LG23-21: Fougère Friday

• Brush: Farvour Turn Craft 26mm v.6 Odin's Beard
• Razor: Blutt Rasur BR-1 0.99
• Blade: Astra SP (24)
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Fern Concerto Menthol - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Providence Perfume Co. - Heart of Darkness
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: West Java. Cijapati, Garut - v: Typica. Tim Tim. Catimor - p: Triple picked. Washed.
• Music: Hiroshi Yoshimura - Green
• LG Tags: #FOF

Fern emerald green
menthol kiss blows cooling wind
over moss and hay

Today is all about that most omnipresent of wet shaving scents, the fougère. From fresh to dank, herbaceous to fruity, dirty to soapy, and vaporous to beastmode, our beloved ferns take many forms. They scent our European hard soaps; they scent our artisan sets; they scent half the perfumes on the shelf. I said it a few days ago and I'll say it again: one cannot have too many fougères.

My shave explored just a glimpse of the genre's impressive range, moving in sequence from a brisk and bright green soap, to a sweet and archetypal splash, to a potent fragrance that growls louder than the most formidable fougères around.

Wholly Kaw's Fern Concerto Menthol is an unusual shave soap. Outside of drugstore splashes, it's difficult to find fougères that include menthol at all, let alone to the degree this one does. Even the matching Fern Concerto aftershaves aren't mentholated. Fern Concerto Menthol includes enough menthyl lactate to justify calling it out in the name; the scent is noticeable. But it doesn't clash. An environmental odors registry describes menthyl lactate's "odor characteristic" as tobacco, chamomile, and mint, and while I can't differentiate it from traditional menthol, those notes are a natural fit among the blend of herbs and florals used in this scent. I'm hesitant to describe Fern Concerto Menthol in more specific terms, because I mostly smell the outlines of a bright green fougère colored in by a bunch of menthol. It's a refreshing combination.

Moving from fresh and clean to a denser, rich fougère, I splashed on Stirling's Varen. This "powerful blend" is so packed with oakmoss that Stirling warns the pregnant and epileptic to avoid it; the other notes are bold to match. Every time I use this scent I'm surprised by just how thickly green it is, like fresh cut grass clinging to your clothes, weeds just ripped from the ground and staining your hands, or the city leaf and yard waste collection before it's started to compost. (I only use the bar soap in the summer because it makes the whole bathroom smell like Varen.) Varen is also sweeter than the notes would suggest, featuring a lovely floral accord of geranium and lavender that makes it feel vintage and counters the base's strength. It's a must-try Stirling original.

I finished my fougère progression with Heart of Darkness, an example of the genre at it's most burly, complex, and robust. This "fearsome fougère" has it all: a woody lavender-tonka accord featuring two kinds of moss; interplay of spice and incense; an unexpected shot of dark-roasted espresso. Today I'm overwhelmed by the cedar—sharp, earthy, and towering in breadth and scope. It combines seamlessly with the coffee in a way that forces synesthesia; I smell ruddy wood chips, freshly mulched, layered in shades of garnet, carmine, maroon, and rusty brown. (Like the juice in the bottle.) In that way, Heart of Darkness parallels Varen from a completely different spectrum. It's a fougère that forgoes waves of green foliage in favor of a dense forest's loamy floor.

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts 49ers Custom w/ Declaration Grooming B5 28mm

• Razor: Blackland Blackbird

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: LA Shaving Co - Topanga Fougere

• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Fougere Angelique

• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougere Nemeta

Today's Theme: Fougeres - it's all in the names baybeeee

Today's Challenge: I have 2 haikus for you today

Fougere Haiku:

From the forest floor,

Bounty of earthen delights,

Apes together strong

Bonus Haiku:

Home of nourishment.

Is it running? Go catch it!

Refrigerator.

My theme for today's shave: Fougeres and Ferns

I'll get the writeup up in a bit, kind of a busy morning today. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY

Edit: OK writeup time. The fougeres in today's shave were all fairly bright smells with significant citrus notes, very different from something like a Fougere Gothique. Seems like everyone likes to use the "if god gave ferns a scent it would smell like Fougere Royale" quote when doing their fougere scent descriptions, but frankly ferns do have a scent and it's not citrus-based.

I did really enjoy today's shave though, the LASSCO base isn't exactly the same as the CF base as far as I can tell, but it whips up a good lather very easily. The soap's consistency was a lot softer than I expected, almost as soft as milksteak but I don't know if that's because I have it in the sample container or what.

Ferns remind me of a hike I did with my mom in the seattle area when she came to visit me there a few years ago. Beautiful thick forest and the trail was littered with ferns on either side. Our trailhead started on the side of the road and we did a couple miles down to a quite rocky beach that had a great view of Mount Olympus (not the greek one). It's a special memory for me because those kinds of days where you're far enough away from cell service and the rest of the world that you can just enjoy spending time with a loved one.

For music today I picked Elements, Pt. 1 by Stratovarius because it's an album that's near and dear to my heart as it helped me through some of my younger years. Fast music with a positive message with tracks like Eagleheart, Find Your Own Voice, and Learning to Fly. Definitely recommend this album to anyone interested in power metal.

2023-07-20 Les fous gèrent

• Brush: Zenith B35 Moar Boar #CHONK #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Bambaw Sea Green #RAINBOW
• Lather: Murphy and McNeil - Green Man
• Post Shave: Brut - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Murphy and McNeil - Green Man

Relevant Post-shave and Fragrance:
u/DoctorRotor said, / "Just fougère after fougère." / The hardware's green, too.

Challenge Accepted:
Lather Games haikus. / Haikus enforce brevity. / Good thinking, djudges.
I had a friend once. / Thanks to her, I got practice. / Her haikus were great.
Haikus have morae. / Japanese is different. / But this is English.
Make each line its own. / Don't get all fast and loose with... your haiku line breaks.
Good haikus observe major phrasal boundaries. See? This "haiku" sucks.

#FOF
What is a fougère? / They're not what I might expect. / They should be grassy.
That may not be fair. / Varen is the best fougère. / Stirling did it right.

Murphy and Mcneil. / Green Man says "fougère" right there. / I guess I'll trust them.
Three weeks of the Games. / My nose is getting better. / I smell the anise!
Lavender, jasmine / And hey, I get the oakmoss! / I guess it's grassy.
The scent gets better. / It develops on my skin. / That's why I bought it.
Oh! Free Disclaimer! / If "bought from a gift card" counts; / It was from my mom.

I did not know this: / This Brut stuff is a fougère. / I guess it smells fine.
Brut is way too strong. / This is all I'll smell all day. / But it's not too bad.
An old friend hates it. / At least, for me to exude. / Her father used it.
Though it's a classic, / I'm not sure of the appeal. / To each their own, though.
They blend together, / the Green Man fragrance and Brut; / they're similar (duh).

#photocontest
Photo:
They're Wild Animals. / Artemis likes watching them. / We both just waited.
That jasmine still lives. / Watered 90 times a day. / It's so fucking hot.
The air's made of death. / Don't think you can go outside; / you will not survive.
Wouldja look at this: / An "Excessive Heat Warning"? / Yeah, no shit. We know.

July 21, 2023 – How do you even Pronounce Fourgere?

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Parker (5)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Blugère
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Varen
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive – Orris Forest

The shave was ok. My smush (~~I think from u/j33pguy13? Looks like hand writing.~~ Edited: it was u/putneycj. ) was stuck to the wax paper from disuse and traveling no doubt. The database says this is a cream, it was not by the time I opened it. I managed to get the smush into a bowl, and kinda ad hoc GUTL may way to a good lather. I tried to save what was left, but will see how it travels home. This has been a rough travel week shave wise. Got a massive cut on the mole on my cheek which opened up again while we were walking. Glad to be heading home, even if vacation was fun.

Today is another of those classic wetshaving fragrance category days. I’ll be honest, a lot of these categories just confuse me. I can grok “Gourmand” as it just smells like food. And “barbershop” is more an synthetic category (or meta category.) So it’s also something I can manage. Chypre? Still no effing clue. Amber? That’s a color right? Green? Also a color.

Fourgere is somewhat in the middle. I understand it’s supposed to smell like ferns. My mind processes that as “outdoors in the woods.” Which works, because my experience is the woods of the Ozarks which are loaded with ferns. So I can sorta handle the idea. Which transitions to #fof, not sure I could identity blugrere as a fourgere just based on sent notes, but it’s marketed as one. Varen is a bit easier as it smells as expected l. What tells me I’m getting better is that when I went through my discovery sets I saw Orris forest, looked at the notes and said “that matches great!” I then read the description where Shawn calls it “a nouveau fougère of sorts.” I’m getting better at this.

My #photocontest entry is sports. The vacation is over and it ended with a cards cubs game at historic Wrigley Field. My wife and kids first time there and my first in over 2 decades. It was an experience. And we won, which is surprising this season. And my entry into #ROTY remains unscathed. I honestly figured I’d forget at least one post this week. So I’ll close with the challenge:

Four vacation shaves

All on theme for the lather games

Time to head back home

Day 20 - Fougère Classique

• Brush: Maggard - Black and White Synthetic Knot Homemade handle
• Razor: Baili - BR179
• Blade: Astra - Green
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Fougère Classique
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Fougère Classique
• Fragrance: Dior - Sauvage

sharp blade against skin
whiskers fall with each swift stroke
smoothness reveals self

warm water cascades
lather coats the face with care
blade glides, hair dissolves

For the fragrance, I continued down the classic Fougere road and went Dior - Sauvage. The Sauvage was given to me in a Shave Bazaar purchase. Thanks again u/nathlam15

Also, I would be lying if I said I didn't use the tools available to help with the Haiku.

Edit format for the Haiku

ROTY #FOF

July 21, 2023- Fougere friday mania

• Brush: Böker – Synthetic
• Razor: Böker – King cutter
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Fougere Mania
• Post Shave: Arinae & Evans – Amber Rose
• Fragrance: Versace – Dylan Blue

First, let us be thankful for a challenge that does not consists of creating crap lather and choose our own style.

#FOF

I do not understand Fougere. What do B&M Fern and Fougere Gothique have in common? And now Fougere Mania. My expectation was that this scent family would have something in common. It's ingredients, or direction of ingredients, for example tonka bean and vanilla might be interchangeable. Maybe the direction they are going to is the same, but it's very difficult for me to find their common trait.
Huge edit: After dinner, I was rested and curiosity sparks in. It's easy to say, that I do not understand fougeres, but the way we play these games is a journey of discoveries. We measured temperature of water and it's amount, some shaved with ice water, tried new ways to lather, shaved with the non dominant hand and got hands on experience with unknown soft and hardware. Let's continue this spirit.
Google is out. Long live chatGPT.
ChatGPT describes fougeres as a Fragrance family with fresh or herbaceous top notes, floral and or spicy woody heart and earthy green base. Interesting. But my chatgpt answer sparked new questions. What is the contrast to a Chypre(even more vague for me) and are there fragrances that break with the tradition of heat, heart and base notes for olfactory reasons? To cut things short, a Chypre also has the three accords, some are similar to a fougere but take a different spot. So, do fragrances exist that break with those three accords? Lazy me had an "ahh", of course" moment. Gourmant scents, for example. They don't want to start with fruit loops and end with patchouli musk.

Soap:
As I was looking for Fougere samples on Maggards, I found Fougere Mania. The label spoke to me. It does not look that cool, rather spicy and oriental. Let’s give it a try, whoch brings me to my daily challenge:
I might have a stroke
Fougere mania smells just
like boonana soap

At first I thought that my brush or my mug is not clean, but I left the sample lid open during my hoemoffice and its really similar to Boonana. Is it the neroli, musk and tonka bean / vanilla combination? I am confused.
Wholly Kaw is rarely used in my den. The reason is that I got a sample of Cuero Oscuro, which is not an every day soap. The new coconut release looks promising though.
The lack of experience showed in the lather quality. It was good, but I am certain that it can be better.
Let’s review it in September. My shave left some closeness around the chin area.

Aftershave:
I expected the soap to be more floral, thats why I matched it with “Amber Rose”. As Fougere Mania is kind of sweet and amber rose, well, floral, this was not the best match.
There is not much to say about the aftershave scent. The name says everything you need to know. I like its post shave feel and its scent. It’s not grandma like, as rose scents can be.

Fragrance:
Versace Dylan blue is a woody fougere, although none of its classic fougere notes are present.
I get lots of bergamot with patchoulli and musk. Pretty unoffensive. Everyone can wear it, you won’t be wrong, but you will also never be right with it. It stays very long on the skin though and after 11 hours I can still smell it on my wrist, where the scent reminds me sligtly of Fougere gothique. Whats left is a combination of grapefruit, incense and musk, made sweet with something else (most likely the labeled tonka bean).

July 21, 2023

• Brush: Terrafirma Soapery – 28mm G5C
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Fougere Bouquet Soap
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving – Heather Splash
• Fragrance: Dolce & Gabbana - Pour Homme EdT
• Music: The Chainsmokers - Paris

Ahhh… Fougères. French for “fern”. I can’t say I’ve ever smelled a fern and thought “This. This is what I want to smell like all day.” Yet fougères are an absolutely delightful olfactory category. I mean, it’s not quite Les Doritos et Dew, but really, what is?

It may surprise some people to learn that despite being named after ferns, fougères typically consist of lavender, geranium, vetiver, bergamot, oakmoss and coumarin. Didn’t see fern on this list, did you? Typical France… I don’t understand why my grandparents left there to come to America. My ancestors, and family I still have over there, were always going above and beyond expectations. You expect ferns and boom! They throw lavender and coumarin at you. Expect the unexpected when dealing with France.

A lot of people think that the American culture is one of excess, I however, would say au contraire, the culture of the French is most is defined by their people going above and beyond. If someone in France wants toast, what do they do? Do they simply take 2 slices of bread and stick them in a toaster? No, no, no… Or should I say non, non, non? They take those pieces of bread, dip em in an egg mixture, add cinnamon, then toss that in a hot pan, and drown it in maple syrup, and then sprinkle some powdered sugar on there to be fancy. The French are the same people who said sex with one person just isn’t enough, we need another person in the mix to make a “Ménage à trois”. And let’s not forget about their famous nude beaches (just don’t expect to go in the winter). Need a new, fun way to execute someone? They invent the guillotine! And one of the most famous emperors, Napolean Bonaparte, wasn’t exactly known for being satisfied with what he had. When it came time to host the World’s Fair in Paris in the 1800s, they built a 1000 ft tall wrought iron phallus just because they could!

My point is that OF COURSE it’s the French to come up with a fougère. As a people, they just aren’t satisfied with the status-quo. They have to create new and wild combinations. And that’s exactly what a fougère was. Let’s call it fern, but really, it’s a little of this, a little of that, and enough herbs and spices to make Colonel Sanders jealous. And it smells damn good!

In honor of Fougère Friday, I’m going fougère on fougère on fougère. And it’s interesting to smell then one after the other, because they are so different from each other. First up: Wholly Kaw’s Fougere Bouquet. It’s a little woody and damp off the tub and opens up a little when I lathered it. Next up, Spearhead’s Heather is a lot sweeter and more herbal and lighter than Fougere Bouquet. Then finally Dolce & Gabbana frag is also an aromatic fougère and I’m getting more citrusy vibe in this scent than the other two. Each of the three bring their own uniqueness to the #FOF fougere party and luckily, they all left me feeling good and smelling great.

For the #photocontest: I’m going music. These headphones make me so happy. Still wired, too!

Haiku-Time!

Doritos are good
Mountain Dew is delicious
Buy Remote Learning

And a 2nd haiku for good measure, dedicated to u/MrTangerinesky, who is, what the French call, les incompetents:

Spite shave started war
Tangerinesky wants the smoke
He’s gonna get it

And, of course, I was lucky enough to connect with Sri from Wholly Kaw for my interview today. Sri puts a lot of thought into what he puts into his products and strives to make skin-care more accessible to the masses. Before we started this interview, Sri warned me that he can be a little long winded and asked if I had a length limit restriction. I told him not at all! Sorry to whatever djudge is lucky enough to get my post today, but I’m so glad I didn’t. Sri gives a lot of very, well thought out, great answers and put a lot of effort into this little project of mine. So, thank you u/whollykaw! I so very much appreciate your willingness to take part in this series of mine.

10 Questions with… Wholly Kaw

1) You’ve been in the wetshaving game for a while now. What made you want to get started making shaving soaps?

Several reasons come to my mind - First, I have a tough beard due to my heritage where I can easily get a 5 pm shadow at 2 pm. Second, I am deeply focused on what’s inside various products - be it in what I put on my skin or what I eat. The lack of disclosure and transparency in what we buy from stores made me go deeper into the ingredients and address my concerns around product safety, effectiveness, avoiding harmful substances, ethical and environmental considerations and so on.

That journey in curiosity and the desire for a more effective product for my own needs led me into the chemistry of ingredients, the synergy among ingredients in a product, the benefits, avoiding certain products due to the ingredient mix. With this additional knowledge, I could have more meaningful discussions with dermatologists or skincare experts or cosmetic chemists.

The right questions get to the answers I was seeking. Sometimes I have to frame the questions multiple ways to get to the answers.

Those discussions and questions led me to make my own product that catered to my needs. And then I decided to give to the community - the collective knowledge that gave rise to the formulation and the end product.

2) How has the wetshaving industry changed since you got started in it in 2014?

Rise of Niche Brands: Including WhollyKaw, the wetshaving community witnessed a surge in the popularity of artisanal and niche brands offering high-quality shaving soaps, creams, razors, and brushes. These brands often focus on natural and unique ingredients, catering to customers looking for a more personalized and authentic shaving experience.

Online Retail and E-commerce: With the growing popularity of wetshaving, new online retailers specializing in wetshaving products emerged, providing a wide range of options to consumers. Our EU distributor also started their business around the same time as we did.

Increased Focus on Sustainability: Consumers became more conscious of environmental concerns, leading to a greater demand for sustainable and eco-friendly wetshaving products. By wetshaving, we help in reducing plastic usage, use a biodegradable product.

Buying Fatigue: Most of us have a ton of products that we bought and do not end up using or use sparingly. We become overwhelmed, exhausted, by the plethora of choices or disinterested due to excessive or continuous shopping experiences. It is characterized by feelings of weariness, apathy, or even frustration associated with the act of making purchasing decisions.

3) What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting Wholly Kaw?

Having a side hustle is a good thing but if the side hustle becomes a business the very factors that enabled a side hustle translates to building block missteps in the business. These missteps become harder to undo.

There is a lot more to the business that goes beyond products and selling. Tons of other variables you have to deal with. For example fire inspection and getting a passing grade from a compliance perspective. These things become important due to the deterrents and other penalties for non-compliance. After you are in compliance it’s on cruise control mode from that point.

(INTERVIEW CONTINUES IN THE REPLY)

July 21, 2023 – LG Day 21 – fu.ʒɛʁ

• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Karve CB SB-B
• Blade: Lord Classic (4)
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Fougère Bouquet
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Fougère Angelique
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Deep Blue Sea

Three fougères today that feel very different for each other. Despite their popularity, this is a fragrance category that I struggle with. I think the first fougère I bought was the generally beloved Seaforth! Heather, but I had to sell it because it was just too strong for me. At this point, I mostly hold onto the few fougères I have for the lather games.

My soap, splash, and frag today all share notes of sandalwood, cedar, tonka bean, and lavender, and share other notes that are in the same family as each other. Despite this, WK’s soap, B&M’s splash, and Stirling’s dupe of Bleu de Chanel all have distinctly different profiles. With each product’s fragrance lasting longer than the next, there was a nice transition between each fougère profile. I’m not sure which I like best, but today’s shave may have convinced me to actually enjoy this scent profile – I guess, just like food, sometimes you need exposure to really appreciate something. #FOF

I used to dislike

the family they call fougère.

I guess I was wrong.

July 21, 2023

• Brush: Boti – Stump 28mm Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Executive Fatboy
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Talbot Shaving – Heliopteris Soap
• Post Shave: Taconic Shave – Lavender Lime Splash
• Fragrance: Prada – Luna Rossa

The first sentence of this soap description is “ Heliopteris is my take on a Fougere”. So that checks off todays theme right off the bat! Then is goes on to say “The name Heliopteris is a mash-up of the words ‘Helio’, which means Sun, and ‘Pteris’, which is a genus of fern. Together, meaning Sun Fern.” I’m super happy they told us that because I was thinking this soap was named after a helicopter dinosaur. I created an artist rendering of what my brain thought it was right here. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I did steal a dinosaur cartoon and just add a propeller to the top. But it’d be pretty sweet if those existed. Maybe they can workshop this idea for the next Jurassic World movie. And maybe a soapmaker can get to work on a soap dedicated to a helicopter dinosaur! With rockets!!! AND FLAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!

The connection between everything here is Lavender. The soap is like a woody lavender. The Splash is lavender lime. And Luna Rossa is Lavender and Clary Sage. Honestly not sure if there’s a difference between regular old sage and clary sage, but here we are. Smell nice to me! #FOF

CHALLENGE

Fougere smells real good

Helicopter Dinosaur

Does not exist yet.

July 21, 2023 - Fougère Friday

• Brush: Yaqi Dandelion Green 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: MM24
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Heather
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavender Interrupted
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Weinstrasse

FOF

Today’s theme is a tougher one for me. I do have a couple fougère soaps, but they are not my favorites. Heather performs excellent, and I got a very good shave. I’m surprised there aren’t a lot of shaves with it today. Maybe everyone went with Sea Spice Lime for the summertime theme. I don’t have the splash or much else in a traditional fougère, but I recall that Lavender Interrupted could be a modern interpretation of one. It certainly shares a lot of the same scents. For the fragrance, went with one of the few fougères in my samples of EdPs.

Today’s Fragrances:

Heather gives me a strong hit of earthy greens. It is a bit sharp to my nose. Baudelaire is the same for me. Since I don’t have lots in the category, my choices were limited, but Lavender Interrupted was a good choice for me. The vanilla on top of the lavender, oakmoss, Mousse de Saxe, sandalwood, etc. warms and sweetens it up for me. The EdP Weinstrasse was very interesting for me. It is somewhere between the other two. I can smell the woody and moss elements, that dark forest smell, but the white grape adds a wine-like note to the mix. The scent reminds me a little of House of Mammoth Damocles, or maybe it is the combo. I feel like I should like the category more than I actually do. Yesterday’s EdP, Jean Paul Gaultier - Le Male is called an amber fougère in the description on fragrantica.com, but it is very different from these scents.

Today’s challenge. I’ve been trying haiku’s all month, but now that it is the challenge, why is it harder to think of one?

So dark and mossy,
I prefer my scents brighter,
Two and a half stars.

July 21, 2023 – Fougere Friday

• Brush: Summer Break Soap “Dundy” 26mm Motherlode
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Heather
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Mountain Man

Heather is for sure my favorite “pure” fougere – it’s just clean and crisp and doesn’t overdo anything. Blugere is also excellent, but, that’s for berry day and as far as fougeres go, Heather is a better one, MOIMO.

Heather has nothing to do with the Sponsor Spotlight Heather - but, it works out that they share a name and while I have yet to keep a Zingari product in my den, Heather makes the best post shave balm (sego) in the game.

Got this smush from u/RedMosquitoMM a while back and the scent had faded a bit, but, by the third pass it seemed to be coming into its own as I continued to lather it and I again appreciated the subtlety of it. I almost purchased a tub and splash this morning – someday. Mountains have ferns and my wife likes Mountain Man so the pairing worked.

Overall the shave was a really solid end to a great family day. We’re in Michigan and have a few days here to just enjoy our time. We hit up Maggard this morning, then had a picnic at a park in Adrian, went mini-golfing with the kids for their first time ever, bought some local cherries, blueberries, and some vegetables, and then had a relaxing late afternoon into evening. What could have been a blah day at the house turned out to be a great family adventure.

I’ve written a Haiku every day this month as part of these games and I assume they have earned me virtually 0 additional points throughout because I still don’t understand what makes a good Haiku, but, I’m having fun with them. So, today, I’ll write two.

Challenge Haiku:
Maggard by morning
Mini golf by afternoon
Today, a great day

FOF Haiku of the Day

Heather beats them all
Clean, crisp, green, and quite nuanced
Catie takes the cake

July 21, 2023 – Fougère Friday

• Brush: Fuller w/ Zenith B10
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo SS .72
• Blade: Wizamet (13)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Reserve Fern
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Fougère Classique
• Fragrance: Rogue Perfumery – Fougere L’Aube

Challenge:

Is there art in words?
Does metered verse add meaning?
Does rhyme bring splendor?

My soap and aftershave are based on different formulations of the lauded Fougere Royale. According to Will, Fern is based on a later formulation of Fougere Royale sold under the name “H” by the remnants of DeLaire’s American subsidiary, DiParco. Fougere Classique is based on a demo formula of the original fragrance.

The first thing I notice in Fern is fresh spice. It’s very mossy. There’s a musty lavender. It isn’t as powdery as many other fougeres I’ve smelled. There’s a resinous Tonka Bean-esque thing going on that makes this feel firmly like a fragrance from a bygone era of three-piece suits, and hats. It’s very masculine.

Fougere Classique splash smells more green, and in balance with the moss. Lavender is less of a distinct note. There’s something herbal to it. I get an earthy patchouli note, too. It’s masculine, and feels dapper and classy.

Now for Fougere L’Aube. Right off the bat I get green spicy notes. It’s very fresh and aromatic. It’s interesting how much more modern this feels. I’m don’t smell any distinct lavender note. Maybe some will show up in the dry down. It smells like dasies. There’s a lemon oil note that runs up against an herbal note that smells like thyme. If I nose it enough, I notice a subtle amber note. It’s a sophisticated fragrance that would inspire confidence if I was wearing it.

After about 30 minutes of dry down, I’m smelling some lavender. It’s still prodomenently an aromatic fragrance. I also smell a bit of rose. This is a gernanium heavy fragrance.

Once it gets down to base notes, there's more amber, it's slightly woody and vaguely animalic. The aromatic notes have worn off.

#FOF

July 21, 2023 – LG 21: Fougere Friday

• Brush: r/wetshaving Zentih MOAR BOAR 31mm
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (7)
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Fougere Mania
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Jungle Warrior
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Heather

All my products are fougeres today, just in case that wasn’t obvious to our esteemed judges. Speaking of, can you believe we let this guy be deemed the judge, jury, and ~~executioner~~DQer. He is the literal law of the land when it comes to LG23. #PHOTOCONTEST, the law. A man who spread PB and bananas on his face for the internet holds our fate in his hands.

As for our #FOF, fougeres are the bees knees, and like barbershops, come in quite an array. That said, they are built upon some basics of lavender, coumarin, and moss. WK fougere mania is lavender heavy to me, almost medicinal. It has a bit of funk underneath from amber and musk. The NO/APR JW, like most APR is a laundry list of scents. I mostly get bergamot and citrus up top, with with distinct white floral and blossom components. Lastly, its base is woody and mossy with hints of patchouli and musk. It’s lists things like blueberry and bourbon, but I don’t get any of that. Lastly, Spearhead Seaforth! Heather is masterful. One of the best scents out there. It’s crisp, clean, green, and soapy. Shawn set out to remove some of the mossiness and boost the sage, which gives it a little more brightness than fougeres of old. Citrusy, herbal, refreshing.

Fougere Friday review video. Haiku below.

Fougeres are so great
I prefer the greener ones
That was creative

soap brands 21/30, post shave 21/30, frag 21/30, post/frag linked 21/30, software sponsors 11/13, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 9/15, brush hashtags 10/15, photo contest 21/30, daily challenges 19/25, special challenges 2/5