July 3, 2023 – LG Day 3 – Big Almonday

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic Li’l Brudder #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable #DIAL
• Blade: Sharp Star
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Almond Creme
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Amazelnut
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes – Chipmunk

Almonday, yet again. Second year in a row. It’s happening, folks. Big Almond is here.

They’ve been slowly infiltrating the community for years. Haven’t noticed? That’s the point. When someone new to wet shaving asks how much soap they’re supposed to scoop into their shaving bowl, what’s the answer? A chunk about the size of an almond. Cella, a “classic” soap, tried to get distance from Big Almond by creating an aftershave with a totally different scent. And what happened? Do you see Cella making waves in the artisan soap community? Does anybody even talk about Cella anymore? They were shut down, and Big Almond moved on.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, man. Here we are, in the Lather Games, the premiere wet shaving event not just for our little subreddit, but really for the world, and Big Almond has showed up again. Almond Creme. Almond Leather. u/RedMosquitoMM’s soap of choice, GD Almond Vanilla. Big Almond is everywhere, man. You just have to open your eyes.

I mean, did u/RedMosquitoMM even really win last year? Who’s to say it wasn’t rigged from the start? We’re talking about someone who’s on the record saying, and I quote, “I like Almond”. Doesn’t that sound like collusion to you? Sure, he writes exquisite fragrance descriptions, takes stunning, professional photos for his SOTDs, and even describes his coffee down to the minutiae. More importantly, he’s a beloved member of the community. But who’s to say that it wasn’t Big Almond making us believe this all along?

What, so I could just say that my shave today was inspired by nuts but not almonds, and I’d still have a chance? I could explain that the sweet marzipan of Almond Creme was accentuated and made better by Amazelnut, and then balanced out by the subtle spiciness and woodsiness of Chipmunk, bringing a delightful dry-down that avoids the cloyingness and divisiveness that almond soaps so often bring. #FOF But this doesn’t fit into the narrative that Big Almond wants you to hear. This isn’t the only reason Big Almond won’t let me win these games, though.

I have evidence that Will of Barrister and Mann is now just another lackey of Big Almond. You were all distracted by the infamous Four Horsemen. You were led to believe that Will had his fun, made some weird scents, and is now going to give the people what they want. Wrong! Wake up, sheeple! As we speak, Will is running an underground testing facility, forcing people to shave with almonds, brush their teeth with almonds, make almonds all they can think about. I have photographic proof! Before we know it, the only scents available in the entire artisan scene will be almond.

We must resist their attempts to take over our hobby. We must stand up for the diversity of scents in wet shaving. And we must never forget that almond is not the only way to shave.

Join me in the fight against Big Almond. Together, we can preserve the diversity of scents in wet shaving and keep our hobby free from corporate influence.

#NotMyScent #DownWithBigAlmond #FreeTheShave

#FOF

2023-07-03 Almond Us

• Brush: Zenith Chubby B27
• Razor: Goodfella's Smile Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
• Lather: Cella - Milano Crema Da Barba
• Post Shave: Proraso - Eucalyptus & Menthol (Green)
• Fragrance: Giorgio Armani - Acqua di Gio Profumo

Challenge Accepted:
My brain is an unreliable narrator, so forgive me if I'm misremembering anything. u/RedMosquitoMM's victory last year struck me as different than what I had come to expect from the Games, especially as regards what it takes to come out on top. I seem to recall it pointed out that he didn't do all of the things. Nor did he engage in outrageous shenanigans. What he did do, I recall, is be consistent.
And thoughtful. And long-winded.

I kid about that last point, but I think I remember it being pointed out that length was a consistent property of his posts, in particular in his approach to FOF.

Meanwhile, this year's rules seem to emphasize brevity. Is it to discourage imitation of Mosquito's reported verbosity? Is it motivated by regret over that one challenge that actually encouraged lengthy, rambly posts? Who knows (aside from those who wrote the rules, of course)?

So there's the dilemma: Maintain interest and capture the audience, but do it concisely (college papers and skirts, right?). That is a challenge, indeed! I am nothing if not long-winded, myself. Believe it or not, I've really been restraining myself from letting these get too long! Whether or not I'm successful is up to, well, the djudges.

Relevant Post Shave and Fragrance: Oops! All Italian!

Brush: It sure is Italian! Much like yesterday's MMOC, this brush saw me through last August. Oh, what a horrific month. Not because of the MMOC, mind you, or even really because of the brush. No, it was the face-lathering. Dear god, the face-lathering...
More on that later on in the Games, when that inevitable Challenge comes.

Razor: Ah, the Italian kamisori shavette. My original plan was to save this razor for a later day, but a) nothing precludes me from using any given piece of hardware on multiple days and b) it helps me have all of the stuff today be Italian!
I don't have such a bowl, though; that actually strikes me as oddly specific, but I concede that it's no less oddly specific than my bowl being Japanese, which it is.
I guess that's still a thematic connection, if not tenuous, linking the bowl and razor, eh?

In any case, it's a shavette and it shaves like a shavette. Read: unnecessarily hazardous. I think that a major benefit to the fixed handle vs. the folding style is that I find that a folding handle does little more than get in the way and limit maneuverability. The first time I used a shavette, which was of a folding type and during last year's Games, I quickly found that it was often helpful to extend the handle fully and hold it as though it were fixed, anyway. And sure, the scales protect the blade when it's folded, but that's less of a concern when it comes to shavettes, isn't it? And it's definitely not a factor while actually using the thing.

What's the saying? "Everyone with an opinion is an asshole"? Wait, no, it's "Keep your asshole to yourself." Or "Keep your asshole in your pants"? That's not right, either, is it? Am I getting warmer?
Oh, I got it:
"I'm just, like, an asshole, man!" Er, hmm...

#FOF

Lather: Ah, Cella. A clear classic with a classic almond scent.

If I'm being honest–and I have no recent not to be–I don't care for it. The lather is decent enough, but I don't really get the appeal of the almond scent. While it might be exaggerating to call it sickly-sweet or unpleasant, it borders on some level of sweetness and I don't see its general appeal as a scent. My understanding is that almond itself is a classic in Italian barbery, but I just can't imagine someone smelling it and thinking, "Yeah, I want to smell like that! Sexy!"

That said, I think it makes for an interesting starting point in the context and interest of #FOF.

You see, I don't oppose the maligned trickhole because I also hold the asshole that any given scent created by a perfumer is an oeuvre and should be appreciated as such. Howver, a mono-scented thing such as Cella is simplistic enough that we (or maybe just I, with my unrefined sniffer) can play perfumer-in-the-washroom for a monent.

Let's give it a try!

Post Shave: Off to a roaring start with the Proraso aftershave, which does not seem to share the eucalyptus prominence that is evident from its corresponding soap-in-a-bowl counterpart. It did go on the face with a subtle menthol-y whisper, that was nonetheless short-lived. Well, no one said the menthol of Proraso was particularly strong, anyway.

Verdict: I'm still smellin' like a miniature candy dairy farm.

Fragrance: Okay, moving on to the Acqua di Gio, Armami describes it as "a woody aromatic cologne combinging bergamot with rosemary essence and incense notes".

Side note; A few years ago, I happened to nab a spritz of this while walking through a department store with a friend. Said friend, who is generally quite apprehensive about fragrances due to the risk of overbearing scents, took quite a liking to the aroma that I had spontaneously acquired during that shopping trip.
So, good start for Acqua di Gio, and it smells every bit as promising out of the vial.

I am quickly discovering that a major challenge to properly assessing these combinations of scents is that I–as with people in general–am unable to get a proper sense of how the scents intermingle on my own self. As a result, I may have overcompensated with the amount of Acqua di Gio I used, in a desperate attempt to overpower the almond.

Verdict: Acqua di Gio seems to have overcome the almond, and hopefully I havent't doused myself in an off-putting amount of the stuff!
In seriousness, I don't think there's risk of that, but I have the impression that, while Acqua di Gio is staying, the almond is already fading, much to my pleasant relief, and the actual fragrance gets to be what it was meant to be.

#photocontest

Photo: Food.

Let's talk for a moment about the Cella Milano guy. As we all know, the Cella Milano guy is–incontrovertibly–Santa Claus. We also know that Santa Claus is a Lovecraftian horror.

What's that? You don't know this? Look at Babbo Natale's smiling face! Seriously, look at that face. Look at his jaw and chin and see that there is no humanly-conceivable way that that jaw and chin can have a form in this reality!

That smile is sinister and knowing! He is up to something beneath that sudsy veil! He may be reaching, from his chin, through and beneath our plane of existence, doing what only he knows! Reaching into the minds of the unsuspecting, insignificant beings of our universe, destroying their minds and lives for–is it amusement? Curiosity? A mere absent-minded fiddling?

The Cella Santa Claus man cannot exist, but he is there! Do you not see?!
Look and see that it is wrong!

• Brush: Omega 63171 #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS

• Razor: Henson AL-13 #RAINBOW #CNC

• Blade: Bic Chrome Platinum

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Almond Creme

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather

• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Gratiot League Square

Today's Theme: Almonday - ~~all 3 of my~~ my lather and post shave scents contain almond notes to varying degrees. (see update below)

Today's Challenge: 2022 LG Winner Appreciation Day - You'll have to check my SOTD photo and decide for yourself

My theme for today's shave: Sweetness #photocontest

So although I've done the Almond Creme/Almond Leather combo before, today I thought about sweetness both in fragrance and in my personal life. Almond is traditionally a sweet scent that everyone always compares to cherries or marzipan, and Stirling's Almond Creme is pretty much exactly that. Sweetness overload with very cherry forward. Almond Leather is a great complement to Almond Creme because of how the leather dries down and mellows out the sweetness without clashing against it. What I did not expect was that upon applying the Gratiot League Square frag I smelled like Cherry Coke. Very unexpected but not altogether unlikeable. This will require further testing after lather games.

For hardware, I borrowed my fiancee's Henson for the rainbow hashtag since it's a colored razor and also kind of matched the almond color theme. Super autopilot razor that kind of feels like I'm using a cartridge razor. Can definitely see this being counterproductive to good technique but it's a really easy razor to use. The omega brush is a cheapo badger and the first badger brush that I ever got. Honestly aside from the scritchiness of the hairs, it's a perfectly serviceable brush, especially for 1-pass shaves.

For music today, I continued with the theme of sweetness and picked out my old Backstreet Boys CD. Pretty much all the songs are love songs or love-adjacent, but it's honestly one of the more classic boy band albums of the era and I'm glad I still have it after all these years. All I Have to Give sounded like the sweetest love song when I was younger, now I listen to the lyrics and think "yep this is the anthem of broke sad bois" #FOF #ROTY

Update: I just reread the scent notes on GLS and looks like Almond is nowhere to be found. I'm still not sure why it smells like Cherry Coke to me and I'm even more confused now.

Jul. 3, 2023 - Almonday

• Prep: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Zenith 506U XSE unbleached boar #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE #OLDWORLD

• Razor: Blackland Blackbird (SS) #CNC

• Blade: Astra Green

• Lather: Cella Milano - Crema da Barba (Red)

• Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Z (uncool) Balm

• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Yesterday Haze

Todays challenge is to honor our reigning champion u/RedMosquitoMM in some way or another. As we probably all did I went back and looked at some of his posts last year and what better way to do that than by participating in #FOF today. We all remember that he won the Games but also placed second in the FOF contest just showing his complete dominance! I have quite the sus nose so this isn’t my normal thing. But for our champ I’m all in!

Cella: Wow what an absolutely incredibly hard scent to paint with words but I’ll give it a try! Imagine yourself sitting on a hill in the deep heart of Italy. The wind quietly blowing through the trees as birds sing sitting in the branches. You get up and start strolling into town, passing by the sea as the salty water sprays you. The market is bustling with people selling their wares, overwhelming you with choices of olive, spices and every fruit you can imagine. The sellers are calling out to you trying to catch your attention but you are on a mission now, late, behind schedule.

Finally you reach your nonna’s house and the wave of roasted nuts hits you the instant the door opens. Tantalizing you as you follow your nose into the kitchen and find your nonna bent over the open oven pouring her love into her baking. “Pistachio?” You ask. Her response is as simple as it is brutal: “Almond you idiot!”

And that is Cella.

Todays #photocontest theme of the day is #Vehicles I couldn’t pick just one mode of transportation so I just went for them all!

July 3, 2023

• Brush: Oumo Pandora – 28mm Badger #SHD
• Razor: GEM 1912 #TWINS
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Moon Soaps – Amaretto Speciale Cream
• Post Shave: Talent Soap Factory – Fantasy Donut Splash
• Fragrance: Valentino – Born in Roma Yellow Dream
• Passes: WTG, ATG
• Coffee: Acoustic Java – Burundi Turihamwe
• Grinder: 1Zpresso JX-Pro Manual Coffee Grinder – Setting 28.
• Brewing Method: Hario V60 Pour-Over
• Additions to Coffee: 10mg Collagen
• Breakfast: Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds and Blueberries
• Daily Yoga Session: Yoga with Adriene – Full Body Flow
• Color of the Day: Green
• Music: Dean Martin - That's Amore

HAPPY ALMONDAY EVERYONE! Today, I get to use one of my absolute favorite soaps, so I’m so pumped about it. Moon Soaps Amaretto is the Gold Standard for Almond/Amaretto soaps. There is such a delicious sweetness to it as soon as you open the tub. The scent is so, so, so good. The smell of sweet almond is combined with dark cherries, and buttery biscotti. F’ing Yum! It’s like taking a delicious trip to Italy in shave form! I’m the self-proclaimed Gourmand King, and this soap is one of the best.

As a company, Moon Soaps is one of the best, too. I touched base with Melody and Zack for my 10 questions series, but for those that don’t know, Zack is a butcher and has everyone in his shop save the fats from the rib meat (and only the rib meat because that what he says produces the best soaps) to use to make soaps. On the label it says “From the Butcher to the Barber”. How badass is that?? Before I get to the interview, more on the shave: Great lather and great smells coming from the soap, which is actually more of a cream, because with Moon Soaps, they have several different soap bases, depending on the soap. Pretty much every soap they offer has its own unique recipe and consistency. The cream offered a luxorious slickness and softness and my skin felt so good after using it. Have I mentioned how much I love this soap?

For the post-shave, I continued my quest to #ridewithItchy every single day of the Lather Games. No matchy-matchy here! So, I kept things sweet, because I get my power from sweet scents, I used Talent Soap Factory’s Fantasy Donut to bring a little glazed donut scent to this Amaretto party. I wish the scent strength of the splash was just a notch stronger, because it’s good, but light.

And finally, for my #FOF fragrance, I stuck to sweet and I kept on the Italy theme and went with Valentino’s Born in Roma. It’s like a perfumy Gingerbread. So, we got Amaretto Soap, Donut Splash, and Gingerbread frag. Thank GOD I’m only smelling all this and not actually eating all this, because today’s shave has type 2 ‘betes written all over it. For an ordinary person, this would be a little much for a hot, humid July day, but I’m not an ordinary person, so I LOVE it.

My #photocontest entry is Space, because my wife’s engagement ring has a meteorite inlay in the band. Like her, it’s absolutely one of a kind and OUT OF THIS WORLD.

For the daily challenge, hats off to u/RedMosquitoMM. Last year was my first Lather Games and you showed me what a winner posts like and how a true winner conducts himself on the sub. You’re informative, helpful, and respectful to everyone. I can guarantee after I win this year, I will not be nearly as humble or gracious as you were last year. In honor of Red, I’ve included my passes, coffee, brewing method, breakfast, daily yoga session, music, and color of the day in the headline of my SOTD because I’m pretty sure that’s everything that he includes in his posts. In one big way, Red is similar to the artisans behind Moon Soaps, because in both cases, their attention to detail is top notch. Making Red a top-tier champion and making Moon Soaps a top-tier artisan.

The details that Zachary & Melody they put into every aspect of every soap is impressive. I don’t think there’s another soapmaker out there that does what they do – render the tallow in house, create the scents in house, design the labels in house, package and ship everything in house, and use a different soap base for pretty much every soap. Literally everything they do is in house. They have 9 different scents and don’t release new scents on a schedule. They wait to get it right each time. And in talking to them, they are some of the most pleasant people in the business. They stay in their lane and don’t mix it up on reddit, so I can’t tag them, but THANK YOU MELODY AND ZACK for playing along with my shenanigans and being so open about your business.

10 Questions with… Moon Soaps

1) One of the more interesting things I know about your company is that Zachary is a butcher and the tallow you use for your soaps comes from his work. What happens to the tallow that you folks can’t use?

Can’t use? That’s never happened. We are always struggling to find the time to render down more!

2) I’ve often thought that using tallow in soaps is actually more “green” because it ensures that there is less waste coming from the meat industry. Tallow, which would exist with or without soapmaking, would otherwise be thrown away. Now it is being used and not wasted. Is that a fair assessment to make?

Sort of. 20 years ago fat was an actual commodity that was boxed up and sold to meat markets to use for various applications. Now, all fat needs to be inspected by the feds if it is to be sold… a process that is too expensive and frustrating for the little money to be made from its sale. Most slaughter houses and packing plants just throw it out and let a tallow company dispose of it for them. In our case, my shop saves all the good rib fat for me as steaks are trimmed- a great way to keep quality control and its green.

3) Between the two of you, you do everything from rendering the tallow, to designing the scents, to designing the labels, packaging the product, sending everything out, and obviously making the soaps. All of these take a lot of skill to do on their own, yet you do them all! What is the most challenging part of running every aspect of your business in house?

Probably the most challenging this is juggling family life and the need to turn off the business mind and just be with the family. As an entrepreneur you’re always thinking about new things and trying to remain relevant. You’re correct, we do handle every aspect of our business ourselves. I think the hardest part for me is the photography, even though I took several semesters of photography classes in high school & college haha! We would love to work with other people to help grow and express our concept. Zack and I both have an art background so the creative aspect has always been the foundation of Moon Soaps.

4) You currently have 9 shaving soaps for sale. Which is each of yours’ favorites and which is your best seller?

(Melody) Probably, my personal favorite at this moment is our newest scent Bixby. Our fan favorite is Amaretto; a scent has been used for over ten years. We are still thrilled when we hear reviews from customers loving it! (Zachary) I’m pretty into Astoria right now. That one hasn’t left my countertop since its release.

​

(INTERVIEW CONTINUES IN THE REPLY)

July 3, 2023 – RedmosquitoMM day  

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Badger  #SHD #composite
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed  
• Blade: Gillette Nacet (1)  
• Lather: Cella – Red  
• Post Shave: Zingari Man – Traditionalist  

• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive – Crystal Moon  

• Coffee: Switch Coffee Collective Columbia

• Music:. sweet silence followed by my son singing “you are my sunshine.”

Today we celebrate last year’s winner u/redmosquitoMM. I looked over his posts and I’m pretty sure the judges would prefer I not copy his verbosity from last year. So we’ll leave this to a few points, first including the coffee and music, which he does in his SOTD posts and second, making my #photocontest an outside affair (scenery) the home of mosquitoes. But also since this is a competition (but a friendly one) including something to keep away our winner from last year. I also used cella red, but that was totally coincidence so I’m not counting it.

On the #fof side, my calendar notes just said “traditional” which made sense for cella (a traditional soap and scent) and “the traditionalist” in name. But I couldn’t remember why I chose crystal moon. So I went back and read Shawn’s blog about it and saw the bit about the legend of the princess in a crystal castle. And it came back to me. I was thinking of all the various traditional story tropes that seem to crop up in every culture. There’s a lot of that when you look at it. Humans love traditions and we create them like crazy. Sometimes we borrow directly from each other (as Shawn did with elements of this fragrance) sometimes we independently arrive at the same things (as with many of the tropes.) Still fascinating to me. Here at the sub we have a tradition that turns a decade next year and while I’m just a rookie (going for #ROTY) I’m glad to be a part of it.

Also found out I DQ’d myself yesterday by triggering the spam filter and effing up my formating causing the lather to drop off, which probably chucks me from several places and might throw me out of ROTY (that's up to u/j33pguy13) On the flip side frees me up to use use stuff I had set aside to maximize points. :shreds calendar he spent 3 weeks making: let’s go.

July 3, 2023

• Brush: Frank Shaving 20mm Synthetic Silvertip #FAUXFUR #RUNT #SMOLL
• Razor: Star 1912 #TWINS #BRASSING
• Blade: GEM Blade
• Lather: Cella - Almond
• Post Shave: Murphy & McNeil – Slainte: St. James Splash
• Fragrance: Tumi – Kinetic

Good shave today. Cella seems one of those brands that has been around forever and still does the same thing year after year after year. It’s not broken why fix it? If you’re a great company, you don’t need to keep up with the trends of today. Look at institutions like Blockbuster, Sears, or Plymouth Car Company. No need to change! Is Cella out of touch? No it’s the shavers who are wrong… Because of this, I’m sure Cella will be around for another 124 years. Why bother updating something when everyone else in your space is innovating around you?

So yeah, Cella is an old soap from Italy who’s original recipe dates back to 1899. It smells like almonds and actually didn’t do a bad job. As far as performance, it got the job done, although I can’t say I’m gonna reach for this sample again anytime soon. So, thank you to Maggard Razors for offering samples because I would not want a full sized tub of this stuff. After the shave, I used Slainte: St. James Splash, which has vanilla and butterscotch to go good with the almond from Cella. And to close it out, I used Kinetic from Tumi, which also has strong vanilla scents. #FOF

If I’m being honest, I’m looking forward to shaving with a double edge again tomorrow. These Gems are okay, but I like DEs much better. We’ll see how things and challenges progress, but I don’t think I’ll be using a single edge again for the rest of the Lather Games. On the other hand, this teeny tiny brush I used today did a stellar job! It’s super soft and handled making a nice lather of Cella without a problem.

For the challenge, over the last several months, I’m sure I’ve asked dumb questions in the Daily Threads, but u/RedMosquitoMM gave me really good guidance when I asked about scents. I’ve seen him give other people helpful guidance and suggestions as well. So thank you, RedMosquito. Appreciate all the answers!

July 3, 2023

• Brush: Böker -Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Era #CNC
• Blade: Astra SP (Green) (2)
• Lather: Cella Crema de Barba (Red)
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Boonana
• Fragrance: Diesel – Spirit of the brave intense

#FOF

Dear u/RedMosquitoMM,

I know we did not have the best time in the past. For over a year i am mocking you, because you do not like Sea Spiced Lime. You have to understand me. Just like Helga Pataki, I wanted your attention. Speaking of ‘Hey Arnold!’. While he has a football head, you are blessed with the nose of Grenouille, George R R Martins ability to work with words, all trapped in the body of a college Footballer. I bet when you read our SOTDs, you can see that we try to copy your style of putting reaction pictures and memes down our texts. But we peasants lack the ability to describe scents as wide and detailed as you did. Forgive us. For me your posts did not stand out to me like other latheriors. You kept your dignity during the games and did not get lost in shaving with cum. You kept a high entertaining and engaging quality through the whole games.
Today, I tried to impress you by using Cella -RED. Halve your name is written on the soap! I also used the Blackland Era. I think you got one, too. Becausse the soap was new to me, I used my Böker synthetic. Its as reliable, as you posting a SOTD. I had high hopes for the soap. r/wicked_edge goes crazy about its slickness. Well, wicked_edge sure has its own problems, but now it was competing with Highland base and DG soap. I must say, that if I were on a budget, I would agree with the “hype”. The soap kept some of its promise. The blackland Era worked wonderful today. I am still not sure if its that efficient, or the Astra blade works so well for me. Although there was almost no blade feel, the result spoke for its own. I had a fantastic shave and am smooth like a pickup line.
To catch your interest in me, I wanted to use really sweet scents today. Who does not like sweets, and maybe today I can be your candy? At least, I wanted to make the colleagues in the office crave sweets. I wanted them to saliva over chocolate, candy and gummy bears. I wanted to see how they plunder the kitchen and look for something with sugar.

I failed HARD! While the Cella had great amaretto and marzipan notes, which might fit well to a Tiramisu cake, the aftershave killed my plan. Who would have thought that a “gothic couple”, who dedicated their brand to death and decay would not produce a cloying banana scent? I did not! At least it could have been a ripe banana, exuding the scent of past fruitiness and maybe nurishing a cute ape. Boonana has some babana to it, but the bourbon, tobacco and musk make it wearable for everyone who is not J33pguy13. Last try. Diesel- Spirit of the brave intense. The internet says its too sweet. Perfect for my plan. NOT!!! Its just warm vanilla. Its so boring and the longevity is garbage. I am sorry I failed you.

No Homo!

DAY 3 LATHER GAMES! ALMOND SHMALMOND!

• Prep: Water
• Brush: DS Cosmetics 30mm Tuxedo Knot
• Razor: Timeless Ti 0.95 SB #CNC
• Blade: Minora (14)
• Lather: Cella - Original(Red)
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z Aftershave Balm
• Fragrance: Lalique - Encre Noire

​

PIC OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN(it is cella inside, just different container, don't ask why)

​

INTRO

Another glorious summer day, another glorious summer shave! This thing with announcing the Daily challenges ahead of time reaaaally does help and makes for good ideas giving people time for their artistic flow to flow!

SOAP

I really am not the biggest fan of almonds, but hey, people seem to like it! Last year I used Almond Leather by HoM, but that was too bitter for me, so this year I decided to go with Cella, the classic Italian soap/cream. It is a much more sweet rendition of the almond scent which makes for a better experience(for me). It is my first time using THIS Cella, but it is probably on par lather wise with the Bio Cella. I much rather prefer the scent on the Bio Cella though. Unlike the soap from yesterday, this one did not dry up my skin, which was nice.

​

THE RAZOR

Right! Since I was in such a good mood I opted to use my favourite razor, which was actually from my LG prize from last year, the Timeless Ti 0.95! I have not tried as many razors as some people here, but I've probably hit the 40-50 mark. And I have even tried a Wolfman. Still to this day the Timeless Ti 0.95 is my favourite by far! The feel that is similar to a warm knife going through butter I get, when sliding the razor across my face, combined with the lack of blade chatter of any sort provides me with the smoothest of shaves + no irritation! The person whom I will always thank my stars that helped me choose this magnificent razor is none other that u/sgrdddy. He provided me with a long and extensive answer to all my questions, and helped me choose my favourite DE, many thanks again!!

THE AFTERSHAVE

Well, I didn't have an almond scented aftershave, so I decided to take a safe route and go unscented, bonus for me, having in mind it's not something that I enjoy. Some know, some might not know but HoM Balms, ARE THE SHIT(outdated phrase but bear with me). And no, it's not this type of shit. It's this type! Literally the best balm one can use, it's hydrating, it's nourishing, it doesn't leave any greasiness, do yourself a favour. GET YOURSELF A HOM BALM!!!

DAILY CHALLENGE

This will be posted under my initial comment, due to limit of characters, sorry...

#FOF

I really was stumped as to what perfume to use, that can somehow match it with the almond theme. It may not really match, but after much sniffing and wiping of the nose, I came to the conclusion that Lalique - Encre Noire is the right choice. It is dark indeed and very sweet, somehow amplifying the sweetness of the scent that Cella gives off. People say it is a Terre d'Hermes copy, but I really cannot see it. Strangely enough given the notes from fragrantica, while I can smell the cypress, there is a huge deal of sweetness which dominates my nose and really while checking most of the reviews, none of them resonated with me. While it was difficult for me to choose and while on paper it may not be, the best match, for me it is a harmonious completion for the shave!

• Daily Lather Themes: 3/30
• Daily Challenges: 3/30
• Hardware Scavenger Hunt: 3/20
• Hardware Vendor Points: 0/2
• Software Vendor Points: 0/13
• Software Vendor Bonus Point: 0/1
• 30 Different Soap Brands Point: 3/30
• 30 Different Soaps On Theme Bonus Point: 3/30
• 30 Different Post-Shaves Bonus Point: 3/30
• 30 Different Fragrances Bonus Point: 3/30

July 3, 2023 - Almonday

• Brush: Omega 50068 Bambino 18mm boar #SMOLL #RUNT #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE
• Razor: Gillette New Deluxe #REGUS
• Blade: Gillette Rubie (1)
• Razor Handle: Karve CB Brass 3”
• Lather: Cella Crema de Barba (Red)
• Post Shave: Cella Aftershave Lotion
• Post Malone: Singer, had songs on “Spiderman Into the Spiderverse
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Tempo Rubato
• Coffee: No, thank you
• Tea: Harney and Sons - Royal Palace
• Breakfast: Pancakes and Bacon
• Music: Still Corners “The Trip”
• Passes: 3 - WTG, XTG, XTG
• LG Tags: #FOF

Daily Challenge:

Did I do that right? What can I say about u/RedMosquitoMM? I don’t always listen to music when I shave, but then I see an SOTD from him, and think I should. So in honor of his glorious victory in 2022, I played some music during the shave.

Today’s theme:

Almond is a trickier one for me. I do have a few almond scented soaps: of course Cella, sample of HoM Almond Leather, Colonel Conk Almond (why did I get this?), and maybe some other samples. I have other plans for HoM, and CC might just go away in a PIF. Maybe put it unannounced in a PIF for some unsuspecting winner. So really Cella was the only choice. For post shave, I remembered last night I had a sample of Cella Aftershave. Surprisingly, not as marzipan a scent as the soap. For the fragrance I had a difficult time coming up with something. I decided to target something on the gourmand side, or at least with a lot of notes of stone fruits. Yesterday’s Treachery actually could have fit with one of the scent notes being sweet almond, but in search of 30 unique scents, I picked another Maher Olfactive scent, Tempo Rubato. First two notes listed are apricot and plum, both stone fruits so quasi related to almond, plus the description is of jazz kind of fit with the idea of music to accompany the shave.

For the shave itself, I took out my cheap ass teeny tiny Omega boar brush. This is my first unbleached brush, and I really got what I paid for ($8.50). It lost many bristles, but not one was one of those dark ones that never split. The brush didn’t seem too stinky until I soaked it. That brought out a bit of musty funk, but the soap at least overpowered it. The handle manages to be smaller than the knot. It will not be making regular appearances in my den. It took a while to build up the lather from my largish almond sized bit of lather. I did end up with a glossy, wet lather that looked a bit like Italian meringue or perhaps a runny marshmallow fluff. It was wet and slick enough for the shave. The razor head I got several months ago in a PIF, but user name appears to have been deleted. If I’m mistaken and it was someone still active, my apologies as my memory is failing me. The razor is among my most aggressive. If I would have gone for an ATG pass, I would have gotten BBS even on the neck. While shaving with this Cella is like shaving with dessert, it does not leave a sweet post shave feel. My face is pretty dry after the shave and aftershave. My first use of this aftershave. I was surprised it didn’t have much almond to it, if any.

For the fragrance, I leaned into the idea that something with stone fruits in it would work since almonds are related to peaches and plums. While I got a sweetness off the fragrance, what really hits me is the jasmine, leather, and a bit of the musk. It makes for an interesting combination. I think it still fits well, sort of an improvised almond and leather scent. It was not what I expected, but I couldn’t get a strong scent from the sample until I sprayed. As I am getting more used to it, the scent is mellowing nicely and I can still pick up a hint of the Cella. I’ll give today’s choices a B/B-. I think a different aftershave splash with a stronger almond or cherry would have been better. I should have picked up Dr. Jon’s Runaway splash when I had the chance. That would have been a better bridge to get to the EdP.

Haiku three for #FOF

Marzipan madness,

Leather, Jasmine, and some musk,

Jazz up Almond Day.

I’m surprised I don’t have more almond in the den. I really like almonds, marzipan, almond croissants, bear claws, and other almond things. I think I’ll add Moon Soaps Amaretto to my list of future purchases.

Day 3 - Almonday

• Brush: Maggard Razors Black Resin Handle Synthetic Shaving Brush, 24mm
• Razor: Karve CB #CNC
• Blade: Astra Green
• Lather: Stirling - Almond Creme
• Post Shave: Stirling - Almond Creme
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - 1904

To honor /u/RedMosquitoMM, I took a moment during my shave to think about the effort and time this event takes. I never thought I would need Excel to help or plan my shaves. My short post takes me longer than I would like to admit, and my posts have a fraction of his write-ups, so hats off to him. I then took a few extra moments to think about the effort and time the coordinators provided. I appreciate y'all.

It was such a relief to use a blade for shaving! And hoping u/VisceralWatch doesn't catch any issues.

For the fragrance- I was thinking about how to play with the sweet almond scent from the Stirling. I decided to go with 1904. 1904 has such a nice strong coffee and cardamon note. My thought was to turn the coffee shop into a bakery with the sweet almond. It kind of worked, but the almond faded quickly.

ROTY #FOF

July 3, 2023 – LG 3: Almonday

• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Travel Tech #JETSETTER
• Blade: Personna Super Stainless (2)
• Lather: Moon Soaps – Amaretto Speciale
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – O, DELIGHT!
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive – Treachery

Never used moon before, this was a smoosh curtesy of u/priusaurus. Amaretto smells, well like amaretto, but maybe not as boozy as the liqueur smells (ever tried beer and disaronno, tastes just like Dr Pepper). O Delight is another nutty, rich, slightly stone fruity follow up. Treachery is well, treacherous, and has sweet almonds as a scent note. That said, while the prior 2 are rather light and sweet, treachery is strong, boozy, with loads of tobacco. A bit gourmand on the dry down, almost like one of those almond croissants that have that heavy vanilla influence. This scent is not for everyone, and even initial application is a bit much for me, but it develops into something quite complex and inviting. A great wear today while outside and people have been drinking whiskey and around the campfire for several days. #FOF #photocontest (water). Kayak made by my buddy and is an absolute stunner.

As for u/redmosquito88. What a champ, blue ribbon for LG last year, red ribbon in FOF, solid memes and shaving insights through those games. Meanwhile the internet can’t even decide and/or agree what color ribbon my noble finish deserved.

soap brands 3/30, post shave 3/30, frag 3/30, post/frag linked 3/30, software sponsors 1/15, hardware sponsors 0/2, razor hashtags 2/15, brush hashtags 0/15, photo contest 3/30, daily challenges 2/25, special challenges 1/5

July 3, 2023 – Almonday 2023

• Brush: Chisel and Hound v19 Fanchurian
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird Lite
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Cella – Milano Crema Da Barba
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Behold the Whatsis!

Cella: “smells great, weak performance.” Hopefully those words are rarely (never) said of me.

I have a love/hate relationship with almonds. The smell is great, they often taste great (especially when chocolate covered), but, there comes a time with almonds for me where they will very suddenly shift from excellent to abhorrent and there’s no telling when that moment will come – it just happens. Thankfully, I suppose, because they are a nut for the 1%, we don’t buy them too often so I rarely push my consumption to the brink.

I did dream (have a nightmare?) the other night that I had to have a tooth extracted and now that I remember it they were lifting the tooth up to look for something underneath it. Maybe it was an almond. I don’t know why, nor do I want to relive it – I’ve had a tooth pulled as an adult and it’s horrific. I’ve also had a root canal where I felt the whole thing – so, there’s that.

What does this have to do with shaving with Cella, you ask? Well – almonds, if you’re not careful, will break your teeth. So – be careful out there, fellow shavers. If you thought the only risk in this hobby was financial ruin, think again – there are broken teeth to be had.

Whatsis works well with this – they’re connected by the cookies in my brain. Sugar cookies in Whatsis and Almond cookies are the overwhelming, mouth watering, soul grabbing scent I get from Cella.

To be honest I don’t really understand what makes a good Haiku, but, I like thinking about the scents and connecting them to weird things and hopefully I get better as I go – you know, aiming at nothing will help me get better. I have perused some “high quality” haikus, but, again – I don’t understand what makes them high quality so here we are.

As for u/RedMosquitoMM - what a legend. As a fellow Wisconsinite it brought me great pride to know that I reside within a 2.5 hour radius of such a legend. It can seem, at times, like Wisconsin has a reputation of simpletons; no more. We are home to the reigning LATHER GAMES CHAMPION - thank you, fine sir, for bringing it home. Soon, like the Lombardi Trophy before it, I suspect these games will enshrine this man with a champions Mosquito Trophy as he deserves.

FOF Haiku of the day

Almonds are funny

Can’t milk them but can drink them

Fresh cookies in hand

Edit: I don't know why my Haikus won't stay formatted without the spaces in between, so - let me know if you know.

July 3, 2023 – Almonday

• Brush: Muehle Classic Shaving Brush Silvertip Fibre 25mm
• Razor: Ever Ready 1912 #TWINS
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (7)
• Lather: Captain’s Choice – Italia
• Post Shave: Captain’s Choice – Italia
• Fragrance: Rogue Perfumery – A’Oud Ancienne

Challenge/album thoughts: I love music. I listened to music all the time when I was growing up. My iPod click wheel and iPod Classic are two things I remember fondly because I loved having all of my music with me all the time. As an adult, I switch between music and podcasts depending on the activity. While I occasionally play a vinyl on the stereo in the nearby bedroom while I shave, I typically listen to podcasts while shaving. In honor of /u/RedMosquitoMM I listened to Gorillaz – Plastic Beach, which he shaved to on June 4, 2022 during the lather games. I don’t know how I landed on that particular post any more than you do. The Gorillaz song I’m most familiar with is Clint Eastwood, which got a lot of radio play back in the day. I never liked the song and thus never felt a need to listen to the rest of their music. But, this is for Mosquito, so I pulled it up on Spotify. This isn’t a review as I’ve only listened to it once. These are initial thoughts. Plastic Beach is musically adventurous. It hits a lot of genres: hip-hop, 80’s synth pop, modern synth pop, Outrun, orchestral, space opera, Jamacain. It has a lot of features that work well on their respective tracks. There’s definitely enough going on to hold my attention. I’ll give this another listen later.

I bought this Ever-Ready 1912 for #TWINS. It came in a random case with two handles, neither or which where screwed into the head. The handles are identical. I picked one at random and screwed it into the head. It didn’t want to stay put. It kept loosening during the shave. Aside from the head pivoting randomly, it gave a good shave.

After using a smoosh for Almonday last year, I bought samples of this and Geo F. Trumper Almond cream. Italia is a straight marzipan fragrance. I enjoy baked goods with almond extract. This scratches that itch. This is a simple yet enjoyable fragrance. I’d like to have a set, but I’m trying to limit my purchases (trying). The aftershave smelled sweeter as I was spraying it from the sample. I got a spun sugar note. Once I rubbed it in and it dried, the fragrance isn’t really perceptible. I think A’Oud is overpowering it.

I picked A’Oud because it has a bitter almond base note, and that’s the only almond note I have among my frag bottles and samples. This was one of two samples that was included with a bottle of Mousee Illuminee. These vials are odd. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to use them. It took a bit of effort to remove the plunger. I splashed a bit onto each wrist and rubbed them together lightly. Surprisingly, oud isn’t the star of the show. The dominate note I get is civet. It packs a punch. I get notes of bitter citrus, and as the name suggest, oud. I wasn’t expecting this to be so fecal. There’s also nothing my nose recognizes as almond. Oh, well. I tried.

#FOF