July 22, 2023

• Brush: Razorock Beehive Synthetic 28mm
• Razor: Zertone 6/8 Straight Razor #ALLNATURAL
• Lather: Zingari – The Socialite
• Post Shave: Thayers – Rose Petal

The Socialite is a gin and tonic scented soap, with a strong juniper berry opening. Lime and some light botanicals follow, wrapped up with a mentholated kick to encapsulate a G&T in shaving soap form. This razor was my first straight, and while it certainly isn't the best out there, it does get the job done with a fresh hone.

I have no interest in spending the rest of the summer growing back my leg hair, so I decided to shave my armpits for today's challenge. I was expecting to have a lot of trouble with it, but the straight was able to mow through everything and get me to a nearly clean shave in the first pass. Also, picks or it didn't happen, ya filthy animals.

​

Gin and Soap to the tune of Gin and Juice by Snoop Dogg

Lyrics:

With so much drama in r-W-S

It's kind of hard bein' Crisp M-A-N-G-O

But I, somehow, some way

Keep shavin’ with funky-ass shit, like, every single day

May I kick a little something for the G's

And make a few suds as I breeze through?

Two in the mornin' and the posts's still jumpin'

‘Cause LatherBot ain't home

I got shavers in the subreddit shavin' it off

And they’re all lathered' at six in the mornin'

So what you wanna do?

Shit, I got a den full of soaps and my homeboys do too

So turn on the lights and close the doors

But (But what?) we gotta lather though, yeah

So we gon' lather a gram to this

G's up, hoes down, while you motherfuckers shave to this

Rollin' through the sub, shavin’ faces

Shavin' with gin and soap, laid back

With my mind on my lather

And my lather on my mind

Rollin' through the sub, shavin’ faces

Shavin' with gin and soap, laid back

With my mind on my lather

And my lather on my mind

LGSOTD 22-July

• Brush: Simpson - Colonel Best #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Every Ready - Ambassador
• Blade: Peronna - GEM PTFE     
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Gin & Tonic (On The Rocks) 
• Post Shave: Stirring Soap Co. - Gin & Tonic 

Strange time for berry club indeed, I initially struggled with this one.  I was going to try and bring in Smoking Bishop, almost wish I did with the terrible weather today, with wine, wine made from grapes, and grapes being berries.  Thought that might be a little too much of a hop, skip so decided to go for Juniper Berry, enter another Stirling offering with Gin & Tonic On the Rocks.  Standard stirling capability and very fresh off the tub and in use, the added hint of menthol was actually very nice, again not too in your face just pleasant. Not shave related, but on the grooming side, unintentional inclusion of Dapper Dan vanilla and raspberry scented clay for the hair.

Despite the very helpful guide provided by /r/Newtothethis this sadly is currently the only challenge I won’t be participating in. Gave the Mrs a heads up as to what the challenge was and turns out she's not into that or perhaps she was more concerned my legs would look better than hers when we went on holiday at the end of the month, who knows, but either which way I'm not running the risk lol. .   

Kudos to all who go the whole hog, and hope everyone has a good kick off to the weekend.

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

User protects peace at home by not shaving legs, which would invariably have resulted in user's legs looking better than user's spouse's

User protects peace at home by not shaving legs, which would invariably have resulted in user's legs looking better than user's spouse's

Lather Games First Post wooo woooo

• Brush: Omega 011864

• Razor: Ever Ready 1912

• Blade: GEM PTFE

• Lather: Palmolive stick

• Post: Boots - Freshwood aftershave

u/djundjila wear the Haverford pants in the next shave fir your forfeit 😂

July 22, 2023 – LG2023 Day Twenty Two – Leg Day

• Brush: Wald – A1 Gengar Nimbus
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM (4)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Blugère
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles – Blugère

I’m sure Blugère will be a popular choice today for a few of us and rightly so, a nice blueberry opening with the woody Fougere undertones ticks all the boxes.

Thankfully I got to give my head a rest from shaving today as we focus on some other hairy part of our bodies. I had thought about messing aboyand whipping the beard off but honestly my wife would flip out and last time I got sick of my kids mocking and calling me Dr Eggman.

As it seems to of become my LG tradition I didn’t want to let u/jeffm54321 down I lathered up my leg, dug out my u/EldrormR Industries MM24 and placed it firmly between my monkey toes. I’m by no means Christopher Nolan so excuse the poor video quality, I did manage to add a soundtrack just for u/enndeegee with one of his favourite bands.

Daily Challenge A Hairykopite Productions Presentation

Shaved his legs holding the razor with his feet

Strange times for Berry Club

Prep: Warm shower
Brush: AP Shave Co - 30mm Cashmere Synthetic
Razor: Henson AL13 - Medium
Blade: Astra Stainless
Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap

This is the closest thing l have to a berry scented lather as Hygge features Juniper Berry (it isn't really a berry, it is actually a cone). My brush is from today's sponsor and it is nice. Have a good day everyone.

Alright then, who’s gonna combine the theme and challenge by shaving their berries?

Sat Jul 22 2023

• Prep: Coffee, Face wash soap/warm water
• Razor: Merkur - 34C HD
• Blade: BiC Platinum
• Brush: Farvour Turncraft w/an Epoxy 26 MM Badger Knot
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Banana Soap
• Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman Citrus Musk

I failed today's challenge. Couldn't bring myself to shave my legs. But I did have a very nice shave with the Chiseled Face Banana. The scent is very banana forward. Really like the scent. I could see this making its way into my daily rotation.

I go the Clubman Citrus Musk sample and while not really on point scent wise I sure like it.

And I need a little guidance from u/Enndeege. What the heck is this scrub thing I keep seeing?

ROTY

• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush
• Razor: Parker Clip-Type Shavette Dark Sheesham Wood Handle
• Blade: Tiger Superior
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Rambler

ROTY

July 22, 2023 – June Shaves

• Brush: Cayuen Abalone w/ 28mm Timberwolf Synthetic
• Razor: Karve Shaving Co. – Overlander, TechniColor Edition
• Blade: Voskhod (3)
• Lather: 345 Soap Co. – Ol' Red
• Post-Shave: The Club – The Recipe

I've had this razor for about one month now, and up until I could do the big reveal recently I kept this under wraps and only used it for head shaving, with pleasant results. Today was a first time face shave with the Overlander! I'm pleased to report the results are just as good as everyone else implied, in spite of my penchant for chemically-induced tinkering. The heavy brass plowed through thick double with nary a problem, and I'm left with an awesome BBS finish for the day.

I didn't think I had any shaving soap with berry notes in it until I forced myself to dig through the soap archives. The soap appears to be a seasonal release, with aromas of vanilla, nutmeg, raspberry, and fir needles. It's definitely meant for the winter season, but we can use it today and provides decent performance.

Have a good weekend, gentlemen.

#LatherGames #StrangeTimesForBerryClub

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU_YFpfDqqA ← Why The First Computers Were Made Out Of Light Bulbs

• Prep:
• Brush: Wolf Whiskers / Maggard 28mm Premium Boar
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite SS
• Blade: Personna Comfort Coated (1)
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Waterlyptus
• Os: ma
• Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - Waterlyptus
• Fragrance:

Botanically speaking, a watermelon is considered a berry. It falls under the category of "pepo," which refers to a specific type of berry with a hard rind and fleshy interior. Watermelons fit this description as they have a thick outer rind, soft edible flesh, and small seeds (or seedless varieties) on the inside, all of which are characteristic of berries.

July 22, 2023 - Always skip leg day

• Brush: Semogue Owner's Club boar
• Razor: RazoRock Game Changer 0.84 / MR5
• Blade: Wizamet (8)
• Lather: Lakewood Soap Company - Smokeberry
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - Latigo
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Love in the Time of Da Rona

I came across a few folks in the shavesphere that praised this scent profusely and since I'm always intrigued by scents with a hint of smoke (read: NOT Texas on Fire) I decided to try a sample. The published notes include blackberry, leather, and smoke. I get 100% 0 smoke unfortunately. What I do get is the smell of a leather jacket that somebody spilled cherry or berry flavored Kool-Aid on. Not great to be honest. I don't get the hype. This soap base is not great either, but completely serviceable. Too fluffy/high structure with mediocre slickness. Fine Latigo (Knize Ten dupe) does pair well with this since it is a leather based scent and Love in Time of Da Rona (think West Egg with strawberry) rounds out the berry theme nicely. As for the challenge I'll stick to face shaving, thanks.

Lather Games Day 22- A Berry, Berry Good Shoulder Day

• Brush: Semogue 1800
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: Gem PTFE (2)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Frankie Mermaid Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Glacial Spearmint Splash

So I Googled "Is a grape a berry" and the first thing that came up was from some website called waynesword.net. According to this site I know nothing about- "Grape Family (Vitaceae) Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants. They are classified as true berries because the fruit wall or pericarp is fleshy all the way through. The cultivation of grapes dates back more than 5,000 years in Egypt, and they were highly developed by the Greeks and Romans." Alright, alright, alright, we're in the game today. No better grape-iness to use today than Frankie Mermaid. You get smacked in the face with grape soda right off the bat before the scent settles right down. And I'm not talking crappy-ass Sam's Club generic GRAPE SODA, I'm talking Fanta Grape. 100% classic. Maybe even NeHi quality grape soda. Regardless, this fucking rocks way more than your wine smelling soaps.

So, I had a shit ton of lather after doing the face and then had to decide what the hell was I going to shave. Now, being the hairy bastard I am, the options are pretty endless. Now, this challenge did call for leg day, but I'm already experiencing some weird hair loss around my calves that my wife is finding deeply disturbing. It's like islands of bare skin in a forest of hair. While shaving the lower legs might even things out, I'm going to look like I have some tropical hair losing disease. I could have done some side ass cheek and gotten that down nice and smooth, but do you really need to see the before and after of my hairy ass cheek? Fuck no. I don't even want to see it.

I figured it's been a bit since I cleaned up my shoulders and let my tattoos be released from their hairy prison. So here's the before and after of my left shoulder and here's the before and after of my right shoulder. And while I'm sure there is going to be some djudge out there decrying the lack of lather pictures, the missus was too close for comfort for me to be snapping pics of the shoulder lather (some things are better left unsaid in this house). So yes, today I shaved something that wasn't my face. Was it nearly as entertaining as u/hairykopite showing us that we clearly descended from primates? Absolutely not, but it gives me a shot at some teensy weensy point thing.

July 22, 2023 – Regretting leg shave?

• Brush: Ap. shave Co. – purple Haze
• Razor: Otto Busch, Weltmeister – Wiener Schaber
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Mood Indigo
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Mood Indigo
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – In love with everything

Razor:
The razor translates to “Worldchampion – Vienne scrapper” and is a lending from u/Teufelskraft.
When I got it, it was as dull as a spoon. Ever tried to shave with a spoon? As I knew we would have this challenge, I knew I wanted to do it with a straight, but not one of my freshly honed Bökers. I took my coticule and honed the razor as well as I could in 12 minutes.
With u/djundjila, we talked about the razor on Discord. When I started the shave, The razor was able to shave armhair, but I did not expect the shave to be super comfortable. I was well aware that I had to shave a huge area with lots of long hair. When newtothis said we should take 2 blades, I was confirmed in my decision.

Brush:
Because of the color, I love to use this brush with Mood indigo. I ll probably use it in AA with Mood Indigo. It has the most backbone in my collection without beeing uncomfortable.

#Fof
Soap:
Mood indigo, he smokey blueberry jazzclub feeling melted to soap and shipped to the wetshaving community. I love this scent for late evening shaves, but we have things to do.

Face shave:
Yes, I had one day stubble, so I had to shave my face. At first pass, I was not sure if the razor feels that good, or doesnt cut at all. How can it be that smooth? That feeling passed at the end of the first pass. The shave became uncomfortable, but close enough to go outside. Now I have to rely on the

Aftershave:
HoM aftershaves are new to me. Mood indigo is heavier on the blueberry than on the soap. It felt good to use it and by the time of writing my skin had a bit time to rest.

Leg shave: Thank you for reading so far. Or maybe you skipped to this section. I dont know.

Things I learned:
1. Straight razors work pretty well for leg shaves. My thesis is confirmed
2. with such a huge area I have to shave, I lost concentration quite often. You can count on my cuts, that I lost concentration 5 times.
3. Lather quality is not as important as with face shaves
4. Its fun to massage the lather into the area you want to shave. You can put way more pressure on the brush
5. My back hurts. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub was not the best for my herniated disc. I have no idea how to make it better.
6. Knees are difficult to shave, but not the endboss. Close to the ankle is most difficult when hair hides in a hollow.
7. There are parts I can not see on my own. GF had to help
8. I dont want to do this again
9. Pants feel disgusting. There is no protecting hair layer.
10. My legs do not look that bad or skinny when shaven
11. I found scars I had forgotten about
12. My legs are still tanned and not an optical illusion made by a bunch of wolf hair

Stupid ideas I tried
If you are not able to read it: I tried to shave “Lather games” into my leg hair

Collected all hair I shaved off. Your choice if you want to see it. Be warned!
Not safe for LIFE Chewbacca costume

Safe to watch again:
Aftermath in ballett pose

Fragrance:

In love with everything sparked my curiosity like no other IA scent. The logo is cool, the theme is awesome, the scent notes of raspberry (berry theme!) and vanilla sound lovely.
Got this tester from my trip to Budapest. Finally I was able to look and test IA scents!
Unfortunately, this is “unisex” and suits my GF better than me. When it settles down, I get a bit of sandalwood and punch (drink).

@djundjila: get a Weltmeister.

Edit: I HATE WEARING PANTS NOW!!!

Contestant tries to shave "LATHER GAMES" into his leg hair with a straight razor, posts the results

Jul. 22, 2023
Brush: Wilkinson Sword OUMO Synthetic Tuxedo Smoky Gray
Razor: Rolls Razor Imperial #SELFSHARPENING * Lather: House Of Mammoth - Indigo - Soap
Post Shave:* Zingari Man - Sego Base Unscented - Balm

indigo features Blueberry as a prominent note and I love it.

Very emotional shave for me, finally got the courage to use my late grandpa’s Rolls Razor and even though it wasn’t my closest shave, it feels kinda nice to think the only people that have ever used that razor was us two. I didn’t have many chances to spend time with him as he dies when I was very young, but having these little connections means a lot.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Today I shaved with Mood Indigo. I used my Prometheus/tuxedo brush and a Parker 65R with a Polsilver blade. I followed up with Cella Bio Organic aftershave and a shot of Stirling Black edt. I did not shave my legs.

July 22, 2023

​

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Zenith 507U XSE
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Aluminum
• Blade: Personna 74 (2)
• Lather: Daveli Farms - Cranberry Vanilla Pomegranate
• Post Shave: Historic & Oak - Italian Soda
• Fragrance: None

For berry day, going with Daveli Farms Cranberry courtesy of /u/tsrblke
It's actually quite a nice scent, reminding me of those Cranberry Bliss bars Starbucks sells during the holidays. Paired with a complementing Italian Soda splash, which has strong notes of vanilla.

As for today's challenge, I need to take the L. I thought about shaving something else, but couldn't figure out an area that the judges would like. Prior to today, I had completed every challenge, but I just can't do this one :(

Until tomorrow!

#ROTY

July 22, 2023 – LG23 Day 22: Strange Times for Berry Club

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Rose Flake Cashmere 28mm
• Razor: Gillette – Lady Gillette Blue Starburst
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (1)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Nordost
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Nordost
• Fragrance: Terre d’Hermes – EdT

Never Skip Leg Day

A ̶S̶c̶r̶e̶e̶n̶p̶l̶a̶y̶ Lather Games Special Challenge

By Impressive_Donut114

and

LatherGames Productions

---

[Impressive_Donut114 quietly saunters into the bedroom early on a Saturday morning.]

Mrs_D: “What are you up so early for; showering and shaving?”

Impressive_Donut: [trying to look as if he hasn’t been up for nearly two hours trying to shave his legs for the first time ever and recording it on video.] “It’s Saturday. You know.”

[Mrs_D gives a side-eyed, suspicious look]

I_D: [sheepishly, but setting up the punchline] “You don’t want to know. [offers his freshly shaven leg to Mrs_D’s hand]

Mrs_D: [Exasperated because her husband wastes too much time with unimportant shaving things for a whole month when they are supposed to be starting to prep the house to sell it next year.]

“Oh, no! You didn’t!

Two hours earlier

---

Keepin’ the theme alive
It’s all oranges today, peeps. The best smoked orange. Ever. Nordost. And the best earthy orange. Ever. Terre d’Hermes. Period.

---

Mrs_D uses her Lady Gillette less frequently than I, so we’re pressing it into service today to mow down what little hair I have on my calves.

If you have ever done any minor tree pruning you’ll know how my leg shave turned out. It’s only a few tree limbs, but somehow you end up with a whole pile of leaves to stuff into three yard waste containers and a leftover lawn bag from last fall.

But my gams are gorgeously smooth.

July 22, 2023

https://imgur.com/gallery/os9iVDG

Prep: Proraso - Refrescante Preshave Cream

Brush: Antiga Barbearia de Bairro - Principe Real Green Boar Brush

Razor: Rockwell - 6S R6 plate

Blade: Gillette - Nacet (1)

Lather: Geo F. Trumpers - Limes Shaving Cream

Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer

Limes is hands down my favorite shave product of all time. It's nearly impossible to fuck the lather up, and the scent is simply wonderful. I always overload the scuttle just so I can do an extra pass or 2. 10/10 Highly recommend. DFS.

Limes, and other citrus fruits are botanically defined as berries. Specifically, they are hesperidia.

Challenge: I had a hard enough time explaining what the hell I was doing with a sock the other day. This is a no-go for me.

#ROTY

July 22, 2023 – Berry Day

• Brush: Zenith Boar B30
• Razor: Gillette Flat Bottom Tech
• Blade: Super Max Stainless (23)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Berry Good Noah
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles – Berry Good Noah
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – Agua Fresca

Back to my regular account fresh off doing time in Reddit jail for sliding into too many DMs and sending ~~nudes~~ product order links.

Berry Good Noah is a super unique scent I’ve never smelled anything quite like it. I’m thinking it will probably be my AA soap as it’s a great scent for this time of year. Combine it with Agua Fresca, and it gets even better.

Edit: According to u/jeffm54321, melon is also technically a berry. Now, I trust him about as much as I trust the Canadian Postal Service that lost my Wolfman, so I double checked with Google. I'll be damned he is correct. That makes my shave even more awesome as Agua Fresca also fits.

2023-07-22 Failure is Just Success Rounded Down

• Brush: West Coast Shaving - Two Tone Synthetic
• Razor: West Coast Shaving - Midnight 78B Closed Comb
• Lather: Pheonix & Beau - Spitfire
• Post Shave: Clubman Reserve - Gent's Gin
• Fragrance: Pheonix & Beau - Spitfire

Strange Times for Berry Club: Juniper berries, and "juniper" is smack in the middle of the label.
It gave me pause when u/USS-SpongeBob mentioned the possibility of juniper wood being a scent component instead of the berry; in order to rule that out, I simply asked Phoenix & Beau, who said, "It is Juniper Berry that we use in the Spitfire scent profile."

Relevant Post-Shave and Fragrance: Also juniper.
The frag is, of course, the same. As for Gent's Gin, it features "fresh juniper", as it bloody well should with a name like that.

#FOF
Spitfire was one of my first dozen or so soaps, and it remains one of my favorites. Of the three scent components on the label, the most marketable ones are surely leather and tobacco; they certainly work well in the description of Kerry's own grandfather (I'd link, but the site seems to be dead). But what about the juniper? To get a better idea, I shoved my nose not only in a Juniper candle from Stirling but also in a whole bunch of straight juniper berries.

Through the wisdom of my nose-holes, I can say with utmost confidence that juniper is the star of this soap.

Juniper just isn't as broadly appealling as leather and tobacco. I've previously described this soap as smelling like old, dried-out leather. I now understand that the "old dried-out" is the juniper and how it interacts with the other scents as they grapple and claw to make their way through the juniper just enough to also get their names on the label.

As for the Gent's Gin aftershave, I frankly didn't expect much actual juniper from it, based on what I sniffed off the bottle. Once applied, though, the juniper took over potently.

Pi-Approximation Day: I tend to make a big deal out of this day; I make a deal out of it, anyway, which is a lot more than I can say about literally everyone I've ever met. My favorite part of the holiday, such as it is, is the theme of approximations of success!

Challenge Accepted: Speaking of approximations of success, let's give this leg-shaving thing a whirl!
I approximately got a smooth shave (hey, u/newtothethis specifically said not to do a third pass).
I approximately consistently held onto my bowl.
The bowl approximately did not break.

In all seriousness, though, is anyone familiar with kintsugi? Because I think I'm going to see if I can find a place to do that. The bowl was a gift, and now it carries a story of "I was shaving my legs for the first time ever—you know, because a bunch of strangers on the internet told me to—when I dropped it in the shower."

All in all, it took a lot longer than I thought (approximately 45 minutes, I think), and u/newtothethis' help was invaluable. Most notably, the bit about sitting (I don't have a tub, but that ledge in my shower worked out, even if the adjacent wall got in the way), tendons (extending the leg is good), and mirrors (she didn't mention this, but I found that plopping a mirror on the floor was useful).

Finally, while I don't hate how it feels, there's no getting over how horrible my bare man-legs look.

#photocontest
Photo: Spaaaaaace
Aviation—in addition to being directly pertinent to today's soap—is space-adjacent, hence why air and space museums are a thing. That bright orange thing that you see in the photo is a USAF jumpsuit/coverall from the 70s, an era when spacefaring was exciting.
But if that doesn't suit you (pun intended), I'm pretty sure that the planet is a thing that's in space, so there's that.

JULY 22, 2023

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillette - 1964 Solid Handle Tech Razor
• Lather: Phoenix & Beau - Spitfire
• Post Shave: Thayers - Witch Hazel w/ alcohol

First and foremost I wanna thanks u/ginopono for the smush!! Such a great scent. Lots of juniper berries and also a bit of smoke hidden there somewhere. Absolutely loved it and will most likely add this to my den when the time comes where my wife lets me.

TODAY’s CHALLENGE: I have never shaved my legs by choice before. I got the left leg shaved because of a knee surgery many moons ago due to excessive amounts of kicking (Thai kickboxing will do that to you). Which left the right leg to be the obvious choice! I must say all that hair made me slightly nervous so I consulted the expert (my wife) which after a long explanation got on board. She recommended I trim it down then shave which is what I did and took no time and had only one weeper. I must say it feels pretty nice and if it wasn’t for the time commitment I could get used to this!!!

ROTY

July 22, 2023 – Lather games day 22 – AKA with a berry on top

• Brush: Dogwood Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1)
• Lather: Apex Alchemy Soaps – Love and Other Drugs
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Fougere Nemeta

Both shave products have strawberry top notes, so that’s nice. I’ve had this Apex Alchemy sample for a while – still another shave in there I think. It’s pink soap. That’s fun too. Back at the shack with my gal in the middle of nowhere with spotty reception so I hope this uploads. Can’t shave my legs as they’re a relief map due to mosquitos up here. Excuses, excuses…

#PhotoContest

July 22, 2023 – LG Day 22 – It rubs its berries on its legs, it does this whenever it’s told

• Brush: Stirling Two-Band Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillette Fatboy
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Super Stainless (Green)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Mood Indigo
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Glacial Strawberry Lemonade
• Fragrance: Olympic Orchids – Blackbird

Mood Indigo = blueberry

Glacial Strawberry Lemonade = strawberry

Blackbird = blackberry

Lots and lots of berries today, all delicious, all different. The darker, more rounded Mood Indigo is brightened with a pop of strawberry candy and then countered by a woodsy, medicinal blackberry. #FOF

Challenge:

I’m very new at guitar and clearly am not at my best today in terms of singing. And I’m not a master lyricist. In fact, why did I do this? Why I didn’t shave my legs today.

Great parody of Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Great parody of Don't Worry, Be Happy!

July 22, 2023 – Berries

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Maggard Razors MR7/V3
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1)
• Lather: Dapper Dragon – Cucumber Melon
• Post Shave: Dapper Dragon – Naranja

I guess I learned something today. I had no idea cucumber was a berry. I had no plans for today after my wife said a sample I thought was pear berry did not smell like anything berry related. I was getting ready to go to the drug store and look for some berry scented shaving goo. But I clicked on the wiki and saw cucumbers are botanical berries. Whatever that is. So I had an excuse to use Cucumber Melon from Dapper Dragon. I’m not sure if they are still in business or not but I love the scale polish.

I didn’t have time to shave my legs this morning but did have time to shave things I can’t take pics of unless this sub goes the route of many others and goes NSFW. So sorry, no pics.

July 22, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co G5C 28mm
• Razor: Henson Ti22 +++
• Blade: Wizamet (1)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Blugère
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles – Blugère
• Fragrance: Catie’s Bubbles – Blugère

Another new one for me, but been wanting to try it for awhile. Blugère, as the name would indicate, is a blueberry topped fougere. I also quite enjoyed the soap base, as it is a cream soap and somewhat easier to lather since I am traveling.

Also noping out of the leg shaving -- not sure I want to explain a shaving contest to the bachelor party.

#ROTY

July 22, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co Lemondrop 28mm SynBad

• Razor: Frederick Reynolds "The Celebrated" 4/8 Hollow Ground (Straight Shave 275)

• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana - Soap

• Post Shave: Combe Inc. - Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayers - Lemon - Toner

2 passes. Bowl lather. Excellent shave.

---

Today's photo is dedicated to u/J33pGuy13.

I always enjoy the Southern Witchcrafts lather and the scent of Boonana seems a bit out of character, but I like that I don't feel as if I'm slathering actual banana over my face.

When I picked this soap I thought I would have to justify using banana as a berry, however, the kind folks on Lather Games Podcast (week 2) did this for me. Thanks all!

Even though a banana is technically a berry, I'm identifying my photo with the "Fruit" theme.

#photocontest

Great shave. Enjoy your weekend.

July 22, 2023 – What did I just do?  

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Exclusive Moar Boar 31mm  
• Razor: Parker 96R  
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24  
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (1)  
• Blade: GEM (3)  
• Lather: Daveli Farms – Cranberry Pomegranate Vanilla  
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Black Cherry  
• Fragrance: Replica – Coffee Break  

Okweredoingthis.gif

My wife keeps laughing, I don’t know why? My daughter is somewhat shocked, but… Here we go? The before: https://i.imgur.com/Kv2f7s6.jpeg The after: https://i.imgur.com/MaJFK0k.jpeg I’m giving my best Lavender Interrupted pose there. (warning, all pictures are SFW, but not exactly something you want to look at.) I’m blonde so trust me when I say there’s more hair than the picture shows. Also my whole family came to witness this and took video. Here’s a 30 second clip. (I’m in shirts and trunks so SFW.) https://youtube.com/shorts/QDiqSFcieeI?feature=share

This did not go as planned. You can see me using the 96r in the video, but after that initial luck I couldn’t find an angle anymore. After 10 minutes of struggling I remembered u/unitedstatesghost told me in the discord the MM24 was a great body shaver. Who am I to argue with an expert. And she was right. It cruised though and was almost like using a cartridge. I did 2 passes with it and some last cleanup with the Parker. Only 1 nick on my knee. And the back of my knees are in fact done. I want halfway up my thigh (the trunks were for video purposes.

Let’s get businesses, for #fof, here’s a series of scents involving botanical fruits. Obviously the soap hits the theme with raspberry and pomegranate. As a stone fruit, cherries are not berries but they’re fruits, as is coffee (a berry and a fruit.) Now I know u/newtothethis said bathing is splash was not good. But so many bad choices went into this I’m doubling down on stupid. For #photocontest, I’m running out of themes, so here’s insect! It’s my kids’ bee puppet.

Finally how many other #ROTY did this challenge? Gotta make up for u/pridetwo getting a legendary point. So here’s the most legendary thing I can do. My legs are cold and need lotion…but my wife just called it sexy so... What have I started?!

Edited to add. Holy crap I have freckles on my legs!

Edited 2: I forgot to mention I was singing a song in my head the whole time. No not "man I feel like a woman" too obvious. I went with the deep cut Deana Carter Did I shave my legs for this

Yes yes I did.

Edit 3: yep I shaved my face today. Doubling down on bad decisions I used War https://www.reddit.com/r/Wetshaving/comments/156br72/saturday_sotd_thread_jul_22_2023/jt1424g?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2

Finally! Someone embraced the challenge!

July 22, 2023 – Strange Times for Berry Club

• Brush: RazoRock – Natural Boar
• Razor: Chiseled Face Ti Razor #12
• Blade: Astra SP (Green)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Summer Solstice
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles – Summer Solstice

Nice watermelon forward scent. No leg day for me.

July 22, 2023

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
• Razor: Karve CB OC-F
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Zingari – The Rambler
• Post Shave: Zingari – Unscented

Well, gotta get challenge points. My pits smell great. Per the description,”This soap is scented with a complex olfactory combination. Like taking an amble on the summer hills, this scent has notes of ripe summer fruit (strawberry, raspberry, currant, plum), rich florals (rose, amyris), a bit of spice (anise, peppercorn, coumarin), a hint of earthiness (tobacco, hay, tonka) and the warmth of vanilla.” I get a TON of strawberries and raspberries. I used this last year for tobacco day and realize I probably shouldn’t have gotten points for that one. This year though, definitely berries. It’s so fruity. Also has peppercorn in there, another berry. Triple berry armpits.

I used the only open comb I have to help out. And I actually started off dry on the second pit as it just kept clogging with the lather for pit #1. Can’t say I got a BBS but think I did not half bad.

Below pics. After pics

Update: I am getting some intense whiffs of rambler hours after I used it. Noseblindness basically isn’t a thing with pit shaves I guess. Might have to keep it up.

July 22, 2023 – Month of Lather Day 22

• Brush: Yaqi 30mm Tuxedo Synthetic
• Razor: Baili BD176
• Blade: Gillette Platinum (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Indigo
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Unscented Balm
• Music: Peter Gabriel - Indigo

Daily Theme: HoM states "Indigo smells like you've left that blues club late at night". Blueberry is a prominently feature in this unique scent, being the second note listed.

The Challenge: I planned to skip this challenge, but if I skip Leg Day I become vulnerable to LGs peer influence psychology techniques. Then again, bending to the LG's Leg Day shaving desire puts me one step closer to assimilation. Maybe I can Air Bud this and the LGs won't notice. Nope. Rule 5.1 eliminates all loopholes, but the rules allow shaving some other part that you don't usually shave. Groin area? Nope. I'll leave that for u/MrTangerinesky and u/Priusaurus for use in their "My ᶁǃ©ķ Is Bigger Than Yours" battle. Front-side of my upper torso? It's over twice the area of my face, so half will work.

The Shave: Following the u/Newtothethis Leg Guide, I loaded twice the norm of soap and built a large bowl of lather. It smelled great and was super slick. In spite of having a $#!+load of lather, the first pass used almost half of it. The shave highlighted my poor razor choice. It was too mild and too quick to clog. Too much cleanup/buffing gave me a good case of razor burn. Oh well, that's life in the fast lane.

The following pics are PG but not for the faint of heart. Consider yourself warned. Here's before, during and after pics of today's shave. #ROTY

July 22, 2023 – Strange Times for Berry Club

• Brush: Paladin Chief 26mm Satin Juma Smoke
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Ti
• Blade: Astra SP (5/1)
• Lather: Macduffs Soap Company – Winter Cabin
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Tis the Season splash
• Fragrance: Duke Cannon – Sawtooth

The Backstory: Seeing how this is the Berry Club and these are strange times I decided to shave the berries. What, a blade to my most precious of areas? Yes, and unfortunately I have to admit it’s not the first time. See after my wife had our second child I did a little research as to how it kept happening. Apparently those sex ed classes in high school were right. So I went ahead and made an appointment with a Urologist to take care of the problem. Like any good doctor he did an exam, and asked me to come back to see him with testicles shorn. So when the berry club called for a body part shave today, I knew what had to be done and I wasn’t about to back down.

The Soap/Lather: Winter cabin definitely has that raspberry smell. I would hate to have had a masculine smell while shaving my body. It does lather up quick, easy, and slick so at least I had that going for me.

The Shave: For those that haven’t tried it, testicles are quite difficult to shave. The skin is loose and wrinkly, the hair grows in whatever the hell direction it wants to, and nothing clogs a DE razor like pubes. It was slow going, but I had the balls to see it through. As I was finishing up clearing away almost a decade of testicular follicle growth, nut sack in hand, I realized that maybe putting a picture of my testicles on the internet was not something I or the judges really wanted. So now what? It occurred to me that I would have to continue my shave upward for a full chesticle to testicle shave. I quickly threw on some pants for a before photo and continued my shave. I didn’t keep track of the time, but I expect I spent the better part of an hour shaving. The chest, like my berries, led to repeatedly clogging. Surprisingly the belly button was the most difficult area to shave though. All in all a smooth shave with only a little damage to my skin.

Post Shave/Frag: Since this is berry day and raspberry is my theme I opted for a little tis the season to coat my berries with. Let me tell you, aftershave on the testicles is a strange sensation. After that I decided to use Sawtooth and bring out a little more of the wintery woods to blend the scents a little better.

Challenge: I am shaved like a slip and slide champion. I offer before and after pictures of my chest/stomach. I will be setting up my only fans for those that would like to see the shaved nut sack. Use coupon code BerryClub for 25% off first months subs.

#ROTY

Full chesticle to testicle shave

2023-07-22 Mora e Muschio or Blackberries and Moss

• Brush: AP Shave Co. - Handcrafted Series "Summer" with 24mm Gelousy SHD fan knot (A1)
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy Titanium with Imperial Handle, DE
• Blade: Lord Cool Super Stainless, DE
• Lather: Saponificio Bignoli - Mora E Muschio
• Post Shave: Saponificio Bignoli - Mora E Muschio

I almost used this for Cream day. I don't have a lot of berry based scents on hand. So I held off and this one is chock full of berries. "Mora e Muschio" as far as I understand translates from Italian to English as Blackberries and Moss.

The scent notes on this one are: Top notes of red berries, blackberry and blueberry wrapped in a floral heart with a finish of white musk, cream and vanilla notes. Per maker - “sweet but not too sweet” I would have to agree there is only really a touch of sweetness. Nicely balanced.

I've had this for a while and but this is my first use of it. So I miss-judged (or is that missdjudged...idk) how much I needed for a lather and came up a bit short. Fortunately the Chiseled face razor is a kind instrument and operated well even with the low lather investment I made.

I did not go for the leg shave on leg day. No excuses. Just me being lazy. As such I fall on my sword for this challenge for I have no leg to stand on.

Take care and have a good one.

July 22, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. - 24mm 2Bed Synthetic
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy Raw Titanium (#69)
• Blade: Personna P74 (1)
• Lather: Barrister & Mann - Vespers - Soap
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Delor de Treget
• Post Shave: Stirling - Varen - Balm

Vespers hits with the cranberry up front, nicely supported with all sorts of other stuff. I love it.

First time shaving with a P74. Even though I got a screaming deal on these (relatively), aside from being fun to try and shaving very nicely, are they worth the cost? We'll see.

Jul. 22, 2023
Brush: AP Shave Co G5C
Razor: Karve CB
Blade: Astra SP Green
Lather: TOBS - Grapefruit - Soap
Post Shave:* Proraso - Green - Aftershave

Grapefruit is considered a modified berry. Looking forward to getting rid of all my TOBS samples with these games lol not the biggest fan. Took the liberty of taking a day off shaving my face and Shaved a patch of my thigh. Was actually easier to shave. Also the aftershave splash felt funny lol. It also clogged my razor hardcore. my wife thinks I’m crazy. Picture to follow.

https://imgur.com/a/gO0wFKf

ROTY

LG23-22: Strange Times for Berry Club

• Brush: 3D-Printed 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM (1)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Thé Noir et Vanille - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Lather Bros. - Amoroso - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Cape Heartache
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Colombia. Cauca. - v: Castillo - p: Anaerobic
• Music: Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
• LG Tags: #FOF

Today's shave was all about strawberries: strawberry-vanilla tea in Paris; strawberries and a bouquet of roses gifted for Valentine's Day; vanilla-leaf and strawberry growing in the old growth evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest.

Noble Otter doesn't make a big deal of it in their scent description, but the tangy-sweet ripe strawberry note is the defining feature of Thé Noir et Vanille (TNEV). I'm not saying it's not a tea scent, or that there isn't a strong vanilla note, but the unmistakable strawberry is strong, sweet, and what ties those two together. Before lathering, the strawberry overwhelms; afterwards TNEV opens up, jasmine and bergamot perfuming the bistro patio where strawberry sweets are savored alongside a malty, steaming cuppa. Beautiful.

In a gesture of relationship equity, and hoping to maintain tenuous spousal buy-in to the Lather Games, I asked Mrs. Mosquito how she'd prefer I go about completing today's challenge. She laughed, shook her head, then grinned before excitedly choosing silky-smooth pits over shining legs. I then made the mistake of chatting about this challenge with u/USS-SpongeBob, who rightly gave me shit about my initial plan; legs present a bigger challenge with numerous awkward angles and lots of ground to cover. So I proposed shaving the top of my feet as well. That seemed like a good compromise and in the spirit of the challenge.

...but then I succumbed to peer pressure from u/USS-SpongeBob, u/tsrblke, and u/Priusaurus and shaved my legs anyway. Be warned: those gnarly hooves at the bottom end with hobbit toes. Risky clicks all around today.

• Before: https://i.imgur.com/bDqkaGl.jpg
• After: https://i.imgur.com/EDNmmmk.jpg

The shave went much better than expected. The front of my legs were easy, including my knees, which is the biggest surprise here. (I'm told knees are a danger zone.) The back of my knees were a trouble spot; I have the flexibility to reach them, but am not used to shaving blind, or using my non-dominant hand. I took it slow and avoided any significant carnage. That's not to say I got away without any blood. During the initial two passes I opened up a few weepers, but no cuts I could feel while shaving. (Rinsing off is another story. Ouch!) Doing a final look-over I noticed I'd missed the inside of my left ankle. I was feeling really confident, so I re-lathered and forgot u/Newtothethis's sage advice, promptly taking that skin off with barely a stutter of the razor. Lesson learned. I'm glad I don't need to do this tomorrow and shave over any existing nicks and weepers like my wife does regularly. I've got it easy.

Coincidentally, my wife had scheduled a day at the public pool today, but that was canceled as I was writing this post. Just know I would have showed up with these silky gams glistening in the hot sunshine. And then taken a photo to share here. Because Lather Games, that's why.

It took me a while to decide on an aftershave and fragrance to pair with TNEV. I'm trying to avoid re-using any scents from last year, but I have very few berry, tea, or vanilla-forward aftershaves on hand, so that arbitrary restriction wasn't feasible. I ultimately decided to continue with the strawberry theme, tagging Amoroso back in for another Lather Games. I find this aftershave remarkably easy to wear considering I avoid rose scents and strawberry can be awfully sweet. The vetiver and musk make Amoroso for me; they have the abundant warmth and rasp needed to balance the composition.

Which brings me to my fragrance. Cape Heartache is an easy pairing with today's soap and aftershave, repeating notes of both strawberry and vanilla. Those are supported by citrusy, dark-green layers of conifer. On paper, I love both the concept of Cape Heartache and the way Josh Meyer interpreted it with pine and strawberry, but I rarely reach for my sample. When I'm in the mood, that combination of ripe fruit and sticky pine resin seems inspired. When I'm not, it smells like a Christmas candle. Today I'm somewhere in the middle.

July 22, 2023

• Brush: Farvour Turncraft with 26mm Oumo Lotus Ace Badger
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Daveli Farms – Cranberry, Pomegranite, Vanilla Sheep Fat Soap
• Post Shave: Zingari Man – The Merchant Balm
• Fragrance: Elysian Soap Shop – Lyra EdT
• Music: The Lion King – Hakuna Matata

Hell of day to be a Lather Games Contestant! The day that has been figuratively circled in my calendar for a month and a half. Leg day. I generally live my life the way Timon and Pumba told me: with no worries. Sure, there is important shit to worry about in life, but in the scheme of things, so many of our worries just aren’t that important. Other than the fact I’ve never shaved my legs before, WHY is having hair on my legs important? Why is today such a big deal? I don’t know. Just because that’s kinda what society tells us. Men have hair on their legs. And most of us don’t question it.

But… Hakuna Matata. It means no worries. It means telling society to shut up about gender roles. It means standing up against anyone that says “men are supposed to XYZ”. Hakuna Matata means shaving with Doritos scented soap. Hakuna Matata means being secure enough to order a fruity drink at a bar because it’s fun or tasty. Hakuna Matata means going to brunch with your buddies and getting buzzed on mimosas. It means letting my daughter play with trucks and letting my son play with dolls. Hakuna Matata means celebrating people for being who they are and dressing how they want to dress!! Hakuna Matata means minding your business and letting people be happy. And Hakuna Matata means shaving my goddamn legs for Lather Games!!! Hakuna Matata! Hakuna Matata! Hakuna MaFuckingTata!!! That’s what Timon and Pumba were talking about. And when Timon and Pumba talk – I listen.

Did I shave my legs today? You goddamn right I did! Did I feel weird doing it? Absolutely. Did I regret it the second I put a razor to my legs. No! Because it’s the Lather Games and I didn’t come this far to only come this far. And am I going to let the fact that I don’t have hair on my legs bother me one bit? Hell no! And you know why not? Because HAKUNA MATATA! No worries today, no worries tomorrow, and no worries for the rest of our days. It’s my problem free philosophy. And if anyone has a snide comment about my silky smooth legs, I’m gonna say: “Hakuna Matata!”

Cue the video clip! Or here’s the imgur link if you’re more into that. (Put the sound on for the full effect)

Started the shave with a Rockwell 6s, since that razor is an idiot proof, but after one stroke on the first leg, I realized that wasn’t going to cut it, so I brought in the MMOC with a brand new blade. And that razor worked like a charm. The Daveli Farms Sheep Soap is very good and I was happy to be using that soap today. A few nicks and cuts, but my legs are feeling smooth and great and the soap was wonderful for this tasks. Big shoutout to Zingari Man Balm for keeping everything feeling great post shave. Not sure if I actually like the feeling of smooth legs, but Hakuna Matata indeed.

The scents of the day: Daveli Farms Cranberry, Pomegranate, & Vanilla is obviously berry, for the shave theme, but I connected everything with vanilla. The Merchant Balm is Vanilla and Spices. And Lyra from Elysian is Vanilla, Jasmine, and Patchouli. I love the scent of vanilla, and adding some jasmine and patchouli makes a very balanced, pleasant #FOF scent. Feeling great and confident on my Hakuna Matata day!

For #photocontest: insects. He’s a root borer beetle I caught in my yard (then stuck in the freezer for a couple days for the pic). And before anyone comes at me about cruelty. These bugs are absolute assholes.

For my interview today, I talked with Daveli Farms. He’s posted on the sub a few times and I’m always game to try new soaps. The fact the sheep tallow in this soap comes from sheep on their farm was (and is) very appealing to me. They are definitely a “no-frills” soap shop. You buy from their facebook shop, and the soap comes in a sealed cellophane pack (I put it in my own empty tub for ease of loading). In this interview, you’ll get to read about how they got started making soaps, his perspective on competing against the big guys, and how he is trying to market soaps made from animals on his own farm. I will say that this soap performed very nicely and gave a really nice lather for shaving my legs for the first time ever today. Not an easy task, but this soap was up for the challenge! Thank you u/DaveliFarms for participating in this series and giving my questions a lot of thought! Wish you nothing but this best!

10 Questions with… Daveli Farms

1) What made you get started making shaving soaps?

I was a DE/SE wet shaver and knew that sheep tallow soaps always performed better for me. Once I opened my Natural Food Store, upon picking up a few lamb I had butchered, the butcher actually packaged all the fat up for me. My first thought was, "I'm not a soaper, what am I going to do with this? Oh heeeeey....." And I was off. Our great grand fathers and indigenous peoples never wasted anything on an animal and my butcher knew I requested everything usable back from all of my animals. That's is kind of what makes my store a little unique also.

2) Does all of the tallow in your soaps come from your own animals from your farm?

Every last drop. There is a difference in the fat from different animals (obviously), but there is also a difference in the fat of grain fed vs grass fed animals. I only use enough grain to bring the animals up to the fencling to check their condition, to make sure they are doing good, and to lead them from pasture to pasture. Other than that, they are purely grass fat. Beef and lamb have 4 stomachs that evolved over time. Forcing them to stand at a grain trough in a concentration camp to get fat twice as fast on grain when their 4 stomachs are evolved for it....I feel is unethical. So all of my animals or purely grass fed. I firmly believe this makes a difference in the shave soap even after sopanification.

3) I’ve often had the thought that using tallow in soaps is actually more “green” because it ensures that there is less waste coming from the meat industry. Tallow, which would exist with or without soapmaking, would otherwise be thrown away. Now it is being used. Is that a fair assessment to make?

This is a good question that relates to #2, because most all butchers throw away ALOT of an animal, unless you request it back. Including fat. Some will hold some back for future use in sausages etc. What people don't realize is in the 50s or 60s the cosmetic companies realized there just wasn't enough tallow to go around for all the soap consumers need. So they came up with a chemical concoction that bubbles when you get it wet, and the FDA allowed them to call it soap, even though it isn't true soap. But your statement is true in that less waste goes to the landfill, and if the fat gets used for soaping, it at least serves a secondary purpose.

4) How did you decide what scents to offer in your shaving soaps?

One of my favorite lines from Joe Dirt the movie is from Kickin Wing at his fireworks stand, "Because snakes and sparklers is all I like!". It's about like that. I have spent hours as a consumer trying to decipher the Davinci code of soaper's scent description. And after placing an order I end up with a stinker. My soaps are for the everyman commoner. You don't need a degree in scentology to decipher Green Tea, Peachy Mango, or Cranberry Pomegranate Vanilla. I am not a perfumer masquerading as a soaper. I'm not going to try wet earth or fresh cut grass. I wanted my consumers to easily comprehend the scent of the soap with full confidence when it arrives, it will smell exactly as they envisioned.

​

INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN THE REPLY

Good video with some fancy editing. Also, did the challenge!

Lather games Day 22

• Prep: Warm water
• Brush: APSaveCo - 28MM G5A SHD
• Razor: Razorock - Lupo 95 SS
• Blade: Voskhod
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Gin & Tonic on the Rocks
• Post Shave: Clubman Pinaud - Gent's Gin
• Post Shave: Proraso - alum block

Big mistake that I share with you guys that I shave my body. Now I could have a day off. Nobody will want proofs that I shave my balls. Damn it!!!! But OK that why challenges is! At first my choice was this but that was before month. I make picture and everything but it's so hot here that I have to change "berries" to match to my drink and environment. You known how much I love Stirling but with gin and tonic scent and menthol...... OMG!!! Maybe I risking my points playing like lawyer with word "berries" but I love this soap so much so I want it to put in this challenge!!! I poured a little gin in glass from my favorite brand "Bombay Sapphire" mix it with some tonic and take a big cold sip. It's so fucking hot here and that was blessing. I needed this. And like real gentleman I'll go to shave my legs. This shave take me to long and was so exhausted so that why this is writing is short. Thank God that I have this Razorock Lupo its my new lawnmower. This is for you perverts.

ROTY

Leg Wecking Day (oh, and Berries)

• Brush: Мужской Материк Orange Stabilised Burl with 28mm Oumo boar knot at 57mm loft
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade Med Prep
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei, Polymer beschichtet (6)
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia – Don Jose
• Post Shave: Abbate y La Mantia – Don Jose
• Fragrance: Abbate y La Mantia – Don Jose

So yeah, bananas are berries, Don Josè is banana, coconut, and menthol (in that order), and me trickholing this should make djudging my post and frag relevance maximally efficient.

Now, today wasn't ideal for three reasons: we have guests at home, it's lather games podcast recording night, and it's travel day for Djunior and me. So this is how the last hours before leg day unrolled:

The guests staying over are a couple with their 7 month old baby in the guest room, a.k.a. Djunior's room. So everything has been a bit hectic and improvised, tiring and happy in the last few days. The evening before leg day was our last dinner, and it's time for me to come clean, because there's no way that I record a podcast in the living room and shave my legs (two separate activities) before taking the train with Djunior without our guests noticing in such a crowded and intimate setting.

Djundjila, at the dinner table: "BTW, don't be surprised, but I'll get up at 03:00 to record a podcast in the living room. I'll try to keep volume down not to wake baby Guest Baby" Guest Wife: "Oh interesting, what kind of podcast?" DJ: "The weekly Lather Games podcast" Guest Husband: "What are 'Lather Games'?"

A lengthy discussion, including a den tour, ensued. It turned out that Guest Wife had been silently wondering about the large number of weird cosmetics in the main bathroom and had unsuccessfully tried to figure out what my wife might be doing with "Tabac", "Haverford", or "Massacre of the Innocent".

By the time the discussion ended, we were tipsy and it was three hours before I had to get up again for the podcast recording. I got in a solid 2.5 hours of sleep before waking up sleepy, but mostly sober. During prep, I realised that our special guests, the djudges of the photocontest, all overslept and I was really jealous of them.

By the time recording was finished, the sun was up and birds were chirping, and I really wanted nothing but to go to sleep, but it was fucking leg day. (Mandatory before pic (Safeish for work) )

So I smushed about a table spoon of Don Josè in my lather bowl, grabbed the big Мужской Материк brush and sat down on the edge of the bathtub to lather up, following u/newtothethis's advice to work in quadrants (thanks!).

I felt very proud with my genius decision to use the Sextoblade. I had shaved my left leg for Atlas shaves one and a half years ago, and I knew that even open comb safety razor clog when shaving full length leg hair, and for the first leg, everything went well. Slow, but no blood. By the time I reached the second leg, I was cocky and went fast with the commensurate result (blood, NSFW). Nothing that a styptic pencil couldn't stem, but I felt less smug at this point. The final result is disturbingly smooth (Safeish for work). I later found that I had missed a good 2×4 cm patch on my left knee, a blatant violation of the challenge rules which I corrected with a Gillette Goodwill having already packed my Weck for the trip. I attribute the oversight to sleep deprivation. By the time I had finished, Djunior was up, and it was time to get breakfast, get packed, and get on the train. It was the beginning of a loooong day.

BTW, I'll be away from my den for the rest of Lather Games, and I had to pack a pretty ridiculous amount of shave wares as a result.

Djudge tells a story in which he has to explain the Lather Games AND his podcasting duties AND his leg shave to house guests

July 22, 2023 – Berries, and things called berries

• Brush: Omega 10049
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (9)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. (Formerly Oleo Soapworks) – New City: Back of the Yards
• Post Shave: Zingari – Unscented
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts – Fougere Nemeta

Challenge: I did a two pass leg shave. Thanks to /u/Newtothethis for her helpful leg day guide. I used my MM24 because /u/tsrblke mentioned in his post that it was good for shaving body hair. I showered before shaving and washed my legs with the glycerine soap I use for my face. I gathered my stuff and sat on the edge of my tub. I lathered in my Captain’s Choice bowl. I chose to use my Omega 10049 because the knot is big, holds lots of lather, and has good flow through. I loaded for about 1 minute initially. I had to go back for another 15 second load to finish my left leg. But, it wasn’t a crazy amount of soap.

The GEM 1924 head on the MM24 is very efficient. Even so, it clogged frequently. I found rinsing it under running water then pulling as much hair away from the blade as possible with a paper towel worked best to clear things up. I did my first passes WTG and my second ones ATG. The rules for the challenge say “shave your legs at least high enough to wear shorts.” I’m a man and it’s not the 80’s. So, I shaved from my ankles to my knees (including the knees), but didn’t go above that. Now I just have to hide my legs with jeans in 90+ degree heat for the rest of the summer.

Here’s my pics. SFW but not pretty.

#FOF

New City: Back of the Yards says “raspberry + leather” on the label. I think it might be a dupe of a Tom Ford cologne. I don’t which one, or if the raspberry is a part of the original, or added by Vida. This fragrance is in the same vein as Vor V; or if you prefer, it’s the rasperry version of Almond Leather. The raspberry note is strong and smells nice and ripe. The leather smells like a couch. I don’t get much else from this. Maybe a little geranium.

I had planned on using the matching New City aftershave. But, putting fragranced splash on my legs seemed weird. Like, who’s smelling my legs, and why do they smell like raspberries? I used ZM’s unscented recovery splash and called it a day.

Fougere Nemata is a unique fougere. It takes the framework of an aromatic fougere, with notes of lavender and geranium, and combines it with strawberries. The greenness gives the impression you’re smelling the entire strawberry plant, as you get both the sweet fruit and the bitter green stem and leaves.

2023-07-22 Lather Games SOTD

• Brush: Yaqi Rainbow (legs)
• Brush: Dogwood Milkglass (face)
• Razor: Fatip Gentile
• Razor: Merkur 33c
• Razor: Merkur 41c
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo 58
• Razor: Wolfman WR2
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Bella Roma (legs)
• Lather: Fine Accoutrements - Platinum (face)
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Sport - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Montblanc - Individuel

Today's theme was inspired by the Mr Lovenstein comic.

Bella Roma is a dupe of Valentino Donna Born in Roma. Opens with blackcurrant and jasmine, dries down to jasmine and musky-woody vanilla. In the original fragrance, the opening is the best part of the experience before the blackcurrant fades and the jasmine takes over; in the soap the jasmine isn't quite as obnoxious so I don't mind the post-shave scent as much.

Platinum is pineapple-forward, which is (surprise) another berry. Ice Sport has some sort of generic red berry accord in it; doesn't last forever, but it's there up front. Montblanc Individuel (which isn't a dupe of Original Santal because a) they were both made by the same perfumer, and b) Individuel came first) is best described as "raspberry dryer sheets." Loads of berry notes today between the face and leg shaves.

ANYWAY

Today's challenge was inspired by one of my own shaves during the 2020 Lather Games, wherein I realized "a lot of ladies come to the DQ thread to ask for razor advice, but almost all of us shave our faces and don't know how well these razors work for legs," so I decided to put six of my "beginner-friendly" razors to the test and find out which ones were actually comfortable leg shavers.

This year I have more razors in my collection, so I put five new options against the previous champ: the Fatip Gentile. I started by using an electric trimmer to take off the bulk of the hair so I was only wetshaving a single ATG pass on stubble, to better simulate typical leg-shave conditions. The shave itself was better and faster than in previous years - my legs feel pretty great now with hardly any irritation, and that's the goal right?

Before and after photos complete with identifying cat-related leg injury on left thigh and signature fucked-up right ankle.

The 2023/2020 combined razor rankings:

My top choice for shaving stubble:

• Merkur safety-bar razors, preferably with a long handle. Shaves close and smooth ATG at most any angle, almost zero blade feel whatsoever. Absolute most comfortable leg shaver I've tried so far. Not noticing any post-shave irritation from this one today. Clogs quickly if stubble is longer than 2-3mm, but it's pretty easy to swish clean.

If you tend to let your hair grow out a bit instead of keeping up with the stubble, these options may not be as magically smooth but won't need as much swishing around to unclog:

• Merkur open comb razors, preferably with a long handle. Shaves close and smooth ATG at almost any angle, but has more blade-feel than the safety bar version. Absolutely impossible to clog; I did an entire quarter of a leg without clearing the razor and suffered no loss of efficiency.
• Fatip Gentile, preferably with a long handle - definitely not a piccolo! Shaves close ATG at practically any angle, comfort ranges from "good enough" to "fantastic" depending on the shave angle. Much like the above option, it has more blade-feel than the Merkur safety bar design, but on the other hand: slow to clog and easy to clear with a swish under water.
• Maggard V3M / equivalent Baili with long handle: performs a lot like the Gentile but a little less comfortable and more prone to razor burn.

Razors that you can use but I wouldn't offer as a recommendation:

• V3 / Edwin Jagger / Muhle. Similar to a Merkur in most ways, but less comfortable with its greater blade-feel. Much easier to cut/nick yourself with these.
• Lady Gillette: fussy about angle if you want a close shave, clogs quickly and is frustrating to clear out. Probably an okay shaver with practice. Very cute though.
• Wolfman WR2. A lovely face shaver, but when it comes to legs it just feels like a slightly more comfortable V3M at 15x the price. It's better, but it isn't 15x better.

NOT Recommended:

• RazoRock Lupo (any version). Too much blade-feel, too many nicks and cuts. While I love this razor for faces, it's just not leg-friendly in my experience.

July 22, 2023 - Strange Times For Leg Day

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving Exclusive 31mm Moar Boar
• Razor: Schick “Stick Schick” (Type L)
• Blade: Parker Injector
• Lather: Black Ship Grooming Co. - Captain’s Reserve
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Jack Splash
• Fragrance: Dolly - Smoky Mountain

FOF

Today’s Theme:

Another tricky one for me since I don’t have any banana or watermelon soaps. I had a couple possibles, but 30 for 30 killed them as I really needed the brands on another day. So I was looking through my soaps and finding all the scent notes, when a recent purchase popped up 2 choices. I picked up Black Ship Grooming Co.’s Dark Side and Captain’s Reserve just after Star Wars day. Dark Side has blackberry listed 3rd, and first listed scent on Captain’s Reserve was black currant. After debating between the two, I felt Captain’s Reserve was a better fit. Then it was a search to find anything for post and fragrance that fit the theme. Juniper berry is in Jack, and Dolly - Smoky Mountain has black currant. My selections were set.

Today’s Challenge:

First things first, regular leg shavers a tip of the hat to you. Holy **** that is harder to do than I thought. I picked the Moar Boar as it is one of my biggest brushes, and for the razor, the Schick is a longish handle and pretty forgiving (At least I thought so). I scooped 3x what I normally would use to lather. I got my blue plastic IKEA kid’s bowl pretty full of lather, and got it to just starting to drip. I started with my lower left leg. I really massaged it onto the leg. A thicker lather would have been more photogenic, but I wanted the slickest I could get. I didn’t notice it as it happened, but right at the bottom of the shin where it meets the top of the foot, I gave myself a bit of a nick. (warning a little bit of blood) Ok, I need to be more careful on the right leg, but oops, more blood. Next was the thighs, and I am not flexible enough to see what I was doing there, but I shave up to where my boxer briefs would cover. I realized that my pre shave pic doesn’t tell the story, so I took a careful photo that shows where I stopped shaving. I didn’t do the neatest job, but around where the shadow ends is about where the shaving stopped. When I rinsed off, found I had a big nick on my right hamstring area. I really thought this would be an easier challenge. I don’t have a lot of leg hair to start with, and it is much finer than my beard. Not being a contortionist and out of shape really upped the difficulty.

Today’s Fragrance:

As I mentioned, I was a bit stymied n setting up today. I settled on the soap at the beginning of the month, but had no clue what I’d do for everything else until today. First the soap had a fairly familiar scent, but I was having trouble placing it. I picked it for the black currant, but in the jar I was just getting a slightly sweet fruit scent at first. Then I started to make the lather, and it became even more familiar. It smells a bit like this black currant iced tea I used to get. I love tea scents, so I was liking this choice. I don’t know if it was intended to smell like tea, but that is what I got from it. Noble Otter’s new scent Jack is very much a gin and tonic scent (maybe light on the tonic). The lime and juniper berry played well with the soap. Finally the perfume is one I gave to my wife around Valentines day. I decided since she is the only leg shaver in the house, I should use her perfume. It is a bit sweet, fruity and floral on the first whiff. Black currant is listed as the second scent on Fragrantica, and I felt it tied up the whole package pretty well. I wouldn’t make this a common set, but overall pleased with how well they worked together. I almost went unscented for the post shave, but I’m happy I picked up Jack.

Today’s Haiku:

Are points worth so much,
That I try shaving my legs?
I guess they must be.

• Brush: Simpson Classic #1 synthetic brush

• Razor: Dubl Duck Satin Edge Straight Razor

• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere soap

• Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere splash

• Fragrance: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere EDP

ROTY

Blugere deliciously provided the lather, aftershave and fragrance for today which should hit the theme dead on with the full trifecta. Berry overkill!!!

I decided to skip leg day and shave off my signature mustache instead. I have been growing it for some time and it will be sorely missed. Here's the before and after photos.

https://imgur.com/gallery/YsZn38g

Here's a video. I did it with a straight razor and only shaved the stache so it's quick and I found it rather satisfying. I have never shaved my lip with a straight razor and I ended up leaving a pencil thin mustache under each nostril that I had to go back and get. I also almost cut my lip at one point. But somehow I didn't. Goodbye mustache my old friend. We'll meet again.

https://youtu.be/_NCQabWws2I

July 22, 2023 – Strange Times for Berry Club

• Brush: r/wetshaving Zentih MOAR BOAR 31mm
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (8)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Banana
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Mood Indigo
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Pearberry

Of course everyone was speculating that this day was intended for banana to honor u/J33pGuy13, since banana is botanically a berry. I got this sample a ways back curtesy of u/jeffm54321. #PHOTOCONTEST is food.

Now, most bananas consumed these days are of the cavendish variety. These are your standard run of the mill banana you’ll find at the grocery store. That said, this soap, to me, is much more aligned with the scent/taste of a Gros Michel banana, which is said to be the inspiration for banana flavored candy like nerds, laffy taffy, now n’ laters etc. Now, I don’t think I’ve ever tried one, but I did have a blue Java banana at a Hawaii farmers market, and it was a bit sweeter, and almost vanilla-like. Still way better than how the aforementioned candies tastes. The scent didn’t really come through until lathering, at least for the sample size I had. As for mood indigo, what a unique and lovely blueberry boozy scent. It’s cool and hip just like those jazz tunes of old. There’s something a bit spicy, but noticeably refreshing (what the scent note describes as night sky), like a breath of fresh air after leaving the booze and smoke filled jazz club and stumbling onto the streets. Pearberry is a sweet fruit bomb. Pear, strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry all combine for a fruit salad overload. I’d say this one is verging on too sweet, but great for hot weather. #FOF.

The following images are NSFW. Nothing horrendous, but you know. Someone had to help fulfill matching todays theme with a go at the challenge, as ~~requested~~ wondered by u/grindermonk. Alas, NSFW twig and berries, ~~FUPA~~ SUPA shave. I tried to flex my abs and made it black and white, so now it’s classy and artistic instead of just weird, right? Being the idiot I am, I just got in the shower and shaved. I assure you, the before went something like this. Fearing I wouldn’t fully qualify for the special challenge though due to my negligence in reading comprehension and lacking a before pic, I continued my quest. I pondered legs, having read u/newtothethis’s guide, but was kinda worried I wouldn’t have enough soap, nor did I want to hop back in the shower. So, I hear u/jeepguy13 likes feet too, so we went for a NSFW good ‘ol foot and toes shave too.. The hobbits might disown me, but the hairless feet with sandal tan is a suave look for sure. I’ll be honest, the feet tendons and angles were way harder than I anticipated. The nether region was easier than anticipated, but slow and steady was key. I should have taken u/newtothethis’s advice of a new blade I think, and sitting, at least for feet. I was awkwardly balancing with a leg up in the toilet.

If for some reason you looked at all that, I imagine your face looks SFW somewhat like this.

soap brands 22/30, post shave 22/30, frag 22/30, post/frag linked 22/30, software sponsors 11/13, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 9/15, brush hashtags 10/15, photo contest 22/30, daily challenges 19/25, special challenges 3/5

July 21, 2023 - Strawberry Fields Forever

• Brush: Shave Forge 28mm Boar
• Razor: Henson AL13
• Blade: Gillette Platinum (3)
• Lather: Apex Alchemy - Love and Other Drugs - Soap
• Post Shave: Apex Alchemy - Love and Other Drugs - Splash
• Fragrance: Cartier - Declaration
• Music: Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever

Daily Write-Up:
Whelp. I did it. Never again. Before pic

Mrs. Miasma gave me a tutorial...

And then I went about mowing down a jungle

Only 4 nicks. And 75 minutes of shaving

Me: Did I miss a spot?

/I/ktturtlesue: Laughs hysterically

And… done.

I have a whole new appreciation for Mrs. Miasma, u/newtothethis and all the other leg shavers. Though, I feel like using a Henson was almost cheating.

Soap Theme Justification
* Per the Apex Alchemy site: "When you and your significant other are alone, sometimes some strawberries and champagne is all you need to get the night started. This blend of strawberries, champagne, floral notes and a touch of sandalwood are added to our soap base to give you a cushioned lather and a great post shave feel. When love is in the air, so is this scent."

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
* My theme for scents is “phases of Strawberry” * The soap and AS are dickholed, and are all strawberry. * The frag is Cartier Declaration, which is a really green scent, and evokes the smell of fields. Paired with the AS, that's strawberry fields, forever.

https://imgur.com/a/Q4NStzk

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo Shaving Soap
• Brush: Maggard 24 mm Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Era #CNC
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Sharp Dressed Man Balm

What's that smell? Blueberries and smoke and stuff. Yeah that's right. You just left a jazz club with blueberry products. HoM really did make a great soap here. The scent is heavy with blueberries and smoke, but they work well together. The performance was good. No complaints with any aspect of this shave.

I didn't do the challenge. I'm going camping tomorrow for a few days (there will be one shave post from the woods) and I figured I'd be uncomfortable enough without some random hair growing back in.

Have a great day folks!

DAY 22 LATHER GAMES! IN SOVIET RUSSIA, LEG SKIPS YOU! P.S.- THIS IS A LEGENDARY POST

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot
• Razor: Blackland Vector
• Blade: Chinese (10)
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougere Nemeta
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougere Nemeta
• Fragrance: Keune - 1922 by J.M. Keune

​

PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

​

DAILY THEME, OR HOW MY LIFE WENT TO SHIT

I was quite stumped as to what to use on this day... I tried and searched for something and finally I admitted defeat and chose A&E - Strawberry fields. As soon as I picked up the soap, the earth rumbled, the skies were torn with lightning, and ominous music played in the distance. Immediately I got a call from my boss to tell me that I was officially fired, for being scum of the earth, after that my wife stormed into the room and told me she was leaving me and wanted a divorce, not long after that I got a call from my parents who said that they are disowning me, cause they raised me better than this. Mother was wailing on the other end of the phone, repeating "it can't be true, it can't be true", and my father was consoling her, saying "I'm sure he's just confused, it happens to everyone", then he asked me, was I really going to use it, and I confirmed I got the soap and aftershave, there was a silence, so eerie one could hear an ant fart. After what seemed like an eternity he just said "You're on your own son, I'm sorry, we didn't raise you like this". After that I got an eviction notice for the next day, and my car was nowhere in sight. Why? Cause it was towed.... I just went on a bench and sat down crying not knowing what to do.... As my tears started to drop on the hot summer pavement, the earth opened up and hellish demons grabbed my ankles and started pulling me to what seemed like hell, telling me "Oh you sinned hard, there's no getting out this.... you're ours to torture for eternity".... At this point I just started to repent to God, saying that if I could redo it, I would never touch A&E again, forsake it for the rest of my life and steer away everyone who I can, away from them. As I finished repenting, halfway pulled through the earth by the demons, the clouds opened and I saw GOD, he smiled at me and pulled me away from the demon spawns from hell. Continuing to smile, he reached out and gave me a soap saying: "We all make mistakes child, but if your heart is of pure shave then you get a second chance, try this instead!", and I was holding in my hand one of the most beautiful scents with strawberry I have ever smelled. I felt saved, everything was alright again!

​

DAILY CHALLENGE, YOU FUCKING READY?!?!?

Now, today we went to have an open concert at one of the most prestigious hotels in Bulgaria. While driving to get there I remembered I can multitask PRETTY WELL so I made a VIDEO while driving, to show u/Priusaurus to show how it's done, and for him to know, I'M COMING FOR YOU!!! That guy thinks he can one up me, I CAN TWO UP ANYONE AND EVERYONE!!!

Now the bad part is, that even I, as smart as I am neglected the fact that when you shave long hairs, you need something to rinse that razor... So I shaved a bit and waited patiently until I got to the hotel. I arrived quite early and a plan was already set in motion, since my arrival was a couple hours before the sound check and the concert, I had some time. I went inside and asked one of the bell boys where our changing rooms will be for the orchestra, and where the toilets are(first question was a trick one, cause I didn't need to know that until much later). And then I went to the toilet and I finished my shave. VIDEO OF SHAVING IN A TOILET (Edit: sorry for shaky camera)

You might ask yourself, "Y THO?", CAUSE I DON'T HALF ASS THINGS! So yeah, I can proudly say that I am the only person in Bulgaria, OR THE WORLD probably, that shaved their leg in the bathroom of one of the most prestigious hotels in Bulgaria!

#FOF

I tried to find a suitable match and 1922 by J.M. Keune is probably the closest I'm gonna be able to get. The fig really elevates the strawberry from Fougere Nemeta and when combined produce a great sweet, but not diabetically sweet, aroma that makes you feel like you are in a fruit market and all the fruits are freshly picked! You can even hear all the vendors who are screaming from the top of their lungs how they can give you the best price!

• Daily Lather Themes: 22/30
• Daily Challenges: 22/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 17/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 1/2
• Software Vendor Points: 11/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 0/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 22/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 22/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 22/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 22/30

Saturday, July 22, 2023

• Brush: Declaration Grooming - Cream Jefferson - 28mm B16
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - WR2 0.75 DC x WRH2
• Blade: Personna Med Prep
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere - Soap
• Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere - Aftershave

Day 22 of Lather Games: Man, CB cream soap is so good. Unfortunately, I skipped leg day.

Jul. 22, 2023
Razor: Razorock Game Changer .68
Blade: Wizamet SI
Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougere Nemeta - Soap
Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougere Nemeta - Aftershave
Post Shave:* Ariana & Evans - Post Shave Balm - Balm

Had to shave with this soap two days in a row. For not pre planning anything this lather games I’ve still had a soap for most days. This has strawberry in it, and I’d say it’s more of the green part of the berry as opposed to a ripe strawberry smell. This is a great scent, great soap, great splash. SW is awesome stuff.

No challenge today, though these are starting to get really good.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Jul. 22, 2023

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps SHD Badger
• Razor: Fattip Wenghe
• Blade: Perma Sharp
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - B Cubed - Soap
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - B Cubed - Aftershave

Leg Day used to mean something completely different…..

Researching “berries” leads me to discover a LOT of possibilities…. But, KISS principles always apply.

The lather is from Declaration Grooming. The scent from Shawn Maher and Chatillon Lux.

The brush is new from Summer Break Soaps and has a knot in it I pulled from another handle. Maggard’s Badger.

The razor was a mistake. It is not real aggressive, unless you get the angle wrong. Plus, I have a bunch of small nicks on my legs already from doing yard work with shorts on. The weed eater is murder on your legs some times.

Pre-Shaved Legs

Post-Shave Legs

I won't be doing this again.....

Today’s Theme:

Lou Reed, “Take a Walk on the Wild Side”….

July 21, 2023 - Leg Day

• Brush: Shave Forge 28mm Boar
• Razor: Henson AL13
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: Noble Otter - The Noir et Vanille
• Post Shave: CeraVe Baby Moisturizing Cream

Daily Write-Up:
Today's shave took quite a bit longer than usual, since I was giving a live demonstration to u/OnionMiasma before he shaved his legs for the first time. Then I had to stick around to make sure he didn't pass out, throw out his back, or slice his femoral artery. He was an excellent student, though there was significant grumbling.

The Noir et Vanille is a truly lovely scent that was unfortunately overshadowed by a relatively new (and therefore somewhat stinky) boar knot. But it delivered, and I got a nice smooth shave; I was pleased to note that the lather didn't dry out too much between applying, then shaving, each leg quadrant.

Soap Theme Justification
* Plenty of strawberry up in here; also I hear that the honorable djudges provided approval.

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
* No real relevance, as we are traveling, and unfortunately Mr. Miasma did not bring enough Stirling balm to share.... so I had to raid the moisturizing cream I brought for the kids. Good thing I'm not playing for internet points.

July 22, 2023

• Brush: Maggard 24mm SHD badger
• Razor: Karve Overlander SS
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Indigo
• Post Shave: Nivea Sensitive Post shave balm

Nope, not doing the leg shave. That stuff will grow out stronger and thicker. My fear of looking like a Sasquatch is real.

Music:
“The Fours” - Makaya McCraven Spotify / YouTube

Day 22 - Strange Berry Club

• Brush: Maggard - Black and White Synthetic Knot Homemade handle
• Razor: Baili - BR179
• Blade: Astra - Green
• Lather: Zingari Man - Rambler
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Rambler
• Fragrance: Burberry - Hero

Today I went Rambler. I am a big fan how the red berries and tabacco play togethet in this soap. I didn't shave my legs.

For the fragrance, I picked Burberry for the Berry. This is the first time I have worn it and am feeling it out today.

ROTY #FOF

July 22, 2023 – I will skip leg day, thanks.

• Brush: Chisel and Hound v19 Fanchurian
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Blugere
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Tis the Season

Today I shaved my face, again, and only my face. Sorry people – it just wasn’t happening. It’s too big of a week in my family life to be dealing with the fallout of shaving my legs, pits, etc. – so, I’ll chalk this up as a family sacrifice (well worth it).

As face shaves go, this was a good one. Smooth, easy, smells great. Blugere is an amazing scent that hits all the right notes. The blueberry up front is delicious and as it dries down it just continues to get better – it’s like a nice rich blueberry with some woods mixed in. Love it. Tis the Season is the other most berry scent I have with Raspberry being the very front note and I, too, love this scent. I strategically used it last year to tie it to Christmas memories, so, that helps – but it’s a great scent. Every time I wear it my wife says I smell like cotton candy. I get more raspberry followed by a sweet musk, but, either way it’s a double winner around here.

v19 and BB Lite performed admirably as is to be expected.

FOF Haiku of the day (what, did you think these would stop just becuase everyone else did one yesterday?)

Blueberry bottom
Raspberry on top, I say
Berries making love

7/22/23

• Brush: Zenith Two Band Fan
• Razor: Koraat 8/8, Near Wedge Square Point
• Lather: Caties Bubbles - Blugère
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Embrace Aftershave Splash

This smush of Blugère comes courtesy of u/EldromR. This is a Fougére that surprised me. I'm not typically fond of blueberry or very into Fougéres, but the combination of the two I really like. Thankfully, this was a generous smush, and I had enough for two passes on each leg. The only other scent in my den with berry is Embrace. This is a scent u/EldromR turned me on to. It smells so damn good and went pretty well with Blugère.

For todays Leg Shave challenge, I chose to go with the 8/8 Near Wedge Koraat. Admittedly, this isn't my first time shaving legs with a straight, just the first time on myself. I've also shaved other peoples heads and faces as well. In my experience, the heavier blades are so much easier to index and control in awkward positions. They also move with serious conviction and silently mow down anything in their path. As soon as I got started, any concerns I had went out the window; with the exception of going over my achilles, I definitely made sure to slow down for that. Aside from that, I cruised through this shave. Mrs. Pudding was a little tripped out about me shaving my legs... I'm glad I didn't tell her about the sock. Overall, a close and comfortable shave with no nicks or irritation.

#ROTY

User casually mentioned his hobby of shaving other people's body parts with straight razor to explain his expertise in broadsword legshaving

July 22, 2023 Strange Times for Berry Club

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Aka Brushworx - 26mm G5B
• Razor: Ever Ready 1914
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Banana
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo

Everything is linked today by being on theme. The two different versions of banana and then the blueberry in Mood Indigo.

Challenge - I was all about shaving my legs today. However, with my wife and I going on our trip this upcoming week my wife begged me not to. Something about being embarrassed being around me in my short shorts and shaved legs. I gave in and shaved my chest(NSFW) instead to save her at least a bit of the embarrassment.

• Brush: AP Shave Co 30mm Synbad

• Razor: Sharpend Barber Salon/Straight Cut Throat Shaving Razor Shavette Wood Handle Real+Blades #ALLNATURAL

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Banana

• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana

• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - A Whiff of Waffle Cone

Today's Theme: Berries - Banana is a berry

Today's Challenge: Never Skip Leg Day - I need my leg hair, so instead I used a SE shavette for the very first time in my life. To shave my armpits. Jank-ass chinesium half-DE shavette and I didn't even get the blade aligned in the thingo correctly. I get the need for before/after pics for verification, but I do not envy the djudges today.

My theme for today's shave: Banana Split

So putting together my shave today, I knew I'd be doing banana for berry day. What I did not anticipate was taking a shitty shavette to my pits then smelling like banana nut bread from my pits, but I splashed that alcohol free aftershave into my pits and wafted the Whiff of Waffle Cone all day long. Started the morning with a Bananas Foster pancake and ending the day with a delicious banana pudding ice cream banana split. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY

July 22th 2023 - Lather Games Day 22

• Brush: Boti handle w/ 24mm AP Shave G5C
• Razor: Gillette Super Speed
• Blade: Derby Premium (1)
• Lather: Grooming Department - Strawberry Rhubarb
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder
• Fragrance: Stirling - Boat Drinks

The scent theme today is a progression of fruity scents, from the herbal Strawberry Rhubarb to lemony Sonder to the fruity chewing gum of Boat Drinks. I won this tub in a PIF a year or so ago and I think this was only the second time I’ve ever used it. The scent is fine, but nothing that special. Sonder on the other hand, super special stuff. And I was happy to use my AP Shave Co. knotted brush on their sponsor day.

Unfortunately I was up early to drive the family up to Manhattan to take our daughter to see Wicked for her birthday. It was her first Broadway show and first time in NYC. She had a ball and I managed to stay awake through 90% of the show. Afterwards my brother came over from Brooklyn and we had a lovely dinner together. All that is to say, I didn’t have time to shave any extraneous body parts for lather points today. Unfortunately this means that I’m no Superman.

July. 23, 2023 - SOTD 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Oumo O4 Venus SHD Badger Brush 26MM
• Razor: West Coast Shaving Multi Titanium Collection Razor
• Blade: King C Gillette
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Rambler
• Post Shave: 345 Soap Co - Ol' Red Splash

Using this sample of The Rambler I bought first time I used it I didn't really like the scent but now retrying it I like it. And just got the Ol' Red splash in just in time for this. Let me tell you that scent is so good. Bought it purely because the description sounded good. Wish I would have been able to get a tub of the actual soap. Also don't have a lot of berry scents so drop a comment if you have a good one for me to try.

Ol' Red Description (Raspberry gives that fresh fruit, paired with the fir needle embraces the season. Rounded out with Nutmeg, but just a pinch so it’s not too gourmand. Then, based on Vanilla creme…they all work together to bring, nostalgia, memories….a time passed!)

ROTY

Saturday, the 22nd of July, 2023

• Brush: Omega Pro 49, red handle (10049)
• Razor: Gillette NEW long comb
• Blade: Topaz Platinum (73)
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - 322
• Post shave: Catie's Bubbles - 322
• Fragrance: Wholly Kaw - Vor V

Catie's Bubbles' 322 is a berry nice vetiver scent, with patchouli, oakmoss, and a touch of blackcurrant on top. I don't think there's a strange time here: while blackcurrant does not have "berry" in the name, I think is obviously a berry fruit, in a classic size and shape. The aftershave lotion (splash) I think has a little clearer blackcurrant note than the luxury cream soap.

And for the perfume, while it turns out raspberries are not botanical berries, but an "aggregate fruit," it does have "berry" in the name, and the floral fruity perfume is a nice pick to follow the earthy 322.

It turns out I didn't have the juice for today's challenge.

July 22, 2023

• Brush: Maggard 30mm Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: 345 Soaps – Rumpkin Soap
• Post Shave: 345 Soaps – Rumpkin Splash
• Fragrance: Yves Saint Laurent – Y EdP

Did you know that a pumpkin is a botanical berry? It is! A berry is: simple, fleshy fruit that usually has many seeds. Pumpkin = berry. Everyone knows that (now).

This scent is… interesting…. The scent notes are pumpkin, apple, and bay rum. It’s basically a pumpkin spice bay rum. For the basic bitch pirate, I suppose. I picked this up because it was on clearance and I can see why. It’s a combination that no one asked for, or needed - kinda like those pick-up truck cars in the 1970s. But I’m glad I did, because I don’t have a lot of other berry soaps to pick from. I don’t reach for this set often, but it’s a must for berry day!

I matched this set with Y by Yves Saint Laurent because it’s kind of fruity with some spice, just like the soap and splash. Y has prominent Apple, Grapefruit, and Ginger notes, on top of more spicy base base. Can’t see myself wearing this daily, but it did pair nicely with the Pumpkin Spice Latte Bay Rum. #FOF

CHALLENGE

The big news is: I shaved my legs today. Here’s the before and after. It was a catastrophe! Used the biggest brush I had and got a good lather going, but it took FOREVER. In hindsight, I should have got clippers out to shave everything down first, because the Blackbird kept getting clogged or gliding over my hair. In hindsight, maybe a straight would’ve been a better idea? I’m not great with straights, but at least it wouldn’t have clogged. Of course, playing around with a slippery straight in a slippery shower is a recipe for disaster. I don’t know what I expected the Blackbird to do, but I was clearly expecting too much from it. The good news is, I got out the other side and have smooth legs now. I don’t think I like it, but competition is competition and hair grows back.

PS – WHY DIDN’T ANYONE WARN ABOUT SPLASHING SPLASH ON FRESHLY SHAVED LEGS. STUNG LIKE A SON OF BEESTING!!!! HOLY SMOKES MY LEGS WERE ON FIRE!!!!!! (Or was my technique just that bad and I had a zillion cuts on my legs?)

PPS - Much respect to the folks out there that do this on the regular. It was a lot more time consuming and challenging than I expected.

Jul. 22, 2023 - A Berry Weird Shave

• Prep: Sit - Rethink my life

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Mighty Duck v19 Fanchurian

• Razor: GEM MMOC

• Blade: GEM PTFE

• Lather: Caties Bubbles - Blugère

• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger - Aftershave & Face Tonic

• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Falling Into The Sea

Berries Berries Berries. As a few other of my co-shavers today I explored the wonderful internet for clarification on what qualifies as a “Berry” for today. Obviously the blueberry in Blugère qualifies but I needed something to pair that with for today. Then I happened upon the subset of berries called Hesperidium which all citrus falls under! Boom! I have a shit ton of citrus scents so set there! Lucky Tiger is “citrusy orange, tangerine and grapefruit” so all citrus there. Falling into the Sea is “Lemon, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Lychee, Tropical Flowers & Warm Sand” of which the top three are citrus and Lychee is in the soapberry family!

Todays #photocontest #Fruit theme is along the same daily theme since the djudges so helpfully pointed out that banana is a berry! I promise this isn’t a picture of u/j33pguy13 but I’ll take the 30 points anyway!

Alright so now we get down to business with today. I definitely didn’t feel confident about shaving my legs today, both in ability and in willingness. I didn’t want to let everyone down so I searched for some inspiration. Suddenly I remembered a certain unique lathering technique from a previous years Lather Games Daily Challenge and had it figured out! I scooped out some soap from the sample, smeared it over the target area and went with it! Worked up a good chest lather and started mowing down the growth. The MMOC plowed through the jungle with ease

Before and After. I feel weirdly naked, I’ve always thought my chest hair looked weird but not sure this is an upgrade. It will be fun to see my wife’s reaction, I did this after she left for work and she mentioned going to the pool tomorrow…

July 22, 2023 – Still got them furry legs and furry lip

• Brush: Chisel and Hound “Acer Pearl” w/ V20 Fanchurian
• Razor: Schick Injector Type I1
• Blade: Personna Injector
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Blackberry Blossom Bay
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Arkadia

Yeah. I’ve got about 58 minutes left to post this. Maybe if I had a bit more time today but other things took priority. Good shave regardless.

Got this B cubed in a bundle of the bazaar and it really surprised me. Not a fan of bay rum but this is done so well, light tobacco with the sweetness of the blackberry is great. Arkadia’s citrus and cedar really paired well. Time to start thinking about finishing out strong with some hardware points in our last week of shaves. Cheers! 🤙

ROTY

Lather Games Day 22 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85MM Safety Razor
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox
• Lather: Lakewood Soap Company - Smokeberry
• Post Shave: Nivea Men - Sensitive Balm

One long ass international flight and severe jet lag plus a four month old knocked me out of lather games for a couple days but I'm back with some Smokeberry.

July 22, 2023

• Brush: Maggard 30mm Synthetic
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (8)
• Lather: Noble Otter – Thé Noir et Vanille
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Thé Noir et Vanille

Ok, first thing, lather theme. The Noir et Vanille smells like strawberry tea with a tiny bit of vanilla. The strawberry is so forward it would punch you in the face.

Second. WHY DOES ANYBODY DO THIS? Before and after. I made a couple big mistakes, but luckily the only bloodshed was just standard shave angle mishaps. I could do this with practice, but… why? If I had trimmed my hair first I think it would’ve been a lot less effort, but again, why? Both legs, just to right above the knee took an hour.

Healthy activity of the day: met up with a friend and got a pb ride. 12 miles today. Found a new path near my house that is WAY easier, managed to not spike my heart rate the whole time. That 10 mile double before the end of the month is on track. LG Mileage: 80 miles

Tags: #ROTY

Jul 22, 2023 - Strange Times for Berry Club

• Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
• Brush: Shore Shave Pestle 24mm Motherlode Knot
• Razor: Gillette Rocket Heavy Duty 500 (1950s)
• Blade: Perma-Sharp Super [4]
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia - Don Jose - Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Atomic Holiday - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Agua Fresca - Eau de Toilette

Admittedly this is a stretch, but in honor of this weekend's viral movie feud, Barbenheimer, the banana and coconut of Don Jose hopefully evokes images of Malibu Barbie, matched with Atomic Holiday to call to mind the work of Oppenheimer. It's not quite in line with the original intent of the scent being dedicated to Enrico Fermi. Also, last year there was an Atomic age hashtag for razors made in the period between the late 1940s and the early 1950s.

The shave today was full of botanical berries such as banana, pineapple, melon, strawberry, and cucumber. A strange time for Berries Club indeed.

Rating: 4/5

22 July 2023 Complementary Non Dickkhole Barrister and Mann Atomic Holiday

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Dogwood Cadinsor 28mm Zenith Unbleached
• Razor: Ever Ready Streamline
• Blade: GEM (25)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Atomic Holiday (3)
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Electric Mayhem 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: D&G - L'Imperatrice No 3

Did you know that a pineapple consists of many berries that have grown together?

Cheers

July 22, 2023 – Not the gumdrop buttons  

• Brush: Dogwood Badger  
• Razor: Maggard V3  
• Blade: Feather (DE)   
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Pearberry  

Theme: it’s in the name. Pear and berry. Also, my bubble bath was Lush’s Raspberry reusable bubble bar and my lotion was Bath & Bodyworks Cucumber Melon. Apparently cucumbers are considered a berry.

Challenge: I already leg shave. But Ive never actually shaved my toes. Probably because they grow hair like Homer Simpson. But it had to be done, and all 4 of those hairs got the chop. The legs were shaved as well for what it’s worth. Though since so many people were getting cut I thought i'd break out the feather blade to keep it exciting. Meh.

July 23, 2023 – Lather Games: Day 22  

• Brush: Yaqi Synthetic  
• Razor: Karve Overlander  
• Blade: Gillette Nacet   
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Mood Indigo  
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Mood Indigo  

I love the scent of Mood Indigo. My only complaint is that it’s not strong enough; maybe a medium on scent strength. The Aftershave is the same and doesn’t last long. Such a shame.

I hate this challenge.

July 22, 2023 * Brush: Prometheus Handcrafts w/ 28mm Cashmere Synthetic * Razor: Karve CB OC B * Blade: Gillette Silver Blue * Lather: Zingari Man - The Socialite - Soap * Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Socialite - Aftershave * Fragrance: Versace - Eros - EdT

Today I'm going with the juniper berries that make up the iconic gin profile. Another mentholated, cooling soap is a win as well. While I don't have a gin and tonic fragrance, I find Eros to have a crisp, citrusy, sweet scent, almost like another drink, that goes hand in hand with a icy gin and tonic scented shave.

Apparently lathering with a sock is not where I draw the line. Nor posting sink pics of beard cuttings. No, I draw the line at needing to shave my legs. Props to those who went through with it.