July 9, 2023

• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .84
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (4)
• Lather: Noble Otter – Thé Noir et Vanille
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. (Formerly Oleo Soapworks) – Rougére

According to Noble Otter, this soap is meant to smell like "a late night cup of tea in Paris". I really have no idea what a late night tea in Paris smells like, but I certainly hope this is it. The soap opens with a big hit of black tea, and fades into vanilla and bergamot, giving a striking resemblance to earl grey. Really, just an incredible scent.

For today's daily challenge, … I walked to a different room in my house to shave. Also, I should really do a better job drying off my kettle and french press.

​

Shaving With Tea to the tune of Afternoon Tea by The Kinks

Lyrics:

Shave time won't be the same without my lather

At night I lie awake and dream of lather

I think about the scent of cafe

That's I want to lather each day

And then I think I’ll sit a while

And have my afternoon shave

I'll have a shave with tea (shaving with tea)

If you shave with me (shaving with tea)

You take as long as you like

Cause I like to shave

I make lather with tea (shaving with tea)

You take cream if you please (shaving with tea)

Like you shaving with me

Because you shave my face

July 9, 2023 – LG2023 Day Nine – Coffee Day

• Brush: Omega – IL Rasoio 28mm HD Silvertip
• Razor: Swing – Swing Travel DE
• Blade: Polsilver (10)
• Lather: Bufflehead Soap Co. – North York
• Post Shave: Extro – Caffè

Morning Degenerates

Coffee day was a tough pick for me as I have a few but I went with North York from bufflehead, with notes of Coffee, Vanilla, Barley, and Blood Orange it’s not a straight up death by coffee slap you in the face espresso, more so this is a gentle Latte on a cosy Sunday Morning.

Bufflehead head are another sadly now extinct Soap artisan and you don’t see there stuff traded too often either so I’m happy to still keep a couple of tins in the den.

With today’s task being to shave in the kitchen (I did notice the subtle invitation to use someone else’s kitchen but I’m not that brave) I thought I was just as well to make use of my coffee equipment at the same time.

I soaked the brush with water from my machine while I carefully prepped my coffe Puck but not for drinking this time. Puck prepared I turned my faithful beast on and bathed my soap (in my scuttle) in a wonderful aroma of fresh rich espresso. I’m not sure if it was too much water of the oils in the coffee but I will confess the lather wasn’t the best I have ever produced but I proceeded to slap in on my head regardless. The scent was strong, three wasn’t a chance that any of the original soaps note would break though but I must confess this did smell like a very edible lather.

The hardware today we’re both items I had been searching for a while with the Brush just an Omega but with the IL Rasoio graphics you don’t see these very often at all and other than this one I haven’t seen one for sale in a very long time.

The Swing is a razor I became attracted to because of its disc like case and again although they are sold now and again I didn’t want to sell a kidney to get one so I was happy when a friend offered me this one. The shave is just smooth as you like with the efficiency to match.

All in all another good shave and I hope you all have a good Sunday.

Player brews fresh espresso into his shave bowl and uses it to build his lather for extra coffee goodness.

Player brews fresh espresso into his shave bowl and uses it to build his lather for extra coffee goodness.

LGSOTD 09-July

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Declaration Grooming B16 #SHD
• Razor: Henckels Friodur 17  #STR8SNOB   
• Lather: Ariana & Evans – Cha Cha Matcha
• Post Shave: Ariana & Evans – Cha Cha Matcha AS

To cover the theme for the day I'm cracking on with tea, but in this instance it's green. Whilst again I'm not a fan of the drink, much prefer the morning kick up the arse with coffee but I struggled to find one in Soap form, but this is actually quite pleasant. Unsurprisingly green, fresh and very decent performance, the splash has a fair longevity as well. 

Diving on with the straight as well, the Friodur 17 is a cracking razor. I thought going to 7/8 would be a bit of a step up but it's actually very manoeuvrable, as with my two others it holds it's edge really well. Wonderfully smooth finish. 

For the challenge of the day, shaving in the kitchen. I realise that this is only early days and the challenges are likely to escalate, but I've already got my Mrs sizing me up for a straight jacket. A very strange setup, I'm 6'5" so trying to shave over the sink was a no go. I had no option but to shave over the hob, mirror on the extractor and a pot to dump the lather/rinse the razor, weird. Saying that, shaving in natural light was actually quite nice for once. 

Think I can slot the hob on as technology, not particularly advanced I know…perhaps a stretch, nay worries! 

Safe shaves everyone, have a good'un. 

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

Jul. 9, 2023
Brush: Simpson Trafalgar 2
Razor: Green Cult GC 2.0 II
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Lather: Barrister and Mann - Cheshire - Soap
Post Shave:* Barrister And Mann - Lavanille - Balm

Pros and cons of shaving in the kitchen:

Cons: -No mirror so has to use SO’s little mirror and had to have it at crotch height.

-Cats though I was making something so kept getting in the way

-Just weird…

Pros:

• can make Tea while shaving with tea soap.

• had the idea to use filtered water to make lather, felt a little better.

-Lather game clout

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Prep: Warm Shower
Brush: Omega Professional - Boar-10098
Razor: Schick Double edge - pre Krona
Blade: Wilkinson Sword (3)
Lather: Master Soap Creations - Peppermint Latte- Soap

A nice shave today. The soap has coffee notes and a cooling effect, a win-win on a humid summer day.

Jul. 9, 2023 - COFFEE!

• Prep: Hot Cup of Joe

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Mighty Duck v19 Fanchurian #SHD #COMPOSITE

• Razor: Gillette Ranger Tech #REGUS

• Blade: Astra Green (1)

• Lather: Proraso - Green Tea & Oat

• Post Shave: Folgers - Black Silk Coffee

• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - 1904

The correct question every morning is not “do you want coffee?” It’s “how much coffee?” As a parent of two young boys (4 & 1) my morning revolves around coffee. This is an unfortunate reality to life, I would much rather be able to wake up well rested but when you have a child jumping on your head at 5am there’s only so much hope for the morning going well.

My shave might be a little all over the place, but I’m shooting for 30 brands and the rules clearly say “the scent of tea or coffee” so I figured both is good!

Shave in yo kitchen? I’ll do you one better than that I figured what’s better than a kitchen inside a kitchen? First things first, make coffee! Gather supplies while pondering bowl options, then set up shaving station with a view! Get lathering making sure to use that good good bean juice. Finally shave and apply splash and profit!

I just recently found this razor at a local antique store and this is my first time getting to use it. I thought it was a super speed at first but thanks to some help here with the ID found out what it is. Pretty cool history that it was only made in 2 years, I think this is the 1941 model but it doesn’t have a date code so best I can tell is by the lack of end caps.

My #photocontest of the day is #Society seeing as making coffee is an “everyday thing” this totally qualifies!

Used coffee as post-shave

Used coffee as post-shave

• Prep:
• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Hybrid / Maggard Premium Boar 26mm
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite SS
• Blade: Personna Comfort Coated (3)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co - Bay Rum
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Rooster's Nest - Bourbon Bay Rum
• Fragrance:

Bay Rum is a great tea or coffee scent due to its warm and aromatic qualities that can complement the comforting and inviting aromas of these beverages. The spicy and woodsy notes in Bay Rum harmonize beautifully with the earthy and roasted undertones found in tea and coffee, creating a delightful olfactory experience. Whether it's the cozy aroma of a freshly brewed cup of tea or the rich fragrance of a robust coffee, Bay Rum adds a layer of complexity and sophistication, making it a wonderful choice for those seeking a scent that enhances their tea or coffee rituals.

Sun Jul 09 2023

• Prep: Coffee, Face wash soap/warm water
• Razor: Merker 34C HD
• Blade: Feather New Hi-Stainless
• Brush: Semogue 620
• Lather: Crown & Crane - Green Tea
• Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman AS Lotion

Awesome sunday morning shave. First time using Crown and & Crane. The green tea sent was for sure there. I have a very insensitive nose but also picked up scent of citrus. The lather was really rich and foamy. The shave was very slick.

Against my better judgement I shaves in the kitchen. Took a portable mirror in there so I could see what I was doing. Good shave, but definitely missed the big mirror and the bright lights.

ROTY

Today I shaved with Stirling Iced Coffee. I used my Proraso boar brush and Rockwell 6C with a Polsilver blade. I chased it with Daemon aftershave and a shot of CK One Shock. Kitchen shaving is a little weird, but I’ve done worse.

Lather Games Day 9- A Very Green (Tea) Birthday Shave

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving MOAR BOAR (31 mm x 57 mm ) #CHONK #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Gamechanger .84
• Blade: Astra - SP Green (5)
• Lather: Crown & Crane - Green Tea Soap
• Post Shave: Proraso - Eucalyptus Oil and Menthol Splash
• Post Shave: Crown & Crane - Green Tea balm

As much as I do love coffee in the morning, I do not like shaving with coffee scents. It's too much. I don't want to smell the Nectar of the Gods on my face all day. So in my quest to achieve 30 artisans in 30 days, I decided to find a tea scent from an artisan not already on the calendar. I stumbled into Crown & Crane and this green tea scent and achievement unlocked. I'm not much of a tea drinker, but damn this scent is spot on for green tea and it smells really, really good. It's a nice and bright tea scent. Unfortunately, C&C doesn't make splashes, only balms, but the Green Tea balm over the Proraso smells wonderful. All in all, it's a damn fine pinkies up kinda morning to start my birthday.

As to the Daily Challenge, just like last year, I'm bowing out in the interest of marital harmony. I just don't need to get 20 questions from my wife as to why I'm shaving in the kitchen sink.

July 9, 2023 – It’s a kitchen!

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (1)
• Lather: Master Soap Creations – Peppermint Latte
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Hipster
• Post Shave: Nivea – Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – 1904

Shave in a kitchen, ok. Doesn’t have to be my kitchen? Double ok. My kids have a Disney Princess Kitchen Set I can shave in. No mirror? Fine I’ll use my tablet in camera mode. (that only kinda worked). Of course it’s short so you gotta sit cross-legged and run using a bowl and towel. Don’t believe I did this? My daughter captured photographic proof. (WARNING: I’m clothed so pic is sfw, but I’m also just wearing shorts and a t-shirt so you probably don’t want to click on it.)

Shave went surprisingly well I gotta say all things considered. No nicks, fairly smooth. I used a wet towel to soften the whiskers. Since it’s kitchen day I broke out a mixing bowl for rinsing water and my trusty baseball helmet ice cream bowl to make the lather.

My #fof only sorta worked here. Obviously coffee ties all these together, but while coffee is prominent in the soap that has only 2 notes (no dq concerns there), after 15 minutes of shaving your nose is blown out by the peppermint. I got nothing off hipster. I showered before applying 1904 which brought some back. But in my ongoing thread of “how chatty lux speaks to a fellow St Louisian” let’s talk coffee. Coffee is a seriously underrated part of St. Louis. Shawn’s right to speak of the 3rd wave roasters. My morning coffee is from a small operation in North St. Louis, my wife and I basically courted at the on campus Kaldi location. But STL also has a few massive operations too. If you’ve drank coffee at a big hotel good chance it as made by Ronnoco (which is O’Connor spelled backwards.) who is hq’d here. And my old office was a few blocks from Thomas Coffee. Roasting days were my favorite day to walk into the building. Sure it’s a canned coffee but in a pinch you could do worse at the price point. (it was one of our go tos during our budget troubles.)

For #photocontest gonna go a different way than u/jwoods23. Yes coffee but I’m going to go with technology. Modern coffee makers are getting increasingly complex. This one alters timing based on brew size and type (it does coffee concentrate and iced coffee with proper ratios.) Sure a simple pour over or French press is good, but I can’t set that the night before. Technology is great.

Also #ROTY gotta keep it going.

Jul. 9, 2023
Brush: Maggard’s Synthetic
Razor: Blackland Vector Ti
Blade: Kai Captain ProTouch MG
Lather: Barrister And Mann - Cheshire - Soap
Post Shave: Noble Otter - Bare - Aftershave
Post Shave: Ariana & Evans - Post Shave Balm - Balm

I don’t have a kitchen right now because I’m traveling for work all week. I’ve got all my soaps sitting on the counter so housekeeping must think I’m a bit weird, but probably not the weirdest thing they’ve ever seen. Since I don’t have a kitchen, I shaved where the coffee pot is, using my reflection in the glass from the hung picture over the coffee pot. All in all, not a great shave.

This soap smells almost exactly like Earl Grey tea, it’s pretty wild how close they came to it.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

July 09, 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 (4)
• Lather: B+M – Leviathan
• Aftershave: B+M – Leviathan
• Fragrance: B+M – Leviathan

Russian leather, sandalwood, coffee, cedar, and musk. Great scent, fun shave. Sadly the EdT is a bit weak and doesn't last long.

#LatherGames #DeathBeforeDecaf

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eKXjoDfGcM ← Phoenix Artisan Accouterments | Space Of July | Smells Like Grilling And BBQ | Ft. Odd "Quantum Doc"

July 9, 2023 – Tea Day

• Brush: Solid Set B3
• Razor: Schick Injector G1
• Blade: Shick Injector blade (3)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Cheshire
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Cheshire
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – 88 Chestnut Street

Vacation shave number 2. Cheshire is just such a nice and enjoyable scent.

I am 100% going to pass on the challenge today. My parents are well aware of my hobby. They are amazing supporters of my business, and they know I drug my brother along with me to a, “shaving convention” as they call it, in Michigan. However, shaving in their kitchen is a lot. My wife shaking her head at me is one thing, but my wife, mother, and father shaking their head would be just a bit too much.

JULY 9, 2023

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillette SuperSpeed Vintage 1967
• Lather: Gentlemans Nod - Musashi
• Post Shave: Thayers - Witch Hazel w/ alcohol

So this shave was weird! I have never shaved in a kitchen before. Positives about it were plenty of room and how close to the coffee maker I was lol… Negatives were that I made a mess which earn me a trip to the dog house. Today’s quote was “ Why are you shaving in the place where we eat? Don’t be gross”. So it was a fast shave to say the least! I must say I was not a fan of the GN scent when I open the sample but after lathering my face it got better. All I could smell was tea (advertised as jasmine) but it was pretty good. Back to cleaning the kitchen. Ya’ll have a good one.

ROTY

Edit: Crap forgot to post pic!!!

July 9, 2023 – Bulletproof coffee

• Brush: Mühle – Silvertip badger with resin handle
• Razor: Blackland Era
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (4)
• Lather: Black Ship Grooming – Captain Joe
• Post Shave: WestMan – Mazagran
• Fragrance: Hugo – Reversed

Daily Challenge: First thing you have to do in the morning, is to get up and take a cold shower. Do not hesitate! Dont stand there and wait till you are ready. weak peope react, strong people anticipate. Will it be cold? Yes. Will it hurt? Yes. Will you make sqeeking sounds? Depends on your type, but yes. Why do I do it very day? I force myself to be uncomfortable. If you get used to beeing uncomfortable, you are unstoppable. Damusi delayed? Another artisan joining the unoptainium list? Missed DG brush drop? Who cares? You do not! Do you know why? Because this morning, there under the shower, where Siberias cold whiplash beat its icy claws into your back and you looked death right in the eye… Not today.
The second thing I do, is to go to the kitchen, make some tea for me and coffee for my girlfriend. While everything brews, I start to build my daily lather. You need to be efficient in your life, you do not want to waste time. Precision lathering, GUTL, face lathering, FMF?!!! Forget it!
We live in a modern, technology society. Make use of the tools mankind developped to make your life easier. Nobody gets a medal for living on hard mode. How long does it take to build your lather 45- 60 seconds? More? I ‘ll show you how to get great lather in less than 15 seconds.
Do you know what that means? Every day we shave, I am saving 45 seconds of my time. Thats 315 seconds per week, 1350 seconds per month, 16.000 seconds per year. In 10 years thats about 4.5 hours time I saved. Do you know what you could do in that time?
You start with a full spoon of soap. You think that’s too much? You got to think big if you want to accomplish something in your life.
See, your lather is like your life. You need a good foundation. Thats the soap base. You need a vision! How does your perfect lather look like? Visualize it! And lastly, you need a plan. Hydrate the plan, ehh the soap.
While the tea brews, I shave as fast as I can. No need to leave the kitchen. Where you are right now, is exactly where you should be. . Need a mirror? No you don’t need one. Use your senses. What do you smell, what do you hear, what do you feel? You can do it, I believe in you. Bring your significant other the coffee you just made, step into the bathroom and get some aftershave. Does it burn? Maybe. Things do not always go as expected. Again. React, or anticipate. Embrace the moment, embrace the scent. Apply some fragrance to your wrists so you do not go nose blind. Take something energizing. Now you are ready to be successfull.

FOF

Coffee soaps are a novelty to me. I knew the lathergames would push my den development to this scent once ( I can’t stop talking that way…). It’s not that I do not like the smell of coffee, but there have been more fascinating scents to me. Blackship grooming is a new soap to me and my biggest soap purchase for this years LG. The soap is super soft. I had to look if it’s soap or creme. My Palmolive is more dense than this. But I like the small coffee bean in it. The scent is pretty sweat for coffee and closer to iced coffee powder. I also get a bit of rum from it. A coffee soap for people who are not used to drink coffee. u/Teufelskraft also lend me this aftershave. I did not check the lid and had almost the whole bottle in my palms. Damn. The aftershave matches the soap pretty well. Mazagran seems to be a coffee from portugal with rum, sugar, lemon and mint. As fragrance I chose Huge Reversed, more for its marketing and our theme. Since we use coffee to feel energized and fresh, I chose a refreshing fragrance. Hugo claims to have revolutionized freshness with this. I doubt it, but its simply good. Its forward citrus with wood. In my collection, I have a few of these combinations, but this one is way more citrus than others I have used. Unfortunately there is not much depth in this scent. It also does not really develop into something. Citrus looses its spotlight, but stays on stage as a background character, while wood plays a bigger role.

A final note to myself. I did my shave on speedrun mode, but am pretty happy with the result. The area where the cheekbones end has a little invisible and barely feelable stubble. The soap burned me a little bit. Still, both the soap and aftershave feel well. I have to revisit the soap again without shenanigans. Since my gf is on vacation, shaving in the kitchen was nothing special. Just Marquis doing weird things again. She supported me last year, so I expect her to know how crazy the games can get. Still she shakes her head pretty regularly.

User creates lather in his KitchenAid.

User creates lather in his KitchenAid, and describes it quite well.

Jul. 9, 2023

• Brush: Grizzly Bay Centurion V5 Fanchurian Badger
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite SS
• Blade: Personna Super
• Lather: Storybook Soapworks - Coffee Spoons - Soap
• Post Shave: Storybook Soapworks - Coffee Spoons - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Osma - Alum

“Kitchen Coffee” shave?

Sunday’s in our house I usually make breakfast. I am responsible for making the coffee every day as well.

Why, you ask? Well, it is in the Bible: “Hebrews”….

Dad jokes aside, I have always liked this base and this scent is more “coffee black”, than “coffee regular”….

Two pass shave.

Theme song for today? Tom's Diner (DNA Remix)

Photo of shave "in progress"

Resident shave-dad makes dad-joke in the kitchen

July 9, 2023 – LG Day 9 – The Normalized Substance Addiction of Caffeine

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Exclusive MOAR Boar 31mm #CHONK
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable
• Blade: Sharp Star
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Irish Coffee
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Woodshop
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Rumble

Coffee. We drink it, a lot of it, and make sure people know we drink it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my coffee. I genuinely enjoy not just the taste, but also my routine of making it in the morning (Japanese-style flash-brewed iced coffee using a french press, if you’re curious). I just wonder how healthy it is for us to not only normalize this addiction but also to use it as an excuse for being a jerk in the morning.

Anyway, the classic Lather Games kitchen shave. I’m seeing my friends’ parents later today, and I considered bringing my setup and shaving in their kitchen today, but I didn’t want to have to explain my reasons and end up talking about shaving, Reddit, and cults for the entire visit. Thankfully, my view at my kitchen sink isn’t half bad. Plus, I have a handheld mirror that I usually use to check my lather on the back of my head and ensure I didn’t miss any spots. This made my life easier than some, who had a mirror-less face shave. However, although I could see the sides and top of my head (and hanging pan rack), I kept instinctually putting the mirror behind my head to then realize that doesn’t help me at all when I don’t have a mirror in front of me, too. It’s not the first time I’ve had to do this – I shave by feel when staying at friends’ houses or when camping – but it’s not the easiest thing to do, and I have a couple of birthmarks that using a mirror helps me to avoid nicking. Thankfully, we made it through today’s shave cut-free, largely thanks to CBubs incredible soap.

For my #FOF, I kept it pretty simple today. Soap: coffee and irish whiskey. Splash: coffee, bourbon, and woods. Frag: coffee, chocolate, rum. Three of my favorite wet shaving scents, all different but wonderfully complimentary, and all celebrating coffee.

The only thing missing was booze in my actual coffee, but I’m about to drive to NH, so the boozy coffee scents will have to do.

July 9, 2023

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Zenith 507U XSE
• Razor: Merkur 34G
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: Barrister And Mann - Cheshire
• Post Shave: Historic & Oak - Italian Soda
• Fragrance: None

I do enjoy tea, but I'm primarily a coffee drinker. Shout out to /u/tsrblke for hooking me up with B&M Cheshire. A great scent, it smells like what I think a really classy boutique would smell like. I finished up the shave with H&O Italian Soda, which I find complements the scent very well.

As for today's challenge, I am blessed enough to shave a mirror in my kitchen, so no serious issues. Actually, quite the opposite, way more counter space than in my bathroom. Although it was less than practical doing a 180 from the mirror to the sink to rinse. Until tomorrow!

#ROTY

July 9, 2023 – Lather Games – Day 9

Brush: Zenith Boar

Razor: Tatara Muramasa

Blade: Gillette Nacet

Lather: Wholly Kaw – Iced Tea

Post Shave: Duke Cannon – Ice Bath

I can’t remember when I got this since I had it for awhile, but I rarely use it. I’m not sure why. I love the scent, which does amazingly remind of iced tea (word suggestion?), and the performance is excellent, including the little menthol kick. Perhaps, it’s because I don’t know what aftershave to pair with it. Duke Cannon Ice Bath smells great, and also has menthol. I’m just not sure if they compliment each other or not; my nose sucks sometimes (most of the time). Either way, it was a pleasurable shave.

Well, it was pleasurable sort of. I shaved in the kitchen for this challenge. My significant other didn’t like that too much, and wasn’t shy when telling me. I have been informed that the kitchen is not for shaving and other bathroom activities. It is for cooking, and unless I want my food made in the bathroom, I will not mistake the two again.

July 9, 2023 - A Cup of Joe

Brush: Coffee Mug
Razor: Coffee Grinder
Lather: Cup of Coffee
Post Shave: Caffeine

One of the nice things about taking control of Cowzilla3’s posting on days he’s not shaving because I’ve hacked his accounts is that you don’t have to suffer through his inane excuses for using Old Spice on days that Old Spice doesn’t fit at all. Can you imagine him trying to convince you that Tonka Beans are actually quite close to Coffee Beans so he should be rewarded? BWAHAHHAHAHAH HA HA Ha ha… ha.

It’s nice to have a good laugh.

Anyway, today I drank some coffee in my kitchen, took some time to think, and relaxed. It was the same thing that shaving helps me do and put me into a very Air Bud state of mind. Now, the rules now state that this won’t count as shave, of course, but we all know that in reality, the Air Bud Rule is far more than finding loopholes so all you have to do is lather. The arguments have already been made and proven for why, if you’re truly committed, all you need to do is lather to shave. But… maybe Cowzilla3 didn’t go far enough. Do we even need to lather at all? I’d argue no. I was put into a shaving state of mind simply be taking a moment with my cup of coffee in my kitchen (an on-theme, on-daily-challenge moment). For the same justifications that trimming hair off your face is not needed to shave we can simply state that as long as you are thinking about shaving and keeping the process in your heart then you have shaved.

Of course, this would bring the Lather Games tumbling to the ground so most Air Budians would rather not admit it. They may even call me a heretic. That I am going to far. That power like this will only lead to my, Air Bud Ruler, downfall. To that, I say, that there is no too far! Join or else!

Sorry, I… I got carried away. Air Bud is open to all — from those who feel the need to lather to those that do not.

No matter where you fall, you can, of course, join the Air Bud Quest!

2023-07-09 Death Before Decafe

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps - Mountain Laurel, synthetic 26mm Maggard knot (from London Razors Mountain Laurel release PIF)
• Razor: Ikon Razors - Ikon Short Comb with Bulldog 80 mm handle
• Blade: Tiger Platinum, DE
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Iced Coffee
• Post Shave: Talent Soap Factory - I ♥ Bacon

Nice shave. The Ikon Short Comb is a bit of an underrated razor. Saw it discussed somewhere yesterday and decided to grab it for use today. Clean, free of nicks and such.

A quick look at the scents on the software for today:

Iced Coffee shave soap - As per Stirling, "Coffee! With menthol and a little hazelnut, “Made with a roasted black coffee fragrance with a hint of hazelnut, this soap also packs an icy menthol kick. This is a great unisex scent.”

I ♥ Bacon aftershave - As per Talent Soap Factory "savory notes of hickory smoked bacon and wood smoke are enhanced with nuances of Vermont maple sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and fresh morning coffee."

From the bottle of the aftershave a poem:

There once was a pig from Peru Who said, "I love bacon too. I know its a sin, but I can't help but give in. Bacon just makes me go Woo!"

-Mary Bukowski

A quick note: For the aftershave when you put it on it smells like a pancake breakfast. Unfortunately as the scent wears on the aftershave - and it could sub for a cologne or possibly more (it is detectable on my skin at least 6 hours out) - the something is getting warm scent along with the maple begins to project more than the rest of the bundle. People begin asking if something is getting warm (like an electrical chord) so I usually save this aftershave for times like Thanksgiving where there are lots of food scents. With context people get it and understand the scent (again this is 3+ hours out) however without - some get nervous.

Take care and have a good one.

• Brush: AP Shave Co 30mm Synbad #CHONK #FAUXFUR

• Razor: Muhle Rocca R94

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: Hoffman's Shaving Co. - Affogato

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Rumble

• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - 1904

Today's Theme: Coffee - everything in today's shave has coffee notes to varying degrees

Today's Challenge: Shave in the kitchen day - It was a bit odd shaving in the kitchen sink since I don't have a mirror, but it was rather nice just looking out into the backyard and relying on feedback from my razor and my skin to guide me on where to shave. Honestly I got a pretty darn good shave out of it, though I may have fucked up my sideburns a little.

My theme for today's shave: The Morning After

So for today's shave, I pulled together all my coffee-adjacent scents, and thought about coffee, my memory associations with the smell, and how the people in this hobby tend to talk about coffee. IRC gets super sexual about coffee all the time, and /u/mammothben describes Rumble as a sexy scent (that will definitely get you laid, if you happen to meet up with /u/rocketk455), so I decided to go all in on sexy coffee, which to me means it's the morning after. Affogato was basically straight up creamy coffee and worked very well for a soap scent, and while Rumble is definitely sexy I find it to be like a new Corvette - really only sexy to other dudes. Lastly CL's 1904 is a great coffee-ish scent that picks up a lot more of the lime note than I expected, though the drydown definitely gets to coffee and cardamom.

And for music, I picked out the sexiest goth metal album (yes, that's not an oxymoron) I have - Prey by Tiamat. It's actually a super mellow album that's definitely got the right rhythm throughout the course of the album for a steamy 45ish minute lovemaking session.

Also, ogre mug, because Shrek is love. Shrek is life. And it's all ogre now. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY

July 9, 2023

• Brush: Simpson Trafalgar T3
• Razor: Blackland Era - Level 3 SB
• Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium (3)
• Lather: Barrister & Mann - Leviathan - Soap
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Admiral - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Korres - Saffron Spices - Balm
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Woodshop - EdP

This shave was just so nice.

Leviathan smells like coffee and dirt to me. The ad copy says the scent is based around a Russian leather accord, so we'll see what the judges think. The label, after all, is a graphic depicting the top of a mug of coffee.

July 9, 2023

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts with Declaration Grooming B10
• Razor: Gillette NEW SC #REGUS
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (4)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Amazelnut - Soap
• Post Shave: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Leviathan - Aftershave

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

---

The logistics of the day prevented me from shaving in the kitchen so I'm taking a pass on that experience.

Amazelnut followed by Leviathan. I ask you, does it get much better? Certainly not for me. Normally, I wouldn't go to these darker scents during the summer, but I thoroughly enjoyed them. I had London Razors Coffee and Contemplation penciled in for the day until I saw the photo contest themes 5 days ago. After that, the photo challenge became obvious.

I learned about the NEW short comb from watching a u/sgrdddy video. These are terrific razors. They shave as well, or better, than any modern DE (IMHO). They are absolutely worth buying if you're looking for a great shave.

Theme: Wild Animals -- #photocontest

https://imgur.com/a/3EfJof2

• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Irish Coffee Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Blackland Era - SB1 #CNC
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - AS Balm (Unscented)

Combined comment for the theme and challenge today...first the challenge. I guess my family has reached the "Acceptance" stage today because nobody batted an eye when I told them I'd be shaving in the kitchen. I guess we're past the point of no return now. I will note that my wife was a bit concerned on the Floral day, because when I was taking the picture of the shave gear outside she questioned whether I'd be shaving outside or not. Nevertheless, the shave in the kitchen went off without a hitch. I used a hand mirror to do this one, it wasn't too bad.

The shave itself was great. I'm a fan of this CB scent, although I use it sparingly. I should probably put this in a more regular rotation because I'm liking it more and more. I used to think it was too sweet of a scent, but I guess my nose appreciates it more now. The razor delivered a comfortable shave, thanks again to u/Walden for the PIF. It's the nicest DE in my collection.

Have a great day folks!

July 9, 2023 – Coffee Day

• Brush: Maggard Razors Timberwolf
• Razor: Maggard Razors MR7/V3
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (2)
• Lather: West of Olympia – Tobacco & Coffee
• Post Shave: Epsilon – Blue Mediterranean

This is one of my favorite soaps of all time. I have liked all of the West of Olympia soaps but this one smells so good. A perfect combination that smells like chocolate to me but I definitely can smell the coffee. The scent has lost a little of its steam over the years but I only use it occasionally since I can’t get more. It looks like u/OlympiaWest isn’t active in here anymore so I doubt he will return to his soap making ways so I’ll just keep conserving. This was probably my best shave of the month. The long handle of the MR7 is very conducive to head shaves and this is the first time of the month I’ve used a different brush, but the one I have been using still smells like Darkfall

July 9, 2023

• Brush: Oumo - Imitate finest two band 24mm synthetic
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Gemutlichkeit
• Post Shave: Storybook Soapworks – Coffee Spoons
• Fragrance: Halloween – Halloween Man X
• Music: Frank Sinatra – The Coffee Song

Today might be my favorite day of the Lather Games. I love trying different coffees from different regions and brewing them in all sorts of ways. Fun Priusaurus Fact: Every year in December,I do “12 Days of Coffee” with my wife and brew coffee 12 different ways in the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Thus, my weakness for coffee soaps isn’t too surprising. And Gemutlichkeit is one of my favorites because it takes coffee and then adds more gourmand sweetness on top of it. As the self-proclaimed Gourmand King, this is right up my alley. I have no idea how to pronounce it, and I have to double check the spelling every time I type it, but Gemutlichkeit is top notch.

Fun challenge today. Shave in the kitchen day?? LEEEEEETTTTTTS GOOOOOOO!!!!!

I looked around my kitchen, looking for something to take my shaves to the next level. And I spotted her. In all her glory. My KitchenAid Professional 600. And I started to wonder… Could I? … Should I? I’m usually a face latherer, but can I use this expensive kitchen gadget to bowl lather? I HAVE TO try. But how? The dough hook! I could somehow attach the brush to the hook. And when you want to attach something to another thing. Duct tape! I used orange, because it’s more fun and I thought I’d be able to see it better if something went awry. I took a scoop of Gemutlickeit, and rubbed it in the mixing bowl. I put my modified brush attachment on the mixer, razed the bowl… And… Turned that son of a bitch on!. I learned if I put it on a setting above 6, the brush starts to come off lather flies everywhere. For those that want to try this at home, setting number 4 seems to be the sweet spot. It didn’t take long to whip up a nice, shiny, beautiful lather.

The shave itself was great. Clean-up and set-up were a pain, so I can’t see myself regularly including my KitchenAid mixer into my daily shave routine, but for a once-a-year occurrence, sure. My family already thinks I’m nuts. Might as well lean into it.

I finished the shave using the gone-but-not-forgotten Coffee Spoons from Storybook Soapworks. I actually picked up this set from Inna’s collection on Murphy & McNeil. I wasn’t fortunate to know or interact with Inna, since I started shaving after he passed away, but it seems like he was loved and respected in this community. I’m glad his collection now lives on in the hands of those in the hobby he loved. The scent of Coffee Spoons is just black coffee, which I appreciate. That’s how I drink my coffee, so while the sweetness of Gemutlichkeit smells delicious, I respect the simplicity of Coffee Spoons.

For the fragrance, I’m using Halloween Man X. And it’s okay. It’s a warm scent with mostly coffee notes, but it also has some bullshit cardamom, lavender, and lemon. I’m okay with the inclusion of whiskey, cinnamon, leather, tonka and amber. Hell, even incense is okaaaay. But I don’t want those first three in my coffee frag, they don’t complement the scent of coffee at all and the #FOF would be better without them (MOIMO).

For the #photocontest, it’s not surprising that I’m including the best drink in the world: coffee! It’s really only appropriate today.

For today’s “10 Questions with…” segment, I have Ron Weide from Chiseled Face Groomatorium. He made the soap I used today, as well as the razor. My first introduction to the Legacy was when u/J33pGuy13 was kind enough to have a passaround, and after literally 1 shave, I decided I needed to add my own Legacy to my arsenal of razors. It looks great, handles beautifully, and shaves wonderfully smooth while being extremely efficient. Ron was kind enough to give a lot of really interesting insights into his business and perspective on where things are trending. Thank you u/chiseledface for taking part. Really appreciate it!

10 Questions with… Chiseled Face Groomatorium

1. So, you have Chiseled Face, Stubble Buster, LA Shaving Co under the Groomatorium umbrella, and each one is a little different. If each of your brands were rival gangs, which one would win in an all-out, no holds barred street fight?

As much as I love all my 'children', Chiseled Face would certainly dominate in a street fight. It represents over 90% of my sales and has a dedicated following.

2. On top of making your own soaps/splashes/frags, you make your razors in house, and you print your own labels in house too. Is that for quality control, cost savings, or something else? Or all of the above?

Making everything in-house certainly involves elements of quality control and cost savings, but mostly, I love learning. The opportunity to master various disciplines and put a personal touch on my products is what makes this job incredibly satisfying.

​

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN THE REPLY)

User MacGyvers a kitchen aid dough hook into a shave brush handle.

I have seen a kitchenaid in the past lather games, but not with the dough hook and shave brush. It was glorious! Also, it was nice to remember inna

July 9, 2023 – Death Before Decaf

• Brush: RazoRock F-400 #TOLL
• Razor: iKon B1 Standard
• Blade: Astra SP (Green)
• Lather: London Razors – Coffee & Contemplation
• Post Shave: London Razors – Coffee & Contemplation
• Fragrance: London Razors – Coffee & Contemplation

A nice coffee trickhole for today. The soap is more gourmand. I prefer the splash and frag as it seems to have less of the cocoa/vanilla sweetness. The F-400 is a 34mm brush with a 65mm loft. It’s stupidly huge. The iKon is a agressive beast. All the gear makes for a nice matching photo. No kitchen shave today.

Scent notes include: coffee, Russian leather, cocoa, vanilla, Virginia cedar, amber, and coconut

• Brush: Simpson Classic #1 synthetic brush
• Razor: Karve Shaving Christopher Bradley
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Irish Coffee
• Post Shave: London Razors - Chapter 2 Coffee and Contemplation splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Rumble EDP

ROTY

A day of coffee Scents! I love coffee. Like all day long sippin'. Today's shave features the amazing Caties Bubbles Irish coffee soap. A fairly heavily used grab from the Maggards meet up PIF table for this very day. Never a complaint about the performance of Caties Bubbles products. It was really cool to meet the man behind the Bubbles at the meet up. We had a nice chat and I picked up a soap and splash set of the blugere. I loved it so much I went online and bought the EDP too.

The London Razors Chapter 2 coffee and contemplation splash is also really great. A complex coffee forward scent that was created to develope throughout the day and in my experience it does just that. Solid scent strength maybe an 8. Long lasting. So fitting that today's sponsor spotlight is London Razors and I had a product I enjoy to use today to honor their hard work.

I shaved in the kitchen today and had to be quick to get outa there before my wife came home and caught me. She would be none too pleased to have my shaving in the kitchen. I finished the shave and was sneaking out of the kitchen clutching my hardware and software as she was coming in the back door. Perfecto! Here's photo evidence of my kitchen shave. Have a good day yall!!

https://imgur.com/gallery/2FqVsjP

July 9, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 26mm G5C
• Razor: Gillette NEW Long Comb #REGUS
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (3)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Irish Coffee
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Cheshire

This shave kind of sucked. I think it was a combination of using products I don’t use very often and having to be at a weird angle to get the mirror I could put in my kitchen to work. I’ve gotten great lathers out of this CB soap before, just didn’t get it today, maybe all the brand switching for LG is messing with me. I struggle with this razor in general, can’t ever seem to keep the angle consistent. Sometimes it feels extremely mild, sometimes, like today, it feels blade heavy. I tend to use this as my travel razor since it came in a nice carrying case. I’m pretty sure it’s a Gillette NEW Long Comb, but I’m pretty bad at identifying razors, so if anybody thinks I should correct my post let me know. It definitely doesn’t have a date code.

The kitchen part of this shave was interesting. I regret using a mirror. I can’t shave with my glasses on, so I had to lean down into the mirror and that probably messed with my shave angle. I think if this pops up in next year’s games I’ll do a head shave since I don’t need a mirror for that. It was really nice drinking a cup of coffee while shaving with coffee and tea scents. I'm definitely going to have to stop at the boba place for a coffee milk tea later.

Healthy activity of the day. I’m going to start counting calories again. I hate it. It makes me sad. But I need to get a lot better at keeping track of what I eat. On a positive note, I get to add 6 miles to my bike ride tracker today. Did a 2 mile sprint last night (bad idea for the future, my heart rate was way too high the whole time), and got another 4 miles in at a reasonably pace this morning. Going to switch to morning rides for the rest of the month probably so that I can walk my dog in the evening. LG Mileage: 23 miles

Tags: #ROTY

July 9th 2023 - Lather Games Day 9

• Brush: Boti handle w/ 24mm AP Shave G5C
• Razor: Mühle Rocca R95
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox (4)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Thè Noir et Vanille
• Post Shave: West Coast Shaving - Grapefroot
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Falling into the Sea

This was a rare morning when I was up before my daughter and (less rare) my wife so I grabbed my gear and headed downstairs to the kitchen to set up. Took my SOTD picture and grabbed a spoon rest and smushed some soap in. I began to build a lather and actually, the slight raised edges of the spoon rest make it more effective than the classic lather plate, though lather was escaping out of the divot where the spoon would sit. I built a serviceable lather and got to work.

Today I’m sacrificing the scent/post/frag synchronicity in my chase for 30 post shave products and 30 frags. Glad I was able to score a kitchen shave though as I definitely missed this challenge last year. Thè Noir’s florals, fruits and jasmine paired nicely with the florals and fruit of Falling Into the Sea, but the vetiver and citrus blast from Grapefroot killed any connective scent-thread.

And now I’m posting this from my daughter’s friend’s escape room birthday party like.

July 9, 2023

• Brush: Smilez4Miles 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette New Long Comb #REGUS
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Irish Coffee Soap
• Post Shave: Apex Alchemy – Morning Glory Splash
• Fragrance: Thierry Mugler – Angel Men

Death before decaf, indeed. What the heck is the point of decaf coffee anyway?? I don’t trust it. And I don’t trust people who drink it. But you know what I do trust? People that put whiskey in their coffee, like the folks at Catie’s Bubbles! This was actually one of the first full size tubs I bought after starting down this wetshaving road and as soon as I open the tub of this soap, it puts me in a good mood. I mean, two things I love: coffee and whiskey, in one soap! Sign me up!

Can I go on the slight tangent about coffee? Is that allowed? I hope so, because I’m about to! I live in the Northeast United States and Dunkin Donuts are everywhere. I literally have 3 within walking distance to where I live. AND DUNKIN DONUTS SUCKS! WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL BUYING THIS SWILL? I understand that at one point, it was the only game in town, and that’s just where you had to go, but there are sooooo many better options available today! The donuts are so bad that they’ve officially dropped the “Donuts” from their name and officially go by “Dunkin”, but it’s not like their coffee is any better. Dunkin Donuts coffee is just like having sex in a canoe – They’re both fucking close to water. I’m going to urge the 2 people who are likely reading this – stop supporting this garbage and support your local coffee shop instead. The coffee will be better, the service will be better, the pastries will be 1000X better, and you’ll be supporting a local business person that cares about the stuff they sell. There. Rant over. It’s so frustrating to me when I see a line outside Dunkin and then a small coffee shop with a superior product has tumbleweeds blowing by it. It really grinds my gears. And if you live in a place that doesn’t have Dunkins everywhere and have no idea what I’m talking about: (1) consider yourself lucky and (2) I apologize for a rant that you can’t relate to.

CHALLENGE

Shave in “a” kitchen. Doesn’t have to be MY kitchen, ay? Then how about I shave in my niece’s play kitchen? You wanna get nuts, let’s get nuts. Pretty much immediately after I saw the challenge posted yesterday, I texted my sister “Hey – You gonna be home tomorrow? I need to borrow XXX’s play kitchen.”

“WTF?”

Now, I’m sure she’s wondering WHY I, a grown man, wants to borrow her daughter’s toys, but I don’t want to embarrass myself by saying it’s for an internet shaving game. So instead, I tell her my kitchen is broken and I need to use her daughter’s.

Then she asked me if I was high. That’s none of her business. “Are you going to be home or not? Maybe around 11AM?”

“Sure.”

Bingo. This morning, I head over to my sister’s house with my shave gear, hoping she didn’t have the time to set up an intervention. When I see her, I come clean. She’s going to figure this out sooner or later. She thinks I’m crazy but my niece already thinks I’m the fun uncle, so no problem there. I set up my stuff on the kitchen to take my picture. And go to the real sink to get water in this tiny, sink. Then I see the hardwood floors. And I also see my sister look at me. Shit. I did not think this through. I make an absolute mess when I shave. FORTUNATELY, this tiny kitchen is portable so we bring the kitchen outside. I load up the tiny sink with water and soak my brush. I make small talk with my small niece while we wait. Then I start the process. Load the brush, lather my face, and start to shave, using my phone’s selfie mode as a camera. My little niece got a kick out of it, and my sister… Well.. She’s just glad I don’t have a drug problem, asking to play with her daughter’s toys. Fortunately, it’s a nice day and shaving outside was a neat novelty. Plus, an outdoor kitchen is always known as something luxurious. Now I can see why!

No complaints with Catie’s Bubbles. The Morning Glory aftershave goes great with Irish Coffee, because, well, they’re both coffee scented. Morning Glory is a little bit sweeter and smells like someone ordered a “Regular Coffee”, which is a coffee with 1 cream and 2 sugars. I don’t know how or why a “Regular Coffee” isn’t just a black coffee, but I’ve already gone on one rant in this post and my blood pressure can’t stand another one. I finished everything off using Angel Men, by Theirry Mugler because it is a sweet vanilla, coffee, and caramel scent with a bit of earthiness to it. Not something I could see myself wearing every day, but perfect for a day dedicated to coffee! #FOF

User shaves in his niece’s toy kitchen, involving both said child and the user’s sister in Lather Games insanity.

User shaves in his niece’s toy kitchen, involving both said child and the user’s sister in Lather Games insanity.

2023-07-01 Lather Games SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Bocote Alto
• Razor: Fatip Gentile Special Edition
• Blade: 7 O'Clock Black (41)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Thé Noir et Vanille - Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Noir
• Fragrance: Guy Laroche - Drakkar Noir

Hello everybody and welcome to my 1,500th Consecutive Shave Of The Day Spectacular! To mark the occasion I'm going to be as thoroughly ME in my post as I can.

Rule 1: Pick a really soft brush and gentle razor within the constraints of Rule 3.
Rule 2: Find an excuse to wear Drakkar Noir in the middle of summer because I love it so much.
Rule 3: Color coordinate everything to tie the entire shave together. "Noir" products all over the place? Black/gold/brown soap label? Black/gold razor? "Black Ninja" razor blade? Coffee black / tea brown stripey wood-handled brush? Yes please!
Rule 4: Get fukt, SOTD photo. Even if everything's color coordinated, it's just going to look boring AF lined up on a shelf against a wall unless I have a good idea for a cool background. Ain't got time for that shite.

Jul 9, 2023 - Death Before Decaf

• Prep: Coffee
• Brush: Trotter Handcrafts Monster Dark 26mm SHD Gelousy Knot
• Razor: Karve Shaving Co. Christopher Bradley Aluminum, SB-E #RAINBOW
• Blade: Perma-Sharp Super [3]
• Lather: HAGS - Memento Mori - Soap
• Post Shave: Westman Shaving - Dark Man - Aftershave Lotion
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Embrace - Eau de Parfum

The name of the theme today made me think of Death Wish Coffee, which I haven't tried, but I've always liked the name of the company. Going with Death and Coffee for the theme, I used Memento Mori and Dark Man, which are both bold, rich coffee fragrances. Memento Mori leans into the sweet chocolate and rum notes at the start, but adds complexity with coffee and sandalwood. Dark Man opens strong with coffee and settles into earthy and woody notes like nutmeg, sandalwood, vetiver, cedar, and incense. Both excellent scents that pair very well together. I finalized the shave with HoM Embrace; a lovely, warm scent with a beautiful coffee note.

The Karve CB is always a great shaver for me, but not having a full mirror to shave with this morning made things a little more difficult. Shaving in the kitchen has been a staple of LG, and my family has just accepted these types of challenges at this point.

For the #Rainbow tag on the razor, I'm hoping that the red base plate is enough to pass it.

Of course, I had to start the morning with a really good cup of coffee, so I used the French Press and documented some of the preparation:

• Coffee to Water Ratio: 1:12 (23g:270ml)
• Grind: 5
• Temperature: 93°C
• Time: Bloom for 30s / Steep for 3m 30s

#photocontest coffee

Rating: 4/5

Edit: formatting

Lather Games 2023 Day 9

• Prep: Warm water
• Brush: Mühle - Rytmo pure badger
• Razor: Mühle - Rytmo R41
• Razor: Razorock - Lupo OC 95 SS
• Blade: Gillette - Minora
• Lather: Nordic shaving - Coffee
• Post Shave: Osma - alum block
• Post Shave: Coffee + alcohol

For today shaving I tried to think something really unusual and unexpected in kitchen. Like stippled DE blade to wooden spatula, make lather in blender, to broke oven glass to use it like blade to shave my self, bake Lather Coffee pie, to brew my own aftershave and etc. But is Sunday. I am in my mountain house and I need to enjoy this last weekend morning and I am to old for this shit!!! And even I don't drink Coffee. I am not a Coffee person. I was so impatient to make battle between my champion Mühle R41 and new arrival Razorock Lupo and can wait end of the games so I decided to make the things that I want. After all I make this to enjoy wetshaving. OK ... OK.... To be everything correct I do it in kitchen. Absolutely even result! But I'll give advantage to Lupo. Holds a blade more solid. There is a little play in blade in R41. Amazing BBS. Great shavers. Jari from Finland make this soaps. Really great guy!!! I have a contact with him a few times. Great costumer care! Awesome dude!!! I have almost all soaps except this one. I borrowed from my friend Ivo. Like I says I don't like coffee. But other scents are wonderful! Gives Natural feeling !! You have to try it! Coconut base soap with lanolin. Good slickness and cushion. Lost a little bit from original strength of scent but really little bit. The other scents that he produce "Absent" "Birch" and "Citrus and ginger " are amazing. Definitely you have to try them. And yes I used my homemade aftershave with vodka and coffee. Was awful! Doesn't smell like coffee. More like some sour highly alcohol liquid. If some of artisans read this please tell me how you make this great aftershaves!!!

Video

P.S. I almost every day or when I am inspired make video and link it to some sentence but to be more clear I'll link again like "video".

ROTY

User creates yet another great video. This is a speedy montage of his kitchen shave. As always, very well edited and slick. Also short, which is always ++.

User creates yet another great video. This is a speedy montage of his kitchen shave. As always, very well edited and slick. Also short, which is always ++.

• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush

• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85mm Safety Razor

• Blade: Gillette 7 O'clock Sharpedge

• Lather: Shannon's Soaps x TRC - Light Roast

ROTY

July 9, 2023 - Tea Time

• Brush: Rubberset 49-3 #ANCIENT #TOLL
• Razor: Razorock Eco #RAINBOW
• Blade: Crown Half DE
• Lather: MacDuffs Soap Company - Royal Earl Grey
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Cheshire Splash
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Sun Soaked
• Tea: Harney and Sons - Earl Grey Supreme

#FOF

Today’s Theme:

Earl Grey is my favorite type of tea. The fragrant bergamot and black tea is a fantastic combo. I got the MacDuffs Royal Earl Grey in a PIF last year. I also got the splash, but I have other plans for that. Barrister and Mann’s Cheshire is one of my favorite scents. I hope the EdP is available sometime. Not sure if it has been offered in an EdP before, but fingers crossed it comes out sometime in the future. I don’t have an Earl Grey fragrance, but I found tea scents in a couple of my samples.

Today’s Challenge:

Pics in the albums linked above. This is my second time shaving in the kitchen. Last year I wasn’t as comfortable using the microwave or stove for a mirror, so I used a handheld mirror last year. This year I wanted to really embrace both the fragrance theme and challenge using more kitchen things. First, I got together my mise en place. I brewed a small pot of Harney and Sons Earl Grey Supreme, and got ready to shave. Luckily the relatives visiting stayed out of the kitchen. I wanted to make my lather using the scrub brush, but knew I didn’t want that brush on my face. While I started the lather, I gave this ancient brush a soak. I measured out a half teaspoon of lather, and put it in a mixing bowl. I hydrated with a splash of the Earl Grey tea. I started trying to build a lather, but the soap just got picked up by the bristles and got stuck at the base of the brush head. When you have a problem making lather, more soap and more tea. It didn’t work this time. I used the measuring spoon to scrape out as much soap as I could from the brush. Out came the Rubberset 49-3. That tall loft and kind of whippy bristles started quickly making a thick base lather. More Earl Grey to the mix. Then some more again, and kept adding water until I got the soft creamy latherI wanted. With the dark soap and using tea to hydrate gave me a lather that looked a bit like pancake batter. After a hard failure with the plastic scrub brush, I had successfully made my lather. Normally I make my lather in a small cereal bowl from IKEA, but this mixing bowl, with too much soap, rapidly built up enough lather to shave my whole body.

Ok, time to shave. I had wet my face while I was building the lather, and for such a stiff and brittle feeling brush when dry, full of lather it was very soft and flexible. It had a very nice feel, and I kind of understand now why a barber would use such a tall loft. I got this Hulk green Eco last year. It has a crazy amount of exposure on the blade, but the gap to the safety bar is pretty small. It is the loudest razor, other than a GEM, that I have ever used. Shave quality was not great. Maybe it is the cheap Crown half blades I got with the razor It could be the big exposure allows a bit of flex in the blade. Probably why I don’t use it more. The ergonomics are closer to a GEM, so the feel of shaving felt normal. The feedback quieted down by my final pass. The quality of the shave was pretty meh. My face though feels great. I think the MacDuffs base is really good and so is the Barrister and Mann splash.

Today’s Fragrance:

I don’t have a fragrance that is an Earl Grey, so I started going through the descriptions of my samples to find a complimentary scent. I first found a scent with tea, but it really fit a day later this month. Back to the list I found what I wanted. It has chamomile, black currant bud, and orange bigarade in the scents. Perfect compliments to a tea. I used to get a black current tea for an iced tea. The bigarade is a sour orange, so it really brings out the bergamot. The first scent I got was the orange. It really added to my Earl Grey. Later I got the Texas cedar and I think the amber. It works very well with both the soap and splash. I’m quite pleased with the result. I got my daughter to tell me what everything smelled like to her. The soap smelled fruity, the splash she said “Ew, it smells like tea”, and the fragrance smelled like cinnamon. With her success rate in the past, I was surprised she thought Cheshire smelled like tea. There are three citrus scents in the soap, so she actually got 2 out of 3. Her nose is doing a bit better today.

Haiku #9

I love Earl Grey tea,

Bergamot is good for you,

And it smells great too.

July 9, 2023 – LG23 Day 8: DEATH ☠️ before DECAF

• Brush: Wild West Brushworks Hallows Maggard SHD 26mm #SHD
• Razor: Gillette Fat Handle Gold Tech Post-war
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (1)
• Lather: Hendrix Classics & Co – Roasted
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Leviathan
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Leviathan

Daily Challenge
The only kitchen I have is my own.

Coffee and I have a long-standing love-hate relationship. I was a tea drinker until I got to college and started hitting the hard stuff. At first with lots of powdered Coffee-Mate and sugar. The Java got me through countless all-nighters, some of which were the studying kind. Then it became the Saturday morning connection when visiting the in-laws. There was always a pot at the ready. It wasn’t until later that I would be taken to the dark side and back. I was working at a start-up venture of Highlights for Children and it was a back alley garage operation. Six people trying to build a nation-wide operation on a shoe-string budget. The nice thing was the coffee station. At my lowest point, I was sucking down three pots a day, and we worked 10-hour days. It was inevitable that I ended up thinking I was having a heart attack one Saturday evening. A friend of mine had just finished his med school cardiac rotation and he took me to the hospital. Thankfully it wasn’t a heart attack, but I spent a week wired to a Holter monitor and a directive to lay off the coffee. I got myself back under control, but now my problem is just gastric. Too much acidity and I’m a wreck. But grab the bull by the horns, if we must. Cheers!

Tying it all together
I had put the Leviathan out of rotation for awhile and today reminded me why I love it. And it is a fitting finish for the creamy, caramel sweetness of Roasted. It makes me look forward to cooler months.

PHOTOCONTEST Drinks

2023-07-09 "Kitchen," you say?

• Brush: Omega 11047 Mixed (43mm x 20mm) #MISTURA #SMOLL #RUNT
• Razor: Gillette Travel Tech (J3: 1964) #JETSETTER
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Irish Coffee
• Post Shave: Epsilon - Scottish Spirit
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - 1904
• Blade: - Lord Platinum (1)

Well if it isn't my annual reminder to clean my kitchen! I'm kidding. I didn't clean my kitchen last year, either.

#photocontest

Photo: Drinks
Super original, I know. Yes, it's the same little bottle of whiskey I used last year. Yes, they're the same coffee beans. What can I say?

What is new, as of this morning, is the moka pot in the back, which the Games inspired me to finally spring for. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I am a fan of tea, and I've been known to enjoy the occasional straight espresso. That said, I don't handle caffeine all too well, so it wasn't great when I got this thing this morning and promptly made 2... batches? brews? witch's brew? I don't know, but I had already had too much caffeine this morning, so I was really fucking amped before I started drinking the third.

Challenge Accepted: I knew I wouldn't be alone in choosing a different kitchen than my own, considering it was hinted in the challenge description. I was hesitant to follow through with this, but super-wired with faux-expresso, my brain barely able to process reality, and my kitchen now more of a mess, I sought another kitchen.

I shaved in a kitchen, alright: Pei Wei Asian Kitchen.

As I waited in line to order, I scoped out the restaurant for a secluded place to accomplish my task. There was none. It's an open, casual-fast restaurant; there are no secluded booths, only one open space. Everyone in the restaurant was part of an audience.

After I selected a table, I realized I would need another bowl for water, so I asked the person working, who graciously brought me one. I began preparing, and it wasn't long before the food arrived.

After having a few bites, I commenced lathering. That was inconspicuous enough, but once I began applying the later to my face. there was no hiding.

Two things became clear: 1) People are generally focused on what they have going on and 2) as long as you're not bothering anyone, they don't care what you're up to. The people who did notice didn't gawk or stare. They just observed that there was some guy nonchalantly shaving in the middle of a restaurant, and carried on with their own food and conversation.

And so I was able to proceed with shaving (using my phone's camera as a mirror) with little concern for the other people there, much as they had little concern with me. I admit I was nonetheless a little rushed, so I hadn't gotten the lather as thick as I would have in my own kitchen, but I got it better for the second pass.

Once I was finished, I rinsed each bowl in the restroom, and reflected on the fact that a greater coward would have done the entire shave in there. Similarly, a greater coward would promptly leave, but I decided it was time to finish the food

Relevant Post Shave and Fragrance: Tied together as the main features of the lather: coffee and whiskey.

#FOF

Lather: Because this will undoubtedly be one of the most popular lathers today, there isn't going to be much that I can add. I will say that it's probably the most pleasant coffee soap I've tried. In contrast, Stirling's Iced Coffee (a bar of which I currently have in the shower) is strong on hazelnut. Storybook's Coffee Spoons smells like coffee-flavored ice cream. Catie's Bubbles, on the other hand, is mellow and smooth coffee, with no bitterness. I do not pick up mush "Irish" in it, but I admittedly don't know what I would be sniffing for in that regard. During today's shave, I admit I didn't pay much attention to the scent.

Post Shave: First off, I very much enjoy the wordplay in the name, Scottish Spirit. Secondly, this aftershave pairs astonishingly well with General Tso's Chicken! I had started eating again when I donned it, and the whiskeyness laid beautifully over the hot spices of the meal. I feel comfortable calling the aftershave woody and smoky, words that I think are not uncommon when describing whiskeys. By itself (i.e. not alongside the chicken), the clove note comes through pretty strong to my nose, which I don't mind at all; I'm a fan, even. Cinnamon also seems quite prominent, but I've never been much a fan of cinnamon anything, so I could do without that part, but it's not terrible.

Fragrance: Following up with 1904 brought back the coffee, which frankly interrupted the graceful chicken/whiskey dance, but that's not the fragrance's fault. 1904 is what I might expect as the general ambient scent of air in a coffee shop, just the background smell that reminds you that it is a place where coffee is made.

Speaking of the fragrance in isolation, I think that the coffee note is close enough to the neighborhood of sandalwood that it occupies the same nose-space, so I don't think I can pick it out.
I still don't know what cardamom is, but if I learned anything from yesterday's cardamom+ylangx2 fragrance, I expect it's a light one that works with the jasmine and lime notes to brighten the scent from the coffee and sandalwood (that is straight guesswork there). I think I can actually detect the jasmine here—definitely more so than the lime—which pleases me; as I keep saying for some reason, jasmine is something I cautiously wish was more prominent in more scents.

Shaved in a Pei Wei Asian Kitchen.

Shaved in a Pei Wei Asian Kitchen.

July 09, 2023

• Brush: Maggard 24mm synthetic
• Razor: Karve Shaving Co - Overlander (SS)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux -1904
• Post Shave:

Last day of my 4 week holiday. Back to work tomorrow. Mood…

Daily challenge

Ah, kitchen shave day - gotta love it! To be honest though, I was not looking forward to it. Luckily my wife and kids went outside for a play date late in the morning. So I got all the time in the world to go about my day and have a nice shave. I was trying to find a hand held mirror - could not find it so I’m using my phone as a mirror. Lathering up I feel pretty good. This is going way better than expected. You know with a milksteak base soap you can’t really fuck up the lather. Taking my first strokes, I’m enjoying this shave. I remember thinking it would be really awkward if my wife came back right now. Well, it turns out I must be a procrastinator, because that is exactly what happened. Using my phone as a mirror snapping selfies, I was able to capture the very moment I realised I had fucked up

Music
“Pictures of You” - Drugdealer, Kate Bollinger Spotify /YouTube

User takes an excellent selfie at the moment his wife catches him shaving in the kitchen.

LG23-09: Death Before Decaf

• Brush: Rubberset 400 26mm Soft Tuxedo #HOLLOW
• Razor: Schick Krona #UNICORN
• Blade: Voskhod (5)
• Lather: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi - Shave Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Clusterfig - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Marissa Zappas Perfume - Smoked Jasmine Black Tea
• Passes: WTG, XTG, ATG
• Coffee: Lavender Latte
• Music: Yosi Horikawa - Wandering
• LG Tags: #FOF

During last year’s Games, I made the mistake of shaving in my kitchen using household cooking gear. I learned two important lessons. Lesson the first: silicone utensils will hold onto the scent of Stirling Green for days. Lesson the second: Mrs. Mosquito is not a fan of Stirling Green scented foodstuffs. Putting this critical knowledge to good use, I shaved in the kitchen, but exclusively used stainless steel (measuring spoon) and wet shaving equipment—minus our trusty vanity mirror, which is no stranger to the Lather Games.

As for today’s theme, I’m surprised many contestants are pulling out their coffee-scented soaps, because tea scents are where it’s at. In my case, jasmine tea.

Musashi is the first Gentleman’s Nod soap I’ve used in the current C4 base and I can finally recommend their soaps based on performance. I don’t know if my samples were duds, or they had been mistreated before they got to my bathroom, but my previous experience with this brand was…not good. I remain a huge fan of the original Jackie scent (baseball diamond grass, sandalwood, zesty bergamot), but I couldn’t get those samples to lather no matter how much soap I used. I’m getting off topic here, but the moral of the story is this new base is wonderful and Musashi lives up to that performance.

Taking a different tact than other wonderful wet shaving tea scents (Cheshire, 42, TNEV), Musashi is “developed around a heart of Jasmine Tea,” and aims to replicate a walk from coast to mountain in historical Japan. It nails the brief. The lovely jasmine-infused tea is blended seamlessly with yuzu citrus, Asian pear, and fir. The floral tea is prominent, but doesn’t dominate, instead connecting the disparate elements into a cohesive image; the citrus and woods take Musashi out of gourmand territory by introducing depth and texture. I should pick up a sample of the fragrance and see how it progresses throughout a wear. I bet it indeed suggests a journey from coast to peak.

I reinforced the jasmine tea note with my aftershave and fragrance. I’ve mentioned before that Clusterfig is my favorite wet shaving scent; it’s a complex blend of emerald green fig, semi-sweet fruit (tart apple and lemon), and a sly addition of resinous amber, made intoxicating by its floral component. While the violet and orange blossom are important, a strong jasmine is the highlight, balancing out what could have been overly sweet and fruity. Clusterfig is deceiving that way; the fig is the focus, but the composition as a whole is a heady floral, making it a perfect bridge back to my fragrance. Marissa Zappas’s take on jasmine tea is malty black instead of green, lightly smoked, served outside on a cool morning. Part of “the Garden Collection,” this fragrance is all about the jasmine—sometimes indolic, persistent throughout, and perfuming the air far beyond the steam rising from cup and saucer. The tea is less obvious. There are lovely cereal notes buttered by orris, I pick up faint incense and sage if I smell my wrist, and a more straightforward black cuppa is there at the heart.

DAY 9 LATHER GAMES! I DON'T DRINK COFFEE AT HOME!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot
• Razor: Forkette
• Blade: Nacet(1)
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Irish Coffee
• Post Shave: Macduffs Soap Company - Royal Earl Grey splash
• Fragrance: Rochas - Moustache

PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

​

Video(sorry judges, tried to be short)

​

SOAP+SHAVE+SHENANIGANS

Well compared to last year where I lived in the student dormitories now I am renting a wonderful spacious apartment, AND IT HAS A KITCHEN!

I was thinking, what crazy contraption can I make to shave with, sadly nothing came up so I used my forkette #FORKETTEBABY. Could have probably made a spoonette but it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, maybe next year I can staple a blade to something...

But even though I decided using a forkette, when it rains it pours... To make this divine tool of shaving you just need to tape together two forks, but I had basically run out of tape and it being sunday, didn't have many options to go and find some more..... I used my 2 cm of tape and then tried binding it with some string... It was a total failure as you can see in the video, for which I do apologize....

Anyways I was wondering how else could I pimp out my shave. During the last year I've used several liquids to make lather with, including beer and motor oil. All have been done with this work horse of a brush, I use it for such occasions cause it's cheap and replaceable. So today I brewed myself some black loose leaf tea and used the tea itself to make the lather in combination with Cattie's Bubbles. It turned out great, I even included some of the loose leafs for an exfoliating effect, you know cause these days when people hear EXFOLIATING, they wet their pants from excitement....

The scent of the black tea did not intervene with the soap. Irish Coffee is much more of a sweet gourmand scent than what I would expect from coffee, mainly cause I usually drink my coffee black(if I decide to have one).

So the shave was quite successful in my opinion and so far tea has been the best substitute for water, to create a lather, don't try motor oil kids!

BONUS ROUND: AFTERSHAVE

Macduff never fail to amaze me with how consistently good their scents are! It's just wow, so fresh, yet deep! I've yet to see a weak Macduff scent, in terms of how well it's made. Still don't have a favourite, but I think that their Metheglin scent might change that(I love raspberries). But all in due time!

Why is it a bonus round? I WANNA GRIPE ABOUT THE DAMN BOTTLES!!!!

Other than A&E, I can't remember who uses these type of bottles, but in the future DON'T, PLEASE! WHY, why do you use these specific bottles, no matter how tightly you screw the cap on you can just at it the wrong way and it'll unscrew cause it clenched it's butthole too tight from your stare.... Seriously, it's probably the worst damn bottle that anyone can use to put their aftershave in....

#FOF

Similar to the Almond situation I was a bit flustered about what to use. My choice of fragrance is Moustache by Rochas. The Vanilla+Bulgarian rose accord paired up really well with the sweetness of Irish Coffee and also with the Lavender+Amyris in the aftershave by Macduff! And the spiciness really really gave it that cinnamon on top of coffee feel! The whole fragrance experience was similar to a warm hug during a cold winter day(pay no attention to the scorching temperatures).

• Daily Lather Themes: 9/30
• Daily Challenges: 9/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 10/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 0/2
• Software Vendor Points: 5/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 0/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 9/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 9/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 9/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 9/30

Shaved with a forkette

Shaved with a forkette

☠Death before Decaf☠

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving exclusive MOAR BOAR #Chonk #OldWorld
• Razor: Gillette Goodwill #RegUS
• Blade: Feather (DE) (2)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Irish Coffee
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Leviathan
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – Sundrunk

Kitchen shave day! Yayy! I didn't have time to come up with another episode of Indiana Djundj again, but less pressure to shit post is a perk of being a djudge, so I don't feel to bad about it. I'm looking forward to browsing the SOTD thread and look at kitchen shaves before going to bed tonight.

So, this shave concludes the Brush hashtags with my last missing hashtag #Chonk easily filled by the MOAR BOAR. You can see in the picture that my MOAR BOAR brush has some gold lines where it shouldn't, it's because I broke it and tried to fix it Kintsugi style 😭. At least it's still functional. I'm still missing the #AllNatural razor hashtag, but not for long.

We are a half-Croatian household, so we have a nice Džezva for making Balkan-style coffee, and it has the perfect size for lathering with the MOAR BOAR brush, very much unlike Catie's Bubbles tiny diameter tubs. Lore has it that this is explained by the fact that Chris is a bowl latherer.

I really like Catie's Bubbles' soap base, and Irish Coffee is a delightful gourmand that always makes me happy, and I had a great kitchen shave with the heavy Goodwill and the chonky moar boar.

My relevant post and frag theme for today clashes hard: I guess every culture has their version of Irish Coffee and ours is Kafi Lutz. There are two kinds of occasions for it, the happy drunk one (e.g., après-ski in the bar at the bottom of the slopes, getting you happy and (Sun)drunk), and the sad drunk one (pouring your morning booze in your coffee in a vain attempt at hiding your alcoholism as in Leviathan picking up the coffee note and turning it into dark despair).

Regarding the #RegUS hashtag, here's some supporting evidence.

For the #photocontest, I am submitting this picture of me mid-shave. I am the #law after all.

July 9, 2023 – Death Before Decaf * Brush: Paladin Chief 26mm Satin Juma Smoke
Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
Blade: Astra SP (1)
Lather: Gentleman’s Nod - Musashi * Post Shave:* HAGS – The Awakening splash

Admittedly I don’t normally drink coffee or tea. I’m more a regular soda for breakfast kind of guy. Sound unhealthy? It is, but healthy is not what today is all about. A while back I decided to give Musashi a try though as I wanted to see what a tea scent was like and so thankfully I had a tea scented soap to use for today.

The Soap/Lather: The scent of this soap out of the container is strong. I mean really strong and quite off-putting. If you can get past this point and lather it up the scent evens out a little bit and becomes rather enjoyable. The soap lathered up quickly enough, although the kitchen sink gave me a little more water than I would have liked. With my slightly overhydrated lather I was ready to go.

The Shave: I didn’t expect this shave to be too difficult. After all it’s only a change of location. What I forgot all about is the one thing a bathroom has and a kitchen doesn’t that seriously affects shaving, a mirror. My wife was fairly confused with the fact that I was lathering in the kitchen, but after almost two decades with me she’s seen enough of my shenanigans to just shrug this one off. She was even kind enough to allow me to use her portable mirror. That’s right, my wife handed me her face powder and told me the mirror on it was all she had. To say this shave was challenging would be an understatement. The severely limited view, lack of a second hand to stretch skin, and the paparazzi pictures my wife was taking were not at all helpful. I managed to make it through the shave with just barely enough lather and only a few inquisitive questions from the kids. I quickly wrapped up the shave with The Awakening splash and cleaned up my mess.

Theme: Today’s theme was coffee or tea scent and Musashi definitely nails it. The strong Jasmine scent is clearly discernable and somewhat overwhelming. For splash inspiration I looked to my favorite tea in a can, Just Peachy. Yep I made my own Just Peachy shave by using The Awakening which has not only the peach notes, but a Jasmine note as well to help blend it into the soap scent and carry the tea scent through.

Challenge: I did in fact shave in the kitchen, and I do not recommend it.

#ROTY

7/9/23

• Brush: Farvour Turn Crafts w/ C&H v12 Fanchurian
• Razor: Koraat 8/8, Near Wedge Square Point
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - 42
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - 42 Aftershave Splash

I only have two soaps in my den with tea notes, so the answer to which was obvious. The ultimate answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. 42. Admittedly, I wasn't too hot on this scent when I first got it and picked it up for the HHGTG theme. After a while, though, it grew on me. The base in this tub is Excelsior and has started showing the ring of death around it. I don't use this set that often, but I enjoy it when I do. The performance is fantastic and whips up a slick lather.

This Koraat is a gentle giant. Tons of weight behind it. I just recently used it to shave a friends head, and it just mowed through his hair. It may be about time for a refresh of the edge, but great shave all the same this morning from it.

#ROTY

July 9, 2023 – LG 9: Death before Decaf

• Brush: Omega 10098 #HOLLOW #OLDWORLD #TOLL #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE
• Razor: Gillette Slim #DIAL
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (5)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Irish Coffee
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Thé Noir et Vanille
• Fragrance: Olympic Orchids – Cafe V

Editors note: misspoke in the video, I said 30mm when I meant 60mm for Toll, this is for sure not a chonky boy, but has 65mm loft. Feel free to smash that ~~like and subscribe~~ fast forward and playback speed button.

I don’t own a ton of CB, but am always pleased when I use it. Even in todays shave using tea as the liquid, it preformed admirably. Irish coffee is well, an Irish coffee scent. It’s quite sweet IMO, which can be said of certain whiskies, giving that sort of caramelized vanilla note underneath the coffee. Thè noir et Vanille is awesome, and one of the few scents where I feel like I can lick out each of its 5 scent notes. Lots of floral and sweet (jasmine and strawberry) up front, with brightness form citrus (bergamot), and of course the distinct tea (black tea, or thè noir in French) and mellow vanilla. Cafe V from Olympic orchids is a much more intense, darker scent compared to the latter two. Hits you hard on the opening similar to leviathan, with rich coffee, woods, and leather. About an hour later it is much calmer, and smells more like your typical fresh ground beans turned into a cup of coffee. #FOF

As for the #PHOTOCONTEST (society). If making coffee and tea, and the act of shaving for that matter, aren’t everyday activities, then I don’t know what is. You don’t need to take my word for it, here’s NPRs How coffee influenced history. For most folks you could throw a rock and hit 47 Starbucks and several far superior local cafes, just sayin.

soap brands 9/30, post shave 9/30, frag 9/30, post/frag linked 9/30, software sponsors 4/15, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 5/15, brush hashtags 8/15, photo contest 9/30, daily challenges 8/25, special challenges 1/5

Player smartly remembers to wear a hat for his shave in the kitchen.

Day 9 - Death Before Decaf

• Brush: 28mm Synthetic Badger Bulb Knot homemade handle
• Razor: Karve - CB
• Blade: Astra Green
• Lather: Grooming Dept - Mallard Corretto
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - The Noir Et Vanille
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - 1904

For today, I went with Grooming Dept's Mallard Corretto. I am a big fan of this soap and followed it up with other greats.

For the fragrance, I went with 1904. I couldn't think of a better fragrance for Death Before Decaf.

This was my first shave in the kitchen.

ROTY #FOF

June 9, 2023 - Cup o' tea

• Brush: Omega S-Brush (27mm x 62mm) #TOLL
• Razor: Merkur Progress #DIAL
• Lather: Soap Commander - Memories
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Soap Commander - Memories
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - ROTY 2020

Wonderful post yard work shave with Soap Commander Memories which is primarily a red tea (rooibos) scent backed up by cedar and saffron. It's really nice and I also got the best lather I've ever had out of SC with this rarely seen synthetic brush. The Progress loaded with a Wizamet was excellent as well. This blade works so well in all of my razors. Time to stock up! Unfortunately I forgot about the challenge so no kitchen shave today.

July 9, 2023 - Death Before Decaf

• Brush: Everready 300 PBT #SMOLL #ANCIENT #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Child’s Spatula Kamisori #Kamisori
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Thè Noir et Vanille - Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Cheshire - Splash
• Fragrance: Varvatos - Artisan Blu
• Music: Dave Matthews Band - Sweet

Daily Write-Up / Daily Challenge Notes:
I rolled out of bed today, embarrassingly late. Checked my phone, talked to Mrs. Miasma on the phone, who has MiniMiasma and SmallestMiasma with her at her parents, and then set into getting some things done around the house.

Before I knew it, it was 4:00 and I hadn’t showered, eaten, or shaved.

Remembering that today was “shave in the kitchen”, I grabbed my Soap, AS, Frag, an old Gillette Superspeed, and my current favorite brush.

I walk down the stairs, around the corner, and go through the living room to our kitchen, when out of the corner of my eye I see something interesting. MiniMiasma and SmallestMiasma have a play kitchen in our living room that would make a really perfect shaving space. Especially given that I’m home alone and don’t have to explain my decision-making process to… well, anyone.

So I set my items down and immediately I am hit with a bolt of inspiration. Last year, u/Impressive_Donut114 was able to fashion a razor out of a pair of chopsticks, and u/MrTangerineSky used a fork to shave. I bet this child’s spatula sitting here would make a perfect Kamisori handle.

I ran upstairs for a new GEM blade, and then slowly walked downstairs (we don’t run with razors, kids). I set aside my Gillette for another day, and got to work trying to make the Kamisori. First I tried holding the blade on to the spatula with a rubberband, but the blade kept cutting through rubber bands. Then I looked in the closet, and found some duct tape. I channeled my inner Red Green and quickly got the razor assembled.

You’ll note that one of MiniMiasma’s Barbies was sitting in the play kitchen. I considered using her luxurious blue locks for a brush, but figured that if any harm came to Mermea, I would be crushing a 5 year-old’s spirit. So, instead, I grabbed this old Everready brush (toy banana for scale), as it’s approximately the same age as the child’s tea set I’m using for my rinse and hydration water. That picture might be deceiving as to its size - but keep in mind the cracker is exactly the same size as a normal saltine.

I filled up the tea pot with some water, and began to soak the brush. If ANYTHING in this shave is child-sized, it’s this brush. My intent was to use it for the lather games, and then see if I could put a new knot in it. As it is today, it is laughably small.

I used a toy cracker to scrape out some of the soap, and then pressed it into the bottom of a toy saucepan to make my lather.

I lathered up what was a pretty decent lather, and started to paint it on my face. Since it was like painting with a model car brush, and I’m fat and have more than my fair share of neck, this part of the shave seemingly took forever. Once my lather was ready to go, I poured some water into the sink, and got ready to shave.

I very slowly used my makeshift kamisori to get a good one-pass shave. You’ll notice one little nick - that’s all I managed to cut myself during the shave (pre-shave is a different story - I am still bleeding on my finger where the GEM blade bit me during kamisori construction. Worth it.).

Finished product. I encourage everyone to use a makeshift kamisori at least once - you might be a better shaver for it.

Music today is from the band I've spent the last two nights watching. An epic show, if you've never seen them. Yeah, I get the "frat boy rock" image that they had in the 90s that turn a lot of potential fans off, but the reality is that these are seven super talented musicians who just have fun jamming with each other on stage for 3 hours. This song is about when he taught his young daughter how to swim, and the responsibility you have as a parent for your kids. I thought that paired well, since I was shaving in their kitchen.

The Shave
Fashioning a Kamisori out of a child’s toy and a GEM blade > Valet Autostrop.

Very low bar there, but it’s true. I got a decent-ish shave with the Kamisori, despite sitting on the floor in my living room using my phone as a mirror. I had a much more perfect shaving situation with the Valet (bathroom, running water, real mirror) and got much worse results.

I picked this brush up just for the Ancient hashtag - luckily it also knocks off the badgers and smoll hashtags as well. Provided that the djudges take no issue with my tags today, that’s 10 brush tags for me. Just working on the razors.

Having said all that - a shave with the Gillette and a normal brush would have been less dramatic and better.

Soap Theme Justification
* Thè Noir et Vanille - “Black Tea with Vanilla”. Also a lot of strawberry.

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
* Today’s scent theme is “cup of tea overlooking the ocean”. My goal for retirement is to be able to buy a home on the Maine oceanfront and move there when we are no longer working. For this shave, I tried to recreate what my mornings might smell like, with two versions of tea (TNeV and Cheshire, one of the GOAT scents), followed by a very blue, aquatic fragrance.

Shaved with a GEM blade fixed onto a child's spatula in a child's "kitchen"

Shaved with a GEM blade fixed onto a child's spatula in a child's "kitchen"

July. 9, 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: Black Ship Grooming Co - Captain Joe
• Post Shave: Chiesled Face - Natural Aftershave Balm

ROTY

Sunday, July 9, 2023

• Brush: Declaration Grooming - Unicorn Ivory Jefferson - 28mm B9a
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - WR2 0.75 DC x WRH2
• Blade: Personna Med Prep
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Iced Tea - Soap
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - Iced Tea - Aftershave

Day 9 of Lather Games: Forgot how refreshing this scent and the synthetic menthol were.

July 9, 2023

https://imgur.com/gallery/9OaU3nT

Prep: Shower + Proraso - Refrescante Preshave Cream

Brush: Simpsons - Commodore X3 Best Badger Shave Brush #OLDWORLD #SMOLL #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS

Razor: Gillette - Slim Adjustable Prospector Edition

Blade: Gillette - Nacet (1)

Lather: Caties Bubbles - Irish Coffee shave soap

Post Shave: Alum Block + Pinaud Clubman Aftershave

I've never used a coffee or tea scent before, but thanks to u/chronnoisseur42O I got to sample this Caties Bubbles Irish Coffee soap. It was a very pleasant smell and the CB lather is always awesome.

#ROTY

July 9, 2023 – Lather games day 9 – AKA So late

• Brush: Dogwood Badger DG B11
• Razor: Blackland Vector
• Blade: Feather Pro (AC) (7)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps / London Razors – But first… Coffee
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Iced Coffee

Perfect that I’m using the London Razors / SBS collab today as they are in the sponsor spotlight. A very late in the day headshave as today was just nuts. Too much going on and honestly hard to even focus on LG at this point. But I try as best as I can. Love this soap and the AS gave me the tingle I needed to perk up a little.

#PhotoContest

July 9, 2023 – Not technically sacrilegious  

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

I shaved in the ancient church social hall kitchen with Catie’s Bubbles – Irish Whiskey. There is a big deep dishwashing sink that I can just hook my leg over to shave in. I very seriously considered using the sacramental bread plate as a lather plate but decided that would be over the line.

This one is just wild. Love it.

July 9, 2023 – Coffee Soap Sucks

• Brush: Summer Break Soap “Dundy” 26mm Motherlode
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Oz Shaving Co. – Tik Tok
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Shire 2
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Shire

I love coffee. I hate coffee notes in shave products. Leviathan – awful coffee. GEMÜTLICHKEIT – Awful coffee. Oz Co Tik Tok? Awful coffee. It doesn’t matter what else is in the soap, the coffee scent overwhelms and ruins the whole experience for me. What’s weird is I love coffee – the smell of the beans, the smell of the brew, the flavor – hot coffee, cold brew, coffee ice cream, let me at it. Coffee in shave products? No. Nope. Nerp. Negative. Hate it. Loathe it. Don’t want it.

That said, Oz Shaving Co. Soap was new to me and performed just fine. u/RedMosquitoMM sent me a smush in his “saving the day” smush envelope that arrived yesterday and it’s my first go with this base but I enjoyed it. I won’t buy this one in particular because, well, coffee in soap sucks, but – I wouldn’t shy away from this base – it was irritation free and smooth.

I paired it with Shire 2 largely because Tik Tok is a Tobacco/Coffee mashup and Shire is a relatively strong summer tobacco and I knew I could overwhelm the terrible coffee scent off my face with it. I didn’t want to risk a weaker product that would incorporate the coffee and ruin a scent for me. It was a success – after I splashed and sprayed shire I made Tik Tok disappear. Thank goodness.

I forgot all about the daily challenge so I did not shave in my kitchen, sadly.

Gear was all solid, though! The Motherlode is perfect for whipping up smaller amounts of soap – it lathers like a dream, even if it’s cold and dead inside.

FOF Haiku of the Day

Delicious coffee
Hot and Steamy in my cup
Stay out of shave soap

Edit: forgot to add the post shave products

Sunday, the 9th of July, 2023

• Brush: Zenith 502BC
• Razor: Maggard Razors V3
• Blade: Topaz Platinum (66)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Chaotic Neutral
• Post shave: Barrister and Mann - Leviathan
• Fragrance: Storybook Soapworks - Visions & Revisions

Declaration Grooming's Chaotic Neutral is a nice tea and woods scent, to my nose. Declaration writes that the notes are, "in no particular order:" amber, oak, cardamom, patchouli, black tea, sandalwood, bourbon, tobacco, clary sage. Man, some kind of "sage" sure does show up in a lot of things. I also can't pick that out here. I think I can find the bourbon, and maybe a hint of tobacco. But mostly this is woods & tea.

I followed this up with a coffee (and leather) splash, Leviathan. I do like how the coffee comes out in the splash. Finally, another tea scent, Storybook Soapworks' Visions & Revisions perfume (with a handwritten label, as this was bought in the final closeout sale, presumably all the regular labels were already used). As Storybook is long gone, I resorted to the Internet Archive to get the notes: bergamot, orange, and lemon on top of a dark black tea and earthy lavender base, Visions & Revisions was intended to be a "citrusy Early Grey" scent.

So then I made myself a cup of Earl Grey. The perfume isn't quite the same; Twinings is a less floral Earl Grey, but the perfume does go well with the tea.

July 9, 2023 – Coffee and Donuts?

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Guard
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Leviathan
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements – American Blend

Shave in the kitchen? Well it’s my lucky week because I’ve been relegated to shaving in the kitchen for the past 3 shaves, today being the fourth. Turns out, our Airbnb out here in sunny Los Angeles does not have a sink in the bathroom. And since we’re on vacation we’ve decided to not bother with cooking this week.Just cereal and coffee in the morning. So no real hiccups with this shaving arrangement until yesterday when with my back turned one of those old cereal bowls with milk was placed in the bowl I was using as rinse. Oh the hilarity. I should soak it in now as I will only have two more shaves to soak in the joy of shaving with a Gillette Guard in a strangers converted garage vintage industrial sink. The accordion style mirror is pretty cool tho, if less than practical.

As for the shave, Leviathan was as it is, just not for me but I gave it a shot and got a sample with the last release. I can smell more than just the dark bitterness but not often enough. In honor of the shave I did finish off the end of a cold cup of coffee from this morning as my pre shave. As always great performance. As for what goes best with coffee…. Donuts! And we have yet to enjoy the pleasures of this city’s donuts. Thinking we may go all in tomorrow and track them down, anyone have suggestions?

Cheers! 🤙

ROTY

July 9, 2023

• Brush: Frank Shaving 30mm Badger
• Razor: High Proof
• Blade: Wizamet (1)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Woodshop
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Woodshop
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Woodshop EdP

Woodshop opens with a very noticeable coffee hit to me, but quickly smooths out into a very wearable fragrance -- which was not what I was expecting when I first picked it up.

kitch·en

noun

• a room or area where food is prepared and cooked.

Meaning, for instance, if one had washed and prepared vegetables in a sink, or ever hooked up a microwave or hotplate in a particular room, it is now considered a kitchen?

• the percussion section of an orchestra.

Well...I'll leave this to your imagination of how this could take place in the same room.

#ROTY

July 9, 2023 LG#9

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
• Razor: Karve CB SB-B
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (2)
• Lather: Noble Otter – Thé Noir et Vanille
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. (Formerly Oleo Soapworks) – Armonia

The Noir et Vanille from NO is a wonderful scent based on Earl Grey tea. I heard it was based on the tea from Harney & Sons, which coincidently I have as well (and Royal Palace which someone from here recommended but I cannot remember who). Armonia is paired with it due to its listed bergamot note and my college friend’s tradition of caffeine and a cigarette. Obviously, this tobacco scent is about as many times better than a cigarette as /u/USS-SpongeBob has consecutive shaves.

For the challenge today, I got to smell a fully formed breakfast at dinnertime with bacon on the stove for cassoulet while I shaved with NO’s soap in my kitchen. For those of you who may not have had a traditional French Cassoulet, I would encourage you to try it next time it is on a menu. I had my trusty scuttle and kitchen sink, an oven door mirror, and uncomfortable hardwood seat. Also, don't drink and shave. Or you get a couple nicks like me.

Edit: First wife assist in the LG getting a photo of me

July 9, 2023 – Death Before Decaf!

• Brush: Brad Sears Gonzo Handle w/ Manchurian Fan 24mm #SHD
• Razor: Gillette Old Type #REGUS
• Blade: Wizamet
• Lather: Storybook Soapworks – Coffee Spoons
• Post Shave: Macduffs Soap Company – Imperial Earl Grey
• Fragrance: Ineke – Jaipur Chai

Here’s the base plate of my razor for proof of tag.

Didn’t do the challenge. I got home late. I was tired. I forgot. I already shaved. Don't have time to do it again.

Coffee Spoons isn’t a satisfying coffee fragrance. It smells like stale coffee grounds, and a bit like pencil shavings. The soap also isn’t very good. But, it’s unobtainium and comes in handy every year for the lather games. So, it’s worth holding onto.

I bought Imperial Earl Grey to compliment B&M Cheshire, which is also Earl Grey inspired. Imperial Earl Grey is bright, vibrant, and fruity. Bergamot and Mandarin orange burst with ripe flavor. There’s a note that smells like guava. The splash feels rich in skin food.

Jaipur Chai is very tea-like. It’s a subtle fragrance, and leans feminine. I smell notes of black tea, cardamom, nutmeg, and something earthy. It’s not as spicy as an American chai blend. I would prefer a stronger spice note to gravitate to. But, Ineke’s compositions tend to be understated.

#FOF

July 9, 2023 Death Before Decaf

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: AP400B XL Handle (AP ShaveCo) - 28mm Maggard Boar Knot
• Razor: MM24
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (4)
• Lather: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi
• Post Shave: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi
• Fragrance: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi

Today's theme was probably the hardest to pick for. There are so many good tea and coffee scents that even after deciding between a tea or coffee scent I had to pick the actual soap for today. I ended up going with Musashi and have zero regrets. This stuff takes a ton of water, almost as much as the Omnibus base. After yesterdays bloodbath of a shave I needed a great shave this morning and this may have been the best of the games for me so far. I cheated and just used the trifecta to tie the software together today.

Challenge - On year three of this challenge I finally found a good spot to rest the mirror and honestly and this point I may as well just shave in the kitchen all the time. This year I didn't even get caught by people walking the path behind my house like the last two years. I did however get hit with the "oh, this again" from my son who just turned 12.

July 9, 2023 – Month of Lather Day 9

• Brush: DS Cosmetics Carrot handle w/ 26mm 2-band Badger + Synthetic mixed knot #MISTURA
• Razor: Rex Supply Co. Ambassador XL Adjustable #DIAL
• Blade: Gillette Perma-Sharp (1)
• Preshave: Stirling Soap Co. – Unscented
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Cheshire
• Post Shave: Black Ship Grooming – Davy Jones Splash
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Unscented Balm
• Music: Loveninjas - Earl Grey with Honey

Daily Theme: It's early Monday here in Singapore. While I love me some coffee (and will guzzle a full pot once I get to work), to ease my way back into work mode I need a caffeine product that's a little more subtle. Enter Cheshire. As per B&M: We blend American clary sage, bergamot, and small amounts of lavender and patchouli to create a very realistic interpretation of the smell of Earl Grey (the tea, not the man). That works for me.

Daily Challenge: Here is a perspective view of today's shaving station.

The Shave: A thoroughly enjoyable shave. In spite of not really being able to see what I was doing, B&M's Omnibus base was more than slick enough to compensate for my suspect shaving technique. Now I need to clean the kitchen because there is lather everywhere! #ROTY

• Brush: Zenith B28 #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Merkur 39C Sledgehammer slant
• Blade: Gillette King C
• Shave Soap: House of Mammoth / Wholly Kaw - Iced Tea shave soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth / Wholly Kaw - Iced Tea after shave splash
• Fragrance: Creed - Green Irish Tweed

This is too damn timely of a challenge post. So we return from vacation, and my wife naturally clears out the fridge from our time away while I’m mowing the yard. Chiefly, she decides to dispose of leftover lo mein and enchiladas. Now, my wife is a fragile creature. She hates loud noises. So, she shys away from garbage disposal use.

I spent my day scurrying back and forth from Home Depot to fix our drain. For those in need, Ryobi’s p4002 is a fine addition to your v18+ lineup.

Now it is 11:41pm and I am shaving from our kitchen.

shave

Jul. 9, 2023
Brush: Simpson Trafalgar T2 #SMOLL #OLDWORLD * Razor: Rex Supply Co Envoy #CNC * Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome
Lather: King C Gillette - Transparent - cream * Post Shave: Stirling - Piacenza - Aftershave

Ok, today was trash for the games. Today is the only day I did not have a soap for(that wasn’t a repeat). I may not have the most hardware but damn I want that extra point for 30 soaps. So I went on a crusade. 3 different box stores and found this guy at target. As much as I wanna say it’s trash, it wasn’t terrible. ‘White tea’ for the win I guess. Also to add to my ‘rookiness’ I didn’t even know the scavenger hunt was a thing. So now I’m hashtagging lol. Anyways alls wells that ends well. This is the most days I’ve ever shaved in a row and I shaved in the kitchen with my wife mocking me :)

ROTY

July 09, 2023 * Brush: Yaqi Moka Express 24mm Mew Brown Synthetic #FAUXFUR * Razor: Razorock Hawk V2 Aluminum * Blade: Schick Proline (AC) * Lather: Ariana & Evans - Cafe au Lait - Soap * Post Shave: Ariana & Evans - Cafe au Lait - Aftershave * Fragrance: Noble Otter - Monarch - EdP

I already had a hunch, but today's use confirmed I need to get rid of this set. While the scent is a very pleasant coffee, the soap and aftershave make my face tingle. I paired this with Monarch due to it's coffee note. I also used the Yaqi Moka Express for today's shave. It is in the shape of the famed Bialetti Moka Pot and coffee colored handle. This Yaqi handle, featuring a mew brown synthetic knot was the first upgrade I made from my Maggard starter brush. Going back now after using AP Shave Co, Turn N Shave, or newer higher-end synthetics, the Yaqi knot feels very pokey and was slightly unpleasant during the shave.

Well, here we go with the first non-bathroom shave of LG. I found the kitchen to be much easier than last years outdoor shave. It was actually nice to sit at the island for the shave. I used a portable makeup mirror, which sufficed but wasn't easy. After 4 years of Lather Games shenanigans, the wife wasn't that shocked or upset thankfully.