LGSOTD 01-Jun-24

• Brush: Highlander - TSR LE 2023 Omega Boar #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Weck - Hair Shaper #WECKONISTA
• Blade: Kismet - Hair Shaper
• Lather: Soap Commander - Fortitude
• Post Shave: Soap Commander - Fortitude Balm

Welcome to the opening of the shaving hunger games, a bunch of nutcases all clubbing together to celebrate the daily ritual of hair removal (wherever that hair may lay). For todays fun event I took to everything new and opting for perhaps the easiest of the photocontest themes (still trying to think how to include the rest so this may be one and done), Black and White.

Never having tried Soap Commander I was curious so bought a couple of sets, this and Endurance, I was sorely tempted to opt for Endurance today as it smells brilliant but with tomorrow on the horizon I thought I would hold back. So on for Fortitude, on the surface should be right up my street, but the scent strength is perhaps a little weak and can't cope against a fresh piggy, and I wasn't keen on the initial feel of the balm, but the scent did pick up a bit and it soaked in well.

The Highlander brush, sadly there can't be only 1 in this case, or at least not for me as they seem to breed like tribbles. Made by a very nice fella for the TSR forum last year, this one has been sat in my drawer unused since that time so decided it was time to give it a run. Plus who doesn't need another boar on the go! Saying that, I think it's set a little lower than I would normally like, but it did sort out itself out a little in use, need to get shot of that funk though.

Finally the Weck, I've been itching to use this razor when it arrived a while ago but held my nerve for this event. I sought advice on blades prior to this and the resounding feedback was to stay the hell away from Personna, I did listen but I was curious at the same time so picked up both Personna and Kismet. I was very tempted to dive on with the Personna straight up, but decided I'd try and ease myself into the games rather than rip my face up on day one and have to go easy for the rest of it. I was very tentative with the Weck, I don't have the best of experiences with shavettes and thought this would be the same. It was actually quite forgiving, the rounded end and stiff blade made for quite an enjoyable shave. I won't be switching out my standard straights of course, but can't grumble.

Overall though, a decent enough start to the month long marathon.

Hope everyone has a good kick off and a cracking day.

Cheers

Marc

Photocontest

Day 1

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts – Svolaer 2023 LG Prize #COMPOSITE #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Maggard Razors Shavette
• Blade: Half of a Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Jordan’s – Lime
• Post Shave: Henri et Victoria - Lime
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - 1904

A month or two ago, Jordan’s Soap offered a sample pack of their stuff for like $3, so I obviously took them up on it. And shortly after the 3ish weeks it took to get to me, the Lather Games announcement happened and I just knew I had to hold off on using any of that Jordan’s pack until today. The soap itself was… Fine. Nothing special. Today was my first time ever using a shavette, so I wish I used a better soap for this. I’ll have to try the shavette again, later in the games, using a higher quality soap, because I did not really love today’s shave. I’ve used a straight razor before and I was thinking the shavette would be similar. And it is, but actually not. It wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as a straight. Off the samples, the all of Jordan’s soaps smell very sweet and the lime scent was actually enjoyable. But I don't think I'll be buying a tub of Jordans anytime soon. There are many companies out there who make products that I enjoy much, much more than I enjoyed this.

Plus, I’m honestly not sure I trust this company. On their DNP post advertising the sample pack, a brand new reddit account, u/Aggravating_Mud_9954, made its first comment EVER to announce to the world they just bought 3 tubs. The only comment this account made since then was about Canadian coins. Is it a good time to mention Jordan’s is a Canadian company? 👀

This whole company strikes me as someone who just discovered wetshaving, saw the swimming pools of money a lot of the top artisans are swimming in, and decided to try it on their own before learning the ins and outs of soapmaking, scent profiles, or the wetshaving hobby itself.

It’s bad when on Jordan’s own website FAQs, under “Why Choose Jordan’s?”, the answer is “Our products actually work.” Ummm… Hey Jordan – this is your time to differentiate your product from the zillions of shaving soaps out there! If your biggest selling point is that your shaving soap is a shaving soap, we have problems. The way you put “Our product actually works” as the biggest selling point makes it seem like even you are surprised it works. When in reality, the biggest surprise will be if this company is around long enough to make it to see the 2025 Lather Games.

For #FOF, the lime scented splash was clearly the move with lime soap, and for the fragrance, I chose Chatillon Lux 1904, which features a nice lime note. With all of today’s lime, scurvy doesn’t stand a chance with me.

Between the lime, and the saltiness I have toward Jordan’s, we’re just a shot of Tequila away from a tasty margarita!

photocontest theme is: Trash

imhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5: In honour of “Bonjour Lather Games!”… The Top 5 most fun sounding greetings in languages other than English:

1. Ciao bella! (Italian) – Something about it just sounds romantic!
2. Namaste. (Hindi) – You going out tonight? Namaste at home instead.
3. Sorrey! (Canadian) – Thanks how Canucks say hello, right?
4. Konnichiwa! (Japanese) – Upbeat and cheery!
5. Jambo! (Swahili) – Impossible not to smile if someone greets you with a Jambo!

June 1, 2024 – HERE WE GO!!!!

• Brush: New Men Shaving Brush - Black Badger Hair #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS #SMOLL #RUNT
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector (1)
• Lather: Eleven – Cedar, Vetiver & Sweetgrass
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Cedar & Spice
• Fragrance: Ralph Lauren – Ralph’s Club

:Looks around: Am I in the right place?

So here we are, LG2024. The 10th Lather Games apparently. New judges, new themes, new everything.

I thought I’d try something new myself, so rather than run this completely solo, I teamed up with u/Admirable-Nobody-946 and u/AdWorried2804. We shared a dens of hardware and software (side note getting hardware and software to and from the Philippines is hard) and bounced ideas off each other. There may be some loosely organized team shenanigans. (Emphasis on loosely). See when I pitched this all that time ago, I described it as a sort of “racing team” taking queues from NASCAR where team share resources but race independently, while still drafting and blocking for their team members. Also taking a queue from Ricky Bobby I’m all in this year, gunning for first. So look out u/priusaurus!

Now when I was brainstorming ideas to launch this, I was planning on getting in my car, going down the highway and shaving. I-44 ain’t the autobahn but it’s close. But then, we had to go get a u/Mrtangerinesky rule, which ruled that out. (Plus my lead foot got me a speeding ticket last weekend anyway). Fine fine, I’ll have my wife drive me around while I hang out the passenger side… wait no, that is against a different set of rules

Ok then, we’ll use the power of our imaginations. I put my kids to work with a giant box, and they turned it into a racing Prius! Take a look at this beauty (Yes, racing Prius, take that #photocontest, using the power of imagination I have a Prius racing car in my photo for that theme.). We’re gonna shave in it. In my TV room, with my daughter documenting taking pictures. Does it make sense? No. Then why? Because Lather Games. Luckily, I have never used an injector before so I’m not trying to use a weck or anything packed in this ~~tiny box~~ totally real racing machine. Also let’s use a new brush, a cheapo badger $7.89 from Walmart who says it’s badger) for the points. (It lost more hairs than u/shavinginCT’s B17). The shave went ok, lather sucked, because new brush and a soap I've never used before is a bad combo when the brush is cheap. I forgot I had no mirror downstairs and had to finish upstairs.

I’m also doing #FoF again this year, because why not. For today’s approach I pulled the Cedar note through the entire shave, a nice soap with subtle ceder notes in the back, to the feeling of being stuffed in a ceder chest with the splash, and back to the subtle cedar base with the Ralph’s club. A sort of cedar bell curve of sorts. It plays better than I expected. The Ralph’s club needed a bit of cedar punch up IMHO, and the splash should have helped it there but frankly overwhelmed my senses entirely.

2024-06-01 - Let's Get it Started in Here

• Lather: A A Shaving - The Hunt
• Razor: Schick Injector #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Brush: Qshave Pure Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Post Shave: Lothur - Oregon
• Fragrance: INeKE - Idyllwild

Pack it up, boys and ladies! You're reading the first post of this year's Games' winner! Seriously, give up now. That way, I can half-ass this thing and still come out on top!

I'm not really planning on exerting much effort this time around, but I still find myself starting this June with several new tubs of soap that I don't need, because I'll be damned if I'm not going to fill the calendar! What's that? No, you're the one with a problem!

Side note: Did you know that June is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month? Just want to put that out there, because certain members of this sub think it's a funny little joke to shit on people who try to support men's mental health.

Bonjour, Lather Games: With three new sponsors this year, none of which I've previously tried, it just came down to a roll of a three-sided die. Or whichever one I didn't pick for a different day. I don't know; roll a two-sided die. Either way, A A Shaving is new to me.

Challenge Accepted: Purchased shortly after last year's Games, this razor sat in a drawer for about 9 months, like some backward gestation before the end of my injector virginity... "Injector virginity." Um... Huh.

Anyway, it took me no more than a handful of seconds to work out the angle at which to hold it, but I do not like that the head has nearly no mass at all; I prefer a more massive head. Um.... Huh.

Side note: That's a pretty sweet patina. I'm not sure why there's been such an emphasis on rust for patinas (patinae?), much less the emphasis on green coloration; I have the impression that there was a chain of false transitivity somewhere. You can have a non-green patina on clean, rust-free metal. But, if you insist, it's literally rusty, too.

Unifying theme: Wooded West-coast Locales
Oregon and Idyllwild are obviously named after such locations, and The Hunt is inspired by the woods of Cascadia. Incidentally, I was literally planning on relocating to the PNW this summer, but I'm going to remain for a while longer here in the Wasteland of Fire and Death, where it has already been summer for several months and will be for many more.

But I digress.

#FOF
Anyway, the scent of pine is dominant in The Hunt, with what I take to be ozone imparting a welcome, damp airiness. Leather, moss, and musk keep it grounded, even dark.

Oregon presents a brighter green, perhaps—I suspect—from a greater prominence of citrus notes. It represents a rather stark contrast to The Hunt's depth.

Idyllwild is also lighter than The Hunt, but is also more generally woody, rather than being so pine-heavy. Idyllwild includes a smokiness that balances well with its lightness, which makes me realize that Oregon doesn't seem to ground its own aggressive brightness.

#photocontest Birds
I have mixed feelings about this contest. On the one hand, the photos are one of my favorite parts of the Games. On the other hand, I was so insistent on hitting all of the themes in last year's contest that I feel my photos suffered for it. So I'm still doing this, but I'm not hunting for all the things (no pun intended), especially if I think I have an otherwise good photo. This one just happens to have a bird.

User comes out of the gate with a well -composed photo that could be used by the artisan for their marketing.

Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Vitae Taper w/AP Shave Co 26mm Pure Bliss™ SHD Premium Synthetic Knot #COMPOSITE #FAUXFUR #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #TOLL

• Razor: Fromm Hair Shaper Razor #107 #WECKONISTA

• Blade: Fromm Hair Shaper Blade

• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Daydream

• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Cologne Russe Aftershave Balm

• Fragrance: The Zoo - Rhubarb My Love

Warning: Video contains minor amounts of blood.

Daily Gratitude
Thanks to my mom for recording the whole shave and for being so excited for me! Thanks to u/ShavingInCT for the soap and fragrance. Thanks to my dad for buying the razor. Thanks to my grandma for buying the blades. Thanks to our wonderful judges and other people for putting this whole thing together.

Daily Mistakes
Video is in portrait mode, sorry. I touched down the razor without moving and got cut. I used too much talc and got it everywhere. I thought I wouldn't need the styptic pencil so I already applied talc but I ended up having to use it on top of the talc and it made the talc chunky in that area. I thought I used too much fragrance but it wasn't enough. Lather was hidden in the bottom of the brush so I wasted it.
EDIT: More mistakes, I don't know why the bottom hashtags keep on bolding and why the stuff that is supposed to be bolded up at the reddit markdown won't work

Daily Writeup
First day of my first Lather Games went pretty good! I made it through the hair shaper razor with minimal irritation. I thought this weird B&M finger balm would be pretty bad but it was a pleasant surprise when I tried it. The soap had a great scent and despite how dry it was at first it lathered pretty great and was very slick. The fragrance is pretty light but surprisingly nice, I might apply some more before I head to work. The new brush is pretty nice but I spent like 5 minutes loading with like no moisture so it was super dry and probably not a good representation of the knot.

Daily Theme Points
I have never used any soaps from SBS.

Daily Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance
I have never used a B&M finger balm. I have never used any fragrance from The Zoo Fine Fragrance.

Special Challenge
I have never used a replicable blade straight razor or hair shaper razor.

Hardware Scavenger Hunt
This brush handle is crafted from lignum vitae with a vertical acrylic inlay topped by a matte resin ferrule for #COMPOSITE. The knot is a, "Synthetic that LOOKS like Pure Badger" for #FAUXFUR. The handle is from C&H while the knot is from AP Shave Co making it eligible for #FRANKENBRUSH. This knot is synthetic and cost me $24 before tax and shipping making it #PREMIUMPLASTIC. This brush is advertised as #SHD. I made sure that C&H lofted the knot at 60mm making it #TOLL.

Photo Contest
Hugging a bucket for u/hugbckt.

TL;DR
I win rookie of the year thank you very much give me my prize.

Side Contests #photocontest
#ROTY

June 1, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 26mm G5C #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Rolls Razor #FOREVERSAFETY
• Blade: Rolls Razor
• Lather: AA Shaving – Moonlight
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavanille
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Indigo

Lather games, so let's start with the lather. I'm using a smush generously provided by u/archsoup. I got good performance with this, even though it exploded in the envelope and was probably half of what I'd normally scoop out for a bowl lather. It was thick, surprisingly low cushion, and very high on residual slickness.

I decided to pair the moonshine theming of this soap with an elegant night out at the speakeasy. Lavanille is pure luxury, constantly making me think I should be out on the town while wearing it, and Indigo is the inside of a speakeasy with blueberries. Love it.

Now, the elephant. To meet today's special challenge I'm using the only style of razor on the list that I've never tried before. This razor fucking sucks. I think I ripped more hairs out of my face than I cut off. If this soap was any less slick I would definitely be soaked in blood right now.

Today's photo brought to you by trash. I've been called crazy for not throwing away these boxes and smush envelopes in a timely manner, but today it pays off. I really just wanted to show off that the smush exploded in the envelope and thought trash was a fun way to do that. Also the trash is where this razor belongs. #photocontest

New All the things

Today Scent

• Brush: Smilezformilez Black Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Enders Speed Razor
• Blade: Enders
• Lather: Palmira Sapun Za Brijanje
• Post Shave: Don Draper Green
• Fragrance: Alpa Eau de Cologne Fougére

Fast First Shave.... I struggled to have a close shave with this machine, constantly buffing to cut the beard. The black badger brush is another experience to live, using a hedgehog for lathering is the closest experience.

.#photocontest Fill the frame

.#FOF The oldest scented shave, feel like grandpa.

nice composition

Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Omega S-brush
• Razor: Qshave Adjustable #FLIPTOP
• Blade: Bic
• Lather: Denim - Original

New to me Denim shaving Cream. It’s actually not bad.

Edit:

photocontest

Humor

What do you call a denim expert? A jeanius.

Jun. 1, 2024
Brush: Rubberset #HOLLOW #FRANKENBRUSH * Razor: Schick Injector L1
Blade: Schick Injector [1]
Lather: Wholly Kaw - Denarius * Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Tobacconist
Fragrance: Stirling - EMP

My first ever Lather games so what better way to start off then by using everything I have never used before. Wholly Kaw first time using anything from them. When I told someone I was using Denarius he said ooooof, I knew it was going to be strong scented from just smelling the sample but honestly I love it and I will be buying a full tub. First time using an injector, I got it in a lot purchase and never thought of using it till today. The Rubberset, never used one before today, it’s on loan but he might be getting a DM asking how much he wants for it. Now I have used HOM products before but I’ve never used Tobacconist before. Finally, the Stirling EMP, I have never used any frags from Stirling I really like this one. So for the day of firsts, I am pretty happy.

Fragrance choice, honestly I normally think these things through but today, it was just a grab and spray.

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest

Black and White

Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

June 1, 2024 – LG 1: Bonjour, Lather Games

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps B9A #SHD
• Razor: SXDGS No. 152 #STR8SNOB
• Lather: AA Shaving – Wapiti
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Firefighter
• Fragrance: Ineke – Derring Do

WSDB had a hiccup, so write up take two, FFS. Let’s just say I probably could have gotten a better shave today using a cheese grater or mandolin, but it was not shave in the kitchen day. Especially, since this purchase came from the small boutique where everyone goes for quality shave gear…amazon. Today was my first time using a straight razor, so it seemed wise to try and catch it on video. I did cut the video short so you wouldn’t have to watch me through all ~20+ min trying. Long story short, this shave had more intense tugging than my teenage years. Escaped with about 6 nicks and a patchwork quilt of remaining stubble and razor burn.

I’d never tried AA shaving, hadn’t even heard of it until seeing it as a sponsor. Thankfully, judge u/onionmiasma ~~colluded~~ sent me some to use as a new brand. Good scent, and I’ll refrain from commenting on performance considering the circumstances. Wapiti a clean aquatic forward scent on a base of woods, modeled on the forests of the Pacific Northwest. I can get a similar vibe near me in coastal Santa Cruz mountains, and they nailed the ambiance of those hikes in scent form. NO firefighter and Ineke Derring Do are other aquatic forward scents also on a woody base, with a cedar line through all 3 as well. They are clean, crisp, and a safe wear for all occasions. #FOF

For today’s #PHOTOCONTEST trash seemed fitting, just like this razor. Ironically, I think it qualifies for str8snob.

soap brands 1/30, post shave 1/30, frag 1/30, post/frag linked 1/30, software sponsors 1/16, hardware sponsors 2/2, razor hashtags 1/15, brush hashtags 1/15, photo contest 1/30, daily challenges 0/25, special challenges 1/5

June 1, 2024 - Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Bundubeard Sekelbos Hoss #HORSESASS
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper #WECKONISTA
• Blade: Kismet (1)
• Lather: Soap Commander - Optimism
• Post Shave: Floid - The Genuine
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Black Watch

Challenge: I used a new to me soap, blade format, brush, and aftershave.

This was a long day. I spent 10 hours working a sound gig with no internet after getting up extra early to shave before I left. I wrote up most of this offline in docs.

Thanks to /u/Priusaurus for the smoosh. This is my first time using Soap Commander. Optimism is difficult to nail down. It smells a bit like green tea with a touch of bergamot. It also smells a bit like menthol. I was expecting more fruit. There's not much here. I'm having trouble picking up enough soap. It's drying out on my face and feels thin. I'm not impressed with this lather. I'm not feeling optimistic about Soap Commander after this shave. Coming back to this ~14 hours later: smelling my soap bowl, I can see how this is supposed to be pear. The fragrance comes off artificial in a Starburst kind of way.

This is also my first time shaving with a hair shaper. Thanks to /u/jwoods23 for the Kismet. I initially bought this Weck for Austere August. However, I wanted to do Rawhoggin and picked a soap that was easy to lather, but wasn't the best for slickness. I didn't want to do a full month of hair shaper shaves with that soap. So, I chickened out and never used it. This isn't my style of razor. I've tried using a straight razor once or twice, and have used a Kamisori shavette less than a dozen times. The Weck wasn't great, but wasn't terrible, either. My cheeks were easy. My neck was a bit more difficult. Shaving my chin was a challenge. My gotee was impossible. I couldn't get the razor to glide on my skin. When using “no pressure” the razor got stuck. With a bit of pressure it shaves well. But, I feel like I'm doing something wrong.

This is my first time using this new Bundubeard brush. The handle is beautiful and comfortable. The knot is a little scratchy. Backbone is low to mid; a bit more then my silver tip. I tend to mash knots a bit when face lathering. This is definitely more of a “just the tips” kind of brush. Flow-through is good. The knot gelled and stuck together splayed out after a bit of face lathering. This is the first brush I would say truly has a funky smell.

Floid aftershave is also new to me. It's hard to get a read on the fragrance. It dissipated very quickly. It's your standard barbershop fair. It dried quickly and had a touch of cooling. It doesn't feel like there's much in the way of skin-food. I'd classify this as a traditional mass-produced aftershave. Following up: Now that I'm home and can spray a bit on a Kleenex this is your standard powdery, musky, barbershop with the addition of menthol.

I picked Black Watch to match the plum and bergamot notes of optimism. This is a fragrance I like to wear casually. It's a leather heavy fragrance that works best in colder months. Warm spice blend seamlessly with the leather, while sweet plum keeps it from being too heavy. After an hour and a half I'm getting lots of leather and can still smell the plum. Three and a half hours after application it's mostly leather. There's some sweetness, but it's not differently distinctly plum at this point. Black Watch is a refined fragrance that's dressed down. I don't need to be wearing a dress shirt for it to appropriate. But, the shirt needs to have a few buttons.

#photocontest Animal (not alive). The monkey is not alive. I checked.

#FOF

June 1, 2024

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Resolute V20
• Razor: Karve CB SB-D
• Blade: Personna Lab Blue
• Lather: Henri et Victoria – Oud wood
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Alive

This LG, I am thinking of a different way to participate, in the spirit of why I have been attracted to wetshaving and this experience as a whole. I love the memories that each scent evokes, and probably why I have such a hard on for soaps/scents over hardware. So I will give a brief memory that each reminds me of, while hopefully simultaneously not wasting djudges time. This was bought well over a year ago (and never used) to help me understand and identify what oud wood smells of. My initial thought: unscented. Now: a delicate perfumy and woody depth, something I recognize in women’s scents over men’s. An undertone, not a star. But needed for a complete scent. Overall it reminds me of my journey to decipher the cacophony of noise that complex scents have. Like that time period, where everything is new to me, this soap brand and scent which I have never used exemplifies all that this hobby has to offer and all that I love about it. I wish you all the best of the LG, and to participate how you all see fit. Thanks all for organizing and donating – this sub really is special because of the friendship and interaction like this. Here is my “money” shot for the #photocontest #FOF

Edit: forgot to add the AS – Alive because that is how I feel for day 1 of the LG.

June 1, 2024 - Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Yaqi Moka Express 26mm Two-Band
• Razor: Rolls Razor #FOREVERSAFETY
• Blade: Rolls Razor (1)
• Lather: Historic and Oak - Embargo
• Post Shave: Historic and Oak - Embargo
• Fragrance: 345 Soap Co. - Aces Over 8s

Imagine a professional shaving competition where the top competitors are known for their exceptional skills and technique. The "Aces" in this scenario represent the elite group of shavers who consistently produce flawless results, earning them the title of "Aces" among their peers.

An "embargo" in this situation is where the competition organizers, or what may be known as judges, decide to impose a temporary ban on using certain tools or techniques daily, effectively "embargoing" the Aces' advantage. This is done to level the playing field and give other competitors a chance to catch up or ensure the competition remains fair and challenging.

The phrase 'Aces over 8s' symbolizes the dominance of the top shavers. These skilled and resilient individuals can still achieve exceptional results even when restricted by the embargo. The '8s' represent the rest of the competitors, who may need access to the same tools and techniques.

Thus begins this year's lather games with a soap and razor style I have never used before. All tied together with the heavy tobacco note in all my software. Nothing will hold the competitors back this year!

#PHOTOCONTEST - Animal (not alive) Bella was with us for 13 years before passing two years ago, just before Christmas.