June 8, 2024 - Small Business Saturday - Maggard's Day

A FIRE IN THE SKY?

photocontest - Fire

• Brush: Alpha Brush & Shaving Co. - T-400 Blue Shaving Brush with 24mm Synthetic Knot #RESURRECTIONBRUSH
• Razor: Henson - AL-13 Medium Blue
• Blade: Gillette - Silver Blue [3]
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Fougère Angelique
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Fougère Angelique AS splash
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Fougère Angelique EdP

YET ANOTHER MUSICAL HOMAGE

PROOF READING

Okay, let's double check if I in my homage I mentioned all the notes:
Citrusness = Lime, Lemon, Neroli - check
Lavender, Geranium, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean - check
Cedar, Balsam Fir = woods - check
Oakmoss - check

Wait a minute... WAIT A MINUTE!
"Smoldering Flame"? Where does this come from? Let's check what the official website says... Uhm, a "gleamingly citrusy, approachable fougère touched by the cleansing flames of the heavens".

What?!

Aren't flames supposed to be in Hell, and wasn't being flame-less kind of one of the key selling points about going to Heaven?

We knew that u/BostonPhotoTourist had a penchant for violent suffering (proof), but he is also a very knowledgeable and well-read guy... Am I missing out here?
A google search on heavenly flames took me down a rabbit hole at whose bottom was... An Epic Symphonic Power Metal album by an obscure musician? WTF? After an extensive and expensive rehab cycle to detox my brain from derivative hard rock music, with painful relapses and unwanted flashbacks of a 1986 hit, I finally regained some glimpses of sanity.

Still looking for illumination, I turned to books, and finally I did find an illustration from a 15th Century Islamic manuscript from Central Asia: I shouldn't have doubted Will the Wise, he was right, there is a tradition of flames being a feature of the Seventh Heaven, and I was just too rooted in my received knowledge to know about it. I repent! Please don't exclude me from the Angelic spheres!

THE NEED FOR FAITH

No, not the religious one. The one in people who are fair and correct. One of the great things about both Brad Maggard and Will Carius is that I know I can blindly trust them with my business. Plus, they always answered any questions I could have, replying quickly, throughly and with courtesy. Maybe good deeds don't bring us to a celestial heaven, but I am content of this earthy world where karma made it so that B+M is by far the most represented artisan in my den (especially if you count the samples, mainly purchased from Maggard's!), and that Maggard's is the first US store where I have already placed more than ten orders over my first year of wetshaving shopping from the Americas.

MY MAD BRAGGARD DAY WAS MY CHEAPEST ONE

In November 2023, in a fit of FOMO I decided I needed I could no longer wait to try the newly released samples of the B+M (coincidence?) Winter seasonals: four mini-tubs, $3.80 each, for a total of $15,20. Even after I added three more samples, in the end I still managed to spend more for shipping and import costs than for the actual products.
It would've been wiser add more products to my cart, and to wait to make a bigger order, but the bug of impatience had bit me. I can't thank enough Maggard's team for fulfilling such a tiny order with the same care and professionalism that they devoted to more substantial ones.

FEATS OF FRAGRANCE

You may call it dickholing, but a heavenly fragrance requires to be experienced as a trinity.
Also, I don't think I ever tried these three products in the same shave.
To me, the lather mostly evokes a mossy, creamy rich citrus accord, bright but also soft, almost sweet. It has a somewhat "spherical" quality to it, like a heavenly hallucination of a ball of an intoxicating citrusy-mossy ice cream.
Nothing is spherical in the AS splash, which on the contrary provides a more vertical experience: the various notes are now in a succession of accords, like steps on the Stairway to Heaven (not the song, but the visionary MOTD!). During the drydown, you start to experience a slight metallic, gunpowdery note. Could it be...?
Well, the EdP brings this note of scorching metal more forward.
Is it the fire of an Archangel sword?
Only Will can tell us his flaming intentions, but in the meantime... Wait! Is it peppery? Or maybe, more accurately, pyrazinic, like that herbaceous note in many Cabernet wines?
Uhm, hot metal + u/BostonPhotoTourist equals to... Here's the epiphany! We may have previously rejected it within the context of human belligerence, but here, it actually adds an intriguing facet to the fragrance. I don't know if I'll still love it on the lung run. But for today, I am glad I went for the trifecta, being encouraged to pay attention so to continue with my daily #FOF

ROTY

June 11, 2024 - PRIMAVERA!

photocontest

Theme: Bokeh Balls (plus some marbles, the closest approximation I could think of to the 10-points "real thing" here)

• Brush: Black & Yellow Merit 99-5 by Heritage Collection Shaving / AP Shave Faux Boar Synthetic 24mm #FRANKENBRUSH #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Muhle Hexagon - DE89
• Blade: RK - Stainless [2]
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Sunrise on LaSalle - Artisan Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Sunrise on LaSalle -
• Fragrance: Guerlain - Vetiver - Eau de Cologne (vintage bottle)

"Primavera" is the Italian word for the Spring season.

Wikipedia informs me that it comes from Latin ver-, which in turns comes from a Sanskrit word that means "shiny", or "splendid".

It's a time of new beginnings, a powerful symbol that I immediately appropriate, as I mean this post to represent a fresh new start after a constructive clarification with the judges.

Let's just put on some Vivaldi ~~telephone wait~~ classic music inspired by Spring, and jump to today's frags.

As this is my first time using Sunrise on LaSalle, I wanted to experiment the soap + AS combo to appreciate the common thread as well as the differences.

Also, I wanted to continue yesterday's good-vibes celebration of collaborations, as my choice today is for one of the many collaborations between DG and Chatillon Lux.

The soap lathers impeccably and hits the mark in evoking a flower market, and "reflect the early morning hours of freshly cut flowers, with their dew-laden sweetness and vibrant freshness". Spot on.
Extremely mind-opening that this mental image is evoked through a feat of olfactory alchemy: the main note is, in fact, not floral but fruity. Mainly one fruit, a pear, transmuted into a floral orchestra. What a great symbolic resonance to the impermanent and transformative essence of the Spring season!
Love it both viscerally and conceptually.

The AS, as it's common, features a wider range of facets - some of them a bit disorienting to my nose.
To me, it evokes a ripe pear skin scent, as well as a less "round" scent, possibly evoking the slightly "dirty" smell of pear flowers. It's not off-putting, but my brain keeps searching for a clearer analogy, only to settle on a mental association with an aspect of the scent of Pyrethrum, the (former) name of a variety flowers also used for insecticides. It's not a bad smell, but it's unfortunately a bit distracting to me.

Today's fragrance is a vintage bottle of Guerlain's Vetiver: the top citrus notes are muted by the effect of time, but the drydown feels more complex and, again, "dirty" (in this case, with an intriguing leathery/tobaccoey accord) than the one of current formulations.

The transition from SoLS to GV worked even better than I expected: both evoke a clean accord with a green element, and then surprise you with mysterious transmutations that reveal an unexpected complexity beyond the easygoing façade.

#FOF

#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