July 27, 2023 - Lavendursday
- Brush: Noble Otter 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: King C. Gillette
- Blade: Gillette Platinum (1)
- Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Homecoming - Soap
- Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavanille - Splash
- Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavender Interrupted - EdT
Daily Challenge/Write-Up:
Time to revive the mobile shave den! I learned some lessons from the trip to Wisconsin earlier this month:
* Take a brush that you aren’t as fond of, so you’re not constantly worrying about dropping or scratching it
* 10 passes is excessive for a shave
* A mild razor is the name of the game when you’re out and about
* Quiet, not heavily trafficked places are the best places to get your shave on.
Ooh…. about that last one.
Astute eyes may have caught an important detail of my shave den yesterday. Something was missing. As a refresher- here’s the pic of my bathroom. Note the little vanity mirror - all the mirrors in our house are on order, and aren’t here yet. So, for 70 days (and counting), I’ve not had a big mirror for shaving.
And that makes for a much less-comfortable shave. While I’ve gotten fond of the little stand mirror, I’m done with shaves where I’m either hunching over the counter or attempting to use the selfie mode on my phone.
So… I brainstormed about where I could find a good mirror to use and meet the theme of today’s daily challenge.
Train? Done before, and they have 4 walls. Next!
In my garden, using the reflection on the privacy window tint I recently installed? We just moved, so I need to ease my neighbors into the crazy. No Betty White-themed backyard shaves just yet. Speaking of which, it’s crazy to me that u/priusaurus had the same idea last year as I did. Great minds, am I right?
I need to clear my head. I throw my mobile shave den into the back of the Ultimate Shaving Machine™, asked my lather assistant if she wanted to accompany me, and we hit the road to think it through.
Can I use the reflection on the water at “Montrose Beach”? No, too choppy, and unlike u/Marquis90, I don’t befriend the geese.
Then it hit me! I know the perfect spot! I quickly piloted my car onto the expressway, and headed towards the city as quickly as traffic would let me. Well, shit.
Admittedly, it's not the best weather for an outside shave. And the traffic was bananas. Made me wish we had taken the L, but I would have been too tempted to shave in the "air conditioned" train. So we soldiered on.
Getting closer! Time to exit!
We parked and walked into the park…. There was a security station checking bags and I panicked. But u/ktturtlesue talked me down, and they completely ignored the KCG. Score!
Once in the park I laid eyes upon the mirror I'm going to use for my shave. Cloud Gate, or "The Bean", a beloved landmark of our city.
We took a touristy photo, and then I searched for a spot.
I found my spot, and put together my SOTD Photo. Something looked off, so I quickly added something to finish the pic, given that Lavender Interrupted was in the photo. Here's the final result.
Then I proceeded to the shave. I lathered up, and completed a very quick and pasty shave. The couple next to us saw what I was doing, and loudly exclaimed, "look, that dude is shaving!" I explained my mirror predicament, and they laughed and walked away quickly.
Great shave today, in a lovely park in the middle of the greatest city in the country.
Soap Theme Justification
Lavendursday. One of the sub’s foremost experts on fragrance said that Homecoming is his “favorite lavender scent in the game” and that the soaper, “designed Homecoming to ‘draw out an accentuate some of the darker elements in lavender.’"
Further, he continues, “It's…complex… leading with a robust lavender, but texturing it with sharp black pepper, woody vetiver and cedar, and honeyed neroli. The neroli provides a significant amount of floral-citrus sweetness in the soap; the fragrance pushes it back into the blend where it has equal standing with the rest of the blend. I don't know if it's something with my skin chemistry today, or my nose is extra sensitive at the moment, but I can't get over how smoky [sic] the [Homecoming] smells today—especially as it dries down. If you want a dark and spicy lavender scent but don't like a pungent one, Homecoming is a must try…”
Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
* Today’s theme is “Lavender, Three Ways”
* The soap is Homecoming, described by u/RedMosquitoMM above.
* The aftershave continues the dark lavender notes with Lavanille, described by Barrister and Mann as “... our version of Mousse de Saxe with lavender, vanilla, cedar, and the elegant musk Exaltolide…”
* Finally, the fragrance finishes with a slightly brighter lavender in the Lavender Interrupted.