July 26, 2023 - Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Auto Drive - Microfiber Applicator Pad - 121mm
• Razor: Bic 1 Blade Disposable
• Blade: Integrated in Razor
• Lather: Pennzoil - Platinum Full Synthetic 0W-20
• Post Shave: Marathon - Gasoline, 92 Octane
• Fragrance: Little Trees - Fresh Shave

Daily Challenge:
Den Tour

Ok - as promised, I’m dropping my den tour in.

Here’s the layout of my half of the bathroom. I get the top shelf in the tall cabinet, and then anything that fits in the vanity. I’m currently completely out of room… so if you see me messaging people on shave_bazaar, please slap me.

In the tall cabinet, I store my razors and blades, out of reach of curious small children. Here is a close-up of the razor tub, as you can see, there is absolutely no organization here. Just absolute chaos.

Next, we move to under the sink. Last lather games I had one tub. Now I have three, which is the absolute limit. I don’t have room for anything more, unless I create a den annex in the basement. Which, frankly, not a bad idea.

Anyway - moving inside the tubs, which are organized currently by artisan. I’ve tried organizing around themes, but then I can never seem to find anything and generally end up opening all three tubs to find what I’m looking for. I’m hopeful that sorting by artisan will make it better.

First tub - House of Mammoth, Stirling, Red House Farm, Wholly Kaw

Second tub - Barrister and Mann, Declaration Grooming, Southern Witchcrafts, Catie’s Bubbles

Third tub and second pic- Zingari, Noble Otter, Chicago Grooming, Spearhead, and then all of the artisans (or “artisans”) where I only have one tub: Talbot, Hub City, Central Texas, MLS, Taconic, Fine, Grooming Dept., EmberTree, Maggard, Lothur.

Moving on to the drawers.

Top Drawer is typically hardware that I’ve either recently used or plan to use, the soaps I’m staging for the next week (I typically choose what I’m going to use for the week on the weekend), and toothbrush, toothpaste, medicine, etc. Note that outside of the very awesome Summer Break for tomorrow… the rest of this week looks pretty dismal.

Middle Drawer is where I store brushes when they’re dry. Looks like some HoM frags leaked into this drawer as well. Leaked as in that’s not where they belong, not leaked as in… well, leaked.

Bottom Drawer is frags, splashes, and balms. This drawer is where any semblance of organization goes to die.

Daily Write-Up: I’m sympathetic to everyone’s time - but if you want to see this actually happen - here you go - it's only 12 minutes. I’ll summarize it here, but I highly encourage you to watch my influencer video. It’s very nice.

Many of the artisans have added motor oil as one of their scent notes. Stag has it. Gearhead. That hack u/priusaurus helped us all realize that Hoffman’s gets that request a lot, and just won’t do it. I’m here today to show you that you don’t need to give $15, $25, even $30 to Big Soap, you can give $7.99 to your local gas station or big box store, and get a great shave.

I stopped by a local Shell, and picked up some Pennzoil. Followed it up with gasoline for my after shave, and then completed it with a “Fresh Shaves” Little Tree.

Pennzoil gave a fantastic shave. It’s very slick, and helped my razor glide through my stubble very easily. The transparency of the shaving product really helps you know where you’ve shaved, and what you have left. It’s at least as slick as Omnibus and Tusk, the two bases I think are the standard bearers of the hobby.

The gasoline was a formidable scent, but paired with the motor oil beautifully. Last, the Fresh Shave Little Tree really gave a clean finish to a really great shave.

Soap Theme Justification
Wacky Wednesday - Hopefully no one else used Pennzoil.

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
* Today’s theme is “Car Care” * The lather product is motor oil. * The after shave is 92 octane gasoline * The fragrance is a car air freshener.

Of course... onion shaving with car supplies

July 26, 2023

• Brush: Priusauruswood Botcrafts – B.O. Inspired Synthetic Brush 24mm
• Razor: Priusauruswood Botcrafts – ErgoRazor V1
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: KY – Warming Jelly
• Post Shave: Apex Alchemy – Alchemical Romance Splash
• Fragrance: Jovan – Sex Appeal
• Music: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On

It’s the wildest night and day in r/wetshaving! Everyone scrambling to use something unique and some lunatics staying up until 2AM to make sure they are the first to post whatever the hell they shave with. Fortunately, I don’t think ANYONE is going to shave with this set up, but I’m taking no chances and decided to have a nice little midnight shave for myself, by candlelight. First off, I wanted to be safe, but also because I was in the mood… Here’s the video

Since my brush and my razor are unique, one-of-a-kind prototypes, I’ve pixelated them in the SOTD picture so no potentially competing company sees what I made and copies it - looking at you, Mojo Handcrafts! u/Phteven_j warned me about you assholes!! I’ll talk more about the custom hardware today down below before my interview.

When I was thinking of what to shave with for Wildcard Wednesday, I didn’t want the stress of picking out a soap that no one else was using. I did that last year, and it was stressful! So, I wanted to think outside the box this year. I knew I wanted something super slick, so I googled the best lubricants. After taking a deep dive down some weird internet rabbit holes, I read glowing reviews of the performance of the K.Y. Brand. None of the reviews mentioned shaving (that I could tell), but I’m willing to take the chance. Then I had to decide which K.Y. lubricant to pick, and since I like to treat myself with a scuttle sometimes, the Warming Jelly seemed like a natural fit. Glad I did, because this warms up within like 4 seconds of brushing it on your face and it is LUXURIOUS! Glad I sprung for the warming version.

The scent is non-existent, which allowed me to fly free with my post-shave routine. I selected Apex Alchemy – Alchemical Romance because the logo seemed appropriate for tonight for some reason. The scent is absolutely delightful – chocolate AND vanilla with a hint of butter. YUM! And because I like to feel sexy after late night shave, I went with a fragrance so sexy, I’m not sure if they even make it anymore: Jovan – Sex Appeal. The scent description is: This provocative and stimulating blend of rare spices and herbs was created by man with the only purpose of attracting women. Ummmm… Don’t tell MrsPriusaurus bought this! The scent is actually not bad. It doesn’t blend nicely with Alchemical Romance at all, but the theming is spot on for tonight, so I’ll take the #FOF loss.

I kinda have a lot of other stuff going on right now, but there’s always time for a den tour challenge! But… Ummmm… Why do I think this is a clever ploy for u/J33pGuy13 to get more feet pictures? Whatever, I need the points. This time last year, I could fit all my shave gear in one toolbox. I’ve since expanded to a couple different toolboxes for the miscellaneous soaps and aftershaves, then for the soap & splash sets, I have them in these organizers in my home office. Generally, they’re sorted by artisan, except I have a tote and a half dedicated to gourmands. I have a separate tote for balms, one of full size frags, and then a nylon bag with the oh-so-important sample frags. I also have an little bins for sample soaps, sample splashes, and straights. I have these two razor holders and my brushes mostly organized in one box. When I’m not Lather Gaming, I regularly rotate in razors 3, at a time into on my bathroom stand. When it’s time to change the blade, I put that razor to the back of the line, and rotate in another one. Lather Games has REALLY thrown off my system, but it’s #worthit.

For #photocontest, I have literature. When I was in the library, I thought the title was Fifty SHAVES of Grey and it was a book that would improve my shaving technique. I haven’t got to any of the shave parts yet, but I have improved other worthwhile techniques since picking up this book.

Now, for today’s interview, I have MYSELF. Since I designed and manufactured hardware I used today, it seemed appropriate. A little background about what I made for today’s shave: The brush shape is inspired by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Rocket. I 3D printed this prototype brush and I’m really happy with how it came out. I picked an all-white brush to simulate the rocket breaking through the earth’s atmosphere. The brush feels natural and comfortable in my hand and I enjoy rubbing it on my face. The ErgoRazor V1 Prototype is a unique shape, designed to comfortably fit in the user’s hand and takes advantage of a GEM Lather Catcher design. I also allowed for interchangeable razor heads to potentially swap for more mild or aggressive heads in the future.

For today’s questions, I have some journalistic integrity, and very little actual integrity, I’m fully aware it would be wildly inappropriate to write my own questions and answer them. Therefore, I turned to Artificial Intelligence. I gave ChatGPT the prompt: “What are 10 Questions to ask a Lather Games participant?” and below is what it came up with. Without further ado, I present to you:

10 Questions with… Priusauruswood Botcrafts

1) What initially inspired you to participate in the Lather Games, and how did you prepare for the event?

My first Games were last year, and I had so much fun doing it. Initially, I did it because it seemed like a good way to participate in the r/wetshaving community and “get off the sidelines”, so to speak. And boy, was I correct!

2) Could you share a particularly memorable or exciting moment you experienced during the Lather Games?

This year, there are so many to pick from! Getting asked to leave a restaurant for shaving on their patio is unforgettable, my 30 lb ice bath shave was something, but my Spite Shave was the best. It really kicked off the feud with MrTangerinesky. Of course, getting Remote Learning to be made a reality on Meme Day will be truly unforgettable.

3) What challenges did you face during the competition, and how did you overcome them?

The worst challenge so far was sock lathering. I did it on the beach, between work meetings, and in my haste to get everything I’d need, I forgot to bring extra socks. Big oof. As much as I’d like to say I went the rest of the day without socks, the truth is I stopped at Marshall’s and bought new socks on my way back to work.

4) The Lather Games can be quite intense. How did you manage stress and stay focused during your matches?

It all starts with preparation. I had most of the interviews lined up ahead of time to coincide with the soap or brush I was going to use on a given day. Going in with a plan, and executing on that plan was my strategy this year. Of course, things can change and I had to remain flexible to accommodate the different things that came up.

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN THE REPLY)

Player carries on the yearly WCW tradition of somebody shaving with lube, then steps it up a notch

July 26, 2023

​

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Declaration Grooming B13 Butterscotch
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable
• Blade: Personna 74 (6)
• Lather: HC&C - James Bond
• Post Shave: HC&C - James Bond
• Fragrance: Floris - No. 89

​

I went with another James Bond themed shave today. The soap and splash are self explanatory (and EXCELLENT). The fragrance is original to the character from the 50's novels. And the Slim Adjustable was used on screen in Goldfinger. I searched out a date code that was current when the movie was released in 1964 to keep it as authentic as possible.

​

When everyone zigs, you zag. I wanted to think of something unique that no one would use, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to risk it. I decided the only way to secure a point was to shave in the wee hours of the morning. I've been awake and decided to shave at 1:30 AM. I then set an alarm for just now to post as soon as the thread went live. And yes I even put on the fragrance before going to bed. This was me shaving

​

For today's challenge, here is my den. I've shipped out a few sets recently so it's not as full. The only set I'm waiting on that's not pictured is a certain junk-food-snack and soda themed soap and splash from a certain artisan.

​

Good night and until tomorrow

#ROTY

LGSOTD 26-July

• Brush: Blackland - Signature
• Razor: Blackland - Dart #CNC  
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium    
• Lather: Southern Witchcraft - Fougere Nemeta  
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcraft - Fougere Nemeta AS 
• Fragrance: ScentUK - Inspired By Sauvage

So today, is it the fastest finger first? Well if I’m first across the line for this set then grand, if not oh well.  As mentioned in previous posts this is a cracking scent and I almost used it for fougere day but went another way, so decided to try and slip it in here.  I think it’s the wrong term but there’s something almost spicy about it which really appeals, another one where I’ll try to get the matching scent at some point.

On to the challenge, this was actually embarrassing, and I had to try and do it on the sly in segments so the Mrs didn’t really see how much stuff there actually is, and I managed to find some stuff I had completely forgotten about.  First up are the Brushes dominated by C&H, followed closely by Simpson and a scattering of other brands, I love them all equally-ish, much prefer the badgers, followed by Boar and only the top synths remain.  One not pictured is the SOC Taj purchased for Austere August and the piggy break in, that's currently packed in the luggage ready for the trip to Turkey on the 30th.  Now the hardware, high proportion of blackland gear with a smattering of other brands.  As I was packing them away I kept finding others that I’d missed so tagged them on at the end.  Now the bit where I get embarrassed, the software, I had to break this into a handful of photos as they are scattered in various locations, I actually got a sweat on at one point lugging all of these around before packing them away again.  I keep thinking I’ll have a clear out one day and I go through the list, but I just can’t bring myself to get shot. 

I’m sure a number of other folk have significantly larger and more varied collections, but this one is mine.

Hope everyone has a grand day.

Cheers

Marc

#ROTY  #PhotoContest

Edit: added another picture of software I'd forgotten to pop on Imgur, and wow haven't seen this many posting first thing in the morning so far, some of you must be knackered.

July 26, 2023

• Brush: Razorock Beehive Synthetic 28mm
• Razor: Merkur 33c
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Teacher’s Pet
• Post Shave: Thayers – Rose Petal

I guess I could use just about anything to shave today, but fuck that noise. Is using a regular shaving soap for Wildcard Wednesday boring as all hell? Yes. Does it get me a sponsor point I wouldn’t get any other day? Also yes.

My den is certainly not the biggest or most impressive in the sub, but I have collected a few soaps over the years. Actually shuffling everything around for a picture made me realize just how many of my different soaps are just samples picked up for Lather Games over the years.

Any Shave Goes to the tune of Anything Goes by Cole Porter

Times have changed

And we've often rewound the clock

Since the shavers got a shock

When they landed on wetshaving

If today

Any shock they should try to stem

'Stead of landing on wetshaving

Wetshaving would land on them

In olden days not wetshaving

Was looked on as something shocking

But now, LatherBot knows

Any shave goes

Good shavers too who once knew better words

Now only write four letter words

Writing posts,

Any shave goes

The sub has gone mad today

And good's bad today

And black's white today

And day's night today

When most soaps today

That shavers prize today

Are not meant for shaving at all

And though I'm not a great wetshaver

I know that I'm bound to lather

When you propose

Any shave goes

When grandmama whose age is eighty

In subreddits is getting lathered with gigolo's

When shavers pack and leave poor father

Because they decide they'd rather be shaving bros

Any shave goes

If lathering soap you like

If sharp blades you like

If brushes you like

If shaved limbs you like

If King C Gillette you like

Or me lathered up you like

Why, nobody will oppose!

When every night

The set that's shaved is intruding in shaving subs on Reddit

The world has gone mad today

And good's bad today

And black's white today

And day's night today

When most soaps today

That shaver prize today

Are not meant for shaving at all

And though I'm not a great wetshaver

I know that I'm bound to lather

When you propose

Any shave goes

If shaving your face you like

If green soaps you like

If old shaves you like

If Lather Games you like

If shaving hairs you like

With young bears you like

Why nobody will oppose!

And though I'm not a great wetshaver

I know that I'm bound to lather

When you propose

Any shave goes...

Any shave goes!

July 26, 2023

• Brush: Chisel & Hound v14 Fanchurian
• Razor: Gillette - King C Gillette
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Adagio
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Waves - Aftershave

Wow, first time using Adagio. Amazing scent - so much going on.

My shaving collection? Well, it’s “just basic stuff…”

My wife said she’s gonna start counting my brushes as there seems be more and more showing up.

I have one more hack that you might find useful: magnets! Get yourself some small magnets. I glued one onto a Hagen-Dazs spoon - now I have an spoon always ready for scooping out soap - and it works really well with my iron over door shower caddy. Also great for placing blades currently in use

Have a great day everyone!

Music:
“Out Of My Mind” - The Zenmenn, John Moods Spotify / YouTube

• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush
• Razor: Parker Clip-Type Shavette Dark Sheesham Wood Handle
• Blade: Treet Carbon Steel "Black Beauties"
• Lather: West Man - Rastilho

Be Quick Or Be Dead

ROTY

July 26, 2023 - let's get wild

• Prep: Icecold shower
• Brush: Mühle Silvertip badger with fine resin handle
• Razor: Custom designed Böker 6/8 with bog oak scale and French head
• Lather: Ariana & Evans - Vanille de Tabac
• Post Shave: Ariana & Evans - Vanille de Tabac
• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Tobacco Vanille

#FOF What would lather games be, without my favorite scent? I know, I know. A&E is one of the wetshaving villains and still, almost everyone has a soap from him and praises at least one of his scents or the base.

I bought the soap, because I wanted some vanilla for me sweet tooth, but did not know or care that it was a dupe. It opened me up to a whole new price range of fragrances and this soap haunted me like Marylin by B&M does today, with the difference that I have Tobacco vanille, while Marylin is unobtainium here. But I am drifting off.

This is my "lonely island" setup. The brush and razor were a present from my gf and have emotional value. The soap scent is just perfect for me. Sweet, but not too sweet thanks to the tabac. Such a simple composition, yet so effective. Yes, I know that the combination was copied to oblivion and abolsute boredom, but it has a special place in my heart.
With a setup like this, I could only get a phenomenal shave. I enjoyed every pass, every stroke. A&E aftershave is also pretty good and makes my skin glow. Lovely.

Matching it with a fragrance was easy mode. Tom Fords Tobacco vanille put tears into my eyes the first time I got my hands on it. Such a well done composition.

Daily Challenge:
I am so thankfull to have a girlfriend who understands or supports me with this weird hobby. In conclusion, my shave gear is stored in a cupboard in the living room. Currently it it shares its space on the right side with our liquer collectioon or bar goodies.
Lets get into detail:
Stag statue, samples and aftershave
Around the mighty statue of the Stag, I collect my labeled samples, aftershaves, SE razor and two straight razors that are below 5/8.
Soaps, Fragrances, honing gear and blades
I like the soap labels and put them on display here. Unfortunately I have to stack them.
Hardware
Top right shelf has all my brushes and straight razors as well as my Tequilla and Mezcal with matching bar loot. The cupboards lower right has no shave gear (yet). I do not want to expand, my gf does not want me to expand my gear there, but she expects that it will happen soon. Till october, I want to get rid of two soaps and generate more space. Lets see.

July 26, 2023 – Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: My hand
• Razor: Matador – De Lux
• Blade: Polsilver (3)
• Lather: Ed Sheeran – Tingly Ted’s Hot Sauce

So I started the day with a nice bottle of Mr Ed Sheerans very own Hot Sauce, now anything above Paprika levels is a tad spicy for me so I don’t know if I was more worried about getting it in my eyes or my mouth.

Now there is a video but again feel free to skip as I can’t edit for shit and I seem to dry up and show the charisma only comparable to a block of old Tofu.

Ed Sheeran all over my head

I considered using a pre shave but thought that would be cheating, so with my snood on to try and protect my eyes I poured this bottle of Sheerans spicy hot love juice over my egg head. I expected it to be a touch thicker and not rush straight towards my eyes but my trusty snood did the job. Forgive me saying wacky Wednesday, we do a wacky Wednesday at work so its embedded into me im afraid.

A quick pass and I was ready to slap some more red lava over my poor head, I can confirm this offers no slickness, no protection whatsoever.

Now what could you use to top hot sauce, well only the worst Splash in my den WAR. Now I love B&M but fml does this stuff stink, it’s just plain nasty. How can someone who created such masterpieces like Paganinis Violin and Diamond (Yes Diamond is amazing) of created this hot mess of coriander.

Now I have scrubbed my head twice with various soaps, showered and scrubbed again and still I can’t shake this scent an hour after the event.

My head is currently on fire, the whole house is moaning about the smell, and to top it off the wife got to the bathroom before I cleaned it so I’m pretty much dead now.

One hour later is this is me currently, a social pariah the even family refused to eat breakfast with me.

Update

I think my wife really hates me, in her words "which stupid F%&£ told you to use that horrible smell today, you are a £&*%ing Moron.

Daily Challenge

So I only keep a small selection in the house and I rotate each season the rest I keep in my garage, I keep a few non boxed razors here and the rest along with the brushes are in our bedroom but the wife is busy decorating and I'm not about to piss her off any more today so this will have to do

Jul 26, 2023 - Wildcard Wednesday

• Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
• Brush: Zenith Cobalt Blue 28mm Boar Knot (505BC SE) #HOLLOW
• Razor: RazoRock SLOC
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword Classic [3]
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Cannonball! - Soap
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Cannonball! - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Armaf Perfume - Club de Nuit Intense Man - Eau de Toilette

Some rules clarification early on had me scrambling to rearrange some of the soaps on my list. Summer Break Soaps happened to be a casualty of that change. While it might be a boring way to use Wildcard Wednesday, Cannonball certainly isn't boring. A cold, crisp, refreshing jolt to the face to temper the Summer heat. I followed the set up with an Aventus dupe that my wife loves.

I don't pull the SLOC out that often, but this gives a great shave. No clogging, slight blade feel, no aggression, and a smooth finish.

Shave Den Challenge: Over the past few years, my shave den has steadily grown, much to my wife's annoyance. It's a bit of mess right now due to my complete lack of organization for LG this year.

Rating: 4.5/5

July 26, 2023

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
• Razor: Karve CB SB-D
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Maggard Razors – Orange Menthol
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Nightman

Well, I effed up up my schedule. I originally had Maggard’s soap on Maggard’s day but couldn’t find it. So I had an innocent enough sub of Fougere Angelique, which I love anyway so no big deal. About 2 days ago, I realized I would miss Maggard sponsor points and therefore the software bonus point. So enjoy my boring post and here is to hoping someone doesn’t post Maggard’s while I write this up. Obviously, Nightman pairs together since they are both citrus. It also adds some complexity to an otherwise pleasant but basic scent. As basic as my “wild card”.

Challenge: Going back to Maggard day again, I ironically was dreading showing my den since I lost this soap. Well, this couldn’t have worked out better I suppose. My den is a cubby hole with a side den otherwise known as the drawer that I throw stuff in until I put it back. My organization is a small sample box and a big sample box. A stack of tubs left and right with scattered Stirling samples everywhere so they do not scent bleed. AS’s in the middle with razors. Blades and bath soap to the right. Drawer – just chaos. Karve plates are kept there with a pack of blades, then it is about the past week or so of whatever I just used (plus some other samples I want to use after LGs).

Jul. 26, 2023
Brush: Simpson Trafalgar 2
Razor: Green Cult GC 2.0 II
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
Lather: Barbus - - Soap
Post Shave:* Zingari Man - Sego Base Unscented - Balm

Could have hone quite edgy with the shave but in a rush so instead gonna shave with something unlikely to DQ someone, I would post den photos but SO is in the shower LG points won’t fix my neck pain from sleeping on the coach, might add later.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

July 26, 2023 Wildcard Wednesday

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Omega 20106 Boar
• Razor: Yaqi Agamemnon Slant Razor
• Blade: Voskhod (2)
• Lather: Taylor of Old Bond Street - Royal Forest
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Executive Man
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Executive Man

This stuff explodes in lather, sub-par lather, but lather nonetheless. All linked by being a dupe of the same scent.

Challenge - Well, I'm in another country so the best I can do is what I brought with me and a recent-ish picture of my brushes and razors.

Wildcard Wednesday

Prep: Warm shower
Brush: AP Shave Co - Cashmere 30mm
Razor: Gillette Tech - Post War
Blade: Astra Platinum
Lather: YRFCE - Yard Raised Fresh Chicken Eggs - Soap
Post Shave: Warm water rinse
Fragrance: Curve Connect

l obtained this soap from a lather games contest a couple of years ago...l don't think there are many tubs of it in shaveland. Have a good day everyone.

LG23-26: 🐺 Wildcard Wolf Wednesday 🐺

• Brush: Wolf Whiskers 26mm Maggard Razors SHD
• Razor: Wolfman Razors WR2-DC 0.95 SB / 1.25 OC
• Blade: Voskhod (17)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Where the Wild Things Were - Shave Soap
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - RAWR - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Cognoscenti - Wild Child
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Colombia. Cauca. - v: Castillo - p: Anaerobic
• Music: Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild
• LG Tags: #FOF

I know y'all want to see folks slathering on pre-shave avocado oil, shaving with acrylic paint, splashing on some mouthwash post shave, and dousing themselves in Eau de Vlasic afterwards, but I'll leave those shenanigans for more natural shitposters than myself. Y'all know I play it straight most of the time. Boring? Perhaps. Effective? Arguably, but up for debate.

If I'm going to shave with shave soap on this day of troubling, foul-smelling, disgusting, and possibly-hazardous shaves, I'm still going to take the theme to heart. It's a perfect time to bring out a favorite of mine—Talent Soap Factory's Where the Wild Things Were.

But before I get to that, let's do a quick den tour. Not much has changed from last year. However, I have lots of improvements in mind. My current aftershave cache is particularly difficult to access, so I need to thin out my wardrobe and build some space for bottle-organization there. I also want to build some wall-mounted bookshelves in my basement so there's one dedicated place for all this stuff. In the meantime, the soaps continue to live on a shoe stand I found on the curb in our neighborhood. My most-used stuff lives up in the bathroom, including a rotation of soaps, my razors, and some goes-with-everything aftershaves. As you can see, all these spots need to be reorganized. On the list for August.

In case you missed the reference, my Talent Soap Factory soap is named after Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book, Where the Wild Things Are. Today's aftershave and fragrance build on that theme. In the the story, young Max dresses in a wolf suit, irks his parents enough to be sent to his room, and then visits the Wild Things on their island, learning a lesson along the way. His wolf suit reminds me of the dinosaur-suited otter on the front of RAWR, playing out in the yard, and Cognoscenti's Wild Child describes Max perfectly.

Getting back to Where the Wild Things Were (WTWTW), this is probably my favorite Talent Soap Factory soap, featuring a scent unlike anything else out there. The most distinctive and obvious notes are a medley of coconut and green olives. Instead of suggesting savory Italian food or a salty cocktail, they read as magical island mist, warm and tropical and a little weird. Herbal notes lend WTWTW additional complexity and allow the coconut and olive notes to blend. My brain never knows what to make of this stuff, but it does bring me back for repeated sniffs off the tub.

RAWR is probably an easier sell for most wet shavers, and it's jubilant mix of just-peeled sweet oranges, dandelions grown tall in the yard, and comforting vanilla are a bottled smile. My only complaint about RAWR is the same one I have about many neroli-based scents; even with sharp cedar and musk, it still wears overly sweet on my skin. Fortunately, that makes it layer exceptionally well with fragrances that can take advantage of some extra sugar, like Dannielle Sergent's bracing study of tarragon and lavender. Wild Child smells of earthy black licorice, seen through a vibrant green filter of cedar, vetiver, patchouli, and moss. RAWR's dandelion note brightens Wild Child's green to a vibrant shade and sticky orange highlights the sweet qualities of the tarragon. Together they're crisp, energizing, and whimsical—a fit pairing for the muggiest days of summer. You know, where the wild things love to be.

July 26, 2023 – June Shaves

• Brush: Cayuen Abalone w/ 28mm Timberwolf Synthetic
• Razor: Karve Shaving Co. – Overlander, TechniColor Edition, w/ titanium "Madmax" handle.
• Blade: Gillette Wilkinson Sword (2)
• Lather: Shannon's Soaps – Scarlet Zone
• Post-Shave: The Club – The Recipe

When somebody here says Wildcard Wednesday, that's my cue to get out the Unobtainum. Here we have a special soap made for our 2021 wet shave meetup by Shannon from Shannon's Soaps, and this is superb in execution. The soap scent has pleasing suggestions of fresh air by the sea, with earthy undertones of moist soil, moss and ferns, followed by inklings of fresh cut fragrant flowers, maybe vanilla and berries, and autumn leaves in the background. Very unique but also very strong. The razor is also fun to play with and I'm glad I swapped on the lighter handle.

Have a great Wednesday!

Shave collection:
https://i.imgur.com/XkxnixT.jpg https://i.imgur.com/TH3iLGY.jpg

Mostly I collect software; frags and some razors are scattered elsewhere.

Man, I realize that with all the cash I blew on this hobby over the years, I could have bought a truck or two instead!

#LatherGames #WildcardWednesday

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCKOl5li6YM ← How Karatsuba's algorithm gave us new ways to multiply

July 26th 2023 - Lather Games Day 26

• Brush: None
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM PTFE (13)
• Lather: Stirling - Tea Tree Shampoo Bar
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Two Kings
• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Grey Vetiver

Wildcard Wednesday and this year I grabbed my shampoo bar from the shower, rubbed it all over my face, and got to shaving. The Tea Tree essential oil made my eyes water a bit, and I'm not a huge fan of the scent. A Stirling shampoo bar works decently as a shave soap, but it is pretty difficult to build an effective lather with on your face. I think it would work a little better if you were to shave in the shower and could build up a better lather on your head and transfer it to your face.

No scent connectivity today I knew there would be a few "schedule losses" (as Doc Rivers would put it) as trying to get 30 post shaves and 30 frags means not everything will always line up super well.

For the den tour, I have a cabinet in my bathroom closet with a shelf for soap/splash sets that I use frequently or recently acquired and want to have accessible. I also have a bin under the bathroom sink that has solo soaps and another bin in my other closet that has more soap/splash sets and some other random post shave stuff and soaps. I also have a dopp bag that stores all my soap samples and has a bottom compartment where I keep more razors.. My medicine cabinet holds my brushes, more frequently used razors and blades. I did forget to photograph my fragrances, which live in my bedside table, I will update later if I have a chance.

Lather Games Day 26- Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving MOAR BOAR (31 mm x 57 mm )
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: Gem PTFE (4)
• Lather: Ariana & Evans - Emerald Moss Soap
• Post Shave: Mäuer & Wirtz - SIR Irisch Moos AS

Sure, I could have made a late night run to the Walmart Supercenter to find the latest and greatest in Wildcard Wednesday shaving gear like some of you did, but I was deep in a weed-gummie fueled dream state last night. So, instead of shaving with lube or motor oil, I just shaved with, you know, a shave soap. Emerald Moss is allegedly a dupe/homage Irisch Moos and everything paired well together for a lovely green and gold shave.

On to the Den Tour we go. And please pardon the dustiness in some areas. We'll start in my upstairs guest bathroom where the razors, brushes and splashes live. My shelving unit ran out of space for the brushes so I had to move them down to the table to sit next to alternativemusicgirl's make up and shit. Yes, there are a few razors and a key brush missing here because they are down in the main bathroom. Watch your step going down and duck just a little bit under the threshold. It's a wee bit too early in the morning for a concussion, eh?

Welcome to our small but mighty main bathroom where the wife has given me all of one shelf in the medicine cabinet and one shelf in the upper storage area to stow some gear. As you can see in the medicine cabinet, I've got my LG razor rotation, today's splash along with other splashes and what the...Who the fuck put a block of OSMA in there? u/jeffm54321 must be sending his ninjas out to litter our dens with OSMA. After years of me and others decrying the need for designer alum, he's had enough and is taking matters into his own hands or at least the hands of capable ninjas. Ok, maybe it wasn't ninjas and I shouldn't deflect, so yes, I bought it the other day because I've gotten the wife to use alum for cuts, nicks, bug bites, random appearing pimples and other needs. She didn't like the crystal meth shards of alum (that she was responsible for) so I upped the household game. Moving on, look up, that's where the bowl and some Proraso is kept and MOAR BOAR is sitting up there waiting for today's spin.

Enough laughing about how tiny my...master bathroom...is, let's head to the basement. Definitely, watch your head at the bottom of the stairs. Alright, welcome to the tiny bathroom that holds all of the soaps. For awhile there, I had room for everything in the medicine cabinet, but then had to add some stacks on the toilet. I'm probably at the point where I should buy an over the door shoe organizer but do I really want to show alternativemusicgirl just how many soaps that I have? I mean she does wander down here from time to time to print off flyers for her yoga studio. Do I really need to start a discussion about shaving soaps? Not really. So I'll keep this organized my way.

Alright, you all can leave my house now. Leave me be to drink my mushroom coffee in peace. There's a Walmart a couple of miles away from here that you can all go to find your shave for the day.

July 26, 2023 – Month of Lather Day 26

• Brush: AdWorried Right Hand
• Bowl: AdWorried Left Hand
• Razor: Baili BD176
• Blade: Gillette Platinum (4)
• Prep: Last Rites Prayer
• Lather: Fruit of the Earth - Aloe Vera Skin Care Lotion
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Cool Balm
• Music: Oingo Boingo - Weird Science

The Challenge: I am blessed with a large medicine cabinet. My original plan was to keep all my shaving paraphernalia in the medicine cabinet, but as you can from this photo collage I'm not doing a very good job keeping with my plan.

Daily Theme/Shave: I was curious whether face/hand lotion could be used as a lather substitute. Well, curiosity got the best of me, so I used Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Skin Care Lotion for today's shave. Four of the first six ingredients can be found in most shave soaps, but I wasn't sure about the mineral oil and cetyl alcohol. The mineral oil kept the "lather" slick, but the lotion provided no cushion and it gummed up everything it made contact with. I ended up with a close shave, but my neck was a casualty (here's another picture collage for those morbidly curious). The weepers were short-lived and there were no signs of carnage by the time I washed the gunk off of my face. The best part of the shave was applying the B&M Cool AS balm. My face has never been this soft. #ROTY

Jul. 25, 2023 - Trying out GRUYE

• Prep: Grocery Shopping

• Brush: Basting brush

• Razor: Hemlock Bread Lame #AllNatural

• Blade: Personna whatever came with the Lame (1)

• Lather: Private Selections - Cheddar and Gruyère Cheese

• Post Shave: Hot - Shower

• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - 42

Todays #photocontest is #food (duh!) I made a lego sandwich to go along with me wonderful lather product! Also 42 has a drink in its ingredients so that qualifies as food adjacent!

So I started hearing about this weird thought about using GRUYE cheese to shave all year long and I’ll have to admit I was confused at first. I mean we have so many good options for soap why would you want to limit yourself to one thing? And then I heard they also aren’t buying anything else all year! Lots of people who have been doing this a long time! People like u/Wyze0ne u/enndeegee u/visceralwatch & others I can’t remember right now pledged to this cause all year long. There were some staunch opposers of this with u/djundjila and u/j33pguy13 leading the pack shouting what a silly idea this was.

Finally after 7 months I cannot withstand the urge and I simply have to see what all the rage is about! Call it FOMO, call it stupidity but I just had to know!

So I took a trip to the grocery store, well 3 stores actually. You see I live in the rural nowhere of the US so to find this acclaimed GRUYE took a while. To top that off, I couldn’t even find a pure block of it so I’m just going with close enough today. I’m sure it will do the job, just might be similar to non Osma alum and be a little less luxury.

Onto the shave!

Ok so what the ABSOLUTE FUCK!?! I don’t understand how this can work at all! I took my block of cheese broke it up into a bowl and started trying to melt it incorporating water like a normal lather. Trying to get it on the face was an absolute nightmare! I tried at first with by brush and eventually resorted to using my hands to get anything to stick at all! Next up came the shave which was pretty tricky as the lather just kept falling off of my face. I managed to get a single pass on each cheek, not touching anything else today! All I can smell is cheese now, but at least it tastes good!

Now I know, this GRUYE craziness isn’t for me! I totally understand why some of y’all haven’t been able to stick with it! I know there’s no way I could. After this experience I need some retail therapy, u/j33pguy13 what crack are you selling?

Speaking of crack, here’s my current den! 30 full size tubs and countless samples! The shelf I built last summer while on paternity leave! It was a fun build where I can show off my favorite soaps!

Edit: fixed a link and tag

User shaves with Gruye cheese

User shaves with Gruye cheese

July. 26, 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: 345 Soap Co - Fleet Street Pie Shop
• Post Shave: Nivea Men - Sensitive Soothing Aftershave Balm

ROTY

July 26, 2023

https://imgur.com/gallery/3RlANlo

Prep: Proraso - Refrescante Preshave Cream

Brush: Spiffo! - Steinway

Razor: Rockwell - 6S R6 plate

Blade: Feather (2)

Lather: Lush - The Olive Branch Shower Gel

Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer

So, I used my daily shower gel for wet shaving today. It actually lathers up pretty nicely, and with olive oil as an ingredient, it was a very slick and smooth shave. This might become my new travel lather. Ya know, a getting two birds stoned at once kinda thing. Surprisingly a DFS.

Challenge: Alright, here we go: First up on the tour is my drawer full of shave soaps and creams.

Then we move on to the post shave shelf

Can't forget the overflow corner

And finally here's where my razors live

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Happy shaving!

#ROTY

7/26/23

• Hands: Left and Right
• Razor: Filarmonica 14 Doble Temple (JMP) 8/8, Extra Hollow Square Point
• Lather: Jell-O - Boomerscotch Pudding
• Post Shave: Mäurer & Wirtz - Tabac Original Aftershave Lotion

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to shave with pudding? Surely you're wondering more important things, i.e.. What's the lifespan of a brain bowl? How does the difference in humidity affect the weight of said brain bowl over the course of a year? Are feathers really the sharpest?? But what about pudding as a shave soap substitute?! Part of me wants to say, "Of course not!" But the other part of me knows what some of you are capable of. So yeah, you probably have.

Well, wonder no more! I've answered this question. I answered this with the boomerest pudding you can legally get your hands on. ~~Butterscotch~~ Boomerscotch. There was only one suitable answer for a post shave: Tabac. Probably the most boomer scent out there. And what better razor to pair this with than something as venerable and rare as a First Generation JMP Signature Filarmonica 14 Doble Temple??

Butterscotch dates back to the mid 19th century. The invention is often credited to S. Parkinson & Sons of Doncaster in South Yorkshire after an issue of Liverpool Mercury printed a recipe for "Doncaster Butterscotch". This candy became famous in 1851 when Queen Victoria was given a tin filled with Parkinson 's Butterscotch. Parkinson's Butterscotch would later be advertised as "The Queen's Sweetmeat" (lol).

As to my lather for today: The scent is very straightforward Butterscotch, as is the taste. It's not my favorite. I prefer the hard candy to the pudding. It was surprisingly slick, though. The shave went fine and I didn't get any razor burn, nicks, or irritation. It could've been a closer shave, but I'm not complaining. I expected a lot worse.

Today was my first time with Tabac. I mean, you guys were not joking. It smells like old people. The nursing home copypasta makes so much more sense. Mrs. Pudding thinks I smell like her grandma. As far as an aftershave product, it was good.

I didn't want to leave any doubt about what I'd done, so I recorded this event. So if you're curious to watch someone shave with pudding, run their faucet longer than they should and awkwardly talk about their razor, you can click here

Here is a tour of the collective spaces that make up My Den.

#ROTY

July 26, 2023 – Wildcard Wednesday, Baby

• Razor: Gillette Travel Tech #jetsetter
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (4)
• Lather: Johnson’s – Baby Oil
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Marilyn
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Marilyn

Let’s get down to it. This is a baby shave. Even the razor is baby sized. I mean look at the travel tech! So tiny! Another loaner from u/Chronnoisseur420 to help with the tags.

The internet says mineral oil (the main component of baby oil) can be used as a shaving solution. So we’re gonna do it. Baby Oil, baby post shave, and a baby frag. “Wait what?” you’re thinking. Well let my #fof post explain. I get a very heavy powder note off Marilyn. Not to say I don’t like it, I like it enough to own a trifecta. But it reminds me a bit of baby powder, (I’m old enough to remember using that for my siblings.) So here we are, a shave that’s not quite BBS but smelling like a baby’s butt. Even my #photocontest entry is babyfied. It’s an entry for “food” and what food did I choose? A pouch of baby food puree. (alas the only way our kids will eat vegetables.)

For challenge, I give you a video tour of my den led by my daughter. It’s only a minute and 20 seconds so take a look around with us.

OK #ROTY folks. 5 let’s go.

Lastly, since this is Wildcard Wednesday, Wildcards are cards that than mimic or beat another card’s value. I’m gonna assume that applies to LG bits today too. Sorry u/Priusaurus, gonna make use of your interview bit your use with a not at all made up interview with ~~our friends~~ the assholes at PAA.

1. So you’ve gone by a few names, who exactly am I talking to now?

I suppose that depends on who gets me the most clicks.

2. Ok.. Uhh how did you get into shaving supplies.

I was on on a trip to the exotic land of…

Ok I’m gonna stop you there. Don’t really need one of your rambling bullshit product descriptions. Is there a real answer?

I saw some marks to leverage.

3. You mean markets?

No.

4. Sigh. Ok. You’ve been accused of ripping off… Well a lot. including recently the Hawaiian Punch logo Care to talk about this?

You’re blatantly ripping off this bit, do you have a leg to stand on?

5. I’m shit posting. But I did walk into that, so let’s move on. Is there anything that makes PAA different?

A legion of bought YouTube influencers, SEO, and a ton of r/w_e shills posting affiliate links? What do you got?

My integrity. And enough sense to end this.

Edited to fix some formatting

Edited 2, forgot the travel tech pic.

Contestant makes up an "interview with ~~our friends~~ the assholes at PAA." Contestant's daughter gives a tour of his den.

Contestant makes up an "interview with ~~our friends~~ the assholes at PAA." Contestant's daughter gives a tour of his den.

It's Wednesday, My Dudes

• Brush: Declaration Grooming Never Say Dye B12 SHD Badger
• Razor: Timeless Titanium
• Blade: Perma Sharp
• Lather: Zingari - The Healers - Soap
• Post Shave: Zingari - The Healers - Balm

Wildcard Wednesday….

I really like this base, this scent and this tub art....

This was a lovely project Heather did back in 2020. It's one of the things that is so endearing about this community.

Daily Challenge…

Den Tour. This is 95% of it. I have mostly "Unobtanium" (read APR) in my upstairs bathroom. This is from my "Basement Den", where I shave most mornings.

https://imgur.com/a/3li0OXM

Today's, uh song.... Wednesday Dance

Don't worry, it's not the "New Wednesday".... It's the one I grew up with....

https://imgur.com/a/suKwoeG

• Lather: Noble Otter Soap Co. - Plunder Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Ever-Ready 1912 SE
• Blade: GEM PTFE Coated
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Sharp Dressed Man Balm

Today's lather was inspired by 2 things....one was the points but two was cannon smoke. How badass is that of a scent note? It may not be as innovative as motor oil or ky warming jelly...or as good of a time for that matter...but freaking cannon smoke.

Onto the den, here's the hardware https://imgur.com/a/cqwyHV4

I've played around with a few ways to display the software...I think I'm gonna go by brand groups.

First on the docket is Catie's Bubbles https://imgur.com/a/kWDeemI

Dr. Jon's https://imgur.com/a/PqR95yQ

Wet Shaving Products https://imgur.com/a/sWwZAZP

Barrister and Mann https://imgur.com/a/wAGWhbu

Declaration Grooming https://imgur.com/a/cbrjrzL

Red House Farm https://imgur.com/a/yvn2GOA

Zingari Man https://imgur.com/a/gk5LcKU

Creams https://imgur.com/a/IlnGsLd

Duke Cannon https://imgur.com/a/B0kEWqo

Random Soaps https://imgur.com/a/CG7gaVf

Random Post Shave https://imgur.com/a/LXQX8ZP

Stirling https://imgur.com/a/GxGYNYC

Southern Witchcrafts https://imgur.com/a/Yc1YNha

So a few months worth at least.

Have a great day folks!

Lather games day 26

• Prep: Warm water
• Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR #CHONK
• Razor: Razorock - Lupo 95 OC SS
• Blade: Sputnik
• Lather: Biofresh - Spatia
• Post Shave: Men's Master Professional - Aftershave balm
• Post Shave: Osma - alum block

At first I was thinking to shave my self with something unusual and crazy. Like gun lubricant or other striking slick liquid that no other person will use today. But why I have to do that if I have shaving cream made in Bulgaria and totally unfamiliar for you guys. This is "Spatia" ( this is "Clubs" from deck of cards ). Yesterday I meet MrTangerinesky to give me his Zenith "MOAR BOAR" brush aka " The soap killer", "Soap eater", " The Big Pig" and I told him if someone in USA or Western Europe use this cream I'll be glad to be DQ. Price is 0.90 $ and I don't know what is the scent. Maybe clean, citrusy, barbershopy and is mentholated. Aftershave balm is mentholated and similar smell but More expensive. Almost 4.50$. But for all my fans ( if I have any ) is this video. Today challenge.

ROTY

Player shaves his right cheek with gun cleaner/lub, which is enough for him to decide to use a cheap cream instead.

July 26, 2023 – Wildcard Wednesday!!!

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic Li’l Brudder
• Razor: Gillette Gold Ball-End Tech
• Blade: Gillette Rubie (3)
• Lather: Beak & Snout – Bard’s Barbershop
• Post Shave: RazoRock – Italian Barber Amici
• Fragrance: Creed – Erolfa

Yes, I used soap today. Even though Enndeegee is going to call be a scrub anyway, I hope you hear me out. Sincere post incoming. I know this isn’t what people want on WW, but it’s what you’re gonna get.

My best friend, Ben, has been getting into soap and lotion bar making for a little while now (a little less than a year, I think). It’s a hobby he so clearly loves, and he makes some quality bar soap, and our hobbies intersect enough that we’re able to talk for an obnoxious amount of time about soaps, vegan vs. animal products in soap, how to effectively market, why getting into perfumery is so hard and expensive, etc. I figured the Lather Games would be the perfect reason to ~~beg~~ ask Ben to try his hand at shaving soap. All the soap he’s made so far has been given away to friends, as is the case for this shaving soap, so the stakes were pretty low. Despite this, as usual, Ben put in his best effort and made a quality shaving soap that is, at least to me, impressive for someone’s first go at it. The base is similar to Catie’s Bubbles in that it’s on the softer, fluffier side, and is vegan. The scent is Crafter’s Choice™ Barber Shoppe – EO & FO Blend 123, so it smells like Maggard London Barbershop (among others). It’s enough fragrance to enjoy while shaving, and it lingers a little, but is not overpowering (and certainly doesn’t give any frag burn, as Ben is careful to comply with IFRA Standards). I followed this up with Amici due to its citrus blending nicely with any standard barbershop scent, and finished with Creed Erolfa (a sample recently gifted by Ben), which is a delightful chypre, and a reminder that I want to check out that fragrance family a lot more. Overall, blends of citrus all around this morning, which is perfect for the summer. #FOF

I appreciate Ben so much for putting in the time and effort to learn how to make the best shaving soap possible for his first ever attempt, even though it was for one person to shave during a ~~silly~~ incredibly meaningful shaving competition. He plans to sell his soaps under the brand Beak & Snout, inspired by one of his DnD characters. As such, since he declined to name his inaugural shaving soap, I named it Bard’s Barbershop. Ben may not want to actually have his soaps be DnD themed, but in the absence of Ben choosing a name himself, I am claiming full autonomy over soap naming decisions. We chatted the other day about sourcing tallow from nearby slaughterhouses. He's working on another shaving soap right now, I'm pretty sure. I’m so glad that I have ~~conned~~ helped Ben to go down this rabbit hole, and I hope that I have many more Beak & Snout soaps to shave with in the future.

Den Tour: Since last year’s games, I’ve bought a house. It very conveniently had built-ins in the bathroom that work quite well for my shaving supplies. I need to build a couple more shelves as I have to do a lot of rummaging to actually find what I need, but it all (somehow) fits, so that’s what really matters. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3

Day 26 - Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Royal London -
• Razor: Gillette - Fatboy E-4
• Blade: Astra - Green
• Lather: House Of Mammoth - Shire
• Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Shire
• Fragrance: Alexandria Fragrances - Blue Memoire

Today, I went with Shire. Why? Because I just got it, and no one has used it yet. And really, who is crazy enough to do motor oil or something. K.I.S.S.

For the fragrance, I went with Blue Memoire. I have some meetings for work today, and this is one of my go toos. I know that is not Wild but I need the job more than the Lather win.

ROTY #FOF

Wed Jul 26 2023

• Prep: Coffee and a shower
• Razor: Merkur - 34C HD
• Blade: Feather HI Stainless
• Brush: Perfecto Badger
• Lather: Lacoupe - Argon Oil Complex Bar Soap
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Classic Ice Blue AS

Sitting in a motel out of town this week. Trying to decide which shaving soap to use so someone else didn't already use it. As I was showering, I thought why not use this Lacourse bar soap. Surprisingly enough a very pleasant shave. Had good lather and very slick. Am I ready to give up my regular stuff, no but still a good shave.

When I travel I usually throw in my Pinaud Clubman. As I was unpacking my bag last night I noticed I forgot it. So I made a run to Walmart. Among the weak offerings I noticed the Aqua Velva. My dad always kept some of this on the shelf. Kinda like finding an old friend. As I splashed it on this morning it brought back memeories of Dad.

ROTY

July 26, 2023 – Lather games day 26 – AKA My den is messy

• Brush: Razorock Synthetic
• Razor: GEM – Pushbutton
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (14)
• Lather: RazoRock – Tuscan Oud
• Post Shave: RazoRock – Tuscan Oud

Tuscan Oud. Love the scent. Who else would use such crap? Nice shave this morning. Here’s the den all messy and disorganized. Do I have too many things? Yes. Yes I do.

#PhotoContest

JULY 26, 2023

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillete King C. Chrome
• Lather: Australian Private Reserve - Carnivale
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Gent splash

Australian Private Reserve hasn’t been around for a while so I am taking advantage of this fact in my post today. Carnivale is such a unique soap! There is some fruityness, some warmth, some spice all mesh together in the right amounts. The scent is not strong and does not last but it’s pleasant and comfy. Gent splash covered most of it but it was amicable. This is all I had time for before work so go ahead and SCRUB me….lol…

DAILY CHALLENGE: I have a small collection so far. Still growing but I am running out of room so I have most of my soaps HERE. Few others are spread out either at work or gym bag. Nothing to brag about but hey I haven’t done it for very long! I know weak excuse….

ROTY

2023-07-26 Nondescript Slime Day

• Blush: Ikea - Tillagd Fork
• Raser: The Goodfellas' Smile - Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
• Leather: Viet Huong Three Crabs Fish Sauce + Red Drago Tapioca Starch
• Post-Share: Viet Huong Three Crabs Fish Sauce
• Flagrant: Viet Huong Three Crabs Fish Sauce

Wildcard Wednesday:
I'm a fan of cooking. One of my favorite things to cook is stir fry, and my approach thereto has evolved quite a lot. In times past, I'd just throw some meat and vegetables around in a wok, but now I like to make a sauce to throw them around in. The sauce is a little different every time, but an invariant ingredient is: Fish Sauce.

Also critical for the sauce is some kind of thickening agent, which helps it stick to the noodles and solid components of the stir fry. Today, it will also help the fish sauce stick to my face. Corns starch is commonly used for this, but I like to use tapioca starch. Nice, that'll stick real nice.

On second thought, you know what? Fuck that noise.

2023-07-26 No one has used this yet

#photocontest
Photo: Trenches/Holes. It's this photo, guys. Not the first one. That's a trench that's sided by concrete, but it's a trench in the ground all the same.

• Brush: Yaqi Metal Timberwolf
• Razor: The Goodfellas' Smile - Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
• Lather: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi
• Post Shave: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Tsuka

Relevant Post-Shave and Fragrance: Japanese-inspired.
Musashi (lather and post-shave) are obvious, but Tsuka is a dupe of the original scent by Japanese designer Hanae Mori.
In the spirit of the theme, the kamisori shavette returns again. I quite surprised myself with how I've come to command the thing, at least on the WTG pass. Practice, I guess.

#FOF
I think this is the third time I've had some vaguely Japanese theme to my shave, which was not planned. In fact, I just got Musashi yesterday. I saw that the scent purports to be built around jasmine tea, and I said, "Oh, fuck yeah." I even made a cup of jasmine tea for comparison to accompany my shave.

The yuzu on top is exactly that: on top. It's backed by what the description calls an "earthy and woodsy" mix, the earthy part of which directs one's attention to the core: is it jasmine? Well, no; jasmine isn't earthy or woodsy. In truth, I don't get much jasmine out of this, but what I do get is green tea.

Enter Tsuka, which kind of makes me question whether the jasmine is as absent from Musashi as I thought; it transitions from the soap seamlessly. Tsuka is nothing if not floral, and I'm quite certain is categorically a women's fragrance, but one that I've never been bothered to don.

Challenge Accepted:
Here's my shaving space. I love that cabinet and I will miss it when I leave where I live now for cooler climates, so I bought another one; it actually just arrived yesterday, and will just stay in the box for the foreseeable future.
The weather here is like living inside of an oven (you sadistic bastards just had to wait until the end of the month for Outside Day), but I've also been saying for the past year and a half that I'm going to move for the PNW. Trouble is, the job I started last April is amazing. So I'm hanging out until I can line up something new either in that area or fully remote. But I digress.

In a story so full of twists and turns that it will one day be made into a Hollywood movie starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman, user tricks audience into believing a tapioca fish pudding shave was attempted, while the real shave was as mundane as can be.

In a story so full of twists and turns that it will one day be made into a Hollywood movie starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman, user tricks audience into believing a tapioca fish pudding shave was attempted, while the real shave was as mundane as can be.

July 26, 2023

• Brush: Zenith B15 (506 U/L) 27.5mm Boar
• Razor: Thiers Issard Évidé Sonnant 6/8" Extra Hollow (Straight Shave 278)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Wood Shop - Soap
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Wood Shop - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

---

Today's shave was a meditation. I was just lost in the feel of the edge and the lather and went on autopilot. A wonderful way to start the day.

I really like this scent and I think the SBS soap is absolutely great, but I admit that I picked it today because I love the label and wanted to see if I could make a photo where the label really popped. An obvious choice would have been a black background, but that would be too easy.

Edit: Oh, I forgot den pics. I started in a linen closet, but my collection has started to take over a bookshelf. Here you go.

July 26, 2023 – Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Frank Shaving G5B
• Razor: Razorock Lupo SS
• Blade: Astra SP (Green)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Midnight Stag
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Midnight Stag

I’m still in awe from reading OnionMiasma’s Penzoil post. As an lazy homage I went with Stag. Here’s a messy den pic in disarray from the games..

26 July 2023 Complementary Non Dickkhole Lisa's Natural Soaps Smoked Tea

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: 3D Printed Lady with Pot Landmark Knot
• Razor: Blackland Dart
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (5)
• Lather: Lisa's Natural Soaps - Smoked Tea (1)
• Post Shave: Arianna & Evans - Vetiver Magnifique 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: Yosh - Sombre Negra

Wildcard Wednesday something something

Cheers

July 26, 2023 - WCW/Den Tour

• Brush: Whipped Dog butterscotch handle / 24mm AP Shave Co. Tuxedo
• Razor: Baili BT131 / TiBam "Norsborg" handle
• Blade: Wizamet (2)
• Lather: WestMan Shaving - Utopia
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Paul Sebastian aftershave
• Fragrance: Demeter - Pipe Tobacco

I don't think anyone else here will use this soap today so I'm probably safe. I've used this sample once before and while it's supposed to be a tobacco scent it kinda smells like weed to me. I was in a hurry because I woke up late so my lather wasn't the best, but I did notice this soap has a "different" kind of lather quality than most soaps I've used. Hard to explain IDK. It's serviceable though and my face felt really soft after the post shave rinse. All of the other items in my shave I'm pretty sure will be unique to mine as well, but we shall see lol.

DEN TOUR (re: I have too much shit):

Brushes and razors

A few more brushes

Soaps (I think there's 40 in the drawer)

Aftershaves

Fragrances/odds and ends

I didn't take pics of blades or samples, but I don't have a ridiculous blade stockpile (maybe 400-500?) and not very many samples at the moment.

2023-07-26 Lather Games SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 2015 HD (22x55mm Badger)
• Razor: "77" shavette with SHAVE⭐DANDY scales #YTHO
• Blade: Cloud 62mm x 16mm (3)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving - Rive Gauche (Experimental Formula 22.1)
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - American Blend
• Fragrance: Shawn Maher - Untitled Feats of Fragrance 2022 Grand Prize

Mostly unique stuff today I expect? Hope? I hate getting out of bed early, so I didn't - not even to post a bullshit "place holder" like some people do before they shave so nobody else can use their soap.

• Semogue silvertip badger. I'm not sure that I've ever seen anybody else use the 2015 HD on r/wetshaving... I think it's more of a B&B brush, generally.
• Chinese scissor-style shavette that came bundled with a box of "77" style blades; I liked the razor but hated the original stainless steel scales because uh BALANCE so I re-scaled it myself. I feel out of practice with shavettes over the last couple years though so I've been practicing with my guarded-blade Artist Club all month, prepping for today's shave. Glad I took the time to practice because this thing is dangerous if I mess up with it.
• "77" style blade, which is basically like a long stretched-out DE blade that measures 62x16 instead of the usual 43x22. Not sure why they're called 77 but they're labeled that way on several companies' packages.
• Experimental Spearhead soap sample scented with some YSL Rive Gauche Pour Homme pre-blend he had kicking around. Smells mostly like Rive Gauche with a hint of Clubman. Think I got this from /u/VisceralWatch who got it from somebody else who got it from somebody else?
• Another Rive Gauche dupe for the aftershave because they smelled gud together.
• My grand prize from last year's Feats of Fragrance competition, because it paired so nicely with the shave-cream-scented soap and splash: I told Shawn I wanted a straight up 80s-90s style barbershop that would feel at home with classics like Paco Rabanne, Azzaro, Drakkar Noir, Rive Gauche, Le Male... so that's what he made me. There's no official title or official marketing notes, but it's a great take on the classic "shave cream" scent family without being a fougère (wild, I know). Scent notes might be described as something like: green citruses and aquatic notes; soft spices and clary sage; clean creamy sandalwood and patchouli; and enough white musk that it exists as a distinct Scent rather than just as a fixative. That's right - no lavender or mosses. Crazy, right?

No fresh den tour because it hasn't really changed much since two years ago, aside from getting messier.

Judge calls out "bullshit 'place holder'" posts that "some people do before they shave so nobody else can use their soap."

Judge calls out "bullshit 'place holder'" posts that "some people do before they shave so nobody else can use their soap."

Today I shaved with Nivea Soothing Post Shave Balm. I used my hands and an old Dollar Shave Club razor that’s been tucked away with my blades for years now. I followed up with more Nivea and a shot of Ferrari Noble Fig.

• Brush: ZENRC Golden Bamboo Matcha Whisk #HOLLOW

• Razor: Razorline Razor Master Kamisori Shavette Straight Razor for Barbers #KAMISORI

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: Ujido - Matcha Green Tea Powder

• Post Shave: B_Lab - Matcha Hydrating Facial Toner

• Fragrance: Le Labo - Thé Matcha

Today's Theme: Wildcard Wednesday - I think I went a little too hard on this theme. First, I decided to make my own whipped-cream based Matcha tea lather. So land o lakes heavy whipping cream and a whisk it is!.

I knew it was going to be a process to get my homemade whipped cream together, so that I worked on last night. It took me several tries of refrigerating, whisking, refrigerating, whisking, and more refrigerating and whisking before it left frothy cream consistency and started to resemble something close to whipped cream. When my fiancee got home she questioned my logic for the first time all month. The thing that finally didn't make sense to her? "Why aren't you using a hand mixer?" Well I don't have one, and didn't realize I should have one. So that's why I used a normal whisk.

Eventually it turned into proper stiff-ish peaks whipped cream, so I popped it into the freezer to save for this morning's shave. Well, apparently homemade whipped cream freezes way more than cool whip does. So while that thawed, I got to work on my matcha base. The matcha whisk I got worked great for the matcha powder and some water.

Once enough of the whipped cream had thawed, it was time to fold it into the matcha. It folded in easily enough and got to a nicely hydrated matcha whipped cream mixture that I was hopeful would shave decently.

Well I found that a matcha whisk makes a poor brush for applying the matcha cream to my face, so I resorted to applying it with my hand which gave me big evangelion vibes. Eventually I got my face covered with the matcha cream and it was time to have one of the worst shaves of my life.

So fun fact, I've never used a kamisori shavette before. Or an Asco half DE blade. But they showed up together from ebay, so here we are. Sliced my right cheek a little, but the styptic pencil took care of that. Otherwise an awful, rough shave.

Today's Challenge: Den tour day! - I have cleverly arranged my main soap drawer to hide the majority of my shame. Then under the sink I have space set aside for only the highest quality stuff like APR, Fine (new base), and Van Yulay. Overflow space above my soap drawer for a couple extras that don't fit anywhere. I keep the current and upcoming razors just by my sink. And lastly, samples, frags, some overflow software, brushes/razors that I don't plan to use, and blades all go in the medicine cabinet.

My theme for today's shave: Matcha

I'm a big tea guy in general, it's one of my other rabbit holes of a hobby that I enjoy. I happened to have a bag of matcha from 2018, and when /u/j33pguy13 sent me a link to a matcha whisk as a joke, I knew I had to take the joke way too far and have a literal matcha shave, with matcha aftershave and matcha fragrance. Well, I did it. Your artisan soap bases have nothing on my 35% superfatted matcha whipped cream emulsion. Suck it /u/bostonphototourist.

Real talk though, this was a miserable shave. All the grease and none of the slickness. 2/10 would not shave, elbows too pointy. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY

Contestant meticulously documents his use of matcha and whipped cream for a lather.

Contestant meticulously documents his use of matcha and whipped cream for a lather.

July 26, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 26mm G5C
• Razor: Blackland Vector
• Blade: Kai Captain Titan Mild (AC) (15)
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia – Garibaldi
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Valedictorian

Going with Garibaldi today. Felt like a tobacco day, and this scent just showed up in the new hard base. djundjilla recommended Valedictorian splash as a pairing with Shire 2 and it works pretty well here too.

Here is the den. Just under 30 full tubs and splashes, mostly trickholes, with at least that many samples, though a lot of those aren’t in this picture. Favorite set is still Black Watch, just wish I could use it. Not shown is my hardware, but my favorite brush and razor were both used in today’s shave.

Healthy Activity of the Day: 10 miles today. Broke that 100 barrier! LG Mileage: 101 miles.

Tags: #ROTY

July 26, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. - 24mm Synbad Fan
• Razor: Gillette Tech (Z-4)
• Blade: Personna P74 (4)
• Lather: Chatillon Lux/Storybook Soap Works - La Forêt de Liguist - Soap
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Delor de Treget

#SCRUB

What a great soap base and a great scent. I had the matching toner, but the CL toner is a bit too rich for my skin, and the scent of the toner came across as less spicy and more floral, and not a type of floral that I enjoy. So, when someone posted a [WTB], I sold it. No ragrats.

July 26, 2023 – Wildcard

• Brush: Summer Break DeMaranville B15
• Razor: Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed
• Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium (19)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Daydream
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Daydream
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps – Daydream

Today was the perfect day to FINALLY try out the final version of Daydream in all its glory. Man, I’m excited to share this one with you guys

Rocket teasing daydream release. What a flex! Also, good to highlight sponsors participating in the games.

July 26, 2023 – Wildcard

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (4)
• Lather: Nivea - Body Shaving Stick

I hope no one used this soap today. Not because I fear DQ but because it sucks. I have used it before and don’t remember it being so bad. It does say body shave but i really thought my face was part of my body. But maybe I am wrong. The brush didn’t add a lot. It was like swirling around Elmer’s glue. That would have probably been more satisfying.

• Brush: Simpson Classic #1 synthetic brush
• Razor: Friedrich Herder Abraham Sohn 49 straight razor
• Lather: Eleven Shaving - ??? soap
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Bare splash

ROTY

Well for this wild card Wednesday I decided to use an unlabeled sample from Eleven shaving acquired at the Maggard meet up. No idea what the scent is which is what makes it a wild card! Smells just like a soap. Performance was A OK. I don't know if I'll get the point for this, but oh well. Sometimes that's just the way she goes.

I had a great plan to use Okra slime harvested from my tiny farm for today, but I am traveling for work and the Okra isn't ready for harvest for another week or 2. Maybe next year.

I'm pretty disappointed that I'm traveling which is stopping me from getting a full shave den picture. Here is a pic of most of the den that I already had on my phone. It's not complete but probably 70 percent of it or so. It's the best I can do!

https://imgur.com/gallery/WzlehWQ

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Bone - 28mm B16
• Razor: Wolfman Razors - WR2 0.75 DC x WRH2
• Blade: Personna Med Prep
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Rosemary - Soap
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Rosemary - Splash

Day 26 of Lather Games: That's right, Southern Witchcrafts Rosemary. As far as I know this is a one-off because u/phteven_j said they used all their rosemary oil for it. I had asked if this could be down and also had some venison to trade. The rest is history. No semen involved... hopefully

July 26, 2023 – Nearly Every Old Spice Dupe on the Market (and some that aren’t) Stacked On Top of Each Other

• Brush: Chisel and Hound False Kamani Fanchurian V18
• Razor: English Flat Bottom Gillette Tech
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (3)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: Obsessive Soap Perfectionist – Old Gold
• Post Shave: Old Spice – European

Well, I wasn’t even going to shave today assuming that given the choice of any soap/scent ever everyone would be shaving with Old Spice dupes but evidently NO ONE CHOSE AN OLD SPICE dupe (unless someone does after this). What is wrong with you heathens? I judge you all.

To truly show you the power of Old Spice, I present to you my shave den and its TOWER OF OLD SPICE(tm). A feat I should have done on stacking day now that I think about it. Before you, though some labels are obviously not visible, is nearly every single Old Spice dupe on the market, some that aren’t, and a few Old Spice adjacent scents. There are, as far as I know, two currently sold dupes not there and only three no-longer-made missing from the entire pantheon of artisan Old Spice dupes. That’s not to mention the mug of 1940/50 Old Spice soap and the puck of 1970s soap. Quake in its glory.

Next to the stack you can see a collection of Old Spice aftershave (from left to right: 1940s, Indian Atomizer, U.S., Indian plastic bottler, Dollar Store knockoff, and 1980s. Not pictured: European because it was sitting in a different drawer… it knows what it did.). Then some other soaps that are a thing I suppose that one may use every so often. These include my collection of James Bond-inspired scents, especially r/wetshaving exclusive Shaken. Finally, in this second pic, you’ll see my razors. The most coveted of which are my grandfather’s Gillette Aristocrat and then every razor James Bond has used in both writing and film (except Brosnan’s electric razor in Die Another Day).

Player creates a tower of all available old spice dupes (plus some that aren't available).

Wild Card Wednesday

• Brush: My Left Hand
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade Med Prep
• Blade: Kismet Rostfrei, Polymer beschichtet (4)
• Lather: Thomy – Thomynaise Light
• Post Shave: Sandoz – Ecofenac Lipogel
• Fragrance: Cacharel – Scarlett

So, this shave wasn't good and I blame scrub police department commissioner u/Enndeegee. See, I'm traveling with Djunior right now, and since I like to travel light, I thought I'd just steel some stuff in the bathroom where we stay and it'll be fine. I had already found the perfect lather object, this decorative soap sculpture of a flower. I mean sure, I'd look like an asshole for lathering on it and ruining it, but that's the beauty of traveling with a two year-old: I could just blame it on an accident with Djunior who likes to touch pretty stuff. In comes u/Enndeegee with an additional last minute WCW rule: If you use a grooming product, any grooming product as your lather, you're a scrub. So I went looking for an alternative. There was a well organised medicine cabinet with some promising leads like after sun lotion and mosquito repellent, some very promising vaseline, paraffine, glycerin mix, but those are all dangerously close to grooming products. I did find an excellent aftershave gel, though. Next, the cleaning supplies: The most promising candidate was the organic, biodegradable bath cleaner, but when I read that it can be corrosive to certain metals, I feared about my pristine Weck Sextoblade Med Prep and moved on to the kitchen, and as of the writing of this, nobody has used mayonnaise yet. Phew.

Mayo is not good lather. It's greasy and not slick at the same time, and I was tempted to wash it off with soap, but I was worried u/Enndeegee might consider that an unsanctioned use of a grooming product as post shave, so I didn't and followed it up with the Ecofenac postshave pain relief, with has a surprisingly pungent smell. For the frag, I found a tester of some French edt and used it and u/Enndeegee can fuck off if he also requires non-grooming fragrances.

The relevant post and frag theme here is that everything is stolen from our hosts.

I'll come back and add the challenge, just posting this before someone posts a mayo shave.

Edit: Den Tour. Fuck. I'm not in the same canton as my den. I know I'm a Djudge and I should have remembered that this challenge would come up, but I forgot. It is lather games, so I'm traveling with pretty large travel den by non-hobbyist standards, but that's not what anyone is interested in. I do have a pretty decent database of all shaving items I've used since fall 2020, so that's the best I can do right now, I think. Welcome to the accountant's den tour/inventory of everything I've used in the replies to this comment.

July 26, 2023

• Brush: Boti – Totem Pineapple Swirls with Green Tuxedo 25mm Synthetic Knot
• Razor: Star – Silver Star
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Stoney Acres Goat Milk Shave Soap – Barber Shoppe
• Post Shave: Clubman – Citrus Musk
• Fragrance: BVLGARI - Man Rain Essence

I was pretty confident I’d be the only one using this soap because (1) it’s from a local goat farm and (2) the performance is absolutely abysmal. Honestly, I’d rather use canned goo than this. It suck, suck, sucks, sucks, sucks. I had such positive feelings when I bought it. I had bought several artisan-type shave soaps and then I was this at a Farmers’ Market. I love buying locally made anything and finding someone local to me that made shave soaps seemed too good to be true. It was. This bubbles up quickly and seems to get a kinda sorta almost decent lather going, but then it’s a race against time to shave with it because the lather literally disappears off my just as quickly as I can put it on. It does leave behind a slickness that I’d qualify as “good enough”, but without much actual lather to protect my skin. I’ve used this twice before today and I’m glad I didn’t have the heart to get rid of it, because it came in handy for a day like this!

The scent is eerily similar to Maggard’s London Barbershop. And by eerily similar, I mean they use the same preblend. Nothing special at all and too powdery for my liking. For the splash, I have Clubman Citrus Musk, which is also a less than stellar performer. I understand this stuff had its place, but I don’t understand how Clubman is still in business. I’ve tried 3 samples of their stuff, and it’s all garbage.

The fragrance I used today, was nice. I picked Man Rain Essence because, like the soap and splash, it has citrus notes and musk to link them all together. The cologne also has green tea and is a little woodsy, which I thought did a good job of picking up where the splash failed. #FOF

CHALLENGE

After scrolling through the dens of you guys, I feel very inadequate. Every soap and splash I own can fit into this white bucket. Samples and smushes from the community are what is getting me through these games. It’s wild to me to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

July 26, 2023 – LG23 Day 26: Impressive Djonut’s Delicatessen Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Chef John’s – Kümmelweck
• Razor: Impressive Donut Creations – Chopstick Kamisori v.2 #ALLNATURAL #YTHO #KAMISORI
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: Chef John’s – Beef Jus
• Post Shave: Walnut Creek – Prepared Horseradish
• Fragrance: Priano – Balsamic Vinegar

In what may have become a Lather Games tradition, today came about after some friendly banter with u/djundjila about Reuben sandwiches and incorporating a homemade Reuben in my shave last year. DJ, the offer still stands. When you come to Ohio, we’ll go to Katzinger’s Deli for Reubens. Or maybe you’ll change your mind? On second thought when I answer the rhetorical question I posed to you awhile ago in your Desert Wecktiver shave you may just want to stick to Reubens.

For those of you who want to really see a guy rub a weck all over his face: Welcome to Djonut’s Delicatessen!

Keeping the Theme Alive Lather notes: Beef Post shave notes: Horseradish Fragrance: Balsamic Vinegar All are recipe ingredients.

Today’s shave:

Freshly baked in the Djonut kitchen Kümmelweck (caraway rolls)

Buffalo New York’s signature Beef on Weck

The debut of the Chopstick Kamisori v.2. (All you really need to see.)

Today I took what good sense I had left this month and flushed it down the crapper, then immediately regretted my horrible decision and dove into the crapper in a lame attempt to get it back. To no avail.

What’s to be said about rubbing a piece of bread soaked in gravy all over your face? I can say beef jus sure tasty with a Beef on Weck, but it absolutely makes a piss poor lather.

The Chopstick Kamisori v.2 features a new and improved bamboo handle and thread whipping to secure the GEM blade in place. The inaugural shave with it the was the worst shave. Ever. At least I drew no blood like last year. I can’t think of using anything worse, but maybe a rusty garden hoe.

For post shave toning everything beats a nice dollop of prepared horseradish. Tasty on beef, but it stung like a MFer. I suppose it has some astringent qualities and may actually benefit my skin in the end.

The magical ingredient, Balsamic Vinegar, in the jus turns out to be just as magical as a fragrance. I have the sweet tart aroma of a salad dressing lingering in my space and it is quite delightful. Hmmmm… I foresee another group soap buy coming soon from whatever ̶s̶u̶c̶k̶e̶r̶ soap artisan wants to take this on as a project.

What? The Daily Challenge is not to record yourself shaving with a deli sandwich and a janky Kamisori? We’re supposed to give a shave den tour? Surely the Djudges have better sense? Well, whatever. Here it is.

Reuben shave.

• Brush: Wolf Whiskers Beehive /Maggard Boar 28mm
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Ti
• Blade: Personna Comfort Coated (1)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co - Triumph
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva

Shave crap drawer

Brushes and razors that usually live in the cabinet that I took out for this picture since it's not show us your medicine cabinet day

Overflow in bedroom closet, plus a box that has samples and smooshes. And a dusty shoe

scrubs

July 26, 2023 – Avocado Spray

• Brush: Hand
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil Spray
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux – Admiral

My intent was not to shave with anything weird today, I was going to use the sample of CB La Terre Verte I got, but, well, that’s not in the spirit of the games. We’re staying at my cousin’s house for this week and a half away from home and she is what my wife would call “crunchy.” Everything is natural, organic, essential oil cleaners, etc. Their home is also very decluttered and simple – I’m amazed at how little they have when they have adolescent boys. It’s been a bit inspiring, actually, and we’re going to make some changes at home. Not to be fully crunchy, but, simplify some stuff, declutter some stuff, etc. I digress.

She has a lot of different oils in the house and spray avocado oil seemed like a decent bet for a slick shave.

It was not. For an oil that lubricates pans, it did not lubricate my face. So tuggy. Not smooth. Not an unpleasant feel on the face or post shave, but, very unpleasant with a razor dragging across it. Full 3 passes, couple nicks. Hand lathered because, well, there was no use trying to lather this stuff – it was more like spreading a very wet cream.

As for the Den Tour, here it is. This is more shaving wares than your average person will own in a lifetime, but, it’s just what I stashed with on this long trip. When I realized that I did not take pictures or record my den before we left on the trip (last Tuesday, woof) I had hoped that by some chance this day would be one of the final 2 days when we are back home. Alas, here we are, so you – like me – get the putneycj travel den on this tour. Some samples, some smushes, some frags, 3 razors, and 2 brushes. It’s not much, but it’s an honest travel kit.

FOF Haiku of the Day

Avocado Spray
Guacamole it is not
Unscented is best

Edit: haiku formatting

July 26, 2023 - Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: High temp silicone pastry brush
• Razor: Fatip Classic Grande Nickel Open Comb
• Blade: Gillette Minora Stainless
• Lather: Momofuko Milkbar - Lemon Curd (homemade)
• Post Shave: Harney & Sons - Earl Grey Supreme tea
• Tea Cup: Calamityware - Things Could Be Worse (20 oz. Mug)
• Fragrance: Danncy - Pure Vanilla Extract

#FOF

Today’s Theme:

After reading many posts looking to avoid what has already been used, I decided to make my own lather from scratch. A couple weeks ago, I made lemon curd for the first time using Christina Tosi’s recipe from the “momofuku milk bar” cookbook. It was pretty easy to make and quite delicious. I didn’t have any leftover, so I went ahead and made some after dinner. For a splash, I decided to add in some Earl Grey tea, and as long as everything was coming from the kitchen, some vanilla extract my in-laws brought us from Mexico. Since lemon curd is about half emulsified butter, it acted a lot like a cream or lotion. Shave was surprisingly average. The curd was very drippy, especially after rinsing the razor and getting a bit of water onto things. The tea was cold by the time I used it as a splash.

Today’s Challenge:

I took the opportunity of a den tour to straighten things up. So all the loose stuff onto the bed for pictures. The first picture is everything that was in my home office. The second pic in the group is the hardware, fragrances, and loose odds and ends from my bedroom. While the third is the bulkier storage bins of soaps and splashes. Putting everything out like this really drives home how much stuff I have. Not pictured are some samples that will be finding a new home next month.

Today’s Fragrances:

There are not a lot of ingredients in the lemon curd. Lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, butter, eggs, and some gelatin. The fragrance is pure lemon. Not getting a lot from the butter and eggs. I thought what better than some Earl Grey tea. Strong hit of bergamot, followed by the earthy black tea. It is from one of my favorite tea companies. What could complete this evening tea? How about transforming the lemon curd scent into cookies? This vanilla my in-laws gave us is very strong. When we use it in recipes, we usually cut it in half. Just a drop was enough to fill the bathroom with a bright, floral, vanilla. I now smell like a nice little dessert after dinner.

Today’s Haiku:

Vanilla, Lemon,
Having some tea and cookies,
For my shave tonight.

User cooked and shaved with lemon curd, splashed tea, and wore vanilla extract for frag.

July 26, 2023

• Brush: Oumo Pandora 28mm
• Razor: Leaf Elite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue(2)
• Lather: Banedon38's – Tobacco and Bay
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Tobacconist
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Tabaconnist

Like many others during 2020/2021 I found myself with some free time and decided to give making my own soap a go. Still make my own bath bars from time to time, but I have so much shave soap that I don't really make it all that often.

I believe the recipe I used was:

50% Stearic acid, 30% Beef Tallow, 10% Coconut Oil, 5% Lanolin, and 5% Cocoa Butter.

It works rather well and provides a good shave, though not up to the bases these days. Fragrance was something that I picked up from Nature's Garden or Bramble Berry I believe.

As far as my den goes, I have stuff stored all over the place. A bookcase dedicated to soaps/splashes/frags, with brushes on the top. Storage containers that can be hidden under the bed. Overflow under the sink, and probably more...

Save money they said...

#ROTY

Jul. 26, 2023
Razor: Karve CB
Blade: Astra SP Green
Lather: James Gent - London - Soap
Post Shave: Nivea - Post Shave Balm - Balm

I guess I am a scrub. Found this in a hotel bathroom in Mexico when I went on vacation in June. Wasn’t very well performing but I guess it would work in a pinch.

As for the den, here are the two shelf’s my wife allowed me(which she generously uses half of one for storage of unwanted items). Very disorganized. I’ll get to it eventually.

https://imgur.com/a/4BmhyNZ

ROTY

July 26, 2023 – Wild card Wednesay

• Brush: Century Travel Brush #ANCIENT #RUNT #SMOLL
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo SS .72
• Blade: Wizamet (15)
• Lather: Archaic Alchemy – Agave
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger – Lucky Tiger
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes – Macaque

Challenge: Den tour. I moved most of my shave stuff to this bookcase. Moving all these boxes and seeing how much shelf space is taken up puts things into perspective. There’s a few things in the bathroom, but this is most of it. Every box is full, so there’s loose software where space could be found. One of the shoe boxes contains frag samples. The other has soap samples, two packages of Nacets, assorted boxes, cases, and odds and ends. The tea tin is full of blades.

—

Meet Mr. Monkey. Today I’m going to teach Mr. Monkey how to shave. First things first, I have a brush and razor that are just the right size for Mr. Monkey. Now to select a brush for myself… What’s that Mr. Monkey? We both have to use your brush? I don’t think your brush is big enough… No! Stop that! Don’t throw that! Bad monkey! Don’t make me spank you! Fine, fine! We’ll both use your brush.

Let’s load our brush with soap. Alright Mr. Monkey, put that into your shave mug. I’m going to face lather. Now, watch how I do it. Okay, your turn. Let’s get you lathered up, and shave.

Good job! Time to clean up. Let’s rinse your mug.

—

Hopefully someone found that amusing. Full album

I found this vintage NOS brush on ebay. The seller’s description says these are from the 80’s. The knot diameter is 12 mm; loft is 33 mm. There were other brushes that could’ve met the requirements for these tags, but this one made me laugh, so I bought it. The knot was springy. I had to pinch the knot above the handle to pick up any soap. It took a little effort to get it to splay. It says “pure badger” on the bottom of the handle. It was scritchy and uncomfortable to face lather with. Going into this, I was worried it would fall apart. It made it through with about 3 hairs falling out. However, it felt fragile. It’s so tiny that it’s totally impracticable, but good for a gag.

Agave is true to it’s name. I’ve never smelled the plant itself. But, I find it to be accurate to agave sweetener, or mezcal.

Lucky Tiger is a post shave product I like to use when I don’t have a matching splash. The face feels are good. It smells like orange oil. Sometimes it’s nice to have something simple.

In honor of Mr. Monkey, today’s fragrance is Macaque from Zoologist Perfumes. Macaque is strongly animalic fight off the bat. It’s a dirty fecal note, like visiting elephants at the zoo. There’s some aromatic leafy green notes.

After some time to dry down, it’s greener, there’s a hint of zesty citrus. I’m getting a note that smells like patchouli.

Overall, it’s heavy and there’s no brightness to lighten things up.

#FOF

July 26, 2023 – Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Edwin Jagger Silvertip Badger
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Gillette 7 o’clock Super Stainless (?)
• Lather: The Handmade Soap Company – Shaving Soap (Basil, Lime & Sweet Orange)
• Post Shave: HAGS - Megalodon
• Fragrance: Duke Cannon - Huron

I guess I didn’t really get that we were supposed to shave with something not meant to be shaved with on Wildcard Wednesday. I instead went with a shave soap that was given to me a number of years ago. At the time I was only using creams and not soaps so it has sat neglected in a drawer.

The Soap/Lather: The scent on the soap is pretty much gone at this point ant it smells more of regular hand soap than anything else. The puck of soap is extremely hard, but I was able to scrap some of the soap off in what looked like pencil shaving and press it into my bowl. What was amazing, though, is how easily and well it lathered up.

The Shave: To mix things upn a little bit, I went back into my drawer of old blades and decided to draw a random blade from the bottom of the pile. I wound up with a 7 o’clock so I threw it in my 34C. While not the slickest formula out there the lather provided me a decent shave even if the blade was past its prime.

Post Shave/Frag: For my post shave/frag I tried to stay with a naval theme and use products I didn’t think had been used yet.

Theme: Pretty sure I’m the only one with a puck of this.

Challenge: While my den is nothing too impressive, it helps me get the job done and all of it has been acquired over the last year of shaving with soaps. I have a few other pieces around in other odd spots, but pretty much all of it is pictured.

#ROTY

Wednesday, the 26th of July, 2023

• Brush: Omega 20106
• Razor: Karve brass Christopher Bradley, SB-C
• Blade: Topaz Platinum (75)
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Blacksmith
• Post shave: Declaration Grooming - Cuir et Épices
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Damocles

I decided to pick up the same razor as yesterday. It turns out I get a much better shave with my right hand. Go figure!

Also... what the hell? Fifty seven shaves posted so far, and nobody used Noble Otter's Joker on Wildcard Wednesday? I initially thought I might use it today, but with my super-late posts these days, I figured there's no way I'd have been the first to post with it. Dang, I guess I should have left it in for today. Well, at least nobody else has used the Blacksmith today, either.

The soap, splash, and perfume all share some element of leather, and another of spice.

As for the shaving collection... almost everything is kept under the bathroom sink these days. Whatever I'm using for the last/next few days is out on the counter.

DAY 26 LATHER GAMES!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot
• Razor: Eldrorm Industries MM24 #BRASSING
• Blade: GEM PTFE(?)
• Lather: Ingram - Cool Lather Shave Cream
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Tres Matres splash
• Fragrance: Versace - Eros

​

PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

​

My whole day went to shit, when I woke up and saw that u/OnionMiasma stole my idea to shave with motor oil... And before you say "Of course you'd say that". I have a video that proves that I've done it almost a year ago!

So yeah, I was stumped... I went through the whole day thinking "What should I use?!?!?", it rained a bit so I gathered some rain water, but then thought, that's boring... I thought cleaning agents, dust, dirt, rosin.... All were boring. So I scrubbed it up the best I can and used an Egyptian cream no one's ever heard of!

On top of it all Onion took a stab at me, for no reason.... At least u/Priusaurus was honest, I thought Onion was a companion in battle, but we now see his true colours.... This is for you Onion!!!

​

DAILY CHALLENGE

Video

Now since I constantly move from my home town to the capital I don't really have a shave den on something to that extent. But I do have a travelling shave den in a gorgeous leather bag which I keep all my most precious things! You can see in the video, hopefully it's not too boring like this SOTD, probably my worst since the start....

#FOF

Honestly I'm so pissed I just threw some stuff together as best I could, my grand plan was foiled... Eros goes kind of well with Tres Matres, but I can't say it's a great match the vanilla kind of collides with the rosewood. Could be better, but it's ok.

• Daily Lather Themes: 26/30
• Daily Challenges: 26/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 19/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 2/2
• Software Vendor Points: 12/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 0/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 26/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 26/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 26/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 26/30

July 26, 2023 – Tour de Lather

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Schick Injector Type I1
• Blade: Personna Injector
• Lather: Chamois Butt’r – Coconut
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Varen
• Post Shave: Proraso – Menthol and Eucalyptus
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Contemplation

So as mentioned in the previous theme day where we discuss our other hobbies, I am a cyclist. Loathed by both driver a pedestrian everywhere. I wear Lycra and ride on an expensive but not too expensive bicycle for way to long to the frustration of my partner. An essential part of your “kit” is a good bib with a good chamois, basically overalls with a butt and ball pad. Why this is important can be explained here.On top of that for extra comfort and to protect from sores or chafing on hot, extended, or very rigorous rides some people use Chamois Butt’r, the major branded anti chafe cream. I do use it on occasion and like a good wetshaving sicko, I use the euro style, which is mentholated. That was my first choice but then I found out they came out with one that used coconut oil s it’s second ingredient! Also in a convenient one time use sample size? Fluffy lather here I come!

Or not.

To keep on with my cycling theme I wore my favorite pair of bibs, socks, shoes, and not seen the photo, a neon yellow cap. For a lather bowl, I used an old, VERY CLEAN, pair of shorts with a chamois. And for this weeks u/J33pguy13 unofficial step it up challenge, I upped the ante and stood on not one but TWO step ladders for my first pass.

We’ll the Butt’r didn’t lather, it just kind of got moved around and was absorbed by the chamois. I then tried a face lather to no avail, eventually I settled on just smearing it on my face. Slick but that’s it. Two passes with the Schick was enough. I did a third pass with a lather of Varen since the chamois Butt’r had no scent or real lather at all. Proraso was used first as a splash as a nod to the great cycling traditions of Italy. I’m sure many of its champs have shaved with it. Finally for me, I finished with contemplation, a reminder of the beautiful hot days and cool summer breezes carrying the sweet grasses as I ride on.

I’ve included all photos related to this shave in one album.the product, my favorite bibs, step ladders. as well as two of my shave den. Included is evidence of most recent favorite ride via cycling computer. I went up Mt. Baldy, just outside LA, totaling 62 miles and over 6000 feet of elevation in climbing.

Keep the rubber side down. 🤙

ROTY

July 26, 2023 – LG 26: Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Coprolite B15
• Razor: Edwin Jagger DE 89 #TWINS
• Blade: Personna Stainless (2)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Remote Learning
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Remote Learning
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Smash

Video first

Soooo… over the years I’ve seen WD40, numerous personal lubricants, melted anal suppositories, and PB/Banana “lathers” among many others. My first year I’d only heard of the famed jizz shave. I’ve dabbled in some weird stuff for this day, but today I thought I’d go with the greatest meme soap wetshaving has ever seen – Remote Learning. As it stands, this is one of 2 in existence, until u/priusaurus managed to get u/rocketk455 to make a batch if at just 10 people were in. Well… looks like r/wetshaving is getting its wish. If you missed the preorder, or just want one of the OG April Fools edition sets because it’s true UnOBTaNIuM, comment your favorite Doritos flavor below, and we’ll let LatherCat decide who the lucky winner is. Additionally, for each entrant I will donate $5 to East Bay Children’s Book Project. up to $150. I really benefitted from this org as a young teacher bolstering up a class library.

Now, when I won this in a PIF, ~~just the other day~~ many months ago, it hit close to home. I was a teacher through distance learning, and to put it lightly it was tough. I work at a school (I joined the dark side of admin… boo) that is traditionally underserved and 100% BIPOC, and the pandemic only exacerbated the inequities and issues faced, and is still clearly impacting students and outcomes. Stepping off my soap box now, I knew I had to wait and save this soap for lather games, with the clear intention of passing it on (see above PIF guidelines). I sat on it like Smaug, basking in its glory, sniffing it every so often, just to finally shave with it today.

I’ll keep the #FOF short. It smells like cheesy tortilla chips, the corn quite prominent. The AS is actually decently spot on for The Dew. Smash kept the theme ~~food oriented~~ gourmand, and I was no stranger to a cocktail post remote learning days. It’s peachy, it’s boozy, it’s delicious.

Our #PHOTOCONTEST is technology, as zoom was clearly the winner of distance learning. Dumbass Skype had years of advantage at hand and fumbled that opportunity.

Den tour in picture form, which is most comprehensive. To expand on it a bit, main den vid, brush vid, and sample more in depth vid. Edit to add: custom shelf I made. Sadly it was custom fit for an old bathroom and isn’t getting use now, but hopefully soon.

Lastly, obligatory thanks u/onionmiasma for the razor loan.

soap brands 26/30, post shave 26/30, frag 26/30, post/frag linked 26/30, software sponsors 13/13, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 10/15, brush hashtags 10/15, photo contest 26/30, daily challenges 23/25, special challenges 3/5

July 26, 2023 – My mother is so proud  

• Brush: Echolly – synthetic  
• Razor: Gillette Tech  
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue   
• Lather: Gain – super fresh blast detergent  

Theme: most wildcards are edible or obscure soap. I had just about planned today’s shave to be chocolate ganache but life had other plans. I keep hydrogen peroxide and detergent under my sink for when Aunt Flo tries to ruin my underwear, and when I saw them this morning I knew what I had to do. Detergent is thirsty stuff, it lathered well and makes for a very smooth shave. Plus the bathroom smells amazing. Or course you also have to rinse for 10 minutes solid and my leg kind of burns now but let’s ignore that.

Challenge. It’s more of a shave shelf plus sample bucket and it usually loves scattered around.

July 26, 2023 * Brush: Viking Soaps w/ 28mm Badger * Razor: Karve CB OC B * Blade: Gillette Silver Blue * Lather: Viking Shaving Soap - Norway - Soap * Post Shave: Viking Shaving Soap - Norway - Aftershave * Fragrance: Australian Private Reserve - Ozymandias - EdP

I could torture myself and use some homemade concoction or random liquid from my house today but I'm ....getting too old or something.... nah,I just have more common sense than to go through that. Have fun all you crazy daredevils. Norway is very herbal and spicy, quite enjoyable.

Here's a pic of my shave stash in my closet.