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

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.

User's daughter builds racing Prius

June 2, 2024 – I’m on a boat!

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Bangalore V20 #composite #SHD
• Razor: Univilions – Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
• Blade: Some blue box Artist Club blade from Maggards (1)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime
• Post Shave: Old Spice – Old Spice Original
• Post Shave: Viktor&Rolf – Spice Bomb Infrared

Went to bed feeling sick, woke up feeling only slightly better, but LG waits for no man. Ahoy! Nautical themes today! SSL seems to cause some interesting talk each year. I was shocked to find out from u/USS-SpongeBob that “Seaforth” has nothing to do with the Sea, but SSL is clearly nautical, referring to “waves crashing over the deck” in its marketing (among other things.) Wo! To anyone who uses Spiced though today. The shave…sucked. The cheap AC blades I have have no sharpness, they scrapped, and my skill with this Kami is non-existent. Normally I’d ride out the shitty shave but after 2 passes I finished with the injector because while sick I want to feel clean. But I did do 2 full passes with this shavette, and my face feels it. The weck may be better actually. While “pirates” theme makes the most sense I suppose for #photocontest I’m still figuring that one out. So instead let’s do some Humor in paying tribute to u/Priusaurus. When I asked my kids how to work this in they immediately said “Dinosaur”, so the SOTD photo is a cheetah (which I gather is supposed to be me) attempting to steal the dinosaur’s shaving stuff. Actually, this is a story in photos, so here’s cheetah being arrested by FredBird. (Something to be said about my daughter’s thoughts on my winning this year). Now I confess, the layout here is odd, but my daughter set it up while I was looking for the kami. My wife walked in and went “What…are you teaching her.” I commented “I swear there’s a story here that’s…well it’s still weird, but at least it makes sense.” Stay tuned because Cheetah’s exploits are making a comeback (but not as “Animal”.)

For #fof, SSL trifecta would have been boring. Instead, I wanted to try something new and pulled the spice note through the shave. I followed up with Indian Old spice, and then Spice Bomb INFRARED. Which…apparently causes my TV to randomly change channels when I walk by. My daughter apparently is trying to join u/cowzilla3’s family because she declared Old Spice “the best” and Spice Bomb “pretty good.” But SSL got a “yuck.” Overall, the progression seemed to work as we went from citrus with a hint of spice, to spice with a hint of citrus to spice only (and magic TV tuning rays.)

June 3, 2024 – Fever Dreams

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 22mm Faux Horse w/ Ruby Ripple Handle #Fauxfur
• Razor: Weck Junior #weckonista #rustybuttrusty
• Blade: Personna Hair Shaper (1)
• Lather: Areffa Soap – Agave
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Smash
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – Saint Julep

I make bad decisions when I have a fever. This is known. Once, when I had an ear infection, I decided to drive to Walmart in a snow storm to get formula for our son. (He needed special stuff and only Walmart had it.) I didn’t get home for 7 hours.

So, it’s no surprise when looking at my options this morning for shaving, I opted for the weck. On Osma day, so I’ll know exactly how bad I did. But it’s also “OnionMiOSMA” day so I used the Personna blade in honor of u/onionmiasma’s suffering for AA.

This thing came pre-patina’d and needed to good scraped out of it so I could get the blade in. More patina pics. Is it supposed to hinge by the serrated part? No time, I’m getting tired must shave!

This was not a good shave. I only drew blood in one place, just below my ear where I tried to go XTG, and hit the angle wrong. But it’s OK, I HAVE OSMA! I “finished” the shave (such that you can call being still scruffy finished) and applied the Osma.

Now a note about my Osma, if you look it a chunk is missing from the top, that’s because I broke some of it off and sent it to u/AdWorried2804 so he had Osma today. It looked like I sent him Crystal meth. Anyway, we wanted to test the idea that since Osma comes from a shared block, sharing part of that would transfer some of the feel of the shave. Basically all Osma is connected! If so, I’m sorry, he’s in for some stinging. When I hit that part behind my ear it stung something fierce, I think blacked out, and when I woke up, I tasted…saltwater and coconut? He has nicer weather than I do.

Now while u/grindermonk is only aware of 1 bear tallow soap (that is a prize for best shave in scuba gear or something, I dunno I didn’t read the whole post) there is in fact at least one more. I commented once to u/bmac92 my thrill didn’t extend to odd Ukrainian soaps made with bear tallow, but then when he offered to send this for shipping only I said, “why not, maybe it’ll be useful for LG.” Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

My #photocontest here “animals (dead)” But how you ask? Well, that Tupperware container contains the missing beef tallow! Theme question answered.

For #fof, I’m going with an all-drink theme here, Agave (famously used in tequila), Smash, which is a peach bourbon cocktail, and Saint Julip which is a nod to Mint Julips. Fittingly the description of St. Julio mentions “bear” (though in verb form) bringing us back around to the tallow! Go theme! The smells are interesting, I get a slightly chemical smell off the soap, smash smells like cherries to me, and Saint Julep is supposed to be like mint. The soap did not improve upon lathering, the smash clashed a bit with the Julep, which did not smell like mint to me, but maybe that’s the tangerine? It was ok. I’m going back to bed and hoping that area behind my ear stops stinging by tomorrow.

OP gives fellow Redditor a taste of Osma, delivered in the most incriminating way possible, and elevates consciousness to a higher plane.

OP gives fellow Redditor a taste of Osma, delivered in the most incriminating way possible, and elevates consciousness to a higher plane.

June 4, 2024

• Brush: New Men Shaving Brush Black Badger Hair #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS #SMOLL #RUNT
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #ModernGEM #fliptop #rustybuttrusty
• Blade: GEM
• Lather: Mike’s Natural Soaps – Lime
• Post Shave: Eleven – Lime and Basil
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime

Ahh simplicity, not exactly something we go for here when trying to min/max every element of our shave. Yet for scents sometimes it works. SOTD/LG posts too. I’m going to get straight to it.

Today’s #fof is all about limes. Carrying my single note through the entire shave. From straight lime, to lime mixed with a hint of basil, to the complex, yet approachable SSL. This is one of my favorite progressions because it carries the note through so well, while amplifying different portions of it. SSL, being so wonderfully constructed is the perfect capstone to it.

For #photocontest well Mike’s soap has a ~~duck~~ Common Loon (thanks u/wyze0ne) (bird) on the label, but we can do one better. See in the background, two live ducks that wandered through my yard. Neighbors wondered why I put a bunch of stuff on a trashcan and took a photo. But this is why.

For the challenge. I wasn’t around for the base wars, but y’all make it sound horrible. Constant changes then we end up with…omnibus? It’s not bad, actually it’s pretty good, but I wouldn’t say it’s better than the stuff I tried from before. I never really noticed the funk in it until I got a tub of Oceana from u/jwoods23 and went “ah that’s what it is.” You can’t unsmell that. But let’s get real: once you get above a certain point all bases are good in different ways. So here is shout out to u/stirlingsoap who sat out the base wars and has been chugging along with his base for I think over a decade now. It’s the benchmark by which we establish a “good base.” Once you reach that level it’s mostly personal preference on the different quirks. Yes, on theme today, the best base may be a simple one.

June 5, 2024 – Subpar but not horrible

• Brush: The Hands of the Tsar
• Razor: Bic Sensative #rainbow
• Blade: whatever comes in a bic
• Lather: Cremo – Original
• Post Shave: Nivea – Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Fragrance: Ralph Lauren – Polo Blue

Goop. It’s what we all wanted to leave behind, yet here we are using it for internet fame. I opted for Cremo, which was surprisingly hard to find at Target as they transition to selling Harry’s, DSC, and other advertising heavy products that pay for shelf space. (Indeed, they no longer sell Proraso at my Target to make room for the big Harry’s display). This Nivea balm, also at Target. And did you know you can buy Polo Blue at Target! (Through their partnership with Ulta). This is an entirely Target shave, a Target Trifecta! It’s not exactly a #fof legend here, but Polo Blue is reliable. And easily available. It’s a safe scent. It’s office friendly. The aquatic plays well of what little Cremo citrus is in my memory (and oddly well with the medicinal smell of the Nivea). I don’t get any “wow” factor off it, but I’m sure it’s generally pleasing. And honestly your den needs some scents like that because you can’t be niche 100% of the time. (Disclaimer: This is some sample my wife got in an Ulta or Sephora order).

Ok but truth time: you can’t get everything at Target. I couldn’t find Yellow Bics, they only had off brand. So, I went to Target’s poorer cousin Walmart. Walmart also sells Cremo and Nivea, (but no Polo Blue!). These Bics remind me of my teenage years, because Dad taught me to shave with this exact razor model and dial soap. Yes, we lathered with Dial soap. It was miserable. Just horrible. Took me 20 years to figure out life was wrong. (I broke with him and went for electric shavers not long into my shaving career. I haven’t used a Bic in probably 20+ years.) But you know what, put a pin in that, we’ll come back to it on Father’s Day. The shave was, surprisingly, not bad. Not great, but not awful.

For #photocontest, Cremo doesn’t require a brush, so my hands gotta be in the photo, and so here’s a picture framing my eyes. Picture was taken by my daughter (after several tries that were all blurry.)

Speaking of lathering, today’s challenge was interesting. I hit it since I normally bowl lather (about 80% of the time) and what you do with Cremo counts as face “lathering” (no bowls here!) But, in the spirit of the challenge I decided to flip when I lather! I always shower before I shave, so today I’ll reverse that and shave before I shower. I know some people do that; I don’t get it but in this case I’m glad I did because the Cremo left a film that was hard to get off. Shower helped. Instructions say if you don’t shower first rub warm water on your face for 30 seconds. While I do that, I’m going to contemplate how to up my game because u/priusaurus and others are bringing it.

June 6, 2024 – Video Killed the r/wetshaving star

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG 2024 with 26mm AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #FAUXFUR #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector (3)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Sunday Brunch
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles – Sunday Brunch
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Everett

Video Day! I’ll save most of my commentary for the video itself. But suffice it to say there is shaving, mimosas and an assessment of (almost) week 1 lather games. Plus, a new brush with the Pure Bliss Knot to review. And maybe some trash talk for a certain champion who can’t bring himself to show his face to the sub. I do need to cover some things for the theme and side challenges here. But join me over on the video, it’s bad but it’s under 7 minutes.

For #fof I’m carrying the orange through the shave. Sunday Brunch is Mimosas. He managed to put the smell of bubbles in here I’m not even sure how. I’ve bugged u/C_Bubbles for a Sunday Brunch EdT but apparently it won’t last because it’s all citrus and wouldn’t last more than 10 minutes. Everett hits that same citrus high, but with a wonderful marshmallow base note that keeps going. This setup works, and it works well. I hadn’t used the Everett set yet, but I’m glad I picked up a 2ml sprayer of the EdT (because I couldn’t justify a full bottle with so many other full bottles.)

For #photocontest since my shave is an ode to weekends, let’s look at hobbies. Here’s my ham Radio. I lurk on the related subs, (r/amateurradio and r/hamradio) occasionally post there. (They are not as fun loving as this sub, trust me. It’s like Badger and Blade, but about antennas.) You’ll see ham again because it’s a hobby geared towards DIY.

Cheers!

OP chugs mimosa and aquires a taste for lather.

Informative video, good commentary on other players, less than seven minutes.

OP chugs mimosa and aquires a taste for lather.

June 7, 2024 – Vetiver 3 ways

• Brush: Semogue TSN 2023 LE Mixed knot #MISTURA #OldWorld
• Razor: Gillette Slim #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (1)
• Lather: Martin de Candre – Vetyver
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Dirtyver
• Fragrance: Rogue Perfumery – Vetifleur

Vetiver is one of my current favorite notes. u/EldrormR sent me this gigantic smush of MdC Vetyver (don’t worry it wasn’t from the brain bowl.) I spread some of it around to others, so this “smush” is fueling today for a few. When I sniffed it, I said “this is good.” I’m noting Vetiver more in other things too, Varen, CB’s Maggards Meetup scent, etc. And finding I like that note. And it lasts a long time on my skin (Varen balm for example still smells through hours later. Don’t worry it makes an appearance this year). So, I decided to lean heavily into that vetiver element for #fof today. Vetiver 3 ways. These scents are all interesting, MdC is the spicy vetiver I love in the other things, Dirtyver true to it’s name has almost a muddly quality to it, and Vetifleur moves the Vetiver to the base and freshens up after Dirtyver. The same thing working in different ways.

Vetiver has an earthy quality to it so for #photocontest lets go with Earth, and some dirt (I need to get my grass to grow here.)

Today we go against the grain. This is a curious position for me. I’ve stated before the reason I don’t do the public shaves is I am averse to conflict generally (which is odd because my job is all conflict, it’s literally in the title of my office. But I digress.) As such the notion of “going against the grain” is not something I do much in life or in shaving. (Which is not to say I’m a conformist. I’m fairly non-conformist actually, I mean for God sakes, I’m not even 40 and my current hobbies are ham radio and wet shaving, I’m just weird. I just simply don’t seek out conflict and, if I find it, I try to exfiltrate myself from it as soon as possible. My friends are largely other non-conformist weirdos, and I don’t hang out in popular spots. When someone says, “Why don’t you do XYZ!” I usually go “meh” and walk away. So, to find myself drawn into this ongoing psychodrama between u/cowzilla3 and u/onionmiasma was a bit startling to me. But I suppose I must play the part. The drama needs a new villain to keep it fresh. And so I say: You sirs are fools, your mothers were ~~hamsters~~ Synth brushes and your fathers smelt of ~~elderberries.~~ Batters Up. I shall push back against the grain of the judges and the…dude pushing back against the judges! (This shouldn’t be physically possible but I guess we’ve come full circle or something).

Also, I did shave once ATG, (going down at the bottom of my neck and up everywhere else.) It was..meh. I set the Slim to 1 and upped it to 2 halfway. Thing is I don’t do an ATG pass normally, not worth the squeeze as it were. So, I couldn’t hold the angle, so it didn’t shave very well, so I look scruffy. Have some irritation around my lip and nose. I wonder how many will try to claim they’re going “against the grain” by not doing the challenge.

Also, I want to say something about the sponsor. I’ve been sick so I haven’t had the desire type much sponsor stuff. But Aurora Grooming has really been bringing it recently. He jumped head first into this Sub and created a fun sub brush with a custom coin. I used it yesterday and it’s a really fun shape. I bought a silly brush but he fitted a knot a sent and let me know the turn wasn’t perfect and that upset him (it’s wonderful). Now I know he’s got to “expend his business” or something so he’s sold out to those people at r/Wicked_Edge for a sub exclusive. But he’ll always be ours first! I haven’t been here long enough to watch the sub help launch a brand, but I hope this one works.

June 8, 2024 – Maggard’s Day

• Brush: Semogue TSN LE Mixed knot #MISTURA #OldWorld
• Razor: Parker 96R #ZAMAC
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (2)
• Lather: Maggard Razors – Lilac
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Diamond
• Fragrance: Motif Olfactif – Moments

Maggards day, or should we call it chief enabler day. Sure, we all have our favorite artisan who sucks up a ton of our money (stares at u/mammothben). But when we need hardware supplies or a lot of different things at the same time, we turn to Brad. And Brad delivers. More than once, I’ve had stuff arrive 2 days after I place the order. Sometimes I don’t order until 3pm, BAM still in the mail by 5. He runs a machine. And in doing so keeps thrill alive for many of us. Plus, customer service cannot be matched. I forgot to add an empty tub to my order once, I emailed, he replied “I gotchu!” (paraphrased) and threw a tub in before it shipped. Once I ordered Rawr, he was out, the system miscounted, he refunded me, then settled on a free shipping code I could use to get Rawr when it was back in stock (or whatever else I wanted.) I ended up using that code to send out my secret Santa last year. (Rawr came in a different order that was, of course, above the shipping threshold.)

Plus, samples from places that normally don’t do samples! Explore without excessive expense. My LG last year ran almost entirely on Maggards samples. Maybe next year I’ll run just on Maggards samples I have laying around. 3 Cheers for Maggards! And tell you what, since Maggards is FIRE, for #photocontest lets do FIRE. (Man, I hope this doesn’t melt my soap).

For the challenge, as noted I mostly order samples and hardware from Maggards, so my largest order from them isn’t huge. It was actually last year’s LG order at a whopping $70.83 cents. The box is still next to my nightstand as I used it to keep the LG stuff organized and intended to use it again this year but my calendar was completely different so I have a new Maggards box for it! My Stirling orders now are regularly over $100, but that’s mostly coffee, some bath soap and lotion, so I’m not sure it counts. My largest shaving specific order ever comes from u/mammothben (of course) at $135.34. It had Shire 2 and Rumble dickhole sets (plus 2ml edp of each because I couldn’t justify a $300 order) and a Mammoth x Lancaster Shaving works towel. I probably spent some money on a raffle leading up to that as well. Which I never win, I need to stop doing that and just buy the soap. But it’s for good causes.

A note on the Parker. It was my first razor, which in retrospect was probably a mistake. It’s an odd construction of brass handle and Zamac head, so it’s bottom weighted. There’s tons of blade feel and it’s kinda rough. Glad I have vintage Gilletes now.

On to #fof: At first glance there’s just total disconnect here, but that’s because it’s personal to me. See, my grandparents lived off a road, aptly named “Lilac.” Their yard smelled of it all year. Their family had been generational farmers for years, but that went away with my grandfather who operated heavy machinery in a quarry. So, he donated some of the farmland to the Chruch for a baseball field. Every year at family reunion when I was young, we’d go to the field and play a game of softball. Which brings us to Moments. From the description: “Time whizzing while each second is cherished. No one knew it would be awhile before our family could be together again.” This description hits hard, because like all families when our patriarch and matriarch died a few years ago, those big gatherings ended. It’s not the same. It’s not bad (my immediate family is growing and we make new traditions) but it is different. Cheris the time you have

June 9, 2024

• Brush: Turn n Shave – L7 Boba
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector (4)
• Lather: Beak and Snout Apothecary – Bard's Barbershop
• Post Shave: Zingari – The Wanderer
• Fragrance: Zingari – The Wanderer Extrait

Barbershop day! So many possible choices from every soap company. I chose this one-off run from one of u/hugbckt’s friends that was PIF’d out a while ago. It’s good soap for a beginner soaper, I enjoy it. ~~I don’t think he ever gave me an official name so we’ll just call it “Medieval Barbershop.”~~ (Edit see below) Now a quick run to #fof namely everything in this setup is Crafter’s Choice Barbershop. Yes, even the Extrait. (Thirsty Badger Dupe List identifies the Wanderer as CC Barbershop even if it’s not sold as a barbershop. My soap is on theme as it was released as a Barbershop, and the post/frags are connected by use of the same frag oil, regardless of their marketing). Now I know CC gets a bad rap around here, but I find that in soap and even the toner it’s a good scent. Pleasant and sorta just there. I used the toner all AA and had no problems. But bumping it up to extrait highlights every flaw it has and none of its charms. It’s wildly unbalanced. Borderline offensive. This stuff PROJECTS. I’m going to turn heads at church I suspect and not in a “ohh that’s nice” way. So, for #photocontest let me tip my hat to the u/onionmiasma, with an onion, since I’m a walking miasma myself today. (Yes Onion, I know the CC burns you, except you reported this soap didn’t!)

Also, in honor of Barbershop day I’ve gone ahead and turned my house into a barbershop. Econimics being what they are I can’t justify the cost of a #2 buzz cut on my son at [big name chain place]. A set of Wahl clippers pays for themselves after 2 uses. And I got a more expensive battery operated set. To match with today’s theme I decided to move up my son’s monthly ~~bloodletting~~ haircut, so he’ll get that later today. He doesn’t know he’s been drafted as a LG set piece. I’ll follow up with the results in a comment once done. I suspect he’s gonna try to run away again. Which is sad, because if he sits still, he gets a nice DE neckline cleanup and some toner.

Quiz wouldn’t work for me at all. Tried on my phone. It’s so ad ridden it crashed my desktop browser after forcing me to turn off ad block. But I’m committed so I did it with a word window open next to it to score myself. 7/32. But I don’t know scents. I suck at the discord Latherbot game.

Edit: Son haircut in comment below. (not risking a major edit here).

Edit I found the original post and this was called "Bard's Barbershop" so I updated the name.

June 10, 2024 – “I had some help.”

• Brush: Turn n Shave – L7 Boba
• Razor: Wolfman WR1 #CNC #Stainlessless
• Blade: Treat Classic (Carbon Steel) (1)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Cerberus
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming/Noble Otter – Cerberus
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming/House of Mammoth – Cerberus

Song: “I Had Some Help” Post Malone/Morgan Wallen. (A collaboration of course.)

Oddly, I had this song picked out before the challenge. Yes, it’s sorta a breakup song, but repurposed a good song about how we all enable each other to stupid levels here on this sub. It’s not like I could make this den a mess all by myself. I had some help.

Sometimes a single artisan working alone cannot keep thrill alive. And as a cure we have collaborations. Multiple artists putting their best work forward to bless us with something. There will be lots of Chatty Lux/DG shaves, APR/whoever shaves. But I’m here with the Trifecta Collab: DG/NO/HoM Cerberus, which will likely also make a strong showing (even if it’s out of season.) My office is gonna wonder what hit it. (Mondays are in person day. Assert my dominance!) For #fof I had to do the full trifecta. You cannot cut 1 head off Cerberus, then it’s not Cerberus. Plus, cutting off that head makes him mad.

Collaboration isn’t just for the artisans. The sub is basically one big collaborative effort of whacky. LG is a huge example of that. Our judges collaborate with each other to put together a calendar. I collaborated with u/adworried2804 to put together some bits and 2 strong setups. Even the people who are my direct competition, I’m helping. Which is a good tie into #photocontest, a bucket. On my kid’s head, while she helps display my gear. Yes, because my LG play is a family collaborative work but also because tomorrow (hopefully if I remember) I mail u/hugbckt points in a box. Points that very well may cause him to beat me (by more than he’s going to already.) Why? Because in this sub, as odd as it is, We’re all happier together.

To that end today’s shave is full of collaborations! The brush is part of a pass around box (plus the boar and badger hair collaborate here in a mixed not to make something new and different from each individually.) The razor is on loan from u/adworried2048 all the way from the Philippines to help me get some points. Collaboration! (We’re collaborating on a pass around for these too, but we’ll get back to that.) The blade: Well this is a pack I bought and distributed out to help other people get the #stainlessless tag when I sent smushes. It’s my contribution to the collaborative nature of the game. (If you’re not contributing it’s just stealing). Obviously, the soap/frag/splash are a collaboration on their own, but also, I was encouraged to buy this set by a smush u/jwoods23 sent me before it re-launched to see if I’d like it. Collaborative buying! Top to bottom this shave has a collaborative bend to it. Because collaboration is what drives this sub.

OP places unsuspecting family in bucket.

June 11, 2024 – Green Shoots

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Exclusive Moar Boar 31mm #OldWorld #Subbroosh
• Razor: Wolfman WR1 #CnC #Stainlessless
• Blade: Treat Classic (Carbon Steel) (2)
• Lather: Noble Otter – Rawr
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – Rawr
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Alive

Spring! Oh, how I wish it were back and not 90 anymore. I’m breaking out RAWR today. I was informed it was specifically mentioned in previous lather games as a spring scent! Go Theme! I recently acquired the splash and so now is a perfect time to use it. When I saw the art for this soap, I knew I had to have it. The otter on front could be my son. He had a dino coat with big spikes on the head he used to never take off. It was adorable. People recognized him from across rooms by the coat.

For #fof I’m pairing it with Alive. Obviously one theme today is color coordination, all green scents (both for the photo and from a fragrance standpoint.) But both are also spring scents as well. I’ve never smelled the Rawr EdP, I’m sure it’s wonderful, based on the soap and splash, but also subtle. Alive kicks up that green note to 11. Just what I need after a morning of ~~wrangling kids out the door to camp~~ dealing with sick kids who won’t go to camp today (change of plans). Rawr is about parenthood, and parenthood makes us feel alive (and tired).

Spring is a time associated with cleaning, so I decided to take this opportunity to clean up my office/den overflow. See, it’s currently overwhelmed with shave stuff since I went on a pre-games buying spree. Boxes litter my area. That’s my package from u/adworried2048 taking up the chair. So, let’s do some spring cleaning.

There we go. Still not perfect but at least I can sit in my easy chair again. The real deep clean of my den is going to have to happen in the actual Spring. (For any OCD people I apologize in advance for tomorrow’s den tour)

To keep with today’s challenge, for #photocontest I opted to take this picture outside with a grass background. I think it worked very well for both the scavenger hunt and today’s color coordinated challenge. I even managed to match my brush.

June 12, 2024 – Creamed

• Brush: Turn n Shave – L7 Boba
• Razor: Wolfman WR1 #cnc #stainlessless
• Blade: Treat Classic (Carbon Steel) (3)
• Lather: SIR – Irisch Moos
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Varen
• Fragrance: SIR – Irisch Moos

Cream! I was fortunate enough to be involved in one of u/j33pguy13’s raid of the B&B forums that resulted in many Moos cream tubes. I had heard good things about the Moos, so I decided to get one. It’s one of the few scents my wife goes “that’s good” when I lather it up. I picked up a second from him later.

It’s a true cream in a metal tube, so no bowl, just onto the brush and lather. It makes a decent enough lather. Not as good as any artisans, but better than the Cremo I used earlier. For #fof, I call this my Moos-Varen-Moos sandwich. Born out of necessity that I don’t have Moos splash, I tried it, and it works wonderfully. Varen is a bit spicier and darker to my nose. It is more vetiver forward, and that vetiver lasts a long time on my skin, so when I return to the Moos, I get a delicious blend of the two that’s greater than any one individually. Sure, I still do a Varen Trick every now and then, especially in winter, but if you get Moos EdT, paring it with Varen splash or (in my case) balm is a match made in heaven. Moos is special so for #photocontest let’s fill the frame with it. But I’m going to fill my frame a bit differently. I’m using a lens ball to play with perspective here, because why not.

Today’s challenge shows the necessity of improv in lather games. My daughter and I worked out a bit for den tour day again this year, with her leading the video. But she’s sick in the other room. In her honor though we’ll continue the bit just via pictures and text. Pretend the italics is her.

What’s this? An Admission fee?
Mom says we need to recoup the vacation fund you spent on soap.

“It’s my bathroom, also I don’t carry cash. And what about her Sephora bill?”
We take Venmo! And I won’t’ tell her you said that if you tip well.
“Fine” (Makes payment).

Excellent, I’ll lead your tour. Over on this wall we have the TOWERS OF SOAP. See how precarious they are? And how occasionally they get knocked over at night?
“Amazing! Also disorganized.”

Over here we have THE DRAWER OF MYSTERY! Random odds and ends, some of which haven’t been touched in years!.
“Those carts are probably not dull yet!”

And in here, THE MAGIC CABINET! Stuff goes in, sometimes to never be seen again!
“Yes, Yes, I get it, I need to get better organized.”

Would you like to upgrade to a VIP ticket to see the overflow den in the office? It’s only $29.99 and comes with a Seaforth! sticker we found on your desk!
“It’s my office! I’m not paying to go in my office, also give back my sticker.”

Vacation fund, remember!
“I’m good, they Saw that yesterday.

Frag display is not included in this level of tour, but we can tell you the LG 2024 winner’s frag collection has grown substantially since last year, now containing over double the full bottles of last year and many smaller sprayers!
“Thanks! Great tour!”
Don’t forget to tip!

Edit: the honorable u/djundjila informs me the brand for Irisch Moos is "SIR" which is owned by M&W but is it's own brand. I have updated accordingly.

June 13, 2024 – Putting on the Ritz

• Brush: Maggards Mixed
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (2)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
• Fragrance: Jean Paul Gaultier – Le Male Elixer

What is a dupe? Obviously, it’s a copy of an existing popular fragrance. That’s the definition of it. But more generally, it’s a form of coat-tail riding. An attempt to capitalize on the popularity by repacking for a new (usually less affluent) market. A brazen money grab through imitation if you will. So let’s DUPE. I reached out to u/priusaurus to have him answer questions. Hoping to ride the coat tails of his victory last year into some points of my own now that his original market is saturated. Let’s see what he says:

1. What got you into wetshaving? Looked for a hobby that weirdos gravitated to and wetshaving sounded more useful than HAM radios.
2. So you won LG last year. In this particular niche of the hobby (reddit wetshaving wierdos) we do some pretty whacky things. Is this the strangest hobby you have? If not, tell us what beats it. By far. I still can’t get over the fact that my daily grooming ritual has become a hobby.
3. Are you doing anything different this year as part of your attempt that the repeat? Gave up on interviewing people. It’s been done and no one sane would attempt to duplicate that this year….I honestly think that odds aren’t in my favor. There’s never been a repeat Lather Games winner, so I’m just having fun this year.
4. In that vein, if you could have done one thing different last year what would it have been? It would have been easier if I didn’t try to hide my face in my first public video. Editing was a pain in the ass throughout the games last year. Now it’s kinda become a thing, so I keep my face hidden, even though I think the majority of the people in the sub know who I am.
5. Any advice for the rookies this year they can take into the last half of the games? Stay on theme, pick up all the sponsor/bonus points you can, and have fun with your SOTDs. Legendary points make all the difference top placements. And the judges reward creativity more than your insightful description of sandalwood.

Ah interesting. Well, sometimes dupes put their own spin on a dupe (See Stirling EMP). So, let’s add a few responses here, that is add a little dark spice to my dupe to distinguish it from u/priusaurus’s original department store fresh (boring) citrus fragrance to complicate it a bit.

1. first it’s ham not HAM. Second, I’m not an EmComm (Emergency Communications) type, so I’m not going to argue talking on the radio is useful, but what is useful is you learn a lot of skills along the way. Far more than I do shaving. Here’s today’s #photocontest. A DIY where my daughter and I are learning how to solder. But you have to solder something, so what to do? We made an antenna out of a tape measure and PVC pipes (take note Photo contest judges, there is a tape measure in this photo it’s just become an antenna. It’s a DIY project, made of DIY tools.). Do costal elites even bother with skills that require working with one’s hands? Probably not, can’t scuff up those golf hands. But the skills learned are useful. Moreso than lathering soap in public places. And what’s that next to it? It’s a QSL card from the International Space Station. Sure, LG trophies are cool, and I’ll happily take it this year, but no amount of wetshaving gets you contact with space. My hobbies are even weirder than wetshaving I suppose, but they have some cool results. (Working the world on 100w and a wire is pretty cool.)
2. Ok we agree here. But I guess all hobbies are selfcare so maybe all selfcare is a hobby?
3. This doesn't strike me as quite right. Arugably no sane person would dupe Aventus for the 100th time, and yet, it sells so everyone does it. Here’s hoping that idea works here too.
4. Again, we agree! You should have given up that bit a while ago, it’s just old and tired. Or at least tried to put a new spin on it. (Yawn).
5. Once again we agree. This is good advice, and not a moment too late. I will need to up my game. (But shaving outside in the urban jungle is played out is it not?)

Anyway, on to #fof, Prom King is a dupe of Le Male, a scent my wife likes very much. So, when she got a sampler of Le Male Elixir in her Ulta order a few months ago she tossed it to me and said “use this more.” To wit, I promptly put it away for LG to create this “Dupe-Dupe-Real (Flanker)” progression because LG was more important than using her favorite frag. As mentioned this is a flanker to the original, the upped the sweetness quite a bit (despite calling it a woody aromatic in their ad copy). If the SBS is a good representation of the original, I could go for a full bottle of that, but the bottle is also gauche. As it stands, I feel like we’d be better off getting u/rocketk455 to release Prom King EdT, because it’s better than this flanker, which is cloying. Nevertheless, the splash helps bring it back down to earth from a level of sweetness that's reminiscent of BR450. But I should probably get my nose on the original it’s duping before I draw any true conclusions.

For the Challenge, last year I attempted to use Photoshop AI to generate an image for Runaway, with results that looked like melted faces. I did not want to release that nightmare fuel on the sub so I drew instead. Let’s check in on Photoshop AI again this year.

1. First Prompt “Prom King Shaving his face.” Yikes. It went for ultra realism That’s…not a razor though.
2. Ok adjust, “Prom King shaving his face Cartoon.” Now we’ve gone abstract. That’s not even a person. Nor is he shaving. It's an emoji?
3. Ok last try “Cartoon Prom King shaving his face” I don’t understand what’s going on here. He has a beard and…a magic wand? But clearly not shaving.

End result: AI will not replace u/Wyz0ne anytime soon. His label is better.

June 14, 2024 – Let it goooooooo!

• Brush: Omega Mixed Midget
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (3)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Cryogen
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Cryogen
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Uitwaaien

“Freeze!” Today’s command from our shaving cops. Ok fine, I’ll do that. Now there will be people getting ice filled baths, or shaving in their freezer, but let’s play this straight. Last year I commented I had never used cryogen so u/onionmiasma said “take mine!” As in he just sent it with something else he was sending me. So, I guess I’ll use it. But that’s not all, I want the full experience, so I picked up some cryogen splash from Maggard’s since they sell samples. It’s 90 something today so lets see if we can chill to the point of beating the heat. To extend the ~~pain~~ experience, I’m going to use the Mixed Midget brush and face lather. It’s tiny this is going to take a bit of time.

On to the lather. The first thing I notice is this isn’t as bad as I expected. Then I notice my eyes starting to water. I realize the tears are not from the cold but from the intense menthol smell running up to my eyes. Like an Onion (heh) causing me to cry as I cut it. As I add more water the cooling sensation gets more intense. This soap is thirstier than my other CF stuff. Probably the menthol.

After what seems like forever to lather, I finally start to shave. I…can’t feel the razor. This makes finding the angle hard, but the superspeed is sorta mindless anyway. Pass 2 is weird, the brush feels like poking myself with ice crystals as I go. I think I feel menthol crystals coming out of solution. By pass 3 I want to be done, but I have extra lather. When this happens I usually engage in some u/itchypooter type shaving because I like a clean chest under the collar. So here we go! Surprisingly…no cooling sensation.

Ok, onto the splash, now it’s a Maggard’s sample so it came in a sprayer, spray it on my hands and…WTF I can’t feel my hands now? (Note: I’m typing 40 minutes later and my hands are still tingly). OK put it on my face…huh no effect, probably because the soap already chilled my face to maximum…WTF IS THAT OH GOD IT STINGS. Apparently, the splash has a delay of about a minute before it sets in. Whelp, I still have half a sample of soap and 12ml of splash left…guess I’ll use it at some point.

For #fof, while these are all samples (and that’s a connection) but I wanted to match scents too. Or at least build to a better scent. Cryogen was quite hard to pair with, I get a sort of medicinal minty smell from it. That is: menthol. It’s sorta like mouthwash. So I decided to pair with HoM Uitwaaien, which has a subtle mint note, but also elements of a cool breeze by the ocean. The hope here is to play off the chill, rather than fight it. What ended up happening was the drift wood note came through and actually complimented the minty/menthol note. I do feel like I’m walking on an old pier up by the shore on a winter day.

For #photocontest, let’s do water, or rather ice. I have a fancy fridge that makes ice balls, which seem perfect for today. And since it was the stacking challenge I managed (after much trying some assistance from melting) to get the razor on top of the ice ball near the top of my stack. Again, since everything was small I used a small brush too. Turns out getting the ice to stay on the brush is hard. Ice is slippery!

Edited to quickly add, my kids tried to help with the challenge. They got about 3 high but couldn't manage the razor (blade out for this challenge obviously).

June 15, 2024 – It’s worse than that. He’s dead, Jim.  

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG 2024 with 26mm AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #FAUXFUR #SUBBROOSH  
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed  
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (4)  
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Hygge  
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Hygge  
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Hygge  

Today we kill Tubs! Well, some of us will. At least I will. Killing a tub is one of the hardest things for us to do. Now it should be easy, just buy a soap and use it. But as we all saw on den day, we have too many soaps. So, few make it across the finish line.

Enter: Austere August. See by forcing ourselves to use just one soap, we can make a dent in something and at least get close to killing it. That’s how I got here. Except after AA there was still about half this tub left. So also Mandatory May.

Actually, let’s go back a bit. This tub has a history, and you should know it. See, when I entered the hobby in Sept/Oct 2022, Stirling was still the go to starter kit. I already had a razor and brush so I ordered sample soaps and splashes. I instantly realized I liked the scent component of the hobby. Right about then Will announced The Four Horsemen. This seemed intriguing and, War sounded like going to the range in the morning (hot metal! Gunpowder! YES!). So, my first hit with FOMO I ordered all 4 samples. They came, I recoiled. I decided maybe I should just never buy anything but Stirling products again. (Indeed, I wouldn’t buy any B&M products for probably close to a year after that.) Then u/120inna55’s software went up for sale. I was new (and still lurking) so I waited until everyone picked out their unobtanium. Then I looked at what was left. I oscillated back and forth, after all I had just got burned by some scents. I read inna’s reviews finally I decided the price was low enough I pulled the trigger on Hygge, Summer Storm, and Ghost Town Barber. All well received scents here.

When they arrived I was cautious, I opened up GTB, it was good! I used it a lot. I opened Summer Storm, it hits that Midwest grass after a storm note. Then I opened Hygge. I instantly fell in love. Something about the scent resonated with me. Fast forward a bit more, covid, anosmia, LG2023 to Austere August. I decided to use Hygge the entire month. I don’t regret it. I didn’t tire of the scent. It’s still one of my favorites. And it shows. It’s the only scent I’ve been able to get to this level. It was the only full tub (admittedly used) that even had a ring of death on it when LG24 was announced. So, I set to get it to one last shave today. I used it for most of May (finishing about a week before LG.

In preparation u/djundjilla was kind enough to run the usage numbers This will be the 73rd recorded use (he ran those a day before I stopped using it). Keep in mind, I was using this before I posted here, this was a used tub, and I’ve smushed a few times out of it. The actual usage is probably over 90. Taking that into account my den has probably 2-3 years worth of Mammoth Soap, just Mammoth. That’s why it’s so hard to kill a tub.

So, this is my first kill, (tagging u/visceralwatch) I should do something special. First for #fof, I’m going to trifecta, because it’s a great scent and appropriate now that I cannot trifecta until I buy more. And a 21 Spray Salute! What’s a 21 spray salute? Well, it’s like a 21 gun salute, except with fragrance. u/mammothben sent out room sprayers as add ons with Santa Noir orders and guess what I got Hygge! Now, my first floor has 3 rooms, if you don’t count the kitchen (because food), so that’s 7 sprays per room. Sorry family, house is gonna smell great for a while. READY…AIM…SPRAY! As for #photocontest, well I guess the empty tub is Trash now, or I’ll repurpose it (as the theme suggests) into something else. Sample storage maybe? I did record the date of the kill.

And the challenge. Well, I’ve been working on better, wetter lather so I guess we’ll reverse that today and go pasty. But keeping in mind I only have the soap I have, no more no less. But in my experience, synth, place face lather with no actual water=pasty. So this is my result.. My lather looks like I stuck an albino porcupine on my face. Good thing tusk is a forgiving base and you always get a good shave.

June 16, 2024 – Manly Men (Tight Tights!)

• Brush: The hands of the Tsar
• Razor: Bic Sensative #rainbow
• Blade: whatever comes in a bic
• Lather: Barbasol – Classic Shaving Cream, Brushless Cream
• Post Shave: Clubman Pinaud – Citrus Musk
• Fragrance: Acquia de Parma – Colonia

Happy Father’s Day to all those who are dads.

Today’s shave is old brands. Because all dads are old I guess? (I know I feel old sometimes.) Coming up with old brands can be hard in this hobby because we all love new! Nevertheless, I’m pulling out my Barbersol 1919 for today. It’s a passible shave, but the cremo was better to be honest. Now a Giilette Razor would obviously qualify for “older than me.” But I want to go with an iconic Bic disposable. Why? Well, this shave is a bit of a tribute to my dad.

See, I mentioned before dad taught me to shave with dial soap and a Bic razor. It was horrible. Dial soap isn’t even a shave cream (and thus ineligible for LG or I’d use it today.) Dad was…poorly trained in the arts of self-grooming. So the bic is for him. But also the Barbersol. See, in the last decade or so, dad has upgraded to canned Babersol foam. Still the Bic razors though. Now I suppose it’s better than dial, but one day I’ll convince him to try one of my razors. Maybe the injector once I get it back from u/hugbckt. (Since it’s the closest to a Bic). Or you know what, he can keep the bic, but maybe I’ll get him some good soap and a brush and he can at least get a decent non-drying lather. Chances I get him to shave his legs…well non-zero actually because I think he has knee surgery coming up.

For #fof I cannot honor dad here. You think a guy who uses dial soap has any splash or cologne? Nope. But I choose brands that are also older than me. Clubman, in citrus musk form to play off the citrus in the barbersol, and Acqua di Parma – Colonna, because I got it from my wife in a small travel kit and it has a note that compliments the citrus musk all over my legs. I had never smelled it before, but it puts the cap on this.

For #photocontest, let’s go black and white. Like old black and white films. Yes, with the yellow razor it makes no sense, but neither does any of this month. Let’s talk about the challenge. I had originally planned this as a shave in honor of my dad (as the writeup shows). So now it’s a leg shave in honor of him I guess.

The challenge came with zero warning, worth 0.2 pts (unlike last year where it was worth 1). I suspect (and conversation on the Saturday DQ thread and discord support the idea) that most people are going to skip it for a variety of reasons. Only the super committed to completing every challenge will stick it out. I understand the idea behind springing it on us last minute, alas there is no bonus point for completing every challenge. And oversight I suggest is rectified next year. I could probably skip it, I’m so far behind in my target at this point I doubt it matters. But this is not about points. It’s about the love of the game. Plus, I promised u/newtothethis at least one leg shave this month and that I would shave on leg day. Now the planned leg shave is later in the calendar, but she’s doing the no scrub list today. I don’t intend to let her down because my dad taught me to keep my promises. So she gets two from me. Now a lot of people will try to tell you that they’re protesting should count for something, but meh. Planned shenanigans are planned, sometime rehashes of last year. Those are the easy points I suppose (judges seem to love it). You plan months in advance and execute something. As my father would say “Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.” My son threw a fit this morning, I have to cut the lawn, then I have to go out with family. Still, I made time for the challenge. Is that Legendary? Apparently for this year’s crop it is. None of y’all can adapt. Well I did. And I did fabulous.

Before pics. Lessons were learned from last year and so I knocked the growth down with a trimmer/clippers first to make it go easier. After Pics. Now then I’m off to celebrate Father’s Day with my family. They may or may not notice my smooth legs. If they do, I don’t have to explain myself. They already know I’m crazy.

June 17, 2024 – No animals harmed in the making of this shave.

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG 2024 with 26mm AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #FAUXFUR #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: Gillette Superspeed
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (6)
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts – Boonana
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Black Cherry
• Fragrance: Creed – Aventus

I don’t own a lot of vegan soaps. Catie’s Bubbles, Dr. Jon’s and SW. The other two were spoken for by other themes, so this gets the run today. Boonana is not a summer scent, but I can dress it up a bit as part of #fof. We’re going to go with a fruit medley. Stirling Black Cherry Splash followed by Creed Aventus (original version with the pineapple, not the flanker Cologne version.) By doing this progression I pulled the sent notes back to warmer weather.

No complaints about SW, once I had a few lathers under my belt it performs just like a good tallow soap. I went ahead and used my synth brush to complete the no dead animals idea.

For #photocontest, since today is about vegan soaps, i.e. plants. Let’s do a plant picture. “But Tsar,” you say “plant isn’t a category.” Too true, but a cactus is a plant, and so I put on in this picture.

For the challenge, sorta odd that I had to shave my legs yesterday then lather on them today, but that’s the rules, so here we are one knee lather. This was made harder by the fact that a) I needed to shave in shorts to avoid accidental NSFW pics and b) my toilet lid slipped off halfway through the lather, so I had to balance, hold my shorts up to avoid getting lather on them and tighten the bolt. Finally, some of y’all need to go back to anatomy class. “Upper Thigh” is not “Knee.”

June 18, 2024 – Place a rose on the grave

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Bangalore V20
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Blade: Feather (DE) (1)
• Lather: Dr. Jon’s – Rose of Phrygia
• Post Shave: D.R. Harris – Pink Aftershave
• Fragrance: Noble Otter – Two Kings

It always sucks when a brand we love dies. I actually arrived on the scene right as Dr. Jon’s was closing shop. Everyone was upset, so I decided to grab some things from Maggard’s clearance and understand why people were sad to see it go. Rose of Phrygia is an incredible rose scent. He nailed the realism. This doesn’t smell like grandma’s purse with her rose perfume spilled, synthetic and too strong. It smells like walking through a rose garden.

For #fof I’m going to continue that theme, laying a rose on the grave of this brand so to speak. DR Harris Rose aftershave, and Noble Otter Two kings (which is Rose and Oud, but heavy on the rose to my nose.) It’s a bit of a rose bomb, yes. And I’ve probably passed over the “unisex” line here, but ultimately it smells good. And it is thematic for the day.

Since we’re talking about death (in a sense). Let’s use time for #photocontest today. After all we’re all subject to it’s unyielding march. Included in this picture is a pocket watch given to me as a groomsman present at my friend’s wedding. I love that you can see the mechanics of it as it runs. I need to carry it more.

For the challenge. You want a W_E post? I’ll give you a W_E post. My very first, W_E post, so it has to be my best. A post in the style of our current sub exile u/pridetwo over at r/wicked_edge. Go see it for yourself (Assuming u/impressive_donut114 doesn’t pull it down to stop my point spree!)

User makes an actual wicked edge post.

June 19, 2024 – Emancipation Day  

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Bangalore V20  
• Razor: Wolfman WR1  
• Blade: Feather (DE) (2)  
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Rebelle  
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw – Rebelle  
• Fragrance: Tom Ford – Oud Wood  

I normally try to talk a bit about the theme, but there’s not a ton to say here. Slavery was bad, it took too long to push into Texas, which wasn’t even the end of Slavery as the Emancipation Proclamation applied only to states with seceded, the 13th amendment was required to cover the last stragglers, namely Kentucky and Delaware.

The theme eliminated a number of remaining sponsors from my choices. But, on a lark I bought some Rebelle off u/j33pguy13 a bit back because I owned no Wholly Kaw and I figured I’d shoehorn it into the calendar somewhere. So, this worked out well. It’s made in NJ, which was Union State (though also one that took some time to formally abolish slavery).

For #fof, I’m continuing the Oud theme by finishing off the dickhole with Tom Ford Oud Wood. Quite a bit heavier than I’d normally go in the 98 degree heat, but it is what it is.

For #photocontest, I’m going with Pirates, by using my kid’s pirate ship, and we’ll tie it a bit back into the theme. The relationship of piracy to slavery is quite complex. Many pirates were freed slaves and pirates regularly attacked slave ships because they were large and valuable thus disrupting the African Slave trade. But some pirates were engaged in slave trade though notably less African slave trade and more European. In short, humans make a mess of things, our view of pirates is probably romanticized (and sorta odd we made them kids toys) but everything looks better with enough time behind it because we like to forget.

Enough sadness and gloom about the state of mankind. Memes. Sources of diversion since…well I remember 1990s websites.

Since I mentioned J33p earlier, let’s check in on how he’s doing. Oooff tough.

Ok, meme machine what about u/onionmiasma, got one for him? Interesting.

Ok fine, we should do myself, I guess Highly Accurate.

Next, a look at the current status of the games. Brutal but true. I’ve started prepping my daughter that my chosen prize is probably off the table.

Just remember it’s all in good fun

June 20, 2024 – Soak up the sun

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Bangalore V20
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Blade: Feather (DE) (3)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. – Montrose Beach
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. – Montrose Beach
• Fragrance: Chicago Grooming Co. – Montrose Beach

“Summertime is finally hear, that old ballpark man is back in gear…” –Kenny Chesney

Ah summer. A good/bad time of year. Pools, fun, vacation. But also, 100F weather with humidity so high you can’t sweat. As with last year I’m breaking out the Montrose Beach. I love this scent, it’s got a bit of sea air (ironic since Montrose beach is a freshwater lakeshore) and some drinks mixed in. Summer in a tub. For #fof, trickholing again because it’s just too fun. Of note: Last year I needed this set for the photo color challenge, but Vida was sold out. I emailed and she said she had 1 left that wasn’t listed, posted it, I bought it. As a gift she threw in the 5ml EdT. I of course had to use it that day, which may have blown my challenge. We’ll never know. But not this year. Since I’m all in, there’s no points to be lost for sentimentality.

To celebrate summer, and the coconut drink in this scent I reached out to u/adworried2804 when we swapped LG packages. See, the Philippines has a lot of coconuts and this scent screams coconut in the best way. So, I said “send me anything and I’ll work it into the shave.” Y’all (and my neighbors) can be thankful he did not send a coconut bikini. He did, however, send this wonderful, glazed coconut bowl which matches my set. I used it today to lather up. Later, maybe I’ll make a nice piña colada and drink it on my patio out of this bowl to celebrate being 2/3 through the games. (I do have to limit the workday drinking just a bit if I want to keep my job.)

For #photocontest, of course, baseball!

Today’s challenge is not surprisingly to shave outside. Fine, it’s summer. What a better place to shave outside than on my BBQ patio. Pit already has the cover off. We’re ready to go.

But wait! I realized the shape of my house is such that, there are 2 walls (my garage and the bump where my house meets the garage) next to my BBQ pit. I need a new plan. Well, I paid $14k for this patio; I’m gonna shave on it!

Now as mentioned, I have a corner lot, no fence, and my backyard neighbor sits above me. So, there will probably be a lot of questions later from our, not 1, but 2 new neighbors (lots of selling on our street lately) as to what the hell I was doing. And yet, considering my kids were doing a radio fox hunt in the yard last weekend with what amounts to a cut up tape measure on a PVC pipe, this isn’t even the weirdest looking thing this week.

So let’s lather up! (Meh, lather because I’m outside.) And now shave. Oh, here comes my backyard neighbor to water his roses. Oh, and one half of the young couple with the newborn that moved last fall is also coming out. Neither decides to talk with me, so I press on.

Finished up. Well, crap I made a mess. It’s OK, I have a solution. Shave complete! Table clean.

June 21, 2024 – Where the Red Fern Grows

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 22mm Faux Horse w/ Ruby Ripple Handle
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Feather (DE) (4)
• Lather: Zingari – Mousse Illuminée
• Post Shave: Zingari – Unscented
• Fragrance: Zingari – The Highlander Extrait

There once was a shaver named Priusaurus
Who’s face hiding was really sus.
While his bits got old
The judges were sold
And they chose to ignore all of us.

Fougère, the smell of ferns if ferns had a smell. Or more specifically the outdoors. Now I want to get the elephant in the room out of the way. There was some discussion on whether this was a fougère but as noted it is specifically called one on the soaper’s site. The label has ferns all over it. We can debate endlessly what it really is, but for the sake of the rules it fits as noted in the above linked post. (Though I am skeptical Rogue lets that out the door without some input so maybe it is a Fougère) But what to do with the smell of outside? Well, the first thing we do is take a day off work. Second is to curse that u/oldhiker day was yesterday. But my work schedule is what it is because “Work Sucks.” You got the backyard shave yesterday, but the full circus today. Third thing we do is realize my daughter also has a day off camp and I’m watching her today. That means, fourth thing is tell her “Get in the car we’re going shaving.” (Addendum, son’s camp was canceled this morning due to a water main break. So, both kids got dragged into this).
See, the judges seem to really want public shaves. They just collect legendary points. It’s true u/priusaurus has basically patented the outdoors/in public shave. But I would contend doing it in the urban jungle is just wrong and perhaps a bit played out. In fact, it’s the antithesis of shaving. Now while u/airbudruler’s relationship with the verb “shave” is of some debate, the one thing he absolutely gets right is that shaving is a selfcare mentality. A relaxing bit of our day. This doesn’t preclude hijinks. New challenges (like leg shaving or figuring out how to balance your gear for a picture) can add a feeling of accomplishment to the shave. That feeling you get when you conquer a new battle or learn a new skill. But shaving on a street corner? That’s just stressful, you can’t enjoy it. You gotta rush, worry about being shooed away, etc. Shaving while mowing the lawn? That’s just a chore. Shaving while being sprayed in the face by a water toy? Not bad, but I did that last year.
No, if you want to get in touch with shaving as relaxation you have to go “touch grass,” as the zoomers might say. Get into nature as it were. u/onionmiasma came so close with is beach shave last year probably because it was my idea! But in the end, he landed at The Bean shaving in the urban jungle with his underwear on the ground. So sad! So, I’m going to execute the relaxing outdoor shave this year to show everyone how it should be. I’m going to go back to my hoosier (no not Indiana, the local definition) roots here, and take y’all on a hike. While I’m heartend by the number of people who did this yesterday, unlike everyone who packed it up and went home, we’re gonna enjoy the great outdoors for a day, in solitude (uhh well trio-tude, remember I got the kids today.)
First up, local conservation area. Missouri has a strange conservation system. Almost 10% of our land is some sort of park. Lots of open land even before you get to the farms. This particular conservation area is of the “untamed wilderness” variety. Which means a poorly marked trail and otherwise left to grow on its own. Thick with trees. We’re gonna hike down into the forest, where ferns grow, and shave. But first, we need our lather plate. Then settle, lather, and shave
Having shaved, a quick stop by the post office to send u/priusaurus a little gift, then off to a giant nuclear waste pile. Yes, you read that right. See, Missouri refined a lot of uranium and plutonium for the atomic bomb program. Like all things in the 1950s this was done poorly and contaminated a huge area. The cleanup resulted in a 75-foot-tall, 41 acre, pile of rocks covering the container with the most contaminated soil. It’s a [DOE “Interpretative Site”] (https://www.energy.gov/lm/weldon-spring-site-interpretive-center) now. You can take a set of stairs up the pile. It’s the tallest non-building point in the metro area. My daughter and I are going to see how far we can throw a line-of-sight ham signal from here. u/absenth did some math for me and came up with possibly as far as Kansas City. Now, I say this to make a broader point. Maybe we can bury the toxic sludge of this urban shave obsession that has polluted lather games 75ft under a pile of rocks, in a lead lined container, like this radioactive waste, and use the resulting pile to reach new distances! (It’s over 100 degrees up here BTW, so not enough time to shave before heat exhaustion sets in. Giant limestone pile, the sun, physics.)
Finally, my kids and I are going to go to yet another conservation area, right next to the waste pile. This one is “ponds, ponds, and lakes” (and old military bunkers, see uranium processing above). We’re going fishing. Why? We like fishing. It’s relaxing. It’s selfcare. A fitting end to a day of fern smells and outdoors play. Y’all can keep your urban jungle. If I’m gonna shave outside, in public, I’m gonna do it somewhere relaxing.
For #photocontest: Air. My lather plate was a plant! They make Air. For #fof, these are all Zingari products, but the soap and frag both compliment this outdoor day. Whether it’s a fougère or not Moose Illumani smells like the outdoors. And The Highlander is “olfactory journey through the majestic Scottish Highlands.” Another not quite fougère but conjuring the great outdoors. I bridged them with unscented because I had nothing else that made sense. Kids also got a highlander spray so we can all enjoy the great outdoors smelling great together. They were happy.

User shaves with a fern on fern day and then climbs on top of nuclear waste with his kids...

June 22, 2024

• Brush: Chisel and Hound Brasilia V18
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Feather (DE) (5)
• Lather: Talbot Shaving – Authors Ridge
• Post Shave: Talbot Shaving – Authors Ridge
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Gatlinburg

Spooky season! When we dust off our fall scents during the hottest month in the northern hemisphere. That’s probably the scariest part there. But we must travel the seasons in a month so here we go.

I got this Author’s Ridge set from u/EldrormR in a PIF train thing. I had never had a Talbot Shaving product before and thought it sounded interesting. And it is a wonderful fall scent, meant to conjure up walking through a cemetery on a New England Fall day. Could you get any more spooky season than that? No. I don’t know if there was a frag, but if so, I don’t have it anyway. So for #fof I’m pairing it with Stirling’s premier (and now discontinued) fall scent Gatlinburg. Now curiously Gatlinburg smells more like a walk through my area of the Ozarks than “Ozark” (which has too much pine). It’s a wonderful cedar scent, a bit brighter than Author’s ridge, but still in that “winter is coming” dark zone. So I’ve done an “all fall” set today.

For #photocontest, let’s return to the story of Cheetah, last seen being arrested for trying to rob u/priusaurus. As we can see he’s now in jail, which my daughter has decided is under the bed, because it’s dark. He’s being guarded so our dino friend can get a shave. But he’s waiting, plotting. It is in fact so dark in there we gave him some external light for the picture. But this one is “Darkness”

For the challenge. It’s hard to come by pumpkins in June. So we had to settle for something thematic to the games: An onion. Behold my u/onionmiasma figurine.. As it turns out carving an onion has logistical problems as they are not solid per se, but layered, and you cry as you do it. I carved it with a utility knife which uses what I think is a type of razor blade (post didn’t specify shaving razor blades!)

June 23, 2024 – Cooking up a shave

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG 2024 with 26mm AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #FAUXFUR #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (1)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory – Fantasy Donut
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Remote Learning
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps – Remote Learning

Final week.

Today’s theme was basically sweets. And u/onionmiasma made a good point “if you have a ringer like Fantasy Donut” why use anything else.” Now I have a smush from u/priusaurus, but I opted to get a full tub because it just smelled so fun.

Pairing it for #fof was a challenge but when I smelled it, I was teleported back to college, when we used to survive on stupid things like donuts and Mountain Dew so Remote Learning it is. But what about the frag. Well, I suppose I should smell like a frat house inhabited by people surviving on donuts, doritos and the Dew, so Remote Learning Frag it is. Keep in mind it’s Sunday, I’m gonna get some odd looks at church. I can just tell them I have horrible indigestion, or BO. Easier than explaining a wet shaving contest. (Yes I put on the frag after the shower. No cowards here!)

The choice for #photocontest was obvious: A donut. Obvious choice, expect a lot of those today. My kids were excited for this SOTD picture because I bought extras.

It seems u/jwoods23 guessed right and today is shave in your kitchen day. So I did. The judges can be thankful I did the dishes first. Of course I can’t set foot in the kitchen in the morning with the chorus of “Dad, I need….” So breakfast was fixed in between strokes. Lather wasn’t quite dripping (yes, I know) so I was able to get the breakfast served without destroying it for my kids. (“But the donuts,” you say, well I got those Saturday morning and they lasted 10 minutes, barely long enough to get the picture. No mirror. Tried to use the oven as a replacement but it was too dirty, so we’ll shave by feel. Oveall not bad, let’s dry off with a thematic towel and enjoy the smoothie!

June 24, 2024

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG 2024 with 26mm AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #FAUXFUR #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (2)
• Lather: A A Shaving – Wapiti
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Ausflug
• Fragrance: Zingari – The Watchman Extrait

Christmas eve, when the sub goes on a giving spree. Today’s smush is from u/onionmiasma, who graciously bought a tub of AA shaving Wapiti and distributed it to everyone to save us all from not getting sponsor points.

I thought I should go ahead and do several things for this shave in honor of u/onionmiasma, so I used the Aurora Grooming Brush he likes. He says it’s “Cubs colors” but I think the red is darker. I just like red. The blue does glow in the dark, kinda like it’s radioactive, which does describe September as it relates to the Cubs.

Also, for #photocontest, I’m doing woodworking. I know u/onionmiasma just loves this cutting board I won last year for Lather Games, so it’s on display today. I’m not a woodworker at all, but u/phteven_j is a miracle worker with wood.

Tying #fof into u/onionmiasma was a bit harder, but then my Ausflug arrived. As everyone is aware it was Onion’s LG prize for last year. Now connecting these together is a bit of a challenge, but they’re all scents describing “the outdoors” in some way. Wapiti is defined in terms of “cool woods” and “Musky woods” (and is meant to invoke forests of the NW.) Ausflug, while it opens with citrus is defined as having a “classic refined outdoorsy base” (meant to be reminiscent of playing frisbee in the college quad if I understood correctly.) Watchman is said to have “soft woody seashore” notes up top (For thematic purposes we’ll make a sea shore on the NW as a call back to the soap). Sandwiching a citrus in between aquatics works pretty well to boot. It’s not quite as crisp as wearing something like Clean’s Rain, but the final effect isn’t that far off.

Thanks u/onionmiasma for the assist, both for this shave in particular, and as a judge keeping LG going another year.

Turning to the challenge. I’m fortunate to have 3 r/wetshaving sub soaps and 2 #subbrooshes. (Plus, Gearhead, which wasn’t an exclusive but brough back due to the sub). While I’m looking forward to u/j33pguy13’s Stirling “Sir Irisch Baas” sub treat (and will buy a trick when it goes live), I’m especially fond of the funny sub collabs, like Remote Learning (yes, we’ll give u/priusaurus some props here for bringing this to fruition. Not like his head can get any bigger). To that end, I’d love to see what Talent Soap Factory could churn out for the sub because he’s definitely got some novel scents. But, here’s the kicker, they’re good. Fantasy Donut yesterday was a lot of fun. I took sniff of Fizz and it teleported me back to the local root beer joint we had in town with unlimited mugs of the good stuff that came with dinner. (I’d be curious what u/hugbckt thought of it, but USPS lost the package I sent him 2 weeks ago). Wolf Mother is a wonderful Coffee and Merlot blend. To that end, maybe he could take the Money Scent he’s got, mix it with a little bourbon and cigar smoke and make a sub scent called “Judge’s Backroom Deals.” (I’m out of other explanations for leg shave day on Father’s Day and outdoor shave in the middle of the week other than “someone cut a backroom deal.”) Or maybe a shave that smells like diesel exhaust called “public shave.” (Actually, no. I don’t want something that’s worse than Midnight Stag.)

June 25, 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Exclusive Moar Boar 31mm
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (3)
• Lather: Siliski Soaps – Santa’s Pipe
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Santa Noir
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – Memoirs of a Trespasser

Christmas in June. I know it’s more traditionally called “Christmas in July” but since the academic fiscal year ends in June, and you spend all your remaining annual funds at that point, this formulation rings well to me. I’m using a lot of gifted things in this shave, an PIF’d tech, Pif’s soap smushes. I broke out MOAR BOAR, which while not PIF’d was graciously brokered to me by u/j33pguy13 and I consider it a gift of sorts.

For #photocontest I’ve done Bokeh Balls. I have a 50mm f1.8 lens that does Bokeh so well. So, I pulled it out with some Christmas lights for this challenge to really highlight the Bokeh. (Ender Dragon was the request of my son. Who am I to say no to that?)

My #fof is a little more esoteric. Last year when this theme came up and someone used Memoirs, I couldn’t help but think “’Memoirs of a Trespasser’ would be the name of Santa’s autobiography.” So, in a sense this is a Santa themed shave from start to finish, Santa’s Pipe, Santa Noir and Santa’s Memoirs. Moreso though, this shave brings sweet smells (honey, vanilla, orange) through the entire shave, while not being particularly too sweet in any one area (Santa’s Pipe is balanced by the Patchouli and Tobacco, Santa Noir by the sandalwood and musk, and Memoirs by the oak barrel.) A good shave to enter the final days of the games. (Though IA stuff tends to go quickly on my skin.)

Challenge: I imagine the judges were asking for a Santa Hat, but I couldn’t find ours on short notice. Though I’ll be shocked if “Santasaurus” does not make a second-year appearance. While I don’t have a santa hat, I have the next best thing, my [House of Mammoth beanie. u/mammothben threw these in with Black Friday orders back in 2022. This was my first full tub order after I bought the used Hygge that I killed earlier in the games. It was an Alive dickhole set (balm, because my face was not liking splashes back then.) This was the moment I fell in love with scents. I got a snapback hat to get over the free beanie threshold, but the beanie became my favorite of the two. The stitching on the logo needed some trimming but, I used to help with my mom’s embroidery machine so that was pretty straightforward. I snipped the stray threads to clean it up and make the logo pop better. Beanie immediately became my “winter hat” and has accompanied me on many holiday light displays and driveway shoveling.

Edit: I was reminded reading posts that I also lathered in my baseball helmet ice cream bowl. So hats were everywhere!

June 26, 2024

• Brush: BBQ Baster
• Razor: Bic Sensitive #rainbow
• Blade: whatever comes in a bic (1)
• Lather: Schnuck’s – Bragging Rights St. Louis BBQ Sauce
• Post Shave: AB-InBev – Busch Beer
• Fragrance: Schnuck’s – Liquid Smoke, Hickory

WCW has arrived. My #photocontest right now has no props! Because this shave embraces the edible by itself. Sure it’s not “Sugar and Sweets” except it contains a lot of sugar, and the sauce is sweet. Let’s explain: I’m following in the long line of food themed shaves but putting my own spin on it. Let’s walk through the #fof that is a STL BBQ shave.

Now, purists will note STL BBQ is more like “grilling” which is true, we slice pork but about 1.5 inch thick, grill it and simmer it in sauce for the remainder of the day. The end result is delicious, and this shave pays homage to that. STL BBQ sauce is traditionally Mauls (Don’t base your Bar-b-que MAUL IT!) but Maul’s went out of business a while back. Partially because most stores put out their own rough equivalent, and that’s what we’re using today Schnuck’s brand “Bragging rights” STL style BBQ sauce. Now Maul’s was popular because it was really just a base for other things, and no STL BBQ is complete without BUUUUSCCCCHHH. You throw some in the sauce to thin it (then add brown sugar, mustard, spices, etc.) and drink the rest. So, I’ve incorporated it as today’s splash. Finally, to capture the smoke flavor, dabbing some liquid smoke on as EdP. This is more accurately extrait strength, but you get the idea. (It’s probably also applying concentrated carcinogen to my skin….).

Now, we don’t grill inside, so what does that mean? Back to the patio for an outside shave. But it’s raining. That’s OK, confidence in your strategy is knowing you can wait for the rain to end before shaving. Also no worrying about wall placement this time, we can set up at the BBQ. In my…exposed back yard. All good though, I’m out here a ton fiddling with the BBQ pit so this probably won’t even register with the neighbors. As I set up the rain started to move in again. This meant I wouldn’t be able to get good pictures. So I moved back into my kitchen for the purposes of getting a video done. I kept it under 3 minutes for the judges (worst shave of the game so far.)

Now today is my anniversary, so you’re probably thinking “WTF he slathered himself in BBQ sauce?” But oddly, this is thematic. See, I proposed to my wife in Memphis, TN, right after we went out for dinner at the Rendezvous. And when I handed her the ring, and looked at her…she had a bit of BBQ sauce on her cheek. I wiped it off, later when we headed down to the lobby of the Peabody Hotel to watch the ducks, she noticed I too had BBQ sauce on my cheek. So here’s to 14 years.

Since I now have to go clean up, for the challenge I’ll talk about my brush cleaning routine. It’s fairly standard. I use Zingari brush cleaner. I follow up by lathering in a tub of Stirling Bonafide to restore any necessary fat/oils to the hairs. This tub is only used for brush cleaning (I maybe shaved with it once.) I got it on clearance (it was a Black Friday soap and I picked it up when they were liquidating all the scents.) It’s a dupe of someone’s L’homme (Prada I think.) It’s an ok scent. Stirling defined it as “office friendly.” But didn’t really wow me. But since it’s fairly non-offensive I find it useful for finishing brush cleanings, especially on the pass arounds. I’ve cleaned a lot of brushes for those pass arounds, so the tub is lower than you’d expect.

June 27, 2024 – Error: NaN

• Brush: Chisel and Hound V24 Passaround
• Razor: Bic Sensitive #rainbow
• Blade: whatever comes in a bic (2)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Marilyn
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Marilyn
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Marilyn

Today we celebrate information overload. As such for #fof I’m trickholing Marylin, which has 14 scent notes right on the back of the EdT box! Now when I think information overload, I think back to when I used to teach ethics of Big Data (I promise this ties into the scents!) There are “3 V’s” of big data: Volume, Velocity, and Variety. Basically, a large amount of a lot of different types of data; coming at you fast. That’s not a bad description of Marylin, a large amount of a lot of different scent notes coming at you fast. One thing I’d point out in my lectures is with these 3 V’s you get so much data it can basically be made to say whatever you want it to. Sometimes this is called spurious correlation. You can overfocus on one single thing and bend the data to show that thing. Again, back to Marylin, where…all I get is powder. Tons of notes and my nose chooses to bend it to powder. Oh well.

For #photocontest, I’ve included a growler from a brewery/homebrew store near here called “Steampunk BrewWorks” for Steampunk. Their beers, like Marylin, often contain a lot of notes. And sometimes my pallet reduces it to “hops.”

For the challenge. Well, this is a family affair, and the rules dictate it doesn’t have to be my hand, so here’s my daughter shaving my face with her left hand. Per my rules her face is not in frame, but as you can clearly see this is not an adult’s hand. It is also not her dominant hand. (Of note, she asked what the challenge was and I said, “shave with my left hand or someone else’s” she immediately said “I’m gonna cut your face!” with a wicked grin. I have compensated by using the Bic again.) Now one thing I didn’t plan on was that she insisted on lathering as well. Despite my numerous warnings, there was soap in my eyes. Apparently, I need to convince u/bostonphototourist to make “tear free Omnibus” next. She got about half my left side done then said “Dad, it’s not working.” She couldn’t get the angle of a bic right! I ended up finishing up (with my left hand as I am right-handed! Also take note, lather was mixed with my left hand and applied by her and my left hands. She’s also right handed.)

Two quick closing notes: As you can see this is u/geekyoldrob’s pass around V24. It is wonderful. Damnit I don’t need a new brush.

Also today's sponsor TSF: I said I’d love them to do a sub exclusive. I’m glad they joined up as a sponsor this year. They’re just fun.

Cute. He got his daughter to shave him.

June 28, 2024 – Cheap! Cheap! fun! fun!  

• Brush: Omega 40033 24mm #hallow  
• Razor: Gillette Tech  
• Blade: Bic Chrome (1)  
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Lightish Red  
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva – Ice Blue  
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Deep Blue Sea  

Today’s title references commercials for a local frugal liquor store. It's all about the money saving. Now I added it up, and no surprise, among all the stuff in my den, Stirling remains the value leader. Honestly, it wasn’t even that close. Next closest was the Daveli Farms soap, but by the time I got it had increased to $9 for a 3.5 oz puck (with no tub!) Stirling is just a hair cheaper (I did a rough calculation and normalizing to Stirling tub, DF would be about $15, just over the Stirling price). Additionally, Daveli also had a mandatory $3/item shipping cost. Now, normally I wouldn’t include shipping in my calculation, but if the cost is mandatory per item (and it doesn’t cost $3, to throw an extra puck in the bag mailer it came in) then it probably needs to be counted since no amount of buying spreads the shipping out. Given that it’s more like $12/3.5 oz which is way over Stirling price. Plus, Daveli no longer sells shave soap as far as I can tell (they no longer have any web store presence. They appear to still sell bath soap on site, so who knows.)

Plus, as I noted at the time in my review, Stirling was just better. So, win/win. Not surprisingly, my den is full of Stirling stuff. Yes, I have more Mammoth, but whenever I order coffee from Stirling (which is quite often) a sample or full tub finds its way into my cart. Which is how I ended up with this tub of Lightish Red. I couldn’t pass a on a ~~Halo~~ generic shooter soap. (Seriously love the helmet on the label.) For these reasons and more I will always stan u/stirlingsoap to everyone who stumbles into the DQ thread asking where to get started. Rod excels at what he set out to do: make a good product at a fair price. I could shave with Stirling for the rest of my life and my wallet would be better off for it. (Speaking of which, I have a Stirling Wallet! They’re awesome, get one! Thanks, sub Secret Santa!)

Everything used here is cheap. For #fof, I paired up a bunch of cheap, color themed things, Lightish Red, Aqua Velva Ice Blue ($5/bottle) and Stirling Deep Blue Sea ($27 for a full botte). I’m certain this is the cheapest stuff in my den, but none of it is bad. The progression from woody, to minty, to aquatic also worked pretty well!

Because I have to use the cheapest stuff, but the rules specifically state “no cartridges” I pulled out my tech. It was $0.49 new according to the internet, which adjusted for inflation is about $5. I originally thought I was going to need to use that shitty $7 Walmart Badger again, but no! As it turns out my Omega Boar, purchased from London Razors, was only $6, making it the cheapest brush I have. Saved by a cheap, but not bad boar. Lastly blades. Had to do some digging, because I have a lot of random blades, but at about $0.19-$0.20/blade the Bic blades sent to me by u/bmac92 are my cheapest on hand. To put all this in perspective, If I used 3 Stirling tubs a year (my estimated usage), 2 bottles of Aqua Velva (WAG, I have yet to finish 1), 50 blades, cheap brush, Tech, it’s just under $65 for the first year of shaving. Brush and Tech carry over, so closer to $55 in year 2+. That’d buy me 32 Harry’s Cartridges, with no soap or splash. Not even a year’s worth. All the inexpensive gear can be seen, per the challenge, in the SOTD pic. (I didn’t include EdT in this calculation because it’s not really necessary to shaving. But you could throw in a Stirling EdT, a steal at $27, and that is probably less than your yearly canned goo cost. Or take the money you saved and buy fancy cologne).

Now a frugal shave would not be a shave in my fancy renovated bathroom. No this, bathroom with its semi-custom sinks and cabinets is not frugal, it’s what a coastal elite would do. Where to go then? My kitchen isn’t high end, but not really frugal either. No, there’s only one frugal shave spot in this house. It’s not outside, I have a fancy patio there. Nope, it’s down at the basement utility sink. The cheapest utility sink I could find at Home Depot. No mirrors, they cost money. Yes, sink is dirty. It’s a utility sink.

Finally, #photocontest, I’ve got a toy boat for water vehicles. How does it tie in? Well, if I had more frugality, maybe I’d be able to afford a real one. I’m limited on expensive hobbies, so for now, the toy is all I get.

Edited for note: Savvy players may rememeber I used Arko last year. that was a smush, it is long gone. This year I did not trade for "cheap smush" to force my calendar. I did what the den said.

June 29, 2024 – Sandal(wood)s and Shorts

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG 2024 with 26mm AP Shave Co. Pure Bliss #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC #SHD #FAUXFUR #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: Gillette Slim
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (3)
• Lather: Stone Cottage Soapworks – Coconut Sandalwood
• Post Shave: D.R. Harris – Sandalwood
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Sonder

Sandalwood. I probably couldn’t identify if in a lineup if you asked. But this soap is called Coconut Sandalwood, so it fits the theme.

When thinking about today, I thought of sandals, shorts and beaches. So naturally here, on the penultimate day of Lather Games is where I stuck the planned leg shave, I promised u/newtothethis. Just because the judges made me shave my legs once does not mean I’m skipping this one. So, my legs will be smooth going into the 4th of July Holiday. (Judges take note, you sprung it too early. Imagine if everyone had gotten to the second to last day then realized they had to shave their legs for shorts and sandal(wood) season.

For #fof, I’m pulling Sandalwood through the shave. Obviously the first 2 are sandalwood focused. I get a lot of sandalwood off Sonder too (or what I think is sandalwood, again I’m bad it). It’s probably the base notes just pouring through my sus nose. It’s in the notes, so every part of this lineup has a sandalwood element.

For #photocontest here’s a soccer ball. How does it tie in, listen I pulled 28 days through the theme very well and I was out of ideas for this one. They can’t all be bangers. This one is just straight up gotta get the points. Or we can say “sandals, foot, football.” Your choice. I saved the challenge for last because it’s the hardest. I think for ROTY u/bmac92 has been killing it. He’s thrown himself into this first year with gusto.

For #fof, u/hugbckt beat me last year he’s going to beat me again. (Also, Sorry wally, my #fof posts have been lackluster this year. Granted they were lackluster last year, and you gave me 3rd.) For #photocontest, best shot will be u/chronnoisseur42O, as his photography is on point. I’d give myself overall winner, but looking at the notes it appears they may have DQ’d my use of the empty tub for “trash.” It’s fine, we’ll stick with me.

For the overall winner, I put together a good game, but I think this is a runoff between u/priusaurus and u/hugbckt. Both are killing it. I’m hoping for 3rd, but u/MrTangerinsky and the aforementioned u/bmac92 are both bringing strong games too. So we’ll see. It was a tough year. Yes, both u/onionmiasma and u/RedMosquitoMM (two huge competitors) turned judge. Several others in last year’s top 5 had to slow down to trips and such, but we are going to net about 5-7 more average daily shaves than last year suggesting several more new competitors that kept it fresh. So the real winner is the sub, which will hopefully see this activity uptick continue.

We also have the Airbud contest, no idea who wins there since it happens in DMs. And the Friend of the Sub Award is new this year. I don’t want to look like I’m pandering there so we’ll stick with u/onionmiasma as most helpful and forgo predicting the other categories. I do like that idea though and hope it continues.

Last, but not least, the No Scrubs. I wish everyone could get a tub of the soap. I can’t decipher the scoring, so I have no guess. I’d like to think I’ve done well? Of all the prizes at stake, I feel like u/grindermonk bear soap is the most special somehow.

June 30, 2024 – Bon Voyage

• Brush: Omega 40033 24mm #hollow
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Bic Chrome (2)
• Lather: Paradesha Farms – Bay Rum
• Post Shave: Tallow + Steel – Shag
• Fragrance: Parfums De Marly – Pegasus

Bon Voyage, saying goodbye to yet another games. Bittersweet. I laid it all out there this year, and we’ll see where the chips fall. Am I disappointed in how I did? I was at first, but I shouldn’t be. Sure, some of my bits didn’t work as well as I wanted, others fell apart as the games progressed. But I put together a good point run, nabbed more legendary points than last year. I tried to balance shit posts with serious posts. I made international shipments of incriminating baggies. I had fun. That’s what matters in the end. I mentioned to u/hugbckt I’m probably not going all out again. Maybe I’ll change my mind on day two next year like u/onionmiasma. I suspect not though. My family needs a break from a month of chaos over the summer. FYI for the judges, I bolded the relevant info below for ease of skimming (but it’s not that long.)

For today’s theme we return to where we started, the team run. When I reached out to u/adworried2804 about teaming up, I asked if he could find me a soap from the Philippines. Keep in mind, I live in the US, so the coordination of getting stuff between us was not easy. He wasn’t sure if he could find the soap, but he went looking and sure enough he found a bay rum from a local maker. Country 1, check. Continent 1. English Tech, country 2, continent 2 Bic Chrome: Greece County 3. Brush, Omega Boar, Italy, country 4.

Now here’s where it gets hard, for #fof I had to get…creative. Shag, made in Canada, country 5 woot continent 3!. Pegasus, made in France, Country 6. All different countries, a world tour in a shave (and 3 of 6 continents regularly inhabited continents.). And to be honest all different scents. This is a cacophony, the tower of Babel of scent combos. The shag is potent pachouli. The Pegagus cloyingly sweet. And again, I have to go to church smelling weird. (I also used nivea post shave not listed because of the bots. Made in Mexico. Countries: 7.)

For the last day I didn’t want to play it totally serious, but how do you do a travel shave that’s not overbearing (yes, last year’s post went on too long.) Well I told my daughter someone has to go on a trip for this to work and she obliged by packing her bags. Joke’s on me though because I have 3 hour round trip drive to the sleep away camp. Also, a second idea came to me during a conversation with none other than u/pridetwo on the discord. I noted my wife has given me a ton of dopp bags since I started shaving. More than you can use since I don’t travel that much. Basically every free gift in a dopp bag lands in my lap. And u/pridetwo said they were useless because “you can’t lather them.” To which I responded, “but you can lather in them.” His retort was “SOTD with it, or it doesn’t count.” Well, travel day seems perfect for that. Sometimes on trips, your forget your bowl, it gets lost, or something else odd happens, and us bowl latherers have to improvise. So here’s a makeshift bowl lather in a dopp bag. Satisfied u/pridetwo? (Note: Dopp bag did not have a “made in” sticker on it anywhere. It was included in an Ulta order my wife made as a promo. Generally, these lower quality freebies are made in China, so I made sure my brush wasn’t made there. Other possible countries include: Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, none of which are in my shave. Countries: 8)

Finally, #photocontest we’re going to do money. Wait, how does that tie in? Have I completely given up my photo themes after yesterday? No. I mentioned to u/onionmiasma I spent some time in high school in Your Honduras, working in a nutrition center for impoverished children. So, here is a Honduran Lempira (yet another country included in the shave, up to 9!) I’ve been carrying around in my wallet for the last 21 and a half years to remind me of that time. It’s worth less than a nickel, but it serves as memory of both the good and bad I saw while working in the nutrition center. Years later another graduate of my high school would go down to the Center in college. (For various reasons, funds, housing, etc., only 6 seniors were allowed to go each year and he was not one of them his year. His brother was chosen later, which is how he became connected.) He fell in love with the mission and moved there to run the center. Soon he started a charity to both fund the center and expand upon its work. Amazing what a little yearly service project at a school in the Midwest can grow into. (The annual service project has been on hold for a number of years, hopefully they’ll restart it soon.)

Bonus country: I took this picture with my Canon T6, made in Taiwan, countries: 10.

Thanks to all the organizers and judges this year. I know drama hit at the end but let it roll off your back. Thanks to the side contest organizers too. You add extra fun.