July 25, 2023 – Lefty Loosey

• Brush: Summer Break Soap “Dundy” 26mm Motherlode
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Noble Otter – Tis the Season
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Tis the Season

Growing up my dad taught me a very important phrase that has helped me countless times as I have done house projects or whatever – “Righty tighty, lefty loosey.” My shave could be summarized today as “lefty loosey.” Everything about this shave was loose – I felt like the razor was going to slip from my hand, the head wiggled because I’m so left-handed uncoordinated, and the whole shave just felt loose. Right handed? Tight. Crisp. Easy. Left? Not so much. For the first time in a looooong time I actually cut myself. It’s so hard to do anything consistently lefty.

That said, decent shave, but, not a great first pass. I under watered the first lather so it was kind of grabby. Grabby and loose is not a good combination for a 6am shave. My smush was small but the motherlode can whip up even the smallest of smushes into something beautiful by pass 2 and 3.

Tis the season is a scent that immediately whisks me away to Christmas time and I’m not complaining. Christmas with kids brought the magic of the season back in a unique way and I’ve loved it – cold weather and all.

I didn’t shave with my CH – though I have a bunch of times in the last week – but Cheers, Rob, you make great stuff and I love supporting your business!

FOF Haiku of the Day

Sweet Christmas Berries Whisk me back to Christmas Morn’ Musk, Apples, Magic

July 25, 2023 – LG Day 25 – Christmas in July but in June but actually in July

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Exclusive MOAR Boar – 31mm
• Razor: Razorock Mamba 70
• Blade: Lord Extra
• Lather: Wet the Face – It’s a Wonderful Shave
• Post Shave: Wet the Face – It’s a Wonderful Shave
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming – Chaotic Neutral

—

Scene: u/J33pGuy13, a man living in Banana Falls, has always dreamed of traveling and exploring the world, but life’s circumstances have led him to stay and run his late father’s business, a modest shaving supplies store.

As J33p grows older, he faces challenge after challenge, leaving him feeling disillusioned and unfulfilled. One Christmas Eve, overwhelmed by financial difficulties caused by a misplaced deposit, J33p reaches his breaking point and contemplates ending his life, thinking that the world would be better off without him.

However, an angel named u/djundjila intervenes and shows J33p what life would have been like if he had never been born. As J33p witnesses the devastating effects his absence would have on his family, friends, and the entire town, he begins to realize the profound impact he has had on people’s lives, even through his small acts of kindness.

Throughout his journey with Djundjila, J33p discovers that his passion for wet shaving is not merely a hobby but a gift he shares with others. He understands that by providing people with quality shaving products and advice, he brings joy and confidence to their lives. Whether it’s a young man preparing for his first shave or an elderly gentleman reminiscing about the good old days, J33p’s presence and expertise have made a significant difference.

As the realization dawns upon J33p, he sees that his purpose in life is to be a source of comfort, camaraderie, and guidance for the people around him. Embracing his role as the ~~Discord server’s~~ town’s beloved wet shaving expert, J33p learns to appreciate the simple joys and the impact of connection with others.

On Christmas morning, J33p returns to a changed Banana Falls, where friends and neighbors have come together to show their gratitude and support. His store is filled with customers, and the community rallies to help him overcome his financial struggles. Through the magic of wet shaving, J33pGuy13 finds his purpose and realizes that life is truly wonderful when we embrace our unique contributions to the lives of others.

—

Brief #FOF and challenge talk:

It’s a Wonderful Shave (which is a "holiday release") is a balsam bomb. There is certainly some sort of floral notes which are pleasant, but I’m not sure what that is as “winter flowers” implies poinsettias (which smell bad) and mistletoe (which has no scent). The splash is more balsam-heavy than the soap, so I doubled down with the dickhole to keep it festive. The frag is where things went wrong. I was hoping the pleasant, amber scent would blend nicely with the florals and balsam, because who doesn’t like sipping tea in front of a fire at Christmastime (okay, me, but I don’t like tea). This just didn’t work. The scents clash. I’m disappointed, but at least I didn’t do a heavy spray this morning, so the evergreens are what are sticking around.

Regarding the challenge, I first considered using my partner’s hand to shave. But, she was asleep, and having her help for this challenge would mean her waking up two and a half hours early, which didn’t seem like a good idea for marital peace, happiness, unity and whatnot.

I then asked my cat to help. She was not amused.

So, I had to go the boring route and shave with my right hand. I’ve done this before (for the games), and it’s not fun, but doable. I used a mild razor just to be safe, as the skull around the backs of the ears is an easy nick. Back to my left hand tomorrow.

2023-07-23 What is Winter?

• Brush: Maggard Razors - Black Resin Handle Tuxedo
• Razor: Henson AL13 Medium #CNC
• Lather: Noble Otter - Northern Elixir
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Frozen Tundra
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Santa Noir

Christmas in July:
To quote the product description from Noble Otter: "Man, fuck summer! Summer is scorching death that will kill your children! Elixir is all about winter! Bring back the cool winter air!

Relevant Post-Shave and Fragrance: (All are on-theme)
Similarly, the Frozen Tundra description says a bunch of words about football that I don't understand, leading up to "the scent and feel of earth in winter."
Finally, in u/mammothben's incomparable eloquence, "Santa Noir loves Christmas like an exquisite and expensive prostitute from the wilds of Canada." After that, though, I got confused by the sequence of words "soft woody" and lost concentration.

I don't know, I'm tired.

#photocontest
Photo: Water. Cold, hard water.
In honor of the two weeks out of the year during which we momentarily pretend that the sun it's not trying to destroy all life on the planet (Wait, you guys get more than two weeks? So, like, 20 days?!)
To achieve this, I put some water in a comal and stuck that in my freezer. That's a comal, by the way. I didn't really think through how I was going to get the ice out, but a few seconds with the back of the pan under running cold water popped it right out.

Speaking of thermal stuff, here's a neat thing about aluminum: it's a ridiculous heat conductor. That's why you can put stuff in the oven on aluminum foil, and just grab the foil with your bare hands. That's also why the razor just melted itself cozily right into the ice.

And then why not plop that slab of ice right into the bathroom sink, incidentally working in last year's Menthol Day challenge. I know, it doesn't quite say "this guy needs therapy; look at that desperate call for help" like filling a tub of ice (I kid), but... I don't have a bathtub!

#FOF
My overall impression of Northern Elixir is that the peppermint is pretty overpowering, but I'm also not a big fan of peppermint, so take from that what you will. I admit, though, that it ties in quite nicely with the lavender and eucalyptus, the latter of which blends in with subtlety against a backdrop of similarly hard-to-detect cedar.

Frozen Tundra is exactly what it says on the tin. I suspect another mint (is it in the same line as the snowman-punch scents?), and then whatever the earthiness is brings it, uh, down to earth in such a way that the suspected mint isn't too prominent. And if I'm wrong about mint, then, uh, nevermind.

Santa Noir isn't really comparable to the others, but it independently fits with the theme (obvs). It's a glorious scent that I kick myself for barely missing getting a full bottle of. I normally think of it as being generally season-agnostic while being especially suitable for the corresponding holiday, but I'm feeling expecially Christmassy with it blending with the other scents.

Challenge Accepted: Ah, yes, the ol' reliable Lefty Day. I expect a number of shaves performed with wives', children's, and dolls' left hands. I would have tried to enlist my cat, but I don't know which is her dominant side and she refuses to answer my questions.

But back to the topic of reading comprehension: Wouldn't you know it, just yesterday u/sdrdddy wrote an explanation all about what makes the Henson perfect for Lefty Day, locking in that blade angle even for the most maladroit of shavers!
In fact, I had already chosen the Henson for Left Day for exactly that reason. Am I getting better at the left-handed shave? Maybe, but it's still utterly impossible to lather with the left hand. Humanly impossible. Anyway, here's another intentionally-out-of-focus timelapse in a mirror, in which the lather is done with my dominant hand and the shave with the other.

The Henson actually gets me a remarkably smooth shave most of the time, today included. If I do u/AirBudRuler's Easy August thing, this will be the razor.

July 25, 2023 – Christmas in July, Secret of Santa

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 22mm Faux Horse w/ Ruby Ripple Handle #fauxfur
• Razor: Gillette Slim #dial
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (3)
• Lather: Siliski Soaps – Santa’s Pipe
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Santa Paula
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – Rose Santal

Ah Christmas. Wonderful time of the year. So great it’s starting to sneak up sooner each year. I see Christmas stuff for sale before Halloween now, usually at Sam’s. So Christmas in July may end up being accurate in a few years at this rate.

For today’s theme I chose Santa’s Pipe. I mean it just screams Christmas in the name. Now, as far as I can tell the type of pipe is not specified, but given another magical Christmas character, Frosty the snowman smoked a corn cob pipe, and I live in Missouri, home of a corn cob pipe company I’m inclined to believe Santa also smoked such a pipe. And in honor of this, not only will I shave with my non-dominant hand for the challenge, I have brought out my old cob pipe for this shave. (picture is neck up, so SFW-ish) Alas, I have no pipe tobacco anymore so I’ll have it just keep it for a phantom smoke. Add a red brush for Santa’s jacket and this is a Christmas themed shave. Even has a present. A loaner razor from u/Chronnoisseur420 so I can get a bit of a point. I set it to 1, did 2 left hand passes, turned it to 2, did a 3rd and ended up with a surprisingly good shave, even if I had trouble finding the angle. Not sure I’ll switch to an adjustable, but it was fun for one use. Glad the shave went well because it's not like tomorrow's will be enjoyable.

For #fof, the soap gives me peaches and cherry when lathered and that and the EdT go surprisingly well with the citrus in Santa Paula but they all also have a theme. All of their names contain the word “Santa” in the name. Just ignore the extra L. Continuing my trend with the Chatillon Lux scents, these tie a bit into my own experience. This scent is described as being inspired by Henry Shaw’s travels before returning to Saint Louis. It’s a testament to the impact of Shaw’s legacy in STL that Shawn has not one but 2 scents that can be traced back it him in some way. (The other being YRP, which is inspired by “Shaw’s Garden” what the Missouri Botanical Garden was called for years of my youth.)

For #photocontest, I’m running out of ideas. So here’s “Royalty.” anyone with kids my age will recognize the child versions of the queens of Arendelle, Elsa and Ana. Could have chosen any of my daughter’s Disney princesses, but for the winter themes I went with the ice queen. And put them in front of our Christmas tree with my son’s adult Elsa version (he’s a copy cat of his sister sometimes and wanted in on the fun l) for good measure.

Keep slogging my fellow #ROTY well have winner soon.

Edit almost forgot hardware tags.

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

• Razor: Blackland Blackbird

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Santa Noir

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Santa Noir

• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Whispered Myths

Today's Theme: Christmas in July - well Santa Noir has a santa hat on the label so I think we're good here.

Today's Challenge: Leftorium Challenge - I'm left handed. Most people in my life know this. What you don't know but likely could have guessed, is that I was dropped as a baby. No brain damage on record but I did break my right wrist, so all my fine motor skills development went to my left hand even though my right hand has all the power and would likely have been my dominant hand. So today I shaved using only my right hand.

Why did I use the a very efficient razor like the Blackbird instead of something a bit safer like a tech (like how /u/AdWorried2804 so smartly chose)? Well I'd like to say it's because I ain't no scrub. But truth be told it's because I took my SOTD photo before I checked the daily challenge and I don't do retakes. Small nick on my upper lip but otherwise an OK shave after my brain adjusted to moving the razor around with my other hand.

My theme for today's shave: Santa's Not Real

For today's shave, Santa Noir was an obvious choice, and I wanted to contemplate the role of mythology in our lives, so Whispered Myths from Imaginary Authors felt appropriate. Being that we're all of shaving age here, I think it's safe to assume we're all aware of Santa Claus' mythological status, the history behind sinterklass, saint nicholas, krampus, and the whole holiday's pagan origins. If not, then oops.

I do find that these shared mythologies which we attribute context and causality to the regular events in our lives are something that not only simplify things, but give us all an opportunity to share joy. Whether it's Halloween's spooky ghosts, Christmas' Santa Claus, Easter's bunny, or any other of the holiday-adjacent mascots that give context to our lives, I find great joy in being able to let go of being so firmly rooted in reality and just enjoying the fantasy of some holiday mascot becoming real for one day a year.

For music, I picked Therion's Secret of the Runes album which is basically just symphonic metal about different aspects of Norse mythology. Great album that - in conjunction with Deggial - really helped shaped the direction of the band ever since they transitioned away from black metal. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY

LG23-25: Christmas in July

• Brush: Chisel & Hound 26mm Timberwolf
• Razor: Timeless Ti95 .95 DC Matte
• Blade: Voskhod (16)
• Lather: Macduffs Soap Company - Christmas Cabin - Shave Soap
• Post Shave: Lather Bros. - Lone Bear - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Blackbird - Triton
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Peru, Cajamara - v: Geisha - p: Washed.
• Music: Woody Goss - A Very Vulfy Christmas
• LG Tags: #FOF

Shave with a non-dominant hand. I've fallen for that challenge before and I know how it ends: red slashes on my face. I barely have enough eye-hand coordination to shave this handsome mug with the hand that's supposed to know what it's doing.

So what's a guy to do? Skip the daily challenge? Of course not! Not this late in the game.

One of the likely-unintended lessons I learned from our recent leg shaving challenge is that while I need to lather and shave for the Daily Theme Points, I don't need to shave my face. So I used my non-dominant hand to shave my dominant one. (I shaved my face too, but with my right.)

I'll admit that my hands aren't quite yeti paws, but there's plenty of hair on the top of my fingers, and even more getting towards my wrist. At least there was. Now the top of my right hand is silky-smooth. I needed to return for a few passes of touch-up to get everything with my open-comb Timeless; apparently the direction of growth on my fingers is all over the place. It's all against-the-grain.

Now's a good time to thank u/Specialist-Quiet-833 for the sample of Christmas Cabin I used to lather up 'ol Reliable Right. I haven't tried many Macduffs products, but I'd like to work through more of their catalogue. The brand thoughtfully composes original scents with an eye to classic perfumery and IFRA guidelines, has a very good soap base, and puts in the extra effort on their packaging (including detailed labels on the side of the tub). I don't think Sean's scent preferences align perfectly with mine—especially his sweeter scents—but I've appreciated the nuanced execution of every MacDuffs composition I've tried.

For example, I like his take on Christmas scents, which include a better-than-most cherry tobacco. This one from his Cabin series is a remote getaway full of family and friends celebrating Christmas, warm from the oven running all day, and fragrant with the smell of spiced holiday bakes. It smells almost exactly like a bed and breakfast I stayed in for a few days after my wife and I married, which kept scented candles burning, stocked excellent scented bar soap, and always had freshly-baked cookies in the lobby. Cashmere brings a creamy texture that didn't work for me in a gourmand MacDuffs scent; paired with cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon here, it alludes to the winter holidays' most comforting traditions. I also appreciate that Christmas Cabin prioritizes texture over sweetness, and spice over fruitiness, even using a small amount of oud in the woody base to add complexity. Not my favorite Christmas scent in wet shaving, but well done.

Following up my cozy-cabin shave, I thought about how the strongest feelings of yuletide hygge correspond with the coldest days of the year. To complete the scene, I recreated the harsh chill outside our titular Christmas Cabin with my aftershave and fragrance. Both smell cold, but go about suggesting frigid landscapes in totally different ways.

Lone Bear cleverly uses rosemary, frankincense, and frangipani to create a cooling scent that doesn't rely on the usual eucalytus or mint notes (though it is mentholated). It smells clean and pretty—pristine snow, covering the landscape in brilliant white dunes, coating the trees in crystal and sparkling powder. (In our particular cabin scene, there's probably not a polar bear, but the landscape fits.) Complex frankincense centers this accord, frangipani lends it floral sweetness, and rosemary and menthol provide freshness and texture. It's a perfect aftershave scent.

Unlike Lone Bear, Triton imagines harsh terrain that never thaws, smelling brittle, raw, and wind-blown. Blackbird's unique spin on cold-smelling fragrances (named after Neptune's ice-covered moon) uses diverse floral, mineral, and woody notes to achieve this. A strong black pepper note hits my nose immediately and persists throughout the drydown. Incense, cedar, and vetiver reinforce that note with a pungent bite, filled out by a subtle floral accord that I can't parse (Blackbird lists violet leaf, mimosa, and iris root). Almost absent of sweetness, Triton reminds me of both Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Snowy Owl (Zoologist) and Will's Eigengrau, though it's less mint-vanilla fresh than the former and less mossy than the latter. There's only ice, gem, stone, and atmosphere here, smelling beautifully untarnished by growth of any kind.

Like I planned, it makes that Christmas Cabin seem cozier than ever.

July 25, 2023

• Brush: Holzleute – Silvertip badger
• Razor: Böker – King cutter
• Lather: Red House Farm – 9 Days up Nort’
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Druantia
• Fragrance: Roberto Cavalli – Paradise found

Dear diary,

today the ~~bullies~~ djudges made me shave with my non dominant hand. They told me to give me 0.22 points if I do so. You know that I love my points and do a lot of things to get them.
The other contestants and me, we are like Gollum, like the guy from trainspotting, we can’t stop thinking about points and shitpositing.

#FOF
Soap:
Remember the peaceful times without djudges? When we went fishing with our dad. Waking up in the dark, too young to read the clock. Driving to a pond in the cold. The first hours of the day, we stayed in the car. Sleeping, playing Game Boy. Then later going out and walking through the nearby Forrest, the snow cracking under our oversized boots. 9 days up north is the essence of that winter forrest poured into soap. Since it is so (snow) woody, it matches the only brush with a visible wooden handle. Our holzleute badger.
We lack experienced with the brush and the soap, but after a minute, we had good lather to start this shave.

Shave:
Horrible. Awfull. I did not capture that shave on video like last year for the djudges to record my suffering. (Dear djudge, you don't have to watch the video as it's from last year, but it explains my troubles visually, maybe you want to see me suffer. You do you)
This year, I used a smaller razor, but the problems stay the same. I can’t go with the grain on my right cheek, so we started XTG. But we can not go ATG on my right neck and vice versa. I did three passes with double XTG on my right cheek, started ATG on my left neck and was waiting for the blade to flip over and give me a really deep cut into my chin. At certain spots, I had to push the blade over my skin. Somehow I dodged to joker myself. I did a fourth pass and shaved some stubble on my neck with my dominant hand. If I would not have done that, I would have gone mad whenever I touched my face.
God damn, I am so full of anger at this shave. I thought we were done with the shitty shaves? NO!

Aftershave:
Druantia was listed in last years calender as a winter scent. In my opinion it is not explicitly wintery, but as the djudges say, I will follow and thank you for this pairing idea.
The wet moss fits the forrest of 9 days up north very well.

Fragrance:
Paradise found is sweet green with pepper notes. It reminds me of a cake we often eat here on christmas markets and can buy a lot in the supermarkets from october on. This christmas cake belongs to winter like snow.

July 25, 2023 – Christmas in July

• Brush: Semogue 610
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (10)
• Lather: Noble Otter – The Night Before
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Vespers
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Vespers

Challenge: I’m left handed. I typically use my right hand for certain areas. I used it exclusively for two passes today. It’s wasn’t great, but it didn’t cut myself either.

I bought The Night Before with this day in mind. Sadly, I don’t smell much of anything from the lather. Noble Otter scent strength tends to be light. But, with this one I’d smell my brush and get nothing. There was maybe a hint of Christmas tree, but that’s reaching. When I smell the tub of soap, the fragrance is light but easier to smell. It’s very muddled. There’s a Christmas tree note, but something about this fragrance doesn’t work. It’s like the notes are canceling each other out. It feels flat and bland. The lather wasn’t very good. I probably needed more soap.

I love Vespers. I’ve come to the opinion that this is Will’s best work. The fragrance is an exciting combination of cardamom, cranberry, and (here comes the buzz word / wetshaver crack) mousse de saxe. It’s sweet fruit, warm spice, and evergreen all at once. The mousse de saxe is used very skillfully by Will. It’s subtle and intriguing. The cranberry cardamom hits me with fruity sweet aromatic spice up front which quickly blends into evergreen notes of fir and balsam. The mousse de saxe adds a lot of depth. Beneath the evergreen is a long complex smell composed of dark moss, amber, maybe something like ambergris.

#FOF

July 25, 2023

• Brush: Boti – Stump 28mm synthetic
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Tedda Pella Injector Blade
• Lather: KShave Works – Jingle Bell Spice Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap – Christmas Eve Splash
• Fragrance: Kenneth Cole – Mankind Rise

Jingle Bell Spice is minty and sweet. It reminds me of this Peppermint Bark that my mom makes every Christmas since I was a little kid. I don’t see vanilla listed in the scent notes, but I swear it’s there. Or maybe I just associate the smell of Christmas and candycanes with that, so my brain is filling in the blank. Either way, it’s a really nice Christmas scent. For the splash, I used Stirling’s Christmas Eve. To me, this smells like a Christmas Tree Shop. And finally, the cologne, I used Mankind Rise because it is woodsy, like the Christmas Eve Splash. Everything I shaved with is a little bit much for a hot July day, but is perfectly in season for Christmas in July! #FOF

Challenge

I went back to the easiest razor I have, the injector, for the opposite hand shave. This is the 3rd time I’ve used it this month, after never using it. It’s such an easy, easy razor that it was perfect to use my opposite hand with. I took it slow, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Day 25 - Christmas In July

• Brush: APShaveCo - Butterscotch Handle with Synbad Knot.
• Razor: PAA - La Criatural Green
• Blade: Astra Green
• Lather: Noble Otter - 'Tis The Season
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - 'Tis The Season
• Fragrance: House Of Mammoth - Indigo

Merry Christmas! Today, for me, it was between Vespers and Tis The Season. I picked NO because it perfectly captures the fresh-cut evergreen smell that always brings me back to picking out a tree in December. Vespers is good, but I love Tis the Season.

I face lathered today. For some reason, that was easier with my non dominate hand than bowl lathering.

For the fragrance, since it is not Christmas, I went with Indigo in an attempt to be more dark and mysterious than Christmassy.

ROTY #FOF

July 25, 2023 - Santa’s Early Visit

• Brush: Yaqi Dandelion Green 24mm Cashmere
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Flying Wing
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: Siliski Soaps - Santa’s Pipe
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - ‘Tis The Season - Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Rumble EdP

#FOF

Today’s Theme:

I got this Xmas themed soap in a PIF of smooshes from u/worbx. It is a perfect fit for today. To build on it, I had two great choices to bring in more holiday spirit, and chose Tis the Season. For the fragrance, I needed something to tie into the rest of the shave. I narrowed it down to two House of Mammoth scents: Tobacconist and Rumble. As I was smelling both pre shave, Rumble just clicked.

Today’s Sinister Challenge:

I think last year had a non-dominant challenge, and it wasn’t very easy for me. I can do some things well left handed, but writing and shaving are definitely awkward. Earlier this year, I challenged myself to a month of left handed shaves. It took a couple weeks to get things working better. I didn’t get rid of awkwardness entirely, but I felt I reached an acceptable level of competence. It has been well over a month since my last lefty or ambidextrous shaves, and my face felt it. I picked the Flying Wing because it is getting easier for me to get the angle right with the Micromatics. I do think a new blade would have been better today. While whiskers were shorn, it wasn’t a very close shave. There was no real irritation or blood sacrifices at least. I may need to go lefty the rest of the week in prep for next month.

Today’s Fragrances:

In prepping my calendar, it would have been an easy fit to go with the Tis the Season soap and splash, or use Santa Noir, but the 30 brands challenge made it difficult to fit the soaps. I had another choice for a while, but as I was going through the smooshes for yesterday, I decided Santa’s Pipe would work to be the base of the theme. I really liked this soap. The scent is straight up cherry pipe tobacco. This month has shown me that Ireally like tobacco scents, but how can I build up more Christmas scents? Noble Otter’s Tis The Season really hits the Xmas nostalgia for me. Growing up, we would get a permit to cut our own Xmas trees in the nearby national forest. We had a living room with high cathedral ceilings, so we would get a tree around 10 feet tall every year. The house would smell of pine or spruce for a month. I really get that from the splash along with a fruity kick of the berries. My wife and I always decorate our tree with a cranberry bead garland, so my brain is giving me cranberry. Now to finish with the fragrance there were a few ways I thought to go, but I really only a couple viable choices were available to me, add more tobacco, or go with a treat for Santa. When Rumble came out, someone described it as smelling like brownie batter. I decided that it was a perfect fit to my childhood memories. When I was about 10, I asked my mom to make chocolate chip cookies, instead she decided to teach me how to make them myself. From that day, until I went off to college, I was the cookie baker in the house. One year for Xmas, I made a batch of chocolate crinkle cookies. The smell of Rumble could also fit those cookies. Now if it would just snow and get rid of the heat we’ve had lately (ok, at least it is not as hot as Satan’s Butthole like the forecast last week for parts of the US).

Today’s Haiku:

Cherry tobacco,
A cranberry Christmas Tree,
And some warm cookies.

DAY 25 LATHER GAMES! HO HO HO, RIGHTY TIGHTY, LEFTY..... TIGHTY!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot
• Razor: Blackland Vector
• Blade: Chinese (11)
• Lather: MacDuff's Soap Company - Winter Cabin
• Post Shave: MacDuff's Soap Company - Winter Cabin splash
• Fragrance: First Line Shaving - Sutton Distilled EDP

​

PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

My version of Jingle bells to the tune of Jingle bells, give it a sing! (couldn't find one that started with the first verse and not the chorus...)

LATHER BELLS

Using your left hand

With a Blackland Ve-ector

Put a blindfold on

Try not fuck it up

Winter Cabin's great

Scent is a killer

What fun it is to shave and sing

A Christmas song tonight, oh!

Lather Games, Lather Games

Greatest challenges

Oh, what fun it is to shave

With a blindfold on your face, HEY!

Lather Games, Lather Games

Best time of the year

Oh what fun it is to do

fucking crazy challenges!

Now the shave is done

Gonna use my osma block

No more lines for me

Just use it on my face

I love Christmas day

It lifts my spirits up

Sharing all these awesome times
With all you fun guys here, oh!

Lather Games, Lather Games

Greatest challenges

Oh, what fun it is to shave

With a blindfold on your face, HEY!

Lather Games, Lather Games

Best time of the year

Oh what fun it is to do

fucking crazy challenges!

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DAILY CHALLENGE

Last year I did outdid myself! I shaved for the first time with my left hand(non dominant) and with a straight nonetheless, on top of that I did it blindfolded! Video here!

Sadly this year I tried to think of a way to top it, and I couldn't... So I just did the same thing but with the Blackland Vector, and waaaaay shorter. Video of blindfolded shave. (and ofcourse not long before the end the phone stopped recording...)

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#FOF

Now out of all the winter scents I've tried, this is probably the most gourmand one. I get lots of Chestnut and Walnut, which is crazy cause they aren't even in the description. But it does brink back child memories to me, which is great, cause I think that's what it's all about for Christmas Scented soaps, to remind you of those great memories!

Now as to what to combine it with, I chose something a bit more strange. I was thinking of using something pine forwarded but that was way to obvious. So I chose something that older people enjoy during the winter and Christmas time, a good ol single malt whiskey in the warm abode surrounded by the people they love! Yeah, children don't enjoy whiskey, but grown ups do, and for me Winter is probably the best time to have great whiskey! The EdP itself is amazing, I have not smelled anything like this on the market, it truly is amazing! And compared to the aftershave it has much more smokiness to it, like a smokey whiskey, but one of those REALLY smoked ones!! Great touch to the Winter Cabin by Macduff!

• Daily Lather Themes: 25/30
• Daily Challenges: 25/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 18/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 2/2
• Software Vendor Points: 12/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 0/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 25/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 25/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 25/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 25/30

July 25, 2023 – LG 25: Christmas in July

• Brush: That Darn Rob B6
• Razor: Muhle R89 #TWINS
• Blade: Personna Super Stainless (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Santa Noir
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Dickens Revisited
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Santa Noir

For starters, thanks to u/onionmiasma for the hardware loan for #TWINS. Never tried the EJ or Muhle. See it in use here by my cousin, Saint Spliffilous..

Santa noir is a nice evergreen scent, piney and green. Not just needle based, but a little sappy resin to give it some oomph. It’s crisp and clean. Underneath lies a creamy sandalwood base. Rudolph’s nose and reindeer musk are not super noticeable to my nose, but rather a brisk evening walk in a secluded forest. Dickens is based on BPTs favorite cookie, a recipe he includes during the holidays when purchased. Mama Ruth provided the recipe here too. It is a lovely cherry forward gourmand, sweet and buttery. Just a touch of citrus zest and holiday slice like nutmeg and cardamom to balance the sweeter fruit. #FOF

As for our #PHOTOCONTEST, history. Some quick backstory. This horrendously ugly ornament (I’ll let you spot it) is now well over 30 years old. Given to me by godparents as a baby in the late 80s, I remember it as a child in the 90s always finding its way onto our tree. It’s absolutely dreadful, but now as an adult I still put it on our own tree just for tradition. I included a couple other 20+ year old ornaments, for our r/history rule. Each year my parents would give me an ornament related to something I life. So for example, the soccer ball is for national soccer tournament we went to in NY (2001). Or I got a saxophone one (2000) when I started playing, a car for drivers license, champagne for 21 (those not quite 20 yet hence excluded). You get the gist, thanks mom and dad.

soap brands 25/30, post shave 25/30, frag 25/30, post/frag linked 25/30, software sponsors 12/13, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 10/15, brush hashtags 10/15, photo contest 25/30, daily challenges 22/25, special challenges 3/5