effort to follow our ridiculous rules day-in and day-out every day for the month. I had a great time reading your posts, and hope everyone really enjoyed themselves.

5.) u/ktturtlesue - for putting up with me talking about this for the last 4 months. I promise I'll stop talking about this and will actually shave with something you like tomorrow. Probably Ausflug.

June 30, 2024: Lather Games Day 30: Bon Voyage, Lather Games

• Brush: Yaqi Purple Haze Mew Brown 24mm
• Razor: Parker 92R
• Blade: Durablade Sharp Hi Chromium (1)
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia – Don Jose
• Post Shave: Sir Irisch Moos – Sir Irisch Moos
• Fragrance: Comme des Garçons – Black

Use of Theme: Bon Voyage, Lather Games/Daily Challenge: World Traveler

If it were up to some, we would venture out of our caves, club a lizard over the head, cook it for breakfast, rendering the fat in the process, and turn that fat into soap with the lye from water we passed through the ashes of yesterday’s fire. And we’d shave with the sharpened rib bone of that thing we chased out of our cave and killed last week. That is, if we have the time. The assholes from the two caves over keep coming over and trying to steal our stuff and rape our women.

But no. We’re all global-like, and we swing our clubs around in more sophisticated pursuits and go to great lengths to display our exotic shaving wares. And looky here, my soap is from Italy and my aftershave is from Germany and I don’t like it. And why should I have to use a Bangladeshi blade in my Indian razor when a perfectly good lizard bone works just fine? And how can I be expected to use a Chinese brush made of plastic? A proper Chinese brush should be made of Chinese Badger Hair and I don’t like it. Not one bit. And look at this Frenchy perfume that says Black. Who wants to be like real French boys prancing around in their berets and waving their white flags? I won’t have it.

INTERMISSION

As a certain dead composer once said, “Oh, blimey, how time flies!” And so it has with the month of shaving in the 10th Lather Games.

Five years ago I poked around in the sub and stumbled across the remnants of this Lather Games thing and thought, “What a bunch of weirdos!” But I obviously tucked that thought into the forefront of my mind and dove headlong into the 2021 Games. So much so, that people thought I was an alt, trying to stir things up. Turns out I was just fed up with the world at the time and needed healthy dose of fun, and that’s exactly what I had. I had zero expectations of anything else, certainly not finishing in third place the following year. I just put in the effort to entertain myself and my fellow latherites.

The Games seem to get bigger each year and with the level of excitement and enthusiasm you all brought last year, I was not expecting another third place finish. I am fortunate to have some spare time in the summers to give to our shenanigans. This year I had less, so I set my expectations accordingly, after I initially planned to not play this year. Then fake oddsmakers who equate themselves with the big dogs in Vegas laid odds on me as the favorite to unseat u/Priusaurus in his bid to repeat as champion. Well, I had to pick up that gauntlet and here we are.

I put in more effort than I thought I could. You all brought yet another level of enthusiasm. I’m the fake, odds-on-favorite to win. Am I gonna stand on a soapbox and cry to the djudges about how I should win? Hell no!!

Instead, I extend my humble and sincere thanks to you for your efforts to run this great event despite having figurative and pseudonymic (It’s a word. I looked it up.) mud thrown at you in some sort of strange shaving harikari. Yours is a thankless job and you all deserve a salary increase. In fact I thought a certain muddy person was offering to finance your salaries next year, but alas, I am mistaken.

As for the rest of you. Thank you for playing along in the spirit of camaraderie and fun. It’s always a pleasure to be in good company even if we have our differences in opinions.

In lathery good spirit, have a great shave in happiness, and be kind to one another.

Edit: I live in the USA.

Jun. 30, 2024 - bye bye June, it’s been warm
Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Arcane Abyss Timberwolf
Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue [3]
Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Valedictorian - Soap
Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Valedictorian - Aftershave
Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Valedictorian EdP

I live in French Canada so today I shaved in French.

I’m going mostly US with today’s shave, damn the torpedos. Soap, splash and frag are from the US, as is the Blackbird razor and the Dogwood handle. The actual synth brush is likely from China, and I believe my GSB blade is Russian. There ya go. I needed Valedictorian to close out my lather games as it’s just so perfect to me, both the base and the scent. Happy I did it.

It’s been a fun month of shaving. Thanks to everyone who played along, in whatever capacity you could!

Jun. 30, 2024
Brush: Simpson Trafalgar T1
Razor: Feather AC DX Kamisori
Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild Pro Touch [2]
Lather: Saponifcio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Soap
Post Shave: Saponifcio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Aftershave
Fragrance: Versace - Eros Flame

Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

I just want to say it’s been a pleasure playing LG. It was a fun month, learned a lot, and will be better prepared for next year.

LG final Daily Challenge World Traveler.

I live in the U.S.A. So here is my worldly shave of the day.

Saponificio Versano 70th Anniversary Soap and Splash are from Italy Versace Eros Flame is also from Italy. Simpson Brush made on the Isle of Man Feather DX Is made in Japan as are the Captain Titan blades.

I want to give a shout out to all my fellow Rookies, good luck to all of you!

Photo Contest Theme Water Vehicles.

I saved this one for the last day of the games. That’s my neighbors boat in the background.

And for one last time

#ROTY #FOF #Photocontest

June 30 2024: Au Revoir Lather Games 2024

• Brush: Zenith B28
• Razor: Ralf Aust 5/8
• Lather: Los Jabones de Joserra - Cefiro
• Post Shave: Los Jabones de Joserra - Cefiro balm
• Fragrance: Creed - Aventus

I’m American, so today for my international shave we have Spanish soap and balm, a German razor, an Italian brush and a French perfume.

The soap and balm are Aventus-inspired, so for my last day of soap/post-shave and fragrance synchronicity, I drove to a nearby Nordstrom where they have some Aventus testers and indulged there since I don’t like Aventus enough to ever spend money on it. The soap may be a bit fruitier than the real thing.

It’s been a great Lather Games this year, many thanks to the judges for taking their time to read all the posts, and thanks to my fellow participants for an entertaining month.

June 30, 2024 - Bon Voyage, Lather Games! (previously International Day)

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Omega Model 11126 Ovangkol Wooden Handle Boar 24mm
• Razor: Yaqi SE (Half DE)
• Blade: Voskhod (13)
• Lather: Westman Shaving - Nirvana
• Post Shave: Master Soap Creations - Bloom
• Fragrance: Paco Rabanne - One Million Elixir

Omega Brush is made in Italy, Yaqi Razor is made in China, Voskhod Blade is made in Russia, Westman Soap is made in Portugal, Master Soap Aftershave is made in South Africa, and One Million Elixir is made in Spain. All are from different countries, none of which are from the U.S., which is where I am from.

I always tell myself that this year will be the year I can put more time into the LGs, and then the LGs come and work or school rears its ugly head. Watching the amount of effort everyone else puts in is always a blast and one of my favorite parts of the community. Thank you to all participants this year for the fun posts and, at times, questionable shaves!

To the judges, thank you again for the time and effort you all put into making this happen. None of this would be even close to successful without the work you all do behind the scenes, and I am truly grateful for all of your hard work!

Side contest: #PHOTOCONTEST - A Prius. I had to wait for the dealership to be closed today to get this picture. However, it might have been more valuable if I had dodged the salespeople while trying to get the picture.

Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Mühle Boar Brush – Deutsche Demokratische Republik (GDR)
• Razor: СПЗ Консул – Українська Радянська Соціалістична Республіка (Ukrainian SSR) #Stainlessless
• Blade: Нева – Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика (Russian Soviet Republic)
• Lather: Купа – Купа – България (Bulgaria)
• Post Shave: Wars – Fresh – Rzeczpospolita Polska (Poland)
• Fragrance: Красная Москва – Красная Москва – Российская Федерация (Russian Federation)
• Me: Switzerland

Another Lather Games edition is in the can, and we made it to the end almost completely without drama! I want to thank the participants and my fellow organisers from the bottom of my heart for a wonderful month of June! I'm looking forward to recording the podcast wrap-up and the winner announcements soon.

Our hobby on this sub is pretty anglo-centric, so I decided to look east for today's international theme instead for a change.

Theme: The cream Купа is from Bulgaria, home of sub legends u/MrTangerinesky and u/DjanovShaving.

Relevant post and frag: All items used are on theme.

Special challenge: The Mühle brush is from the same Mühle company that still makes razors. This NOS brush was made around 1975, shortly after the owner family Müller had been expropriated and the company had been transformed into a Volkseigener Betrieb (Publicly Owned Enterprise, the main legal form of industrial enterprise in East Germany). The Razor was made in Severodonetsk in 1990 in the Ukrainian SSR. It's a pretty neat clone of the Gillette Slim. The blade was made in 1963 in Leningrad in the Russian SSR. It's tuggy. The post shave is from (modern, democratic) Poland (fresh!) and Красная Москва is from the modern day Russian Federation ("Smells like a cheap old woman's perfume" - my wife).

An interesting titbit about Красная Москва is that it and Chanel N° 5 have the same origins in the last decades of the Tsarist Russian Empire. Here's an interesting podcast episode about it for those who understand German.

LG23-30: That's a Wrap

• Brush: Мужской Материк 26mm Zenith Boar
• Razor: Blutt Rasur BR-1 0.99
• Blade: Kai Blue (3)
• Lather: Oaken Lab - Serious Moonlight - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: AllMan - Fearless - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Etat libre d'Orange - Clean Suede
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Burundi. Murata, Kayanza. - v: Red Bourbon - p: Natural, dried on raised beds.
• Music: Ghost - IMPERA

I’m in the United States and I like using some particularly globetrotting hardware for today’s theme.

Going down the list, I lathered up my Indonesian shave soap with a brush handle from a Russian artisan paired with a boar knot made by an Italian manufacturer. I shaved with a Japanese blade in a beautiful razor manufactured in Switzerland. I followed up my shave with a splash of German aftershave and a spray of French fragrance. Coffee is from Burundi and music is from theatrical Swedish pop-metal band Ghost. (I should have made time to see that concert film in theaters. Holding out hope for a 4k disc release.)

Beyond the international theme, the link between these scents is tenuous, but I picked three options that are subtly floral. Also, I’ve heard the Fearless scent is close to Green Irish Tweed; I paired it with a fragrance that also has some lemony citrus and ambergris.

Before I go, thank you to my fellow judges and the folks that planned this year’s Games. This is always a blast and it’s been wonderful working with you.

And thank you to all our players for another fun competition. See you next year!

DAY 30 LATHER GAMES! IT'S DONE...

• Prep: Water - San Pellegrino
• Brush: El Druida custom made brush with OUMO ST-1 25mm synth
• Razor: Golden OCMM
• Blade: GEM
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Valedictorian
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Valedictorian
• Fragrance: Antonio Puig - Agua Brava

Wow... At one point around the middle of the LG I thought there was no end, and here we are now, last day. I am content that I achieved what I set. Play a balanced yet consistent game through the whole month and other than covering the rules I wanted to do 30 different razors and 30 different brushes, and I did that.

Shave and shenanighans of the day

As most of you(if not all) know, SBS is a brand by Kyle and April, both of whom are in the world of education and their soaps are also connected with school themes. So I wrapped everything around that theme.

Valedictorian

What is a Valedictorian?

It is the student who has the highest marks in their class when they graduate from high school, college, or university, and who gives a speech at their graduation ceremony.

Do you know what they get as a prize? That's right they get a gold medal! Hense my Golden OCMM GEM razor!

Some people might consider Valedictorians as overachievers and tryhards! If we accept that is true, for a Valedictorian, there is no Saturday or Sunday, they are constantly thinking about school or studying or just how to get ahead in life. If school was opened on Sunday, they would attend it! While I was not a Valedictorian(nor will I ever be) I have always graduated with honors. For example 6 here is the max score you can get, I've always been 5.6.

My brain went to work, and it came up with the following:

Why not go to my first school where I studied up until Grade 8(13 years) and shave in the courtyard of the school. Before I did that, I talked with my mother, who worked there(is now retired) for 40+ years to talk with the dean if it's possible, and it was confirmed that it would not be a problem.

I got into my car and TRAVELLED to my first school. Here it is. 7 years of my life were spent here and a lot of emotions came back first love, first kiss, first F, first A, all the friends made along the way. Now this school had one of the largest courtyards in the city, but I was quite saddened to see that a portion of it was sectioned off, God knows why, and 1/4th of the place was no longer accessible. It saddened me because that's where I have my fondest memories and where we played the most. I chose a bench and did my thing, there was no one there so it was quite a peaceful shave. OCMM is one of the GOAT razors for me and provided for a smooth and deep shave, and SBS make great lather and scents, no complaints there. Valedictorian has to be my favourite.

We're not done yet. Valedictorians are figures to which other students look up to and get inspired to be better. One can say that they are teaching other people, whether it be directly or inderectly. I have a friend that has always been skeptical of classical wetshaving, even though I've ranted about the topic for houns on end. Today I wouldn't take no for an answer and I urged him to try it. Poor fella had no idea what I had enstored for him.

I picked up some nice basic gear for him to use and we had a long talk even before he started shaving. The basic "DO'S" and "DON'TS" of wetshaving. I monitored him during the process to see if he needed help and to give advice when needed. Here he is trying to make a lather and doing a decent job I might add. In the end he got a very nice DFS+ and was so enthusiastic of the whole thing he started asking me what stuff he should buy. I forgot to add that I did ask him if he was ok with sharing this picture here and he ok'ed it.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Daily Challenge

I am from Bulgaria. One little detail I should note, since I wanted every part of my shave to be from a foreign country, I bought Italian water and used it for my shave.

• PREEEP: Italy
• BROOSH: Spain/China
• RAZUUR: U.S.A.
• BLEIID: U.S.A.
• LADUUR: U.S.A.
• POSTSHAV: U.S.A.
• FURGRANCE: Spain

No Valedictorian is complete without a speech at the end.

My fellow Lather Game participants. It has been an Honour to shave beside you this whole month. This year while different than last year, was packed full of intense posts and unique ideas. I applaud your ingenuity and tenacity. I want to give thanks to all my friends, for their support, and to all those who believed in me and were kind to me here. Special thanks go to everyone who organized and sponsored this whole event, without them there would be no LG. In the end it is not important who wins but the journey that we have all gone through together. Together, as a community!

Daily Lather Themes: 30/30

• Daily Challenges: 28/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 20/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 2/2
• Software Vendor Points: 16/16
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 1/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 30/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 30/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 30/30

Lovely sendoff to the Games.

June 30, 2024

• Brush: Stirling x Zenith 510SE-XL
• Razor: Karve CB SB-D
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: WestMan Shaving – Adamastor
• Post Shave: Australian Private Reserve – Coeur de Vert

Adamastor was specifically bought for this challenge last year. It works well and in that tier right below the S-tier bases. Unfortunately, it has dimethicone so its now on my personal do not buy list once I found out. Scent wise, I get the rhubarb right away, along with a little saltiness. The rhubarb is spot on, sharp and tart just like a freshly snapped raw stem. A touch of earthiness as well, but only after lathering. I like the aquatic notes as they come through less cologne-y and more salty. As the abrasively green rhubarb dissipates, you get the remaining earthy notes to create a scent that goes from bright and vibrant, to a calmer and smoother green from the vetiver. It is a “clean” smelling scent. Reminiscence of a very elevated blue dawn soap but the more I smelled it, the more I got a different salty grassy green scent. It brings back memories of rhubarb pie, the first “fruit” of the spring. My grandmother, and now mom, would make a rhubarb custard pie every year. It really is better, in my opinion, than the classic strawberry rhubarb or douse your rhubarb in sugar pie. The cream tempers the rhubarb while it still has that ever-present tartness I love. I actually planted rhubarb this spring, so may have to continue the tradition starting next year when I can get a good harvest.

Brush is from Italy ~4104 miles Razor is from Canada ~2130 miles Blade is from Russia ~4107 miles Lather is from Portugal ~3203 miles Post shave is from Australian ~10066 miles I am from the United States 0 miles

In case you were wondering, it took ~23610 miles (37997km for my metric friends) for these items to make it to me, not including third party vendor travel. Add in the third party (for the ones I know where they came from), and it is ~26732 miles. Absolutely absurd when you think about it considering around the world is 24901 miles, just so I can shave. If this isn’t the definition of world traveler, I don’t know what is.

Well, this is the last of my photo themes: Pirates. I was hoping to find the resting place of a real pirate, but alas, after researching, all the local pirates were apparently tossed into the sea after their hanging bodies were left to the seagulls as warnings for other pirates. So instead, please take a gander at all of this booty. #photocontest

fof

Great games everyone – really had a lot of fun reading and watching everyone’s antics.

LG 30 - Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Ever-Ready 200 - Zenith 27mm Unbleached Boar
• Razor: Dorko "Try Me Sir"
• Lather: Highland Springs Soap Co. - Eclipse
• Post Shave: MacDuff's Soap Company - Kananaskis Explorer Aftershave
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag EdP

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Today's shave features a restored Ever-Ready 200 (made in the USA), fitted with a Zenith 27mm Unbleached Boar (made in Italy) that debuted on AA'22, a Dorko "Try Me Sir" 8/8 straight razor from Solingen Deutschland.

An awesome shaving soap from Canada HSSC - Eclipse with a fragrance from Australian Private Reserve. Kananaskis Explorer AS from MacDuff (Canada). And Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag Edp USA.

Shaving from Spain.

.#FOF Eclipse is an incredible scent, it's so well blended I can pick some notes of tobacco, leather, civet, musk, and the wood notes of cedar & sandalwood, it's a wild fragrance. Kannakis is a patchouli bomb in a green forest. I followed it with the beautiful aroma of Midnight Stag, leather, oil, smoke, gasoline... Lather games cannot be closed better.

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June 30. 2024 - it’s too hot for this

• Brush: Yaqi 26mm Tuxedo
• Razor: Gillette Flat Bottom Tech
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Bundubeard - Kletterkees
• Post Shave: Myrsol - Don Carlos 1972
• Fragrance: Zoologist - Elephant

Today’s shave brought to you by a large number of places. I live in the US. This brush was made in China, this razor was made in England, the blade was made in Russia, the soap was made in South Africa, the splash was made in Spain, and the fragrance was made in Canada. We’re celebrating the international phenomenon that is hair removal today.

Software relevance was achieved by everything meeting today’s theme, but the scents work ok together too. I’m still not 100% sure what the fruit actually is for this soap scent, but I’d say it smells like very, very ripe apples. The citrus in Don Carlos cuts through that to make everything smell a bit more fresh. And then the magnolia and tea in Elephant really impart some floral greenery to the whole thing to get me through the rest of today.

The final photo contest theme I’ve gone for here is Soccer. I rode my bike up to a nearby park and found a soccer goal, then got to work balancing things into the netting for a picture. I think it’s fitting that the most popular international sport gets to represent my international shave. #photocontest

Congrats to everybody who played the games this year. It’s a lot of work to come up with ideas for every day and then even more work to execute them. Thanks again to the judges for all their hard work, which puts the rest of our contributions to shame. Looking forward to the community torture of whatever straight razor challenge Austere August is bring us right around the corner.

Lather: Doubt

The final shave of the Lather Games. I have one more hint from u/sukirem before I get the chance to speak with him tonight and find out what's really going on. But what is really going on? Over the course of these games I've had my soul shook friends. I'm no longer sure of anything. The judges have openly talked about the Air Bud Rule, I've had people involved with LG (who will go unnamed) help me search for u/sukirem. Some of the games most committed players as well. Open discussions on the meaning of the Air Bud Rule have flowed freely throughout SOTD posts. It feels like.... the Air Bud Rule may have become part of the games themselves and where does that leave those who once fought from the outside. What is left to fight for? I just... nothing makes sense anymore. Sukirem will know, though. I'll talk to him and it'll become clear what's going on... right?

Despite all this doubt, the Air Bud Treasure is still up for grabs. If you haven't been paying attention you can still go back and figure out the four cities that Sukirem "visited" throughout the month. Hints were hidden in SOTD posts, r/airbudrule, and the weekly podcasts! DM or Message all four citites to me and you'll be entered to win the Air Bud Treasure! Everyone has until Wednesday to get their guesses in, then the winner will be picked. You really don't want to miss out.

Bon Voyage, Lather Games

• Brush: Omega 10065 - Italy
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable - USA
• Blade: Astra - Russia
• Lather: Lea Stick - Spain

photocontest

Eyes Black and White It seems that I used the Animals theme 2 times, so here are 2 last themes together in one photo

Today’s Challenge:

World Traveller
All today’s items are from different countries and I’m from Belarus

Jun. 30, 2024 - Last Day

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: MRed 26 mm Badger (France)
• Razor: Fatip Piccolo (Italy)
• Blade: Personna Platinum (2) (Germany)
• Lather: Signature Soaps - Novum Spice (England)
• Post Shave: Old Spice (Italy)

The final day of the games. It has been pretty damn fun this year even if I haven't participated as hard as I could have. In fact, it was noted that if I actually did try and drop my desperate attempt to get the best score possible with only Old Spice dupes I might actually contend. That is an interesting thought...

I live in the U.S.A. so everything I used today was from another country. I was going to use the Indian Old Spice but realized I was already super European-centric anyway so decided to go with the European one, which is made in Italy. (Just had to sneak one more shooting myself in the foot in, evidently)

At least those crazy Air Bud Rulians didn't ruin everything.

Let's Make It Two

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Declaration Grooming B11 Jefferson Lake Pelham
• Razor: Wolfman WR2
• Blade: BIC Chrome Platinum
• Lather: Australian Private Reserve - Passione
• Post: Australian Private Reserve - Passione - Splash

I'm a resident of the USA. Today's soap and splash came from Australia. The brush is from the USA. The razor is from Canada. The blades are French.

I have now posted 2 on-theme shaves for this year's LG, which isn't bad considering how messy this month has been. I had a couple of other days where I had on-theme shaves but failed to post. Oh well. Maybe I'll do better next year.

Jun. 30, 2024
Brush: Simpsons Chubby 1 Best #SMOLL #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS Badger
Razor: RazoRock Superslant L2++ #CNC
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue [3]
Lather: Mühle Shave Care - Sandalwood Luxury Shaving Soap - Soap
Post Shave:* Proraso - Coarse Beards - Sandalwood Oil & Shea Butter - Aftershave

I live in the USA

RazoRock razor- Canada

Gillette blade - Russia

Simpsons brush - UK

Mühle soap - Germany

Qshave scuttle - China

Proraso aftershave splash - Italy

ROTY

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Day 30

• Brush: Semogue – Owner’s Club 24mm Boar
• Razor: Wade & Butcher – Extra Hollow Ground 7/8 Straight
• Lather: Proraso – Aloe & Vitamin E Shaving Cream
• Post Shave: Master Soap Creations - Tabacchi Splash
• Fragrance: Diesel – Only the Brave Street EdP

It’s the final day! Somehow this month has both flown by and dragged on! I definitely feel like I understood The Lather Games more this year than last and I tried to step up my game this year. I did the best I could and still had a blast. Daily posting can be a lot, but it was fun and I understand more of this hobby this year than I did last. A sincere thank you to everyone that worked hard and dedicated time to this crazy month for the enjoyment of the players.

For the sake of the final challenge:
Me: USA
Brush: Portugal
Razor: England
Lather: Italy
Post Shave: South Africa
Fragrance: France

Sidecontests: #photocontest: Soccer! All themes secured! Thanks photo contest team!

Proraso Blue – Officially called Aloe & Vitamin E - isn't just about the soothing aloe and vitamin E; there's a hidden layer that adds a sophisticated twist to the experience. As the creamy lather envelops your face, subtle notes of amber and musk begin to unfold. The amber introduces a warm, resinous depth, reminiscent of a sun-drenched forest floor. It adds a comforting richness that complements the refreshing top notes. Then, the musk kicks in, weaving an earthy, slightly sweet aroma that lingers delicately on the skin. This scent combination creates really nice experience, where the initial freshness evolves into a more complex fragrance than I ever expected. Post-shave, the Master Soap Creations Tabacchi splash continues with a bold, woody transition away from the amber of the soap. This splash adds a touch of rugged masculinity, grounding the earlier freshness with a deep, aromatic embrace. It’s a perfect juxtaposition, that actually works really well together. To finish, a couple sprays of Diesel’s Only the Brave Street. It’s woody, like the splash, but has a nice freshness to it that hearkens back to the soap. The fragrance opens with a crisp burst of basil and apple, delivering an immediate sense of freshness that’s invigorating and bold. As it settles, the woody heart of cedar and vetiver emerges, grounding the initial brightness with a rich, earthy depth. This harmonious interplay between fresh and woody elements creates a scent that is both revitalizing and enduring, perfect for this final shave of the Lather Games. #FOF

Great fun in The Lather Games and already looking forward to next year, as well as maybe even doing Austere August this year!

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Bon Voyage, Lather Games!”… My Top 5 most fun sounding ways to say goodbye in languages other than English:

5.) Polish: Do widzenia - Do what now? 

4.)Italian: Arrivederci - Italian just hits different. 

3.)Spanish: Hasta la vista - Thank Arnold for making this more than just a way to say goodbye. 

2.) Japanese: Sayonara - Am the only one who thinks of" Speedy Gonzales saying "Sayonara Suckers" before he speeds off? 

1.) Hawaiian: Aloha - Both hello and goodbye is the most poetic way to end this little series. Because while this is goodbye to The 2024 Lather Games, but it's hello to just shaving to shave again. It's hello to complete shaving freedom! At least until August.... 

LG24-30: Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Highlander Brushes Jade 26mm Cashmere Synthentic Knot
• Razor: Wolfman Razors Satin WR1 dual comb 0.74 mm gap head on hollow WRH1 handle
• Blade: Gillette Platinum [6]
• Lather: Spartium Cosmetics Meštar - Picigin - Soap
• Post Shave: Pitralon - Swiss - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Lubin - Akkad - Eau de Parfum

I'm shaving today from Germany, 🇩🇪 and I'm using the following artisans: * Highlander Brushes 🇲🇪 (Montenegro)
Wolfman Razors 🇨🇦 (Canada)
Gillette Platinum 🇷🇺 (Russia)
Spartium Cosmetics Meštar 🇭🇷 (Croatia)
Pitralon 🇨🇭 (Switzerland)
* Lubin 🇫🇷 (France)

The scents of oranges, ylang-ylang, aromatics, and slightly darker amber notes dominated this shave. The Meštar base is excellent and the Swiss Pitralon fits well with the summery Picigin.

I have to give a big shout out to u/djundjila for sending me this Wolfman dual-comb razor to try out. I really like the ability to flip the head around to switch from open comb to straight bar for different passes or different parts of my face.

What an amazing last shave to close out LG24! This year has been fun, and seemed to go by so quickly. Good luck to those top players who are neck-and-neck.

Im not sure, I could be way off base but maybe just maybe it might just be the magic of AirBud himself that has been woven into the fabric to the Lather Games. Maybe the swords can be laid to rest and turned into ploughshares. Great shaving minds amongst us have been liberated without battle but a by a spirit so strong that even the cabal as we know it may have had their hearts softened. Maybe im a dreamer, but definitely not the only one. Rest easy for now my friend.

June 30, 2024 – LG Day 30 – The End

• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm 🇨🇳
• Razor: Merkur 34C 🇩🇪
• Blade: Lord Super Stainless Chromium Coated 🇹🇷
• Lather: Henri et Victoria – Amande 🇨🇦
• Post Shave: RazoRock – Mudder Focker 🇮🇹
• Fragrance: Essential Parfums – Orange X Santal 🇫🇷

I know this is out of the ordinary, but I will not be writing a lengthy treatise today. Rather, in honor of all the players who played the Games “their way” this month, particularly Cowzilla3, enndeegee, and alg82, I’ve recorded a little song (which I’m amazed Crisp_Mango didn’t parody last year). Lyrics are below, for those who need them or prefer not to listen.

All products today are from different countries, and none from United States of America (where I live). They are each denoted by their according flag emoji, but to make sure it’s clear, in order of product listed: China, Germany, Turkey, Canada, Italy, France.

Now, for my final trick, I convince the djudges and wally that my shave has a thematic thread that ties it together, beyond meeting the challenge. Amande is a take on the classic almond shaving soap a la Cella, and presents as an almond biscotti which has been soaked in American bright red maraschino cherry juice. It’s a kick in the face, and hardly mellows upon lathering. Now, what to follow this up with? Well, thinking about what Cella believes you should pair with their soap, an aromatic aftershave seemed appropriate. With clear culinary and citrus top notes, Mudder Focker blends surprisingly well with the maraschino note, before it takes over entirely. Now, what’s weird about Mudder Focker is that it’s allegedly a dupe of Panama 1924 by Boellis. If that’s the case, it seems to be a…creative take. I haven’t smelled Panama 1924 before, but the internet tells me that there’s either an almond note or a tobacco flower note, neither of which show up in this splash. The former would have likely been more welcome than the latter, in this scenario. I maintain that the folks at Cella were out of their gourds when they decided to make such different and not-very-complementary scents. Though Orange x Santal might not be what I would typically spray on after such a sweet almond soap, it’s a perfect addition to today’s splash. The sandalwood is a clear connection here, along with the herbal notes which drift around in the background, while the bitter orange is a fun, bright, complex yet simple ending to this fragrance journey. #FOF

And with that, I bid you all adieu.

---

And now, the end is near

And so I face the final lather

My friend, I’ll make it clear

We had our fun, with all the blather

We shaved ourselves each day

No care for formatting the right way

And more, much more than this

We did it our way

Good laughs, we’ve had a few

Like when I skipped that challenge

We did what we wanted to

And skipped the points for hardware scavenge

No plan, no charted course

Each silly step, the game that I played

And more, much more than this

We did it our way

Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew

When we broke the rules, formatting skewed

But through it all, when there was doubt

We lathered up and shaved about

We faced it all, and stood up tall

And did it our way

We’ve loved, we’ve laughed and cried

We’ve had our fill, of memes and puns too

And now, as games subside

We find it all so damn amusing

To think we did all that

With no real goal, some others might say

We did what we felt like

We did it our way

For what is a shaver, what have they got?

If not their jokes, then they have naught

To spam the threads with shaving memes

And not just follow others’ schemes

The record shows we took some blows

And did it our way

parody of "My Way" called "Our Way"

parody of "My Way" called "Our Way"

Jun. 30, 2024
Brush: Simpson Trafalgar T2
Razor: Karve CB
Blade: Perma-sharp Stainless [2]
Lather: Speick - - Soap
Post Shave:* Nivea - Post Shave Balm - Balm

Brush is from England I believe, Razor from Canada, Blade from Russia, Soap from Germany, Nivea balm is produced in a few countries but not the US.

Regarding the Speick stick, if I was wet shaving for convenience alone, the stick is the way to go. Honestly makes it super easy. And Speick is great and lathers well. Anyways the lather games was fun guys cheers to the fellows/gals in the running to win it.

https://imgur.com/a/dSBFOlT

• Brush: Zenith - Horse Hair
• Razor: Eclipse - Red Ring
• Blade: Parker - Premium Platinum
• Lather:  Savonniere Du Moulin - Cedres Et Anis
• Post Shave: Bart's Balm - Ben Nevis
• Fragrance: Burberry - Touch

For the final day of the Lather Games, I decided on a European Tour. This was fitting because yesterday I celebrated my anniversary, and for our honeymoon we did a tour of Europe. I am from the USA. First my razor was an Eclipse Red RIng made in England. My blade was a Parker made in Turkey from Swedish steel on German machinery. My brush a Zenith from Italy. My lather was Savonniere Du Moulin Cedres Et Anis made on a Donkey farm in France. My aftershave balm was Bart's Balm from Scotland and my fragrance was Burberry Touch made in Spain.

Today's challenge, all my items are from different countries and specifically all European.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Lather Games, thanks for putting this together!

ROTY

June 30, 2024

• Brush: Yaqi – Evil Zebra – 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Karve – Christopher Bradley, Plate C
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia – Crumiro Soap
• Post Shave: Master Soap Creators – Apricot Pie Splash
• Fragrance: Thierry Mugler - Angel MenEdP

I live in the USA
Yaqi Brush is from China
Karve Razor is from Canada
Wilkinson Blade is from Germany
Abbate y La Mantia Lather is from Italy
Master Soap Creations Aftershave is from South Africa
Thierry Mugler Fragrance is from France

Legacy. Long after I’m gone, when all my shaving gear is inevitably inherited by my children, and eventually passed down to their children, one day, one of my grandchildren may stumble across my Lather Games Trophy and ask me about it. And I’ll wryly smile, and tell them I was one of the Greatest Lather Games Shavers of all time. Then they’ll ask me why I have so many soaps, when I can’t possibly use them all, and I’ll gently tell them to mind their business and shut their little mouths!

But… Back to Legacy. Let’s focus on that.

Here I am, trying to cement my Lather Game Legacy. Trying to become the first ever back-to-back Lather Games Champion. Anyone that has participated in Lathers Games will tell you that winning is hard. As former winner, CosmoBarber, came down from the Mountain to tell me just 3 days ago: “There are only a handful of Lather Games Champions on this planet, so honor that crown!” Winning the Lather Games twice has never been done. For good reason. Many would say it’s impossible. I’ve said that I wanted to be the Tom Brady of The Lather Games and cement my Lather Games Legacy and do it. For those who don’t know American Football and don’t know who Tom Brady is: (1) What is it like under the rock you’re living under? (2) He’s won more Championships than anyone else in the history of The National Football League. He is considered the undisputed Greatest Of All Time – The GOAT – in professional American Football. To quote T-Pain: All he does is win, win, win.

So today, on the last day of the 10th Annual Lather Games, and I’m going to where the Greatest American Football Player of All Time spent the vast majority of his career. A place that has a winning atmosphere. Where greatness lives and where mortals become legends. The place that Tom Brady won more than any other: Gillette Stadium. This stadium is for winners. It is home to the greatest football dynasty of all time. And today, it will be forever intertwined in my Lather Games dynasty.

I spot several benches outside the stadium, directly next to the Patriots Hall of Fame. Perfect. I can feel the energy of championship after championship upon me as I make me way down the stairs. I see the Patriots’ Super Bowl Banners donning the stadium. I, too, know what it is like to hoist a Championship Trophy. I want to feel that again. But for now, I can’t get too far ahead of myself. I still need to shave today and get the damn thing won this year. Winning one ain’t a dynasty. Gotta win at least two for that. I get to my perfect shaving spot, in the shadow of Gillette Stadium, where Tom Brady first became the superstar everyone knows today. And I’m right outside the Patriots Hall of Fame, where Tom Brady was inducted just 2 weeks ago, cementing HIS legacy in New England. And hopefully where I cement MY Lather Games Legacy. The pressure is on. Let’s shave.

The Stadium and Hall of Fame aren’t too busy this morning, but there is a steady stream of people walking by me as I prepared to shave. The final time I’ll be using my mobile shave den this year. As I lathered up Crumiro, it started to smell like a sweet Italian Bakery had moved into Gillette Stadium. The rich, buttery scent of freshly baked cookies with a hint of almond wrapped filled the air around me, to compliment this winning atmosphere. Ahhhh… It’s also fitting that I end the Lather Games with a Gourmand Shave. If only they served cappuccinos at the stadium, it would be a like shaving at a quaint café in Rome – The type of café that was the home to the greatest NFL dynasty of all-time… People are walking about, heading into the Patriots Hall of Fame or waiting their turn for a tour of the stadium, as I go about my business. Entirely focusing on the final shave of the Lather Games. I give myself a good final Lather Games shave, wipe my face with a towel, then splash on Master Soap Creators' Apricot Pie Splash to continue that the dessert theme. As I splashed it on, the juicy aroma of ripe apricots mingled with the comforting spices and buttery crust of a homemade pie. It was like taking a bite of a perfectly baked, golden-crusted pie, still warm from the oven. My skin felt refreshed, and I felt at ease, knowing I did everything I could this year and I’m about to put the final touches on my last shave of the Lather Games. To top it all off, Thierry Mugler’s Angel Men EdP sealed the deal. This powerhouse fragrance, with its complex blend of caramel, vanilla, and sweet spices added a wonderful, sophisticated layer to the sweetness of the shave. It’s like the final flourish of an extravagant dessert—rich, indulgent, and utterly unforgettable. The perfect finishing touch. A dessert shave that was a symphony of rich, decadent scents, each note harmonizing perfectly to create a deliciously satisfying experience for the final course of my LG2024 shaves. #FOF

Thank you to the organizers, judges, fellow participants, and the great sponsors that all make these crazy games happen. Even if I didn’t fulfill my desire to be the first ever back-to-back Champion, I’ll be ecstatic if I pull an Djundjila and go from 1st to 2nd, or even if I pull a Red and go from 1st to 5th, or do something entirely different. I could have messed up and finished 52nd. I don’t know. The fact of the matter is: I love these games, I love the competition, I love the writing, I love the shavanigans, and I love the community. This year had less Spite, more love, and was just as much fun for me. I tried my best to bring the heat with every single post and make people smile, roll their eyes, shake their heads, and maybe even chuckle to themselves. The goal was always to entertain. I took no days off and left it all out on the field. I’d be beyond honored to win again, but I’d also be happy to send the trophy along to its next destination. Lather Games 2024 has been a hell of a ride. And remember, the real meaning of the Lather Games is the friends we’ve shaved with along the way.

Priusaurus reminisces about the games and dreams of becoming our first back to back champion. Goes and shaves at Gillette Stadium, the stadium built on the backs of wetshavers and Tom Brady, in hopes to strive towards that sort of legacy.

https://imgur.com/a/lets-shave-7m1SAQ6

Priusaurus reminisces about the games and dreams of becoming our first back to back champion. Goes and shaves at Gillette Stadium, the stadium built on the backs of wetshavers and Tom Brady, in hopes to strive towards that sort of legacy.

https://imgur.com/a/lets-shave-7m1SAQ6

Sunday, June 30, 2024

• Brush: Omega - Stone il Duca - EVO 2.0
• Razor: Karve Shaving Co. - Overlander (Matte Black Aluminum)
• Blade: London Bridge (vtg)
• Lather: Martin de Candre - Original - Soap
• Post Shave: Eufros - Vetiver de Haití - Balm
• Fragrance: Ach Brito - Lavande - Eau de Cologne

Brush from Italy, razor from Canada, blade from England, soap from France, balm from Spain, fragrance from Portugal, and I'm from/in the US.

Edit: I went with MdC Original and AB Lavande because the Lavande cream (which smells like the EdC + menthol) smells a bit like MdC Original, so I felt confident I'd enjoy the two. The Lavande EdC is a darker, woodier lavender so transitioning to it with the Vetiver de Haiti in between worked well.

June. 30, 2024 - SOTD 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Oumo O4 Venus SHD Badger Brush 26MM
• Razor: King C Gillette
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: The Gentleman's Groom Room - Essence of Scotland Berry Fields O'Blair
• Post Shave: Nivea Men - Sensitive Soothing Aftershave Balm

Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Bevel Shaving Brush
• Razor: Panhandle Barbershop Co. Tonsorial Gem #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Lather: Tallow + Steel - Shag
• Post Shave: Brut - Classic
• Fragrance: Creed - Aventus

Daily Video

Daily Gratitude
Thanks to tsrblke for the soap sample. Thanks to Nordstrom for the frag sample. Thanks to my mom for going on the hunt for the aftershave and fragrance. Thanks to my mom for getting me the starter kit that had this brush. Thanks to my mom for buying me this razor a very long time ago. Thanks to my mom for recording me and supporting me through these crazy games. Thanks to anyone who watches the whole vid. Thanks to anyone that mentioned me in their predictions of ROTY yesterday! Thanks to the judges and fabulous people for putting this whole thing together.

Daily Mistakes
I should have done more planning on where we had to go so my mom wouldn't drive so much. I also forgot to tell her to record landscape so enjoy the OG day one portrait style. I also forgot to get the photo contest cactus while we were out.

Daily Writeup Welp, this is my last post of the month and therefore the last post of the Lather Games 2024. It's bittersweet and I am probably making too much of a deal but I'm just an emotional person okay! The bitter part is I will miss the games but the sweet part is I will finally be able to use all my own stuff! And I can use soaps from full tubs!!! I no longer need to load from parchment paper. As I said in the video, as of now I don't think I will shave daily in August because of band camp lol. Now for once I will actually talk about the shave itself, yesterday I returned to my straight razors for the first time in a while and today's shave is a lot better than yesterday's shave because I had a bit more experience from yesterday, still a lot to work on but today was a much closer shave with less irritation. Today I sold the Friodur because I dont shave with straight razors enough to warrant having 2 straights. I'm excited for tomorrow's shave, I think I'll use roman spice or something.

Daily Theme Points I am an American citizen living in America. Tallow + Steel is based in Canada, where my mom grew up!

Daily Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance Points
This Brut was made in Mexico. Creed is based and made in France.

Daily Challenge See above for soap, frag, and aftershave. Today was quite the expedition to find the frag and aftershave btw!!! The brush is made in China. The razor is made in Germany, where my grandma's family is from!

Hardware Scavenger Hunt
This razor is in pretty good shape but it definitely has a bit of patina making it my #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY.

Photo Contest
I forgot about getting the cactus when we were out and about so I had to scooter over to the local trader joe's to grab this cactus trio just for the photo.

TL;DR
Thanks mom, I win rookie of the year thank you very much give me my prize.

Side Contests #photocontest #ROTY

June 30, 2024 – Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Semogue – 2000 (Portugal)
• Razor: Merkur – 34C (Germany)
• Blade: Gillette – Silver Blue (Russia)
• Lather: The Handmade Soap Company – Basil, Lime & Sweet Neroli (Ireland)
• Post Shave: Tallow + Steel – Cognac (Canada)
• Fragrance: HAGS – Barberwood roll on EDP (Greece)
• Bowl: Chantal (China)
• Water: Fiji – Natural Artesian Water (Fiji)
• Me: USA

Now that all thats established, heres a short rundown.

• The Lather: This soap is easily the hardest in my den, but boy does it later up with a little water. No real complaints with the soap though as it smells pretty good too. My bowl eft a little to be desired in the amount it could hold though. Perhaps it helped that I used Fiji bottled water to add to the lather, or not. I don’t plan to test any theories on this one.
• The Shave: Simple smooth shave with nothing special.
• Aftershave/Frag: I followed the shave up with a little Cognac after shave and some Barberwood. They are a terrible matchup, but they do all fit the theme of being from a country other than my own.
• Theme/Challenge: Today’s theme and challenge are using things from other countries than your own. To that end, each part of my shave came from a different country and no part came from my home country USA.
• Analytics: Since today left little for antics to fit the bill I decided I would do some analytics. I do not have an army of bots to scrape that data so I did it the old fashioned way to come up with some charts for everyone to be able to see. Since I have to have this posted before the day is up I pulled all the data in up until u/sandmanct1 (54 SOTDs). Also please note if the shaver did not indicate a country of origin, I did not go searching it out. I also did not combine United Kingdom, England, and Scotland into one location. Without further ado here’s what I found, with charts…
• Shaver Origin: This was rather unsurprising as most of us knew most of the shavers competing originate in the USA (80%).
• Lather: Lather was surprising to me in the number of different countries chosen. I expected a more complete European dominance.
• Hardware: Hardware is the one place China and Russia begin to shine (19 uses each), but still cannot overtake the Italian brush usage (21).
• Hardware & Software: Combing both hardware and software usage we see a huge Italian dominance of 42 uses with Canada a distant second at 28 uses.
• Acknowledgment: Thank you to the judges for another interesting year of the games. I can’t imagine how much work must go on to keep them running, but it is appreciated.

June 30, 2024 – Lather Games: Day 30

• Brush: Zenith Moar Boar
• Razor: Tatara Muramasa
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Pré de Provence – No. 63
• Post Shave: Oaken Lab – Sanctum

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. I want to thank the judges and my fellow competitors for another fun month of competition. It adds variety to my shaving routine, and makes the sometimes monotonous process a bit more exciting. I truly look forward to the Games every year. Thanks again.

Daily Challenge:

Brush: Italy
Razor: Portugal
Blade: Russia
Lather: France
Post Shave: Indonesia

30 June 2024 Non Complementary Non Dickkhole Eufros Tobacco

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Ouomo Unsullied 25mm
• Razor: Karve Brass SB E
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (22)
• Lather: Eufros - Tobacco (20)
• Post Shave: Caties Bubbles - The Villain's Rose A/S
• Post Shave: Thayer's Concoction
• Post Shave: Good Oleo
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm
• Fragrance: Caron - Pour Un Homme

A wrap to another wonderful month of the games.

Cheers

June 30, 2024 – Closing Ceremony

• Brush: Commonwealth 'CW' Badger, purchased on Ebay (China)
• Razor: Fatip Piccolo Slant Closed Comb (Italy)
• Blade: Gillette - Nacet (Russia)
• Lather: Tallow & Steel - Shag (Canada)
• Post Shave: Master Soap Creations - Alien (South Africa)
• Fragrance: Jovoy Paris - Incident Diplomatique (France)

Thanks to u/tsrblke for the T&S Shag smush! I'm ending the games as I began, with a smush sent to me by another member of the sub. This support and camaraderie has been one of the highlights of the Lather Games.

For the Daily Challenge I used items from different nations (see above). I'm born and raised in the USA.

Names of two items used reference foreignness and foreign affairs (Alien and Incident Diplomatique). I guess you could throw in Tallow & Steel’s Shag, if indeed this r/Wetshaving exclusive soap is a reference to Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery. In any case, Shag made for a harmonious, if heady, brew in combination with the other two scents, particularly the vetiver and patchouli of Incident Diplomatique.

The final edition of Brush Strokes features Stadia II by Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu. It’s a huge abstract work, energetic and lively if somewhat ambiguous, that depicts what looks like a large stadium during an international athletic event. An arena of conflict, competition, and community, simultaneously and always.

/ #ROTY

EDIT: apparently if you mention Austin Powers on reddit for any reason a bot invites you to join r/ohbehave where you can enjoy posts such as this

June 30, 2024

• Brush: Zenith Moar Boar #SUBBROOSH #OLDWORLD

• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley OC B Plate #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY

• Blade: Ladas Super Stainless

• Lather: TWOFACE Brothers - Rum - Cream

• Post Shave: Oaken Lab - Batavia Barber - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Parfums de Marly - Herod - EdP

I am from the ole USA and my shave today knows no bounds: * Brush - Italy * Razor - Canada * Razor Blade - Russia * Soap - China * Aftershave - Indonesia * Fragrance - France

I always look forward to this challenge. It seems like international shaving products are becoming more and more common. Very cool to see. Thank goodness we have a month off before Austere August. Last year's back to back was a doozy!

June 30, 2024 - Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Semogue Owner's Club Mistura #MISTURA #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Gillette Flat Bottom Tech
• Blade: Wizamet (42)
• Lather: Fitjar Islands - Slåtterøy
• Post Shave: Abbate Y La Mantia - Monet
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes - Dragonfly

Challenge:

• Me: US
• Brush Portugal
• Razor: England
• Lather: Norway
• Post Shave: Italy
• Fragrance: Canada

Another Lather Games in the books! A huge thanks to the organizers, judges, side contest organizers, and sponsors! It's been fun and a bit stressful. It's amazing how much work goes into this event. The Lather Games creates the biggest sense of community in the subreddit. I've never been a part of an online community that goes to this much effort to celebrate their hobby. So, I'm grateful to all who helped make it happen.

Fitjar Islands is a brand from Norway that makes personal care products, including shaving soaps and creams. I won this soap in the 2k subscribers giveaway from /u/kammander-kim. Slåtterøy is their take on a bay rum, and is named after a lighthouse near Fitjar. The bay note is aromatic and not overly pungent. There’s soft herbal spice and a natural sweetness. Hints of lime and lemon add a touch of brightness. This is the cleanest approach to bay rum I’ve smelled. It’s tranquil and calming; elegant in its simplicity. I’m glad to have an excuse to use it today.

There’s a common theme of water in my software choices today. Abbate Y La Mantia Monet is named after the famed French Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, and takes inspiration from his well known Water Lilies paintings. The scent consists of a water accord and flower petals. I smell notes of orange, banana, lilies, violet, rose, musk, vanilla, amber, and some green notes I can’t name. It’s pretty. It does a good job of conveying an impression of water without necessarily feeling like an aquatic. I don’t know that I’d want to wear this. It smells like pretty girls. And you can't walk around smelling like pretty girls.

Rounding out the water themed fragrances is Zoologist Perfumes Dragonfly. I had three aquatic Zoologist frags to pick from. I chose Dragonfly because Fragantica lists water lily as a scent note, which ties into Monet. Initially, I smell notes of bitter green, citrus spray, dirt, fresh air, and flowers. The aromatic green spicy notes and flowers pair well with the water accord and lilies in Monet. After ~20 minutes of dry down the citrus is distinctly grapefruit. I smell basil. The fragrance is mostly airy aquatic notes and sweet floral notes. The grapefruit and basil add a feeling of freshness and naturalness. It makes me think of playing in the creek as a kid. The bitter green notes remind me of Fougere Nemata. It's an excellent choice for warm weather. I really like it.

#photocontest - Donuts. French Crullers for international day.

#FOF

Brush: Omega 11137 #OLDWORD

Razor: RazoRock gamechanger .84 #CNC

Blade: Gillette Nacet 

Lather: HAGS Conclusion 

Me: USA Brush:Italy  Razor: Canada  Blade: Russia Lather: Greece  World traveler challenge accepted.  Pre and post was cold water, DFS shave. It has been fun reading SOTD posts when I had the time. 

June 30, 2024 – LG 30: International Man of Mystery

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving MOAR Boar
• Razor: Tatara Masamune/Nodachi Combo
• Blade: Voskhod (1)
• Lather: Sweyn Forkbeard – Almond Shave Cream
• Post Shave: Henri et Victoria – Cognac and Cuban Cigars
• Fragrance: Viktor and Rolf – Spice Bomb

Nothing like a pivot on last day of LG realizing I stupidly put Canadian (Macduffs and HeV) for soap and splash. The good news I get to try a new cream soap I picked up on vacay. On about hour 22 of being awake here.

Challenge first today: I’m based in the US (California). The soap is made in England. The AS is from Canada. Frag is from Netherlands. Razor from Portugal, blade from Russia. Brush from Italy.

In the sense of how they are connected, they are connected by being all from different places, but scent wise go quite well too for #FOF. The Almond cream is very amaretto like, and sweet like marzipan and maraschino cherries. I believe this is due to the benzaldehyde which can be in both almonds and maraschinos. The cognac and Cuban cigars build on this nicely as it also has some warm sweetness from cognac, and adds depth with spices and dry tobacco. We crank up the spice further in the frag, with lots of cinnamon and spicy tobacco. Supported by bits of leather and vetiver which give it some gritty base.

For #PHOTOCONTEST by default elements earth. Seems fitting as everything is really from the earth, and I traveled about half way round it today. I will admit, I regret not taking day 30 with me and could have done my shave across several countries as well, oh well, sometimes the brilliance strikes too late.

Good luck to everyone playing and congrats on making it through LG24. I know I have some catch up reading to do myself. Until next year, or AA. Thank you to all the judges, including all of the various side contests, and sponsors for their contributions, you make LG happen.

6/30/24 Lather Games shave

• Brush: Jayaruh #440 / AP Shave Co synth

• Lather: Areffa - Discoverer

• Razor: Blackland Brassbird (lite plate) w/ Astra SP

• Post Shave: Thayers - unscented witch hazel

Areffa Soaps, viva Ukraine!

June 30, 2024 – LG24 Day 30 - Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Simpson Trafalger T2 Faux Ivory handle w/ 24mm x 44mm Sovereign Synthetic knot
• Bowl: Handcrafted Coconut Bowl w/ Mother of Pearl Inlays
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade Med Prep
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei Beschichtet (2)
• Lather: RazoRock – Mudder Focker
• Post Shave: WestMan Shaving - Mazagran AS Emulsion
• Fragrance: Chanel - Allure Homme Sport EdT
• Razor #2: RazoRock Game Changer .76-P
• Blade #2: Wizamet Super Iridium (3)

Daily Theme, Special Challenge, Relevant Post/Frag & The Shave: In case you didn't notice one of the ten billion times I referenced where I live (yes, I'm a location-dropper), my current residence is in the Philippines. Every software and hardware item I used today was physically produced in a different country (I ignored where items were distributed, thus the RazoRock soap is listed as Italian (where the soap is made) and not as Canadian (where the soap is distributed). For the Brush, Simpson is very opaque on where the synth knot is made, so I applied common sense and tagged it Chinese.

My "Bonjour" shave was with the Weck, so I thought it would be neat to Weck my "Bon Voyage" shave. On paper, a great idea. In reality, three words sum up my idea: STUPID, STUPID, STUPID! I forgot a couple minor details, my face still hasn't recovered from Frugal Friday's mutilation, and RazoRock soaps are neither slick nor protective. A few strokes into the Weckoning I realized what a bad idea this was. While my Weck technique (wecknique?) had improved since my last (and first) Weckoning, my skin was yelling at me because the only thing that the lather was doing was showing me where the blade had been.

I finished the pass with one cut and a handful of weepers, but my face was so angry at me that I called an audible and did the second pass with the Game Changer/Wizamet combo.

On a positive note, I had more control over the blade than my first Weckoning shave, including how to use the first third of the blade for detailed shaving instead of trying to use the middle of the blade for everything. I was even successful using my left (non-dominant) hand in shaving the left side of my face because my right hand kept on blocking my eyes. A month-long practice with a quality soap may be what I need to develop my wecknique. Sounds like a task for AA!

TL;DR - The relevancy between each item I used in today's shave is that it was physically produced in a different country and none of the countries used are the country I reside at. Here's the breakdown:

Item	Country
AdWorried	Philippines
Trafalger Brush	UK
Sovereig Knot	China
Coconut Bowl	Indonesia
Weck Razor	USA
Kismet Blade	Germany
Mudder Focker Soap	Italy
WestMan After Shave	Portugal
Allure Sport Fragrance	France
Game Changer Razor	Canada
Wisamet Blade	Russia

Country Count: 11 (including AdWorried), 10 (hardware/software only, 8 (excluding DQ'd 2nd razor/blade)

Real Talk: The choice of today's soap was totally coincidental and not a wordplay on recent events.

On that note, I cannot express enough how much I appreciate the time, effort and in many cases, money the Djudges, Emeritus Djudges, Organizers, Side-Contest Managers and Sponsors have given to us to make these Lather Games possible. To my fellow contestants, thank you for educating me, entertaining me, and with your game play helping me step up my game in order to keep up.

A final note to those who feel that the judges/organizers/side-contest managers/fellow contestants did you wrong. It is time for some self-reflection while looking into a mirror. That face staring at you is the singular person responsible for your actions. Instead of blaming everyone else when things aren't perfect, talk less and listen more, because that simple action (plus a little patience) would have resulted in a positive outcome. If you are unwilling to hold yourself accountable and/or to embrace this sub's culture, no one is forcing you to be here. I could say more, but I recognize that I'm a grumpy old man and anything more that I say would probably offend someone, so I'll take my own advice and stop talking... except for:

Philippine Fun Fact: "Ingat at paalam" is an informal Filipino expression for "Take care and goodbye".

It's been an extremely enjoyable ride. Ingat at paalam.

SOTD - 2024-06-30

• Beard Growth: 48 Hours
• Prep: Hot Shower
• Pre Shave: None
• Brush: Yaqi - Mysterious Space
• Razor: Henson Ti22
• Blade: Baili Platinum
• Passes: WTG x2
• Lather: Proraso Red
• Post Shave: Master Soap Creations - Bloom

• Fragance: Dior Sauvage

• Comments:

What a great weekend to catch up on some sports... first started off with Cricket T20, then start of the TdF... and F1 today... amazing weekend!

Tried to hit as many continents as possible I could for international day. Bloom from South Africa, Proraso from Italy, Baili blades from China, Henson form Canada and Dior from France (live in US btw)

Btw /u/tsrblke - Thanks for the Shag smush, I didn't know what the Lather games were till I saw your PiF post and got pulled into the rabbit hole. I used it for christmas eve but was too late to post... got so busy I couldn't post my SOTDs on time :(

Sad to see the lather games end today... anyways I'll get back to lurking /r/formuladank/

ROTY

June 30, 2024  

• Brush: Simpson Synthetic  
• Razor: Merkur 34C  
• Lather: Geo. F. Trumper – Coconut  

Theme: I’m in the US. Geo is British

Challenge: Merkur is German, Simpson is British. Blade is Astra which Google AI says is from India.

As we say farewell to the lather games id like to thank the organizers for all of their efforts. Where there have been many days that I’ve felt overwhelmed I’m glad I did this silly little shaving game. It’s a little piece of normal (absurdity) at a time where everything feels like it’s a tailspin. I’m looking forward to next year when I can greet the games with more enthusiasm.