u/merikus's SOTDs for challenge 'Lather Games 2024'

Jun. 2, 2024
Brush: Declaration Grooming B14 “Nebula” Badger
Razor: GEM Open Comb Micromatic Gen. 2
Blade: GEM PTFE [4]
Lather: House of Mammoth - Uitwaaien - Soap
Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Uitwaaien - Aftershave
Post Shave: Osma - Alum
Scuttle:* Georgetown Pottery - G20

The problem with doing a zero prep lather games is that you end up with some questionable decisions.

My idea of low key doing all 30 days got fucked up yesterday when I couldn’t find a random sample I thought I had somewhere. After 45 minutes I gave up. So no 30 days for me. Still haven’t completed the games.

But today was a tough one two. A nautical theme? I don’t have soap with a nautical theme. I puzzled and puzzed until my puzzler was sore. And then I realized I did have one soap whose soap concept is nautically themed in some way.

Uitwaaien.

Yes, I know Ben said it’s about friendship or some shit like that, but the thing that I most take away from this scent is that the marketing of it is about a beach (nautical, see), and in particular it’s my grandmother’s beach.

Apparently , we grew up playing on the same beach and he made a scent about it.

Anyway. Is that nautical? I think it is. Nautical enough, anyway.

Gotta say something nice about /u/Priusaurus. I had the privilege of telling him that he won last year and he was awesome about it. Really gracious winner, and a cool guy to hang out with for about 45 minutes on the podcast with. A well deserved win in a really difficult field last year.

Jun. 4, 2024
Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR
Razor: GEM Open Comb Micromatic Gen. 2
Blade: GEM PTFE [5]
Lather: Barrister & Mann - Paganini’s Violin - Soap
Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Paganini’s Violin - Balm
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented - Aftershave
Osma: Osma - Osma * Scuttle:* Georgetown Pottery - G20

Even though I’ve never completed the Lather Games, in June I have a rule: if I’m going to shave, it has to be by the calendar. If I can’t meet the calendar’s requirements, I don’t shave.

This is problematic when you don’t prepare for the Lather Games and you, occasionally, need to shave. That’s what happened today, and I was feeling pretty SOL about the situation and my self imposed rule.

Then I saw someone used Paganini’s Violin for today. And I was like, really? All joking about it being the best smelling unscented soap aside, there’s got to be more than one note here. Right?

Not according to Will. “For Paganini's Violin, we have composed a fragrance built on multiple variations on a single note, all playing together into one unified, singular whole.”

Cool, thanks Will. I don’t buy it for a minute but you’re the guy with the golden nose. I’m just an idiot who can’t get his shaving shit together.

As for most missed bases, I mean aw shucks it has to be Mickey Lee Soapworks, right? Probably the base wouldn’t hold up by today’s standards, but the folks at MLS were some of the most upstanding, kind, and giving members of the wet shaving community early on. When they shut down the community lost something, and I’ll always remember them for that.

As for current bases, that’s tough. It’s a tie between Stirling Sheep and HoM Tusk. I like them for different reasons; they perform equally good in different ways. I do think that Sheep is the unsung hero of wet shaving bases, though. Fewer people are aware of it because it just gets folded in with Stirling’s normal base, which is good in its own right.

Jun. 10, 2024
Brush: Proraso Professional
Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
Blade: GEM PTFE [1]
Lather: Declaration Grooming / Chatillion Lux - Confluence - Soap
Post Shave: Declaration Grooming / Chatillion Lux - Confluence - Aftershave
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented - Balm
Osma: Osma - Osma
Scuttle: Georgetown Pottery - G20

I only have two collabs: La Fôret De Liguest and Confluence. My wife hates one of them, but I can’t remember which. Hope I picked right because it’s our anniversary.

I really liked the song aspect of this challenge. I started with how the soap made me feel—it’s woodsy and smokey and so I felt like fall. This moved me towards acoustic folk music. I was thinking something in the Americana genre, but while going through my library I came upon Le Vent Du Nord, a Quebecois band I’ve been following for over a decade.

Confluence was inspired by history, by the city of Saint Louis at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. The cedar and smokey scent is supposed to call to mind the early days of that community.

With that in mind, the song I chose is the first one on Le Vent Du Nord’s second album, and is called “Les Amants du Saint-Laurent,” the Lovers of the St. Lawrence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmQG2NSfsMY

Like the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and how they shaped Saint Louis, the St. Lawrence River shaped the northeast and the confluence of English, French, American, and Canadian cultures.

This song takes place on the banks of the St. Lawrence in 1754, where two star-crossed lovers are running away to get married. They are caught and he is jailed for kidnapping, but at the end of the song he returns to her and they are reunited years letter (or so says this annotated translation).

The use of the hurdy gurdy in the instrumentation calls to mind the era of Confluence, as does the setting along the river and the story from the 1700s. It felt appropriate for all these reasons, so enjoy!

Jun. 11, 2024
Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR
Razor: Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade: Feather New Hi-Stainless [1]
Lather: Barrister & Mann - Petrichor - Soap
Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Petrichor - Aftershave
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented - Balm
Osma: Osma - Osma * Scuttle:* Georgetown Pottery - G20

One thing that vaguely doing the Games this year has shown me is how thin my den is getting.

Anything I thought qualified had been used up or was, upon research, found to be summer, not spring, scents.

This left me with Petrichor, which is in the box-of-soaps-I-don’t-use-much.

Why? Well, I give you this anecdote: I was out in my barn one day and was like “I smell shaving soap, what the hell is that?” And the answer was, well, petrichor. But actual real petrichor, and not the shaving soap stuff.

Putting aside the Baudrillarian implications of signs and simulacra there, my point is it smells exactly like wet grass after rain, which means it also smells like mildew and dirt and I don’t want to smell like that. No shade to Will—it’s a perfect masterpiece. But in doing so it’s also nothing I really want to wear.

But the tyrannical rule of the judges is unending so here I am.

I also decided to use a DE for the hell of it.

Jun. 16, 2024
Brush: Declaration Grooming B14 “Nebula” Badger
Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
Blade: GEM PTFE [2]
Lather: Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella - Crema da Barba - Soap
Post Shave: Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella - Tobacco Toscano - Aftershave
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented - Balm
Osma:* Osma - Osma

I had three choices today, but went with the one I’m least likely to use under any other circumstances, this awful cream from ODFPSMN.

I purchased it when I visited Florence 7 years ago or so. I had the pleasure of visiting OFDPSMN HQ and I gotta tell you it was a real pleasure. This place is spectacular, it’s almost otherworldly in how fancy and old world it is. Rather than me trying to explain, here’s some pictures:

https://imgur.com/a/V7pj7

I picked up an aftershave and cream while there and was psyched to try out this old school shit.

Well, shit it is. The aftershave is the most face unfriendly stuff I’ve ever used. You might as well throw rubbing alcohol on your face.

And the soap? Supposedly scented with Tabacco Toscano (which would be a plus, their frags are great!), it really smelled like an eucalyptus bomb that has finally faded after 7 years and I can finally smell the last hints of Tabacco Toscano coming through.

The soap’s performance is decidedly mid. Not the worst, but absolutely demolished by any artisan base today.

As for the challenge today? Have fun with that.

Jun. 20, 2024
Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR
Razor: Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade: Feather New Hi-Stainless [2]
Lather: House of Mammoth - Sh2re - Soap
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented - Aftershave
Osma: Osma - Osma

The heat index has been over 100 for 3 days. It was 109 at one point yesterday.

Welcome to summer in New England, I guess.

I did not shave outside today. I went on a short hike though I sort of hate the outdoors so this is a big deal.

Jun. 21, 2024
Brush: Proraso Professional
Razor: Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade: Feather New Hi-Stainless [3]
Lather: Barrister & Mann - Fougère Gothique - Soap
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented - Aftershave
Osma: Osma - Osma

Hey, look, fougère is in the name.

Some scents grow on you. Others you sour on. This is the latter. Loved it when I first got it and now think it smells like mushroom dirt. Oh well.

Limerick:

There once was a man from Nantucket

Whose SOTDs were so long we said fuck it

We rated them offensive

Despite being pensive

So he quit and told us to suck it

Top notch limerick.

Jun. 25, 2024
Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR
Razor: GEM Open Comb MicroMatic (Gen. 1)
Blade: GEM PTFE [3]
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Christmas Eve - Soap
Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Santa Noir - Aftershave
Osma: Osma - Osma
Scuttle:* Georgetown Pottery - G20

I simply had to shave today—any excuse to use some of my favorite scents.

Christmas Eve hits all the right notes for me. Years ago I wrote a long post explaining my love of this scent and how it reminded me of Christmas Eve at my grandmother’s house. At one point Rod told me that there was a clear uptick in sales after that post that sustained for several years, which is nice.

If Christmas Eve reminds me of, well, Christmas Eve with my mom’s family, Santa Noir reminds me of Christmas Day with my dad’s. They are bombastic Italian Americans that wear too much musky cologne and wear gold chains and literally say “eyyyyyy, I’m eatin’ here.” Santa Noir reminds me of Christmas Day with them, which hits at the nostalgia I discussed in my review of Santa Noir a few years later.

Just so I could try to get a related aftershave and fragrance point—and keeping in mind my wife’s inability to deal with scents—I then proceeded to spray Vespers on my finger and wash it off. I leave it to you, O Judge, to decide if that counts.

Vespers was the Christmas soap that made me confront what I think makes a Christmas soap. As I wrote in my review of Vespers, I love the scent, but it doesn’t have the same nostalgia triggers that make me adore Christmas Eve and Santa Noir.

I smelled my finger next to my face, and it sort of smells good together. I dunno, does that make this a Feats of Fragrance review?

Eyyyy, there's no frag over here (in the items list)

Jun. 27, 2024
Brush: Stirling Soap Company Finest Badger Shave Brush Badger
Razor: Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue [1]
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Bonaparte - Soap
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented - Aftershave
Osma: Osma - Osma
Scuttle:* Georgetown Pottery - G20

This is a really fun challenge in my view. It was intersting going through my den today and trying to figure out what might qualify.

I chose Bonaparte because it’s a pretty unique Stirling scent to me. Rod made pretty clear in his social media post about it that he was encouraging people to not buy it. I wasn’t able to find the 2023 post, but back in 2018 when it was rereleased Rod said, “you will likely hate it. Don’t buy it” and that he discontinued it because of all the refund requests they got. He also said it is one of his favorite scents.

The notes are:

Thyme, Rosemary, Bergamot, Lavender, Petitgrain, Lime, Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Ylang Ylang, and Tangerine.

I don’t get the hate on this one. It’s citrus forward, but overall a pleasant scent and a pleasant shave.

Unfortunately despite the enjoyable scent the shave was not very enjoyable. The Feather was tugging out of the gate so I switched over to a GSB. It improved things a lot, but still nothing compared to what I would get with an SE. I also blame the brush somewhat—I don’t use this brush often for a reason.

Jun. 29, 2024
Brush: Proraso Professional
Razor: Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue [2]
Lather: House Of Mammoth - Santa Noir - Soap
Post Shave: House Of Mammoth - Sh2re - Aftershave
Osma: Osma - Osma
Scuttle:* Georgetown Pottery - G20

When I looked at my den this morning I was like, shit. How do I have not a single sandalwood soap? It’s one of the most singular notes in wet shaving. How did I miss this one?

Fortunately, proto-Judge /u/PrideTwo was there in the chat to help me: “Santa Noir?”

I replied, “That’s sandalwood? I thought it was Christmas Magic.”

Well, he linked me to the !s bot command thing and indeed there is sandalwood in there.

Now is it prominent? Well, /u/pridetwo is basically a judge, right? He wouldn’t steer me wrong. Right? Right‽

Sigh

Anyway, after that DQ, the judges think I won’t spill the beans on who is winning. Well, SOME of us have access to the portal. And, therefore, SOME of us will give you the top 5 in order, right now, so I get at least some points out of this:

1. /u/airbudruler
2. /u/endeegee
3. /u/cowzilla3
4. /u/j33pguy13’s feet
5. /u/old_hiker

Congratulations to all the winners!

In all seriousness, since I do have inside information I won’t tip my hand. I’ll just say that, personally, my favorite post of the games was /u/hugbckt’s cupcake head shave. It was great on its own, but the pictures really made the entire thing for me.