July 01, 2023

• Brush: Beard and Blade Supply Co. - Classic Synthetic Shaving Brush #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Gillette - King C Gillette
• Blade: Feather (2)
• Lather: Dr. Jon’s - Flowers in The Dark
• Post Shave: LÚCIDO After Shave Lotion

I have just under a week left here in Japan. Staying with my in-laws I have to say that a regular Shit, Shower & Shave routine has not been established. My lathering here has not been the best. My travel brush is small and I just hybrid-load it straight from the Maggard sample jar and my palm. What else am I gonna do? Ask my mother in law if I can use an old rice bowl??

I had this Flowers in the Dark sample for a long time but never used it. I quite liked the scent and performance of the soap. It’s sad they are closing down.

It’s been a great year of shaving for me. I added lots of soaps to my den. I got the Overlander which is my new favourite razor. But the highlight for me this year was the MOAR BOAR. Thanks to the crew who made that happen!! My first boar and I love it. But hey, did you all spot the MOAR BOAR prototype at the 2022 FIFA World Cup???

Muh hashtags #photocontest

When We Met - Dana and Alden Spotify / YouTube

(edited to make small corrections)

July 1, 2023

• Brush: r/wetshaving Zentih MOAR BOAR 31mm
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .84
• Blade: Gillette Platinum (17)
• Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz – Sir Irisch Moos
• Post Shave: Thayers – Rose Petal

It's here! I'm hopeful that being pushed back a month will help lead to a more interesting, developed Lather Games, but I suppose we'll see over the course of the month.

Somehow I've managed to go my entire wetshaving career without using Tabac or any other - Mäurer & Wirtz products, so SIM is my first foray into their lather product line up. It's a solid performer - not exceptional, but it certainly does what it needs to. To me, the scent is on the funky side of fougère, easily approachable and generally a very nice scent profile.

​

Lather Dance to the tune of Humpty Dance by Digital Underground

Lyrics:

All right, stop whatcha doin' 'cause I'm about to ruin

The image and the style that ya used to

I look funny, but, yo, I'm makin' lather, see

So, yo, world I hope you're ready for me

Now gather 'round, I'm another fool in town

And my sound's laid down by the Underground

I lather all the Bufflehead ya got on ya shelf

So just let me introduce myself

My name is Mango, pronounced with an -Ango

Yo, faces, oh, how I like to shave thee

And all the shavers in the top ten

Please allow me to bump thee

I'm shavin' tall, y'all and just like Humpty Dumpty

You're gonna fall when the SOTDs pump me

I like to rhyme, I like my beats funky

I'm spunky, I like my lathers lumpy

I'm sick wit dis, straight razor, mack

But sometimes I get ridiculous

I'll use up all your C Bub’s and your Wholly Kaw

Uh, yo shavers, come here, are ya waxin’ now?

Yeah, I said you’re waxin’, don’t get in a tizzy

Shavin’ never stopped me from gettin' busy

I'm a freak, I like the soaps with the boom

I once got shaved in a Burger King bathroom

I'm crazy, allow me to amaze thee

They say I'm ugly but it just don't faze me

I shave at every chance

And I even got my own dance

The Lather Dance is your chance to lather up

(Oh, lather, baby) come on, uh

Get all lathered up, come on and get all lathered up

(Oh, oh, do me, baby) check me out y'all

Get all lathered up, just watch me get all lathered up

Come on, get all lathered up, ha, get all lathered up

User kicks off Lather Games with high quality song parody, causes djudge to wake up the next morning thinking "My name is Mango, pronounced with an Ango"

User kicks off Lather Games with high quality song parody, causes djudge to wake up the next morning thinking "My name is Mango, pronounced with an Ango"

LGSOTD 01-July

• Brush: Omega/Shave Factory - 10049 #HOLLOW #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Rolls Razor  #SELFSHARPENING   
• Blade: Rolls Razor Blade   
• Lather: Talbot Shaving – Iliahi Ridge
• Post Shave: Superdrug - Forest Fresh Aftershave 

This is my first Lather Games so fingers crossed I am doing this right, if not ah well, it’s all in good fun!

Tried to make this one a first for everything barring the brush, the Talbot Shaving Iliahi ridge was a freebie with a Charcoal Goods purchase earlier this year, it’s been sat in the drawer of mystery ever since.  Whilst quite mellow off the puck it kicks it up a notch on lathering, sandalwood seemingly but seeing as my only other experience with sandalwood is proraso and B&M I have a limited range for comparison, good though and lathered a dream with the piggy.  

The Superdrug Forest Fresh was remarkably good considering the price, if I remember rightly it was only a couple of quid but was perfectly acceptable, run of the mill type scent. What I didn't take notice of was the lack of a restrictor, so I ended up with enough in hand (and on the floor) that the scent is probably so intense now that I smell like I work in the world's oldest profession.

Now the rolls was an odd one, I’m sure this will be many people’s Special Challenge razor today.  I’ve never tried one before and I think it could do with a slightly better condition strop plate. The thing looks a little intimidating but it's actually fine. I’ll say it was an ok finish but not great but it's piqued my curiosity. I might actually consider digging a little further into this! 

Hope everyone has a good kick off to the games and a grand day. 

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

July 1, 2023 Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: CoolDog - Solna #COMPOSITE #SMOLL
• Razor: Valet Autostrop #SELFSHARPENING
• Blade: Feather – FHS-10 (1)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory – Peppermint
• Post Shave: Saponificio Bignoli – Liquiriza Menta
• Fragrance: Hermes – Eau de basilic pourpre

Inofficial Intro to Lathergames 2023 (SOUND!!!)

It’s lathergames, baby!Finally the day has come. I am awake since 4 and to excited to sleep.

Today, we will use things that are new to us. Over ebay I got my hand on a Valet autostrop. Nobody could tell me exactly, which model this is, and what age it might be. There was also an original Valet blade included, which caught some rust and is not usable anymore. Thanks to maggards I got my hands on japanese feather blases, which fit into the razor. At first the blade did not feel very secure in its place. It’s like the holes in the blade did not match the ones Valet had back in it’s glorious days. The lid opened by itself a few seconds after I placed the blade in it. While I had the razor at home, I hoped it would have a function to adjust aggresivness, but there is a very specific configuration where the blade keeps at it’s place and does not flip over.

I did not expect the blade to be THAT visible from the outside. It frightened me. Compared to a DE razor, you can be pretty sure that the blade wont cut deep into your skin. With the Autostrop, I could not trust it. Since I shaved in the evening, there was little stubble. During my first pass, I was nervous, but liked the efficiency and sharpness of the blade. The flat inclined cap is also unusual compared to the other razors I tried, which all have a round head. A round head helps me with the geometry of the blade and feels more secure. During my second pass, I got the hang of the razor and had a comfortable shave at the third pass. From u/djundjilas boomer shave episode I expected the razor to feel more like a straight razor on a stick, which a Valet is not. Keep in mind that the djudges used a rolls razor and not a Valet.

The soap I used today has a story: Right before the LG last year, I won a PIF by u/worbx to choose 5 used samples. I forgot to tell him my name, but gave him my adress and everything else. Well, german post office works as expected, could not find “Marquis90” at the doorbell and send everything back to the US. Packages from US to germany usually take about 2 weeks. Germany to US is more like 6 weeks. Among those samples were things I wanted to use in the games, but could find a replacement. To make things short. We paid 3 times shipping cost to get 5 samples from US to germany. When I opened the packagae, the Peppermint soap was in there, unexpectedly. I knew, i had to use them in this LG. The soaps performance is comparable to SBS, although I had trouble to dial it in with the short hair brush I got from u/Teufelskraft. Still, the mint was very refreshing. The brush fits very well into my large hands, but the short loft makes it difficult to lather up and put the lather to face. Circling motions are not recommnded with the brush. The hair is too stiff and does barely bend for those motions.

I decided to build a sub theme for today: Mint. Saponificio Bignoli – Liquiriza Menta was one of the loot I got to find the perfect licorice soap/ aftershave/ fragrance. Unfortunately it is very dominant in mint, so it fits my sub-theme perfectly.

Last is my fragrance: I never used it before, but read a comment in a german fragrance forum that it opens with mint and settles down to basil and other herbs. I can agree with it. Now it has settled down and I get a lot of basill with woody notes from it. Its all rounded up with the bitter freshness of the bergamot. I could imagine wearing this on a mediteranian late summer holiday during dinner, when the sun is a bout to set down and the first people stop wearing shorts and get long sleeves out, because it gets chill outside.

Besides the Aftershave, all items are new to me. I havent used the aftershave much.

Enjoy the Games!

The intro video was interesting and fun thing to chat about in the podcast.

• Lather: Golddachs Classic
• Brush: Proraso - Professional (Boar) #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Ever Ready Lather Catcher
• Blade: Gem PTFE (1)
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented (Glacial) - Splash
• Osma: Osma - Osma
• Scuttle: Georgetown Pottery - G20

I lucked out for today’s shave. I literally didn’t look at the calendar until this morning, which is embarrassing for someone who is judging this contest. Saw it was stuff you hadn’t used yet, which is a problem, because I didn’t think I had anything I hadn’t used.

Turns out that /u/djundjila sent me this soap like six months ago and I lost it in a black hole. It resurfaced just as I needed it which worked out perfectly so thanks for hooking me up for today DJ.

I plopped the entire puck of triple milled soap into my SGUTTLE and just started switching the perfectly floppy ProPro all around it. It started developing into a real nice lather. As it did so, I kept on being nagged by the fact that I had bad associations with this scent but couldn’t figure out what it is. Soon it dawned on me that it smells exactly like what Arko would smell like if Arko smelled good. I was surprised Arko could smell good, but there you go.

I wanted to be all simpatico with the entire theme of the day, but I’ve actually tried razors in every single one of those categories. I decided to roll with my Rolls since I never really use it.

So all lathered up I got ready to enjoy my Arko++ shave and the Rolls proceeds to make me feel like I’m dragging a dull cheese grater across my face. I quickly give up on it in less than one pass and go fumbling for another razor I rarely use. I found this gorgeous Lather Catcher sitting at the bottom of a drawer. It always seemed to be more of a show piece than anything else, but I figured, what the hell.

I was surprised with how good this razor is. It is massively aggressive, but not in a bad way. Quickly mowed down my several days of stubble. No real irritation. I might actually try this thing again this month.

EDIT: #PhotoContest

https://i.imgur.com/tV03oTx.jpg

The Lather Catcher is the most beautiful razor I own, and it was hard choosing between highlighting its beautiful script on the back or the artistic “stained glass” effect on the front. So I decided to use mirrors to try to show all the beauty of this razor.

LG 2023 Day 1: The Worst Day Hopefully

• Prep: warm water

• Brush: Vintage Ever Ready 200 with Unbelached Zenith Boar

• Razor: Schick Type B Injector

• Blade: Some no name brand (1)

• Lather: Williams - Williams Mug Soap (vintage) - Soap

• Post-Shave: Williams - Aqua Velva - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Initio Parfums - Oud for Greatness - EdP

Today is both an amazing and horrible day. The start of the Lather Games is always an electrifying thing, it brings me great joy to read people's day 1 posts while they shake off the rust and get into the awing of things. I wish all of you the best over the next 30 days!

Today is also my brother's memorial service. I'll be seeing family members I haven't seen for an extremely long time, family friends, and other people who's lives my brother touched. I'm not really ready for all the emotions and pain that will be experienced today but nobody ever is I think. I'm gonna do my best to be there for my family while they're all gathered here to remember my brother.

For my shave today, I used this grated double puck of vintage Williams regular and mentholated (combined) soap, some Spanish Aqua Velva, and one of my favorite fragrances of all time. The Schick has been sitting on my shelf unused since I bought it, I learned how to load the magazine and razor head last night for today. These things are so fucking cool! The brush I've used before but I'm not really "participating" so I think we'll live.

Have a good day y'all.

July 1, 2023 – A Mea Culpa

• Brush: Heritage Collection 26mm C-Mon #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Gillette Old Type #REGUS
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (2)
• Preshave: Baxter Shave Tonic
• Lather: The Village Soap Smith – Old Spice Type
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Indian

As many of you know, last year I created the Air Bud Rule in which I argued that one did not have to shave in order to earn points in the Lather Games as the official rules did not state anywhere on the rules page that you needed to do this and thus “there ain’t no rule.” It was a roaring success with almost everyone except the judges, who tried to crush it under their limited worldview of shaving. It sparked a near revolution in the Lather Games and almost toppled the judges off their high tower. However, despite all this, this year there will be no Air Bud Rule.

I know many, if not all, of you are saddened and shocked. The Air Bud Rule has come to mean so much to so many who struggle to shave every day and still be counted as here. The simple fact of the matter, however, is that the rules have been rewritten – to the extent that they specifically call out the Air Bud Rule in them in order to point out that there are no “loopholes” to the games. That the judge’s laws, as unfair and cruel as they might be, are the true law of the land and that there is no place here for friendly golden retrievers who can shoot a basketball into a hoop. The judges hate cute animals. Here is the full text denying the Air Bud Rule:

Regardless how hard you try to read between the lines, there are no loopholes in the rules. There are no tricks of language to unravel. There are no “Airbud rules” to discover. None. No amount of arguing semantics will win an argument or brownie points with LG Staff if you try to play outside of the spirit or word of the games, so please don’t bother engaging in such disagreements. The Judges would much rather see you spend your creative energy on something positive or constructive to entertain your fellow Lather Gamers.

Because of this very clear and explicit rule, I see no way in carrying on the Air Bud Rule or the Air Bud Revolution. It was clear last year that I had upset many of the judges but this rewriting and full recognition of the Air Bud Rule makes it impossible to carry on doing so. While it is rewarding to know that the Revolution was powerful enough to warrant a direct call out, there is no fight left in me. I have shut down r/AirBudRule and will carry on in my normal Old Spicey manner with these Lather Games, all hope and dreams crushed from me. I fought the law… and the law won.

Ultimately it comes down to not being able to put the effort into convincing the judges that the Air Bud Rule is more than just a “loophole” but a true way of life that all wet shavers who gain wet shaving enlightenment are part of. As I stated in my original thesis for the Air Bud Rule, “shaving is more than merely the removal of hair from the body with a sharp blade. It is a way of life and we are all shaving all the time in a great community of wet shaving glory." I just can’t make the judges see this.

Don’t be angry at the judges about this, though. After they sat me down in a loverly theater and held my eyes open to watch 48 straight hours of Lather Games propaganda videos I can tell you that they are some of the best people around. The Air Bud Rule was really just a silly little thing and not anything anyone should care about. No, this is for the best. After all, there are so many folks in the Lather Games putting forth a full effort without even knowing what the Air Bud Rule is. We shouldn’t allow them the liberating knowledge of knowing that you can indeed be shaving even when you’re not technically shaving.

Let us then all come together – judges, me, and the other Air Bud Revolution acolytes – to become one community once again. I know many of you have spent all year training your dogs to carry pitchforks in hopes that this would be the year that the revolution took hold but put them away, lock up your set of golden retriever puppies you thought you’d be using for the Air Bud Rule sequel for it is not coming.

It may seem to some of you that I am being facetious or sarcastic here. It’s possible you are looking for a hidden code somewhere in this message that could give you hope. Some first sign that I will not be following the letter of the law. But I can tell you that every word in every paragraph here is true. The judges have nothing to fear from Cowzilla3, hear you me. This is the end of the line for my shenanigans and on the days I don’t shave I will simply not post. I will, of course, participate in these games but not to win, just for fun.

Victory belongs to the judges.

Evidently, I will just be spending these games doing regular posts earning regular points, and not arguing about the very foundations on which our shaving beliefs are built. As such, I should probably end this by actually talking about the shave today. Yes, believe it or not, there are Old Spice dupes I have not used yet and this is one of them. I won’t be lathering it again for review for a while but I will be getting a point as this is the first time I’ve ever used it.

So there it is. The end of the Revolution. The end of the Rule. Done. Finito. Fin. It turns out I was Snivley all along and now the judge(s), sitting in their weird outdoor court chair, have ruled against me.

July 1, 2023 – LG2023 Day One – New To Me & A Slight Hiccup

• Brush: Semogue – TSN 2018 Boar 24mm #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Ali Express – Folding Razor #YTHO
• Blade: Cloud (1)
• Lather: Elysian – Pineapple Ambrosia
• Post Shave: Elysian – Pineapple Ambrosia
• Fragrance: Creed – Aventus

It’s finally here, the most anticipated day in the faced paced high octane world of wetshaving.

I have a bad habit of grabbing items especially soaps and not using them so finding a brand in the den that I haven’t used before wasn’t too hard and this set from Elysian has been glaring at me for a while.

Slightly trickier was today’s challenge of a different style Razor, like most in the hobby I like to try things old and new so I have tried most things but luckily u/USS-SpongeBob sent me a link for what I thought was just a shavette but luckily the blades it takes I have never used before so here we are.

The base from Elysian was decent and better than I thought it would be if I’m honest. The scent I wasn’t as keen on though, the creamy pineapple was just a little Meh for me so back in the trade pile.

I didn’t dare shave my head with this beast as I have tried in the past and it’s just a blood bath, I mistakenly thought I would just give me beard a trim and a tidy up I mean what can go wrong? Well this went wrong OUCH one miss judged stroke and it seems I have cleared a strip of skin away from my face, at least I will probably have a lasting scar to remember the start of LG2023.

I finished of with a plaster and a quick spray of my dying Aventus Decant as its the only thing I could think of with pineapple in the notes, that said I once loved this massively cloned fragrance but now I find it a little underwhelming.

I’m not 100% sure my Brush qualified for the #oldworld because I’m unsure where the knot was made or if you just needed the handle to be made in Europe, if I’m wrong someone give me a poke.

Here’s to everyone having a great games, happy shaves to you all.

photocontest

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Hub City Soap Company – Morning Hike

Not a great day for day 1. Leaving vacation and headed home. No bowl or anything so lathered this in my hand, which i don’t normally do. But turned out pretty good. Thanks to u/Eructate for the samples.

July 1, 2023

• Brush: Semogue 1305
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy - Raw Titanium (#69)
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (4)
• Lather: Maurer & Wirtz - Tabac - Soap
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Original - Aftershave

Not on-theme, just wanted to say thank you to u/USS-SpongeBob for doing a vast majority of the organizing, and /u/djundjila for spending a very large amount of time on creating a whole new judging portal.

daily challenge: Failed

July 1, 2023

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Simpsons Wee Scot #SMOLL #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS #RUNT
• Razor: Rolls Razor #SELFSHARPENING
• Blade: Rolls Razor
• Lather: Henri et Victoria - Cognac & Cuban Cigars
• Post Shave: Derby City Chop Shop - Winter Reserve
• Fragrance: None

First lather games post ever. First time using the Rolls Razor ever. I received this Cognac & Cuban Cigars sample with an order I placed god knows where, and it's been sitting unused. I didn't have real Cubans to put in the photo, so hopefully some assorted cigars from other nations will suffice. I also didn't have Cognac, but I did have a bottle of Armagnac. Point is close...... but no cigar.

Trying to knock out some hashtags, and the Wee Scot, despite its stature, had the most hashtags. Looks can be deceiving.

The splash is marketed as a bay rum, but with bourbon instead. I felt it was the most complementary splash to the soap out of my collection.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

#ROTY

July 1, 2023

• Prep: Proraso Green
• Brush: Antiga Barbearia de Bairro - Principe Real Boar Brush #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE
• Razor: Rockwell 6s R6 Plate
• Blade: Treet Platinum (1)
• Lather: Arko
• Post Shave: Bromleys - Bergamot Lavender Balm

First time trying Arko soap and it was pretty good performance-wise. Not sure if I'm a fan of the scent though. Anyways, it was a DFS for my first day of my first lather games.

#ROTY

July 1, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co Candy Stripe 24mm Boar/Badger Mix #MISTURA
• Razor: Roman Empire Shaving Poseidon Shavette #RAINBOW
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Highland Springs Soap Company - Found Cherry
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Black Cherry Splash
• Fragrance: Coty – Raw Vanilla
• Music: Warrant – Cherry Pie

And… Here. We. Go.

Day 1 of this month-long extravaganza I’ve been waiting a year for. Last year was my first Lather Games and it was all fun and games and I placed a respectable 18th place. It was actually higher than I ever expected I’d finish, and I was (and still am) ecstatic with my prize from Barrister and Mann. Last year’s games were when I first really started to feel like I was part of this community. Sure, I posted a little bit here and there, and got good shaving advice, but I never paid much attention to the faceless user names or who was posting what. And I certainly wasn’t inserting myself into anything. Then, the Lather Games changed that, it was fun to mix it up, participate in the stories, and I proudly won the side contest of defending Cosmo’s daily use of Midnight Stag. And it was fun. Now this year, the fun and games are over. It's time to go to work. From this point forward, The 9th Annual Lather Games will forever be known as: The Lather Games: Priusaurus’ Revenge. The gloves are off and I’m playing for keeps.

I’m not going to be as insightful as u/RedMosquitoMM, and I’m my antics aren’t going to come close to u/djundjila in 2021, and I can’t recreate u/CosmoBarber’s 2020 performance. But I don’t need to. I’m going to out-work, out-write, out-interview, and out-shave every last person in this competition. No point will be left on the table. No post will be mailed in. And no challenge won’t be accepted. I’m calling my shot on day 1. Not only am I going to win this damn thing, I just may bring home a perfect score in the process. So be warned, r/wetshaving community: from this point forward, you’re all playing for 2nd place.

Wait – Did Priusaurus say “out-interview”?? You damn right I did. As part of my 2023 Lather Games efforts, I’ve reached out to all the artisans we know and love (and a few that many don’t), and will be including a series I’m calling “10 Questions with…” in the vast majority of daily posts, asking them about themselves and their business.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s reflect on how far I’ve come since the last games. This time last year, I owned 3 razors, 2 brushes, and I could fit all my soaps in a toolbox. This year, I’m at 3 dozen razors, over 15 brushes, and I’d need a giant snap-on tool chest to fit my soap collection. If this is the rabbit hole, I’m gonna need that rescue crew that got those Chilean Miners out of their cave-in to come get me next. However, one thing is staying the same: Last year, I made a commitment not to match scents the entire games, and this year I’m doing the same damn thing. With the exception of Dickhole Day, I won’t be matching anything. I can and own many, many, many matching sets, but I’m #ridingwithItchy for the entirety of The Games. No dickholing here. And that's a promise.

Even with all the growth and progress I’ve made since last year, there’s still a LOT I haven’t shaved with. I still haven’t used a slant razor, never tried an artist club razor, and I’ve never tried a shavette. One of those ends today. I picked up a Roman Empire Shaving Shavette and took it for its maiden voyage today.

I’m also using soap from an artisan I never used before: Highland Springs Soap Company with a scent called “Found Cherry”, which is a dupe of Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry with notes of Black Cherry, Tonka, and Almond. It has a delicious sweetness to it and almost smells like cherry vanilla ice cream without being cloying at all. Found Cherry is almost like Moon Soaps' Amaretto Speciale’s little brother with the Tonka in there to tone it down a notch or two. The smell was very enjoyable. It lathered up great and provided me a nice slick cushion to glide this new shavette across my skin. Anyone that knows me, knows I’m not super picky when it comes to soaps. I really feel like 99% of modern soaps can produce a good lather, and HSSC is no different. I enjoyed using their soap.

The AP Shave Co Boar/Badger mix is my absolute favorite AP Shave Co brush that I own. The knot has the perfect amount of scritch from the boar, with the softness of the Badger to even it out. And his handle looks amazing and feels great in my hand.

I paired Found Cherry with Stirling’s Black Cherry Splash, which smells more like cherry flavored cough medicine, than the delicious cherry from the soap. Then I sprayed on Raw Vanilla for a really nice #FOF combination to balance out the fake cherry from the splash.

Challenge:

I’ve used straights in the last year, which prepared me for my first time with a shavette. This wasn’t as smooth as a straight, but only having to navigate 1.75 inches of blade instead of 3 inches of potentially beheading myself allowed me to be more precise, which I actually liked. But that’s where the advantages ended. The blade wasn’t as smooth, and it didn’t feel as comfortable in my hand as a straight. Like anything, I’m sure with practice it’ll be fine. The good news is, I didn’t cut or nick myself at all, so I have that going for me.

To close out of my essay of the day:

10 Questions with… AP Shave Co.

AP Shave Co is no stranger to our community and is a proud sponsor of these Lather Games, as well as the dude who put together the brush and handle I used today. Andrew was kind enough to play along with my shenanigans. Thank you u/apshaveco! Really appreciate all you do for this community and taking the time to answer these questions:

1. How did you get started selling shaving brushes? What was the process like when you were getting started?

My friend actually got me started by referring me to r/wicked_edge*. From there I got pretty obsessed with the hobby, found a product that wasn't being made readily available easily (what I went on to name the tuxedo) and the rest is pretty much history. Getting started I just sold knots on Etsy, slowly as my name got out there I diversified my product line and built out a full website.*

2. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting AP Shave Co?

Hmmmm this is a really good question. I don't really have one answer that stands out, but I think the biggest lesson I've learned is to just be patient. I'll have so many ideas, so many additions to the lineup, and so many raw materials that I think are awesome, that it all can't be done at once. Taking things one step at a time has proven to be a successful model for me and it also helps me better understand what the "majority" likes, as we all know this hobby can be very YMMV so what I think is great may not be what others see as great.

3. Have you used every type of knot AP Shave Co sells?

Yes. Always. That's the core value of my business. As a hobbyist, I only sell what I'd use personally. If it's not quality and tested by myself, it's not going in the AP Shave Co. lineup. It's my reputation on the line every time I release a product and I take that seriously.

4. If you had to use only one brush/razor/soap/aftershave for a month, what would you pick?

Oh man, this is a tough one. It really depends on the month, but here's what I've been feeling recently:Brush: AP Shave Co. Layered Comfort Aluminum Handle (Bronze) x Muhle 25mm STF Razor: Triangle Slot Tech (Made in Canada) with a Titanium Handle Soap: Chiseled Face Trade Winds Aftershave: Chiseled Face Cryogen Aftershave (love my menthol!)

(CONTINUED IN REPLY TO THIS POST)

User warns everyone that they are playing for second place. User is including artisan/sponsor interviews as the month progresses.

User warns everyone that they are playing for second place. User is including artisan/sponsor interviews as the month progresses.

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour Lather Games, AKA why Quebec is sus

• Brush: AP Shave Co Synthetic
• Razor: KAI disposable – Sunroute Hotel chain special edition
• Blade: KAI (1)
• Lather: Martin de Candre – Vetyver
• Post Shave: Proraso – Aloe and Vitamin E

Well well… Here we are again for a month of shaving tomfoolery. Or should I say: On se retrouve encore avec notre gang d’imbéciles pour raser ensemble pour un concours ridicule sur reddit. Et bein! Which roughly translates to: I like snacks.

“Bonjour Later Games” reminds me of a really awful video from the 80s by a Québec comedy group called Rock et Belles Oreiles. They did a parody song called Bonjour la police. I do not suggest watching it, but it’s on YouTube if ever you dare. “Bonjour/Hi” is a pretty common greeting in this mostly French place where I live, but of course not without controversy

To keep up this French theme, I’m shaving with Martin de Candre’s Vetiver which is new to me. Have never tried their offerings, but u/purple_ombudsman was kind enough to send some over some time ago. Finally breaking it out with purpose. For someone who had already tried all types of razors (I do not have a rolls) I figured this KAI single blade disposable might just fit the bill. This disposable cartridge razor is a style that I’ve never used before. I have been holding onto this one since my Japan trip back in 2018. Happy to use it and lose it today. Shave and scent were predictably meh. Proraso splash makes it all OK though, and finally a spray of Chameleon, as that’s exactly what I feel like as an anglophone living here. Au revoir !

And a happy Canada Day to those who find that stuff meaningful.

#PhotoContest

Talks about the French theme. DJ should take the lead on this on the podcast

July 1, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 22mm Faux Horse w/ Ruby Ripple Handle #fauxfur
• Razor: Univilions #KAMISORI
• Blade: Artist Club (1)
• Lather: Zingari Man – The Master
• Post Shave: Zingari Man – The Master
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – Unconditional Surrender

So here we are the opening of lather games. Today’s challenge, new stuff. Now it’s advice here not to change too many variables at once, and today throws that out the window for one…subpar shave. New, never tried before razor style: Check New brush with a knot I’ve never tried before: Check Soap brand I’ve never tried before: Check. (I’ve only used Zingari bath soaps, lotions and post shaves.) Post I’ve never tried before: Not check, but I’ve only used this once and I get a funny tingle form the cinnamon, so why not use it on a day I’m going to butcher myself. Frag I’ve never tried before: Check. (We’ll get to that in a moment.)

Soap was a generous smush from u/straightshaversix sitting on my den for probably 6 months or more now. Loaded it into a tub and started swiriling. Building my lather realized it wasn’t enough, went back and did it again, got a good lather and set to work. This kamisori was a PIF from u/loudmusic boy. He even included a blade. Now it’s been wrapped in foil to protect it from any kids who stumble into my office (and me when I reach in the box) so I don’t know if that affected the blade. We’ll see! Now, as mentioned before I have a hand eye coordination issue that exacerbates when I’m doing fine detail work and nervous. I also have 2 protruding moles on my cheek and chin. (No pics no one wants to see a weird pic of my chin). This shave is..acceptable. Took like 5 passes and I feel raw, but I had 0 nicks or cuts, so a win. By pass five my hand was shaking quite a bit from nerves and exhaustion so I called it quits. Asked wife “do I look acceptable” she said “yeah, I guess?” So we’re off to a kid free breakfast.

Now the frag. I don’t normally wear frags every day, but this month is special so armed with a Chatillon Lux and Maher Olfactive discovery set (plus a few other things) I’m going to roll into #FOF and see what the hell happens. As many of you who’ve trade smushes with me know, I’m also born, raised and still in STL. So when I use Chatty Lux stuff, I’m going to throw in my own take, though often it won’t be something quite as ad copy ready as Shawn’s stuff. Unconditional surrender is named after Pres. Grant, honestly expected more tobacco given…well Grant. And maybe some booze. But it’s actually got a floral note and something musky underneath. Grant is of course well known here and much in the odd way STL is always in tension so was his rival Lee. Lee famously developed the riverfront that would become known as “Laclede’s Landing” during his time with the Union Engineers. Obviously though, there will be no Lee themed frag for good reasons. There’s also a lesser known Union General Lyons who, upon hearing some folks were gonna storm the union arsenal and take the weapons to secede rode down and had himself a bit a battle. This battle is not as famous as many others in the history books, but had the traitors succeeded they would have had the weapons to open a new front in the war. So, there’s your brief and probably 90% correct military history lesson for the day.

Also throwing in to the #photocontest. In honor of u/cowzilla3, I read the rules and ain’t no rule that says I can’t use Photoshop’s generative AI to add a golden retriever to my photo. And damnit I needed an excuse to use that since I pay for photoshop.

Lastly shout out to all my fellow #ROTY participants. I’m not demanding unconditional surrender yet, but this will be a heated and friendly competition. (I wasn’t going to get through this with at least one joke about the frag name).

Looking forward to fun month internet friends.

Edited: forgot a tag damnit.

Edited again. Well I hope there posts are judged on final format because in my excitement I forgot to call out the internal theme. Obviously I dickhole set this shave but actually all 3 elements were scented by Shawn Maher.

July 1, 2023 - Bonjour, Lather Games! / New All The Things, or, How I Had The Worst Shave Of My Life

• Brush: Noble Otter 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Valet AutoStrop Model VB1 #SELFSHARPENING
• Blade: Feather FHS-10 (1)
• Lather: Central Texas Soaps - Weekend Rodeo
• Post Shave: Thayers - Original - Toner
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder

Daily Write-Up Weekend Rodeo. Great idea for a soap, especially a soap from the state of Texas. For me, the accords of leather and sawdust remind me of many county and state fairs I attended as a youth, and have managed to completely avoid as an adult.

But - to my point - there’s the old idiom, “this ain’t my first rodeo”. Well - that’s a fact. This isn’t my first rodeo - it’s my second Lather Games.

What did I learn from last year? Chase every point, and be organized, or you’ll end up in 19th place despite following all of the daily themes and challenges, and having a few pretty memorable posts.

So I’ve already failed at the organization thing, which we’ll get to in a minute. Also, my planning doc is a disaster, and I’m just winging my AS and Frags rather than having them planned? 19th place here I come.

But - definitely trying to chase as many points as possible. Last year my plan was to be ok missing some points and make up for it in enthusiasm. But, that didn’t pay off as handsomely as I hoped, and I’m starting this Lather Games in my fifth decade of life unlike last year, which is leaving me feeling more grumpy old man than energetic youth. I’m readying my fist to shake at the new ROTY candidates as needed. Don’t get me wrong - the Spearhead trifecta I won made my top-5 scents post from last year and will make an appearance this month. But - I was really hoping for a top-10 finish.

However - what is my first rodeo is virtually everything in this SOTD post. I say virtually, because… well, organization isn’t my strong suit, and I left my brand new SBS brush at home. So I’m having to make do with this NO brush that just happened to randomly be in my bag. Or else I would have had to try to find a shaving brush in this small city, which sounds exhausting.

But - I picked up this soap on the ‘zaar a little while back, to add another potential brand for this year’s Lather Games. I was expecting to use it for RIP day, but having not actually used it yet, it fits well for today’s theme. I want to be clear - this stuff seemed really slick, and whipped up into a fast, nice lather. It is NOT to blame for the quality (or lack thereof) of my shave today.

Razor/Blade - This is the culprit. The cause of the WORST shave in my adult life.

I picked up this Autostrop from the PIF table at the Maggard Meet, courtesy of our own /u/cowzilla3. This is a fascinating piece of machinery. My favorite kind of machinery, actually, because it’s completely unnecessary and overengineered, but cool nonetheless. However, I think somewhere this one became broken, and my face paid the price.

I loaded the blade, after watching 4 of 5 Youtube videos to figure out how this thing works. Only… I think I’m missing some tabs to hold the blade in place, as it was quickly evident that there was a blade alignment issue.

But I was committed to soldier on. As soon as I tried to shave with it, the blade slipped out of place. So I had to gingerly hold my finger at the back of it to try to keep the blade forward enough to engage. As such, I had a scrape-y, awful mess of a shave. My face is burning, and I count no fewer than 8 cuts on my face, and one on my hand. I understand why this was consigned to oblivion.

The worst part about this? I just read the challenge for tomorrow. And since I’m traveling, I brought a Travel Tech. So the only SE razor I have with me? This thing.

I’ve got three options.

• Drive home unexpectedly early tomorrow, so I can use an MMOC or an MM24
• Tape off my tech, and be one of the pathetic losers who shave with a DE on SE day.
• Use this monstrosity again.

I don’t love any of those options.

The After Shave - I’ve been wanting to try Thayers based on the feedback of several guys here, and since I didn’t have any aftershaves in my den I hadn’t tried, thought this was a good opportunity to run to Wally World and pick some up. First impression is that the scent is not my favorite, but it makes my face feel good. Which I needed, given the truly terrible shave today. I’ll have to get some more time in it.

Frag - I got a set of sample frags from HoM, and this is the only one I haven’t tried. I understand why Sonder is on the monthly reports so often. It might take a back seat to Dammusi for me, but it is a great warm-weather scent.

Good luck to everyone, and have fun this month!

Soap Theme Justification * I’ve never used any soaps from Central Texas Soaps.

Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes * Theme: New All The Things. Soap, AS, and Frag I’ve never tried before.

Can we talk about Onion's misfortunes?

Lather games 2023 Jul 01

• Prep: Warm water
• Brush: APSaveCo - 28MM G5A SHD knot #FAUXFUR #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD
• Razor: Blackland - Vector #CNC
• Blade: Chinese blade
• Lather: First Line Shave - SUTTON DISTILLED
• Post Shave: Osma - alum block
• Post Shave: First Line Shave - SUTTON DISTILLED

Sounds of squeaky chair. Old cabin. Porch. Me holding a jar full with moonshine and on background music from old radio. A lot of old wood and whiskey teasing my nose.

I open my eyes and I'm in my bathroom but this is the atmosphere that First line shave "Sutton distilled" give me when I opened the lid. My friend Tzvetan borrowed me this set. From maybe a month he explaining how great is this brand is and especially this one. So ..... He was right! Definitely I'm gonna buy this set. All is new to me today. New soap, new razor and I'm new in Lather games! I am impressed from Blackland Vector and this Single edge Artist Club blade. I use DE razors and once straight razor ( I'm waiting my strop belt ). So more about me I am 43 years old. I am from one of the oldest countries in Europe, Bulgaria. Definitely new in wet shaving. I started last November but now I'm falling fast and deep in this rabbit hole. Before I hate shaving. With this cassette razors and cheap creams and foams from grocery stores. I was with 10 years old beard until November. Now shaving is my zen ritual for relaxation and aroma therapy in manly way.

ROTY

• Prep: Warm Shower

• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush

• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85mm Safety Razor

• Blade: Shark Super Chrome

• Lather: Central Texas Soaps Mr Pepper

ROTY

LG23-01 - Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Maggard Razors 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: Edwin Jagger DE86
• Blade: Astra SP (23)
• Lather: Tcheon Fung Sing - Rabarbaro Italiano
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Piacenza - Shaving Soap
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - La Petite Prairie
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Farmer's Market Nitro
• Music: Talking Heads - "Road to Nowhere"

We made it to another Lather Games! I'm excited to see what all our newcomers bring to the competition this year.

While I'm just as hyped as previous years (👑), I'm also traveling right now and hanging with two different families—with some driving in between—so my first few posts of the month will need to be concise. I'm playing the first few days out of a dopp kit and duffel bag, a perfect opportunity to use some samples (Piacenza aftershave, La Petite Prairie fragrance).

I'm at the point in this hobby where it's getting difficult to find brands I haven't tried before, so I picked one at random based on what was on sale. I haven't tried Tcheon Fung Sing—heritage producer of old-school italian shave wares—so I grabbed the tub that sounded most interesting to me. Since I absolutely love rhubarb (eaten and as a note in perfumery), I chose Rabarbaro Italiano for today's shave.

So how's the lather? I love the smell, which is tuned to a moderate strength and very naturalistic, versus the hyper-real rendering of something like Christophe Laudamiel's Rhubarb My Love. Mild, fruity-green, and a bit acidic, it nails the watery, vegetal qualities of rhubarb. The soap base is old-school; very slick, easy to lather, and noticeably drying. I reserve soaps like this for summer when I'm not already exposing my skin to harsh winter wind.

I followed up my shave up with scents that play off qualities of Rabarbaro Italiano. I don't have an aftershave available with a rhubarb note, so for a citrusy taste of Italy, I splashed on some Piacenza. I left northern Italy and circled back to rhubarb with my fragrance; sure, La Petite Prarie uses vetiver, citrus, and florals beautifully, but the rhubarb is what brings it all together. I love this combo and the continuity between all three scents.

See y'all tomorrow!

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour long run day

• Brush: Declaration Grooming B9A+ Jefferson “Summer’s Gone”
• Razor: Gillette Post-War Fat Handle Tech
• Blade: 7am Hi Platinum Durablade (2)
• Lather: Murphy and McNeil – Trinity
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Executive Man
• Fragrance: Creed – Aventus

A few years ago, I was prepping for Lather Games and I bought a couple of Murphy & McNeil samples for “New To You” day. And then I never used them. They’ve just been sitting in my sample drawer for years staring at me. Well, “New To You” day is back (with some fancier labeling) and I’ve now officially tried M&M for the very first time.

Prep this morning was a 10-mile run followed by a dip in the pool to cool off and further cooling off in a cold shower with Stirling Glacial Lemon Chill bath soap. Then I scooped what I thought was a fair portion of Trinity into my scuttle and began lathering up. I think I may have under-scooped because I didn’t manage to get quite as much lather as I was expecting. Anyway, I got just enough (with a bit of brush squeezins) to manage 2 passes with the post-war Tech an 7am blade. Got a really good, close shave.

I didn’t look up the scent notes on Trinity before shaving, but if it’s not an Aventus dupe, I’ll eat my left running shoe. I picked my Executive Man balm and a bit of actual Aventus to finish up the shave. I may be sitting in this chair all day waiting for my legs to stop aching, but I’ll smell like a pineapple god while I do so.

July 1, 2023 – It starts

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Hybrid B3 #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Ti #RAINBOW
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (15)
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia – Fufluns
• Post Shave: Gentleman’s Nod – Ernest
• Fragrance: DSH – Sunflower

Here we go, Lather Games number 7 for me and 6th time taking the full ride.

Some how, I haven’t tried AYLM until now despite it being a darling of IRC. I felt like an amateur lathering this stuff. When I use samples, I typically smash them in a bowl, put a bit of water on them so that I don’t have to scrub them off the bottom of the bowl, then shower. I clearly should not have done that with this soap as it just absolutely turned into nothing with the water. I do look forward to trying it again in September after LG and stupid AA because Fufluns smells very nice.

Finally, this is probably the final post I’ll get to do using Boost for Reddit, an absolutely awesome app, so obligatory fuck u/spez.

Jul. 1, 2023
Brush: AP ShaveCo Synbad
Razor: Parker SRX Shavette
Blade: Feather HI Stainless
Lather: Unknown - Cream Soda - Soap
Post Shave: Noble Otter - Bare - Aftershave
Post Shave: Ariana & Evans - Post Shave Balm - Balm

I’ve had this Parker for a while and never actually tried shaving with it. Things were going mediocre, at best, and then I got to the mustache and things went even worse. Alum block was necessary for sure after this one.

I got this soap as a toss in on the bazaar. It’s not labeled and I never asked who this was made by. Consistency is very soft, almost like a cream which is most similar to Black Ship Grooming of the soaps I’ve used. Thing lathered up great, so maybe I should try and figure out who it’s by.

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Edit: fixed the name of the soap

https://imgur.com/a/2sl14Qd

• Lather: Highland Spring Soap Co. - Green Door
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Blackland Era - SB1
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Dr. Jon's Essentials Lemongrass and Geranium AS Tonic

This shave was sponsored by u/Walden He was generous enough to PIF the razor and he threw in this soap. I really wanted to use the soap, but I was saving it for today as I've never used Highland Spring before.

The lather was nice, not too thirsty, slick enough, and provided good cushion...it also didn't take too long to work it up. The scent is pretty stellar too. It's pretty earthy/woodsy, but well balanced. It's not heavy or light, it sits in the middle, which provides a pleasant non-polar experience.

I kinda messed up by pairing the soap with the splash as the splash is strong and kinda takes over everything. It all smells like lemongrass now and I won't be making that mistake in the future.

For those that wonder about the razor, it's very smooth. With the Level 1 safety bar, it's super mild and my shaves could be closer, but man...this is one comfortable razor. I think I'll see if Blackland has any level 3 components still lying around.

Well folks, happy to be playing in this with all of you and here's to the kickoff of another month of the shaving awesomeness that is the Lather Games!

Have a great day folks!

7/1/23

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving Exclusive MOAR BOAR (31 mm × 57 mm bleached boar) #CHONK
• Razor: MMOC
• Blade: GEM (1)
• Lather: Martin de Candre - Vetyver
• Post Shave: Saponifico Varesino - Opuntia Aftershave Splash
• Fragrance: Saponifico Varesino - Settantesimo EdP

Hello Lather Games! My LG debut is an homage to one of the communities favorites, u/EldromR. Aside from the MOAR BOAR (though birthed from his Raw Hoggin' challenge) everything in my shave came from him, so far to include even the GEM blade.

Todays shave was my first MMOC shave (this just arrived last night, as a matter of fact) and also marks my first complete safety razor shave. I've used an MM24 in the past, but always in combination with a straight. Thus ends my straight razor streak, I'd guess somewhere around 450 days or so. Given the occasion, I'm good with that. The MMOC gave me a fantastic shave. I was honestly surprised by it. I'm gonna assume, as an open blade user, that the aggression of this razor works in my favor. The correct cutting angle was easy to find, and the balance lended itself to easily maintaining light and consistent pressure. In two passes, I got as close a shave as I would with one of my freshly honed straights. Fantastic razor, I'm thrilled to have it.

As Eld sacrifices his variety of soaps to quench the communities curiosity on the life span of a brain bowl, I wanted to walk a mile in his shoes. He sent me this smush (taken from a previous split, not the experimental brain). This is my first time trying MdC and another very pleasant surprise this morning. The scent is pretty straightforward. A very green and warm, fresh cut grass vibe. Performance was where the surprise came. A little definitely went a long way. The lather built super quick and it was SO much slicker than I thought it was going to be. It's easy to see how how MdC has been in the game as long as they have been. I don't know that I would ever splurge on a bowl myself, but I could see myself going in on a split for sure.

SV is another new experience for me. Both Opuntia and Settantesimo have, what I would describe as, a very classic and masculine scent. Opuntia has fruity, woody, floral, and citrus, a dash of amber and with the musks really leading the way. Not in a bad way by any means, but that musk is what carries that masculine cologne vibe. Settantesimo is again with the citrus, amber and florals, this time, though paired with an aquatic note. Wearing this, I feel like I should be wearing some fat gold rings and a gold chain necklace hanging into a bush of grey chest hair exploding through an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt. Probably on a golf course.

Close and comfortable shave this morning. No nicks or irritation.

#ROTY

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Century Pure Bristle #ANCIENT #RUNT #SMOLL
• Razor: Rolls Imperial No. 2 #SELFSHARPENING
• Lather: Storybook Soapworks – Hallward’s Dream
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Barbershop
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Seville

It wouldn’t be a Lather Games if, at some point, someone didn’t utter the phrase, “God dammit, SpongeBob!” so I’ll go first and start the games off right?

Six weeks ago, I thought, “what a novel idea? Shave with something I’ve never shaved with before! Six weeks later I wish I had that layer of skin I just took off. I am an organ donor, but please don’t take my skin with a Rolls Razor. Wait. You can’t. I already did it.

On to happier thoughts.

I did bust the cherry of a 70-year old brush today and something didn’t seem quite right about that either. I mean here is a pristine den queen brush that should go in a museum. So let’s use if for an Internet shaving competition for hashtags! And while we’re at it, let’s lather it up with some fabled soap that we’ll never see again.

Points matter: Though Hallward’s Dream was more like a nightmare this morning, it is a nice barbershop scent similar to, but not like the others. Thanks to u/Engineered_Shave for sharing this sample with me.

Keeping the fragrant theme going, I finished off with Stirling Barbershop and a spritz of B+M Seville.

So, it’s the 2023 Lather Games! Run along, people! There’s nothing more to see here but Internet randos shaving like idiots.

Lather Games Day 1- Let's Fuckin' Go!

• Prep: Hot Shower - Preshave
• Brush: Semogue 610 #SMOLL
• Razor: Gillette Travel Tech #JETSETTER
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (1)
• Lather: MacDuff's Soap Co. - Prairie Rumrunner
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Bay Rum Splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - AS Balm Unscented

Bonjour! Hola! Shalom! Welcome back to the month of insanity known as the Lather Games.

MacDuff's is a new soap company for me and since Prairie Rumrunner is their Bay Rum adjacent scent, I figured I'd snag a tub for this fine occasion. It was definitely interesting. It's a bit spicy and a bit dirty. I'm not sure I loved the scent, but I figure I need to get a few more shaves into the tub to make that determination. Performance-wise, it's a fine soap. It's not going to change lives though.

Also new to me is this teeny tiny Travel Tech I picked up as part of a vintage travel kit. Since I've tried pretty much every style of razor in the scavenger hunt, I could have attempted something like a Rolls Razor, but our friends who did the Audiobook Club Shaving podcast didn't exactly give the shave with this antiquity rave reviews. Why would I want to take a chance and slice the shit out of my face and risk looking like someone who survived a knife fight?

But have you ever used a Travel Tech? Have you ever shaved with something so fucking small? What kind of insanity is this?? It's damn near impossible to hold on to if you have average-sized hands. And I suspect it went out of production after loads of little children grabbed these fuckers thinking they were cool little toys. How many kids born from the late-50s to early-70s are nicknamed "Stumpy" as a result of losing digits to these cold-blooded killers of a razor? How many kids were unable to pick their boogers after an encounter with one of these things? I'm sure the Djudges will tell me to go pound sand because it's still a DE and I shave with loads of DEs. But this is some kind of special black magic-created DE. No one in their right mind should use such a thing. Hell, I might have been safer just shaving with the DE blade itself.

All that being said, I pulled off a decent shave to start the Lather Games. Easily better than attaching a DE to a chopstick and then slathering my face in mayonnaise.

So welcome to it, my friends. Good luck this month. Good luck also maintaining marital harmony and keeping your spouse from sending you off to a a padded room.

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Vintage Taiwanese Boar #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE
• Razor: Micro Touch One
• Blade: Dorco ST-300
• Lather: Angora Soaps – Sandalwood
• Post Shave: Proraso – Menthol and Eucalyptus

Did a bunch of new to me items. Never used Angora Soaps. It actually lathered well. Got it on clearance from the TRC. I think they are out of business already. The scent seems basic and not sweet. The boar seems really old. Definitely unused and boy that smell! The razor is new to me. My parents got a Micro Touch One they found at a garage sale. It came with Dorco blades that I’ve never used. Not the worst shave but doable. I’ve never used the Proraso Splash. It’s ok.

2023-07-01 – Bonjour, Lather Games

• Brush: Vielong Horse #HORSESASS #COMPOSITE #TOLL #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Gold Dollar 208
• Lather: Grooming Dept - Jasmine & Civet
• Post Shave: Captain’s Choice - Venture
• Fragrance: Le Labo - Jasmin 17

I Smell Fantastic!

I get up early and the daily theme awaits me
I take a steamy show'r; I'm full of energy
I power on hard and I check the challenges
We already know today's challenge

I take my brush n' soap and start to lather
I swirl around a bit cuz I don't know how this one lathers
I get my phone and I check the challenges
How will I do the challenges

All I know is wet shaving is better during Lather Games
All I know is my face feels really smooth, my skin feels so very damn smooth

I smell fantastic!
And I never smelt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I smelt that day
When I smelt the way that I did last year, last year

Games are anything but easy with themes
I tried to plan them out, my daily latherings
I can see the month unfold in front of me
So I take the blade get to work

The razor's a type that I've not used before
What was a routine's now sharp pain in my chin
So I take the styptic pen and just chill
And then it's time to shave again

All I know, shaving's easy when you don't stress out about Games themes
All I know is to do the challenges I always do the challenges

I smell fantastic!
And I never smelt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I smelt that day
When I smelt the way that I did last year, last year

Sometimes I'd like to slow things down
Enjoy the aromas
But when I look the moment's gone

Shaving's over but I can't quite forget it
Got to snap a pic and write a thing for reddit
For the fine djudges that djudge for the Lather Games
Right in the r/wetshaving sub

Arrange some stuff to set a scene, like that
Some are better but this one has a cat
Now it's getting late and I need to post this thing
What will I do for tomorrow

All I know is the shave is smoother when you don't gotta fit it with Games themes
All I know is July is better when I'm in r/wetshaving's Lather Games

I smell fantastic!
And I never smelt as good as how I do right now
Except for maybe when I think of how I smelt that day
When I smelt the way that I did last year, last year, last year

Challenge

Challenge accepted! As noted for each below.
Side note, because there are probably those who are wondering why there are several posts already with revised song lyrics: u/merikus seems to have inadvertently (or intentionally, only he truly knows) established an unofficial tradition.
Bringing are really fucking bringing it already with those, so... meh, it's still early and I'm not really sure I can manage to put in the same effort I did last year, anyway.

Relevant Post Shave and Fragrance

All fit daily theme. Common element: jasmine.

Razor

Oh, boy. I knew at some point I'd use one of these things. I also knew that it would be on the Games' "New to You" day.

This is my first time using a straight. It is not the first straight that I purchased; no, the first one I purchased was a super cheap one from a shady website where you can get questionable stuff from China. I will still (try to) use that, at which point I'll recount my efforts to get it sharpened and share the results of whether those efforts had any kind of success.

As for today, I clearly have no idea what I'm doing with this. It was purportedly shave-ready when I got it, but I have my doubts about what that ever even means, so I gave it what I believed to be a good stropping. I'm reasonably sure I didn't risk rolling the edge, but who knows, because it did not like to cut. I tried it on hair on my wrist to check if it would cut anything at all, and it seemed alright, but those are much finer hairs than on my face.
And I did see some hair bits in the lather on the blade a couple of times, but I also clearly have no idea what I'm doing with this.

Lather

A jasmine-forward soap is something that I've hoped to find for some time. In my efforts to find a jasmine-forward soap, I came across this one. It has jasmine in the name, of course, but I feel like it's way overpowered by the civet part. It is strong, and the reason why I've been reluctant to use this, my first Grooming Dept soap, before today.

What is civet, you ask? It's an animal, the musk of which is used in fragrances, including this one. Don't look into the coffee thing, though, which is fucking horrific. Don't say I didn't warn you.

And boy howdy, I do not vibe! It sure overpowers, and it is a special kind of stink that made the whole experience less-than-pleasant. Not only that, but the lather was really eager to fizzle out while I was trying to figure out the straight, making for an unfavorable combination, to say the least.

Even after the post-shave, I think the musk lingers heavily. It may be evening out, settling with the other scents (including my own), in which case I suppose I can see the argument for why it's common in perfumery, but that first impression is sticking with me.

Brush

I didn't manage to get last year's #TANGLED, but this one checks a couple boxes on the scavenger hunt (horse, of course, 60mm loft, wood+chrome, made in Spain), and fits with a couple days' themes, including this one.
One of the biggest things I've seen said about horse brushes is that they're floppy, and there is no better word to describe it. It probably doesn't help that this is a pretty narrow brush, at 21mm.
Being the first time using the brush, shedding–although probably not all that much–was a thing to deal with.
The fizzling lather may or may not have been in part due to the brush, but I'll need to use it again with a better soap to be sure–and I have that planned for later in the Games.

#FOF

Post Shave

I selected Venture to keep jasmine as a common element between all the things. Also, I don't believe I've ever used Captain's Choice before.

The trouble with jasmine is that it's pretty common as a component note in a lot of scents, but my nose is not nearly discerning enough to be able to identify components as such.
In that way, I don't think I'm able to pick the note out from Venture. Frankly, I'm not even sure what hit me most as I put it on. It was very likely the pineapple, come to think of it.

What I can say for certain is that, when following up the absolute stink of the soap, Venture was truly refreshing. That was the word that came to my mind, and that same word is used in the product description itself.
A very welcome relief from–I'll say it again–the absolute stink of the soap.

Fragrance

I pretty quickly followed it up with the Jasmin 17. Some months back, I got an inkling to poke around in search of a jasmine scent (probably around the same time I got the soap), come to think of it.
It was much easier to find a jasmine fragrance than a jasmine soap, for the simple and obvious fact that a variety of floral fragrances are more common, Target audiences and all.

There's no need for a discerning nose for a scent such as this, because it is exactly what it says on the tin: Jasmine.

After donning this, I Ventured into the kitchen to make myself some jasmine tea, which is one of my favorites and definitely a major reason why I want a jasmine soap.

#photocontest

Photo

Pets!
Okay, that part's obvious, but it's not just shoe-horned for the purpose of the photo contest. No, the cat represents a civet. Also, civets are evidently sometimes referred to as cats, and they have spotted sides, much like Artemis!

The plant behind her is Jasmine. I was hoping it would bloom before today, but I don't think it knows it's blooming time; I've been mostly keeping it inside, plus I just got it just like a week or so ago. Inside, it hasn't been getting much direct sunlight, but it has been protected from the devastating sun that instantly desiccates everything it can. The sun is the death-bringer. I have known jasmine to survive outside here, though ("here" being about 7 inches from the sun).

Shit, I forgot to put the fragrance there. That was the second time I set it up, too, because the first time I forgot the aftershave! And the tea! The little green things in front are jasmine pearl green tea. Delicious! There's a shot with the fragrance vial (though the label isn't evident) and a less-obscured plant.

Today I shaved with the Maggard shavette with an injector blade. I used the Godrej Shaving Round for the first time. Both were serviceable, but will not be climbing to the top of my most used list. I used a Maggard 26mm SHD knot in a plain black AP Shave Co. handle. I followed the shave with Chatillon Lux La Petite Prairie aftershave, which was excellent as always. I will be sad when my stockpile runs out. Also, a couple shots of Azzaro Bright Visit “a woody aquatic”. Mostly smells like pencil shavings to me.

July 1, 2023

• Brush: Maggard’s 30mm Synthetic #CHONK #TOLL
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Ted Pella Injector Blades
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Tempest
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Atomic Holiday Splash
• Fragrance: Azzaro – Chrome EDT

So this is my first ever SOTD and I hope I do it right. I haven’t participated much in on this sub, other than asking questions here and there in the Daily Questions Thread since I started wetshaving around Christmastime. But… I love a good competition, so I’ve read the rules and caught up on some of the old Lather Games threads. Looking forward to joining in the fun and seeing how everything goes.

The theme today is “Bonjour, Lather Games”, so I’m going to use this opportunity to say “Bonjour r/wetshaving!!” So far, I’ve been extremely overwhelmed with this competition, but think I’ve filled out my calendar the best I can. The community here has been extremely generous sending me sample smooshes and answering all of my questions since I started.

My shave today is thanks to u/Priusaurus, who sent me a sample of Tempest. I do have to admit, I’m not a fan of the scent of this one. It’s too damp and seaweedy, which I think the soapmaker was going for, but that means I learned I don’t like scents like this. Good to know!! I used Barrister & Mann’s Atomic Holiday for two reasons (1) the ozone and labdanum in the splash kinda match the soap a little bit and (2) the fruity sweetness of the splash washes away the grossness of the Tempest. Finally, I used Azzaro Chrome, which shares a lot of similar notes to Atomic Holiday, like bergamot, citrus, and pineapple. Ended up smelling great, despite starting off with seaweed soap. #FOF

This was my first time using an injector and it was okay. Almost seemed like I was shaving with a less efficient, single bladed cartridge. It didn’t give me as good of a shave as a regular doubled edge razor, but that could be because I’m not used to it. I can’t see myself reaching for this again anytime soon. I’m in a good rhythm with my DEs and starting to mess around with straights, so I don’t have any desire to go back to the closest thing to a cartridge possible.

In conclusion, I didn’t like the soap I used or the razor I used, but I’m smelling good thanks to the splash and fragrance. So, I’ll call that a win!

July 1, 2023 – LG 1: Bonjour Lather Games

• Brush: Grizzly Bay Elite Razor 28mm Silvertip
• Razor: Valet Autostrop #SELFSHARPENING
• Blade: Feather FHS10 (1)
• Lather: Through the Fire Fine Craft – Campfire
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Scrumtrulescent
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Rumble

Day 1, woot!. Never used an auto strop before and never used TTFFC.

Let’s start software. TTFFC is a decent base, not knock your socks off but plenty serviceable. Scent wise campfire it is a decently sweet, smoky, tobacco and vanilla- like eating a more. Coincidently I am headed off camping today, and hoping limited cell service can keep me posting in the games. Scrumtrulescent really builds onto that chocolate flair, quite gourmand. Lastly, my first go around with rumble and I’m impressed. More chocolate, while adding some booziness and dirtiness from the woods and vetiver, but overall much less sweet than the prior two. Quite a rich thruple of scents. #FOF

Hardware wise, the valet auto strop is new to me. Thanks u/eldrormR for hooking it up on the zaar. Uses a blade similar to GEM SEs but without a spine, and appears to only work with one orientation. Its rigidity seems between a standard DE and GEM SE. I went into the shave with similar angles to using a GEM based on the head design, which I rarely use. Same trouble spots same as SE for me namely under nose and bit around chin. #photocontest (thematic)

soap brands 1/30, post shave 1/30, frag 1/30, post/frag linked 1/30, software sponsors 0/15, hardware sponsors 0/2, razor hashtags 1/15, brush hashtags 0/15, photo contest 1/30, daily challenges 0/25, special challenges 1/5

DAY 1 LATHER GAMES! HERE WE FUCKING GO!!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot #CHONK
• Razor: Rolls Razor #SELFSHARPENING
• Blade: Rolls Razor Blade
• Lather: Strike Gold Shave - Ike
• Post Shave: Strike Gold Shave - Ike Splash
• Fragrance: John Varvatos Artisan Pure

PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

Hello to everyone! As I mentioned in the Discord a few days back, I've been MIA basically since the end of AA last year. And there is a reason, real life gets in the way of my internet life... Sad but true. As u/tim33z said "Real Life--"... I won't bother you much more with that. Do you know why?

CAUSE IT'S TIME FOR THE MOTHER DUNKING LATHER GAMES DUDES AND DUDETTES!!!!Yes, this spectacle of shaving bonanza that brings comfort, laughter, nostalgia and general WTF moments to each of us each year(it's my second year, but hey, I feel it as my home). What are the Lather Games you ask? While bearing resemblance of the picture portrayed and fitting the earlier description, only those who have walked the steep/shallow edges of steps that are the daily challenges/lathers/rules, can testify to What/Why/How the Lather Games are! My SOTD posts will be in a style of a review of the products I used and I'll try and be funny (and fail miserably)

I had initially planned to shave and post earlier the day, but some things got in the way...Actually I was up earlier and went to my first(sadly last) day at my summer job of doing wheel alignments on cars, turns out that there are too many people in the car shop doing it, and I won't be needed, nothing personal. I was enthusiastic, but it was more of a job to take my mind off things rather than make money etc.

Right! ENOUGH ABOUT MY LIFE THIS IS THE LATHER GAMES!!!

THE SOAP

I'm really happy that this hobby has so many brands of soap, cause you can always try something new. I've tried a decent amount of artisans, which made making the calendar tough, but somehow (through Jesus) I did it! So why Strike Gold? Well I've always been curious what their base is like. Well it's pretty darn good, slick low-structure lather!! My only gripe is that the scent isn't particularly strong (as for the scent itself I'll talk about that at the end, #FOF style). As I said, great lather, provided great protection for the terrible shave I had....

THE SHAVEI can't even sugar coat it... It was just.... I saw also that many other people had the same choice as I did, of course they're trying to copy me... But yeah, terrible, and I did remove the guard, cause when I saw it I thought "That thing is just gonna get in the way!", I probably should be thankful that I did remove it, cause GOD ONLY KNOWS how rough it would have been. I did 2 ATG passes and it was pure torture, the way it tugged, it could probably charge 500$ on the street corner...

MISCELLANEOUS

Thankfully tomorrow will be a much more pleasurable day, cause I will use one of the best razors out there and a sub favourite!! Was so happy when I saw the challenge tomorrow, cause this month will be a very forwards-backwards in terms of travelling. And when leaving yesterday for my hometown initially I didn't think of brining anything other than the Rolls, then I put in a couple of other razors. JUST IN CASE, THANK GOD I DID!

AFTERSHAVE

Ok so let's talk about the other half of the Strike Gold set I used. The aftershave. Oh boy, and I thought that DG was oily.... Using this on my face was an overload of oil I did not expect... For the winter it's probably the best you can use, but for summer it's a bit too much for me, granted it is very nourishing for the skin... For those who have used it, imagine using Strike Gold aftershave + Barrister&Mann balm.... Will definitely have to use it the winter!!!!

#FOF

This year I have put effort into mixing and matching my perfumes with my aftershaves and will try and give a good representation of them, I won't be as good as u/RedMosquitoMM, but hey, one can try...

First, let's talk about the soap. It is inspired by Eight and Bob which I have never smelled so I can't say how close it is to the original, BUT from what is described on their site, I get the first three notes spot on - citrus, spice accord, violet. The other ones are mingling and are there, but my nose cannot pinpoint them exactly! It is a great masculine, but not overly, scent that one can wear with pride and confidence. It definitely gives me an old school scent vibe.

So why John Varvatos Artisan Pure. After looking and smelling the bottles and comparing(and with the help of Fragrantica), this one is the closest to Ike for me. There is a difference in citrus accords, from Ike I get a general citrus and it's more rounded, and JV AP has a more bitter lime(maybe thanks to the ginger) tang to it. Spice accords are quite similar, with IKE being a bit more mellow. JV AP is generally a bit more sweet but both of them compliment each other VERY WELL!

The scent combo of both quickly settle into a nice sweet bouquet with spice being hinted and citrus being something of the past.

I hope I will do well with these descriptions, as being a wordsmith or a blacksmith, or anysmith is not my forte!

EPILOGUE:

I have seen a few post, ranging from video intros, interviews, FUCKING RAP SONGS!??!?!Saw some familiar faces, and some new ones! Will get to reading everything in more detail and appreciating all of the effort that the other guys have put it! GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!

Quick Edit: Just saw the sponsor spotlight, sadly I know nothing about them so I am sorry that my post does not contain anything...

Edit 2: Forgot about this

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

• Brush: Omega 10098 #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE #TOLL

• Razor: GEM MMOC #BRASSING

• Blade: GEM PTFE

• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - History 101

• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Hindsight

• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Unconditional Surrender

Daily Theme: New All The Things - I have never used a Summer Break Soaps product, a GEM razor, or a boar brush. The GEM was a freebie from j33p a couple months ago that I never got around to actually trying. I will not be using it again. This Omega brush is straight up fresh with no break-in or prior use.

My theme for today's shave: History

For the first day of lather games I wanted to put together a fragrance progression that helped me contemplate ~~what exactly went wrong in my life that I'm entering an online shaving competition~~ how the history of shaving ties to the history of the United States. The Civil War was a monumental turning point for the USA, and History 101 keys in on smells and themes of the Civil War era, and Unconditional Surrender . But thinking in more recent terms, I feel that the COVID pandemic will also be remembered as a pivotal moment for the country, and so having Hindsight's hand sanitizer-forward scent profile anchor the shave it helps me put the events of 2020 into context with other monumental events in American history like the civil war.

The album Destiny by Stratovarius is an album with deep significance to me, as it was my first foray into power metal (introduced to the titular song Destiny via a Final Fantasy 8 AMV on early youtube that led me to downloading the rest of the album on Limewire). The album takes on heavy themes of predestination, free will, and inter-generational strife, and puts out a message of hope and empowerment. That I can rise above all of the challenges of life by taking an active role in choosing my own destiny. Also, it's just an absolute banger of an album. #FOF #ROTY

Jul. 1, 2023

• Brush: Some Making Requires Black And Gold / Maggard's V5 Synth #FAUXFIR
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector 1
• Lather: Geo. F. Trumper - Spanish Leather - Soap
• Post Shave: Truefitt & Hill - Spanish Leather - Aftershave

Rabbit Rabbit….

Happy Lather Games. This is my 4th Lather Games. But I have not always played “to win” as much as a lot of people have over the years.

This is one of the few razors I’ve never tried, even “back in the day”. This is a NOS (New Old Stock) razor from 1980-1985 time frame.

It was roughly during the same time that I began shaving “regularly”. I spent the summer of 1980 at Ft. Dix, NJ and was required to shave every day. (Boot Camp). Razors were cheap disposables from the PX.

My Freshman year was the Fall of 1980. All the dorms were full of “free” stuff during freshman days. Gillette made sure we all got a Trac II starter kit. Like any good drug dealer, the first one is free. I have always used a mug and a brush (canned goo too), but finding a good razor was always a challenge.

The soap, the aftershave, have both been in my den for a couple of years. I keep forgetting the “new to me” stuff and it seems harder to find things. The brush has a new Maggard V5 Synthetic. The soap worked pretty well. The aftershave is, IMHO, vile. Three passes with the incredibly mild Injector for a DFS.

A lot of these items will be PIF’d later.

Today's Theme Song: "The Girl From Impanema".

Sadly, the singer passed away last month at 83...

JULY 1, 2023

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: APShaveCo butterscotch/black texudo 24mm synthetic knot
• Razor: Schick Type L1 Injector #UNICORN (small triangle under large lettering)
• Lather: Oleo Soapworks/ Chicago Grooming Company - Excursion
• Post Shave: Captain’s Choice Sandalwood splash
• Fragrancre: Goodfellow & Co - Juniper & Sandalwood

ROTY

So excited to be a part of this. This was not the most comfortable shave but never tried any of these products so it comes with the territory. My first lather games and just stoked to participate. Good luck to ya’ll!

July 1, 2023 - Bonjour, Lather Games

• Brush: Oumo Warhammer Iceberg 27mm Meri-2
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper (Straight Shave 265) #YTHO
• Blade: Kismet (1)
• Lather: Mystic Water Soap - Yellow Rose - Soap
• Post Shave: Thayers - Rose - Toner
• Post Shave: Eufros - Rosa Oud - Aftershave Balm

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

---

I am looking forward to seeing all the Lather Games comments this month. Last years' were very entertaining.

I have never used a Mystic Water Soap Co. soap before. I've had this tub for almost a year. It came along with a group of soaps that I bought on the Bazaar. Mystic Water is in Maryland about 25 miles from me just outside Washington D.C. I could visit there in 30 minutes without traffic, and 2 hours during rush hour. The scent on this soap is very nice if you like rose. It is very close to Klar/Dusy Kabinette which, according to boomer shaving forums was a very well liked rose scented soap. The soap consistency is on the thin and fluffy side, but it is very slick and has surprising residual slickness. While it doesn't produce your typical rich and creamy artisan lather, I had no issues working with it. And I like rose scents, so I'm really surprised this one stayed on my shelf until today.

Even though I have 265 straight shaves, this is my first use of a shavette. I have maintained that there was no need to use a replaceable blade straight razor because I have 15 years of sharpening experience and maintain all my edges (many edged devices and a growing collection of razors). However, u/djundjila invited me to participate in Days of Weckoning. Though I originally declined, he's persuasive and even sent me this Weck Hair Shaper to try. [Thank you! btw]

I expected the Weck to be a blade-chattering experience that required constant lather rinsing due to the small blade. The opposite was true. The blade did not chatter or make much noise, and was both very sharp and smooth. The razor felt comfortable immediately so I went at my shave with Weckless abandon [I assume points are deducted for awful punnage]. So, I loved it. During Days of Weckoning I'll be using a Sextoblade that is currently at u/whosgotthepudding's spa getting bling treatments.

Theme: Bonjour, Lather Games! #photocontest

2023-07-01 Lather Games SOTD - 🍁🍁🍁CANADA DAY EDITION🍁🍁🍁

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY St Vincent (26x55mm AP Shave Co SynBad Synth) #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Wolfman WR1 #CNC
• Blade: Lord Classic (Green box)
• Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz - Sir Irisch Moos Shave Stick
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Original Sport
• Fragrance: Alfred Sung - Sung Homme

I've been on the lookout for a stick of SIM to call my own since /u/RuggerRigger introduced me to the stuff in 2019, so I was pretty excited when /u/J33pGuy13 got his hands on an entire box of NOS shave sticks and sold one to me for a very reasonable price. (Edit: as mentioned in the comment below, SIM was already on its way out so RuRi didn't want to spare any for me to sample, but he did let me huff his shave stick. Wink wink.)

Performance was pretty good; secondary slickness would have been better if they upped the glycerin a little. Scent is a classic fern up front in the style of Fougère Royale. Using FR as a reference point, I would say SIM is generally smoother and more mellow. The citruses and spices still brighten it up and highlight the freshness of the greenery, but it isn't as harsh as something like Reserve Fern or Fougère Trois. And the drydown? Much rounder, softer... not as weedy / powdery as FR. While I was unable to stomach more than a few shaves each of Reserve Fern and Trois, I can definitely see myself eventually using up this whole shave stick.

For the rest of today's shave I took the date into consideration and decided to go all-Canadian (aside from the blade), and by sheer coincidence the only Canadian aftershave and fragrance I own are absolutely perfect olfactory counterparts to the Moos. AV Original Sport is only available up here in Canada and I have no idea why, because I feel like it would sell just as well in other countries; its opening is very much like the drydown of Irisch Moos + some fruity citrus (less sparkle, more juice) and the drydown is mossy and woody, like a little brother to Polo Green sans its ash tray of cigarette butts. And then Sung Homme? Even more of the same vein of smooth-mossy-green-soap character.

Yessir, very satisfied with this Moos. What a gloriously early-80s-smelling Canada Day this is shaping up to be.

My only regert today is that Sung Homme isn't coloured green to match the other products, so I took some liberties in Photoshop for my SOTD photo.

P.S. Sorry fellow judges, I will try to keep future SOTDs shorter than this. I ain't aiming for any #FOF prizes this year, I promise.

Sat Jul 01 2023

• Prep: Soap and warm water
• Razor: Merker 34C HD
• Blade: Feather HI Stainless
• Brush: Semogue 620
• Lather: Strike Gold Old Hickory
• Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman AS Lotion

First lather games and I am so excited. Short and sweet here. Hopefully I have the formatting correct.

ROTY

Jul. 1, 2023
Brush: Yaqi Casino Husky Knot
Razor: Gillette Super Blue #REGUS * Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
Lather: Nivea For Men - Sensitive Shaving Gel - Soap
Post Shave: Moon Soaps - Havana - Balm

Was thinking of trying new artisans or new cheap classics but time crunch ended with me just grabbing this one. I was planning on using my Grand fathers Rolls Razor for the first time but haven’t had time to grab it from my mother where it’s currently stored.

Razor was mild no issue, DFS minusy. Gel was…it had great glide, super thick which I feel meh about and it left me weirdly sticky at the end. Not something I would use daily. Using a brush and adding water has made this experience nicer

ROTY

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour Lather Games

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Declaration Grooming B16 #SHD
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite #CNC
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Rebelle
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Shire 2

Shorter with higher skill is better than longer with no skill. True in the bedroom (edit: or so I read*) and true of this years Lather Games writeups.

My goal was to not spend money on this years games so I don’t have any new type of hardware, but, Wholly Kaw was a new lather for me. I purchased some WK off a Facebook BST when I first started – Man from Mayfair and King of Oud – and both smelled so bad off the tub I was convinced the soap was rancid and I threw them directly in the trash; I felt like if I tried to sell them a more veteran shaver than me would call me on it.

Rebelle, though, was a great scent. A nice warm and inviting tobacco smell that paired nicely with the brighter, more cheerful Shire 2. I typically don’t like tobacco, but both of these were excellent – Rebelle would make a great cool weather shave while Shire 2 shines in Spring and Summer.

FOF Haiku of the day:

Linked by Tobacco

Thankful neither is rancid

Smoking will kill you

Edit: haiku looked weird. Hopefully it's fixed now.

Have a great Lather Games, y’all!

Saturday, the 1st of July, 2023

• Brush: Semogue Owners Club boar, Taj white handle
• Razor: Chiseled Face Titanium Legacy
• Blade: Topaz Platinum (63)
• Lather: Cella - Crema Rapida
• Post shave: Stirling Soap Company - Bash
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavender, Interrupted

LG OFFICIAL.

I probably don't have to write that for the bot to pick it up, but oh, well.

So I did not get the razor completely new to me honed before the Games, so I miss out on today's special challenge. I guess I'm taking a laid-back and fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach to the Games this year. This morning I picked up my newest razor; the last one I bought. Similarly, I selected the newest brush, newest splash, and newest perfume (the blade is just one of the ones I've been using for a while now).

Of course today's theme is to use a new lather product, and Cella fits the bill. I picked up a tube of Cella's crema rapida to try out. It's not bad. I got a good shave today, at least as good as with, say, Cremo, although I have to say I much prefer the lather from a nice soap. I also have to say while this is advertised as a brushless cream, it's a much better shave if I work up a nicer lather with a brush, not just rubbing it with fingers.

Lavender, Interrupted is a great scent to follow the shave.

Jul. 1, 2023 - It’s Go Time!

• Prep: CeraVe - Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Dreadnought Avenger #SMOLL #RUNT

• Razor: Supply The Single Edge SE

• Blade: Supply Injector

• Lather: Captain’s Choice - Venture

• Post Shave: Captain’s Choice - Venture Aftershave

• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co - Executive Man EdT

As we start our “Venture” into this month of the Lather Games is there any better way than going all out on new things? Well I for one could’ve picked a better choice for my brush. Got this Dreadnought brush purely for shiggles since I paid all of $3.75 for it. Well I think I might have overpaid for it…to start out with it was advertised as being 40mm diameter by 50mm loft. Despite the handle being advertised as 30mm (yes that math DEFINITELY checks out!) When it arrived it really showed its true colors as barely being 19mm x 45mm! Don’t worrry though because its “The Ultimate Shaving Brush for ReAl MeN!” Good thing I’m not a fake man otherwise this would be a huge disappointment! Let’s not talk about its performance, ok?

I’ve actually had a sample of Captain’s Choice soap since Christmas because it came free with the scuttle my wife got me but somehow I never got around to using it. I love how they definitely dance around the fact that its an Aventus dupe on their website! Oh well, I still am happy with my scuttle from them for when I bowl lather. They support great things and it’s a pretty nice scuttle.

First time using an injector razor today and I didn’t have a great go at it. Obviously the first time you pick up a razor it isn’t going to click immediately but I wasn’t impressed. I’m glad I’m borrowing this razor and didn’t pay money for it, at least initially. I am borrowing this from my Father-in-law who I got into wetshaving. He only shaves his neck and this seems to work out well for him! He hasn’t fallen into the rabbit hole that this hobby is, he has all of three soaps and goes back and forth between this razor, a 34c and his carts. This will go back to him next week when we visit.

#PhotoContest See my photo linked in the date header, it speaks for itself today! #AirBud #ICanDoThisAllMonthLongRight?

To the judges and people who made this happen: thank you so much! Been looking forward to this for the past ~~11~~ 12 months and I am so excited for this again! It is my third time participating and super excited to see what the month holds! I was looking back at the Highlight thread from last year and LETS GO!!

2023-07-01 Bonjour! New Base? But of Course!

• Brush: Stirling Soap Company - Li'l Brudder, Synthetic 22mm
• Razor: Blackland - Blackbird, DE safety razor, Brass, 101 mm handle
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum, DE
• Lather: Moon Soaps - Bixby
• Post Shave: Moon Soaps - Bixby

~~Note: I have been putting off posting - Imgur.com has been having issues this morning, so until it picks up it's pieces no pic for the SOTD or for the soap and aftershave. I had not yet pulled them in. Hopefully the Brush and Brassbird links at least work (crosses fingers).~~

Never have used Moon Soaps before. I think they have two bases a soap and a cream however it could just be odd wording - this one is definitely a shave soap.

Anyway - the soap is inspired by the Bixby Bridge located on scenic Highway 1 near Big Sur, California. (never been there but here is a photo of the bridge by Karen Gustafson Randall from the soap maker's website).

As I am metaphorically putting my feet onto the bridge for Lather Games this is a good first step.

First of all I love the scent: Black Tea, Tonka, Smoked Vanilla Bean, Black Volcanic Sea Salt, Coastal Driftwood, Black Pepper, Italian Bergamot, Jasmine, Green Apple, and Musk. Very nicely done.

Performance - leaves me happy. Since this is a first time use I will have to give it a go a few times but gotta say I'm happy.

~~Hopefully I can get a pic up. I've a nice one and with the label on this being intentionally old fashioned I even got to use some video effects without them looking stupid and out of place. This will have to do to show off the~~ label - from Moon Soap's website) Fixed!

Sorry no new razors so I can't play along there today.

Have a good one.

​

Ed: Woah! It finally uploaded!

Bonjour, Jeux de Savons!

We're back, baby!

• Brush: Rubberset 400-3 #Ancient #Hollow
• Razor: Henkotsu Kamisori #Kamisori #Str8Snob
• Lather: Hendrix Classics & Co - Roasted
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Cheshire
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Saint Julep

These lather games feel weird, instead of preparing to compete, I've sunk more hours that I'd like to count into preparing for their organisation and operation. I thought at least I'd be more relaxed this time when I can't really compete with u/RedMosquito (As an aside, did you know that his family wealth comes from shady GDR oligarchy circles? His grandpa ran the Rote Mücke Volksrasurfabrik MikroMatik in Magdeburg in the late 1970s and through most of the '80s. I started my oppo research before I was asked to join the organising committee, and I also have other juicy titbits), but it's still super exciting to experience the start of Lather Games. Big shout-out to u/Crisp_Mango for setting immediately a sky-high bar!

I can't wait to follow along in these games and talk about them in the podcast!

This soap sample is from u/EldrormR, and it's the first time I try a HC&C product.

Challenge:

I've used all the types of razors on the list, but this kami was approved by the Chief Djustice himself.

Post Shave and Fragrance Relevance: They're all drinks. Coffee lather, Earl Grey tea post shave, Mint Julep frag. And I continue the drinks theme in the #photocontest.

01 July 2023 Complementary Non Dickkhole Oatcake Soaps Overgrowth - Lather Games Day 1

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Some Making Required 26mm SMR V1
• Razor: Blackland Dart
• Razor: Gillette Nacet (4)
• Lather: Oatcake Soaps - Overgrowth (2)
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Presto A/S, Thayer's Concoction, Cold River Soapworks Sandalwood Post Shave Lotion, Chicago Grooming Co Project Lawnsdale Balm,
• Fragrance: Narcisco Rodriguez - For Him EdT

It would be a lie if I said that everything is new to me. With my thrill, it's hard to find something that isn't truly new.

This Oatcake soap was used a long time back, for one of the Lather Games. I wanted to come back to it to start using it again and get it into rotation.

I got the Dart a few days ago and this is my 4th use on it.

Enjoying everyone's post, especially /u/Crisp_Mango. Woke up at 630am and lay in bed listening to that.

Just checking

#FOF

Cheers

July 1, 2023 - LG Day 1: Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Maggard Razors Shavette, Black Plastic Handle
• Blade: Ted Pella Single Edge Injector (1)
• Lather: Pasteur – Gotham The Five Points
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Deton-8
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive – Treachery

A joyous first day of the Lather Games, year of our Djundjillord two thousand twenty-three, to you all!

Today was my first time using a shavette for a full shave. I bought this on Black Friday last year and have used it to clean up the lines at the top of my beard before, but I’ve been afraid to use it for anything else. Today, I went for the full head shave. This was pretty darn scary, but it went…not terribly? A few nicks, and not a particularly clean shave, but I didn’t go out a la Sweeney Todd. Similarly, this is my first time using Pasteur’s house brand soap (and my first time ordering from them at all, actually). It’s a very strong/fragrant BR540 dupe, which isn’t unpleasant but it’s not my favorite designer frag by any means. The soap lathered and shaved just fine – nothing spectacular, nothing shameful. I’m certainly not opposed to trying another one of their soaps, if they were to come up with an original fragrance rather than a pre-blend/dupe.

Given that Baccarat Rouge 540 isn’t what I wanted to smell all day, I decided to use the saffron note as the thread (pun intended) holding together my scents today. Deton-8, a dupe of a different designer frag, uses saffron as a middle note (rather than a top note like Gotham), but goes for a dramatically different scent profile than the lather I used today. Leaning into the warm spicy accords of Deton-8, I reached for u/hawns Treachery, which also has a saffron note. Shawn describes Treachery as “wholly indulgent”, which I couldn’t agree with more. It’s one of my absolute favorite frags (one day I’ll splurge on a full bottle), and although I wouldn’t normally wear it on an 80-degree day, it just felt right with these other scents. Treachery also has the added bonus of giving me the feelings of comfort and familiarity to balance out all the new things that the theme and challenge today called for.

#FOF

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Vie-Long Horse Hair #HORSESASS
• Razor: Rolls Razor Imperial No. 2 #SELFSHARPENING
• Lather: Central Texas Soaps – Down By the River
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Rope Swing
• Fragrance: Adidas – Moves

Thanks to /u/walden for this smoosh of Down By The River. I hadn’t heard of Central Texas Soap prior to receiving this smoosh. It’s listed on Pasteur selling for $10 for 5 oz, which is a lot soap at a cheap price. The ad copy states “the fragrance of this always invokes memories. Green fougere, moss, and ozone mixed with funky notes of dirt and mud.” I get ozone, fresh green notes, and sweet lavender. I don’t detect any mossy notes or citrus I expect to be present in a fougere. It's not really dirty either, but the idea of the river comes through. I found it to be pleasant. The soap was definitely in croap territory. It lathered and built volume quickly. It didn’t need a lot of water. Slickness was good, with a bit of secondary slickness. I wasn’t expecting much given the price, but I’m impressed. Add this the list of “bang for your buck” options.

Sticking with the idea of playing by the river, I grabbed my Rope Swing aftershave. It’s interesting trying to analyze this fragrance while experiencing the sensation of alcohol sting and synthetic cooling overwhelming your senses. This fragrance is sweeter than down by the river. It leans floral and aquatic with stronger ozone than Down By The River, and lots of the dandelion note. While it is fresh, I don’t get as much green notes. I wish there was a place that actually smelled like this. I would spend a lot of time there.

Moves smells like the 2000’s. I’ve had this bottle for a long time. My best friend in middle school wore it. So, what else was middle school me to do but get my own bottle? This might be my first cologne. The fragrance is aromatic and fruity, with noticeable pineapple, orange, and hints of citrus. That’s complemented by soft floral notes centering around lavender. A touch of musk adds a masculine note. There are hints of oak moss. Overall it’s very fresh and bright and tones down the darker, heavier notes that can be found in more classic fougeres.

Challenge: I bought this Rolls Razor specifically for this day. I’d like to give a huge shout out to /u/gcgallant. I figured this razor would be ready to use, touched up on the integrated hone and strop, when I bought it. After posting in the mail call thread, I was informed that was not the case. gallant offered to hone the blade for me at no charge, and did the job with quick turn around. Thanks gallant! The Rolls Razor is essentially a narrow straight razor blade with a safety bar, attached to a stick. It comes packed into a clever case with built in mechanisms for honing and stropping. I’ve attempted to use a straight razor twice and neither attempt went well. I had high hopes that this would be more intuitive. But, I had trouble shaving with this razor. It felt like it was pulling at my hair and would not go over certain contours of my face. I had to use buffing strokes to get it to remove anything. I had a lot of trouble finding and maintaining the correct angle. There’s not much margin for error. I found that when I let up on the pressure I was using, it was a bit easier.

#FOF

Day 1

• Prep: Brand - Cube.
• Brush: 28mm Synthetic Badger Bulb Knot homemade handle #COMPOSITE.
• Razor: GEM.
• Blade: Husky(Home Depot)
• Lather: Tcheon Fung Sing Kathmandu.
• Post Shave: Tcheon Fung Sing Kathmandu Aftershave Splash.
• Fragrance: Alexandria Fragrances Cherry Flames.

I bought this stuff and finished the handle last month but I have been waiting for today! I actually bought a Karve CB for today but after rereading the criteria for New All The Things. I needed to switch to the GEM for a different type of razor and all new stuff. The downside I also ordered some GEM blades but they have not arrived so I had to run to Home Depot for tool blades. I did not enjoy this shave. I blame the blades, but this is my first lather games and I am trying to get all of the points. The Tcheon Fung Sing is great, nice lather. This was my first time using it. #ROTY.

July 1, 2023

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Handcrafted Purple Snakeskin 26mm G5C
• Razor: Gillette Red Tip
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (3)
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts – Samhain
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Lavanille
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – Gratiot League Square

First time using Southern Witchcrafts. The performance of the base was great, the Samhain scent I can live without. I did my best to match the fall vibes with Lavanille and this frag. I’m already regretting the heavy scents with how hot it is outside,

First time using this kind of Gillette (the twist to open). I’m amazed how different it is from the NEW Long Comb I also own. Shave was very rough today, but I’ll blame that on a rosacea break out getting in the way of a razor I’m not used to.

This is my first lather games and I wanted to tie it into my favorite part of shaving, self-care. I am going to use this space every day to discuss something healthy that I do everyday this month. Summer break has definitely led to an uptick in my depressive tendencies, so far, and I have a whole month of external motivation to try and build some internal motivation. The goal is to reinforce to myself how strong it can be to build daily habits when trying to be a healthier person mentally and physically. So, here it is:

Healthy Activity of the Day: I did a 3 mile bike ride today! It took way too long, and made me way too tired but I’m happy I did it. I’m to the point in my weight loss where exercise is going to be required. So this month is my attempt to build the habit. If /u/merikus can become a daily shaver due to the Lather Games I can become a daily exerciser.

Tags: #ROTY

July 1, 2023 - Bonjour, Lather Games

• Brush: AP Shave Co - Ivory Purple 26mm G5A SHD Premium #SHD #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Valet Autostrop #SELFSHARPENING
• Blade: Feather FHS-10
• Lather: 345 Soap Co - Rocky Mountain Tree Line
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Confluence

Welcome to Lather Games 2023, or as my wife calls it, that silly shaving contest you did last year. It’s not silly. Sure, I spent lots on things for it, got some smooshes too, but at least I placed 26th and got a set of Summer Break Soaps - Valedictorian. Didn’t get RoTY, but I did get a previous RoTY soap in a PIF. I can use that and feel winner adjacent.

On to the show err shave….

There were lot of firsts today for me. First time using the Valet Autostrop, Feather FHS-10 blade, a 345 Soap Co shaving soap, and EdP from Chatillon Lux. I picked up my 345 Soap Co soaps (2 more to try in September) because of my fondness for Colorado and the Rocky Mountains. I lived north of CO in Wyoming from age 5-15, but my grandmother and a great aunt lived in Colorado, so we were visiting there several times a year. My dad had a single engine Cessna when I was young, so under 2 hours to visit my grandma in Boulder, or about 3.5 to visit my aunt in Crested Butte. My father, cousin, brother, sister and myself are all alumni of CU Boulder. When I learned about a soap company in Colorado, I had to get some. The other scents I got were White Buffalo and Estes Park.

Ok, long introduction, really on to the shave. First this new brush from AP Shave Co, a good amount of backbone, but very soft tips. I like it a lot, and it will move into my regular rotation. The soap lathered up pretty quickly, but was a bit bubbly at first. More water and stirring fixed that. I found that the Valet with its steep angle to the head felt more like shaving with a Schick injector or GEM MMOC. It definitely has a similar feel to the MMOC and the aggressive feeling with a new blade. Some blood was sacrificed to the gods in the form of weepers on my jawline. The scent of Tree Line is a citrusy evergreen. Looking for things to go with it I thought Alive would kick up the citrusy green and give me a splash of chill too. It isn’t hot, but very warm and humid today.

For the fragrance, I got myself a sample pack from Chatillon Lux and Maher Olfactive to supplement the other fragrances I have. Adding 22 samples to my other EdPs and EdTs gives me a lot of choice to pair with the soaps. I haven’t planned out all, but will be making what I feel is either a good compliment or even contrast to the shave scents. CL Confluence is almost all trees. I chose it to go with the evergreen of Tree Line. Tree Line has a stronger citrus than evergreen/pine, so Confluence took the tree scent to 10.

Sprayed some Confluence.

I’m not in a pine forest.

I just smell like one.

Now time to read the rest of today’s posts.

FOF

** Lather Games Day 1** 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85MM Safety Razor
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox
• Lather: Gentleman's Groom Room- Berry Fields O'Blair
• Post Shave: Nivea Men Sensitive Balm

I bought this soap over a month ago and have wanted to use it everyday since but saved it for this very occasion. This soap was made especially for the Gentleman's Groom Room by Wickham Soap Co. Both of which I've not only never used but never heard of. If you like berry scents I highly recommend it. Looking forward to a full month of themed shaves with all of you. Day 1 in the books of my first Lather Games!

ROTY

July 1, 2023 – Lather Games – Day 1  

• Brush: Zenith Boar #CHONK #OLDWORLD
• Razor: GEM #UNICORN
• Blade: Gillette Nacet   
• Lather: Oaken Lab – Sanctum  
• Post Shave: Oaken Lab – Sanctum  

Finally, the Lather Games are here! Been waiting for this all year.

Well, today I tried 2 new things. First I used Oaken Lab Sanctum soap. The scent was familiar since I owned the aftershave for quite some time (WCS had a sale, and it seemed like something I would be interested in). The soap smells great, and to my surprise, is actually quite good. It produces a nice thick lather and is fairly slick. I would recommend it.

As for my razor, I used my long ago acquired GEM. I won this in a PIF when I first started wet shaving about 2 years ago. I didn’t try it then because I wanted to gain some experience with a DE razor first. As a result, I put it in a box, and for all intents and purposes, forgot about it. After noticing the special theme, it jogged my memory. Was I ready to handle this new razor? Not really. Either I was cocky and thought I knew what I was doing, or the razor hates me. Either way, it wasn’t a great shave. Maybe I’m so accustomed to my Karve Overlander, and I forgot other razors aren’t as forgiving.

Used a DE blade in a GEM. Not sure if done on purpose.

Maybe use as an example of providing more data. Zenith Boar does not give enough information for some of the treasure hunt.

Jul 1, 2023 - Bonjour, Lather Games! / New All the Things!

• Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
• Brush: Zenith New Titanio 22mm Boar Knot #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Betued Shavette #ALLNATURAL
• Blade: Feather Artist Club Professional [1]
• Lather: E&S Rasage - Zenith - Soap
• Post Shave: MacDuffs Soap Company - Prairie Sky - Aftershave (Alcohol Free)
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Just Right for a Tuesday - Eau de Parfum

Lather Games is finally here! All the things new to me for the first shave.

I've used an SR a hand full of times, but I got an inexpensive shavette to try shaving with an Artist Club blade. Was the shave close? Was the shave comfortable? No, not really, but it went better than expected. I will use it again. As a bonus, no blood offerings were made.

E&S Rasage is a French brand that I've been wanting to try for a while, but have kept putting off. Trying a new soap base on the same day as a new type of hardware can be a little risky. Luckily, the lather was slick enough to provide excellent protection.

The aftershave sample shared some of the fruity, floral, amber notes of Zenith, but without the hints of spice. Prairie Sky is fully fruit forward, but overall a well done scent. On the other hand, Just Right for a Tuesday paired nicely with Zenith.

While the Zenith brush isn't new to me, I couldn't help bringing in the association with the soap name here.

Rating: 3.5/5

July 1, 2023 – Day #1 of the Lather Games

• Brush: (Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG)[https://imgur.com/a/quOx6ky] #COMPOSITE #FAUXFUR #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird #CNC
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Tiki Bar Soaps – Spice Islands
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Alive

This is my second LG’s and am excited for another year. First and foremost, thank you to all the staff who put way more time than I probably can even imagine into making this happen /u/USS-SpongeBob /u/wallygator88 /u/Djundjila /u/walden /u/DoctorRotor /u/J33pGuy13 /u/VisceralWatch /u/merikus /u/EldrormR. And also thank you to the sponsors and prize donors for all the generosity.

Now, onto the games. I listened to the pre-games podcast and really plan on taking it to heart. I am going to play the games the way I want to play, hopefully not waste judge time, and just live in the moment of my 30-ish minutes of shaving a day (except when I have to shave my legs…..thanks).

The LG to me is more about the people. I was a lurker but felt the LG brings everyone (including me) together. One of my favorite parts is the pings to everyone. I have no clue what place I was last year but know that I made /u/OnionMiasma chuckle with a story and got an end of games ping. So, I am going to ping and comment all month long. Let’s have fun!

I got this soap from /u/wyze0ne on the ‘zaar and have been saving it for its maiden voyage today. I whipped it up with the handle made by /u/whosgotthepudding to find it has an interesting scent and performance that was fine too. I have limited aftershaves so get ready for repeats – I chose Alive because of the herbaceous qualities in both (cilantro for soap, basil for AS). I may not have everything new but my goal for this year is just better than last year. Here is to hoping I do not screw up the formatting or forget products.

July 1, 2023

• Brush: Omega Pro 49 #TOLL #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE #OLDWORD #HOLLOW
• Razor: Henson AL13++ #CNC #RAINBOW
• Blade: Feather (1)
• Lather: Fine Accoutrements - Lavender Pour Homme
• Post Shave: Czech & Speake - Oxford & Cambridge
• Fragrance: Czech & Speake - Oxford & Cambridge EdP

Bonjour!

I missed out on last years Lather Games as I was mostly lurking until AA. I have used Fine's aftershaves in the past, but never got around to using their soap. Luckily I was able to find a puck of their old base in Lavender Pour Homme (I was initially trying to find the matching Czech & Speake Oxford & Cambridge Valobra soap, but no luck so far).

Due to the aforementioned discontinuation of Fine's Lavender Pour Homme, I ended up picking up the real deal Czech & Speake aftershave and fragrance of which Fine's was based on.

Good luck everyone!

#ROTY

July 1, 2023

• ⁠Brush: Omega s-brush

• ⁠Razor: Edwin Jagger EJ89

• ⁠Blade: Astra SP (Green)

• ⁠Lather: Mammoth Soaps - Almond Leather

It’s my first time participating in LG and I will try my best to take part in it each day. I have listened to the LG podcast and understood that ugly pictures sometimes are better than fancy ones. So here is a picture of an end of a party with some food and drinks left on the table. Hope it counts! This is my first time with a Mammoth soap and it’s a nice shave overall.

Tags: #ROTY #photocontest drinks

• Prep: Hot water splash

• Brush: Chisel and hound Fanchurian V18 #SHD

• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite

• Blade: Gilette Silver Blue

• Lather: Gentleman's Nod Musashi

• Post Shave: Zingari Man Unscented Balm

An ok shave, I'm still getting used to the Blackbird, the soap I thought was terrific. It smells fantastic, and lathers pretty quick and easy couldn't ask for much more.

Really really excited for the upcoming month, it's my first Lather Games and i'm looking forward to all the fun hijinks, I've more planned for later in the month but today it's just gonna be a pretty lowkey standard SOTD.

ROTY

July 1, 2023 – Facing Frontwards for my First Lather Games!

• Brush: Chisel and Hound “Acer Pearl” w/ V20 Fanchurian
• Razor: Gillette Guard
• Lather: Grooming Dept – Corretto
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements – American Blend
• Post Shave: Thayers – Rose Petal

Phew! The competition seems pretty stiff already. Just going to take it day to day shave by shave and we’ll get there, right? Right? RIGHT?! For new all the things I was able to finally try Grooming Dept courtesy of u/Tetriside, he kindly sent me a smush of Coretto. Unfortunately, I wasnt able to make the greatest of lather and this month will be a process in learning how to best build lather from smushes and samples as I’m used to overzealously lathering from the tub. The scent is very very pleasant, and I chose it since it's a bit out of my wheelhouse. To my ignorant knows it's a kinda boozy, chocolately, and jelly beany cologney thing. Its even continuing to hold its own over the AB splash and Thayers.

And yes, while I know yes I know this is not a new “type” of razor for me, this is my first time using the Gillette Guard. I’ll be taking a short trip out to LA from Philly next week and bought this because TSA. Thought I might as well give it a shot today at least in the spirit of the games. Definitely a mild and easy shave, I see why these are so often reccomended on the sub and sold at Maggard's. Two passes today with a very light touch to get through the month and a new blade in my Schick tomorrow.

Might as well add my song/podcast per shave in here too. Pavement – Frontwards popped up first on my spotify tonight while soaking my brush.

https://youtu.be/ZQAy08UQP-A

Cheers! Shaka Emoji.

#ROTY

July 1 2023 - Lather Games Day 1

• Brush: Omega 11137 #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Gillette Sheraton
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox(1)
• Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz - Tabac
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - King of Bourbon
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Memoirs of a Trespasser

Happy first day of Lather Games everyone! This is my third Games and I’m excited to see what madness ensues this year. Big prayer hands emojis to the sponsors and judges this year for making it all possible. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼.

Onto the shave: Tabac! I got a sample of this with a PIF from u/Ramjet615, proceeded to forget about it for some months, then when I found it I figured I would just save it for Lather Games. So thanks Ram! I scooped a chunk into my bowl and attacked with my brush. I got a pretty voluminous lather in no time. I get the “grandma’s purse” comparison from the scent but the somewhat dusty leather and vague florals work for me. But the soap was slick and though a fresh blade in Sheraton can be rough sometimes the Tabac felt very protective. I definitely get why this stuff has such a dedicated following.

To connect the post shave and fragrance I picked, as I’m sure a lot of us do I get synesthesia with scents sometimes and Tabac and King of Bourbon both fall easily into the “brown” scent grouping. And so does Memoirs of a Trespasser, with its woody vanilla notes playing nicely with the vanilla from King of Bourbon.

July. 1, 2023 - SOTD 

• Prep: Splash of warm water 
• Brush: Oumo O4 Venus SHD Badger Brush 26 MM
• Razor: West Coast Shaving Multi Titanium Collection Razor
• Blade: King C Gillette
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps Prom King
• Post Shave: Chiesled Face Natural Artisan Aftershave Balm

ROTY

• Brush: Simpson Classic #1 synthetic

• Razor: Karve shaving - Christopher Bradley razor #CNC

• Lather: Zingari Man - The Gent soap

• Post Shave: Zingari Man - unscented balm

• Fragrance: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere

ROTY

My first lather games here we goooooooo! Never had the chance to use a Zingari man product so I waited until today to get into the samples I got from the Maggard meet up. I took my mom there with me because it happened to be in between where we live (about a 2 hour drive for each of us) and it was really close to my birthday. Wouldnt ya know she won a karve razor and immediately gave it to me! So I waited until today to try that as well. The gent soap smells wonderful and the balm was really nice too.

Believe it or not since I started wetshaving, I only ever used a straight razor. So this was my first DE shave. The karve razor is a work of art. But it scares me more than the straight from my inexperience. Got through it without too much damage. There was some...

• Brush: r/wetshaving 31mm Zenith Moar Boar
• Razor: Titan 17002 Mini Razor Scraper
• Blade: Gem Personna Stainless Steel
• Lather: House of Mammoth Mood Indigo
• Post Shave: Clubman Reserve Whiskey Woods, Osma Alum
• Fragrance: Stirling Sharp Dressed Man

I awoke this morning to realize it was July 1, the dawn of Lather Games. I have failed at this sub lately. I took my kid to Home Depot for the monthly kids workshop, and then recognized the significance of the date ahead of me. I opened up the challenge for the first time.

I still have not looked at the schedule for the month. And I’m probably not going to tonight.

So, this evening carried me to the worst shave of my absolute life. A razor scraper is not something you should ever shave with. I never have until tonight. The gem blades I have are not known for being “the good” blades. I hurt. I am bleeding. I smell good?

shave

aftermath

Shaved with a razor scraper

• Prep: Warm water face wash with glycerine soap
• Brush: PAA Amber Aerolite
• Razor: RazoRock - Game Changer .84-P
• Blade: Loi - Titanium
• Lather: Razorock - Zi Peppin
• Post Shave: Osma - Alum Block
• Post Shave: Thayer's Hydrating Milky Toner - Snow Mushroom

Damn Fine Shave, the performances of the LOI Titanium blade with the Game Changer and the Razorock Zi Peppin was great! Everything I used performed to it's maximum capacity today making me the beneficiary!

Excellent Shave!

Saturday, July 1, 2023

• Brush: Maggard Razors - Midnight Blue - 26mm Quartermoon
• Razor: Wolfman - WR2 0.75 DC x WRH2
• Blade: Personna Med Prep
• Lather: E&S Rasage - Solstice - Soap
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Natural - Aftershave

Day 1 of Lather Games: Using this E&S Rasage sample that I'm fairly certain I got in a Pasteur's order. It was pretty good. it's the vegan formula. I think they also have a tallow version. The CFG splash with its menthol did not disappoint.

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour, Lather Games

• Brush: Paladin Chief 26mm Satin Juma Smoke

• Razor: Schick Injector

• Blade: Schick Injector SE Blade (1)

• Lather: Oleo Soapworks - Excursion

• Post Shave: Captain’s Choice – Eucalyptus Aftershave

• Fragrance: Duke Cannon - Huron

Special thanks to u/worbx for the smoosh of Excursion and u/2SaintsDude for the use of the Injector.

Today ended up being more on theme than I had anticipated. Between the new style of razor for me, new soap base, new post shave, and my first lather games; I was a bit overwhelmed here. So how did it you go you may ask, well not as bad as it could have I guess.

The Lather: The soap whipped up into a lather quite quickly with minimal efforts. The scent was a pleasant cologne scent with moderate strength. During the shave it provided plenty of cushion and slickness. This was about the only part of the shave that went well.

The Razor: The Schick Injector couldn’t be more polar opposite of the Blackbird I’m used to, and no doubt any problems I had were due to my inexperience. The razor is extremely light making it quite hard for me to judge correct pressure. The blade feel was non-existent, but it still seemed reasonably efficient. I didn’t cut myself up too bad, but it also took me twice the time.

The Post Shave/Frag: I started the post shave by using a Captain’s Choice Eucalyptus sample I had never touched. Suffice to say that the scent was more than overwhelming. I don’t usually use a frag so I had to go rummaging around my box of random stuff I had been given as gifts. Low and behold I stumbled upon an unopened Duke Cannon Huron frag. At this point I was desperate for anything that might help tone down the eucalyptus insanity I was dealing with so, not really knowing how it smelled, I decided to slather it on. According to my wife it helped, but to me all I got was aquatic eucalyptus. Not a scent I would recommend to anyone.

Challenge/Theme: The razor was a new style, the soap was a new base/brand, the aftershave was a new brand, and the frag was a new brand. The combination of scents was probably also new to humankind.

Hopefully I’m doing this right #ROTY

July 1, 2023 – Month of Lather Day 1

• Brush: Frank Shaving Butterscotch Classic handle w/ DS Cosmetics 24mm SHD G7 Synthetic #SHD
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .68-P #CNC
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (4)
• Preshave: Proraso – Aloe and Vitamin E Cream
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Banana
• Post Shave: Nivea – Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Music: Bananarama - Cruel Summer**

I can talk the ears off of anyone about anything, but when speaking publicly anxiety kicks in. A trick I learned is to tell the audience how much I appreciate them before jumping into my topic, so here it goes:

• Thank you to the Lords of the Lather Games for your time/effort in organizing and djudging this Month of Lather. Thank you also for your patience in dealing with both Naive Noobs (like me) and Spicey Souls (Air Bud Rules anyone?). I'm not worthy.
• Muchas Gracias to u/tsrblke for the smoosh of CF Banana I used today. Thank you and good luck in your pursuit of LG greatness.
• My heartfelt appreciation to the contributors/maintainers of the r/Wetshaving Wiki. Its sage wisdom helped me resolve a bad bout of irritation/burn. In the process this old dog relearned how to enjoy the wet shaving experience.
• A final shoutout to all of the Proud Sponsors of the 2023 edition of Lather Games. A Special Thanks for your generosity!

Daily Theme-Bonjour, Lather Games!: I'm vacationing with family in the Philippines (yes it sucks to be me!) so a tropical vibe for LG23 kickoff seemed appropriate, and it doesn't get more tropical than bananas. I have a $#!+load of their samples but I've never used Chiseled Face so CF Banana it is!

Special Challenge-New All The Things!: Fail! Sorry, only the soap artisan is new today.

My first impression was not positive (think over-ripe banana in both smell and texture). Luckily LG forces you out of your comfort zone and when I bowl-built the lather a fresh banana smell jumped out. The soap was thirsty (not sure yet if too much soap or that's typical for CF) but the lather was slick and gave a nice DFS. Though not intentional (I keep a limited variety of software in our PI abode), the neutrality of the pre- and post-shave products allows me to enjoy the Banana Bouquet in all its greatness! Let the Games begin. #ROTY

Jul. 1, 2023
Brush: Badger Brush
Razor: Karve CB
Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome
Lather: Barrister And Mann - Seville - Soap
Post Shave:* Zingari Man - Unscented - Balm

First lather games! Failed the challenge don’t have any razors I haven’t used in the past. Had a sample of the famed Seville everyone seems to like and first time trying barrister and Mann! #ROTY

July 1, 2023 – So It Begins  

• Brush: Simpson Synthetic  
• Razor: Merkur 34C  
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue   
• Lather: Captain’s Choice – 45th Parallel  

Amaretto is underappreciated both as a flavor and as a scent. Found this soap on my Maggard’s trip, never would have bought it just from an internet description.

May everyone enjoy their games. It’s silly internet hijinks and I hope there are plenty, but it’s also pulled me through some really stressful times as a mindfulness practice and self care routine. I hope that’s something the rookies can experience and the veterans appreciate.

07.01.2023- It Starts

• Prep: None

• Razor: Rolls Razor #SELFSHARPENING

• Blade: None

• Brush: Omega - 10049 #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE

• Lather: Highland Springs Soap Co. - Reflections - Soap

• Post Shave: Epsilon - Blue Mediterranean Splash

First go with the Rolls. My dad gave this to me a few months ago remembering it was something he pulled out of an estate sale at at an apartment complex he worked at. I’ve been somewhat skeptical to use it and its shave readiness was unknown. I pushed it back and forth on the hone and stop a couple dozen times and gave it a pass on the arm hair. It cuts…how this translates to the face was still a mystery at this point. Onto the lather, found a review of this from Ruds 3 years ago, you can watch that here

It’s a dupe of Guess man with the scent notes including Lavender, Armoise, White Pepper, Ginger Root, Nutmeg, Siberian Blue Fir, Peru Balsam, Sandalwood, Amber, Suede and Musk. I’ve never smelled the original to say how close it is and according to the shaving fragrance homage database it’s the only example.

Lather was slick and creamy just as good as any other base on the market. The Rolls however was not shave ready and the one pass WTG I completed wasn’t the most smooth shave I’ve ever had. Will need to get this honed before trying again. Finished with the Epsilon blue because of the shared lavender notes.

July 1, 2023 Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Craving Shaving w/ 26mm SHD Badger
• Razor: Autostrop #SELFSHARPENING
• Blade: Feather FHS10 (1)
• Lather: Subtle Art Soap Co. - Night Out
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag

Used the autostrop today for the first time to meet the special challenge #New All The Things. Was pretty worried about how the shave was going to go once I got the blade in. Turned out to look much scarier than it was and I thought it performed pretty similarly to a GEM.

The Subtle Art soap performed decently, but started to dry out halfway through the second pass. It easily could have just been the fact I was using it for the first time. Residual slickness wasn't the worst I've had, but post shave was pretty much non-existent. Wrapped the shave up with Midnight Stag which matched mostly on word play with Night, but also because the leather note in both. Even waited to snap this picture tonight to help bring it all together even more!

Hope everyone had a wonderful LGs day one and I look forward to continue reading the shenanigans going forward!

July 01, 2023 * Brush: Declaration Grooming Washington B3 * Razor: Eversharp Hydro-Magic * Blade: Ted Pella PTFE Injector (1) * Lather: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi - Soap * Post Shave: Gentleman's Nod - Musashi - Aftershave * Fragrance: Guerlain - L'Homme Ideal - Cologne

Well here goes. I was on the fence about participating as my week day mornings are usually rushes, but maybe this will encourage me to get up earlier (read: on time). I know it's not difficult to "copy" and "paste" for the new formatting, but dang, this sure will show us how spoiled we were with Try That Soap. This was my first time trying an injector. Nothing really notable from the experience. It worked. I like this razor more for the fact of how old it is. With old razors I like to ponder what they've done, where they've been, and who they served in the past.