July 7, 2023

• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .84
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (2)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Cedar & Spice
• Post Shave: Thayers – Rose Petal

I think Cedar & Spice manages to provide an incredibly well rounded and mellow spice scent. It is certainly spice-y, but without being spicy, if that makes any sense. It doesn't smell like any one spice in particular, and the cedar background helps smooth the whole thing out and keep it from just being a spice scent.

My other "big" hobby is knives. If you think people here get too into a hobby, you need to sort by top on subs like r/knifeclub, r/knives, and r/chefknives. When several thousand dollar collections seem reasonable, you know things are out of hand. I don't really know of any "interesting" jargon - except every day carry (EDC), because we all know that no one with 100 knives is carrying the same one every day.

​

Spice Up Your Shave to the tune of Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls

Lyrics:

When you're feelin' sad and low

We will shave you where you gotta go

Shavin', latherin', everything is free

All you need is positivity

Shavers of the world

Spice up your shave

Every boy and every girl

Spice up your shave

People of the world

Spice up your shave

Shave it to the left

If you're havin' a good time

Shave it to the right

If ya know that you feel fine

Shavers to the front

Ha ha (uh uh)

Shave round

Shave it to the left

If you're havin' a good time

Shave it to the right

If ya know that you feel fine

Shavers to the front

Hai Si Ja

Shave right

LGSOTD 07-July

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - Mammoth #SHD #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Myatt - Daymark #UNICORN
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium  
• Lather: Shulton – Old Spice   
• Post Shave: Shulton – Old Spice AS   
• Fragrance: Shulton – Old Spice Cologne  

Absolutely love the original old spice, managed to pick up a couple of pucks and a handful of original aftershaves, but this little travel bottle of cologne is all I’ve managed to get my hands on so I use it sparingly, bloody good though.  I’ve tried a handful of dupes, and the only one that I’ve settled on, should these run out in the near future is B&M Reserve Spice.  In the meantime this should cover the spicy aim of the day, brilliant stuff. 

Picked up the Daymark from that well known auction site, more for interest than anything else, but decided to throw that in the mix today.  Obviously doesn't accept standard blades so decided I would try to snip it to get it to fit.  Worked surprisingly well, I’m sure I could have cut it better but it worked well enough. Blade was flat and exposure was even when put together, giving a perfectly acceptable shave off a tad mild.

For the challenge today, tricky one. I don't have many obsessive past times, bit of DIY and subsequent TAD (Tool Acquisition Disorder) and motorbikes, going off in the mountains with a load of old folk reliving their youth as they can now afford the toys they wanted as teens. Really I would say bouldering would be my main alternative, certainly at this time of year.  Though no online presence within my little group, I would say they are just as nuts. I mean who voluntarily slings themselves up a rock face with no ropes and a dinky mat (or no mat) to try and hit when you fall off, and you absolutely will fall off. Ripping your your hands open, then being mocked for taking a break and being told to grab the tape and put yourself back together.  All this with tourists driving past us on the Llanberis pass whilst we stare blankly at a rock discussing the best way to get up. Going on to discuss whether you successfully pulled off that 6C (yeah I’m not that good but it’s fun) or whether you got lost halfway and meandered on to an easy 4, if there’s anymore boulderers out there, yes I know the V scale is easier than the Font scale to understand but it’s what I started with.  All of this followed by a swift pint of coffee at Pete’s Eats, I may be British but I can’t do tea.  Unfortunately, or not so much, with the closure we now have to go to a pub for several proper pints instead…what a shame. Sorry for the ramble! 

For the photo contest, I’m pushing my luck, here we have an extinct animal…well ok bits of Wooly Mammoth.  Cracking brush put together by Rob in collaboration with Heritage Fossils!

Decent shave and hope everyone has a good one.

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

July 07, 2023

• Brush: Semogue - SOC Taj resin boar 24mm
• Razor: Karve Shaving Co - Christopher Bradley (brass SB-D)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Mélange
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Spice - Aftershave

I watched Dune on Netflix for the first time only a month ago. Never read the book. That’s how far behind I am. Now I finally know the background for the artwork on the Mélange soap used for today. By the way mods, what happened with yesterday’s and today’s thread? Good match with the Spice aftershave. Nice shave for a chilly morning.

Daily Challenge:

I lift weights. I got into it through my friend who competed in natural bodybuilding, and been interested in it ever since. We used to share apartment when at university, so I would come along to training, bodybuilding shows, and watch training videos at home. There’s the classic Pumping Iron movie of course. I used to crack up my friend by imitating this guy talking to Arnold in the video. I just sent him that link a few weeks ago - and he cracked up again.

Also, not sure if I can call it a hobby, but something I spent a little bit of time and money on before wetshaving was hi-fi headphones, or “head-fi”. The biggest online forum in this community is https://www.head-fi.org - I don’t think I ever posted anything on there. There’s also audio shows mostly in the US like CanJam - again I have never been to any of those. The community seems to be mostly old men boasting online about how much money they have spent on their equipment - sounds familiar? Here is the goods I got before I got out of the rabbit hole. Check out Audeze headphones (pronounced Odyssey) if you can - a small company based in California. When my kids grow old and perhaps my wife kick me out, I’d like to think I will get into vinyl. But for now - it’s personal audio. On the go - I currently use my iPhone and Tin T2 IEMs. Cheap and good!

Music
“People in Between” - EABS, Jaubi Spotify / YouTube

July 07, 2023 – June Shaves

• Brush: Cayuen Abalone w/ 28mm Timberwolf Synthetic
• Bowl: Timeless Shave Bowl, Blue
• Razor: WSC – Winning Razor, mirror polished, w/ Timeless Titanium Crown razor handle
• Blade: Voshkod (3)
• Lather: B+M – Mélange
• Aftershave: B+M – Mélange

You wanted Spice, here it is. Mélange came out in honor of the Dune remakes, and I've studiously avoided seeing the first one until the second movie released. This soap is decent but the scent is almost identical to the B+M Bay Rum, plus or minus a few other items. Great shave finish for a Friday.

For other hobbies, I bicycle, occasionally jog, I exercise and do some weightlifting, but I also do reading, audiobooks (usually history), occasional writing, tinkering around with computers, photography, researching on the internet, and some occasional fixup stuff around the house or with the car.

#LatherGames #FremenFriday

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isd-b5dWOeY ← Heartbreaking & Astonishing Historical Photos And Footage Of The 1800s-1900s

**Fri Jul 07 2023**
* **Prep:** Soap and warm water
* **Razor:** Merker 34C HD
* **Blade:** Feather HI Stainless
* **Brush:** Semogue 620
* **Lather:** Zingari Man - The Merchant Soap
* **Post Shave:** Pinaud - Clubman AS Lotion

ROTY

Day 7 - I Have Made A Grave Error

• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Smoking Bishop Soap
• Brush: Declaration Grooming - B14 “Nebula” Badger
• Razor: GEM MMOC - Gen 1
• Blade: GEM - PTFE (2)
• Osma: Osma - Osma
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Gatlinburg Splash
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm
• Scuttle: Georgetown Pottery - G20

“Can you control a crisis? No—but with adequate preparation you can control the reputational consequences.”

So begins the flap of a handy dandy little book I have sitting on my shelf: Crisis Communications Management by Adrian Wheeler (don’t ask). As the day turned into night, elation turned into dread yesterday as I realized I had made a grave error. By listening to that damned flying dog yesterday I—a judge! A judge of the Lather Games!—may have called into question some of the fundamental tenets of what we are doing here. There must be Order. Conformity. Submission To The Rules. That is why we are here, and I failed in that yesterday.

Fortunately, I have Crisis Communications Management to guide me. When in a crisis, the author tells us we need to answer the key Crisis Questions as soon as possible:

What happened?

Why did it happen?

What are you going to do about it now?

What will you do to ensure it doesn't happen again?

Are you sorry? The answer is always 'yes' even if the crisis wasn't directly your fault. As a minimum, you are sorry for others' misfortune.

Any delay in telling the truth, helping the victims and saying sorry turns a disaster into a 'PR disaster'. A PR disaster happens when an organisation's behaviour and communication cause people to lose respect, trust and liking for it. The damage from a PR disaster usually lasts far longer than the damage from the original crisis.

So let’s take these one by one.

What happened?

To be funny, I decided to help the Air Bud Rule thing live on. I decided to break the rules of the contest that I myself swore to uphold. This was very upsetting to some people. More the Air Bud thing than the oath breaking thing.

Why did it happen?

Look, I wanted to be funny. I wanted to write an amusing post. I’m not going to win this thing. Never will. I don’t have it in me. I don’t like shaving every day, and as mentioned yesterday, in a small attempt to get some pity from you, my readers, I haven’t really been able to use scented products anymore.

And now I’m out of Stirling Unscented because I thought I had another bottle and I don’t.

Look, I’m not trying to bore you with my problems, I’m just trying to explain.

What are you going to do about it now?

Conform. I will conform. There are no loopholes. No loopholes. That’s what /u/USS-SpongeBob tells me. He is the Chief Justice. He knows.

I will no longer flirt with such dangerous ideas like loopholes. I will no longer listen to flying dogs.

What will you do to ensure it doesn't happen again?

I don’t understand the different between this question and the last one. Maybe the last one was about me righting the wrong I had perpetrated? Shit. I can’t fix that. I can’t fix what I did. Can’t. It was even scrublisted or something, I still don’t understand that, but that even fucked it up because it claimed that I didn’t use all unscented products. Well I did. Paganini’s Violin is unscented, damnit. And even if it isn’t, it says all scented products must match, and if you want to call it scented, that means I have only one—

Goddamnit here I go again. See? I’m arguing with the rules. Trying to find the loophole they can help me. There ARE NO LOOPHOLES. NONE.

I was wrong. I apologize to those who I hurt. I will do better. I ask your forgiveness.

Welp, with that out of the way, what do we have here, a spice day? Shit, I didn’t think I had any spicy soaps. But I have Smoking Bishop and that has…clove and cinnamon in it? I think, it’s far away now and I don’t want to google it.

It’s a good scent. It smells good. It’s spicy. And like winey and another, sweeter scent. But it is spicy and paired well with Gatlinburg.

Yesterday was one of my mildest razors, today one of my most aggressive. The more aggressive one left my face feeling a lot better than the mild one.

Ranking My Lather Games Shaves

1. 7/4
2. 7/1
3. 7/7
4. 7/6
5. 7/2

Airbud/loopholes

Fremen Friday

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Papa Eld with Declaration Grooming B3 #SHD
• Razor: Ever-Ready Natuar Angle (E-bar) #Twins
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (5)
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia – Vulcano
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Spiced
• Fragrance: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Man Fire Power

Dune struck me as a vaguely fascist übermensch fantasy, so I stopped reading after the first book. Multiple people I respect tell me that the subsequent books get better, so I guess I should find out how the freedom fight of the Fremen continues some day.

Vulcano is clearly a spice scent (lots of pepper and anise), but not a warm scent like Spiced or a dry scent like Fire power. Vulcano is fresh and hot simultaneously (this is where the temperature-spiciness metaphor breaks down) and plays tricks on the mind. The post and frag relevance here that they show different aspects of spiciness.

On a side note, there's this ongoing and very much stuck discussion between u/semaj3000 and myself about whether spiced is a summer or winter scent, and my stance is firmly that the scent of mandarines, vanilla, and gingerbread spices (literally the scent of Santa's bag) can be nothing else but a Christmas scent. This morning, when I went to wake up my wife, the first thing she said was "Oh, you smell very nice, so summerly!" 🤬🤬🤬

Today's challenge caused me to reevaluate my recent choices. One or two years ago, my answer would have been easy: I like doing bike treks, organise big hog roasts, and automate stuff around the house with little robots. Well, my last hog roast and the last time I've touched a soldering iron was before Djunior was born, and I haven't carried a tent up the alps on my bike since last year. So what's my hobby now?

I realised with some horror, that over the last year, I've spent more than an hour per day on developping the DjudgePortal (it originally started for Austere August 2022), and since I'm not getting paid to do it, I guess I have to classify this activity as a hobby or reevaluate my life choices 😅. I also like photography and take it seriously enough that it can count as a hobby, I guess.

Speaking of photography, I'm shooting for the Literature theme of the #photocontest, specifically concentrating on section 28.VII.β: "Science Fiction, Non-Fascist, English Language" of my bookshelf. Although, I'm not sure whether Brave New World is categorised correctly, I can never really tell.

Fremen Friday

Prep: Warm Shower
Brush: Omega Badger - 63167
Razor: Gillette Post war tech
Blade: Wilkinson Sword
Lather: 345 Soap Co. - Shipwreck - Soap
Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Trade Winds - Aftershave
Fragrance: Old Spice cologne

Some spicy software today. Smelling like a pirate on a really hot day. Have a good day everyone.

July 7, 2023 – Bless the Maker and His water

• Brush: Declaration Grooming B1 Franklin “Star Spangled Blue”
• Razor: Gillette “Hecho en Mexico” Tech
• Blade: Bic Chrome (1)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Mélange
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Mélange
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – Biblio

Started off the day with a 4 mile run in the swampy swampy swampiness. Had a glacial lemon chill shower and then proceeded to my spicy Fremen Friday shave.

BaM Mélange is the obvious choice for today. It’s got a sandworm right there on the tub. I lathered up with my B1 Franko and had a quick single-pass shave with the Made in Mexico Gillette Tech. Biblio is a natural match for Mélange. It echoes both the dryness of the Arrakis desert and the pages of that old copy of Dune you found at the second-hand bookshop.

As for today’s challenge, I have a couple of “other” hobbies. Y’all hear enough about my running, so I’m going to talk to you about #BadgeLife. I’ve been working in computers for a couple of decades and my current job is InfoSec/CyberSecurity related. Since joining my current company, I’ve been attending InfoSec/CyberSecurity/hacking conferences like DEF CON and Security B-Sides. Where most conferences would have relatively simple paper badges, the hacker community has opted instead for wearable, often hackable, electronic art. Last year’s DEF CON badge was a working synthesizer. The year before that it was a 4-key keyboard that could play Simon or work as a programmable plugin keyboard for your computer (I turned mine into hot keys for Zoom meetings – mute, unmute, camera on/off, etc).

But it’s not just the cons that hand out electronic badges. Folks from the community build their own badges to sell and trade. This year, a very creative hacker in Texas is making a Back to the Future themed badge. The PepperCon folks (hackers who love spicy stuff) did a really simple badge kit last year that I brought home so my kid and I could assemble it together. And in the last 48 hours, we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to design a new badge for this year.

Maybe next year I’ll feel confident enough to move on from just doing stickers and do a wetshaving badge.

https://imgur.com/a/stmxxIY

• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Le Piment de la Vie Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Ever Ready - 1912 #TWINS #BRASSING
• Blade: GEM PTFE Coated
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Classic AS

The Spice of Life...that's the translation of this Catie's Bubbles name. It's a sweet scent that features spice notes. I generally use this one around Thanksgiving and Christmas as it reminds me of the scents that go along with those holidays. As usual, Catie's Bubbles delivers a great shave.

Onto hobbies!

I'm into a few. I play video games, but I wouldn't exactly consider myself a gamer...just an enjoyer. I also am trying not to suck at playing guitar, but I wouldn't consider myself a guitarist or musician. I appreciate, but don't really participate in those communities. For communities I do participate in...I'm somewhat of a gearhead and I'm into cars (both the vehicles and the movies). I also bike (Mountain and Road). I'm a member of the Overlanding for the Poors group on Facebook.

Here's my rig https://imgur.com/a/LYvdzRj It's a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I've got a 3" Iron Rock lift on with some slightly oversized All Terrain tires on. I use it to go camping, haul my bikes to trails, and move stuff around (think trips to the dump). I had to fix a bunch of stuff on it when I bought it (transmission issues, water pump, ac, some wiring issues), but with almost 180k on it, it runs pretty good now. Even if it leaks from the output shaft seal a little. I've slept in it, gotten to some amazing camping sites that required a 4x4 to get to, strapped my canoe on the top, and done quite a bit of soft roading in it. It's been great! For the community aspect, we have great respect for those that use their rigs...and greater respect for those that don't have tons of money in their rigs to get the same thing done. Think of that new $50k Tacoma that's got a $3k rooftop tent and another $10k worth of modifications and gear strapped all over it...and where'd you see it? Target. You saw it at target. And it was clean too. Why? Well, that's because the guy either goes camping once a year or might go camping at some point in the next 2 years. He drives that thing around to look like he uses it...but probably doesn't. Poser.

On the bike front...I put more miles on my road bike than my mountain bike these days, but my mountain bike is better than the road bike. I'm in another group called Pathetic Mountain Bikers. We have pillars of our community that we call Dentists. These are novices, much like myself that have all the best gear. Keep in mind that it's pretty easy to spend $5k on a good bike....and their bikes generally cost more than that. It's also not that they can't ride...they can...but they ride just as well as I do on my setup that runs about 20% or less than what they're taking to the trail.

I guess I just like being an underdog.

Have a great day folks!

2027-07-07 Spiced Satsuma

• Brush: AP Shave Co. - Handcrafted Series "Summer" with 24mm Gelousy SHD fan knot (A1)
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy Titanium with Imperial Handle, DE
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum, DE
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth! Spiced
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Satsuma (balm)

Seaforth! Spiced is a comforting spice nestled over a base of rice pudding or horchatta to me in terms of scent. Satsuma is the citrus of the fruit with spices. Trying to avoid going the bayrum route for spicy. The two don't quite mesh as nicely as I had hoped. I like both, just not sure they are a good partnership at least scent wise. Everything worked out for a clean shave tough.

Have to run out the door. I have two projects due today and more work to be done on them.

Looking forward to the weekend. Sleep is one of those things I'm missing right now.

Well, back to the spice mine.

Take care and have a good one.

Jul. 7, 2023

• Brush: Declaration Grooming B13 Jefferson Butterscotch
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Ti
• Blade: Personna Super
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Bay Rum - Soap
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Bay Rum - Aftershave
• Post Shave: GreenBox - Alum
• Fragrance: Oglala - Bay Rum

Fremen Friday…..

Bay Rum is my “Spice” favorite. I like the variety of options one can get by modifying one of the key spices in the “Bay Rum” family.

This Chiseled Face Ti razor is just amazing. I thought about picking up the Aluminum version, but they all sold out and I really don’t need it.

Moving on to our "other" hobby....

My wife is from Northern California. Sonoma County, to be exact. Early in our courtship, we traveled to wine country and fell in love.

We also joined a few wine clubs and continued to travel to Sonoma, Napa, Monterey, Santa Barbara counties in California. My wife also has relatives in Oregon, and her company is based in Portland, so you know we've visited the Willamette Valley too, dammit!

Anyway, along the way, we've picked up a lot of wine. Yes, a lot.... Our Basement Cellar contains these 5 wine coolers. Each one of these holds about 200 bottles, except for the one without glass, which holds 300. We also have a very nice display cooler upstairs where the stuff that's ready to drink is kept. If you do the math, we have roughly 1300 bottles of wine in our "cellars". The majority of the wines are Pinot Noir, with rest roughly made up of equal parts Cabernet, Rhône's, Red Zinfandel, and Chardonnay.

We have a rough "plan" that we want to have enough wine, when we retire in about 9 years, to have enough wine to last us until we die.... :-)

Music Theme Song Today: 96 Degrees by Third World

Jul. 7, 2023
Brush: AP ShaveCo Synbad
Razor: Razorock Game Changer .68
Blade: Wizamet SI
Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Autumn Ash - Soap
Post Shave: Noble Otter - Bare - Aftershave
Post Shave: Ariana & Evans - Post Shave Balm - Balm

I wasn’t planning on participating in this year’s lather games as I have some inconvenient and lengthy international business travel that starts today. I started following the posts and shaving in July 1st and opted to just keep it going. Loaded up a bunch of samples and scooped out a few of my tubs to try and hit all the themes while I’m out and about. Timing will be interesting, I’ve got about 24h of airplanes and airports until I get to my final destination.

This soap has “spice” as one of the scents. Which one? Who knows, but spice is spice, count it!

This is my weirdest hobby in terms of mass market popularity. I’m into bbq if you consider that a hobby, recently purchased a standard Webber kettle bbq as smoking on the pellet was just set it and forget it, whereas charcoal cooking seems like a better and more useful skill to learn.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

July 7, 2023 – A little spicy

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Maggard Razors MR14/V3A
• Blade: Voskhod (3)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Darkfall
• Post Shave: Proraso – Sandalwood

This is another one of those days that I had no idea what to use. And also one of those days where I used a soap I planned for later. The last half of the month should be fun since this is already the third time I have used something I planned for later. Darkfall-this particular shave with Icarus base-has always been one of my favorite scents. Woody, spicy, just all around fantastic. I did a head shave today and this Voskhod blade has about reached the end of life. I am not a huge fan of these but I have several so just trying to go through some stuff.

As far as hobbies, my hobbies are mostly just chasing after children at this point. Things I used to have more time for are playing guitar (not very well, but I don’t care) and I, for a time, collected bourbon. I do live in KY, after all. So it seems like a requirement. I put the brakes on that for a few years but feel like it may be time to get back at it.

July 7, 2023 – LG2023 Day Seven – Spice

• Brush: Southern Witchcrafts – Samhain 26mm SHD #SHD
• Razor: Gillette – Hybrid Tech #REGUS
• Blade: Polsilver (8)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Mélange
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Mélange

I must confess I have never watched or read Dune so I had no idea what a Fremen was until I ran google earlier today so its just luck that I had already dug this set out for the spice day.

Mélange is a funny scent, it is so familiar but I cant put my finger on why, its obviously spicy but I do also get the sense of a hot dry arid desert to the point a deep inhale almost takes my breath away. Everyone knows the B&M base is a banger and to be fair Will could chuck water in a bottle with an atomizer and I would be all over it I’m that big a B&M whore bag.

Some special Hardware used today thanks to u/tonality he put a great bundle and an even better price together I couldn’t resist and this week it landed in the den. I know the Hybrid performance wise isn’t really worth the extra moolah but I have wanted one in the den for an age so I couldn’t resist. The brush was a special one that Courtney turned herself for a Samhain giveaway and honestly my junk picture doesn’t do it any justice u/phteven_j we need some more Courtney handles.

Todays Challenge:

If you listen to my wife I’m a man of fads, she thinks I have too many interests whereas I think she doesn’t have enough. I find between work and kids I don't have the biggest amount of time on my hands so most of my hobbies/interests are things I can do at home.

Wetshaving was my gateway into finding coffee and I guess they two seem to go hand in hand a lot, I never touched coffee until I turned I hit my late 30s and boy what a rabbit hole to fall into. I started with a small little set up convinced I was doing it for money saving reason (where have we heard that before), now I'm watching Lance Hendrick and James Hoffman each week and have got a modest mid range espresso set up along with all the weird accessories I can find.

I have kept tropical fish on and off for probably 25 years and to be fair sometimes its just nice to chill out and sit in front of the tank with a nice brew watching the finned inhabitants go about their daily business.

My other interests kind of co exist as I have always had shall we say a big appetite and I do really enjoy cooking and the last few years more so I’m enjoying getting out on the BBQ cooking for friends and family more recently the Wet Shaving Degenerates in the Discord enabled me into getting a MasterBuilt and that has really propelled my interest. Obviously if you enjoy food too much you may get a little lumpy but being tallish I carried it ok (or so I thought) until I had an epiphany that I needed to do something to ensure I was about for my kids and hopefully their kids. That lead me to hitting the gym now most mornings before work and although I wouldn’t of called it a hobby at first more a form of punishment now I actually really enjoy it and not just the gym as a hobby but the whole new lifestyle I’m forming that goes hand in hand with it.

July 7, 2023

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Zenith 507U XSE
• Razor: Gillette - Travel Tech #JETSETTER
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: Seaforth - Sea Spice Lime
• Post Shave: Seaforth - Sea Spice Lime
• Fragrance: Hugo - Hugo Boss

When I think of spice, I think of more than a hot pepper, I also think of something that has spice right in the name. Cue, Sea Spice Lime, a lovely scent that requires no introduction here. It makes me think of a spicy marg. Complementing the SSL with Hugo by Hugo Boss, which has a scent profile including fresh spicy and citrus

As far as other communities, there are none that I consider weirder; once you start talking about the base of a soap, that's as weird as it gets, and I love it! I am part of the watch community, and there are some more pejorative terms rather than technical terms such corking and BBS. For one, a Swiss Shitter, which is a term to describe high price watches in a negging sort of way. Other than that, every term is either the name of a part, or function. Until tomorrow!

#ROTY

July 7, 2023 – Lather games day 7 – AKA Spice, bros!

• Brush: Sawdust Creations Studio Synthetic
• Razor: Karve CB
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (1)
• Lather: Australian Private Reserve – Carnivale
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Harmony
• Fragrance: Bvlgari Men – Black

APR Carnivale is mighty spicy. So is Harmony. As is Bulgary Men Black. There is a restaurant chain here called Spice Bros. I have been seeing it everywhere around town this summer. Have not tried it, seems meh. That’s all I could think about during todays spicy shave. But I digress…

My other big hobby is Motorcycling. I have been doing that for a very large part of my life so am in a relatively calm, stable period right now – investment-wise, but do want a new motorcycle. I used to be all into the online forums to learn, nerd out and meet folks to ride with but it has been quite a while now that I haven’t been. As life progresses I find I have less and less riding time and opportunities, but I still love it. This hobby has it’s unique jargon for sure, stuff like: dragging a knee, high side, low side, squid (for N00b). I could go on, but won’t – I’ll head out for a ride instead. Have a great Friday y’all!

#PhotoContest

July 7, 2023

• Brush: Terrafirma Soapery - Mallee Burl and Resin Shaving Brush Handle w/ 28mm G5C knot #COMPOSITE #FAUXFUR #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Chiseled Face – Legacy #CNC
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving - Spiced
• Post Shave: Terrafirma Soapery – Chesapeake Bay Rum Splash
• Fragrance: Antonio Banderas - Spirit
• Music: Spice Girls – Spice Up Your Life

Thank God Dickhole Day is behind us and I can feel free to Spice up my shaves without having to match scents. My quest to #ridewithitchy for every day this month and not match scents at all continues after a bad, sad, and boring day yesterday. After yesterday’s dickhole day, do you know what I want? I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want. I want to shave with Spearhead Shaving’s Spiced! And looking ahead at the Calendar, looks like at lot of great shaves are coming up! Ain’t No Stopping Us Now!

Spiced is a delicious blend of Mandarin, Aledhydes, Carnation, Anise, Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamom, Benzoin, Tonka, Vanilla, Baby, Sporty, Scary, Posh, & Ginger. Carefully crafted by Shawn Maher to resurrect the old Seaforth brand, this is one of my favorite, favorite soaps. Last year, I shaved with it on Desert Island Day (and wrote an awesome wetshaving inspired song to the tune of “Spice Up Your Life”). I didn’t record it like u/Crisp_Mango, did this year, but the lyrics are there, even If U Can't Dance to it. Over a year later, and this is still one of the best soaps for me. The Spearhead base is awesome and the scent is strong, but not Too Much. And when we are lucky enough to shave with a great base AND a great scent, and then those 2 Become 1 and we are lucky enough to shave with this masterpiece.

I always shave with the grain, then zig-a-zig-aaahhhcross the grain for a wonderful two pass shave that gave me a Baby-smooth face. After the shave, I used Chesapeake Bay Rum Splash by Terrafirma Soapery, who included this sample in with the brush handle I bought from him. It’s a beautiful Ginger color and left my face feeling wonderful. The scent of the splash is more on the sweeter side of bay rum scents I’ve tried, but still gives plenty of spice. It can sometimes be Scary using a new product, but I’m happy I gave this splash a try.

I wasn’t feeling too Posh today, so I’m using Spirit by Antonio Banderas to close out the shave. It’s a nice spicy scent that left me feeling strong, independent, and full of Power - a great #FOF! It’s classy enough for the boardroom, but still being light enough if you’re going to the gym to be Sporty with your buddies after work. At this point, you probably want me to Stop with the Spice Girls references, so let’s move onto the Challenge.

For the #photocontest, we have some peppers because it's spicy day and vegetables are good for you!

CHALLENGE

I actually posted about this on the sub last year, but I’ll post it again for those who didn’t see it, weren’t around, or just forgot. One of my favorite hobbies is antiquing, which has some parallels to wetshaving: Finding vintage things, breathing new life into a long-forgotten item or tradition, and appreciating the past. If I'm stressed, I love walking around a few local antique stores around me.

Here's a before and after of one of my antiquing finds/projects.

Some time ago, an old cast iron kerosene water heater caught my eye, and I was not entirely sure what I was going to do with it, but knowing it would never been a water heater again and it was too interesting to end up in a scrapyard. When I brought it home, I let it sit for a few days, and I thought I'd try to turn it into a lamp. I had never made a lamp before, but this seemed like it could be a fun project. So I just started taking it apart, bit by bit, while researching how to make a lamp. I used steel wool to get the rust off, polished it up with a cast iron polish, painted the lettering copper, and learned out how to wire a lamp, even making the on/off switch a blue valve. I added a gauge that serves no purpose, other than looking cool, and put everything together.

Finally, here's the finished product: the there is a flickering bulb at the bottom that simulates fires, representing the flame that used to be there to heat water 100 years ago and here's it with the door open, showing off the copper coils that water used to travel through to be heated, and now my electrical wiring travels through.

This is such an appropriate challenge for today, because for today’s installment of “10 Questions with…”, I have Dennis from Spearhead Shaving. He knows a thing or two about breathing new life into something that is long forgotten, and he was kind enough to take part in my shenanigans and give some really good, thoughtful answers to my questions. And he’ll finally answers the one question we’ve all wanted to know: WHO IS DENNIS’ FAVORITE SPICE GIRL? All that and more coming up below!

In all seriousness, Dennis is such a great part of this community and his soaps are top-notch. Thank you for playing along with this, u/IronBeard_SYS! Really appreciate you taking part in this series. Without further ado, I present to you:

10 Questions with… Spearhead Shaving

1) What's the meaning behind the name "Spearhead Shaving?"

My grandfather was a Captain in the 3rd Armored "Spearhead" division in WWII. He was also an avid wet shaver, never missing a day of shaving.

I was doing some biographical research into him when u/wegianwarrior posted a picture of his vintage Khaki Set. I liked the design for my own work travel - especially knowing that my grandfather probably used the same case at some point. So when I decided to recreate it I thought Spearhead would be a nice homage for a vintage-inspired product.

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN THE REPLY)

July 7, 2023 – Spicy Day

• Brush: Summer Break DeMaranville B15
• Razor: Rockwell 6s
• Blade: Ming Shi Super White (11)
• Lather: Zingari – The Merchant
• Post Shave: Zingari – The Merchant
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann Lavender Interrupted

The Merchant is such a fantastic scent. Makes my day every time I use it.

Prior to wetshaving, I made my own beer. My friend got me into it, and I got another friend into it. It was an awesome way to spend a Saturday, watching football, making meet, and, of course, drinking beer. Unfortunately, after families started and a move on my part. I no longer had any brewing buddies. I’m really not a bit drinker at all, so without them to help me drink the beer I made, I quickly developed a stockpile. Without them to hang out with while making beer, I sort of lost interest and sold my equipment. Not long after I found wetshaving and this amazing community. I dove in head first trying out vintage razor collecting, restoration of old brushes, honing straights, and of course soap making and eventually handle turning. This was my jam. Anyway, over this past thanksgiving, I randomly checked into some black Friday deals on homebrewing stuff. Before I knew it, I ordered some new equipment. A lot of developments had happened in the homebrewing world in my absence including readily available electric boilers and increased ease in making batches smaller than 5 gallons. I immediately texted my friends to get advice and talk to them about brewing. I’ve been having a great time making small batches of beer far better than I used to. Most importantly though, it’s allowed me to reconnect with some old friends.

Let’s get serious here for a second, this is something I talk to my students a lot about, but struggle to do myself. Bros, just tell your bros you appreciate having them in your life. You shouldn’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a new hobby just to have an excuse to talk to your friends.

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Kuai Taper w/ V18 Fanchurian 26mm

• Razor: Muhle Rocca R94

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: Henri et Victoria - Absinthe

• Post Shave: Clubman Pinaud - Osage Rub

• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Saint Julep

Today's Theme: Fremen Friday - H&V's Absinthe soap prominently features anise and "spices" so it should cover the "spicy" theme for today.

Today's Challenge: So one of my other hobbies is Gunpla/model kit building. I'm by no means an expert, but I enjoy it quite a bit and always have a good backlog of kits to build. To be quite honest, the appeal is more in the building process than it is in having a finished model. I find the repetitive action of cutting, sanding, and coating each piece relaxing, and it's very satisfying turning a big box of plastic pieces into something with actual design intent. One of the funnier terms in the hobby is "nippers" which are just little clippers used for cutting pre-molded parts off the plastic "runners", and just like how Feather blades have a reputation among wetshavers for being especially sharp, God Hand nippers have a reputation for being exceptionally sharp (but also somewhat fragile). Check out my daily picture below for some of the kits that bring me the most joy!

My theme for today's shave: Green Smells, Three Ways

So for today's shave I wanted to do variations on "green" smells. Absinthe has a green-ish smell from its namesake liquor. Osage Rub has that Salon Pas mentholated pain relief patch smell. And Saint Julep has the wonderful smell of walking through a healthy grove of trees with thick grass underfoot. Great shave overall today and I'm glad to be back using my normal Muhle Rocca after a bit of a gauntlet to start the lather games.

For music today I picked one of my nerdiest metal albums (to vibe with busting out my gunpla kits) Symphony of Enchanted Lands Part II from Rhapsody before they changed names to Rhapsody of Fire for copyright reasons. I love this album primarily because it features Christopher Lee (the guy who played Saruman in the Lord of the Rings movies) throughout the album. He does some narration, some singing, and a little bit of dialog, and it's wonderful that he would do this kind of project with an Italian power metal band. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY

• Prep:
• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Hybrid / Maggard Premium Boar 26mm
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite SS
• Blade: Personna Comfort Coated (2)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co - Bay Rum
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Bay Rum
• Fragrance:

I heard this was Bay Rum day

Jul. 7, 2023 - The Spice Race

• Prep: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Omega 10049 Boar #HOLLOW

• Razor: Blackland Blackbird (SS) #CNC

• Blade: Astra Green

• Lather: Talbot Shaving - Authors Ridge

• Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Z (uncool) Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Damocles

Damocles: I have absolutely no idea how to describe this other than quoting Ben’s description “Enjoy the power, the luxury, the opulence…” The first time I used this frag I paired it with Orbit which might seem like an odd pairing but the “Cold Space” of Orbit and “Metal” of Damocles work nicely together. I wanted to use that pairing again today but there’s no way I could spin Orbit as “Spicy.” Instead I took the opportunity to use this sample of Authors Ridge. This soap certainly fulfills the “Spicy” requirement but in a different way than Damocles. It’s an Earthy Spice that is dark and intoxicating, unlike any of my normal scents. This is the only thing I’ve tried from Talbot Shaving and rather enjoyed the lather.

For todays daily challenge: if you’ve been following my #photocontest (Todays is #Space) you might have noticed a theme in my pictures. I have two young boys and building legos with my oldest son is the closest thing to a hobby that I have right now. I have really enjoyed building things with him for this month. He is not even 4 yet and can build entire sets by himself from the instructions! I love to sit with him and watch his imagination go wild with all of the things he wants to build! I managed to snag a ton of Legos from my childhood from my parents house, sometimes it pays off to have the first grandchildren in the family!

My other hobby is baking but I don’t get to do that as much as I want to. I got a sourdough starter from a friend about a year ago and have made some pretty delicious things with it! I love it because it is a mixture of following the recipe with experimentation combined with my passion of eating!

07 July 2023 Complementary Non Dickkhole Barrister and Mann Bay Rum

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Dogwood Cadinsor 28mm Zenith Unbleached
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird SS
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (17)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Bay Rum (17)
• Post Shave: Stirling - Bonaparte A/S
• Post Shave: Thayer's Concoction
• Post Shave: Cold River Soapworks - Sandalwood Post Shave Lotion
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co - Project Lawnsdale Balm
• Fragrance: Anjali - Tiger Bright

Off travelling for the weekend, so this is probably going to be the only time I can shave.

Barrister and Mann's Bayrum is the only Bayrum that I enjoy., mainly because I love how the cinnamon, bay and I think clove (??) play in with that orange note. Bonaparte nods to Ferox and Roam, in that I get a lot of thyme from it.

Anjali Perfumes is a new discovery of mine and I love how warm and spicy Tiger Bright is, without making me smell like I just finished cooking my subcontinental meal. I'm waiting for /u/redmosquitomm to get his green mango scent in so that I can get the low down

Other hobbies you say - I've been slowly reading up on perfumery and bought a bunch of things to dabble with. That would probably be my new one. Gardening is my main one at the moment.

Cheers

Today I shaved with Sea Spice Lime. I used the Prometheus/tuxedo combo and followed it with Margaritas in the Arctic aftershave and a couple shots of Sea Spice Lime edt. I broke out my navy blue and silver injector and was reminded why I rarely use it. It will be added to the post-games PIF pile. I also enjoy gardening, though I don’t have enough supplies to use different fertilizers and tools every day for a month.

Jul. 7, 2023
Brush: AP SHAVECO AP400B XL (G5C)
Razor: Karve CB - B Plate (SB) * Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (2) * Lather: Central Texas Soaps (Pasteur Pharmacy Collaboration) - Cowboy Spice * Post Shave: Central Texas Soaps (Pasteur Pharmacy Collaboration) - Cowboy Spice - Aftershave
Post Shave:* Zingari Man - AS Balm (Unscented)

#ROTY

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

July 7, 2023 – Spicy

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Exclusive Moar Boar 31mm #oldworld #chonk
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (5)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime
• Post Shave: Jack Black Face Lotion
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – Admiral

​

Today I went with Sea Spice Lime. Now when I first asked, I was told it was not spicy enough. I moved on, I hadn’t bought it yet anyway and later our Chief Judge u/USS-SpongeBob updated his answer to "probably." Since I prefer SSL to spiced I took this as a green light. The spice notes to me are quite prominent. They are listed clearly in the ad copy on Spearhead’s website and the tub. This is pretty straight forward to me. If not for the pink pepper and Coriander, this would be just lime. No this is a spicy margarita. And it’s wonderful.

For #FOF I want with what is probably the obvious choice, Admiral. They’re tied together by citrus tones, and while there’s some pink pepper in here this is not really spicy, per se but rather a progression from spicy to a more citrus aquatic, which works quite well, although I’m not 100% sure on the scent itself. Shawn nailed Laclede’s landing actually (or at least nailed it at 6pm, not 12am when the addition of vomit would probably make for a bad frag) but I have no real great memories of that area so it creates no emotional tie in like say YRP.

Obviously, there are nautical tie ins here. I’m from St. Louis, so I did not confuse this for an ocean scent, however. I’m well aware of the (former) ship SS Admiral. In fact as I was putting it on my mind kept singing “The President Casinoooo… Downtown by the Arch!” The President (Which is what they named the casino on the Admiral) was in some ways a curious product of Missouri legalizing gambling only on river boats. Eventually larger casinos would be built on permanent” boats” (really buildings on piers) in channels off the river. Entirely indistinguishable from a normal building, you only recognize they are in fact “boats” as you drive over the bridges next to them. This change would move casinos out to the burbs and eventually kill the admiral. (apparently we can now build casinos within 1000 feet of a river as long as 2000 gallons of water is maintained in the basement… We’re weird.) The President was also parked just upriver of the steamboat McDonald’s, back when this town leaned more heavily into its riverboat past. (And oddly….future. We’re building larger ports just south of here as the shipping trouble in LA and the surrounding areas makes it more efficient to go through the Panama Canal and up the Mississippi to deliver goods to the midwest and areas east. Not that the river was ever not busy. If you ate cornflakes this morning no doubt the corn spent some time on the river down the road.)

​

On to hobbies, which makes a nice transition to #photochallenge. I have a couple of hobbies reflected in this post. Firstly, I’m a fan of homebrewing. And to that end, here for the Drinks category is my SOTD with one of my pop top homebrews yet to be drank, all in front of my 6.5gal carboy. Homebrewing has a lot of technical jargon (Krausen, trub, etc.) but I find the lingo is less diversified than wetshaving. If I go into any homebrew store and say “I want an extract clone kit of Sierra Nevada with a slap pack of ale yeast” I’m going to get exactly that (a kit, using only malt extracts and maybe a steeping grain, but a full all grain, that is a mimic of Sierra Nevada using a Wyeast starter.) It’s harder to find a shave shop for me than a homebrew store, but if I walk into one and say “I want a dickhole dupe of Adventus” I’m…gonna get thrown out. I’m also a hobbyist photographer, I’ve had a couple of decent shots. And when I get some time to get them into imgur, I’ll upload them as comments to this post (to avoid any spam bots killing it.) As I mentioned, my kids are also engaged in my hobbies (and my wife’s too, though mine seem to be bigger). My daughter and son have point and shoot cameras and both help with beer bottling. My daughter actually helped compose todays SOTD picture (it was her plan to use the Carboy as a background. Last tag #ROTY.

Edited: Put in markdown mode and fixed formatting

July 7, 2023 – Fremen Friday

• Brush: Assured Shave Brush #RUNT #HOLLOW #SMOLL
• Razor: Muhle ROCCA
• Blade: Astra SP (Green)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Mélange
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Mélange

A pretty generic Fremen themed shave. The brush is trash. It’s hollow, small, doesn’t splay, scritchy but it scores some points on the scavenger hunt. My other hobby is hiking. It's fun.

July 7, 2023 – The Greatest of the Scents

• Brush: r/wetshaving Zentih MOAR BOAR 31mm
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Clog-Pruf
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (2)
• Lather: Soap Commander – Endurance
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

(A note: to save time and organize things better I pre-took all of my photos for the week and then promptly did not organize things better and messed up by putting today’s photo yesterday. So here’s yesterday’s photo today complete with strange non-shaving inclusions!)

Finally, one I don’t have to argue against myself on. In fact, I have it on good authority that this day was, at least partially, a bone thrown my way so I could ensure the scoring of at least one point during the games. Yes, Old Spice has them Spicey Scents… thus, you know, the name having spice in it. To be specific, in case you were wondering just which spicey spice scents Old Spice spices with, they are: Nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, and tonka (some also claim frankincense as well). Mix that together with some citrus, some of those weird scents that aren’t actual things like musk, and a bunch of florals and you’ve got the scent that everyone loves even the people who say they don’t. Those people just can’t handle the spicey spiciness of Old Spicing spicy fellows. So spicy.

I picked Soap Commander because, to my nose, it is the most faithful recreation in soap form. Yet… is it the spiciest of the soaps? No, definitely not. There’s dupes where the spice scents are far more forward, especially the cinnamon. In fact, I’d say Soap Commander blends the spices into the overall scent so well that it becomes something not spicey… and so… maybe I have yet again talked myself out of points for a third day in a row. I should probably stop typing… it’s like… like someone is causing me to sabotage myself. But who would do such a thing? Are they the ones making my photos look like this.

Other hobbies, huh? Some might accuse me of making up entirely different profiles to create an elaborate AR game within the Lather Games a strange hobby. But I haven't done that so that's clearly not a thing. How about movies and video games then? I know, that's like everyone's hobby but I do take it another level and actually get paid to write about them... which I'm realizing makes it not a hobby either. Fuck... ummm... oh what about watching po... I mean... ummm... shit.

July 7, 2023

https://imgur.com/gallery/4k2Zkmj

Prep: Proraso Green

Brush: Antiga Barbearia de Bairro - Principe Real Boar Brush #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE

Razor: Rockwell 6s R6 Plate

Blade: Treet Platinum (3)

Lather: Zingari Man - The Merchant Shave Soap

Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Merchant Post Shave Recovery Splash

Zingari Man - The Merchant Aftershave Balm

Spicy shave day! With temps in the 90s already this morning, I wasn't really looking forward to this scent, but to my pleasant surprise it fits really well. I can picture myself walking through the bazaars in Istanbul or something like that. Truly a great scent and definitely nice in the hot weather.

Challenge: My other hobby? Fly fishing. There are definitely some weirdos in the sport. Just check out r/flyfishingcirclejerk for the cream of the crop. Interesting jargon? How about names for flies like "Sex Dungeon", "Barr's Meat Whistle", "Hippie Stomper", "Rainbow Warrior", or the "Grizzly Klinkhammer" to name a few.

#ROTY

July 7, 2023 - Spicy

• Brush: Zenith 507U XS 27mm extra soft horse #HORSESASS
• Razor: Yates 921-H #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet (4)
• Lather: MacDuff's Soap Company - Winter Cabin
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Reserve Spice
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Fake Yellow Light

To my nose Winter Cabin is a warm, spicy scent smoothed out by raspberry and sandalwood. With appropriately spicy notes of cardamom, saffron, and vanilla (yes, vanilla is a spice according to the Fragrantica list) I believe it qualifies for today's theme. I followed it up with the wonderful recreation of the epitome of spicy scents, OG Old Spice, BaM Reserve Spice. This has to be one of my favorite aftershaves in my collection in both scent and performance. Love this stuff. I followed it all up with another warm/spicy scent in Fake Yellow Light. The chai spices in this really come through for me in this EdP which is obviously more suited to colder weather, but given today's theme, here we are.

I'm not involved in any other hobbies at a community level like I am with wetshaving, but I have several other interests/casual hobbies. Those include camping, concerts, mushroom hunting/growing, rock collecting, and tinkering on cars.

7/7/23

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving Exclusive MOAR BOAR (31 mm × 57 mm bleached boar) #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8, Full Hollow Spanish Point
• Lather: 345 Soap Co - White Buffalo
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth! Spiced Aftershave Toner

I'm definitely a bigger fan of Freman Friday than I am of Fougére Friday. I enjoy spicy notes.

White Buffalo is very Anise forward off the tub with a small bit of citrus and tobacco, that seems to just highlight the anise. The longer it sits and on the dry down, the scent really evolves. The cinnamon becomes so much more noticeable and is sweetened up with a hint of amber and balanced out with the sandalwood, oakmoss, and patchouli. It is a unique combination and really enjoyable. Spiced is in a similiar vein, but certainly a unique scent of its own. The anise and vanilla really stand out to my nose, and it's a very pleasant combination. Highlighted with clove, mandarin, and tonka, Spiced easily captures a classic feel tied with modernity. Nice shave this morning with a very pleasant scent combo.

I have a couple of hobbies outside of wetshaving, but one very near and dear to me is woodworking. This is, by design, a big part of my life. For those that don't know, I'm a licensed Journeyman Carpenter. When I decided to take up this trade, it was with the intention to learn both carpentry and finer woodworking. Hoping to spend my younger years doing carpentry and when I'm older, and my body is broken, I can do woodworking full time and carpentry to help those close to me (or for a little cash on the side). I've been at this for about 12 years or so now. I've worked various jobs for the sole purpose of learning new skills. I've built high rises in Downtown Denver, hidden bookshelf doors in overpriced homes, schools out in BFE, classified military facilities, houses and trailers, custom cabinets, and fixtures. Getting into woodworking has opened up other hobbies for me, like sharpening, for example. These two things would eventually be one of the catalysts that led me to wetshaving. Some of you may know that I mostly make wetshaving items, primarily brushes and most recently, scales. Did you know that I also make a number of other things? After all that, it may not come as a surprise. I've done pens, trays, lighters, candleholders, relief carvings, boxes, jewelry, jars, and more. Here's a couple of the things I've done (I could/should find more, but I'm stretching myself thin enough as it is with this post). I've met a wide array of interesting and talented people in the woodworking community from around the world. Like any other hobby, there's bullshit, price hiking like crazy, some weirdos on the fringe, and surprisingly, a lot of folks that don't like to share information (the temporarily embarrassed millionaire types). There's a lot of acronyms and jargon, i.e.. raw, stabilized, checks, inclusions, spalted, dyed, double dyed, BAB, HRB, caps, live edge, etc. Wood has a deep, rich history and has played so many different roles for man. There is an almost unparalleled and fascinating beauty in some woods. I have some woods in my collection that are thousands of years old. Just imagine the stories they could tell. It's a pretty neat hobby.

#ROTY

Jul 7, 2023 - Fremen Friday - Two Dragons and a Sandworm

• Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
• Brush: Shore Shave Honey Jar 26mm Plisson Knot
• Razor: Aylsworth Razors Drakkant Plus
• Blade: Gillette Platinum [10]
• Lather: Subtle Art Soap Co. - Draconis - Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Mélange - Balm
• Fragrance: Bentley - Bentley for Men Intense - Eau de Parfum

“A man’s flesh is his own; the water belongs to the tribe.” - Dune

Draconis is a spicy concoction of "cinnamon, coriander, and clove, combined with smooth sandalwood, and vanilla, with hints of citrus and soft florals." It's a bold, powerful scent when you just need something spicy. The base takes a little work to get the slickness right, but it can produce a nice lather.

The Drakkant+ has become one of my top razors. It's intuitive, smooth, efficient, and the handle design stands out against all my other razors.

Mélange is spicy with a touch of bright ginger and bay. It's an homage to "the spice" found on the planet Arrakis in the novel Dune.

Challenge: Another hobby of mine is board games. Partly due to Kickstarter, there has been an explosion of new boutique board game designers in the last few years offering limited runs on board games that make them somewhat collectable. Some of these have some interesting game play mechanics and unique themes. The game used as the backdrop in the picture is Dune: Imperium, which combines card drafting, worker placement, take that, and an optional solo play variation to bring the world of Arrakis to the tabletop.

Rating: 4/5

2023-07-07 Spice it Up

• Brush: Yaqi Metal Timberwolf
• Razor: Rockwell 6S
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Damocles
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Damocles
• Blade: Personna Super (3)

Relevant Other stuff: Keeping it in-house. House of Mammoth, that is.
The razor so chosen because it is steel, thus matching a scent "note." I chose the metal-handled brush for a similar reason. The horse brush from the other day would have also been thematically relevant, but it doesn't really fit aesthetically and chrome is objectively hideous.

Lather/Fragrance:

#FOF

From the marketing description:
"You smell spices and wine up front, from the king's feast before you."

Hey, how'd you know? Actually, this one took me a while to figure out. My nose really couldn't decide what it was picking up, but my vague memory of the scent description led me to conclude that it was something fruity, as I imagined great bowls of fruit on a king's banquet. My nose apparently doesn't know the different between fruity and spicy, but I think that's because this literally comes through as a spicy fruitiness. Or a fruity spiciness. One of those. The incense/resin and violet, assuming that they're there, blend in subtly with the spice and wine (respectively). If I really focus, I can make out the leather underneath it all, unsure if I'm actually smelling it or if my brain tells me I am.

I don't mean to question the scent notes, by the way. This wonderful scent from the masterful creator of such favorites as Tobacconist, Santa Noir, and Shire stands strong alongside those. However I do mean to question the reliability of what my brain tells me I perceive. Senses cannot be trusted, because the brain quite simply makes shit up.

#photocontest

Photo: Royals

The fable/allegory/parable/apocryphon of Damocles is one that some may consider to be part of general knowledge, but at the same time I wouldn't hold it against anyone if they weren't familiar with it. If you are one of today's lucky 10,000, allow me to spin you a yarn while I ponder how clever it was to say "yarn" just now.

So Damocles was some dude sucking up to King Dionysius of Syracuse, going, "By golly, being a king sure must be swell! Your life is super peachy keen! And, bonus, no one ever secretly plots to kill you in your sleep!"
Dionysius, unimpressed, was like, "Try it out!" and set up Damocles as king for a day, with all the fruit bouquets and blowjobs he could ask for. Provided, anyway, that he enjoyed said fellatio and edible arrangements from his throne, above which was a badass and super-heavy sword just kinda hanging from the ceiling or something, suspended by a single horse hair.
Damocles, upon discovering the precarious sword (I leave it to the reader to decide how the enjoyment of his luxuries led him to tilt his head back to look directly upwards), said, "Fuck this shit!"

For the purposes of how Royals is represented, I'm calling the setup in this photo a model; I don't think that's a stretch, but it would be a stretch to go with image/drawing (what, the mammoth skull thing? Side note: purple is the color of royalty!). Or we could call the knight—which I might guess would be considered a part of the royal court—the model. Damn, too bad I didn't call upon u/sirkravsalot to be in the shot. Which brings me to...

Challenge Accepted: This challenge is literally calling upon us to talk about stuff, so I cannot be held responsible for the length that it contributes!

It still seems weird to me that we call this a hobby. I'm not saying it shouldn't be considered one, but I tend to think of a hobby as something that someone does to occupy much of their off-time, whereas shaving takes but a small amount of time. Unless you're a face-latherer, but the rest of us spend those extra 7 hours doing other things!

Time was when I wasn't really sure of how to answer the "hobby" question, anyway. Last year, though, I picked up something that I briefly dabbled in some 10 years prior and now do for no less than an hour/day 5-6 times per week: krav maga. If you're unfamiliar, it's a fighting system developed by the Israeli military that borrows from various martial arts.

The people at the studio/dojo/kravery that I go to are very disparate people, all with very different motivations for being there. Some want to learn how to defend themselves. Some want to become martial arts masters! Some just want to get into better shape. As for me, I like that it's a pretty fun (usually) way to stay active while programming some pretty nifty muscle memory, and it doesn't hurt that it helped me get into better shape than I've been in since I was like 20.

Do I ever expect to actually use anything I learn there? No. Absolutely not. Aside from just general vigilance/self-awareness kind of stuff. I am reminded of an interaction I had with one guy there while we were drilling a simple gun disarm. He was like, "Do you ever have to do this?" Not "Have you ever had to," or "Have you ever been in this situation," but "Is this something that you do?" No, man, I do not routinely find myself staring down the barrel of a gun wielded by someone so intent on murdering me that I have to RCAD that shit!
Redirect, control, attack, disarm/takeaway. There's a bit of jargon for ya.

July 7, 2023 – LG Day 7 – Fremen Friday

• Brush: RazoRock 400 Plissoft Synthetic #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Voskhod
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Darkfall
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Intrepid Man
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – A City On Fire

Today’s theme is both easy and difficult for me: easy because I have a ton of options, difficult because I have to make a choice. Orientals, spicy scents, and smoky fall scents are some of my absolute favorites, so I tend to have trouble not buying more. I went with Darkfall today, ~~partially to make sure I get the DG sponsor point in of course, but also~~ entirely because it combines smokiness and spiciness in a really beautiful way. It manages to evoke burning leaves, just as it’s meant to, but is not smoky in a way that most would find overwhelming. The cinnamon and clove are still very present while lathering and shaving, but they give way to the resins and balsams post-shave. To provide a little post-shave balance, I tried layering a completely different spicy oriental – Intrepid Man. Aside from the style of fragrance, there is only one note in common (cinnamon). Honestly, I can’t really detect the cinnamon in Intrepid man, but as stated in another post, I don’t have the most discerning nose. It was interesting to see how the two fragrances came together. The tonka and vanilla are playing very nicely with the resinous smoke, and Intrepid Man helped to bring that spiciness out a little more as well. Then I sprayed A City on Fire. Although I personally notice the cardamom and cade, I recognize that others (i.e. my partner) just smell smoke. It just so happens that I love the smell of smoke, at least this kind. Tobacco, burnt leaves, burnt match, smoky resins – give them all to me. (Cigarette smoke, not so much.) I’ve paired A City on Fire with Darkfall before, and I know that it might be a little more smoky than my coworkers would like to be smelling – but I have Fridays off, so I can spray unabashedly to my heart’s delight. Smoky and spicy, all day long. #FOF

My other hobby…I have two. I really love cooking/baking, but work sucks (a la u/Old_Hiker) and I’ve been too tired to be creative in the kitchen as of late. The other hobby is a more recent obsession, which is TTRPGs (tabletop role-laying games, for the uninitiated). It’s taken over my life and maybe become a little excessive, but I’m having fun. I’m currently in two DnD (Dungeons & Dragons) campaigns, and I started running a campaign using a lesser-known system called Other Dust. The DnD campaigns are more casual for me. I get to show up, be a garden gnome in one and a Thri-kreen in the other, and play a fun game with friends. GMing a campaign, however, is a super time-suck. Worldbuilding, creating stat-blocks for NPCs and beasts, trying to balance my technophobic post-apocalyptic world with some semblance of levity so we don’t feel depressed playing, trying to anticipate and prepare for the ten million directions my players might go because I really don’t want to railroad — it’s a lot of work. And I’m loving it. Also, I listen to NADD Pod pretty much every day, I’ve watched most seasons of Dimension 20, and I regularly listen to/watch Adventuring Academy and read the various RPG/DnD subreddits to try to absorb as much knowledge as I can. The RPG community is pretty darn big, and I don’t know that I could argue that all of them are weirder than us on r/wetshaving, but there are definitely plenty that could talk for hours and hours about the weird mechanics, spells, characters, and history of the various worlds they play in.

Edit: I apparently shouldn't make up sponsors because then it induces panic among other players

July 7, 2023 - Fremen Friday

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts 2021 POTG SHD Badger 28mm #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Blackland Razors - Era 2SB
• Blade: Gillette Platinum (1)
• Lather: Old Spice - Old Spice - Soap
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Old Spice - Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - 福 (FÚ DÀO) - EdP

Daily Write-Up
Today I am shaving with Old Spice. Yes, I know that this cream isn’t very good, and that Old Spice has evolved over the years. But it’s still a classic scent in the Wetshaving world. To commemorate this day, I’ve asked our own resident Old Spice expert u/Cowzilla3 to sit with me and answer a few questions, because evidently this is how you Lather Games now. And, because I have to out-do everyone, I’ve turned the number of questions up to 11. Interview is at the bottom of my post, after the rest of the daily info. Also - I’d like to say that I put the Old Spice upside down in my SOTD post because I’m protesting how they’ve changed the formula, but, nope. Still just an idiot over here shaving with my internet friends.

Daily Challenge Notes
One of the hobbies that I’ve always dabbled in but have gotten more serious about is outdoor cooking. Some of my more-commonly followed subs on here are r/grilling and r/smoking. I’ve added some of my favorite grilling spices to the daily pic in honor of Fremen Friday.

I think one of my favorite aspects of those communities is that new members to the sub will stop by on almost a weekly basis and post the exact same picture. In fact, my lowest-rated post on Reddit ever was me mocking that fact. It's pretty much the smoking version of people asking us if Proraso is any good [ed. - No.] or if we've heard of Sterling [ed. - Also no.].

The Shave
The Shulton Old Spice cream is just not very good. But, I had my favorite razor slotted today, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

Soap Theme Justification
* Top Notes include nutmeg and star anise. Middle notes include cinnamon and pimento. Base notes include Tonka Bean. Sounds pretty spicy to me. Also… it’s right there in the name.

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
* I dickholed the Old Spice aftershave that was gifted to me during secret santa by our very own u/Cowzilla3. I paired it with the spiciest scent I own, which is House of Mammoth’s 福. The ginger note in particular plays well with the Old Spice.

And now, what you've been waiting for. THE 2023 Lather Games special event; an interview with u/Cowzilla3:

1.) How many soaps are in your den? How many do you keep around just because they might be useful in the Lather Games?

There are at least 260 full tubs/tubes in my den and a plethora of samples to add to that amount as well. [ed. - u/Cowzilla3 inadvertently left out the number in this sentence - I simply added the number 260 as that was most likely. He did get back to me with a much more reasonable number of 35, but I’m leaving 260 in. -OM]

Shockingly, 29 of those soaps are Old Spice dupes or Old Spice adjacent soaps (like Seaforth!). Since my entire schtick during the Lather Games is to try to compete as well as possible using only Old Spice dupes I do keep them for the games, though not solely for that reason.

2.) You’ve tried nearly all of the Old Spice dupes and riffs. If you’re gifting one to a family member, which one do you give?

This is a very specific question as it’s not asking which is the best dupe but which soap I’d give someone in my family. No one in my family wet shaves (or at least they aren’t crazy about it like I am) so do I want to introduce them to the best of the best or the easiest to lather, neither of which are the best dupe. I think I’d lean towards the best of the best, which would be Barrister and Mann Spice. [ed. - Incorrect. The answer we were looking for here was Stirling Spice -OM]

3.) If you’re not using Old Spice or one of its many imitations, what’s your favorite soap?

I thought these were civil questions about civil subjects. The very premise of this question insults me to my very core.

4.) So I’m using Old Spice today. As did my dad, and he fathered a child (me) in his 50s. Should I be concerned that Old Spice might be making me more virile?

Considering by the time you’ve posted this you’ll already have used the Old Spice my warning is moot but I can guarantee that the moment you splashed it on your face you sired multiple children. It’s said that Jesus was created this way. Don’t worry. Because they were made in the Spice they will be entirely self-sufficient and will never reach out to contact you, but know that your line lives on.

continuing in a comment because of the character limit

Jul. 7, 2023
Brush: Simpson Trafalgar 2
Razor: Green Cult GC 2.0 II
Blade: Wilkinson Sword
Lather: D.R.Harris - Windsor - Soap
Post Shave:* Zingari Man - Sego Base Unscented - Balm

Fragrantica says it’s spicy with top notes of black pepper and that’s good enough for me.

Hobby wise I was a competitive chess player when I was young, I’ve come back to it 10 years after “retiring” due to life getting in the way and it causing more stress than joy. My SO has never played or really known of anything chess and she was not thrilled when I was playing a tournament, she wanted to make plans after my game and my answer to how long I’ll be being, anywhere from 20 mins to 6 hours, did not please her.

But more relatable is preparation, spending hours studying exact move orders that 99% of the time will never happen, and when they do you forget them.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

LG23-07: Fremen Friday

• Brush: Chisel and Hound 26mm G5 #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: GEM Junior 1912 #BRASSING
• Blade: GEM (7)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Mélange - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Ben Franklin - Balm
• Fragrance: Beach Geeza - Bay Rum - EdP
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: West Java. Cijapati, Garut - v: Typica. Tim Tim. Catimor - p: Triple picked. Washed.
• Music: Sleep - Dopesmoker
• LG Tags: #FOF

Before we get to today's spicy shave, let's talk hobbies.

The only other hobby I’ve continued for a while is powerlifting. I've never competed and barely made it through a strict novice program, but I've done an aggressive bulk, bought giant bags of protein powder, considered going full GOMAD, added fractional plates to my bag, upgraded through various belts with different diameters and closures, added straps to my pulling routine, cycled between high-bar and low-bar, wear knee sleeves every workout, am close to wearing out a pair of weightlifting shoes, and keep a detailed training log. I've got delightful phrases like "motion is lotion" knocking around my head. I say "deload," "lock out," "tonnage," "RPE," "one rep max," "5 by 5," and "intensity" unironically. These days regular training is an unexciting part of my weekly routine and I rarely go for PRs, but it's good for my health and drastically improves my sleep. I’d like to train more consistently next winter and finally smash a four-plate deadlift for reps. Those are rookie numbers for even your average home-athlete, but for someone born without eye-hand coordination, it will feel like an achievement. Back to the grind.

What does all that have to do with wet shaving? Nothing. Sorry, can't connect the two at all. This Junior isn't even a heavy razor. Apologies for the abrupt transition.

I kept my SOTD theme simple today and chose three products that all use prominent spice notes in different ways. The Mélange is an obvious choice, but it’s a good one regardless, combining an unusually dry texture with cinnamon (that manages to not light up my face), nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom. I assume Will used Norlimbanol like he did in Death to make Mélange smell arid; mixed with bay and musk, it’s a blast of spice kicked up from the desert floor straight to the face, heady, all-encompassing, and narcotic. This Ben Franklin balm is equally as spicy—if you like the smell of nutmeg and clove, have I got the scent for you! More importantly, I chose it to troll u/VisceralWatch, who doesn’t appreciate this fine Stirling product’s antique-store charms. I happen to think the way these two spices combine with benzoin and frankincense is delightful. Finally, I finished up my shave with a spray of an unusual Bay Rum fragrance. Focusing on the spice component of bay rums, dropping the citrus, and adding a strong base of woods and resins, the EdP formulation of Beach Geeza Bay Rum combines Caribbean booze with a delicious spice cake. It reads as neither gourmand or a traditional bay rum; it’s spicy-sweet but not confectionary, flavored with bay leaf but not overtly herbal, and it takes on a creamy, woody haze as it warms into a crackling, simmering drydown. This is the bay rum to reach for on cold winter’s day or a cozy evening date.

Lather Games Day 7- I Like My Shaves Extra Spicy

• Prep: Hot Shower - Preshave
• Brush: Vulfix Pure Badger
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM - PTFE (12)
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Merchant Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Bay Rum Splash
• Shaving Tunes: Better Lovers - God Made Me An Animal

The opening of the description for The Merchant is as follows: A man looks out from his stall at the open air market at a crowd of people shuffling through its warm, colorful pathways. He feels the blended hum of their voices resonate in his chest like music. With each breath, he takes in the smells carried on the air from the many stalls of the market—spices mingle with vanilla and a deep, honeyed amber to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

So I think I've got the spice covered in the soap. Now to the splash. I could have dickholed this, but it is another sunny and summery day and I spent the first couple of hours of the morning at the beach in the ocean. The Merchant is just too heavy after the beach, so B&Ms Bay Rum got the call and it is perfect. Spice, spice baby!

Today's musical inspiration would probably cause most men to slice their faces open from the jagged math-core-y stylings of Greg Puciato's new project. Yet, for this hardened metalhead, the juddering guitars and otherworldly screeches put me in a Zen-like state and gave me perfect focus for the shave.

I don't have any hobbies that match the insanity of this shaving thing. I'm more of a practices kind of guy. As some of you know, I'm a yoga teacher (not my day job). I've been teaching yoga for 7 years and practicing for over 20 in some way shape or form. For the last year and a half, I've been teaching aerial yoga at my wife's studio. This isn't Cirque Du Soleil, one-point silk, death-defying shit that dudes my age would never go near. I teach a great aerial decompression practice where we'll spend plenty of time hanging upside down like a bat and releasing the spine and shoulders but also plenty of time on our feet using the hammock as a fantastic prop. We have a lot of fun and we chill the fuck out. If I'm not teaching aerial classes, I love teaching Yin yoga, which is a practice that is low and slow. There are no standing postures and we'll hold postures for a couple of minutes at a time. It is a fantastic practice to really drop into your body and your breath. But, please don't confuse me with your stereotypical yoga teacher. I don't wear patchouli (but I am ready for Hippy Dippy Day), I eat meat, I drink beer and I listen to death metal. Oh, and I shave. That's my story.

Have a great day all.

July 7, 2023

• Brush: Böker – Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Era
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (3)
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia – Vulcano
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – The Full Measure of Man
• Fragrance: Bulgari – Man
• Music: James Brown - It's a man's world

FOF

Daily Challenge: My opponent is on the play (he starts the game). I have to face a scruffy beard he cheated into play (played a card without paying its required ressources). My turn starts. I equip (keyword in magic) my Blackland Era with an Astra blade. I think thats the line of play I have to take now (sequencing my cards in a certain order). With my Böker synthetic, I try to whip up a creamy lather. My opponent counters it (a card has no effect before it enters the play area). Scruffy beard and runny lather. Not the best combination. Lets see what my deck is capable off. The Era is a trustworthy clock. Even with the runny lather, I have a clock on board (a card where both players are aware will win the game in X turns if nothing happens). Turn by turn I go WTG, XTG and ATG and win game 1. The beard is gone with a tiny bit of stubble on difficult areas left. Still I am amazed by the blackland Era. Lets review what happened. My goal was to use a spicy soap. Can it get spicier than chilly? If you are in doubt, my beloved anise is also on the scent notes of Volcano. All combined with carnation forms a pretty nice combo of fresh spiciness. Note that till this week i though carnation meant: “burned”.

Lets get to game 2: My opponent starts with the Full measure of men combo. I can only concede as the fresh tobacco flowers attack my nostrills, all backed up by the sweet and spicy mouse de saxe. Altough my GF hates to smell the combo, I liked it more and more the more I use it. By now, it smells like a candy you would eat while sitting at the chimneyfire in a leather seat while you are sipping on Rum or whiskey.

Last game: I sideboard against what I saw (during games you may change up to 15 cards in your deck) and can play a bulgari man. He controls the whole boardstate with notes of white wood. It also has a nice freshness to it. According to the scent pyramid, its because of bergamote, but I cant smell it. During the game, I also get notes of herbs, probably the violet and amber or pear. The scent does not change during the day. From the start its fresh, crisp and clear. A great scent for colder autumn days.

As you might know or have guessed, during Corona my friends a colleague and me got into Magic the gathering , the mother of all collectible cardgames again. It helped us to stay sane as we could meet in a small circle and play the cards we grew up with as teens. By a colleague I got into tournament magic, which turns out to be very expensive. There was a point where I ordered cards for around 250€ and swore to myself that I have to go to tournaments now. 1.5 years later my deck is worth around 2000$ and i have been in the top 8 of local bigger tournaments two times. Everyone knows what I play, but I try to mix things up from time to time. As magic is looking back on 30 years of history, there were cards that were just too strong. The company wizards of the coast formulated a list of cards that will never get a reprint. Still people have and play those cards. I knew of them and wanted to play that format, since my favorite combo card is on that reserved list. So at one point I had to look for cards that were last printed in 1995 and had to be in an okay condition or else they would not be legal for tournaments. A lot of people on these tournaments have the cards for decades or put some real money in it to get them. Of course there is a lot of slang in magic, but I want to present you some things that I hope you will easily understand.

Bolt the Bird: People use Bird of paradise to accelerate their gameplan or fix their ressources. The other player often disrupt that with a lightning bolt
Black lotus: Probably magics most famous card as its the most expensive one. A tournament legal one starts at 9500€ currently. The thing is that there are barely any tournaments anymore where you can play that card as its often forbidden to play it. I think that there are maybe 4 tournaments per year in whole europe where you can play it
Death and taxes: A decktype consisting of a lot of white creatures. It comes from the saying: “There are only a few things certain in life. Death, taxes and a mono white deck on a magic tournament”.
Nic fit: The internet does not forgett. Someone came up with a deckname “nice fit”, but had a typo. The deck is called that way till today.
Cheerios: A deck that plays a lot of things with 0 somewhere on their cards. 0 looks like cheerios.
There are a whole lot decks named after food: Fruity / cocoa pebbles, strawberry cheesecake/ parfait /shortcake, full english breakfast, cephalid breakfast, count chocula, Oops all spells (oops all berries)
The Rock: Another deck named after the actor and wrestler because he often referred to himself and his millions of fans.
Stax: The deck was named $T4KS, an acronym for “The Four Thousand Dollar Solution”
Tin- Fins: Deck named after a restaurant in a show
Johnny: Combo Player
Timmy: Strong creature or player that wants to play big strong stuff
Weenie: small tiny creature
Dork: A creature you play just for it's effect, not combat relevance
chump: often used with chump block. A creature looses a combat but protects you
Aristocrats: A deck type where you sacrifice your own things and benefit from it

My todays sub-theme was “man”. I could swear that Volcano had a different marketing when I bought it. It highlighted masculinity. Now I only find a quote about doubt and security on volcanos. Because of the artwork on the label of a nacked greek men forging something, I think my theme idea still holds. Full measure of men has the theme right in its name. How did Anise and freshness play together with dark chocolate like candy aftershave? Better than I had imagined. It added a freshness to it. Anise in the soap is even an ingredient in Mousse de Saxe, so i learned today. The fragrance fitted my theme by name, but the scent was not that well matching. I highlighted the freshness of the fragrance and the combination of soap and aftershave, but the way they achieve this is just different. The white woods in ‘man’ do not match with the wood notes in ‘men’. They do not collide, but just do not fit together.

July 7 2023 - Lather Games Day 7

• Brush: Zenith B28
• Razor: GEM 1912 #TWINS
• Blade: GEM PTFE (4)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Bay Rum
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - Entropy Man
• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Oud Wood

Bay Rum. Very spicy! Entropy Man. Peppery! Oud Wood. Spicy! This combination was a bit weird but I did end up enjoying it.

My other hobbies are reading, I'm currrently reading Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and The Light and Orlando Figes' recent book on the Crimean War. I also have a good amount of Legos, I really like the car sets especially. So yeah, nothing else as unusual as shaving but they keep me busy.

• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush

• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85mm Safety Razor

• Blade: Gillette 7 O'clock Sharpedge

• Lather: First Line Shave - Life x Death

July 7, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co Strawberry Cream 26mm G5A #FAUXFUR #SHD #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Red Imp 5/8" Near Wedge (Straight Shave 268)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Spiced - Soap
• Post Shave: Thayers - Rose - Toner
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Spiced - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

---

Seaforth! Spiced is my second favorite Spearhead scent, Black Watch is my favorite. I have SSL and Heather as well. To be able to use Black Watch (yesterday) followed by Spiced makes for some pretty nice shaving here in the Lather Games.

As to hobbies. I have had many during my life but I tend to take up things, go deeply into them, move on to something else, and then return. Last year I talked about my remote-control flying hobby; first-person-view (FPV) quadcopters, and thermal gliders.

This year I'll touch on photography. I started photography in the late '60s. I mostly took random photos, sports photos, travel, and family photos. I sucked. In those days exposure metering was a thing, but most of us just picked a film (mine was Kodak Tri-X), learned (by trial and error) the exposures for typical lighting conditions, and used appropriate settings without metering. The idea was not to get wrapped up in the technical details of the camera. The term used was "f/8 and be there". Capture the moment, then work out problems in the dark room.

I became more serious about photography in the late '70s and '80s graduating from 35mm roll film to 120 film and then to 4x5 sheet film. I even audited art classes where I learned that I suck at this. My dark room grew accordingly, from a simple black and white affair to one that could handle color and large enlargements. All this stopped when our children were born and I had mouths to feed.

In January of this year I bought a digital mirrorless camera and decided to learn digital photography. Wow! The changes from film are huge and it has been fun learning the same subject in a completely different way. One constant, though. I still suck.

2023-07-07 Lather Games SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 2015 HD (22x55mm "High Density" "Finest" Badger) #SHD
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Blade: Lord Classic (2)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Bay Rum
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Original
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Horsefeather

/u/jeffm54321 and /u/cowzilla3 - today's theme (and my shave today) are dedicated to you guys. No joke. I know you two love your bay rums and old spices.

Anyway

Last summer my brother in law had some really excellently scented beard balm and he said it was "bay rum." I was a bit incredulous because I had smelled Stirling's bay rum in the past and there was absolutely no resemblance whatsoever, but I thought to myself - "Maybe Stirling's is just way spicier than the norm?" So I decided to try some bay rums when I got back from the cabin and asked jeffm54321 for suggestions because I know he's the local expert. Barrister and Mann's version was his top recommendation at the time. I ordered it along with a few other samples and when they showed up...

Nope. They smelled exactly how I expected a bay rum would smell based on my prior experience with Stirling - spicy as all get-out. So spicy that I never actually got around to trying any of them and today was my first go with bay rum since probably 2020. I'm pretty sure my brother in law's beard balm was just some bullshit poorly named pre-blended scent or something. Wish I could find out what that artisan was using so I could buy it and dump it into some soap of my own. It smelled excellent and not-bay-rummy-at-all. I'd probably call it "Emerald Leather" or something like that.

Anyway, #fof for wally:

Today my shave is wicked spicy and my wife is going to hate me. Bay rum soap, an old 1997 pre-plastic-bottle of Old Spice, and my 2019 Feats of Fragrance grand prize Horsefeather, which is based on the mixed drink that bears its name. (See the article on pages 15-20 of the Wetshavers Digest e-zine linked above for a more in-depth review.) "Scent Notes" could be as simple as: lemon, bitters, ginger beer, whiskey; or they could be as expansive as: lemon, saffron, anise, cardamom, ginger, oak, caramel, coumarin, vanilla, honey, lactones, etc. All depends what decade you're targeting with your marketing materials.

Challenge: Other Hobbies?

My hobbies could be broadly summed up as "I enjoy making stuff." Guitars, analog audio electronics, and knit/crotchet items form the bulk of my corporeal creative outputs, and "playing music" would be the largest part of my non-tangible creative outputs. Right now I have two sweaters, three electric guitars, one bass guitar, two acoustic guitars, four guitar pedals, and a new desk all in progress at various levels of completion ranging from "so far I've only drawn up the plans" to "I just need to finish painting this dang thing."

I would say the guitar-stuff-building communities are at least as weird as ours with the split between builders who methodically and scientifically experiment with their designs and make un-biased decisions based on proper double-blind tests, and the builders who believe every weird piece of hype they read on the internet (like "this brand of electronic component sounds different than this brand" even though they're physically identical and would have to break the laws of physics to create the kind of sonic differences they claim to hear). Very similar vibe as when you compare simple but effective soap formulas like Stirling or Catie's new base to something with a million trendy ingredients like, say, A&E K2e or whatever new soup Mo is stewing up.

Day 7 - Fremen Friday

• Brush: APShaveCo - Butterscotch Handle with Synbad Knot
• Razor: Merkur - 34C
• Blade: Astra - Green
• Lather: Seaforth - Spiced
• Post Shave: HAGS - Hellfire Club
• Fragrance: Seaforth - Spiced

I was going to go with the dickhole again, but last minute I decided to mix it up a little and used HAGS Hellfire Club. The lather games have pushed me to think more about my fragrance throughout the day, well past the dry down.

Since the pandemic, I have been studying and tinkering with perfumery. I am very new to the hobby and am basically working on a collection of single notes. I have about 25 notes now, including different types of vetiver, sandalwood, and other herbs and spices. I now know the difference in smell between Virginia Cedar and Himalayan Cedar.

ROTY #FOF

July 7, 2023 - Spice (not some Dune jargon)

Brush: TGN Synthetic/Wolf Whiskers

Razor: Wolfman WR2 1.00mm Copper

Blade: Personna Med Prep

Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Spice - Soap

Alum: Osma

Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Unscented - Toner

Post Shave: Old Spice (Vintage) - Aftershave

Video Link Here

To whichever Djudge ends up being assigned this post.. don't watch the video (unless you're a diehard HD Shaves fan)!

Copper is a difficult metal to work with, expensive, and patinas easily. Don't buy it! Regardless, I am amazed by how smooth and effective this razor is. Surprisingly there's a noticeable difference between this and my WR2 0.95 Stainless. Not adding any theories here as to why that might be (tagging u/iamsms)

Challenge: I play organ, and I take it for granted just how weird that is. We're a dying breed and use some pretty funny jargon. "Shamming" and "squabbling" are terms I frequently use when people ask me about the techniques required to play Hammond organ, for example.

Here's an organ joke for free: What's better than roses on my piano? Tulips on my organ.

July 7, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co Brass Handle with 20mm AP Shave Co Gealousy Knot #SHD
• Razor: Gillette – Travel Tech #JETSETTER
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Spice
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Bay Rum Splash
• Fragrance: Paco Rabanne – 1 Millon

Teeny Tiny Shave today where everything is a sample, so I busted out the tiny Travel Tech to fit in with all the software.

When the time came to pick a spicy scent, I looked toward u/cowzilla3’s official rankings of Old Spice Dupes and selected the one with the highest score, Barrister & Mann. Well, technically, it’s tied for first with The Holy Black, but I wanted a sample size, so B&M it is! Now, I don’t have the nose (or level of dedication) that Mr. Zilla does, so I can’t compare this to other Old Spice scents, in terms of oldness or spiciness, but this is a very nice, spicy scent. And if The Cow says it’s the best one, who am I to argue?

I decided to pair this with Stirling’s Bay Rum Splash, or as I call it, liquid fire in a little jar. Damn does this splash have the sting of a wasp or what? Whenever I use this splash, I feel like Kevin McCallister using his dad’s aftershave for the first time. There must be something in this splash that doesn’t agree with my skin because this is the worst Stirling Splash for me, but I LOVE the scent, so I power through the pain to show my dedication to the Lather Games. After the shave, I used 1 Million by Paco Rabanne, which is a fresh & spicy fragrance, so everything was a little extra spicy today. #FOF

For the challenge, my other hobby is playing “middle-aged man” softball. Twice a week, in the spring to til the fall, me and my buddies play in a fairly competitive softball league. We’re been doing since we graduated college and it is a great way to regularly see my friends and sort of stay in shape by jogging at a bit more than 50% speed in 60 ft increments. We’re sponsored by the local bar, so after every game, we go out and they buy our first round of beers, while we proceed to buy food and multiple rounds. It works out for them – they buy our uniforms every year and give us 2 rounds of beer a week, and in exchange, we give them thousands of dollars of food and beverage sales. So often, I hear about difficult it is for adults to get and maintain friendships and this has been a great way to stay in touch with friends to keep a sense of community around me. We took a couple years off in 2020-2021 #thankscovid, but when we got back at it last year, it was like we never missed a beat. Except that we all got fatter. Such is life, I suppose.

Lather Games 2023 Day 7

• Prep: Warm water
• Brush: Mühle - Rocca silvertip fiber #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Mühle - Rocca
• Blade: Voskhod
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Spice
• Post Shave: Osma - alum block
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Spice
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Spice balm

VIDEO

Today theme - Spicy !!! Of course Barrister and Mann - Spice. Rookie without brain and imagination and trying to be exact will choose something literally. In any case not ordinary shave. On gun range! First time doing this stupid shit.On gun range! First time doing this stupid shit. Who do that? Of course nobody. Just stupid rookie in Lather Games taking all mocking from other shooters. But hey that why the challenges is. To do something that in your routine life never do. So why gun range? Because my first hobby is shooting. My first love. My parents told me that I was running in house with water gun since I start walking. "Shotgun Masters " is the name of my shooting club. Really cool guys and the president of the club is also part in our shaving club. Barrister and Mann. Everybody loves them! Me included! They are standard for top base! Perfect Lather. Firm cushion, slick and keeps scent strong! I can smell definitely nutmeg and clove vanilla. Creamy and spicy. Color is tacticool to. Tan! Match perfectly to rifle! Barrister and Mann makes great afters and maybe the best balms in industry! Mühle Rocca Jet set was chosen because is black and matches with my AK ( it is SAR to be exact it is Bulgarian version of AK but I'll use AK because is more popular and I am not sure is there other gun enthusiasts. Like Cyrillic alphabet. First is Bulgarian and after that Russian then Moravian kingdom adopted. But first was Bulgaria and now everybody thinks is Russian). Great everyday shever if you like a little touch more agresivness in you safety razor. Amazing machining. At first looks like grip is not enough but I'll can assure you this German engineers known their job. Even full of soap hands have perfect grip. DLC cover ( the black paint ) is Diamond-like carbon coating protect stainless steel CNC machined safety razor. It is solid bar but cut really deep. Close to famous Mühle R41. Strongly recommended. To be honest my time on range finished when I make lather in my bowl and next shooters come and I miss my chance to be first in history to shave in gun range. ( I don't know maybe someone did that) But if I win Lather games I'll do it half naked with rifle in my other hand!

ROTY

July 7, 2023 – Fremen Friday * Brush: Paladin Chief 26mm Satin Juma Smoke
Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
Blade: Astra SP (2)
Lather: Wholly Kaw – New York
Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Melange splash

Admittedly I am a big fan of Dune. My first introduction to the franchise was actually the old pc game Dune II though. Once I was able to get my eyes on the movie I was hooked. I still watch it every time I see it available, much to the chagrin of my wife. So needless to say I was quite excited for this day. Unfortunately, the use of Melange as my shave soap was off limits due to how I planned out my Lather Games calendar, but at least I had the aftershave.

The Soap: While I’ve used Wholly Kaw before, New York was new to me. Needing something to fill my calendar for the day I decided to try it out and was not disappointed. The base is of course fantastic and needs no further introduction. The scent, however, is probably my favorite Wholly Kaw scent thus far. I really enjoy how the warm and spicy notes play against the leather. It’s definitely one of those samples that didn’t disappoint and will be going on my to be purchased list for full size.

The Shave: I was in a bit of a rush and got a few little knicks, but all due to user error.

Post Shave: I was unfortunately not into shave soaps when Melange first came out. I was, however lucky enough to land a set and so the post shave was a must to give me that whole Fremen Friday vibe. It actually paired quite well with the new York, at least I think so.

Theme: All spicey desert software today.

Challenge: I have a few hobbies, but the one I enjoy the most is cooking. Now I don’t mean Kraft Mac n Cheese. I’m talking make my own pasta from scratch, beignets without a premade mix, crème brûlée , etc. To not make this overly long I will narrow it down to only one facet, BBQ. I am after all a simple man at heart so meat and fire are all I need to be happy. Let me take you down a stroll of some of my families favorites and 3 different ways of using a ceramic cooker/BBQ.

• Pork: I first delved into the intricacies of pork and smoking with crafting my own bacon. A week long salt cure and a 4 hour long apple wood smoke can work wonders on a pork belly. Other favorites are smoked and reverse seared pork chops and the crowd pleaser of smoked ribs.

• Beef: I don’t only smoke meats and beef allows me to highlight another way of BBQing, rotisserie. For those who have never tried picanha, it is as close to bacon as beef can get, at least fat wise.

• Veggies: My wife isn’t a big carnivore, and I would wager some among us are vegetarians as well. For you I have direct grilled simple mixed veggies with yams, just ignore the sausage.

Now that you’re all hungry who do I send the bribes to?

#ROTY

July. 7, 2023 - SOTD 

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

ROTY

July 7, 2023 – Fremen Friday

• Brush: Heritage Erskine w/ Gel Boar
• Razor: Karve CB
• Blade: Wizamet (3)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Bay Rum
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Bay Rum
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes – Tyrannosaurus Rex

Challenge: I’ve taken up a lot of hobbies over the years; probably too many. I aquire new ones periodically, or get back into old ones. I got really into disc golf about 5 years ago. If you don’t know what disc golf is, it follows the rule of golf but is played with flying disc (we don’t like it when you call them frisbees, that’s a brand name). You start each hole by throwing off a tee area and count the number of throws it takes to get the disc into a designated basket. I discovered disc golf by driving past a course and seeing people play, which is actually how a lot of people start playing. Unlike ball golf (yes, we call normal golf “ball golf”), disc golf looks like fun when you watch people play.

Check out /r/discgolf and you’ll probably see lots of disc golf doing what we love most; posting pictures of discs we just bought. There's generally conversation about the current pro tournament and players. You’ll probably also see a lot of post and comments about smoking and drinking on the course.

Here’s some jargin for you: bomb – a long distance to throw a disc (“nice drive, that was a bomb.”); ace – hole in one; field ace – a throw in from distance that isn’t an ace; hero shot – an iladvised tricky shot, usually to make up for a bad shot.

I won this soap and splash from bay rum connoisseur /u/jeffm54321. Upon opening the soap I was greeted with a big aromatic note of bay. This fragrance also has an anise sweetness. I don’t get anything boozy from the soap. The splash has a strong menthol burn. It smells of bay, anise, and a touch of something resembling Jamacian rum.

fragrantica says that Tyrannosaurus has fresh spicy notes. When I smell it, the first thins I notice are smokey cade oil, rose, an animalic note, and general incense vibes. In terms of spice, there’s a bit of a cummin or nutmeg note. There’s definitely some coniferous wood notes. Overall, it’s a powerful fragrance. I doubt dinosaurs smelled like civet. Especially not the Jurassic Park variety. However, the composition feels exotic, domineering, and primal, fitting of an apex predator.

#FOF

July 7, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 26mm G5C #FAUXFUR #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Blackland Razors Vector
• Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild (AC) (6)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Bay Rum
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Bay Rum

This is one of the first soaps that I bought. It’s definitely ended up at the back of the drawer as I’ve tried new things, and that’s a shame because this scent is great. Great performance on the soap, and my technique with the Vector is so much better than that kamisori yesterday. Reopened a weeper but other than that, no feedback on the splash.

I hope y’all are ready for a nerd alert, my other hobby is math. I’m constantly on math youtube looking for interesting problems and puzzles, and I always have a problem that I’m working on in my head when doing other things. The best part of this hobby is that I get to tie it into work by sponsoring math clubs and coaching math contest teams for the school I teach at. It’s so cool how the internet has allowed niche groups to find other people with similar interests and share it with those around them. If anyone wants to try their hand at some high school math contests hit me up.

Healthy activity of the day: Continuing a book, getting back on the biking grind. I skipped yesterday for a rest day. Normally that would chain into more inactivity, but I actually feel excited about going out for a ride against later. LG Mileage: 13 miles

Tags: #ROTY

Jul. 7, 2023
Brush: Simpson Trafalgar T2
Razor: Merkur 37c
Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome
Lather: Stirling - Bay Rum - Soap
Post Shave:* Zingari Man - Unscented - Balm

Glad I had an excuse to use this soap. As much as I enjoy Stirling products this bay rum just is way too spicy for my liking. I’m not a huge bay rum guy to begin with and you can definitely smell plenty of spice out of stirling’s recipe. Soap performed excellent as do all their products.

As for the challenge I’m a new dad so hobbies kind of went out the window but I have recently gotten a big green egg so grilling/smoking has been a fun new hobby to take on. And always enjoy getting out of the golf course if I have the free time!

ROTY

** Lather Games Day 6** 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Noble Otter Synthetic 26mm
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85MM Safety Razor
• Blade: Treet Silver
• Lather: Ariana & Evans - Dirty Ginger
• Post Shave: 345 Soap Co - Fleet Street Pie Shop

Ariana & Evans is quickly becoming one of my favorite soap bases it's so slick it's crazy. And Dirty Ginger is there best scent. The ginger is strong but not overwhelming. Delightful shave

July 7, 2023 - Let the spice flow

• Brush: Colonel Conk Badger (aka Shaggy) #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Stahly Live Blade Razor #UNICORN
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Spice
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Classic Aftershave Lotion
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Gratiot League Square #FOF

Today’s Theme:

For u/cowzilla3 day, I went with my only Old Spice dupe, Stirling Spice. This was a last minute change in my line up. I was originally planning on Catie’s Bubbles - La Piment De Vie, but decided to change up my Frugal Friday line up, and some things needed to be juggled. Everything was a nice spicy blend today with each product bringing different things to the table.

Today’s Challenge:

I got into wetshaving because of another hobby of mine. During COVID lockdown, I got into fountain pens. I was struggling with the pile of work it brought me and getting used to working from home. I was pretty stressed out and decided to start a journal. I used fountain pens for the journal, and fell in love with how they work and write. You have to be focused on your writing with all the wet ink on the page, and it slowed down my overactive mind at the end of the day. I watched fountain pen reviews on Youtube, and people mentioned how great the r/fountainpens community was on Reddit. That got me to Reddit a couple years ago. I was ordering a special ink from an online store, and it sold some shaving gear. To get up to free shipping, I threw in a Colonel Conk brush, bowl, and soap set (same brush used today). Eventually I started looking into learning more about wetshaving, and landed at r/Wicked_Edge, and lurked here for a while.

For fountain pens, it isn’t just the pen, but the whole process of pen, ink, and paper. Ink became an affordable luxury with bottles going from $10-30. The inks can have special properties like shading, sheen, and shimmer. To best see those properties, you need good fountain pen paper. They allow the ink to dry without bleeding or ghosting through the paper. Pens have different features that people like such as nibs which can be made from steel, titanium, gold, and palladium. The tips of the nibs come in many different sizes and grinds, and some people even get custom ground nibs to suit how they write. It is a hobby that ranges all over the place from people buying inexpensive pens (under $10) and up to the prices of cars. I saw one that was priced at $24,000. Now most of my pens fall into the lower end of that spectrum in the $10-40, but I have a few that were higher (still not crazy high though).

Today’s Shave:

I bought the Stahly just for the collection and novelty of a wind up vibrating DE razor. To get that unicorn checked off, I cleaned it up to shave today. It was in good shape already though, so more for peace of mind. Lathered the soap up in my Old Spice mug, and immediately recalled why I don’t use this brush. It sheds around 10 or so bristles every shave, the tips break off, and it is a floppy, shaggy mess. It is very soft with no backbone, yet scratches more than a new and dry boar brush. I will admit, I was able to build a decent lather, but applying to to my face was awful. The Stahly is an anchor of a razor. Very heavy with a bulky handle. Of course I tried it with the vibrating mechanism wound up. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it shaved, especially on my neck. It is a very good shaver, but will go back on the shelf with my other antique and vintage razors. Near as I can age it is between 1956 and 1964. In 1964 the name Live Blade was trademarked, but my razor does not have a TM or other trademark designation. Pretty sure it falls into the right period. The razors were produced into the 1970s, but those models switched to aluminum construction. This one is made from chromed brass. You can see the brass on the handle threads.

Today’s Fragrance:

I think with the mix of scents in Stirling Spice, there were many options for post shave and fragrance. I went with the obvious Old Spice, and decided on Chatillon Lux - Gratiot League Square for the clove and nutmeg notes. The result is quite pleasant. My daughter gave it a thumbs up and says I smell like cake. I swear, we need to get her nose checked out. What I get is the spicy and citrus of the Old Spice scents of the soap and lotion, but with the fragrance, I’m now in a plush leather chain smoking a pipe. I can still smell the clove and a hint of nutmeg in the fragrance, but tobacco and leather are the primary notes I get. Very nice combination, and may become a regular mix for me. I’ll give today’s scent combos a very solid B+.

Todays haiku attempt:

Old Spice, not old man,

Tobacco, leather, and clove,

With hints of nutmeg.

July 7, 2023 – LG23 Day 7: Fremen Friday

• Brush: r/wetshaving Zentih MOAR BOAR 31mm #CHONK #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Gillette Tech – War Era #REGUS
• Blade: Gillette Winner (3)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Trade Winds
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Reserve Spice
• Fragrance: Viktor & Rolf – Spicebomb

In an alt_wetshaving Lather Games, today would be u/cowzilla3 Day for his unswerving devotion to all things Old Spice. However, his licentious and gratuitous invocation of the Air Bud rule puts him on some people’s naughty list. So it is the day of the Fremen and the all-important spice.

Discussing in detail the two renditions of Old Spice used today is better left to the master. His brilliant work far better describes the nuances than I can. I shall comment that the Chiseled Face Trade Winds was not an unpleasant scent by any means. Having been on the fence about crossing into the realm of Old Spice, I could be happy with this version since It wouldn’t be close enough to smell like Mrs_Donut’s late father, who was an Old Spice man. The Barrister and Mann Reserve Spice is, for now, the line I will refrain from crossing. It definitely is close to what I remember as Old Spice. While I have yet to test it on Mrs_Donut’s nose, she did not have any open and immediate comment on how I smelled this morning. That could be the triple spice cocktail that was topped off by Spice Bomb. Definitely spicy, but with a mineral characteristic—I think of graphite and wood. It overpowers the nautical spiciness for its own take, that being a heart of red pepper and cinnamon.

Daily Challenge Let’s get down to brass tacks and say my other “hobby” might as well be called Dabbling. It seems to be what I do. As a kid, the first thing I became interested in was model building. I mostly had an affinity for armor and aircraft and I built several tanks and planes over the course of a few years. I was never serious enough to get into full-blown dioramas, mostly because I liked to play with what I built. Now I did become interested in model railroads later on. My grandfather helped his best friend design a layout that I got to run at least once. I don’t know to what degree of seriousness they would have gotten to, but some of the model railroad clubs get together and totally geek out. Not just running trains, but immersing themselves in entire railroad empires, shunting cars, delivering goods to industries—all in their make believe worlds. I could totally get into that. In fact I had aspirations to turn our basement into a model railroad empire and still have several pieces of rolling stock that I built from kits, customized, and weathered to a realistic look all just sitting in a storage tub. So, I dabble. I don’t think it’s because I necessarily lose interest, but sometimes there is an impractical time and financial commitment that has to stand aside for common sense to take over. Now, I haven’t given up on everything. I’ve managed to stay with music and photography to this day and those are two of the least weird and most time-worthy hobbies that I can think of.

DAY 7 LATHER GAMES! CHECK & MATE MATE!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot
• Razor: Parker Adjustable
• Blade: Schick Proline B20(?)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Spiced
• Post Shave: Barrister&Mann - Spice
• Fragrance: John Varvatos - Vintage

​

PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

​

INTRO+SOAP+RAZOR+SHAVE

Right, let's get into the nitty gritty! Why is there a chessboard in the photo and the title of the day, well that's for the daily challenge part, HOLD YER 'ORSES!

So Spearhead, as many other I have chosen this brand for today, I was wondering some time before the lather games if SSL would be a viable option, and now I see it is! But I'm happy with my choice, I ain't gonna use a false King(SSL won scent of the year here in 2021), when Tobacconist is out there!(HATERS GONNA HATE)

So, Spiced! It is truly not a Old Spice dupe, not from my own experience, cause I wasn't around the time that the OLD Old Spice was used/popular, but based on other dupes I can see why it is not considered a dupe. It has much more of a Mandarin/Tangerine accord that overpowers your nose, combined with spices. It is a great scent on it's own!

But not as good as B&M Spice. Now that's a straight up OG scent. I've followed all of u/cowzilla3's posts of THE GREAT SPICE OFF, and while I have not tried Soap Commander, if there ever was a scent that I could say "DAYUM! This smells like Old Spice", Spice by B&M would be that scent! I think there is something in the ingredients that my skin/body doesn't agree cause I had a fun interaction when splashing it on my face!

Right. Razor! The Parker Variant, this is the version 2.0, and I don't know what the difference is between 1.0 and 2.0 but to the people that say this is a mild razor, you can go and... Last time I used it was probably last LG, or even before that... But it's a good shaver, just you have to be careful with it. The (?) I put next to it has to do with the fact I have fuckall of an idea when it was last used or which use it was, but it still shaves.

Right, enough of this...

DAILY CHALLENGE

MAN AM I GONNA NERD ON YOU!!! CHESS TIME BABY!!!

You might ask "Really? Chess? You seem crazy enough, ain't you got any other hobbies?", better not to, ask u/J33pGuy13 why it's better to go with a safe route!

I've been playing chess for my whole life since I was a kid, sometimes it's been on and off, and other times it has been quite consistent for long periods of time. While I am not some GM or IM(and I'll never be) I can appreciate the game and am a decent amateur(rating around 1200-1300).

Ever since the pandemic there has been a big boom in the chess community (which is nice in general, but could get quite toxic and salty), and there was even a cheating scandal involving anal vibrating beads!(no joke)

To get an idea of the community, watch this video!

Quick explanation what's going on:

- In the beginning the two guys, GM(Grandmaster) Eric Hansen(left) and GM Hikaru Nakamura(right and number 2 in the world rankings) are finishing a game, later they go out to duke it out(cause Nakamura was salty AF) WITHOUT throwing punches, only brawling. The guys on the porch watching are GM Fabiano Caruana(number 3 in the world rankings) and GM Yaser Seirawan(real big name in chess world). You can hear GM Yasser say how he is keeping Hikaru's ring and money, but he's hoping that he'll forget about the money. So basically you have this uber big talent playing chess at a frat party and brawling it out.... And you thought chess was boring.

Now I'm gonna confuse you with some jargons in chess with real life examples.

• En passant - you know when you do a drive through a McDonalds? Now do that without the car and you got "en passant"
• Fossilizing - You know when your wife tells you she's pregnant, but just when you've gotten back to reality she tells you it's twins? That's "Fossilizing"
• Check Mate - You know when the IRS knocks on your door for tax evasion? That's "Check Mate"

And to leave this daily challenge with a totally WTF mindfuck explanation about what chess is, here you go:

So not taking into perspective modern times, in Chess the Queen in olden times was a woman/girl, right?
Right! And any pawn can promote into a Queen, so that means that all pawns are women/girls and pawns can turn into any piece except the King, who is male. So that means that ALL pieces except for the King are female!
SO BASICALLY! Chess is a harem war between two kings where they take each other's harem member one by one!

So next time anyone says Chess is boring, you tell them it's SEXY AS FUCK!

#FOF

Don't want to make this post TOO LONG(maybe it's already late), it's just the combination of the splash and this EdP. Really clicked for me. John Varvatos adds a bit of freshness and brightness to the mix, cause I find Spice by B&M is a bit of a dark(in the good sense) scent. So it was another winner in my books!

• Daily Lather Themes: 7/30
• Daily Challenges: 7/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 10/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 0/2
• Software Vendor Points: 2/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 0/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 7/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 7/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 7/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 7/30

• Brush: Nope
• Razor: Friedrich Herder Abraham Sohn 49 straight razor
• Lather: Old Spice - Original shaving cream
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Original aftershave
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Shire EDP

ROTY

What could be more spicy than Old Spice? Why not get some more use out of this old spice Original aftershave which is destined to end up in a box until next year's lather games. I know my grandpa used this aftershave. A walk in his shoes? I will say that this disgusting "cream" that ejaculated out of this old spice tube was by far and away the worst shaving product I have ever used. The Shave was awful. Do not buy this product.

Lately as far as my other hobbies go I have been working really hard on jazz saxophone. I have a teacher that I study alto with in Chicago and I play with a guitarist friend and mostly just work on jazz standards. It's fucking hard and I do creep around on some sax forums to pick up what i can. Here's a sax word of the day:

Embouchure: everything that has to do with the technique of using your mouth with a mouthpiece of a wind or brass instrument.

• Brush: Dogwood/Briar Brushworks/Declaration Grooming 28mm B13 #CONPOSITE
• Razor: Merkur 34C #BRASSING
• Blade: Gillette Permasharp
• Lather: Noble Otter - Plunder shave soap
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Plunder after shave splash
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Big Scent Energy EDP

We left for a staycation locally today- it is amazing how two nights’ wares takes up more space when you are accounting for two days of entirely separate shaves. First world problems, clearly.

Plunder reminds me of cruises as this was the only soap I carried. The argument for spice is straightforward- it’s essentially gunpowder and spice. Big Scent Energy is a powerful portrait of amber, florals, but also cardamom. I get pepper as well. Nobody will miss your presence with BSE. Brassing is only present on my 34C where the handle has threading to accept the cap, but that still seems to meet criteria for me.

My most recent new hobby is espresso. My most recent new-found coffee addiction is an aerocino. Essentially, you take an espresso shot, cover it in ice, then use an espresso steam wand to melt the ice while pulling aeration into the espresso similar to milk frothing. What you get is a cold coffee beverage, essentially an americano, but aerated to a mouthfeel similar to a nitro-pulled drink. so, ask for this next time you are at a coffee shop and enjoy a cold summer coffee treat.

shave

brassing

July 7, 2023 – LG 7: Fremen Friday

• Brush: Chisel and Hound V8 #SHD
• Razor: Gillette Red Tip Super Speed
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (3)
• Lather: Apex Alchemy Soaps – Speakeasy
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Reserve Spice
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Spiced

Actual footage of me trying spice for the first time on ~~tatooine~~ Arrakis. For the #PHOTOCONTEST (light source) it seemed fitting to place my wares on a lamp base with bulb overhead to emulate the harsh deserts and sun of Dune. Used a head lamp to try and add some red flare as well.

As for the smellz today, spice through and through. Apex Speakeasy in their words is a refined bourbon/cinnamon scent. To me it smells a lot like how hot tamales candies taste. In the ballpark of TFTV dupes. It is very cinnamon upfront, but plenty of sweetness from vanilla, tobacco, and hints of cherry. Reserve Spice is the classic old spice dupe, lots of carnation and nutmeg, giving it that clove-y spice, and vanilla and tonka to mellow it out. I absolutely love spearhead seaforth spiced. An update on the classic, the mandarin really comes through. Its sweet, but plenty creamy from vanilla and tonka again, with the usual spices like anise and clove underneath and throughout the dry down. It is very reminiscent of fruit pomanders at Christmas time, those oranges spotted with cloves, with some lovely baked goods like sugar cookies wafting in from the kitchen. #FOF

For the daily challenge, we have the other hobby of LEGO. That’s a collection of most of my stuff, most of which is in a little detached room from our house. As a hobby, there are a lot of similarities to wetshaving IMO. It’s expensive and takes up a lot of space. Different themes is sort of like different artisans, in that there are LEGO originals and dupes (aka licensed themes). They are both pretty nerdy in a way, as manly as straight razor shaving can be, be real, we’re a bunch of dorks. Lastly, there are plenty of acronyms. My favorite is probably SNOT (studs not on top). Other include but not limited to: MOC (my own creation), SEC (some else’s creation), BURP/LURP (big/large ugly rock piece).

soap brands 7/30, post shave 7/30, frag 7/30, post/frag linked 7/30, software sponsors 2/15, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 4/15, brush hashtags 5/15, photo contest 7/30, daily challenges 6/25, special challenges 1/5

Lego collection is awesome

July 7, 2023 – Month of Lather Day 7

• Brush: Frank Shaving Butterscotch Classic handle w/ DS Cosmetics 24mm SHD G7 Synthetic
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .68-P
• Blade: Gilette Astra Superior Stainless (Blue) (1)
• Preshave: Proraso – Eucalyptus Oil and Menthol Cream
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Stirling Spice
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Unscented Balm
• Music: Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl

Daily Theme: According to esteemed spice expert u/cowzilla3, Stirling Spice rates a rock solid 20 on his The Great Spice Off series of Old Spice option tests. If Stirling Spice is spicy enough to earn Cowzilla3's seal of approval, then it should be spicy enough to satisfy today's theme.

Daily Challenge: When life doesn't get in the way I like to golf. Similar to wetshaving, golf contains colorful jargon. While the meanings are vastly different, golf and wetshaving have numerous interlinked jargon. Golf says "Par", Wetshaving says "Socially Acceptable Shave"; Golf "Birdie", Wetshaving "Damned Fine Shave"; Golf "Eagle", Wetshaving "Baby's Bottom Smooth"; Golf "Hybrid", Wetshaving "Dual Comb"; Golf "Cleek", Wetshaving "GEM"; Golf "Clubs", Wetshaving "Hardware"; Golf "Balls", Wetshaving "Software"; Golf "Blades", Wetshaving "Blades"; and finally Golf "The Rub of the Green" and Wetshaving "Your Mileage May Vary".

The Shave: My fifty+ year old memories of the Old are strong (it was my Dad's and Grandpa's daily driver). The Old didn't pop at first use of the Stirling. Scent memories can be tricky, so I set it aside. When I revisited the Stirling (after embracing Precision Loading and improving my shaving technique) a trip down memory lane and DFS resulted. Today's shave was even better, with more memories and a BBS finish. Thanks to both the Old and the Stirling for the scent nostalgia. #ROTY

Edited brush to reflect the one I actually used for this shave. Pic is correct, original listing was wrong.

July 7, 2023 – Fremen Friday

• Brush: Chisel and Hound v19 Fanchurian
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: MacDuff’s Soap Company – Christmas Cabin
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Tis the Season

First off, I love Dune. Not the movie – I haven’t read that – but the book. It took me 3 tries to finally get through it, but hot dang the payoff is so good. If you’re wondering whether you should enter into the land of the Fremen for a few hundred pages, then answer is you should. I save my reviews of the following books so as not to spoil, but, start by reading Dune and then decide if you want to continue. Seriously, just do it.

I also love spicy scents, but, spicy scents do not love me… until now. MacDuff’s Christmas Cabin smells like it’s going to obliterate my face – like Melange did as the spice must flow – as a side note, judges, don’t watch that whole video. It’s long and dumb but the link added flair. Anyway – I did one pass, then two, and then three, all the while fully expecting a fire in my pores that would have me taking a second shower to wash it away – yes, I’ve done this before with spicy scents. But the burn never came. Thank goodness. Overall, a great shave. For obvious reasons I don't have a spicy aftershave, but, Tis the Season fit well in the Christmas vein.

FOF Haiku of the day

The spice must flow now
If only to torch my face
The cabin softens

My other main hobby is board games! Having kids put a damper on this for some time, but pre-kids my wife and I played board games 1v1 several times a week and we’d have other friends and family over a few times a month. We have a decent collection that is mostly on those shelves, though there are some others floating around the house. Some of my favorites (linked to BoardGameGeek profile pages) are Pandemic Legacy – we finished up Season 0 with my 2 brothers last Fall and too long ago and it is the best board game experience I’ve ever had, we played Season 1 with one of my brothers in like 2014 or 15 and are now playing it again as the group of 4 as we work through each season and it is so difficult and also so stressful and also so fun and challenging, and, when we finish season 1, we’ll move on to Season 2. My wife and I started Season 2 once with one brother shortly after we had our first daughter, but life was too chaotic and it just fizzled out. 7 years later, I’m glad we’ve restarted the series because they are so dang good. We’ve recently really enjoyed a more chill gaming experience where we compete alongside each other but not as much head to head in Wingspan. Other games at the top of my list include things like Le Havre which is a sort of worker placement euro game that requires you to think dozens of turns ahead, but still be flexible enough to turn your plans on a dime if a better option becomes available or your plans are taken by someone else; I really enjoy Shadows Over Camelot as another cooperative game, but unlike Pandemic this adds the element of a traitor towards the end of the game to keep things interesting (though sadly I think this one is out of print); Agricola is another worker placement type euro game that is a lot of fun, though a bit less in depth than Le Havre. We also really enjoy playing some lighter and quicker two player games like Lost Cities, Bohnanza or Bohnanza the Duel, Patchwork, and 7 Wonders Duel, among others. Killer Bunnies is a game of chaos and silliness that we bust out when we’ve got my siblings together and occasionally play with just the two of us, too. When we first started gaming more regularly we were broke and in college, but it was one of our favorite things to go the local game shop every few weeks and pick up a new expansion for the game and then spend the next few days playing over and over and over.

Kids changed how we game, mostly because we have so much less time, but it’s great that they’re finally at an age where we can start introducing them to kids versions of games and they’ve begun to build their own collection with games like Quacks and Co. and Flash Point: Fire Rescue being their current favorites alongside the classics like uno, war, and Sleeping Queens. My middle child and only son would play a board game from the moment he woke up until the moment he went to sleep and I love it.

It’s such a great hobby that challenges your brain, brings families together, and has so many options to find something that you love. Highly recommend it! I love to talk board games so if you’ve got questions, hit me up!

July 7, 2023

• Brush: Farvour Turncraft B15
• Razor: Leaf Elite
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (3)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Mélange
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Mélange
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Spice EdT

Can't go wrong with the Spice Mélange on Fremen Friday!

As far as hobbies? Those the things you look forward to all day/week, finally get home and just sit on the couch instead because you're too tired?

I tend to go through phases of really being into something, then it will fall to the wayside for something new, and then I will end up circling back around to it. I really enjoy using fountain pens, but don't end up with much to write about these days. The big one currently is probably motorcycles given the nice weather. Shaving soaps are far cheaper.

#ROTY

July 7, 2023 Fremen Friday

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Razorock F400 #TOLL
• Razor: Gillette Tech (Gold) #REGUS
• Blade: Voskhod (2)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Co. - Seaforth! Spiced
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Co. - Seaforth! Spiced
• Fragrance: Dior - Sauvage Elixir

I'll start off by saying that I wholeheartedly agree with with the statement "Bay Rum++". However, when I saw the spiced theme on the calendar I knew I would be working the rest of the month around me using Spiced today. Shawn has absolutely killed every scent done for Spearhead, but Spiced is the top dog for me. I slightly overloaded, as is normal with this huge brush, but having too much lather isn't anything I see myself ever complaining about. The Tech did normal tech things and I was able to get a great shave with no complaints. Wrapped up the shave with Sauvage Elixir that ties all my hardware together by it all being on theme for the day.

WARNING - Before reading my response to the challenge, I know that it may be controversial and obviously my intention is not to offend or stir up contention with anyone in our wonderful community. In short the answer to my other hobby is hunting so please don't continue if you don't want to.

CHALLENGE - >!Other than shaving I read when I can, game a little bit, and have even picked up woodworking recently. However, if there was one thing that I enjoy more than just about anything else its hunting. I picked up archery hunting several years ago and if you know me you know that's really almost all I think about. I love it because of the challenge it presents in stalking and taking down game, the connection to nature and the outdoors, and the sense of accomplishment and skill when successful in a hunt. Until I was 25 yards from a screaming bull elk I didn't know I hadn't really lived. Living where I live now, I have had to opportunity to hunt elk, deer, antelope, bear, and have even come 20 yards from mountain lions with nothing more than my bow. I enjoy back country archery hunting more specifically meaning that I hike in for miles with everything I need for about a week on my back and hope for the best. Days and nights can be long, hot, cold, and miserable, but the connection to the outdoors and the animals I come across is something I can't find really anywhere else. !<

Some of the potential weird jargon would be things like - Draw weight, anchor point, glassing, spot-and-stalk, and bugling.

Friday, July 7, 2023

• Brush: Declaration Grooming - Unicorn Bone Jefferson - 28mm B7
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - WR2 0.75 DC x WRH2
• Blade: Personna Med Prep
• Lather: Stirling Soap Company - Black Ice - Soap
• Post Shave: Proraso - Protective with Aloe and Vitamin E (Blue) - Balm

Day 7 of Lather Games: I had originally planned to use Melange to really hit the Fremen Friday nail on the head, but I just wasn't feeling it. I looked at the referenced list of spice notes on Fragrantica, and I saw an early and immediate standout... Anise. I happen to have Stirling Black Ice, which is scented with anise essential oil. It also features menthol. It's like an ice cold shot of sambuca. I chose to pair it with the Proraso Blue balm because Italy and because it uses licorice extract to soothe the skin. The scent is not noticeably licorice-y - it's actually "a modern, spicy fragrance with notes of amber and musk" - but I figured it wouldn't conflict with the anise scent too much.

July 7, 2023 – Massacre of the MAMIL

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Guard
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Massacre of the Innocents
• Post-Shave Fine Accouterments - American Blend

Spicy. In the world of road cycling that’s what we call a group ride that is a little faster than advertised. One where you weren’t expecting to be huffing and puffing and trying desperately to hold on to the wheel of the rider in front of you before getting dropped entirely and having to limp your way home alone. Massacre of the innocents is the spiciest I’ve got and turns out, despite some random internet reviews, it’s not all that spicy. In road cycling terms it’s a coffee ride, one where you get to know the rider next to you, spin the legs and spin the yarn, while getting a decent workout, and stopping halfway for coffee and a pastry. Great. Just not that spicy. Maybe next year. The scent really reminded me of some NO scents. Finished it off with my usual American Blend for that anise to mix with that soft cinnamon of the massacre. Thanks again to u/Tetriside for the smush to help me get through this LG. Riding up Mt. Baldy this Sunday, hoping I don’t bonk on the way up! I’ve got another cycling themed shave coming up later in the month that I’m super psyched about. Any other MAMILs (middle age men in Lycra) out there? Anyone following the Tour de France? Now that I’m shaved, time to enjoy some conveyor belt sushi.

Cheers! 🤙

ROTY

Last week sotd

Brush yaqi deep space 26mm tux knot

Speick v2 shave stick

Pearl L-55 open comb

Gilette Thin blade

Alum block + Anherb after shave balm

July 7, 2023

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
• Razor: Karve CB SB-B
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Massacre of the Innocents

/u/tetriside helped me out with this smoosh, thank you!! Top note of cinnamon which to me stands out with a woody/tobacco base, making it cinna-spicy for today. I paired with Armonía for the complementary tobacco, since I’m lacking on the spicy AS.

As for my hobbies, I love cooking and specifically I love the technique of it. I’m very particular with verbiage and how everything is made, ie I hate when restaurants called sautéed onions caramelized onions. I guess that’s my jargon since I’m not a professional. They take time to make, damn it! I’m into cooking with the seasons and using whatever I can find locally from meats, vegetables/fruits, to sauces and specialty items. My other hobby is skiing, mostly alpine but picking up cross country as of last winter. I love to fly down groomers for relaxing days and into the glades for really really fun and exciting days. Cross country is just nice for when the slopes are packed or to mix things up. We make it out to the west coast of the US at least once, preferably more, every season. Otherwise we’re heading mostly to Vermont with some Hampshire thrown in. Tons of ski jargon but I’m too vanilla to use it - pow, shred, etc. The best I got is talking about gear, like cut, flex, camber, whatever else but it’s not really jargon, just what it is.

One week down - 23 days to go.

Friday, the 7th of July, 2023

• Brush: Omega Pro 49, red handle (10049)
• Razor: Timeless ALSB45
• Blade: Gillette Rubie (23)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Joker
• Post shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Spiced
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Lavande Poivre

Joker is a well-blended scent, but when I open the tub, and also when lathered up, the cardamom pops out to greet me. I, at least, find it a prominent note in this scent. ... I guess we'll see, if the djudges agree. I'd say the sandalwood is also fairly prominent; it's what I notice after the cardamom. Honestly, the rest of it is pretty well blended to my nose, and as I often complain, I can't always pick out specific notes. Just two, here.

What better to follow a spicy shave than Spearhead's Seaforth! Spiced? Indisputably spicy, I also love the citrus in the opening here. I think I also like the aldehydes? I may need that perfumery class to understand exactly which notes those contribute. And I finished off the scents today with the peppery, lavendery, Lavande Poivre. Hopefully a fitting tribute to spicy notes.

On today's challenge to talk about your hobbies, I'm a very casual hobbyist, I think. I'm occasionally casually into running, but I've kinda dropped it this year. I'm casually into cooking... but I've been making mostly just variations on tacos this year. Have you tried beet tacos with mustard? I found this surprisingly good. Much better than the turnip tacos; while I like the alliteration there, they're just not that good. I love listening to music, but haven't picked up an instrument since I was 13 or 14. That probably doesn't qualify as a hobby. I suppose I might qualify as a casual gamer, but I probably haven't played what you have. I'm also a bit into weird health-related stuff... mostly centered around diet, nutrition, and things like fasting. I guess I'm a little all over the place.

07.07.2023- Fremen Friday

• Prep: PAA Cube

• Razor: Carbon Shaving Co. CX-316L with (+) plate

• Blade: Gillette - Platinum

• Brush: Omega 11126 (24x55mm Boar)

• Lather: MacDuff's Soap Co. - Prairie Rumrunner

• Post Shave: MacDuff's Soap Co. - Prairie Rumrunner

Macduffs is really an under appreciated brand, maybe it’s because Maggard’s doesn’t sell it but you don’t see too many people using it. I love this bay rum, notes are West Indies bay, tobacco, lime, orange, ginger, allspice and it’s not on the label but I think hay. Most are a clove bomb with the Eugenol of the bay but the tobacco and hay add something else for a pleasant experience. The soap is also awesome, super soft and almost cream like it makes a think yogurt lather.

I don’t have too many other hobbies, time is a premium lately but I do enjoy fishing when I have the time to get away. It’s something I picked back up during COVID and have kept at it as something to do with my dad and I’m looking forward to being able to take my little ones when they’re old enough.

SOTD

July 7, 2023 – Do You Spice?  

• Brush: Simpson Synthetic  
• Razor: Merkur 34C  
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue   
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Barnegat Bay  

It had the most spices on the label so it got the pick for today. I’m still looking for a soap that smells like an orange stuck full of cloves that weak every Christmas.

Hobbies. Where to start. There aren’t many crafts I haven’t done. Love to bake. Enjoy camping and backpacking when I have time. Fountain pens amuse me. Lately been into the Dungeons and the Dragons. That comes with the fun phrase Murder Hobos. Your party of noble heros that runs around itinerate and killing anyone and everyone they have even the slightest reason to believe they can. They are murder hobos.

JULY 7, 2023

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillette SuperSpeed Vintage 1967
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - New York
• Post Shave: Barrister & Man - Leviathan Splash

So this was my first time using this soap for Fremen Friday theme. Late shave today since I was late for work this morning and didn’t have time to shave. I must say I didn’t expect to like NY but turns out to be awesome!!! The notes of coffee, cardamom, amber, vanilla, leather are just a few I can kind of detect (I think). Anyways the Coffee is balanced by the sweetness of Vanilla, and definitely something spicy in there for sure but it’s subtle. So not surprisingly I am adding this to my wish list. Leviathan splashed complemented the whole ordeal really well but it was kind of overpowering to a point I could not smell NY anymore but that’s okay! It’s a pretty good scent in itself!

As for a hobby I have come to realize I am extremely boring person. Not many hobbies if any but I do like to garden and this year things have been growing pretty well! Here are the current status if my garden. My first and only tomato so far… maybe I am not that good at gardening either.

ROTY

July 7, 2023 – Lather Games: Day 7

Brush: Yaqi Synthetic

Razor: Tatara Muramasa

Blade: Gillette Nacet

Lather: Master Soap Creations – Vintage Spice

Post Shave: Master Soap Creations – Vintage Spice

MSC Vintage Spice reminds me of the Old Spice my dad wore when I was a kid. It is way better than the current formulation of Old Spice scent. Vintage Spice is a manly scent and isn’t for the timid. Enough said.

My other hobby is something I’m just getting into. I like to collect knives. At the moment, I just own a few smaller, less expensive knives, but I really like having them. I never thought I’d buy a bunch of knives I would never use and just let them sit. For some reason, it makes my happy. lol

July 07, 2023 * Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts w/ Declaration B9a * Razor: Merkur 34C * Blade: Gillette Nacet * Lather: Barrister and Mann - Melange - Soap * Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Melange - Balm * Fragrance: Seaforth! - Spiced - EdP

He who controls the spice, controls the universe.I initially had fears about this scent being too much in the heat of summer, but I reminded myself that I must not fear, fear is the mind-killer. So when the calendar had today's theme as "Fremen Friday" I began making plans within plans to use this soap today and what a soap it is. Omnibus base is amazing, if not just a little too thirsty. The scent is a masterpiece. Upon inhaling the spice melange, I cannot help but be folded through space to the desert planet Arrakis. This stuff is addicting too, after enough use your eyes become blue-within-blue.

The energy for additional hobbies is dwindling these days. Does lawncare count? HAHA! At what point does something become a hobby? I enjoy drinking bourbon quite a bit, does that make it a hobby instead of alcoholism? I dont' think any of these things are more weird than trying to explain wetshaving to a stranger. Things to ponder while ingesting the spice.

The spice must flow!