LGSOTD 16-July

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - Manga V16 #SHD 
• Razor: Koraat - 6/8 Ebony Scales #ALLNATURAL #STR8SNOB   
• Lather: Ariana and Evans – Barbiere Classico  
• Post Shave: Ariana and Evans – Barbiere Classico AS
• Fragrance: Ariana and Evans – Barbiere Classico EDP

Newly acquired A&E Barbiere Classico is an excellent scent. Used it a couple of times so far and chuffed to bits. One of the few suppliers that I can get alcohol splashes and EDPs via direct ordering. Top that off with the cracking Koraat lead to a wonderful shave, though I prefer full hollow over near wedge (exception being my 72-V). I do want to get my hands on another when I get back from holiday in August, currently thinking double concave full hollow, barbers notch with a rounded point and a bit of spine work. Undecided on scales yet, but we'll see. 

Now for the challenge, meme day. Here's my effort and one that came to mind when I thought back to when I first started out. Though I obviously knew what it stood for, it still left scratching my head and thinking why bother. Of course as I gained experience I realised it was absolutely necessary, live and learn. 

Hope everyone has a cracking day. 

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

July 16, 2023

• Prep: Noble Otter - Lonestar - Bath Soap
• Brush: Chisel & Hound “Rosewood Elegance” v14 Fanchurian
• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley (SB-D)
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Noble Otter - Barrbarr
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Spice - Aftershave

Hashtags #photocontest

Music
“There Is This Thing” - Reginald Chapman, Foxygen Spotify / YouTube

---

Daily challenge:

Alright, let’s do this. Everyone’s favourite razor this year. Ah, that’s too easy…. how about this one? Yup, we all been there. Oh, here’s another one: when your love for Nordost just gets a little bit unhealthy…. What?

It’s been a funny year hasn’t? Sometimes the memes kept writing themselves - literally. Like that time a wetshaver bypassed security for British Royals simply by going to the pharmacy to pick up shaving supplies. Speaking of shaving supplies... are MOAR BOAR owners feeling that big brush energy? Is the brush getting you into trouble with your special lady friends?

The FOF contest is going to be interesting this year. We got some very talented people here, folks. And finally, for those who are doing the Raw Hoggin’ challenge this year - just keep it to shaving, yeah?

edited formatting

Enjoyable memes

July 16, 2023

• Brush: Semogue 1460 21mm
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .84
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (9)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Thayers – Rose Petal

To my nose, Ghost Town Barber is a quintessential barbershop scent. The leather and smoke add another dimension to the scent, bringing it beyond the regular preblend barbershops without being too "quirky" or funky.

I am not a master meme maker, but please enjoy my low quality wetshaving meme for today's challenge.

​

Big Razor to the tune of Big Iron by Marty Robbins

Lyrics:

To the sub of r/Wetshaving

Linked a stranger one fine day

Hardly replied to folks around him

Didn't have too much to say

No one dared to ask his business

No one dared to lather soap

For the stranger there among them

Had a big razor on his face

Big razor on his face

It was early in the morning

When he posted in the thread

He came writing from the soapy side

Slowly looking all around

"He's a shaver loose and running"

Came the whisper from every place

"And he's here to do some business

With the big razor on his face"

Big razor on his face

July 16, 2023 – Shave and a Haircut – Two Bits

• Brush: Paladin Chief 26mm Satin Juma Smoke
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
• Blade: Astra SP (3)
• Lather: Zingari Man – The Wanderer
• Post Shave: Zingari Man – The Wanderer splash

Couldn’t sleep so I’m up early this morning for my shave.

The Shave: Smooth and enjoyable shave with The Wanderer today. Clean barbershop scent combined with the Zingari base is a recipe for success.

Theme: The Wanderer literally has barbershop on the tub for its description.

Challenge: I spent a little time putting some memes together for you all to enjoy.

#ROTY

Jul. 16, 2023
Brush: Yaqi Casino Husky Knot
Razor: Green Cult GC 2.0 II
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Lather: TFS - Red - Soap
Post Shave:* Moon Soaps - Havana - Balm

Going for a non controversial barbershop pick here, my meme game is weak but here is an ode to my favourite threads of the year

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Shave and a haircut-2 bits

Prep: Warm Shower
Brush: AP Shave Co - Cashmere 30mm
Razor: Gillette Post war tech
Blade: Tiger Platinum (2)
Lather: Tiki Bar - 1920's Barbershop - Soap
Post Shave: warm water rinse

My lather is definitely on-theme today. The scent was powdery and pleasant. A nice shave. Have a great day.

July 16, 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: Voskhod (4)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Ghost Town Barber

Another great shave this morning and another reason why I'm glad to do Lather Games, in that if forces me to pull older soaps from the soap archives and use them. Ghost Town Barber was one of the first soaps I got from Amazon when I really got into this wet shave craft all those years ago, and the fresh scent has a unique well-rounded "polish" to it which sets it apart from traditional barbershop scents. Scent notes are bergamot, basil leaf, white patchouli, oakmoss, Texas cedar, leather, smoke, and gunpowder. Another slam dunk BBS finish for a Sunday.

Today's challenge meme: https://i.imgur.com/GMJvwqL.jpg

#LatherGames #MemeDay

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJUVd8SguDw ← Scientists Discover Planets More Habitable Than Earth

Lather Games Day 16- Off To the Barbershop We Go

• Brush: Vulfix Pure Badger
• Razor: RazoRock GameChanger .84-P
• Blade: Astra - SP Green (8)
• Lather: HSSC - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Proraso - Eucalyptus Oil and Menthol Splash

Barbershop scents don't really do it for me. Sure, I have fond memories of getting haircuts at the Suniland Barbershop in the 'burbs of Miami while sucking on a DumDum lollipop and getting to ride the metal duck on the big metal spring while waiting (the barbershop and the animals on springs in the barbershop are still around), it doesn't make me want to shave with that nostalgia. In my 30 for 30 quest, I grabbed a sample of Highland Springs' Barbershop not expecting much out of it. HSSC is definitely an underrated soap around this sub but the base is fantastic. The scent? It's a friggin' talcum powder bomb to the face which is friggin' perfect. I don't care about the Clubman-y notes that most soaps try to go after, I just want the powder and this delivers. This is the brush of talcum to your neck post-cut but right to the face. Finished off the shave with the classic Proraso scent and I was good to go for a Sunday morning. My mood is definitely uplifted.

As far as the Daily Challenge, my meme game kind of sucks but here's my effort.

Sun Jul 16 2023

• Prep: A hot shower
• Razor: Merkur - 34C HD
• Blade: Feather HI Stainless
• Brush: Perfecto Badger
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Seville Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Seville AS Spalsh

Really like this soap. The lather was great this morning. Really explode in the bowel. Out of town this week, so I loaded all my lather game equipment in my bag. Hope I got it all.

ROTY

July 16, 2023 – LG2023 Day Sixteen

• Brush: Ever Ready – Vintage ER 200 26mm Boar
• Razor: Fasan – Translucent Slant
• Blade: Polsilver (5)
• Lather: Westman Shaving – Clichê
• Post Shave: Westman Shaving – Clichê

Clichê is Westman Shaving’s take on the ever popular Barbershop and the slight tongue in cheek name is a nod to just how over saturated the Barbershop Market is, I used to have quite a few Barbershop Scents but now I only tend to grab them if they offer something a little different and being a fan of Tiago’s other scents I thought this would be a good addition.

The notes include Eucalyptus, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Vanilla, Tobacco, Leather, Vetiver, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Musk and the result is a slightly sweet but fresh scent with a really nice musky base note that leaves you going back for a sniff almost sub consciously.

The hardware today consists of some vintage delights, the Fasan is a beauty and although I struggle with light razors I can’t help but love this design and please don’t confuse it’s with Dirty Doug From PAAs copy this is the OG Translucent DE.

The brush is my first attempt at a handle restoration, I managed to open it up from a piddly 21mm up to a bore size capable of fitting this 26mm Shoat Knot from Turn n Shave. It’s not the best but it’s decent enough and the colourway is one of my favourites.

• Today’s Challenge

I went and did a few different memes for today so hopefully one to tickle everyone’s fancy here

2023-07-16 Barbershop

• Brush: West Coast Shaving - Two Tone Synthetic
• Razor: Henson AL13 Medium #CNC
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - No. 11
• Post Shave: Floïd - The Genuine
• Fragrance: American Crew
• Blade: Feather (5)

Challenge Accepted: The word "meme" is not so narrowly defined as to refer only to image macros or whatever templates, and I don't think so lowly of the djudges to think they would assume as such.
A recently-surfaced meme that remains fairly persistent on reddit lately is that of AI-generated images of John Oliver. Now, I'm not about to shell out for a year's subscription to Midjourney or the like, so instead I managed to create these horrible atrocities. The AI models that produced these clearly know about prominent Oliverian features, such as his glasses, but they seem to have trouble with the idea of "safety razor", "DE razor", or permutations thereof, and the finger-like appendage in that first one is nothing short of horrifying.

#FOF
What is a barbershop?
The only answer I've been able to find to this question is: whatever the hell the scent-creator wants! No argument here. But it confuses the hell out of my sniffer.

My first impression of No. 11 is that it's very close to London Barbershop of Maggard, which I previously lauded as the cleanest scent in my nose's experience. It's similar enough that I have wondered if it is the same and just hits the nose differently due to the soap's base. I am led to dismiss this idea, though, because No. 11 is said to be based on a specific other barbershop scent, the notes of which differ quite a bit from that of the pre-blend. Shows how much my nose knows!

Meanwhile, I found Floïd The Genuine described as "a barbershop classic," and I'll take whoever's word for it. Maggard's description says it's "an explosion of spices with citrus [...] that will transport you to the aromas of traditional barbershops". You betcha, marketing person! I do agree that it is strong in the spice department, but its similarity to No. 11 ends at the "barbershop" association.

Meanwhile again, this American Crew stuff is something that I was given a long time ago in an, "I don't want this; you have it!" kind of way. It as long enough ago that all I can find in regard to its scent thereof is that it's "a clean and subtle scent that combines spicy and citrusy notes." You got it, pardner. Based on that, I can say with moderate confidence that the fragrance shares the spicy and citrusy aspects of the barbershop aftershave, and the clean-ness of the lather.

Relevant Post-shave and Fragrance: The lather and aftershave are both ostensibly barbershoppy, and the fragrance shares the clean/citrus/spicy accords of each.
Not to mention the fragrance is vaguely-defined, much in the spirit of "barbershop".

#photocontest
Photo: Games
I don't think I've ever stepped foot in a veritable barbershop, so all I really have to go on is in media-depictions. I haven't seen the Barbershop movies, though. I did see an episode of iZombie that featured a barbershop, and it had a whole theme around gambling. I think I might indeed associate gambling with the general depiciton of that kind of barbershop, so here we are: Gaming.

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

Bay Rum is considered the original barbershop fragrance due to its historical significance and longstanding association with traditional barbering. The classic combination of bay leaves, spices, and citrus in Bay Rum was a popular scent used by barbers to refresh and invigorate their clients during a shave or haircut. Its distinctive aroma evokes a sense of nostalgia and invokes images of vintage barbershops, making Bay Rum an iconic fragrance that continues to be cherished and embraced by those seeking a timeless barbershop experience.

Splash is made by an actual barbershop.

iii MEME DAY !!!

July 16, 2023

• Brush: Maggard 24mm Tuxedo Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Tech (Z-4)
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox (German) (2)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber - Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Reserve Fern - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Korres - Saffron Spices - Balm
• Fragrance: Azzaro - Pour Homme Night Time - EdT

I almost forgot I have this soap! Barbershop scents usually give me frag burn (looking at you, Stirling Barbershop), but this one does not. It's a great smelling soap, and the Chiseled Face base is super excellent.

There is no relevance between my post-shave and fragrance.

meme

July 16, 2023

• Brush: DSCosmetic Boar/Badger Mix
• Razor: Gillette Executive Fatboy
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Apex Alchemy – Cutthroat Soap
• Post Shave: Apex Alchemy – Cutthroat Splash
• Fragrance: Montblanc – Explorer

Barbershop is one of those scents that I loved when I was first starting wetshaving, but then I realized that so many that are pretty much carbon copies of each other. And EVERYONE has a barbershop scent and I can’t get excited about any of them anymore. Even Apex Alchemy, who has a really fun line-up of scents, have a Barbershop. The businessperson in me wonders who is buying all these barbershop scented items? And why are so many soapmakers doing what everyone else is doing? Someone must be buying them, right?

The lack of originality is almost painful to watch. As barbershop scents flood the wetshaving market, they’re drowning out any semblance of uniqueness and creativity. How many times have we found ourselves surrounded by soaps, splashes, and colognes, each offering a scent that seems all too familiar? “We want to evoke the memory of a classic barbershop…” AND SO DOES EVERY OTHER SOAPMAKER! The sameness of this barbershop offering really stifles one the one best parts of this hobby – scents that are truly unique!

Apex Alchemy’s is okay as far as barbershop scents go. Not the best, and not the worst either. It’s not as powdery as some of the other ones I’ve tried and the splash almost has a subtle fruitiness to it, which is kind of unique in my experiences with Barbershops. I paired the Cutthroat soap and splash with Montblanc – Explorer because it’s big on bergamot, like Cutthroat, but then has some Sage & Pink Pepper which partner really nicely with the fruitiness from the splash. #FOF

CHALLENGE

Here’s a meme I came with inspired by the Lather Games. When I first saw the calendar, I was so overwhelmed and I actually used a spreadsheet to keep everything organized. I took it one day at time, bought a shit-ton of samples, and got couple smushes from the community and I was off the races. No clue how I’m gonna do compared to everyone else, but posting daily has made me feel more like I’m participating in the subreddit and not just occasionally asking questions. This has been a fun ride so far and I’m looking forward to the 2nd half!

July 16, 2023 - Shave and a Haircut

• Brush: Noble Otter 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Razors Era 2SB
• Blade: Gillette Platinum (2)
• Lather: Mystic Water - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - BarrBarr - Splash
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville - EdT

Daily Write-Up:
I'm traveling today, so I'm not sure when I'll have time to update here. I'm putting this in as a placeholder, and intending to come back to it later. But I am not about to forget and basically get kicked out of the Lather Games.

Daily Challenge: * Meme here * I'm making a meme for all the contestants who have done 10+ shaves, Here's an album of them all

Soap Theme Justification
Mystic Water - Barbershop. It's in the name.

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
* The second of two "Barbershops, Three Ways". This started with Mystic Water Barbershop. I actually prefer the scent of this to Maggard's London Barbershop, but the performance just is not there. * Followed up with Noble Otter BarrBarr. Definitely the spiciest barbershop I have, I seem to always get a lot of nutmeg from the splash. As NO goes, Monarch always smells like a Barbershop to me, and I prefer it to BarrBarr. * Finished with Seville, probably my second favorite barbershop.

user get's caught in a lie, proceeds to quickly fabricate evidence to the contrary, stubbing his toe in the process.

made memes for every fucking person taking LG seriously (Except Djudges).. WTF

July 16, 2023 – Bogus

• Brush: Holzleute – Silvertip badger
• Razor: Custom designed 6/8 Böker with bog oak scale and french head #STR8SNOB #ALLNATURAL
• Lather: Moon Soaps – Union
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Barbershop
• Fragrance: Versace – Eros Flame

Barbershop day is nonesense. We celebrate a barbershop, that has very likely worse products than we use, to get a shave thats worse than what we could do, with a scent that is not at all defined. We top it off, by shaving ourselfes. I can’t avoid to think of Ron Swanson. We would look the same the minute we enter a barbershop. But just like last year we have this theme. Thank god it’s sunday and barbershops are closed today. How cocky would it be to go there and show them my clean shaven face, smelling fabulous and giving them a lecture that they should get some Seville and stop using Arko.

For all the things I listed, that are wrong with the barbershop day, I wanted to make at least one thing right. I did not wanted to shave myself. Would you go to a restaurant and cook your own meal? No.
But before the u/airbudruler gets up for standing ovations, we need to read the rules which clearly say: “You have to shave yourself”. To avoid a mod with a nervous finger on the DQ button, I still had to shave myself.

Barbershops here prefer shavette shaves. They can change the blade after every customer for hygenie reasons. But I woudl prefer a shave with a straigh razor, for style reasons. This weekend my razors came back from honing service. God, did I miss them. Did anybody notice that for over two weeks, I had no straight razor shave?
Anyway. As a brush I used my Holzleute badger brush. It still has some animal funk in it and needs more break in phase, but my beard length matched the brushes feeling.
The lather was not the best. I have a sample of the soap from last year LG. The soap looks dry and crumbling. Went to the living room, sat on a chair and let my gf shave me. I shaved my little brother once, and although I thought that I am proficient with these razors, my hands were shaking as I was nervous and the angle was so different. My gf often shaves the back of my neck with my straight razors, so she has little experience. I told her to do the pass as she likes to. WTG, ATG, XTG, doen’t matter. Do whats comfortable and maneageble. She started with XTG, but stopped after one cheek. The long nails from yesterdays wedding get in her way, she is afraid to chop my face off, she is afraid to break the razor. I get all of these arguments.
Here ends the part of my airbudruling and we continue with the games obeying its rules.

#FOF
I realized that I am out of practice with my straight razors. The lather denisity was also not good enough. With a straight, its even more important how good your lather is. Union has a very mild cooling. Forgott it had that. The scent is more towards Seville direction and a take on 50s Barbershop scent. Powdery, citrus, sandalwood and bay.
To stay on theme I used Stirlings very vanilla barbershop balm. Thats more my barbershop style scent.
About my choice of fragrance, I need to tell a tiny story. I worked in a different city some years ago. We had a colleague from turkey and went to some turkish restaurants from time to time. As we got there we passed a little barbershop and every time we did that he told us about the one time he was there after work on a friday evening. The place was full of testosterone bombing “gentleman”, who got ready for their firday night club hunting. He told us that he learned a lot during his visit there.
I assume that the clientele has a few fragrances they like to use and I assume that Versace Eros is among them.
Flame starts with heavy mandarine and a citric freshness. After a bit of time it fits the barbershop theme very well (like arse on bucket, as we say in germany). Powdery sweetness, but still a bit of citrus, like it cant decide if it wants to fit Stirling or Red house farms barbershop, or rather Moon soaps and Barrister and Mann barbershop. It fits both.

Daily Challenge:

Let’s start with some LG meme.
Friggid friday
no scrub
let's continue the mocking u/priusaurus

July 16, 2023 – A trip to the barber

• Brush: Omega 40033 24mm #oldworld #hollow
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (7)
• Lather: Noble Otter – Barrbarr
• Post Shave: Zingari – The Wanderer
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – Gratiot League Square

Barbershop day. My den is actually full of various takes on this scent. From the more modern like Hygge, to the interesting takes like Ghost Town Barber, to this more traditional take from noble otter.

It’s a great scent and was good to use today. Though I mixed up too many variables and not even the magic of GUTL could save me. I normally use this brush for face lathering CF soaps, but for some reason it just screamed “barbershop” to me, and so I loaded too little. So less a grand unified face and bowl lather and more unification across multiple loads. I got a good shave.

For #fof, obviously The Wanderer is a barbershop, the classic preblend from crafters choice. And I’m ok with this preblend. It smells good and goes with my myriad of barbershops in my den. Gratiot League Square is interesting to me. Interesting in part because the area described is very much my old stomping grounds, hanging out, at a friend’s house who lived in that area, going to the resturants, ordering local pizza. Wandering you might say. I can imagine old barbershops in the area, but much like the old hardware stores they have given way to the entertainment district inside/adjacent to the neighborhoods. The charm is still there even if it’s a little different. And the scent itself plays well with the barbershop scents (but what doesn’t play well with those?)

For #photocontest, got myself an entry for “The law” actually plays well with FOF above since I’ve been pulled over in that area before for the crime of… Trying to drop off my friend late at night. Anyone with kids the same age as mine will recognize Chase, the annoying cop in the pawP Patrol.

So will my fellow #ROTY bring it with the memes this year? I’m tired from a concert and spent my energy on yesterday’s video. But here’s a meme about our dens. Sorry I don't have a ton to overload you with. Gotta get packing (can't forget my calender and soaps!)

But since song parody is a meme of the LG this year and I was at a concert and have a song stuck in my head, here’s one to the tune of Eric Church’s “Drink in my hand.”

Lather up

Mow it down

Slicken your face with soap from a cow

No need to complicate it, I’m no wicked edge man

All you gotta do is put a blade in my hand.

You make me go "ow ow ow" when you nick like that

You got that little weeper there playing peek-a-boo on my neck

If you wanna good dress me, baby here's the plan

All you gotta do is put a blade in my hand.

Lather up

Mow it down

I got 4 days growth worth of stubble to plow

That hair on my face is calling “shave me man”

All you gotta do is put a blade in my hand

OH! That hair on my face is calling “shave me man”

All you gotta do is put a blade in my hand.

Edited: in a moment of inspiration had an idea for a verse. Edited 2, changed "not a wicked edge man" to "no wicked edge man" because it fits the tempo better.

July 18, 2023 – Barbershop Day

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Acrylic G5
• Razor: Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed
• Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium (18)
• Lather: Oleo Soapworks – No. 11
• Post Shave: Oleo Soapworks – No. 11
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps – Picture Day

For awhile I absolutely loved barbershop scents, but then I got pretty sick of them and purged most from my den. No. 11 is one of the few remaining because it is just such an incredible scent. I really do need to pick up Replica At the Barber’s.

As soon as I’m put on the spot to do some meming, I cannot come up with a single thing. Here is my low effort meme on the lowest hanging fruit possible.

July 16, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. – Blue/Clear Handle with Oumo 26mm Horse #HORSEASS
• Razor: C.V. Heljestrand 6/8 Straight #STR8SNOB
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Picture Day
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Beloved
• Fragrance: Tommy Hilfiger - Tommy
• Music: Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue

We’re over the halfway point and I feel like the best is yet to come from everyone. From me, there’s more interviews, more memes, and more over the top ridiculousness. Hopefully no more ice bath shaves, but if u/MrTangerinesky comes at me again, he’s getting the smoke again. I’m not above doing a month of Spite Shaves.

Today, I shaved with Summer Break Soaps’ Picture Day (RIP in Peace). Gone too soon. Barbershop scents can be tough because it seems like every single soapmaker has “their own” barbershop, yet so many just use Crafter's Choice™ Barber Shoppe - EO & FO Blend 123. Seriously, go to this Thirsty Badger Dupe list, and type “barber shoppe” in the search bar. And that’s just the ones they know about!! Boring! Maybe SBS thought the same thing because Picture Day is now uNoBtAnIuM. Did I do that alternating letters thing right? Sucks because I really enjoy this soap, buuuut, life goes on. Well, not for Picture Day…. But you get the point.

Today, I’m really happy to be using Picture Day. It’s a great barbershop style scent. It’s a little floral, a little earthy, and a little powdery. It’s really a well-balanced scent. No surprise to any of us, because Summer Break only makes top-notch stuff. I decided to pair it with Beloved from House of Mammoth. It’s heavy on the Lavender and shares a touch of Bergamot with Picture Day, and has a woodiness that goes great with the oak moss and patchouli from the soap, but is a good bit sweeter, thanks to Beloved’s immortelle absolute (which smells like honey), but it’s a good combo. And to finish the routine for the day, I sprayed on Tommy Hilfiger’s Tommy. It has an obscenely not creative name, but it also shares bergamot, mint, and lavender notes with the aftershave to make a nice #FOF combination.

For the challenge. You want the memes? I got the memes. I thought about doing a some memes dedicated to my Spite Shave, but I’ve already proved my point to MrTangerinesky. Then I thought about dedicating that Chapelle meme to either u/cowzilla3 for Old Spice Dupes or u/Enndeegee for Spice Girls gifs. But then, I opted to stick to something we can all agree on. Something we can all unite with: 10 memes about how awful PAA is. But I'm not done! I have one more meme left in my tank... Quite possibly the most impressive meme for meme day that's ever memed:

Bringing a Meme Soap to life.

That's right! Remote Learning is becoming a reality. The inmates are running the asylum and I'm leading the charge for Doritos Soap and Mountain Dew Splash. You're welcome, r/wetshaving.

For the #photocontest, I’m going with Story/thematic as Joker finally has the jump on Batman. Robin is trapped under a giant bottle of splash and Batgirl is trapped under a frag! How will Batman escape??

And of course, I have an awesome interview today! I talked with Kyle from Summer Break Soaps. For me, SBS is about fun and nostalgia. Taking us all back to a time when this were… Simple. And all of Kyle’s scents tell a story or evoke a feeling. That is not easy to do. And on top of all that, Kyle is one of us, posting in the Lather Games threads, tossing out gifs and memes like it’s nobody’s business. This is a great interview that you won’t want to scroll by and I’m so glad Kyle decided to take part. Thank you, u/rocketk455! You are a great part of this community!

10 Questions with... Summer Break Soaps

1) As a student, Summer break is no question the best break, yet Spring Break seems to get the most hype. Why do you think that is?

I've basically been in school for 30ish years now. In all that time I've noticed a lot of patterns. One of those is that the month of February absolutely sucks. Teachers and students are tired, its cold, days are short, and summer is so so far away. Spring Break comes along at the perfect time to provide hope that summer is in fact getting closer and that the weather is finally getting better.

2) I would always wait until like the last day of Summer Break before school went back into session to try to bang out the entire summer reading list (shoutout Cliff Notes for saving me on more than one occasion.) What percent of students do you think actually do the summer reading?

Honestly, I don't think anyone around here even bothers to assign summer readings because absolutely no one would do them. You and your Cliff Notes might be the only person in the history of always that actually at least kind of did the readings.

3) When you aren’t using your own soaps/splashes, what are your other favorite brands/scents to use?

Several years ago when I was a peak thrill I decided to mostly limit my purchases to only brands that have a presence here on r/wetshaving. After SBS, Declaration is a solid 2nd place as far as amount of stuff that I own. I very much enjoy all other Reddit artisans as well.

4) Which is your favorite SBS scent that you’ve released?

It’s interesting how the answer to this has changed. The answer was always Picture Day previously, but I've kind of gotten tired of barbershop scents. Right now, it is probably Woodshop. I just really enjoy how that came together especially since it was years and years in the making. I also really like International Studies.

5) Real talk: How many people do I need to get to committed to buying a set of Remote Learning for you to do a limited run?

Making small batches of soap is a huge pain, but you find me 10ish or more people to buy it, and I'll make it.

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN THE REPLY)

Bringing Remote Learning to the public

July 16, 2023

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• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Zenith 507U XSE
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Aluminum
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: Stirling - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Stirling - Barbershop
• Fragrance: Stirling - Barbershop

For barbershop day, it simply had to be Stirling Barbershop. While I haven't tried every barbershop out there, Stirling's is my favorite of the one's I have tried, honestly, It may be my favorite scent of all time, it's just so clean and sweet. Whipped up the lather using a traditional barber style knot (boar). I've been having such good shave with the CF Legacy Aluminum that I'm using it for the third day in a row.

Today's Meme Challenge

Until tomorrow!

#ROTY

https://imgur.com/a/fbxtZ9W

• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Seville - Omnibus Base
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Ralf Aust Straight
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Barbershop Balm

Evidently I was logged into an alt account when I posted the first time. u/onionmisama memes are loaded with this link. Enjoy!

I love meme day. Mine are loaded up in the Imgur link. Enjoy!

Also, nice face lather day with Seville. Also sending my straight off to get homed but wanted to use it at least once in the games.

Have a great day folks!

Day 16 - Shave and Haircut

• Brush: Yaqi - Arctic brush with Caravel handle
• Razor: Karve - CB
• Blade: Astra - Green
• Lather: Barrister's Reserve - Cool
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Cool
• Fragrance: Creed - Aventus

I am traveling for this week, so all of the shaves are prepacked it a shave bag. Yes, I have one bag just for the Lather Games, haha.

For the fragrance, I have a box of samples to travel with. I am not as familiar with most of them. Today, I went with Aventus. They both hit similar notes with the Aventus, adding more fruit notes.

ROTY #FOF

Jul. 16, 2023

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps Rimmington Badger
• Razor: Carbon 316L
• Blade: Perma Sharp
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Company - Windy City Barbershop 💈 - Soap
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Company - Windy City Barbershop 💈 - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Osma - Alum

Barbershop Day, or “How many Seville SOTD” will there be today?

I almost forgot BarrBarr....

Will a new scent be released soon?

"What's the "Next Big Thing"?

This year’s Lather Games has felt “off” to me, for some reason. But since 2020, this is the only one I have been able to participate in. I’m not sure it might not just be me.

Last year, I was on a Cruise to Bermuda and the ship had to run from a Hurricane in the Bermuda Triangle. No way to post for a week at least….

The year before that, I lost my “Wingman” of 12 years Father’s Day weekend. Yeah, that really sucked too. I don’t remember posting anything more that month.

Next year’s Lather Games, I "may" try an approach I haven’t seen since 2020…. "BourbonInExileMode" ....

Theme Song for today

"Sweet Home Chicago"

Plus one more....

"Boom Boom"

Today I shaved with Summer Break Soaps Picture Day. I used my Proraso boar brush and aluminum ball end tech with a Personna blade. I followed up with Bandwagon aftershave and a shot of Picture Day edp. I’m not a memer.

Jul. 16, 2023
Brush: AP ShaveCo Synbad
Razor: Blackland Vector Ti
Blade: Kai Captain ProTouch MG
Lather: Noble Otter - Barbarr - Soap
Post Shave:* Ariana & Evans - Kaizen - Aftershave

Noble Otter never disappoints, and if I was going to buy a puck of barber shop scents this is the one I’d buy. Generally speaking though I like more complicated scents.

Placeholder for the challenge.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

July 16, 2023 Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Yaqi Barber Pole 24mm Tux
• Razor: Tatara Masamune Handle w/ Nodachi Base and Head
• Blade: Voskhod (9)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Windy City Barbershop
• Post Shave: 345 Soap Co. - Maduro Barberia
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Hygge

Since I started wetshaving barbershop has been one of my favorite scents. While I do like some more than others I don't think I've come across one that I haven't liked yet. I like that even though a lot of them use the pre-blend most of them still have something that sets them apart from the others. All the software is a form of barbershop to tie it all together.

Challenge - Memes for your enjoyment (hopefully)

July 16, 2023 – Barbershop

• Brush: Maggard Razors Timberwolf
• Razor: Gillette Aristocratic
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (2)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Soap Commander – Honor

What a difference a brush makes? After the boar experience yesterday, I went back to a synthetic. And the GTB lathered up quite well and tons and tons of lather. I think we should probably recommend Chiseled Face products more for beginners since it is very affordable and very easy to use. The Honor aftershave balm from Soap Commander matches this perfectly.

• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush
• Razor: Parker Clip-Type Shavette Dark Sheesham Wood Handle
• Blade: Feather Hi-Stainless
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber

ROTY

July 16, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 26mm G5C
• Razor: Karve CB (SB – C)
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (5)
• Lather: Noble Otter – Barrbarr
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Barrbarr

Barrbarr is the best barbershop scent. I'm willing to fight about it. Sign me up for the waiting list for Noble Otter’s local pickup order system. I’d pay extra for same day pickup. Noble Otter is routinely my best performing lather, and probably the best formulated aftershave that I’ve used (although I finally tried some HoM and they’re in the running).

I made a thing. It is, unfortunately, accurate to my personal experiences.

Healthy Activity of the Day: Another rest day, the hills yesterday kicked my butt more than I thought. Aiming for 5+ miles every day this week after today’s rest. LG MIleage: 40 miles

Tags: #ROTY

Jul. 16, 2023 - Going to the Barber

• Prep: CeraVe - Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Omega 10049 Boar #HOLLOW

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

• Blade: Personna

• Lather: Zingari Man - The Wanderer

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

• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Telegrama

Memes first because I know that’s all anyone cares about today.

Telegrama reminds me of a barbershop without being a “barbershop” scent. The talc and linens scent pair really nicely with that theme scent. It’s one of my favorite samples from Imaginary Authors and one of their longer lasting scents. A bunch of their stuff just dies the instant it hits my skin so I’m glad that I like the ones that last! The Wanderer was a smoosh that I got a while ago and forgot about. I REALLY need to clean out my sample drawer and use up some of them.

Rounding out the barber experience today with a barber style handle and shavette. I haven’t ever found a place that will give you a shave but from what I hear shavettes are what they use due to the sterilization requirements for true straights. One day I’ll find somewhere that does!

I asked my son to build a barbershop today for my #photocontest Urban/architecture submission. I think he did a great job! We made it with a little apartment on top!

Great meme game

Great meme game

DAY 16 LATHER GAMES! A ME-ME, WHAT IS THAT?!??!?!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot
• Razor: Blackland Vector
• Blade: Chinese(5)
• Lather: Noble Otter - BarrBarr
• Post Shave: RazoRock - Blue Barbershop splash
• Fragrance: Paco Rabanne - 1 Million

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PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

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u/Priusaurus didn't I tell you I'd deal with you today? I did, and here it is... After that weak attempt yesterday, here is my response in video format!(WARNING: LOUD VIDEO)

You screwed up big time my man, you don't mess with me!

While you stay in your bathroom and shave in cold water, I go and explore the world, buy rivers, shave next to them!! What'chu got, a tub?

Today's meme day? Sure, have some memes!!

Still the biggest meme of them all was u/Priusaurus being a premature ejacumemelator!

#FOF

• Daily Lather Themes: 16/30
• Daily Challenges: 16/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 14/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 1/2
• Software Vendor Points: 7/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 0/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 16/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 16/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 16/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 16/30

2023-07-16 Lather Games SOTD

• Brush: Omega 21762 (27x64mm Boar) #TOLL
• Razor: Universal Lama Intera Shavette
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (2)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - No. 11
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - American Blend
• Fragrance: Azzaro pour Homme

Special Italian Flag barber boar. Vintage barber shavette. Soap dupe of "At the Barber." Aftershave dupe of shaving-cream-scented Rive Gauche pour Homme. One of the all-time classic barbershop fragrances. I'm on theme, okay?

I love the Meme Day challenge but I'm not going to participate this year because according to my retired Lather Games colleagues I am a "stick-in-the-mud."

July 16, 2023 – Shave and a Haircut – Two Bits

• Brush: Semogue 1305
• Razor: London Razors – 1978 Gillette Super Adjustable – Y1 – Vintage Adjustable Safety Razor
• Blade: Astra SP (Green)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Fleur de France
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Fleur de France

Spearhead/Shawn says this is a modern French barbershop. I’ve never been to France so I will just nod my head. Pulled out my adjustable razor that I picked up from London Razors a while back. Still works. Semogue makes a nice boar. My meme game is not the greatest.

7/16/23

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving Exclusive MOAR BOAR (31 mm × 57 mm bleached boar)
• Razor: Koraat 8/8, Near Wedge Square Point
• Lather: Noble Otter - BarrBarr
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - BarrBarr Aftershave Splash
• Fragrance: Noble Otter - BarrBarr EdP

Barbershop scents are another favorite, tied with incense. I had thought about using 3 different artisans for todays theme, but in thr end I decided to give full credit to the best artisan Barbershop scent out there. BarrBarr, to me, has the best western Barbershop scent that I've tried, and at this point, I've tried quite a few. It was a fantastic shave this morning, and this Mrs thinks I smell liked baked goods. I have no complaints.

What better to pair with a 🐐 barbershop scent than a boar and a fat 8/8 near wedge? Nothing, that's what. These large and heavy blades move through the thickest hair silently and with the utmost conviction. There is no skipping, no extra pressure needed. You just gotta let this fat boi do the work. I recently shaved a friends head with this razor. For science, I used two different blades to start, and we did not buzz his hair short beforehand. First, I used a W&B 7/8 Extra Hollow, and it admittedly struggled with that much hair. I mean, it did it, but it took a little convincing. I then pulled out this Koraat. It took no convincing. It plowed through everything effortlessly. It was much easier to control. It was immediately apparent why these styles were preferred. I finished the rest of the first past with this. The second pass was done with the W&B.

I hear you like memes. One More

#ROTY

July 16, 2023

• Brush: Brad Sears Scotsman XL 28mm Super Badger
• Razor: Filarmonica 14 Doble Temple Gen 1 (Straight Shave 271)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Seville - Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Seville - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

---

Seville + Brad Sears + Fili 14. How could that not equal an excellent shave?

I'm going memeless today.

The photo theme for the day is Technology. Pictured surrounding today's setup are some of my whetstones (Japanese waterstones and a coticule) and a leather strop. These items highlight two technologies that relate to the traditional barbershop shave experience; abrasion and burnishing. Humankind has been shaping items by rubbing them against rocks for a very long time. The obvious association for the barbershop is straight razor honing; shaping the edge by abrading it. I'd guess busy barbers did this about once a day. The strop does not remove significant amounts metal the way a whetstone does. Instead, its purpose is edge realignment by moving it back into shape. My impression is that a barber uses a strop before, and during, each customer's straight shave.

#photocontest

Jul 16, 2023 - Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
• Brush: Chisel & Hound/Oumo Geaux 28mm Sparrow S-1 Knot
• Razor: Ever-Ready Jewel Streamline (1949-1953)
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE [16]
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Fleur de France - Soap
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Fleur de France - Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Hygge v2 - Eau de Parfum

Fleur de France is "rethinking the classic French barbershop scent through a modern lens." The jasmine and musk added to the more traditional barbershop notes, elevate the fragrance and make it more than just a barbershop with floral overtones.

Hygge is another barbershop that also interprets the style through a modern lens. The warm, comforting orange note that carries the fragrance makes it one of my favorite in wetshaving.

Rating: 4.5/5

Sunday, the 16th of July, 2023

• Brush: Omega Pro 49, red handle (10049)
• Razor: Gillette thin cap old type
• Blade: Topaz Platinum (70)
• Lather: Black Ship Grooming - Two Bits
• Post shave: Dr. Jon's - Runaway
• Fragrance: Talent Soap Factory - Wolf Mother

Oh, man, we're more than halfway through the Games already? Where did the first half of the month go? It's also my third day here without electricity. They claim they're still working on it, but my side of the street may be at the bottom of the priority list.

So if the name of today's theme is "shave and a haircut," including the folloup "two bits," what better soap for today's theme than the one actually named "Two Bits?" It's another use from an old sample tub, and... not a favorite barbershop scent of mine. I have another Black Ship sample I should get out after the Games are over. The soap is great, and I even got a better shave with this blade than I did yesterday, maybe even with a little less cleanup?

I don't have a barbershop splash, so instead I picked one from another company which produced only vegan soaps, Dr. Jon's. Runaway has an interesting mix of notes; the cherry on top is unexpected. I decided to follow this with a perfume from another company which produces vegan soaps, Talent Soap Factory's Wolf Mother.

LG23-16: Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: Prometheus Handcrafts "Red and White" 27.5mm Manchurian
• Razor: Carbon Cx-Ti
• Blade: Astra SP (11)
• Lather: Dr. Jon's - Classic - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Proraso - Refreshing - After Shave Lotion
• Fragrance: Noble Otter - Hamami
• Passes: WTG, XTG, ATG
• Coffee: West Java. Cijapati, Garut - v: Typica. Tim Tim. Catimor - p: Triple picked. Washed.
• Music: William Tyler - Goes West
• LG Tags: #FOF

Have you clicked through the links in the Lather Games rulebook's theme descriptions? There's lots of good info in there, including fragrance genre breakdowns and nuanced explanations of what makes a scent on theme for any given day.

Today's link is a must-click. I happened to circle back to the calendar last night and read this post about the structure of barbershop scents; it's the most coherent and thoughtful explanation of a nebulous concept I've encountered, well grounded in both history and culture, the two most significant factors in how we interpret, define, and categorize fragrances. (Speaking of, I chatted with friends yesterday about the significant differences in how notes like jasmine, patchouli, sandalwood, and vetiver are interpreted across the world. I'd love to see a "Lost in Translation" day in next year's calendar.)

Look at the wet shaving products in this category and there are many examples of scents that are "sweet, herbal, spicy, fresh, and very powdery.” That must be how you arrive at wet shaving artisans using the same preblends to signify "barbershop". [Judges, I'm not a memexpert, so I hope this works for you.]

However, the part of this 2018 essay that caught my attention was this qoute:

In the 1900s, the average gentleman wasn't interested in perfuming his body, but he was interested in being clean, and perhaps (if he was wealthy) in scenting the handkerchief in his breast pocket. The "being clean" part is central to understanding the upbringing of the masculine fragrance industry.

If barbershop scents can be reduced down to a historical and regional understanding of freshly-groomed cleanliness, it raises the question: what does clean smell like? It's not the smell of a barbershop itself, which is often full of equipment-cleaning smells, archaic, and varies wildly by region:

I find that when reviewers express confusion about the phrase "barbershop scent," they say things like, "This doesn't smell like any barbershop I've been to." This is a fundamental misinterpretation of the phrase. To say that Drakkar Noir smells like a barbershop scent isn't to imply that Drakkar Noir is used by barbers. Drakkar Noir employs notes and accords that resemble products used for shaving: its lavender and dry-herbal qualities are similar to the scents of common shaving soaps. The phrase extrapolates from a variety of shaving and haircutting products that have been traditionally used, ranging from talcum powders to shaving creams, to even Barbacide and other disinfecting astringents. Barbershop fragrances are typically subjective, based on the barber's region of practice.

I'm convinced by the argument that American barbershop fragrances historically combined notes of sweet floral waters and hair powder, along with the various herbs and aromatics used to scent those products. Pinaud Clubman and Mennen Skin Bracer both come to mind. When not smelling of almond, Italian barbershop products feature a more Mediterranean take on the same structure, combining moss and herbs with a strong citrus component. You can find both fragrances and wet shaving products that reference either regional approach.

Dr. Jon's (RIP) described their barbershop scent Classic as "crisp and fresh." Like many vintage barbershop products in the more European variety, this smell combines "hints of herb, wood, flowers and citrus." With its lack of overt powder or talc, and a squeeze of lime on top of the strong rosemary and lavender, it doesn't read as American (like, say, Ghost Town Barber). Yet it's woody overtones make it feel more representative of Stateside barbershops than Proraso Green—the archetypal Italian aftershave—which, coincidentally, does smell vaguely of talc. Eucalyptus, menthol, and citrus are what dominate the scent, along with a strong lavender and oakmoss fougère base. Both products suggest an understanding of clean grooming that is brisk, aromatic, and lifted by citrus, but with little sweetness.

Yet those specifics don’t apply worldwide. Consider Noble Otter’s wonderful take on the Turkish bathhouse, Hamami. (Noble Otter also makes an American-style barbershop, the "sweet, spicy, powdery" Barrbarr.)

While spas and bathhouses serve a different purpose than a barbershop—full body cleansing versus above-the-chest grooming—the goal is fundamentally the same: cleanliness, achieved in places of relaxation, community, and ritual ablutions. They're kindred spirits. It shouldn't be surprising then, that while the individual notes are different across cultural traditions, the structures of these scents share commonalities.

Noble Otter describes Hamami as a "clean, wet floral fragrance." In place of zesty lemon or lime, there's invigorating bergamot and green petitgrain. Instead of lavender and rosemary, there's a very pretty jasmine mixed with geranium. In place of an oakmoss and patchouli base, there's sandalwood and tonka, though the latter shows up in sweet-leathery barbershop scents too. More than any other element of this fragrance, it's the wet stone note that distinguishes Hamami from other shaving scents, and what most distinguishes humid bathhouse from powdery barbershop. Layering the two in one SOTD is a useful study in composition and contrast.

Lather Games 2023 Day 16

• Prep: Warm water
• Brush: Mühle - Rytmo
• Razor: Mühle - Rytmo R41
• Blade: Gillette - Minora
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber

This set is gift from my friend Tzvetan. And I love it! Chiseled are great soaps and aftershaves makers! In my top 5 brands! "Ghost Town Barber" and "Sherlock" are my favorite!!! My idea for today was to make video in Old West gun range shooting with revolvers and shave with straight razor. Old fashion style! But if you read my yesterday comment you'll know why this not gonna happen. Now more modern approach. My trusty R41 with my trusty Glock and no shooting. This soap is barber shop scent with notes of citrus, wood and gunpowder ( if you wandering what this Glock doing here ) !!! This gunpowder note is one of my favorite! And because is the only one set that is barbershop in my collection I didn't use it in day 7 and keep it for today. They made one of the unpleasant scent to me " Midnight stag". Don't hate me please! Today challenge to make a meme for u/wetshaving is Terra incognita to me. But I did my best while I working. One is for forum it self, other joking with our hobby .... dreams in our hobby..... Favorite soaps makers ( with all my love) ....some razors manufacturer......and me of course....in not so funny way.

P.S. guys this is my first memes be more merciful

P.P.S. and today I didn't use alum block. Someone up there know what this mean 😉

ROTY

2023-07-16

• Brush: Semogue - Semogue 830, Boar bristle 22mm
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable - Date Code J3
• Razor: Ralf Aust - Ralf Aust 5/8" Round Point Straight Razor
• Lather: The Shave Mercantile - Classic Country Barber
• Post Shave: Jerris - Osage Rub

The Shave Mercantile's Country Barber (produced by Music city Suds) has as it's advertising copy:

"Classic Country Barber - Limited Edition - Shaving Soap is our homage to the country icons that made the sound of Nashville. Handcrafted and powdery smooth with notes of Bergamot, Basil Leaf, Oakmoss, White Patchouli, Powder, stage lights, whining steel guitars, and some country blues."

It does deliver on this "scent-scape" even seeming a bit musky sweet for this kind of scent despite declaring no musky notes. In use the soap is good but not of excellent tier. Afterwords perhaps a bit drying. Likeable enough and really a nice take on the type of scent but would be best paired with an aftershave balm - but no, no, no, that is not part of an old-school experience. We need the soothe that only comes after a bite the bullet howl with a slap of alcohol fueled aftershave.

Enter an actual time honored barbershop beast - Jerris Osage Rub. So, Osage rub started out life as a hair tonic. Much like u/RedMosquitoMM I am going to site an entry from a blog called "From Pyrgos" but this one is specific to Osage Rub Osage Rub: Classic Coolness .

Let's put it this way - Osage Rub started out as a hair tonic to "invigorate the scalp" and do other almost patent medicine type stuff. Throw that on a balding head and the tingle and cold will make you feel like something just might be accomplished. However some crappy but quick thinking barber somewhere upon performing a really poor shave leaving his ~~victim~~ client sliced and probably seething decided I have to do something quick - doused his palm in several squirts and slapped it on the poor fellas face. The shock of the alcohol and overwhelming coolness of ice quickly made the ~~client~~ victim forget anything about the sad shave he had just received - and it stuck. Well that or the marketing changed - lol (kinda like with Aqua Velva).

Picked out the straight this morning to go along with the scenario.

Take care and have a good one.

July 16, 2023 - Shave and a Haircut

• Brush: AP Shave Co - Ivory Purple 26mm G5A SHD Premium Synth
• Razor: GEM Junior
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Seville Splash
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Hygge

FOF

Today’s Theme:

One of my first soaps I bought when I got into wetshaving was Noble Otter - Barrbarr. Of course, I already used another NO soap this month, but had to squeeze it in somehow. Reading u/tsrblke’s post reminded me that Hygge is indeed a barbershop inspired scent. Today I used 4 on theme scents in a glorious mélange of tonsorial parlor scents.

Today’s challenge:

I appreciate meme, but don’t often think of one to make. I sometimes struggle with creativity. Today however, as I was getting my gear together, inspiration hit me. My thought process everyday this month really. I sometimes suffer from the paralysis of choice. With a pretty full den of soaps, and the joy of trying new things, it can be difficult to get around to a favorite. Or just stick to favorites and not try new things.

Today’s Fragrance:

Barbershop is a pretty generic genre, but there are a few really interesting unique scents out there. I went with Ghost Town Barber to give a nice clean base. Not a strong scent from it, just a familiar soapy scent to me. Barrister and Mann - Seville adds more depth and a good citrus and spice mix to it. Noble Otter - Barrbarr adds more citrus, more spice and a hint of rosemary. To cap it off, House of Mammoth - Hygge ties into the citrus and the juniper plays up the rosemary, and has a mellow warmth to it. Even though it is 90+ today, I’m not minding this warmth. On todays theme, I got to mix a few favorites and that was really good. I stopped rating after a few and thinking it would all be B range. Today is an A.

Today’s Haiku:

Barbershop question,

Seville, Barrbarr, or Hygge?

I’ll just say, “Yes, please.”

July 16, 2023 – Shave and a Hair Cut, Two Bits

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Coprolite B15 #COMPOSITE #CHONK
• Razor: Gillette NEW SC #REGUS
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (10)
• Lather: Ariana & Evans – Dos Dalagas Barbera
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Epiphenomenon
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Seville

Me, and I’m sure others, a couple months ago when the calendar released. Which makes sense, we all want to be prepped, planned, and have our own routines, but I think some take it more seriously than others.. Even the djudges tell us on the podcast to up our game, while complaining posts are too long.. Look, it’s getting hard to be creative everyday and do new things.

Meme day, however, does bring out the creativity in folks /s, despite some low hanging fruit and rehashed ideas. Or the obligatory FUCK PAA.

After several years, there’s no way to hide the chaos that is lather games from significant others. I’ve shared a lot of pictures with my GF, but I think made a grave mistake.

I’ll keep the #FOF short. Dos Dalagas is a middle of road barbershop, not super citrusy but it’s there, not too powdery, but it’s there too. Epi is talc and powder heavy to me, probably what these folks smelled like. Seville packs a citrus, and it’s Gods barbershop for a reason. I’m also partial to the heavy lavender and rosemary component, 2 plants I have loads of in the garden.

For my #PHOTOCONTEST (extinct animals), I have literal 2million+ year old bacteria in my brush. Maybe if you get super sciencey, you’ll note a fossil is dead, or possibly just a ~~rock~~ mineral, but they contain traces of organic material- aka extinct poop animals.

Little poop brush history and generic shave vid here.

soap brands 16/30, post shave 16/30, frag 16/30, post/frag linked 16/30, software sponsors 8/13, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 9/15, brush hashtags 8/15, photo contest 16/30, daily challenges 14/25, special challenges 2/5

Enjoyed the meme making fun of all my post shaves

July 16, 2023 – Barbershop and Clean Green

• Brush: Ap Shave Co Synbad 24mm
• Razor: Schick Injector Type I1
• Blade: Personna Injector
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Seville
• Post Shave: Proraso – Menthol and Eucalyptus
• Fragrance: Ralph Lauren – Polo Cologne Intense

I’m sure I’m not the only one here whose first full tub of premium soap was Seville. Phenomenal, mic drop soap, a high bar set. Only a handful of shaves left in this tub. I’m not sure I’m going to chase down another barbershop when this is done but we’ll see. Going simple with the Italian barber standard as my splash to stay on theme as well as compliment the first true fragrance I’ve bought for myself in years. I really don’t want to go down the fragrance rabbit hole but it seems inevitable. Green Intense seemed like a safe and clean bet for high summer and will perfectly compliment both the Seville and Proraso.

No meme made me laugh as much as Karate Kyle. Also, I LOVE my after shaves.

ROTY

user is karate kyle

user is karate kyle

July 16th 2023 - Lather Games Day 16

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts B9A
• Razor: Mühle Rocca R95
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox (8)
• Lather: Noble Otter - BarrBarr
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Seville
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Hygge

First of, shout out to u/Priusaurus for providing some memespiration. Count me out for nacho cheese themed shaving gear but I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum so I hope it’s awesome.

Onto Barbershop day, when I realized I had used my Seville frag earlier this month I called an audible and decided to use three variations on barbershop scents from three great artisans. I get mostly spices and powder from BarrBarr, while Seville leans way more citrusy with a powdery base and not much, if any, spice to my nose. Hygge topped it off nicely and to me is definitely more of a wintery scent, the muted citrus quickly giving way to bergamot and oakmoss.

Lather Games Day 16 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Maggard Two Band Badger Fan Knot 24 mm
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85MM Safety Razor
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Desairology
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Monarch balm

Man do I love shaving with Southern Witchcrafts. Man is this soap definitely not for me. Great shave though

July 16, 2023 – LG23 Day 16: Shave and a Haircut – Two Bits

• Brush: DS Cosmetic Barberpole Silvertip Badger 24mm
• Razor: Parker Shavette
• Blade: Durablade Sharp Hi Chromium
• Lather: Noble Otter – Barrbarr
• Post Shave: DentonMajik – Pink Floyd
• Fragrance: Jovan – Musk for Men

I think I’m happy about having fewer hardware constraints, as I freely chose a shavette—which I probably would have anyway—to keep the barber theme consistent. Surprisingly, I got a great, quick shave for not having used it, or any straight razor for that matter, in quite awhile. Noble Otter Barrbarr is a great take on the barbershop scent and I got a pretty slick lather for the shavette, though my brand new air conditioner keeps the house pretty arid. A spray mister might be a good tool to add. Again, another scent I could add, but maybe some day. A fantastic set I did add was DentonMajik Pink Floyd, a riff on Pinaud Clubman Musk, which is the scent of Wycoff’s Barbershop where I went as a kid. I carried the musk theme further into Jovan Musk for Men EdT to finish things off.

Daily Challenge : Meme Day

I’ve typically been an enjoyer of memes rather than a creator so I tried to step up my game a bit this year.

For soon-to-be federal inmate u/OnionMiasma and his victims, of whom I suspect I will soon be. I offer this ripe-for-the-picking selection.

It wouldn’t be meme day if we didn’t take some shots at our favorite Pathetic Artisan in Arizona. Douglas’s paradise is Facebook, but into Douglas’ life, a little rain must fall. With u/OnionMiasma’s recent ban from The Wet Shaving Society, I will have to pick up the hose.

In honor of those of us who went for #SELFSHARPENING points in the hardware scavenger hunt and found ourselves the recipient of new hashtag #SKINDONOR. Let us curl up in a corner and lament our choice together.

Finally, some self-depreciation. For the 77 viewers of A Barbasol Love Affair, I offer this olive branch.

PS. Thanks to the mods for apparently fixing whatever infinite loop hell I was apparently in yesterday.

Happy shaving!

EDIT: punctuation

Barbershop day

• Brush: Order of the Midnight Animals Midnight Phephalopod
• Razor: Zwilling J. A. Henckels Friodur 472½ (NOS 13/16″ hollow ground, stainless steel)
• Lather: Black Ship Grooming – La Concorde
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Seville
• Fragrance: Mäurer & Wirtz – Tabac Original

Let's start with the meme challenge.

Concorde was an hommage to a French Barbershop (it's UnObTaInIuM now), Seville is meant to evoke a Spanish barbershop, and Tabac is the scent of Opas barbershop, so the relevant post and frag theme here is ficticious European barbershops.

This was an early morning shave after a short night cut in half by the recording of a certain podcast 👀

July 16, 2023 – LG Day 16 – Shave and a Haircut

• Brush: Stirling Two-Band Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Voskhod
• Lather: Wet Shaving Products – Barbershop Rustic Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Desairology
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes – Moth

I haven’t been to a barbershop in probably 8 or 9 years, since I started shaving my head. I maintain my own beard and no barbershop around me does a proper shave as far as I know. That said, I can tell you what the barbershop I grew up going to smelled like. Clubman. At some point I had a little tub of Clubman brand shave soap, but I probably tossed it as it was pretty terrible quality. WSP Rustic Barbershop doesn’t smell like that to me, although “powdery musk” is one of the scent notes. The soap overall is…fine? It makes a good lather that whips up quickly, but the scent doesn’t impress me. To be fair to WSP, though, no barbershop scent impresses me. To fit today’s theme, I had to dig through the box of soaps I’ve been meaning to put on the ‘zaar for cheap, and thankfully this was in there. Unsurprisingly, I don’t have much for post-shaves that would fit the barbershop theme. After some searching, I found a sample of Desairology I haven’t used in forever, which is a barbershop with a spooky twist, as is SW’s prerogative. Upon putting SW’s splash on my head, I got the complexity of the various barbershoppy notes they included, all at one — but unfortunately, all I smell now is powder. I’m not sure if this is because of the splash, or if it’s leftover from the soap, or something else. It definitely evokes the Clubman that says “barbershop” to me, but it’s not what I prefer to smell like. #FOF

I chose Moth today for a couple of reasons that link it to the theme – powdery florals to match with barbershop, gothic vibes to match Southern Witchcrafts. Mostly, though, I chose it because I love it. It’s one of my favorite frags of all time, and I don’t have to try hard to find an excuse to wear it. However, things were a little backwards today due to being trapped in New Hampshire with a flooded road. I stayed with friends last night, and didn’t pack my shaving kit as I anticipated leaving in the morning, but we didn’t get to leave until around 2, when we could see the road again. I had a Moth sample with me, though, so I was able to spritz that after my shower. It’s still very present on my sternum, so not blending with my shave so much, but a nice treat if I stick my face in my shirt.

• Pre-games meme
• Post-games meme
• Meme
• A hopefully-somewhat-original meme
• An Old_Hiker meme

• Brush: Zenith B28 #OLDWORLD #HOLLOW
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Titanium
• Blade: Personna Israeli Red
• Shave Soap: Noble Otter - BarrBarr shave soap
• Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Seville aftershave splash
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Cape Heartache

This was my first shave with BarrBarr, and I really enjoy the take on the genre. We had a nice day with family and a long drive across the state to visit the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, FL. It’s amazing to see a natural spring be turned into such a nice pool, and the history is rich to read about.

shave

meme

July. 16, 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 - Two Bits
• Post Shave: Nivea Mean - Sensitive Soothing Aftershave Balm

ROTY

Jul. 16, 2023
Brush: AP Shave Co G5C
Razor: Karve CB
Blade: Astra SP Green
Lather: Razor Emporium - Barbershop - Soap
Post Shave:* Pinaud - Clubman - Aftershave

Not a fan of most barbershop scents but this sample I’ve never used was actually pretty mild so not bad. The clubman however ticked my wife off. No meme today sorry fellas.

ROTY

July 16, 2023

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
• Razor: Karve CB SB-B
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Seville
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Nightman

I have to admit, I don’t find barbershop scents that great. I kind of just get the feeling, “Oh yea, another barbershop”. I think I just have more exciting things I want to get to using. I would assume, however, Seville pays for all of those fun things I enjoy more. So, I’ll use my sample and enjoy it. Follow up with Nightman to keep with the citrus theme.

This one is for you /u/USS-SpongeBob. Thanks for keeping the sun honest.

July 16, 2023 – Lather games day 16 – AKA barberiffic

• Brush: Dogwood Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Vector
• Blade: Feather Pro (AC) (8)
• Lather: Zingari – The Wanderer
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Hygge

Almost didn’t make it today. But a lovely head shave on a Sunday night with the Wanderer, Zingari’s barbershop offering and of course Hygge splash from House of Mammoth. Sublime. Love the barbershop scent and every different artisans take on it.

#PhotoContest

July 16, 2023 – Barbershop Day

• Brush: Heritage Erskine w/ Gel Boar
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo SS .72
• Blade: Wizamet (11)
• Lather: RazoRock – Blue Barbershop
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Feur de France
• Fragrance: Nishane – B-612

Challenge: Fresh memes.

My memory of Blue Barbershop is that of a baby powder like fragrance. Lathering it today I get distinct notes of oakmoss, light lavender and a hint of something woody. It is very powdery. I like the way it smells, even though I got a bit of frag burn. It reminds me of the powder the barber brushes on the back of my neck after a haircut. While I never thought of that as a fragrance before I started wet shaving, it is the smell I associate with getting a haircut. I bought this soap when I first started wetshaving. As I recall, the description promised a traditional triple milled soap that’s produced by long time Italian soap makers. It sounded promising, but now I know better. The performance is very underwhelming. It takes a lot of soap to get a lather going.

Seaforth! Fleur de France is a French barbershop fragrance. It’s my second favorite Seaforth! fragrance after SSL. The lemony rosemary is invigorating. At the heart lies oakmoss and geranium with a touch of soft musk which adds an air of mystery. It’s a great example of a handful of sent notes amounting to more than the sum of their parts.

Peruse the fragrantica page for B-612 and you’ll see multiple reviewers refer to the fragrance as a barbershop. Right off the bat there’s a lot of notes coming at me. Lavender, geranium, dry wood, and oakmoss. It’s somewhat sweet, with lots of lavender. The other notes create a slightly smoky, woody backdrop.

It’s about an hour later. I’m smelling lots of lavender, fresh laundry, patchouli, and oakmoss. I like this one a lot. It’s the type of thing I’d wear if I was getting dressed up.

#FOF

edit: added a meme for /u/djundjila

Sunday, July 16, 2023

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Sparkly Blue Translucent Reject - 28mm B16
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - WR2 0.75 DC x WRH2
• Blade: Personna Med Prep
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Bandwagon - Soap
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Bandwagon - Aftershave

Day 16 of Lather Games: Very happy to break out Bandwagon. It's so good - possibly my favorite barbershop scent in wetshaving.

Edit: A couple of jeff memes

July 16, 2023

https://imgur.com/gallery/22iODkC

Prep: Proraso - Refrescante Preshave Cream

Brush: Spiffo! - Steinway

Razor: Rockwell - 6S R6 plate

Blade: Treet - Platinum (2)

Lather: Maurer & Wirtz - Tabac Original Shave Soap

Post Shave: Maurer & Wirtz - Tabac Original Aftershave Lotion

Maurer & Wirtz - Tabac Original Aftershave Balm

Tabac is always awesome, in my opinion. It was one of the first soaps that I ever wet shaved with, and I've never looked back.

Although it's not explicitly marketed as a barbershop scent, it's hard to argue that it isn't a classic barbershop scent or, at the very least, a classic German barbershop scent. The rules don't state that anything about needing to be an American barbershop scent, so I rest my case. Here is one source referring to it as "one of the all time great barbershop scents" : https://www.westcoastshaving.com/collections/tabac#:~:text=Tabac%20is%20a%20classic%20German,to%20try%20at%20least%20once.

As for today's challenge, I apologize in advance: https://imgur.com/t86p9IS

#ROTY

July 16, 2023 – BarrBarrShop

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Declaration Grooming B16
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Noble Otter – Barrbarr
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Barrbarr

Finally, a good shave.

A few hours ago my wife turned to me and said, “you gotta do something about that smell in the bathroom.” It’s been nearly 24 hours and the B&M War stank is still freaking there. I was foolish and thought it was semi-pleasant and would be fine. But it just literally never ends.

Thank goodness for BarrBarr, though – the GOATed Barbershop scent. My wife is much happier with how this smells.

BarrBarr is a fixture in my den and won’t be going anywhere – as such, I ditched GUTL tonight and went for a tub lather. You know, it’s not bad. In some ways it was easier. I’m not abandoning the Georgetown by any means, but, maybe for those soaps I know I’ll never sell I might add a little tub lathering here and there. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

I’ll give this shave a solid 10/10. Smooth, clean, the declaration was in perfect from today. Great load and lather, the works.

FOF Haiku of the Day

Lemon Zesty Dream
Clean Citrus Powder Heaven
Nothing touches this

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Mammoth coin Rumble brush

• Razor: Karve Shaving Christopher Bradley

• Lather: Shannon's Soaps - Barbershop

• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Bare splash

ROTY

Night shave. Soap performed just fine. 2 pass shave this evening. Very tired from the weekend. Cheers and goodnight!

July 16, 2023

• Brush: Grizzly Bay V19
• Razor: OneBlade Genesis
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: Noble Otter – Barrbarr
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Barrbarr
• Fragrance: Noble Otter – Barrbarr

I think it may be a toss up between Barrbarr and Ghost Town Barber as to which is my favorite barbershop scent. Hard to go wrong with either one to be honest. Barrbarr is such a nice, clean, warm scent.

#ROTY

July 16, 2023 – Meh  

• Brush: Century – Pure Bristle  
• Razor: Gillette Tech  
• Blade: Astra SP (Green)   
• Lather: Maggard Razors – London Barbershop  

Lather: Barbershop scents don’t do a whole lot for me, they’re okay but tend to lean masculine or powdery. Not my thing.

Challenge: Because u/mrtangerinesky is better at making himself moan than his partners, apparently. And because I cannot wait.

Edit: adding in links because my clipboard can only take so much.

• Brush: Naked Armor Mahogany Wood Shaving Brush

• Razor: Gillette Travel Tech

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: Lancaster Razor Works - Barber Shop

• Post Shave: Lancaster Razor Works - Barber Shop

• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Agua Fresca

Today's Theme Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits: Lancaster Barber Shop is a nice clean barbershop scent, but barbershop scents aren't really my thing. Good shave though.

Today's Challenge: So I heard you like memes

My theme for today's shave: So Fresh and So Clean

Getting back from the stag party today, writeups will be back to their usual cadence tomorrow. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY

JULY 16, 2023

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillette King C. Chrome
• Lather: Zingari Man - Master
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - 1869 Timmermann Red Label aftershave splash

This soap is more of a mild barbershop scent when comparing to others I tried but still very good. Complemented with wholly kaw timm Red just pushes the scent over the top on leathery goodness. Now surprising this lasts and lasts and it keep on lasting! Pretty incredible in my opinion.

TODAY’s CHALLENGE MEME PIC is a sad attempt to create a meme on my phone. I tried my best and technology is not my forte! Forgive me judges!! :-)

ROTY

July 16, 2023 * Brush: Declaration Grooming B14 * Razor: Karve CB OC B * Blade: Gillette Silver Blue * Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - No. 11 - Soap * Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - No. 11 - Aftershave * Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Bandwagon - EdP

Replica At the Barber, which No. 11 is a dupe of, is way better than it deserves to be. So much better than all the preblend barbershop scents out there. It has so much more depth and complexity. This is the older Oleo Canard base, which is completely serviceable for the shave, but I can only imagine this scent with the Darkwing base performance. At the Barbers may be one fragrance I seek out later on.

I'll need to kill off a few things before chasing upgraded bases or more frags and spending a bunch of money though. Thankfully crack thrill is pretty cheap these days and keeps the fire going. Remote Learning might be too dark of a path for me to go down, even for the meme.

July 16, 2023 – Month of Lather Day 16

• Brush: DS Cosmetics Carrot handle w/ 26mm 2-band Badger + Synthetic mixed knot
• Razor: Rex Supply Co. Ambassador XL Adjustable
• Blade: Treet Carbon Steel (1)
• Preshave: Stirling Soap Co. – Unscented
• Lather: Noble Otter – Barrbarr
• Post Shave: Black Ship Grooming – Ship Wreck Cove Splash
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Unscented Balm
• Music: George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Get A Haircut

Daily Theme: Last fall, after decades of using Proraso Green I wanted something new. While searching I noted on the NO Barrbarr product page that "It will remind you of the days when you were a little kid sitting on the stool with that old barber giving you a haircut". That's all I needed to read and Barrbarr was the first tub of artisan soap I purchased!

The Challenge: When I first saw today's challenge, I was hesitant. I don't do memes. That's not my thing. Then someone set me straight. Here's some food for thought for GUTL practitioners.

The Shave: An effortless, enjoyable BBS today. It's nice when the software and hardware work well together. I forgot how much I enjoy Barrbarr's scent, and its performance was top notch as always. #ROTY

16 July 2023 Complementary Non Dickkhole Grooming Dept After The Fire

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Dogwood Cadinsor 28mm Zenith Unbleached
• Razor: Razorock Gamechanger 0.84
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (18)
• Lather: Grooming Dept - After The Fire (1)
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Barrbarr A/S
• Post Shave: Thayer's Concoction
• Post Shave: Cold River Soapworks - Sandalwood Post Shave Lotion
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co - Project Lawnsdale Balm
• Fragrance: Olympic Orchids - Kyphi

Took me a while to find this

"GroomingDept and called After the Fire which is in a beef tallow and duck fat base. Officially it's a lime forward "barbershop" scent with smoke and resin. The smoke is derived from cade, guiacwood and labdanum resin. To be honest, I didn't get a whole lot of lime or barbershop; it was very subtle. What I did get more of was an equally subtle smokiness. Overall I'd simply call it a subtle "smoky (forward) barbershop" scent."

Cheers