• Brush: Chisel & Hound Kuai Taper w/ V18 Fanchurian 26mm

• Razor: Muhle Rocca R94

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: Mickey Lee Soapworks - Jefferson Square

• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavanille

• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Telegrama

Today's Theme: Lavendursday - Jefferson Square, Lavanille, and Telegrama all prominently feature different flavors of lavender. Jefferson Square is an earthy, potpourri lavender. Lavanille is that creamy, Mousse de Saxe-laden lavender we all know and love. And Telegrama is a fresh, clean lavender that kind of reminds me of liquid fabric softener.

Today's Challenge: Shave Outside Day - As you'll see in the picture below, I set up and shaved outside on my backyard patio. I decided that just because I'm outside doesn't mean I have to shave like Bear Grylls, so I set up a nice little table and chair with my scuttle, water bowl, and shaving gear. I used my phone's selfie camera for a mirror and recorded a video so that the screen wouldn't turn off. If anyone wants to watch a 10 minute video of a random shirtless schlub of a man shaving quietly while the neighbor dogs bark, well, here you go. Djudges, don't say I didn't warn you, you didn't have to watch the video. There is no punchline. There is no secret message. It's just for anyone who really wants to watch me shave quietly outside.

My theme for today's shave: Lavender

I really enjoy lavender scents, so today was a really nice way to explore three different takes on lavender. I know, I could have done the feet juice frag for my fragrance, but I haven't used Telegrama before and I already know that I love Lavender, Interrupted. MLS Jefferson Square was a smush sent from /u/j33pguy13 and it was a very nice scent and soap. Lathered up well, and the scent opened up as I built the lather. The scent is very much like a potpourri bouquet - earthy, fragrant, but not sharp or creamy. Lavanille is that creamy lavender we're all well familiar with. Slight sharpness on the open, creamy on the drydown. Now Telegrama is a scent I've been excited to check out, and now I'm sad I was too late to get on the Noble Otter Telegrama soap/splash train. It's a really nice floral lavender that's just easy on the nose and very lovely.

No music today, I wanted to just enjoy being outside and relax a little. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY

July 27, 2023 – Lavender 3 ways.

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Badger
• Razor: Valet Autostrop #selfsharpening
• Blade: Feather (SE) (1)
• Lather: Spieck – Lavender
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Bergamot Lavender
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Lavender Interrupted

You know given Will’s marketing maybe that title was a poor choice. Or a epic one? You be the judge.

Final loaner razor from u/Chronnoisseur420 to get some points. From here on out it’s u/j33pguy13’s CFL pass around (except Friday and Sunday when I need my English tech.) So I gues it’s tech on out except Saturday when I use the CFL…. Then, somehow we’re at AA… Wild how fast this went. Gonna blow off the first week of AA to test the CFL a bit more before I send it back. I’m both relieved and sad we’re reaching the end of our LG time.

Back to the valet. This thing is wild and over engineered, and it took me 10 minutes to figure out how to load it. (the blade goes on the top which flips over?) I guess if you strop disposable blades maybe it’s useful? Dunno. I borrowed it so I could hit 8/10 hardware points. This is where I stop on that because I’m out of time. (note to anyone counting, I’m counting ahead. This makes 6/10. the CFL hits CNC and Rainbow, for 8).

For the challenge. Did I ever mention I live on a corner lot? With a backyard that faces the street? This is basically shaving in public, with a nosy neighbor in that house above me who contently looks out her window at anything going on. Only difference is I can’t get thrown out of my house. Or rather, I don’t think my wife will throw me out. She’s already left for work. 20% chance my neighbor calls the cops on me. I waited to shave until after kid drop off to give me time to do this uninterrupted. Downside is it’s already 85 out. But hey shave sister ain’t that mister mister? Ah yes, that can keep me cool and moisten my stubble while I shave since this is well after showering. Got my gear ready outside, including a baby Yoda travel mirror I borrowed from my wife.

Start shaving, if I dump soapy water all over the brand-new patio, I will be thrown out by the wife. So, I have a cup to rinse my razor in. But as I lather, I stick my face in the mister to get more water. Then alternate the brush in. It works…not bad. Get a decently wet lather. OK this razor is…odd, and I can’t really stretch my skin. Boy that’s a lot of blade feel, but I can muddle through pass one. Suddenly! Sounds…oh shit, the nosy neighbor has opened her garage. Crap, she’s coming out….more sounds.. WHEW, her and her husband are having a spat trying to get in the car (nothing serious, he’s been hurt and not letting her help him get in.) They are distracted and not noticing me.* I can get done if I hurry. But once they pull out of the garage I’m busted. Best case I have to talk to them. Worst case I have to explain myself. Stick my face in the mister mister…oh crap, it’s not strong enough to get the lather off! Crap my hands are too slippery to turn off the hose and unhook Mister Mister. Quick, wet hands, rub face clean, pass 2. This pass hurts, I can’t see what I’m doing in the mirror, I’m XTG, WTG, and ATG all at once. Try to rise the razor in Mister Mister…it doesn’t work. Glad I brought the cup, but cup water is getting soapy. Make it happen, finish shave. Stick head in mister mister. Still not rinsing. HOW ARE MY SHORTS WETTER THAN MY FACE. Fine, whatever, hurriedly walk in with soapy, but socially acceptable shaved face. I did shave outside. Challenge complete, no neigbor questions. Once inside rinse off, change shirts (eff it it’s hot, soaked shorts are actually not bad.) Notice I’m bleeding in several spots. Whelp styptic time. Apply balm. Apply Frag. Roll into home office late.

Today’s #fof is pretty straight forward, Lavender everywhere. Which is good, I love Lavender. First post shave I bought: Bergamot Lavender. But I’ll go a bit deeper here with the theme and expound on types. The spieck Lavender strikes me as a more woody Lavender. This transitions nicely to the bergamot Lavender, which mixes with the citrus in the bergamot in the most fantastic way. The we move to the polar opposite of the spectrum: Lavender Interrupted. Lavender interrupted is sweet to the point I get vanilla first, and a punch of it. But it dries down to a sweeter Lavender. I want to stop and thank u/unitesstatesghost here for this sample. I was skeptical of Lavender Interrupted. I don’t like lavinille, which is nominally where Will starts here, it smells musty to me. So I didn’t jump on it. But she threw this in a PIF box to me and I’m glad because it’s nothing like lavinille. It defintely dries down more woody, but that just makes this FOF a full circle! Go me!

On to #photocontest, since we’re shaving outside, here’s an entry in holes. Specifically the hole left over from my old deck after removing the piers. It’s appropriate since I’m shaving on the patio that replaced it. I filled it in after this photo finally (one more to do done!)

Last 3 shaves remaining #ROTY folks. Who’s gonna finish strong?

*So occasionally they do notice when I do weird things and it ends not great. Which is why I’m glad I dodged it this time. About 8 years ago, I grew 4 hop vines off my back patio. She asked if I was growing pot. “Yes, I grow pot right out in the open!” When I explained it was hops, she inquired as to whether I was bootlegging because she didn’t know homebrewing was legal. When I brough home my first deer’s head to get the antlers off and did that in the back yard…yeah you can imagine how well that went over. Fun fact for u/AirBudruler I didn’t know it at the time, but I was saved from trouble by the Air Bud Rule. “Ain’t no rule that says you can’t perform cranial surgery on a deer head in your own backyard.” (As long as you legally hunted it and properly dispose of the remains, and I did both.)

July 27, 2023 – Mort, Morty, Motimoron

• Brush: Ap. shave Co. – purple Haze
• Razor: Böker – Elite Carbon 2.0
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Purple Grapefruit
• Post Shave: Hags – Animalized
• Fragrance: Miro – Cabal

#Fof

Soap and shave:
Bad timing for a wonderfull challenge.
Germanys weather forecast is a big middle finger towards me. Not only am I feeling sick, no, its raining the whole day.
During lunchtime, the rain stopped. I took that opportunity, grabbed my stuff and went outside. I had stropped my razor at home. Luckily, I have a small park in front of my door. With the rain stopping, all dog owners went outside with me. Since a dog jumped into my kinder wagon when I was a child, I am not a dog person, but in recent years my fear went away mostly. What I was kind of a fraid is dog owners questioning me, what I am doing in the park with lather on my face. But first things first.
I was looking for a good spot. Close to a music school, I found a place with lots of public banks. Although the spot was quite open, the rain made people avoid coming close. Who would sit on a wet bank? I had some company today. Mort, Morty, Mortimer, Mortimoron, GarlicMiasma, MrMortysky and Djungoosia.
u/OnionMiasma, because I cant stop calling them Morty now.
I placed my umbrella on the bank in case it would rain again. Two liters of Gym water were with me. I soaked my brush in it and started lathering. Did I mention that I do not like the scent of lavender. My mom used it for everything. Headache? Lavender on forehead. Can’t sleep? Lavender on top of shirt. Pimple? Drown it in lavender.
Caties Bubbles has added some nice grapefreuit to make the scent bearable for me. With some pasty lather I started my shave. Again, I had no mirror , no selfie mode or whatever. Just a weird dude in a park, shaving by memory. My chin area was too risky and I left a few spots here. The rest of the shave went surprisingly well. In the distance was a dog owner, but I think he did not see me. But there was a dad with his son. Good for me, the son was more interessted in the Mortys, than in me, so the dad did not have to explain anything. Last Christmas, I got a leather bag for a straight razor. That came in handy today.
Aftershave:
The aftershave was quite nice. Had a good portion of sweetness to it. There was some lavender in it but overthrown by the other stuff.

Fragrance:

Miro Cabal is a dupe of Le Male and has lavender as a heart note. Its sweet, with a littl bit of spice with a mild woodyness. Probably a scent for darker days or later hours, but I like it. Did not expect Le Male to be that good.

Day 27 - Lavendursday

• Brush: 28mm Synthetic Badger Bulb Knot Homemade Handle
• Razor: Karve - Christopher Bradley
• Blade: Astra Green
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - La Superieur Lavender
• Post Shave: Dr. Jon's - Flowers In The Dark
• Fragrance: Paco Rabanne - Phantom

Happy lavender day, I didn't shave outside, sorry. But I smell like a field of lavenders! haha. I went with La Superieur Lavender. It has such a pure Lavender smell, followed by Flowers In The Dark.

For the fragrance, I followed the Lavender road with Phantom. The lather games has made me realize that most full-size colognes I have are from Paco Rabanne. I don't know what that means, just sharing.

ROTY #FOF

LG23-27: Lavendursday

• Brush: Shore Shave “Purple Ribbon” 24mm Motherlode
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Astra SP (2)
• Lather: Chiseled Face Groomatorium - Woody Lavender - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Talbot Shaving - Mont Ventoux - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Homecoming
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Sumatra. Pegasing, Takengon, Aceh. - v: Gayo 1 & 2, Catimor, Abyssinia - p: Washed
• Music: Purple Mountains
• LG Tags: #FOF

For today's shave, I headed out onto my back porch for a hot and muggy shave, as is tradition for the Lather Games. I didn't run into my neighbor over the fence this year, but since we removed the Box Elder trees that were destroying the back fence, there's now a direct line of sight to the apartments behind our house. Some dude in the window of his living room gave me quizzical looks once I lathered up. I waved; he backed away into the shadows. His loss I guess.

I lathered up one of The Los Angeles Shaving Soap Company scents now available from Chiseled Face. Woody Lavender is exactly as described—rich lavender over a woody base of ho wood and amyris. With the exception of Jefferson Square (multiple layered lavenders) and Will's smoothly-pretty Lavender—which finally won me over on straight-up lavender—most wet shaving scents based around a strong lavender note combine it with a few other notes to fill out the blend. This LASSC/CF scent does the same and the results are calming and earthy. I've disliked ho wood in some other scents, but it makes the lavender smell thicker, more robust, and reedy, while amyris brings out the lavender's often-fleeting floral sweetness. Woody Lavender would be a perfect aromatherapy scent.

In contrast to Woody Lavender, Talbot's Mont Ventoux is bucolic and freshly harvested. The combination of lavender and rosemary is herbaceous, lively, and a little green. There are hundreds of varieties of lavender across many species; I'd guess the one Talbot used is both sweeter and more bristly than the one in Woody Lavender, but simultaneously brighter and less earthy. The variance in lavenders and seemingly straightforward lavender-based scents becomes apparent when you compare them side by side.

Which brings me to my fragrance, featuring my favorite lavender scent in the game. Kyle designed Homecoming to "draw out an accentuate some of the darker elements in lavender." It's the heaviest and most complex of these three scents by a wide margin, leading with a robust lavender, but texturing it with sharp black pepper, woody vetiver and cedar, and honeyed neroli. The neroli provides a significant amount of floral-citrus sweetness in the soap; the fragrance pushes it back into the blend where it has equal standing with the rest of the notes. I don't know if it's something with my current skin chemistry, or my nose is extra sensitive at the moment, but I can't get over how smoky the EdP smells today—especially as it dries down. If you want a dark and spicy lavender scent but don't like a pungent one, Homecoming is a must try. That darker style combined wonderfully with my lavender aftershave's sharply-pastoral bouquet.

July 27, 2023

• Brush: TerraFirma Soapery Deep Blue - Oumo Best 3 Color Synthetic 28mm
• Razor: EldormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: The Holy Black – Lavender Creeper Soap
• Post Shave: Maol Grooming – Wilde Flowers
• Fragrance: Prada – Luna Rossa
• Music: Taylor Swift - Lavender Haze

I love the scent of lavender. I love it in my cleaning products. I love it in my coffee. And I even like to grind some up occasionally and sniff it to give me the boost I need to get through the day. I’m always happy to shave with it! It seems to be somewhat divisive within the community, but I enjoy it. Maybe I should ask Doritos how many people need to commit to buying a Lavender flavored chip for them to make them… ANYWAYS…

A few days ago, during the challenge about hydrating lathers and I started to second guess myself a little bit. Am I adding enough water to my lathers? I like to think that, generally speaking, my lathers are pretty balanced, but what if I added moar water? Would I get a better shave? Would the lather be slicker? Today seemed like a good day to test out that hypothesis (I know, this is sounding sciency and science day seems like a lifetime ago). Shaving outside would allow me to add so, so, so, much water. But I would need an assistant. Then I saw him. The perfect little guy to help me make sure my lather stayed adequately hydrated during the shave. I gathered my shaving supplies for the day.... And… Hold onto your butts... See the results for yourself:

Video of today’s outside shave

So, while the expression may be, “if your lather ain't nearly drippin', then you must be trippin’”, I think I found the point where it becomes too much drippage. My faithful assistant had turned against me and his constant barrage of water was too much for the lather to handle. Each pass, hell each stroke, was a race against time, as my little buddy diligently did his best to keep my lather (and everything else in his line of sight) very well hydrated! Even took the opportunity to inadvertently bloom the soap. Fortunately, I was using my MM24 which mows through whiskers like nobody’s business, and it is perfectly balanced with the old MMOC handle. Such a great razor (more on that later). At the end of the day, I determined that my regular lather is plenty hydrated enough and this much water does not do much to improve the quality of the shave. Hypothesis that I need MOAR water proven wrong.

The scents I selected today were all lavender because, well, it’s LAVENDER DAY! Lavender Creeper is a nice, mentholated Lavender Scent – the menthol is very nice of a hot, summer’s day. Wilde Flowers is floral and very lavender heavy - there are supposedly other scent notes in Wilde Flowers, but my sus-nose only picks up lavender. And finally, to close out today’s #FOF, Luna Rossa is lavender-centric with a little bit of mint. This is a perfect scent for an outside summer shave.

For the #photocontest: The Law. Welcome to the lobby of the Massachusetts State Police Museum and Learning Center. Want to learn how to become a MA State Trooper or just learn about the history of the longest running State Police Organization in the country? This is the place to go!

For today’s interview, I have someone who is no stranger to this sub. The man who made the razor I used today. He’s a man that has enabled us and pushed us out of our comfort zones with MMOCs, Boar Brushes, and now a Wagaiaouzet thingy. He’s currently working his way through a Martin de Candre brain bowl and using NOTHING else until all 230 grams (8.11 ounces) of it is gone. He needs no introduction, but he got one anyway. I’m really happy to have u/EldormR join me for today’s interview. Thank you so much, Eld, for agreeing to participate, and for being such a positive influence on r/wetshaving!

10 Questions with… EldormR Industries

1) Many people shave with vintage razors and some even wish they were better. But few people create a new razor from two old ones. What made you want to combine the powers of the 1924 Shovelhead and the MMOC? Did you expect that anyone else would want to buy one, or was the original MM24 simply for yourself?

I loved the quality of shave I would get from the 1924, but hated the tiny handle that it came on. It made the maneuvering tough and uncomfortable for me. I wished there was a way I could change it, but never really spent much time thinking about it.

It wasn't until I found a broken MMOC in a razor lot I picked up that I found my solution. When I got that MMOC, I decided to take it apart to see how the internal mechanics worked. After absolutely destroying it in the process, gotta learn somehow, i realized that I could modify an "intact" MMOC handle to fit the 1924 head.

I started off by just making one for myself, then a few more for some friends to try and get feedback. After word and a few pics/reviews got out, people started reaching out to me to make more of them. I never really had any idea they would be so popular and am humbled by their reception from the sub.

2) How many MM24s have you made? Ever think of adding a serial number to them to keep track of your creations in the wild?

Unless I missed recording one or two, I've made 39 and shipped out to 5 countries. I've thought about doing serial numbering, but never pulled the trigger on actually starting it.

3) What other Frankenrazors are you currently tinkering with or dreaming of?

I'm long overdue on a promise for a friend for a Gem G-bar handle with a 1924 head.

4) Someone is about to take over the world – would you rather it be aliens or robots?

Aliens, hands down.

5) I didn’t try a boar until last Austere August, thanks to your Raw Hoggin Challenge and I know I’m not alone. Before your challenge I was almost intimidated by them based on what other people said about them. So, thank you for running that. What is your favorite boar brush?

My favorite boar brush has to be my Zenith Moar Boar sub brush. That 31mm Hog is fantastic. Before that came along, I would reach for my Rubberset 400-3 with a 26mm Zenith knot I refurbished or my Zenith B36 (28mm x 50mm) Scrubby. I've tried a lot of other manufacturers, but Zenith has always been my favorite.

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN THE REPLY)

2023-07-27 Don't Get Assaulted Day

• Brush: Omega 343178 Synthetic #FAUXFUR #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Treet Starline
• Lather: Shannon's Soaps - Lavender Lemongrass
• Post Shave: St. James of London - Lavender & Geranium
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Admiral

Free disclaimer:
I have no desire to get into whether certain soap-makers deserve the hate they get around here. Parasitic business practices are pretty deserving. Being an anti-vax psychopath is also pretty damn deserving, so I have not and am unlikely to ever purchase anything from Shannon's Soaps. I think this sample came from The Gentle Shave when I got my brush for Raw Hoggin' last year, after which I smushed it in this tin where it has since waited.
Also, the Treet razor was a freebie thrown in with a WSC order.

Lavendursday: The soap is indeed lavender-forward, alongside lemongrass.

Relevant Post-Shave and Fragrance: The Lavender & Geranium obviously matches the Lavender scent.
Meanwhile, Admiral both features and is prominent (to my nose, at least up front) in lemongrass, the other main element of the soap.

#FOF It's lavender. It's lemongrass. 'Nuff said.

At the time of receiving this sample, I was pretty pleased; I had just used the lemongrass-prominent Port-au-Prince on Desert Island Day, and I was ever a fan of lavender. I'm kind of over lavender. Have I ditched it for jasmine, much like Yukon Cornelius' change of heart vis-a-vis precious metals? Lavender is fine, but it's been done! To be fair, this paricular soap mixes things up with lemongrass, which strikes me as a counter-intuitive combination, but it's not terrible.

Moving on to St. James Lavender & Geranium aftershave, the most remarkable thing about it is that it's a gel. It's a bit unusual, but my unverified assumption is that it, like balm, makes an effort to be more hydrating than alcohol-based splashes. Meanwhile, it unsurprisingly introduces another floral note to the mix. I'm not really familiar with geranium, but it pushes harder into floral than I think I care for. I think it's the geranium that ended up lingering around all day, too, reminding me that I do not care for it.

Challenge Accepted: So stepping into the pure liquid agony that is the outdoors isn't enough anymore, is it? Hard to say; you guys forgot to define "nearby"! I went ahead and assumed that my weird little "yard" doesn't qualify for the challenge; I don't mean to argue that point, but as a thought experiment: If I move to the other side of the outside wall, does the wall of the building still count as "nearby", thus meaning that I'm not "outside"?
To avoid the question, I packed up a big ol' bag of water and headed to a nearby park. I mean, it's several hundred feet away, but it's still "nearby", so you figure it out.
Yes, "park." Rocks and dirt.

Obviously, I went before sunrise—because the fucking sun—which was, strictly speaking, when the park was open. There 's a sign that says it's closed from dusk 'til dawn, and dawn had begun, hence open.

I shaved in Pei Wei, and I shaved in a parking lot in Oro Valley. Neither of those were as unnerving as this situation I found myself in this morning. At this hour, your general passerby isn't going to be a person you want to get near. That is, there's a decent chance that it'll be a vagrant whose brain is in a, uh, altered state. Now, I don't carry very often—partly because I don't feel the need that so many stereotypical Americans do, and partly because I like form-fitting clothing, so I don't tend to have anywhere to put one—but I armed myself this morning.

There was one old man who passed me by who seemed nice enough, but I have no idea what that woman who snuck into the above photo was up to. In any case, I got a couple of passes in.

#photocontest
Photo: Flowers
Those are lavender buds.

DAY 27 LATHER GAMES! JUST ME AND MOTHER NATURE!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot
• Razor: Blackland Vector
• Blade: Chinese(12)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Homecoming
• Post Shave: Clubman Pinaud - Lilac Vegetal After Shave Lotion
• Fragrance: Black Mountain Shaving - Vernal Equinox
  PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

To start off things, one would think that when going to the mountains to such a beautiful place, one would not forget to make an awesome picture. Yep, well I'm stupid, might have been the 2 hours of sleep I had been since the previous night...
Anyways. Lavender day. It is a scent that comes up in a lot of fougeres etc. but somehow lavender on it's own never really took a special place in my heart. I mean I like it when it's in cleaning products and essential oils, but in a soap, pure lavender scent. Naaaah... Sorry peeps.

DAILY CHALLENGE

I was so happy when I read about the shave outside daily challenge, cause I had been waiting for it for some time, and coincidentally it aligned with a free day(so to say), so I got the chance to go to the mountains above Sofia, the Vitosha mountains in a special spot I found and shave there and afterwards relax.

VIdeo of shaving outside

I was thinking of making this a loud spite shave, but I heard from the podcast that u/merikus enjoyed someone shaving outside and he explained it was a really calming experience. So I decided that since I am surrounded by nature I should remain calm and not meme it up. It was serene and just like a meditation. I was the first time in a long time that the temperature had cooled down and there was wind blowing, while a gentle sun was tickling my face. Just bliss!! Thank you for this challenge!

​

As far as Spite Shaves go, NO ONE SAID I CAN'T DO IT HERE IN WRITING!

SPITE SHAVE

Spite Video

u/OnionMiasma YO WHERE YOU AT YOU TWO TIMING STEALING BASTARD! You haven't even shaved!!! I gotchu today brother, you're probably gonna shave in your backyard like a scrub! Guess what I BOUGHT A FUCKING MOUNTAIN BROTHER! WHERE'S YOUR MOUNTAIN?!?!?! HUH? HUH??

You shouldn't have messed with me yesterday man! You'll regret it!

You can't outdo me man! You just brought the heat on yourself!!! Three more days, I'll destroy you brother.

You'll beg the Gods for forgiveness, for fucking with me!

All them fumes from yesterday, must've screwed with your head!

I ain't done with you!!

​

#FOF

Now today was a fucked up day. You know why, cause I never tried Lilac Vegetal and that shit smells like the water from a vase that has had roses in it for 3 weeks. RANK... Straight up swamp smell. I thought the Lilac would compliment the Lavender.... Disregarded that stuff and chose something that would go wonderfully with the mountains during the summer! Vernal equinox is a delightful caption of what I just described, it even has Lavender in the middle notes! If you want a classy woody smell, with a fair amount if citrus influence I suggest this one. It's a good one! The blackcurrant in it is a banger!!

• Daily Lather Themes: 27/30
• Daily Challenges: 27/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 19/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 2/2
• Software Vendor Points: 13/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 1/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 27/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 27/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 27/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 27/30

July 27, 2023 - Lavendursday

• Brush: Yaqi Balu 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: Game Changer .68 SP
• Blade: Gillette Minora Stainless
• Lather: Martin De Candre - Original
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Barrister Reserve Lavender Splash
• Fragrance: Mäurer and Wirtz - Tabac Man EdP

FOF

Today’s Theme:

All three products used have lavender listed as one of the first scents. The soap by Martin De Candre only has three listed - Lavender, Mint, and Rosemary. Tabac Man has lavender listed first in the scent notes on Fragrantica. The splash has it all in the name.

Today’s Challenge:

The link above is the pic of my shave gear in place on my deck where I performed my shave. This year, I forgot a portable mirror, so I used my sliding glass door. The mixing bowl held the water to build my lather, and was used to rinse the razor. I forgot to bring out a towel to clean up after the shave, but I dropped a lot of lather on my shirt anyway. I just took off the shirt and cleaned up with it. I felt going back inside to clean up was not in the spirit of the challenge. A couple sprays of the splash, and then a spritz of Tabac Man and my shave was over. There was a strange thing about using the glass door as a mirror. I was seeing a double image of my reflection. It worked, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It was 97F this afternoon as I went to pick up my daughter at her camp. We ended up getting a late afternoon thunderstorm. Luckily, the storm broke before sunset. I wouldn’t have wanted to shave outside when it was dark out. The mosquitoes would have eaten me alive. The good thing about the storm was it really cooled things quite nicely. Temp was more like 80F when I made it outside.

Today’s Fragrance:

Lavender is not a favorite of mine. I don’t have much in my den that is really focused on it. I picked up a sample of the MdC soap to try the brand and for the lavender. The splash I got in a box of samples, and Tabac Man I got because it is Tabac. The soap is just the three scents and lavender is right out front. The mint is very light, but gives it a cool sensation. The rosemary gives a familiar pine scent that blends well with the lavender. The splash is just a spray of that purple flower. It was the strongest lavender scent I used for sure. For the Tabac Man, I’ll quote the description from Fragrantica.com:

“Tabac Man by Maurer & Wirtz is a Aromatic Fougere fragrance for men. Top notes are Lavender, Orange, Bergamot and Mint; middle notes are Coriander, Vetiver, Cardamom and Geranium; base notes are Nutmeg, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Patchouli.”

I don’t feel like this really is a pure Fougére. There isn’t that moss and fern note I associate with the category. This fragrance is more floral to me. The first thing I noticed was the lavender. Maybe I was looking for it, but it is still present an hour after I sprayed. Maybe some of the citrus is there in the background. I haven’t been able to distinguish the sandalwood or patchouli. If anything, the scent is very similar to the MdC Soap, but with a hint of the citrus and other florals and green scents besides the lavender. I’ll have to see how it holds up. Those bottom notes may come out as the lavender and citrus fades.

Today’s Haiku:

It’s not my first choice.
I have to use lavender.
But at least Tabac!

Edit: Follow up a few hours later. I can still smell lavender from the Tabac Man, but not really getting the sandalwood or patchouli yet. Tabac Man is pretty good though. Maybe time to explore lavender some more, but in Sample September.

July 27, 2023 – LG Day 27 – Lavender grows outdoors

• Brush: Stirling Two-Band Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillette Gold Ball-End Tech
• Blade: Gillette Rubie
• Lather: LA Shaving Soap Co. – Blackfern
• Post Shave: Tallow + Steel – Sàsq’ets
• Fragrance: Noble Otter – Monarch

I was really looking forward to shaving outdoors, actually. Last year, I wasn’t comfortable with it due to living in an apartment and the outside facing the neighbors. This year, I’m a homeowner! With no neighbors in sight.

Lavendursday, on the other hand, is not a day I was looking forward to. Lavender is one of my least favorite scent notes, at least when it’s on its own or at the forefront. Blackfern is a very lavender-forward (in my opinion) fougere. Other notes listed are geranium, patchouli, labdanum, and “hints of” clove, eucalyptus, orange and peppermint. Even with all these notes, though, Lavender is what I smell. The others round it out to make it the least upsetting lavender scent I’ve tried. But trust me, judges, this really is lavender. It’s not the same lavender as Sàsq’ets, though. It’s a much darker lavender, meant to evoke the forest, but to me it just highlights lavender oil in a big, big way. Trying/hoping to rectify this, I sprayed a hefty amount of Monarch EdP, which was a gift from a friend. It’s a powdery lavender, providing a needed reminder that lavender doesn’t have to smell like Sàsq’ets. I often forget that Monarch is a lavender scent, actually, because I actually like it. However, despite this, all I smell now is lavender essential oil. I guess that’s the theme of the day, but it’s not ideal for me. #FOF

I may shave outside more often. It was refreshing, relaxing, and made me feel closer to nature. Here’s some photos, including “found footage” style pictures my partner took. She was thoroughly entertained by this daily challenge, and I was happy the rain stopped so I didn’t have to shave in a downpour.

July 27, 2023 – LG 27: Laventhrusday

• Brush: Maggard 24mm 2 Band Badger
• Razor: Karve CB
• Blade: Personna Super Stainless (3)
• Lather: Mickey Lee Soapworks – Jefferson Square
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux – Champs de Lavande
• Post Shave: Dr. Jon’s – Flowers in the Dark
• Post Shave: Imaginary Authors – Telegrama
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Reserve Lavender
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Semicolon
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Lavanille
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Tuesday
• Post Shave: Mickey Lee Soapworks – Jefferson Square
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Reserve Lavender

Lavender is legit, I love it. We all know u/velocipedic did a cool lavender shootout on r/wetshaving, but who the fuck has time to read all that. In todays video I managed his multi-years work in u/wallygator88 fashion in about 5 minutes. I went Between Two ~~Ferns~~ Lavender style, making for a great lavender surrounded set up shave.

Quick #FOF. MLS Jefferson square is a quite bright and green lavender to my nose. It’s strong and sharp, and quite true to putting one’s nose in an actual plant. Champs is a bit spicy and herbaceous, bordering on that medicinal quality, likely the eucalyptus. It has an earthiness quality, and brings in some rosemary as well. To me, reserve lavender is one of the OGs that got me to go down the artisan rabbit hole. It’s classy and sophisticated, a bit “cologne like,” but has layers that leave one always going for another whiff. I’ve never smelled the Caldey Island Lavender it’s based on, but it Reserve Lavender will always have a place in my den.

For my #PHOTOCONTEST, went with flowers, duh.

Edit to add: posted pretty late yesterday and today, but can enter a PIF here if interested in getting some remote learning and helping out a good cause, I’ll tally it all up tomorrow and figure it out this weekend.

Edit 2: Oh, and I’m wearing reserve lavender hair pomade today too. Also, while at work MsChronn sent me this, as I leave a tech in the shower she uses for legs and tell her to use whatever soap she wants. Lavender family today, but I was the mastermind behind my brilliant photo.

soap brands 27/30, post shave 27/30, frag 27/30, post/frag linked 27/30, software sponsors 13/13, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 11/15, brush hashtags 10/15, photo contest 27/30, daily challenges 24/25, special challenges 3/5

July 27, 2023

• Brush: Smilez4Miles 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: Star – Silver Star
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Dr. Jon’s – Flowers in the Dark Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Lavanille Splash
• Fragrance: Paco Rabanne - Phantom

Lavender, lavender, lavender. I distinctly remember my mother having several lavender plants growing up and always making lavender tea with the fresh flowers. She would keep several ziplock bags of previous years harvests in them, each with a piece of duct tape on the bag with the year they came from on it. She SWORE she could taste subtle differences in the different years’ yields. This scent takes me back to those days.

My mom was sort of a hippy and used lavender like old Greek people use Windex. It was a cure all for any ailment one may be experiencing. Headache: lavender. Upset stomach: lavender. Stressed: lavender. Broken bone: Emergency Room, but we're drinking lavender tea on the way there. I'm not sure how much of that she actually believed, versus the fact that we had so much lavender that she just wanted reasons to use it. At any rate, the scent of lavender reminds me of my childhood and my crazy mom's loving, caring nature. So, for this reason, today felt kind of like a special shave for me. All the products I used today extremely lavender-centric. #FOF

CHALLENGE

I already shaved outside earlier the games, and I came home from work, planning to do it again. But there were severe thunderstorms and torrential downpours, so I had to wait until after dark to get it done. I told myself I didn't want to skip any challenges, so if a late night shave it how to do that, that's what I'm gonna do! Plus, it's kind of appropriate that I'm using Flowers in the Dark, well, in the dark. If I was more creative, I’d try to come up with a story that I wanted to shave at night, in the dark because of the name of the soap, but in reality, it’s because I had to wait for the rain to pass. Luckily, the spotlight in the backyard is pretty bright and the rain cooled the weather down substantially tonight. All-in-all - it's fun to shave outside.

July 27, 2023 – Lavendursday

• Brush: Maggard Razors Aluminum handle 2-band badger 22mm
• Razor: Karve CB
• Blade: Wizamet (16)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Menage a Lavande
• Post Shave: Thayers – Lavender
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Lavender Interrupted

Challenge: I shaved on my back deck. My SOTD pic is in a planter I recently set up. I spread my shave cream in my sample bowl, loaded my brush, then filled the bowl with water for lathering and rinsing. The lather turned out well. I tried to use the reflection in the glass to shave, but it was hard to see what I was doing, so I mostly went by feel. Album.

Which flavor of lavender is my soap? I can’t say for sure, but the short answer with Menage a Lavande is several. It smells soapy off the tub. Once it’s lathered it’s a multifaceted lavender extravaganza. There’s fresh laundry lavender. There’s green lavender. It’s aromatic, sweet, and vibrant. This is the most lavender I’ve smelled packed into one fragrance. Truthfully, I’ve only kept this for lather games, but the fragrance is growing on me.

I’ve had this bottle of Thayers for a while. I bought it early on in my wetshaving career. I used to think this was a great product. Now, this is an underwhelming post shave. It feels very watery and like it’s not doing much for my skin. I’m tempted to try and use it up, but it’s the only lavender post shave I have. The lavender is in this is somewhat anemic. The lavender is green, a bit bitter, and floral. It’s drab in comparison to Menage a Lavande. It’s in line with what I think of when I read lavender in commercial products.

I don’t know if Lavender Interrupted will be considered for fragrance of the year since it’s not in soap, but it’s my favorite new thing so far. I’m smelling all sorts of things: lavender, sandalwood, amber, vanilla, smoke, hard wood, tobacco, incense, a bit of leather. I smell patchouli but it's hard to separate from the incense. Remember the other day when I said mousse de saxe was like wetshaver crack? Well, it’s here, too. It's smells really nice. After about an hour it's mostly lavender and mousse de saxe. This is a fragrance you can spend a lot of time diligently sniffing through it picking out notes. It’s dark, but balanced enough not to be too heavy. It’s intriguing, yet approachable. I know I said Vespers was Will’s best work a couple of days, but this is in contention. I anxiously await the opportunity to buy a full bottle.

#FOF

July 27, 2023 – “you’re literally dog-water”

• Brush: Chisel and Hound v19 Fanchurian
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Feather (DE) (1)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Champs de Lavande
• Post Shave Stirling - Island Man

One time I was gaming and a kid, no more than 15 years old, told me I was dog-water. That was weird, but, it stuck with me.

Tonight, my shave was “literally dog water” – kind of. I found this dog bowl in the back yard at my cousin’s place so rather than the Stirling dog bowl, I used an actual slow feeder dog bowl. Side note, my cousin and her family are due back to the house we’re staying in this evening at like 11:30pm local time and I was a wee bit concerned as I knelt on their back patio wearing just my boxers that they would arrive home early. It would have made for an epic post, but, like – how do you even recover from seeing your cousin and her husband for the first time in years like that? Anyway.

I began by rinsing my face from the spicket, smushing my smush into the bottom of the dog bowl, taking a manly “I shave outdoors” tough guy pic, soaking my brush in icy cold water, and building that dog water lather. It turned out to be a great bowl with a built in mirror for lathering – just swirl that brush around in there and pick up that smush – but I did get some weird blue stuff on my hand in the process. Whatever – this is part of outdoor shaving, amiright?

Shave was smooth as can be with no real issues to speak of. The fresh feather was sharp and easy and L&L (Declaration) whipped up a perfect Lavender Scented Lather – this base is for sure my favorite Declaration line based I’ve used. I did get a little motion sick trying to use that built in mirror, but, if you don’t shave by feel once in a while then you’re not really living. I tried to just stick my head under the faucet but that wasn’t going to get it done, so I just rinsed off in the 90+ degree heat and that cold water sure was refreshing. A little kick of tropical bliss from Island Man rounded out an excellent shave. Overall I give shaving outdoors with ice cold water in the extreme heat a 10/10.

FOF Haiku of the Day

Lavender is bomb
Smooth, Creamy, Soft, and Gentle
Who wouldn’t enjoy?

Edit: Added Splash, oops.