June 4, 2024
I WAS MADE FOR LAVENDER

THEME: KISS : MY Assertion for today’s challenge is that LAVENDER IS THE ONE

#photocontest - Darkness

Prep: Shower with Barrister and Mann – Lavender (Cootie Killer liquid soap)

• Brush: Cream & Wine Merit 99-4 by Heritage Collection / AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss SHD Premium Synthetic 24 mm #SHD
• Razor: Rex – Konsul #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Gillette - Nacet (1)
• Lather: Ethos Grooming - Lavender Supreme
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles - Lavender Mélange
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavender

Mmm, yeah, ha
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do

Tonight, I wanna give it all to you
In the darkness, there's so much I wanna do
And tonight, I wanna lay it at your feet
'Cause, frag, I was made for you and, frag, you were made for me

I was made for lavender, baby, you were made for lovin' me
And I can't get enough of you, baby, can you get enough of me?

Tonight, I wanna smell it in your scent
Feel the magic, there's something that drives me wild
And tonight, we're gonna make it all come true
'Cause, frag, you were made for me and, frag, I was made for you 

I was made for lavender, baby, you were made for lovin' me
And I can't get enough of you, baby, can you get enough of me?
I was made for lavender, baby, you were made for lovin' me
And I can give it all to you, baby, can you give it all to me?

-> MEMORIES OF LAVENDERS PAST

SHAVING WITH OCCAM’S RAZOR

“Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity”, says Wikipedia

That’s why I am using my Rex Konsul adjustable, nickname “Occams”, the ONE razor to ~~rule~~ replace them all.
Man it's good!

First time using the brush, it performed ok but I think I prefer G5 knots.

Ethos' F base is easy and reliable.

CB Aftershave splash provided the requested alcohol kick, “that unique feel of masochistic masculinity” that I was longing for after yesterday’s dry punishment with alum.

BASE WAR STORIES: THE ACE(S) OF BASE(S)

It’s only been a year since I started my exploration of soap bases, so all the ones I put my brush into tend to still be available.

Except Murphy and McNeil bear-tallow Kodiak, made in a limited early run : when the initial small batch of a scent gets sold out, my pain for the non-replicability of the scent / soap base combination is barely sustainable. Then I get distracted by the cringe-y wordplay on “bearly” etc, and my mind gets distracted by bad jokes and puns.

My favorite four aces from non-LE soap bases are the latest from HoM, CG, B+M and DG.
Wildcards: Mo does great stuff with AION, but similarly to Dimitrios from HAGS, he keeps tweaking his bases, to the point where I just got overwhelmed and gave up trying to keep track.

If you are asking me to KISS and tell, i.e. pick just one, think twice: well, my friend, you are entering a world of pain!

FOF WRITEUP

Before it got discontinued, I purchased all the remaining B+M Lavender liquid soap I could find, as it’s my favorite hand and body soap of all time.

As its scent was inspired by the discontinued Caldey Island Lavender, a fragrance that also features a vanilla note (similarly to Caron Pour un Homme, the first masculine lavender in perfume history), I decided that for today’s KISS I was going to use to use it only for the “bookends” of my fragrance journey.

You wanted simple? According to Ethos’ website, Lavender Supreme “contains only 100% pure Organic Lavender Essential Oil sourced from a grower in Provence”.

But me? I can’t say no to the thrill of complexity. Screw you Occam! (Actually, that’s what I do any time I adjust your settings). I mean, isn’t the one of the most remarkable philosophical feats of Catholicism to have so many people agreeing about the existence of multiplicity (in the specific case: trinity) in The One? Here we have “ a blend of 5 high end lavenders from around the world” (multiplicity) “Designed with the sole intention of being the ‘Ultimate Lavender Experience’” (The One!).

Ethos is perfectly nice, but frankly a bit generic and boring.

CB is more nuanced, but damn! It still misses something. What could it be?

Time to go back to B+M Lavender.
More than a dupe, the loving replica of an olfactive monument that was on the verge of disappearance, until it got discontinued again.

Now I see it, the perfumery truth that had been hiding in plain sight.

Vanilla.

In fact, is there anything simpler than that?

FOF

EDITED to add link and fix typos

ROTY

June 12 2024 - FIELD OF CREAMS

#photocontest

Theme: Baseball

• Brush: CREAM & Wine Merit 99-4 by Heritage Collection / AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss SHD Premium Synthetic 24 mm
• Razor: Rex - Konsul #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Voskhod - Teflon Coated [2]
• Lather: Acqua di Parma - Barbiere - CREMA soffice da rasatura
• Post Shave: S.M. Novella - CREMA pre-dopo barba
• Fragrance: Murphy and McNeil - Barbershop De Los Muertos 2 Solid Cologne

American newsletters inform me that I should hurry with my carts checkout, as the Father's Day discounts are about to expire. I am moved by how online stores really care about my attention for family-related festivities. There's no better way to show affection that to buy some stuff.

Following Father's Day rules (yes, I committed to keep following the rules), for my lather and AS I diligently used two local brands that are older than me.

Accidentally, they also happen to be mention their adherence to the CREMA category, Italian for cream. The first word in my brush description is also CREAM. As this creaminess seems to be important to someone out there, I even tried to find a fragrance that came in cream form: as deodorants are not eligible, the closest approximation I could find was a "solid" (actually kind of soft lip-balm consistency) cologne.

Today's photocontest scavenger theme is baseball, which as you all know is Italy's national sport: depicted in today's photo is a snapshot from tonight's amateur leage game, together with my shaving gear. Yes, I do follow the American habit of regularly taking my shaving gear out to public arenas. I am well aware that you are nothing but a sore loser if you're not taking your gear out and shave in public while watching people trying to grab or bat each other's balls.

Thanks to American cinema, I also learned that a father/son relationship will never be fulfilling unless you spent a lot of time playing catch in your backyard. Grabbing balls is really essential if you want to live up to your potential.

Another American pastime that is super-popular here in Italy is showing off our own shaving den: man, what fun that is! It's even more popular than staring at each other's dicks while talking about your preference in cream.

As requested by the judges who don't even want to get paid for the privilege of looking at such mind-opening photos, here's my metonymic picture that reflects the chaotic spirit of my shave products collection. It feels so rewarding to share some sexy visuals! Words are boring, but a lifetime is not enough to enjoy all the shaving den pictures that can be found in the world!

Now, I have to interrupt this celebration of Uncle Sam's values in the overseas consumeristic domains, to say a few words about the topic of fragrances. I know, it's not as sexy as grabbing balls and peeking into each other's bathrooms, but you don't really have to read it if you don't care.

My lather, Acqua di Parma crema soffice da rasatura, is a surprisingly good reflection of the Acqua di Parma Colonia scent, including the bright topnotes: compared to the muted AdP balm I used on day 3, this was actually very centered and expressive in terms of scent. And it even performed more than decently, even if I had no clue about the appropriate level of hydration, and eventually just started shaving hoping for the best: it all went way better than I feared.

On the other hand, Santa Maria Novella pre- and post- cream was an olfactory disappointment - possibly because it's a few years old. Not much to say here.

More recognizable scent notes were provided by the BDLM2 Solid Cologne, which is allegedly inspired by Tom Ford for Man (according to the manufacturer's website). Fragrantica mentions no individual Man, but plural Men. In any event, I am not familiar with the original fragrancel. The dupe, while offering a very convenient form factor with its lip-balm-like tube, feels generic and ultimately meh.

Acqua di Parma was the star of the day.

All the rest was as memorable a fun as a sport that makes a big deal out of balls-grabbing since you early childhood. Too bad the day is almost over, and tomorrow we'll have to move to different challenges!

#FOF

#ROTY

LG SOTD Jun 18 2024 - That is not dead which can eternal lie

#photocontest

Theme: A bucket (of blood)

• Brush: Alpha - Outlaw 28mm G5 knot #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #TOLL
• Razor: Merkur - Futur #ADJUSTABLE #FLIPTOP
• Blade: Feather - New Hi-Stainless
• Lather: Maol Grooming & Talbot Shaving - Heliopteris - Artisan Shave Soap - sample
• Post Shave: Dr. Jon's - 8th Dimension - Aftershave tonic
• Fragrance: JMD Jean Michel Duriez - L'illusiomagiste - Sample

WARNING WARNING WARNING

As solicited by the Lather Games rulers, this post contain mentions and depictions of cuts that go beyond safe hair removal. The following includes, but is no way limited to, NSFW and potentially triggering texts and pics.

Reader discretion is advised

If you feel urges of “purging” or cutting your skin, please take note of the following resources, and consider talking to a qualified health professional.
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/skin-picking-disorder/https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/behaviours/self-harm/getting-help/

TODAY'S THEME

My tribute to some shaving and fragrance companies that are no longer in business:

• The soap is signed Maol Grooming and Talbot Shaving, two artisans who often collaborated on great soap + AS offerings
• Dr. Jon's, whose 8th dimension AS was released as a limited edition for 2019 Black Friday
• Jean-Michel Duriez, a French perfumer who launched his own brand after decades of working for big international houses, made it to the 2018 Perfume Guide by Luca Turin & Tanya Sanchez, and was announced as shutting down in 2021

TODAY'S SPECIAL CHALLENGE

I have no beef with anyone on r/wicked_edge.
I am not familiar enough with the posting style that I seem to be asked to mimic.
But "mama raised no quitter": today I am here to fully comply to the judges requests.
I understand that the goal is get the best shave ever with the most badass gear I have. No compromises.

You wanted Feather? Sure: got a brand new one, sharp as a scalpel.
And I picked my Merkur Futur, the Face Mauler.
Shaving is all about aggressiveness + efficiency.
What's better than Japanese medical technology combined with German heavy metal engineering?

So, forward to the objective. DFS?
You didn't say "amateur day challenge".
Today I'm gonna shave until there's no more sound feedback from my razor.
The Futur & new Feather combo provides that special toast bread scraping sound that I had previously felt only with my MM24.

After the first pass WTG, I got just a couple of red spots, as inferred in this pic.
But I remember some WetTuber guy saying that it's ok to get cut.
Must persevere!

After nineteen other passes (especially on my left side, where hair seems to be a bit more rebellious), I got the cleanest shave since I've been born. I know that in the past I objected to be asked to share pics of my shaved body parts, but I now understand, gotta be proud of accomplishments such as today's.
As requested, here's the evidence.

THE SCENTS

No dickholing today, but an effort to provide kind of an olfactory memorial.

The ceremony begins with the Heliopteris, a solar and clean fougère inspired by Ancient Egypt suggestions, and with notes that seem to care about reflecting the North African theme(Egyptian geranium, Egyptian coriander, Atlas cedar).
Helios, the sun, may appear to die at the end of each day, but its death is not eternal: a new dawn, a new day, a new life are waiting.

We then leap to the AS, an audacious 1980s throwback to the 8th dimension: since its creation, it was a Scent from Beyond, seducing the nose with a warm wood accord, but shocking the skin with a mentholated cooling effect. Totally different style and experience with respect to Heliopteris, but the overwhelming woods have no trouble making you forget the sunny fern of the lather.

Finally, another woody sensation - this one by a French perfumer who was tired of the "quick explosiveness" of commercial fragrances, and wanted to create scents that were mostly about the drydown.
L'illusiomagiste is the kind of cedar-vetiver accord with a hint of citrus that I can easily fall in love. This is not the first time that I wear it, and today I am still loving it. However, more often than not, I become maddened by "undying" drydowns.

After a long time smelling the same notes, my brains starts to impatiently ask for something different, more mobile, more lively.

The idea of something ending is discomforting, but at the same time, we are even more scared by the prospect of being in the presence of an undying creature?

#FOF

Note to the curious: if you travel to Italy and are up to a visit off the beaten path, check out the old anatomical wax models in museums such as La Specola in Florence. Also check out the website of the University of Cagliari collection of waxworks by Clemente Susini, where you may recognize someone familiar.

#ROTY

LG SOTD Jun 20 2024 - Summer Solstice Sun Seeking Hike

#photocontest

Theme: Grass

• Brush: Muhle Travel Brush - Synthetic #HOLLOW
• Razor: Bic single blade disposable
• Blade:  Bic single blade disposable [1]
• Lather: Eleven - Sicilian Lemon (smush by u/OnionMiasma)
• Post Shave: Murphy & McNeil and Black Mountain Shaving - Nantahala aftershave (sample)
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Sun Soaked (sample)

Today's weather forecast was for an overcast sky, high humidity, and max temperature of 37°C/98,6°F.

Not a Sunny Day, not the ideal day for a hike.

But I'm no quitter blah blah: woke up an hour earlier for an AM hike to one of the hills that surround my city.

Today's SPECIAL CHALLENGE forced me to revolutionize my plans.
The Eleven - Sicilian Lemon kindly provided by u/OnionMiasma fit the Citrus-forward Theme Requirement, and was also easy to take outside for a hike.

Everything else I had planned to use today was not as minimal as I now needed.

The special challenge made me decide that the rest of the hardware and software had to be something that I could carry in my pants' pockets, without forcing me to carry a bag during the hot humid morning hike.
I wanted the hike to be enjoyable and meditative.
No luggage. Literally and metaphorically.

The prospect of a hike into nature immediately inspired me to grab the Nantahala AS sample, because of all the outdoor references in the official description for the scent.
My previously selected pairing, T+S Sicily, would have been more connected to the "Sunny Days" theme as well as to the "Sicilian Lemon" lather, but my full AS bottle refused to go out for a hike, also claiming that all this Summer / Citrus association is vastly unnatural. Google up when the majority of Sicilian lemons and oranges are harvested, and start questioning the criteria behind the arbitrary decision to associate Italian citrus and Summer. Just to double check, after the hike I went to my greengrocer and asked what citrus they had: lemons from Argentina, oranges from Spain.

There was also no way to bring with me the envisioned large bottle of my favorite Citrus-forward chypre. So I quickly browsed my samples collection and picked Sun Soaked, hoping that through powers of synesthesia it would have provided the Sunny-ness that was absent from my actual view.

FRAGRANCE WRITEUP

Sicilian Lemon is a rigorous and straightforward "restitution" of a green lemon scent. I particularly appreciated the vaguely herbaceous (almost, but not really, smoky) note, that made it more vegetal than gourmand. It reminded of Limone Verdello, the Sicilian variety that actually does mature during the Summer.
Hats off to Eleven for actually picking a citrus scent that has an actual connection with Summer.

The transition to Nantahala was perfect: after the citrus top notes, the AS opened up to the rest of the accord, providing no contrast to the actual experience of being outside for a hike.

This was my first experience with Sun Soaked, and I must confess that it took me completely by surprise.
The accord is not just citrus/neroli forward, as the amber and chamomile notes are making their "rounding" presence felt from the very beginning. This is not a background citrus cologne, it's a main player who requires your full attention, a properly "mature" scent, also in the sweet / "ripe" sense of the word (in Italian we use just one adjective, "maturo", for both meanings). I would've sworn I could smell a mossy chypre drydown, but I see no mention of such notes in the official writeup, nor on the Fragrantica page.

A fitting Baudelerian correspondance to the serendipitous, off-the-beaten-path nature of my experiences today.

Baudelaire, which rhymes with Fougère.

See you tomorrow.

#FOF

#ROTY

LG SOTD Jun 21 2024 - Fierce Fool's Fire Fougère Friday

• Brush: Alpha Brush & Shaving Co. - Bully Boy 28mm #TOLL
• Razor: Muhle Hexagon - R41
• Blade: Muhle - Stainless Razor Blade [2] 
• Lather: Tallow + Steel - Baygère
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Beaudelaire - Aftershave Balm
• Fragrance: Rogue - Fougère l'Aube (sample)

#photocontest theme Prius

There was a Prius, Latin for Previously
Posting he enjoyed, even quite deviously
Forward he pushed, never did tire
Until one day he went on fire
This was poor Prius, burn did he greviously

SOTD

A Royal Fern at the time of Baudelaire
Inspired so many, all named Fougère
Three were their faces: ball, bottle and tub
Trickhole I didn't, I ain't no scrub
u/Enndeegee mind me, I need the Bear

FRAGRANCE NOTES

Is it too spicy? I asked of Baygère
Trust it you need to, don't you despair
There was a balm, all Mousse de Saxe
Very persistent, talc to the max
Best was Rogue's dawn, brightest Fougère

#FOF

#ROTY

LG SOTD Jun 22 2024 - Courgette O' Lantern wakes up in the woods and goes Bananas as the Fog Cowers on Hallows

#photocontest

Theme: Wood

• Brush: Black & Yellow Merit 99-5 by Heritage Collection Shaving / AP Shave Faux Boar Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Henson AL13 - Medium #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY #CNC #RAINBOW
• Blade: Treet - Carbon Steel [1]
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Hallows - Aftershave Splash
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - The Fog Cowers (sample)

LET'S START TO TALK ABOUT FOOD

Pumpkins (or "Zucche", in Italian) are mostly an Autumn sight.

During the Summer, they are harvested while they are still young babies: not a full-blown Zucca, but a small Zucchina, also known internationally as Courgette.
The freshest ones are sold together with their flower, which you can use for many recipes.

Then, there are also the round courgettes, harvested while they are still young, just like the long ones. These are sold without flower, so that no protruding element will distract from their promising roundness.
Because of their soft skin, they are destined to be carved, stuffed with other ingredients, and then baked in the oven. A google search will reward you with plenty of options.

THE STORY OF COURGETTE O' LANTERN

Born under the Summer sun, a round courgette was harvested together with her sisters and cousins, all looking the same, all looking forward to the same baked destiny.
The following morning, they were all in a box on the shelf of a greengrocer in the big city.

Throughout the day, all her companions got progressively Picked Up and went away with their new human partners. By the time the greengrocer closed shop, our round courgette found herself left over, all by herself in the big empty box. Suddenly, a deep soothing voice with a sexy foreign accent resounded in the darkness of the closed shop: "What are you doing up here all alone?"

"It's just a matter of time, my partner should be picking me up any minute now..."

The courgette's skin was suddenly reached by a sensuous smell. At first, the sweet scents of flowers and vanilla made her nostalgic for her past life under the sun. Then, a darker accord started to creep in, with notes of tobacco and something boozy, something forbidden...

In the darkness, young courgette barely saw the shape of the tall yellow stranger leaning on to her, then felt a sharp cut on her soft skin, and lost conscience.

She woke up light headed and surrounded by the warm embrace of a variety of woods - some smooth, some rugged. A faint smell of lemon was lingering in the air. "Am I finally meeting my destiny, am I on a chef's chopping table ready to be transformed into a human meal?".

"Your transformation is a thing of the past" - the voice was coming from the branch of Fir that was almost surrounding her with its soft yet spiky embrace - "Can't you feel this smell in the air?".

All around her, beyond the faint lemony resin of the Fir, another sweet yet dark scent was lingering around her soft skin. If the tall yellow stranger at the greengrocer's had seduced her with intoxicating notes of vanilla and booze, this time there were notes of cocoa, and then aromatic green/woody notes of vetiver and cedar.

While trying to smell all this, Courgette felt something different on her skin.

"You have been touched by the Magic of the Rotting Blade", explained Fir. "You are now one of us. Not living, yet not dead".

Courgette's desperate scream was muffled by a thick Fog that was starting to Cower in the woods. The air was filled with more moss and musks, as well as heady flowers from somewhere Beyond.

"Today is All Hallows, the day of the Unliving" said a familiar voice. Round Courgette suddenly noticed that a whole pack of bananas where surrounding her, all lit by an unnatural light.

One of the strangers was still yellow, untouched by decay. She immediately realized it was the same yellow tall stranger who had approached her at the empty green grocer, on that lonely night. The other bananas, however, showed the black streaks of having trespassed the threshold of ripeness.

"Embrace your destiny, you little zucchina" - said Tall Yellow Stranger. The Magic Rotting Blade gave you a new purpose. Your undead name will be Courgette O' Lantern. From now on, your immortal duty is to forever glow in the darkness, luring other fruits to this unholy ground, where they will join us for the rest of eternity"

"But what is this place?" - asked Courgette, with her last glimpse of sanity.

"Just shut up and shine, my dear, you must learn to shine and wait"

"Wait for what?"

"The only thing worth it. The Next Coming of the Once and Future King!"

"Who?"

"They call him the Grave Fruit. That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die"

#FOF

#ROTY

LG SOTD Jun 27, 2024 - MEASURING UP WITH THE BEAR NECESSITIES

#photocontest

Theme Steampunk (Vintage brass telephone speaker. Retro-computer console from Terry Gilliam's Brazil, a masterwork of retro-futuristic overload)

• Brush: Alpha Brush & Shaving Co. - Bully Boy 28mm #TOLL
• Razor: Muhle - Hexagon - R41 head #CNC
• Blade: Muhle - Stainless Razor Blade [3]
• Lather: Murphy and McNeil / Black Mountain Shaving - DFS Horizons - Shaving soap - Kodiak base
• Post Shave: First Line Shave / Black Mountain Shaving - Crossroads - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Givenchy - Xeryus - vintage

Today’s singalong:

https://youtu.be/6BH-Rxd-NBo?feature=shared

WY?

One of the first English language sentences that I learnt as a teenager was from a joke based on a white man who compares his penis tattoo to that of a tall Jamaican.

The joke is rooted in a racial stereotype that is at the center of this interesting NYT op-ed from almost two decades ago.

I wonder if the Wendy joke contributed to making my brain forge some association between a thoroughly-unraveled body of information and the value of one’s masculinity.

Maybe this is the secret origin of my wordiness. 

Could the dick-measurement social instinct be the reason why some of you are uncomfortable with my posts being “too long”?

Are scent notes lists some kind of dick measuring contest?

THANKS FOR BEARING WITH ME

Before the end of the LG, I really wanted to shave with a bear tallow soap, also to homage u/enndeegee and his choice of prize for the Scruba Awards.

Murphy and McNeil’s Kodiak base is excellent, especially in terms of post-shave feel. I find it very interesting that someone ended up trying to saponify tallow sourced not from a yard animal, or edible game, but from a predator whose population is thinned down within the narrow boundaries of local regulations.

Bears have a strong symbolic presence in the world's cultures since the dawn of humankind, when our ancestors depicted them on the walls of caves.

When I shave with a soap that I know contains bear tallow, my mind is pervaded by a sense of awe that I haven't felt, for example, at the idea of shaving with a bison tallow soap. The symbolic power of certain animals is extremely intriguing to my skeptic mind.

WELCOME TO OUR LISTS OF SCENT NOTES AND HAVE A NICE DAY

For my lather and AS I picked two scents formulated by Joseph Katon of Black Mountain Shaving.
He definitely seems to have fun with long lists of notes:

HORIZONS features 18 notes, divided in:
Top: Lavender, bergamot, lemon, ginger, mandarin orange, tangerine, basil, rosew**d
Middle: Honey, Cinnamon (synthetic), cashmere, jasmine sambac, Haitian vetiver, sandalwood, iris, carnation, patchouli, cedar
Base: Leather, amber, labdanum, benzoin, oak moss, musk, tobacco, tonka, bourbon vanilla

CROSSROADS also features 18 notes:
Apple, Bergamot, Orange, Grapefruit, Oakmoss, Basil, Rosemary, Juniper, Carnation, Jasmine, Freesia, Cypress, Vetiver, Cashmeran, Patchouli, Vanilla, Amboxan, Sandalwood

A XERYUS OVERLOAD

I completed my shave with this monumental 1980s fougère by Alberto Morillas.
According to Fragrantica, it counts TWENTY NINE NOTES:
Top notes: Lavender, Jasmine, Green Notes, Lemon, Violet, Bergamot, Nutmeg Flower, Mandarin Orange, Lily-of-the-Valley, Ylang-Ylang and Rose
Middle notes: Cypress, Juniper Berries, Carnation, Geranium, Tarragon, Coriander, Petitgrain, Sandalwood, Cyclamen and Cinnamon.
Base notes: Oakmoss, Balsam Fir, Leather, Vetiver, Amber, Cedar, Incense and Musk.

My scent writeup today is much shorter: Horizons is nice but a bit "heavy" on the long run, I am happy I did not get the complementary postshave or EDP, it would've been too much.

Crossroads is nicely contrasted and flows well into Xeryus' big Cinemascope and Technicolor spectacle.

FOF

A SINISTER SHAVE

My razor was chosen before I found out about the daily challenge.
As I have "franken'd" my Hexagon by replacing its DE89 head with an open comb, this has been a very slow shave with the "devil's hand". Managed not to get nicked, but I realized how hard it is to focus on a non-dominant hand, and how terrible it must've been up to the generation of my parents, when left-handed students were forced to become right-handed.

ROTY