LG23-30: Bon Voyage, Lather Games!
- Brush: Мужской Материк 26mm Zenith Boar
- Razor: Blutt Rasur BR-1 0.99
- Blade: Kai Blue (2)
- Lather: Los Jabones De Joserra - Orris Root - Shaving Soap
- Post Shave: Oaken Lab - Serious Moonlight - After Shave
- Fragrance: Jo Malone London - Peony & Blush Suede - Cologne
- Passes: WTG, XTG
- Coffee: Peru. San Ignancio, Cajamarca. - v: Caturra, Pache, Typica - p: Washed
- Music: Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World
- LG Tags:
#FOF, #photocontest for that "story/thematic" theme
We did it everyone! Lots of planning, smush mailing, and prep, thirty shaves, thirty posts, plus lots of chatter on the SOTD threads and community apps. If you're one of our essential event planners or judges, you did all the work in the background to make this thing happen, often while playing along. As always, a huge thank you. The Lather Games are always a highlight of the year and 2023 was no exception.
My final shave of the month is a globe-trotter; each product from a different country, crossing several continents, and none of them are from the United States, where I live. Regarding my photo, this archival map is extremely out of date—apologies for anything problematic. Listed in SOTD formatting order, starting with the hardware:
- Brush: This red wood Мужской Материк handle hails from Russia. It's among the most comfortable handles I own and I love the saturated color. I paired it with a Zenith boar knot from Italy—shoutout to u/djundjila for the hookup. I've tried a few loose boar knots and none of them top the Zenith's density.
- Razor: This Blutt BR-1 is made in Switzerland. It's impeccably crafted out of 316L and looks terrific even without the polished finish. Another shout-out goes to u/djundjila!
- Blade: I unwrapped this blade from Japan for the second time. It was a better pairing with the BR-1 than the Astra SP I've been using.
My soap, aftershave, and fragrance are all from different countries, and are also all leathery florals. Again, in SOTD order:
- Lather: Los Jabones De Joserra (LJDJ) soaps are made in Spain. I like the performance, but the pricing seems high for CONUS shavers. This sandalwood and iris scent would have worked for yesterday's theme as well and it's the least leathery of today's three.
- Post Shave: Oaken Lab's aftershaves are "handcrafted in Indonesia". Ironically for us Stateside shavers, Serious Moonlight is the scent of a night drive through the Los Angeles hills.
- Fragrance: I'm new to this Jo Malone cologne, but I don't have a French florals and leather perfume, and my wife has this sample made in England with peonies and suede leather right there in the name. I thought Canadian house Zoologist was going to come through for me, but I haven't picked up a sample of Northern Cardinal (bergamot, rose, and leather) yet. Same goes for Etat Libre d’Orange Putain des Palaces.
And the rest:
- Coffee: These Peruvian beans put a pin down in South America.
- Music: Super Furry Animals hail from Cardiff, Wales and Rings Around the World captures today's theme perfectly.
All three of today's scents are floral with varying degrees of leather.
The LJDJ Orris Root scent has the least leather of the three, focusing on sandalwood and spiced iris, sometimes highlighting the suede-quality of its namesake flower. The sandalwood is a lovely foil to the fleshy-green floral accord; woody cedar helps the iris read as flower in bloom, versus freshly-applied lipstick. Lathering makes the scent warm and open, spiced sandalwood moving up in the mix.
Serious Moonlight is the most interesting of the three, the smell of lovingly maintained leather combined with sulfurous asphalt to suggest a (bright red, according to the label) car cruising down the highway. Oud, leather, and tar would be gnarly on their own, but the warm breeze rushing by is hazy with lush jasmine; Oaken Lab lists a black tea, coconut, and vanilla accord, which surely brings the scent its overall smoothness, though I can't pick out those notes individually. Most surprising is a pomelo note, first listed but more subtle in the mix. That fruity note brightens the entire blend, shaping the rubbery oud, and lifting the scent from tire-level to head out the window. It's a shame the fragrance isn't available outside of Indonesia.
I finished my shave with a spritz of Jo Malone's flirty Peony & Blush Suede. This perfume is unabashedly pretty, focusing on a heart of peony blossom that's soft, honeyed, and delicate. Jo Malone claims there's a crisp red apple note in the opening, which I don't pick out, though I'd guess it's what brings this perfume some added sweetness. The "supple" leather base wraps the floral accord in powdery texture; as that gossamer opening dries down, the suede is more obvious, though not particularly engaging. I like a floral with more hard edges and a leather with more presence. More concerning is how this combined with Serious Moonlight; Mrs. Mosquito says I smell like the front entrance to a Macy's department store, in the display-stuffed liminal space between cosmetics and shoes. Not a compliment.
And with that, we've arrived at the end of Lather Games 2023! I hope our newcomers had a blast, our judges had plenty of good material to critique, and our spectators enjoyed the show. I'm going to take a nap.