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.