LGSOTD 01-Jun-24

• Brush: Highlander - TSR LE 2023 Omega Boar #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Weck - Hair Shaper #WECKONISTA
• Blade: Kismet - Hair Shaper
• Lather: Soap Commander - Fortitude
• Post Shave: Soap Commander - Fortitude Balm

Welcome to the opening of the shaving hunger games, a bunch of nutcases all clubbing together to celebrate the daily ritual of hair removal (wherever that hair may lay). For todays fun event I took to everything new and opting for perhaps the easiest of the photocontest themes (still trying to think how to include the rest so this may be one and done), Black and White.

Never having tried Soap Commander I was curious so bought a couple of sets, this and Endurance, I was sorely tempted to opt for Endurance today as it smells brilliant but with tomorrow on the horizon I thought I would hold back. So on for Fortitude, on the surface should be right up my street, but the scent strength is perhaps a little weak and can't cope against a fresh piggy, and I wasn't keen on the initial feel of the balm, but the scent did pick up a bit and it soaked in well.

The Highlander brush, sadly there can't be only 1 in this case, or at least not for me as they seem to breed like tribbles. Made by a very nice fella for the TSR forum last year, this one has been sat in my drawer unused since that time so decided it was time to give it a run. Plus who doesn't need another boar on the go! Saying that, I think it's set a little lower than I would normally like, but it did sort out itself out a little in use, need to get shot of that funk though.

Finally the Weck, I've been itching to use this razor when it arrived a while ago but held my nerve for this event. I sought advice on blades prior to this and the resounding feedback was to stay the hell away from Personna, I did listen but I was curious at the same time so picked up both Personna and Kismet. I was very tempted to dive on with the Personna straight up, but decided I'd try and ease myself into the games rather than rip my face up on day one and have to go easy for the rest of it. I was very tentative with the Weck, I don't have the best of experiences with shavettes and thought this would be the same. It was actually quite forgiving, the rounded end and stiff blade made for quite an enjoyable shave. I won't be switching out my standard straights of course, but can't grumble.

Overall though, a decent enough start to the month long marathon.

Hope everyone has a good kick off and a cracking day.

Cheers

Marc

Photocontest

Great description of a failed first Weckoning

LGSOTD 02-Jun-24

• Brush: Wald - 'Deep Sea' J4 #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Shield - SE AC Brass #CNC
• Blade: Schick - Proline P-30
• Lather: Shulton - Old Spice
• Post Shave: Shulton - Old Spice AS
• Fragrance: Shulton - Old Spice Cologne

Ahoy, Lather Games indeed, I was looking forward to today's shave.

It's been a while since I've taken the Shulton for a spin. It took me a good while to actually get my hands on some of the original stuff, and now I've managed to get a couple along with half a dozen splashes. The only thing I'm short on is the cologne, even this little travel bottle was all I could get my hands on (without having to remortgage), so it is used sparingly!

To build on a cracking software combination, I've opted for the relatively new Wald J4 in the 'Deep Sea' colouring, I've been meaning to drop Jannik a line to thank him for my order, it is the most luxurious brush I've used, and the colouring is much more vivid in person. Along with that, the Shield SE-A C - alright perhaps that's one step too far, but I'm trying to make sure I'm somewhat on theme!

Priusaurus Challenge

What do you call a dinosaur driving a Prius?

A Thrif-T-Rex!

~groan~ I only do dad jokes nowadays!

Moving on from that terrible joke, just a comment on u/priusaurus and his previous LG run. I thoroughly enjoyed each of last year's entries. The level of effort to get those tremendous interviews was colossal, and frankly it was nice to get to know the subjects of those interviews better. It's nice to almost be able to put a human face on the various vendors from whom I purchase this ridiculous quantity of gear. That being said, Dan from Dollar Tree holds a special place in my memory. I'm looking forward to see if anyone is able to top that this year, the bar is high!

Photocontest

Aiming for the 'Water Vehicles' theme on this one, we'll sea whether it cuts the mustard or not.

A thoroughly enjoyable shave, hope everyone has a good'un!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 03-Jun-24

• Brush: Oumo - 'Big Hand' Ex ST-1 27 Bulb #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Atelier Durdan - Vestige ++ #CNC #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Shire 2
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Shire 2 AS
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Shire 2 Balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Shire EDP

Never really looked at the tusk base in detail before, so was delighted to find Duck Fat sitting proud amongst the ingredients. I realise there is the good ole beef tallow sitting right there, but I'll take it as acceptable based on advice, though I did do my best to try and find a cat fat soap, sadly I failed.

I was determined to get Shire into my calender this year one way or another. The tusk base is great, and Shire is my favourite of their offerings, with Beloved coming in a close second. I'm a fan of the hobbit and lord of the rings, have been since I was a kid. Even managed to convince my 5 year old to let me read the hobbit to her as a bedtime story, sadly she hasn't caved and let me read her the rings just yet... I'll get her there.

With some tremendous luck I also managed to get my hands on some of the EDP from Anticatura. He's had two stocking instances and both sold out in minutes, really is fastest finger first, but well and truly worth it! I really wish there was more of a supply (I'm assuming there's demand) of US matching scents, I've been begging for SBS and Chiseled Face (just so I can go whole hog with the stag) stuff to make it this side of the pond, with luck the market grows...apologies I digress.

Quick note on the razor, if you get a chance to try the Vestige (and you're a fan of the GEM format) I highly recommend it. The razor is lighter than I would normally go for, but it is exceptionally maneuverable and gives a very close finish. Despite the lack of blade stops I've never caught myself with the ++ baseplate - if you go for the +++ be a bit more careful!

Challenge OnionMiOsma Day

I've got a block of this stuff that I've had since just after the last lather games. To be fair I rarely use it. I tend to find it quite drying, so only use it when I've been a bit cavalier using something overly assertive. So not really needed here, but the mammoth balm makes up for any drying effect!

Cracking shave with one of my favourite setups!

Photocontest

Aiming squarely at the Animal (not alive) theme today, had to match the animal with the fat!

Hope everyone has a cracking day.

Cheers

Marc"

LGSOTD 04-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Eyespot' V18 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Gillette - Slim J2 #ADJUSTABLE #REVENANT #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Treet - Classic Carbon
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Lavender
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavender AS
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavender Balm

It may almost seem like a copout going for the noted set from the theme, however B&M Lavender is my second most used set this year. I always veered away from what I thought might be overly floral scents. However, I took the leap and gave it a bash and turns out I love it. Unfortunately, this opened the doorway to another flood of sets coming in, in the form of Homecoming, Beloved, Trouble Maker, Lavender Noir…it’s a gateway software, still no regrets (apart from the strain on my wallet and storage – oh and the eyerolls from the other half).

This C&H brush is one of my favourites that I’ve picked up from Rob, I've managed to pair them back a little so now I only have 6 in hand. Spalted maple laminated with paduak, bog oak and plastic with a resin ferule. The fit in the hand along with the setting of the V18 fanchurian is just about perfect for me.

Opted for the restored Gillette Slim that I picked up from Anticatura. I was after one of these for a while and almost dove in on a few Ebay specials, but in the end decided to go for one that had been given some extra attention to make sure that it was up to scratch. They go through full restoration steps, disassembling, cleaning, replating and dial painting before finally setting the gaps to factory specs. I’ve only tried a couple of adjustables (Rex Ambassador and Gilette Fatboy), this is the only one that has managed to hang on in there with the collection. Along with this I decided to throw in the Treet Classic Carbon. Now, I’ve not had that much luck with Treet blades, for some reason I just don’t get along with those I’ve tried, and unfortunately this one was no bloody exception, at least on the first outing. It was smooth enough in use but I got some hectic feedback. I’ll give it another couple of goes, but initial impressions make me want to chuck them in the bin and stick with my Wiz's or GSBs.

Challenge – Base War Stories

I’ll be honest I don’t think I’ve been in it long enough to see that many bases come and go, or not so many that I've had my hands on and noticed. There are a couple of Soap makers who seem to produce base after base after base, but the changes (for the most part) feel incremental at best. Though that being said, I’ve seen a couple of recent tallow bases fall out of vogue (or perhaps companies penny pinching) the main one being Mitchells removal of tallow. There are a number who say it’s perfectly fine, and I did try it out a good while ago, it just seemed to take a lot more work to get something similarly stable, equally though others complained of the same failing with the original. Just with the name it feels like it should have animal fat in it. Saying that there’s no wool in it either, so I shouldn’t complain!

As for my current favourite base, once again I’m not sure I really have one, the majority out there produce good to great lather. If I had to absolutely decide on one, then I would probably lean towards B&Ms omnibus. Apart from the post shave feel (which is excellent), it seems to cope well with a variety of water hardness. The water around here is moderately soft however when I return to Yorkshire for a visit we’re looking at the hard end, and neither cause and issue when whipping up in the morning.

Photocontest

Target for this one is ‘Fill the Frame’, struggled more with this pic than any other, my dodgy phone didn't want to focus!

Have a good one all!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 05-Jun-24

• Razor: Karve CB - Brass D #CNC #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Treet - Classic Carbon
• Lather: Gillette - Labs Skincare Rapid Foaming Gell
• Post Shave: L'Oreal Men Expert - Hydra Energetic
• Fragrance: Hugo Boss - Boss Night

I was bloody dreading this one, I've still got a can of this Gillette Labs stuff, I could have nipped out and grabbed some Wilkinson Sword to make this marginally easier, but nay I'll make do!

The pic for this one just had me thinking of the djudges towering over the rest of us whilst we do their bidding and suffer.

Brought out the Karve CB D Plate, it already had some patina before the announcement of the games, but decided to leave it in the bathroom since then, just to see how it developed, it went nuts. I'll have to knock it back a little bit after this but it at least covers me for the tags. I should have gone for a lower plate with this goop, but I managed to do it without ripping my face up but only just, this is a hateful blade for me and is going in the bin.

Challenge - Reverse Lather Routine

I hate you people, seeing as I opted for canned goop you left me with little choice. Back in the day I would slap it in the palm and whack it on the face, you bring this on yourselves people! I mean alright, me and the little one were laughing, not so much the wife mind. Though after her involvement last year she thought I was going to ask her, so there was a little relief there!

photocontest

Aiming for "The Elements: Fire" theme in this instance.

Hope you all have a grand day!

Cheers

Marc

Edit for copy and paste error for Fragrance, tried to do it earlier but got distracted.

LGSOTD 06-Jun-24

• Brush: Zenith - MOAR Boar #SUBBROOSH #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Koraat - 6/8 Ebony #STR8SNOB
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas In The Arctic
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas In The Arctic AS
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas in the Arctic Balm

Thirsty Thursday, and after yesterday's abomination I feel like a drink.

Decided something a little refreshing, both in scent and feel with Margaritas in the Arctic. First, but not last, use of Stirling this games. It really is the workhorse of the shaving world, nothing uber fancy, doesn't cost you a ton but just chugs along getting the job done and done well. A nice little chill off the back on this one, along with a drink to follow.

Hardware to accompany it is my Lather Games prize from last year (thank you again u/Ironbeard_SYS), I still love it and it has broken in incredibly well. Along with that is one of my two Koraats, this one I picked up on TSR BST a couple of years ago. Nice 6/8 near wedge, I've come to prefer full hollows but the added weight with this is a nice change of pace at times.

WetTubing Apreciation Day

Sadly not enough time to record a shave this morning, the snaps yesterday were a stretch with the standard morning rush to get out the door. So I'll have to cover it from the WetTuber/Shafluencer angle, frankly though not much has changed from last year. I still go back to Lynn for how-to's on straight honing, though I have expanded marginally to Keith Johnson when I was looking for advice on natural stones, specifically a Welsh Slate hone I grabbed from JJShaves. I've caught a couple of product reviews at the beginning and flicked through to the end for a summary (which were grand), but sorry VisceralWatch I still don't watch other people shave - well apart from my fellow contestants of course.

Photocontest

Target for this one, is 'The Elements: Water', if you look closely there's frozen water balls in there, it covers it, trust me!

Have a cracking day all!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 07-Jun-24

• Brush: Simpson - 'Wee Scot' Best #OLDWORLD #RUNT #SMOLL
• Razor: Muhle - R41 #ZAMAC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Martin de Candre - Vetyver
• Post Shave: Floid - Vetyver Balm
• Fragrance: ScentUK - Greveti EDP

Another day I was looking forward to, I really like the MdC soaps, yeah the outlay is heavy but they last an age and they perform brilliantly. This Vetyver is no exception (though the Fougere sees more use), the scent is lovely and for some weird reason sticks around with me for a bit longer than the fougere, not complaining about that!

New to me Floid Vetyver Balm, I was pleasantly surprised, again the scent strength was great but the balm itself actually did a really good job. For which I am very grateful given the challenge here.

Topped off with the SCENTUK Greveti, heavy on the vetiver. Seemed a little harsh initially but mellowed relatively quickly to something very pleasant. Still not one the Mrs comments on and luckily doesn't react to (allergies), so at worst it's an acceptable scent for general use.

Challenge GeoFatboy Special

This was a bloody close call today, I had almost lined up the Rolls for today, but thankfully I only had to imagine the pain of driving straight against the grain. Luckily the R41 was already up to bat, which when I was initially starting up was my daily driver so I know this was capable. They only semi-uncomfortable area being the neck, but a soft touch and short passes along with the floid to finish off saw a more than acceptable finish.

Photocontest

Had to aim this one at 'Grass' given the scent choice, ok it's clearly not vetiver but I've given it a bash.

Hope everyone has a grand day.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 08-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Bone Lilly' V23 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Ever Ready - 1912 #FLIPTOP #TWINS
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Fougere Angelique
• Post Shave: Thayers - Rose Toner AS

Cracking shave this morning, I do love a GEM razor and this ER is no exception. Don't get me wrong, I like DEs but the more rigid blade just seems to give me a better finish, never mind the fact that the blades last an age anyway.

Fougere Angelique, a lovely soap, sadly couldn't get hold of the splash but the thayers does the trick well enough. I think the next time I'm in the states I'm going to have to go crazy and order a ton to whatever hotel I end up staying in!

Challenge Mad Braggard Day

This one was actually a closer call than I thought. I've not gone majorly nuts with singular orders from Maggards. Now that's not for lack of desire, but being in the UK and stupid import added to it then I have to be a bit more canny. There's a limit of roughly £130, which if you stay below this they normally ignore it. To be fair though, smaller orders with maggards work well considering their incredibly reasonable postage rates, so little and often is where it's at! Though if I were able to get alcohol shipped then this would go out the window and import be damned! The vast majority of my larger orders tend to go to Slickboys, but even then it tops out at around £200...I'm ignoring hardware as that would be obscene! I did not like that challenge, it half forced me to reflect - perhaps I'll change my ways...unlikely.

Photocontest

With this being Angelique I thought I'd aim this one at 'Eyes', seemingly a biblical depiction of an angel, bloomin terrifying if this thing popped up in front of you!

Got me curious around tomorrows challenge, hopefully not quick fire as I do my best not to think too much on a Sunday, do enough of that during the week at work!

Have a good'un all.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 09-Jun-24

• Brush: Aurora Grooming - LG24 #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: GEM - Junior #FLIPTOP #TWINS
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Master
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Master

Shave and A Haircut - Two Bits

Yet another day I've been looking forward to, mainly due to Zingari. This is actually the first time I've used Zingari Man. I'd wanted to try out The Master for a while, and the games category was the perfect excuse to pick it up. The only other obvious barbershop I have is A&E which is nice, but sometimes comes off a little sweet especially compared to this. This one though, as the description states, is dark and spicy. It just seems to have a little more depth and is a lovely one for the cool and overcast day here. I didn't quite dial the lather in straight away but I got there in the end. Lovely!

Second day for the twins tag switching from the ER to the GEM, again a lovely little razor. I've kept the handles for each of them as received and definitely prefer this one to the other. Obviously as with the ER ble to get in close with no irritation. Admittedly I prefer my modern versions, but you can't argue with the classics.

u/TheBunnynator1001 thank you so much for the brush. I realised after I'd snapped the pic that I didn't showcase it in the slightest so it will have to make a return visit before the end of the games. But it is an excellent brush, it sits very nicely in the hand and lathers up a dream.

Challenge: Surprise Quiz!

32/32, really it's more like 12/32 at most, wanted to nail it but that score is more of a reflection Google and copy/paste ability than it is of me being able to recognise scent notes. I would probably have only got a dozen at most. I was thankful for the first few with sponsor names, at least it gave me a bit more of a chance to get a few more points going in sans Google initially!

Photocontest

Barbershop, a timeless (if ill-defined) scent, as such I'm hitting squarely at the 'Time' theme. Think I'm starting to flag here, the links are getting more tenuous, trust me it's going to get worse!

Have a cracking day all!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 10-Jun-24

• Brush: Muhle - Rhytmo Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Henkotsu - Kamisori #KAMISORI
• Lather: Chicago Groomin Co. - Armonia
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - Armonia AS
• Fragrance: Chicago Groomin Co. - Armonia EDP

Still have to thank u/hairykopite for releasing this one into the wild on BST. Chicago Grooming/House of Mammoth collaboration and a year on and I still love it, as with the likes of shire it's a light tobacco, and I think I get the lavender in there (no fault of the set, that's my nose), either which way I like this one. Sadly the scent and the performance of the soap is roughly where the positivity of this shave ends.

This Kamisori is in dire need of a refresh. I didn't make the time to do it this weekend so I've only myself to blame. Rough as a bears arse, definitely not going to use this again until I can sit down and get it sorted.

Equally, I dislike the hair on this brush, but that's because I've been spoilt in the last couple of years with some absolutely stellar brushes. This thing has zero backbone and flops all over the shop with the merest dab of water, but somehow still manages to have a roughish feel. I refuse to give it up though, this was the first badger brush I got and it was given to me by the other half - yes I can blame her for nudging me down the rabbit hole!

Challenge: Song Day

This may or may not seem like an odd choice, and I'd like to say that it's inspired just by me after the shave. However, this is more inspired by the backdrop to my morning shaves that I get with my daughters music choice. For whatever reason, she loves this bloody song (along with Friday by Riton X Nightcrawlers ft mufasa and hypeman, but it's the wrong day for that). As inappropriate as it might be, she likes the video as well, it makes me chuckle and gets the day off to a good and lively start!

Photocontest

Being Chicago Grooming Co. I thought I would try and throw in something relevant, so aiming this one at 'Baseball', I know zero about baseball but there you have it!

Have a good kick off to the week all!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 11-Jun-24

• Brush: AP Shave Co. - Lemon Drop 26mm TGN Boar #FRANKENBRUSH #TOLL
• Razor: Yintal - Shavette #RAINBOW
• Blade: Gillette - Silver Blue
• Lather: Gentleman's Nod - Juniper
• Post Shave: Gentleman's Nod - Juniper AS
• Fragrance: Gentleman's Nod - Juniper EDP

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Decent excuse to bring out Juniper Reverie, a really nice, if subtle and fresh-ish scent for spring. The longevity isn't great on my skin but on clothes it hangs around for a decent time. I've only got a couple of Gentlemans Nod sets (this and Ernest), feels like it shares some similarities but I like both so there's no complaints from me.

AP Shave Co. Lemon drop with TGN Boar knot performs brilliant. It's a tall fella (couldn't find my calipers to measure again so it's an old one), but brilliant at whipping up a lather and has fair amount of backbone.

Holly crap though this 'Rainbow' razor is god awful. I could have put something better together with a plank of wood and some cable ties. The blade clamping is non-existent, I had a very dicey moment where the blade slipped out and I had to rearrange mid-shave. How I managed to get away with my face intact I have no idea. As soon as this thing is over and done with, it's going in the bin, wouldn't give this to my worst enemy!

Challenge - Colour Coordinated

I hated this challenge, at one point I had an entire picture where it was pretty much all yellow, hurt my eyes to look at it. So despite the massive amount of time allowed, this was the best of the bunch.

Photocontest

On the plus side I managed to sneak some 'Birds' into it without it being too random.

Have a good'un all.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 12-Jun-24

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Declaration Grooming B16 #FRANKENBRUSH #SHD
• Razor: Charcoal Goods - Gen 1 Level 3 #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Proraso - Wood & Spice
• Post Shave: Proraso - Wood & Spice Balm
• Fragrance: Proraso - Wood & Spice Cologne

Cream Day

I've had this cream for an age, the scent is lovely and the performance is very good, slick as hell, but with plethora of gear waiting in the wings it barely gets a look in. The cologne is the one that always surprises me, the longevity is remarkable given it's cost, admittedly it doesn't have the apparent layers of other scents but you can't grumble.

Opted for the Dogwood Declaration Grooming B16 and CG Lvl 3 today. With the brush I wanted a simple one in matte black and this did not disappoint. I almost went for a synthetic knot but opted for a bit of luxury with DG and once again a very happy man. The level 3 CG is sometimes a bit intense though, this gives the dart a run for its money in the feel department, so not a daily driver for me but still comfortable to use on occasion.

Challenge - Den Tour Day

I've done this exercise once before, and it is nothing if not eye opening. Sadly I don't have the room to be able to have everything on display. So everything is packed away and I work on a smaller rotation. One thing I really don't want to know is how much I've managed to sink into this, sod it though!

Photocontest

With wood and spice on the cards, it'd be rude not to target 'Wood' for this outing.

Happy hump day and hope everyone is having a good week.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 13-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Mammoth' V15 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Ever Ready - Ambassador #FLIPTOP
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Master Soap Creations - Only The Brave
• Post Shave: Master Soap Creations - Only The Brave AS

Dupelgänger Day

Here we have Master Soap Creations Only The Brave. Dupe of Diesel Only the Brave, popular about 10 years ago but not one I ever got into abs still haven't. This was an impulse buy, along with another half a dozen sets, that I picked up when I was in SA. For the sake of £15 a complete set I couldn't not. This one however, I'm not a huge fan, there's something a little too sweet in it for me. My favourites of theirs is, Most Wanted and Vintage Faberge, probably ticks most of the boxes. Those are dupes of Azzaro Wanted and Brut, but for the life of me I couldn't find Wanted, not surprising given my storage solution for gear, and sadly the Mrs cannot stand Brut.

Hardware accompaniment today being the Ever Ready Ambassador, managed to get this boxed one with a few Corrux blades thrown in. I need to get those sorted before I can use them properly though. Then there's the C&H Mammoth brush that they made in collaboration with Heritage Fossils. Solid brush, the setting on this one is perhaps a little low for my liking but it's still a good one.

Challenge - Draw a Soap Label

I prefer last years electric mayhem, but I didn't have that much time to sort this one, but it'll do the trick.

Photocontest

With all these villainous artisans out there, knocking off fragrances how could I not target this one at 'Pirates'. NB: I have zero problem with dupes, I have a ton!

Happy shaves all!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 14-Jun-24

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps - Boti NC #FRANKENBRUSH #SHD
• Razor: Koraat - 6/8 14-2.0
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Cryogen
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Cryogen AS
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Cryogen Balm

Frigid Friday

God damn, what in the hell was that! I've struggled with what I considered to be an extreme cold before (B&M Terror) so this may be a mistake, I bought this for the games out of morbid curiosity. Opened the tub to be greeted by this awful sight. The initial contact with the face was fine, but the damn thing kept building. I thought I'd managed to get it in my eyes until I realised it was just the fumes. Never before have I had self-hydrating lather, tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't whip that blade around my face fast enough, never mind that I had to go for another two rounds.

I had the splash and balm taunting me as I splashed my face with cold water, well that was a fucking mistake! Tentatively reach for the splash, whack it on the face and it's another eye watering moment, that stuff couldn't soak in fast enough...do I bother with the balm, sod it may as well...fuck why would anyone make this stuff. Now one thing I did cotton onto after using Terror, make sure you wash your hands afterwards, and I mean wash them. I made a grievous error last time that had me wishing I hadn't gone for a pee, not this time my friend! I sit here 10 minutes later and the stuff is still going nuts and my eyes are still watering. I now can't feel my face and I dare not touch it for fear of transfer. What sadist asked for this level of insanity!

It does not get hot enough here to actually feel any benefit, perhaps I'll leave it till I head down to SA this Christmas, or perhaps I'll palm it off on the father in-law when I'm down there and piss myself laughing!

Challenge - Stacking Day

I was more nervous this time around, I had opted for the straight that the Mrs got me for my 40th, quickest photo I've ever taken!

Photocontest

This one I'm aiming squarely at 'Hobbies', I joined r/skating (it's a small group with mixed skating types) a while ago (still a lurker). I went back to skating when I decided to try and teach the little one. First few times she fell she looked at me like I had betrayed her. She's got into the swing of it though, though I think I enjoy it more than the rest of the family.

Hope everyone had a chilly shave!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 15-Jun-24

• Brush: Omega - 10049 #HOLLOW #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Wolfman - WR3 OC 0.50 Basic Polish #CNC #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Ariana & Evans - The Novelist
• Post Shave: Ariana & Evans - The Novelist AS
• Fragrance: Histoires de Parfum - 1899

I would probably have preferred to use this on dupe day, I love HDP 1899. It's one of the few original EDPs I own and would certainly buy again.

I did my best to knock this down in the last couple of weeks prior to the games kickoff. Though there is still enough for a healthy number of shaves. That being said the challenge should be able to knock that number down somewhat.

Opted for the WR3 today as well, the aesthetics aren't for everyone but I like the heft to it. The polar opposite of the Vestige, and nowhere near as manouverable, but the added weight makes it effortless. This is one of those razors where the 'zero pressure' rule almost applies.

Challenge - Water Day

I've only used the boar a couple of times so it managed to dig a fair old chunk out. Cracked on with the shave and two swipes in it started to clog. Knocked a bit off and carried on, finished up the first pass and needed a serious rinsing. Took over a minute to rinse the thing out,(don't worry I sped up the video so it's only around 15 seconds). Rinse and repeat for the remaining ATG pass.

Though I was singing the WR3's praises with it's additional heft, with this particular challenge it is a dire drawback. Negative pressure would have been preferable, but to do that I wouldn't be employing the Air Bud Rule...sorry no, not I, I'll just deal with a crap shave. Today made me look back fondly on the canned goo(p) day!

I'm self-declaring out of tomorrows surprise challenge. Sadly the Mrs can't stand blokes with shaved legs, and as much as I'd like to get extra points I do have to set my priorities.

Photocontest

In honour of the theme, I'm throwing in the 'Donut' (Doughnut) for today's effort.

Have a good kick off to the weekend all!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 16-Jun-24

• Brush: Simpson - 'Chubby 2' SiLVERTiP #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Frederick Reynold - Swayback
• Lather: Geo. F. Trumper - Eucris
• Post Shave: Geo. F. Trumper - Eucris Skin Food
• Fragrance: Geo. F. Trumper - Eucris EDP

Daily Theme - Father's Day

Been a good while since I've used GFT Eucris (if nothing else these games make me dust off a lot of my gear), it's a cracking classic scent to me. It seems oddly devisive with some finding it floral and others dark in some way, it just smells spicy (Not those ones) to me and something I imagine my grandad would have used. GFT established in 1875 definitely meets the brief being 108 years older than myself.

Along with this I picked up the Simpson Chubby 2 SiLVERTiP, a lovely brush for this cream, almost went for one of Semogue boars but Simpsons beat them out having been established in 1919. Then there's my second favourite straight, Frederick Reynolds Swayback that I picked up from Griffiths Shaving, lovely condition and a great shaver. As far as I can tell they were established around 1840.

Challenge - Leg Day

Sorry ladies and gentlemen, I am out on this one. As I said yesterday the Mrs does not like the idea of me with shaved legs, so I will bow out and self-scrub.

Photocontest

Being father's day I had to aim this at 'DIY', whilst I'm certainly not an expert around the house, I can at least cover the basics without chopping my limbs off!

Already been spoilt this morning, and I'm not cooking tonight (I do bigger meals at the weekend) so it's a cracking day!

Hope the rest of you get on well with it, Happy Fathers Day to all, have a good one!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 17-Jun-24

• Brush: Wald - A1 #OLDWORLD #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Lambda - Athena #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: HAGS - Undertow
• Post Shave: HAGS - Undertow AS
• Fragrance: The Essence Vault - 199 (Aventus) EDP

Don't have a cow, man!

This was a random buy when I was on a very brief Aventus kick, it was brief though. I like the scent, but it doesn't blow my skirt up (putting this here just in case of confusion). I didn't actually realise this was vegan when I picked it up, not that that matters. It performs well enough, but I prefer many others, and the splash feels a little drying for me. Looking back I should have thrown in Cubebe, but I'd already committed.

Brought in the very pretty Lambda Athena, I see a ton of these being bought then passed on. Surprises me a little as its an excellent razor for me. I do prefer to polish this one up (and this is in need of a clean) rather than letting it colour which is a pain.

Challenge - Knee Lather

Now, I actually generated the lather on my knee with my Oumo synthetic, this Wald is a loaner and I didn't want to abuse it for the purpose of the games. Kept having to move the lather up the leg out of the way, I loaded far too heavily and needed a little more water than the final pic, but I got there in the end. Painted on with the Wald for a very good finish.

Photocontest

Seeing as its vegan day, I thought I'd go for a 'Bucket'. Sadly I didn't have a pail/bucket to show it was empty of milk. Tenuous at best, but it's an attempt, told you they would get more desperate!

Tomorrow's challenge is going to need a bit of searching, as daft as it may seem I don't actually know what it means!

Have a grand day all.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 18-Jun-24

• Brush: Simpson - 'Colonel' Best #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Blackland Razors - Tradere SB #CNC
• Blade: Feather - Hi-Stainless
• Lather: Williams - Mug Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Thayers - Lemon Astringent
• Fragrance: The Essence Vault - 283 (Creed Viking) EDP

I wanted to share my experience with this new (to me) Williams Shaving Mug Soap. I don't know whether anyone has ever tried this before, but it has utterly blown me away. As soon as the brush touched the puck it exploded with volumous slick lather It's the best shaving experience I (or anyone else) have ever had. To my utter shock though I've found that this has gone out of production, how could that possibly be!? This is the best thing ever and nothing else can ever compete.

To add to this, I tried using these new Feather blades. I've never experienced anything quite like it. So sharp and smooth, the razor barely had to touch my sensitive skin to remove my tough wirey hair. This is my new go-to blade, and I will never use anything else ever again.

To top the shave off, finished off with the Thayers Lemon. Now I don't know whether anyone else has cottoned on to this little gem, but it is amazing. My skin has never felt so soft and smooth.

All of this is thanks to everyone's amazing advice, I wouldn't be where I am without all of your amazing input...

Now, I hope that was somewhere in the right ballpark, but if I've completely missed the mark then ah well. That was an acceptable shave, the soap scent is just that...soap, I mean I suppose that's the only real need. The lather was just about passable, and I hate feathers, expensive (relatively) and rough for me, but I do actually like Thayers, so I have that going for me. Of course being a complete tit this morning, I was in a rush and didn't remove the blade for pics!

Photocontest

In honour of the theme, I'm aiming this one at 'Darkness', this being the end of the line for this Soap, and likely it's existence in my den.

Have a grand one all.

Cheers

Marc

Williams is still in business and sells Aqua Velva, for instance.

User still gets djudged on theme because of following miscarriage of djustice

LGSOTD 19-Jun-24

• Brush: Simpson - 'M7' Manchurian #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Wolfman - WR2 SB 1.25 Basic Polish #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Revolution
• Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - Revolution AS
• Fragrance: Catie's Bubbles - Revolution EDP

Juneteenth

Having had no clue what this was, going into it, I had to do a quick bit of googling only to realise it was...ah of course I knew about that, turns out I've just never heard it called that. Everyday's a school day!

Of course this had me doing a bit of legwork through my calender to figure out what I could slot in here. So back to the Google machine I go. But bloody hell it was tricky trying to figure out where the various manufacturers were based. In the end, with some luck, I came across a location for Caties Bubbles (thank god for a contacts page with an actual address), so I think New Jersey counts for this effort.

Once again very lucky to get my hands on the full set of this over here in the UK, and again I have Hairykopite to thank for it. Almost smells like I should be in a library, and as weird as that might seem, that is a comforting scent to me, always love a good book.

Challenge - Meme Day

Possibly a bit random, and lengthy (for meme), but it still rings true.

Photocontest

I fought like hell with this one, couldn't get it to where I wanted, but I tried for 'Bokeh Balls' on this one, and thought the light source would be relevant given the soap descriptor. Different periods but at least linked to history. Worth a shot!

Have a grand one all.

Cheers

Marc

OP posts a stunning photo.

LGSOTD 20-Jun-24

• Brush: Cadman - Tuxedo 30mm #PREMIUMPLASTIC #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Blackland Razors - Blackbird #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth Sea Spice Lime
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth Sea Spice Lime Toner

Daily theme opted for Sea Spice Lime, lovely scent and cracking lather, along with that I decided to have a shave by the sea. Well ok, it's the menai straights, but it leads into the Irish Sea so it's close enough. Just on the edge of Caernarfon opposite the castle.

Lovely spot for it to be fair, despite the cyclists and odd car or two that kept rolling by, I got some rather odd looks. FYI I might look pissed, but I was just trying not to laugh. My wife is a hell of a sport though indulging me in this insanity, she was sat on the bench whilst I was doing my thing. Perhaps she was chapperoning this time around, as last year's visit to the lake resulted in me losing my wedding ring. I didn't report it on that SOTD as I was hopeful it would turn up, it did not, oops.

So despite the odd looks, that was a very pleasant shave and I still walked away with my replacement ring!

Photocontest

Aiming this one at 'The Elements: Earth', picture taken sat on the hill opposite the castle.

I was going to head off into the mountains to do this one, but me and the Mrs had the day off and we planned to head out for Dutch pancakes afterwards, fantastic morning!

Hope everyone has a grand day.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 21-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Bone Lilly' V23 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Razorock - Wunderbar #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus Fougere
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus Fougere AS
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus EDP

With a double-edged razor in hand,
And Cerberus Fougere, so grand,
Each shave is a breeze,
Bringing whiskers to knees,
In a ritual perfectly planned.

There were many iterations of this, and others trying to work in 'A tall Yorkshireman, oh what a sight, used a double edged razor each night'...but I lost my shit and gave up, I am not a writer!

Lucky I had a day off yesterday otherwise my productivity would've been through the floor!

Photocontest

Aiming this one at 'Onion', clearly I missed my chance earlier in the calender to get this one in where it made sense (if that's possible), so here you are...an onion (sods law I could've tried carving an onion tomorrow!), taken in the middle of Plas Newydd.

Have a grand one all.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 22-Jun-24

• Brush: Wald - A1 #OLDWORLD #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Shield - Predator (GEM) #CNC #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana AS

Spooky Season

I've seen Banana mentioned once too often that it seemed to bury itself in my mind and I felt I needed to give this a go. So here we go with SW Boonana...

Opened the tub and was hit in the face by a not unpleasant hit of banana, but there's more in the background that gives it a bit more character. I couldn't tell you what it was without the scent description, but it actually wasn't bad.

The funniest reaction was from the Mrs, she bloody hates banana, can stand the smell or taste, and unfortunately (or fortunately depending how evil I'm being) that's all she caught from this one.

Won't be a daily user, but I won't throw it out of the den.

Daily Challenge: Halloween

There was zero chance of getting pumpkins here at this time of year. Luckily I just so happened to be intending to making pizza today, so had some peppers laying around. So here's my effort.

Photocontest

This one is aiming at 'Cactus'. Despite my best efforts at the garden centre I couldn't find a banana cactus, which frankly had I managed to find one it would have been better for humour, so sadly this background pic is my best effort.

Spooky shaves all.

Cheers

Marc

Update: 15 hours later and I can still smell this stuff on me, I previously said it 'wasn't bad', but this stuff is amazing. Is it the bourbon that's hanging about? I don't know, but whatever it is I stand corrected, this may actually end up in the regular rotation!

LGSOTD 23-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Finned' V14 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Frederick Reynold - Swayback
• Lather: Hoffman's Shaving Co. - Affogato
• Post Shave: Hoffman's Shaving Co. - Affogato

Today I decided to go with Affogato, a lovely Italian dessert that combines two of my favourite things, espresso and ice cream. Seeing as I was going to shave with it I may as well make myself one as well. The soap is a little sweeter than I would like and needs a bit more espresso in it, but it is Sweet Sunday after all.

Challenge - Kitchen Day It's just my own kitchen but it at least made for a comfortable Sunday shave. You'll have to forgive the random coloured liquid and test tubes, there was crap everywhere from me cooking and this was the most clear space. My daughter was performing "experiments", seeing what happened when mixing different colours liquids.

Photocontest

Considering the day I'm aiming this one at 'Sugar & Sweets', the affogato was delicious, though perhaps a tad early for ice cream.

Have a grand one all.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 24-Jun-24

• Brush: Blackland - Signature #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Blackland Razors - Dart #CNC
• Blade: Astra - SP
• Lather: Santa Maria Novella - Toscana
• Post Shave: Ariana & Evans - Tobacco Road AS
• Fragrance: The Essence Vault - 290 (TF Tobacco Vanille) EDP

Christmas in July, but in June's Eve

This shave is brought to you by u/TheStallionPartThree, I am very grateful for the help on this one. Despite being a transatlantic effort, he kindly sent me a number of very generous smushes, none of which I had tried before and one of which I could never try otherwise, ROTY 2023, which smells fantastic. This package almost had me rearranging my calender so I could get the ROTY in there, but sadly I have to be patient until this event is over and done.

That being said, the Santa Maria Novella Toscana is no slouch. Nice easy lather and very subtle but pleasant scent. The menthol addition is also a welcome one this morning. Along with this he'd also kindly provided some Astra blades, which of course would be rude not to set into use today as well. Excellent, shave, lovely scent and a great finish, TheStallionPartThree thank you once again, saved my calender (assuming I haven't buggered up elsewhere) and it is very much appreciated!!

Daily Challenge: r/Wetshaving Exclusives Wish List

Now, I half expect to see someone asking for a Maggards Old Spice Dupe just to cover a few bases for next year, and whilst that might be amazing I have another couple in mind. I know we've already had CGC, SW and SBS (was there a DG one as well?), how about sponsor of the day, Stirling. We already know it is one of the best in terms of bang for your cash and it lasts an eternity...anything with a smoke, tobacco or leather (or probably anything just for the novelty) and I'm in! The only request I would make if it ever happened, make the splash sans alcohol so we lowly Europeans can grab it as well!

Photocontest

This one being a tobacco scent I thought I'd try for exhaled smoke (well vape really) to show 'The Elements: Air'. I had thought about using a can of compressed air to blow stuff around and I missed my chance with a sailing yacht, but thought this would do the trick.

Have a cracking day all!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 25-Jun-24

• Brush: Semogue - TSN Final Edition 2023 #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Charcoal Goods - Gen 3 Everyday #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: The Personal Barber - Nutcracker
• Post Shave: Barts - Ben More Lotion
• Fragrance: Barts - Ben More EDP

This Christmas Soap is supposed to smell a bit like biscuits. I get it in the background but being for Christmas I want to be smacked in the face by it! Ah well, not to worry. I do love a bit of barts balm though, inexpensive and no nonsense performance.

Challenge: Shave in a Hat Admittedly I was going to lather in then don the hat, but I didn't have time for two showers this morning before work. So here's my ugly mug in my treasured RWC 2015 hat!

Photocontest

Forgive me for this one, aiming this one at 'Prius', once again missed opportunities earlier on in the calender forced my hand.

Have a grand shave all!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 26-Jun-24

• Brush: Wald - A1 #OLDWORLD #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Blackland Razors - Sabre #CNC #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Noble Otter - Monoi De Tahiti
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Monoi De Tahiti AS
• Fragrance: Noble Otter - Monoi De Tahiti EDP

User dares to use actual shaving gear rather than motor oil and a hedge trimmer (#Scrub).

Sorry all, once again failed to get sponsors slotted in elsewhere and had to bang this in here. I'll try again next year and perhaps manage to do something radical!

Challenge - Clean Brush Talk

I would assume this is a very standard affair, but Post Shave have water rinsing through whilst hand lathering until it runs clear. Then a few more under the tap followed by squeezing and flicking out the excess water. Finally a little brush on the towel and leave out to air dry in the bedroom before eventually (read that as when the table is overflowing with brushes and the Mrs raises an eyebrow) popping back into storage. That's about it really, I did give a few of them a deeper clean with gentle shampoo, but didn't seem to do much above what I do as normal so I'll probably not bother again.

Photocontest

With the user having the audacity to use actual shaving gear I give you a shocked otter aimed at 'Humour'. Well I found it funny, but then my sense of humour is very much pitched at the childish.

Have a grand one all.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 27-Jun-24

• Brush: Semogue - TSN Final Edition 2023 #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Charcoal Goods - Gen 1 Level 3 #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Vor V
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - Vor V AS Toner
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - Vor V Balm
• Fragrance: Wholly Kaw - Vor V EDP

Information Overload

Ok so I flipped around on this one so much, desperately trying to find one that would work for my calender. This one was originally pegged for Halloween, before Boonana came to the rescue. To my relief this one has 11 scent notes:

Geranium, Raspberry, Nutmeg, Saffron, Oud, Black Tea, Cashmeran, Musk, Leather, Amber and Vanilla.

Honestly though, with my nose I could only really identify Raspberry, Leather and Vanilla, what I do know is that I like it, so much so that I went to the effort of getting the scent which is no easy feat over here.

Challenge - Leftorium Challenge

With last year's attempt to have my Mrs have a go at my face with a blade (there's trust there), I thought with an additional year on her I could get the daughter (5 y/o) involved. Unfortunately I made the grievous error of picking the Gen 1 CG Lvl 3, I could have robbed the other half's leaf, lesson learnt.

The Mrs did suggest giving it to her without the blade, but I told her that defeats the purpose. Admittedly it started to tingle somewhat when she kept going over the same area, and I was sweating like a vicar in a house of ill repute, purely out of nerves. I let her go for the one pass, she got most of the way through, with one nerve wracking moment on the neck against the grain. So here was my daughter's effort, again sped up a lot so as not to waste people's time.

I will admit I bottled it after that, took control and went to finish off the remaining passes with my left hand, which was uneventful barring a couple of slight nicks, one the chin and neck. So despite her not completing the full shave she still get a dessert as a reward!

Photocontest

This one is aimed at 'Steam Punk'.

Have a grand one all and good luck!

Cheers

Marc

Player lets 5yo daughter shave his face for Leftorium challenge.

LGSOTD 28-Jun-24

• Brush: Generic - Awful Synth
• Razor: Stoll Jr. - 3D Lathercatcher
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Mastro Miche - Rive Gauche
• Post Shave: Noxzema - Crema Rasatura Perfetta
• Fragrance: Artiscent Atelier - Vetiver Arome EDP

Frugal Friday So obviously the aim is to go for all the cheapest gear that I have to hand. So I give you a brief breakdown.

Generic Awful Brush - £4.99

I was sorely tempted to dip out on the cheapest brush, this thing is god awful. It's pokey and crap at holding lather for the following passes. I only kept it around for these sort of challenges!

Mastro Miche - Rive Gauche - £4.50

I imagine there'll be a lot of arko on show today. But for the price this one isn't half bad, though to call it a soap stick is a bit of a stretch. It's more like formed croap. I'll just have to press it down into the bottom of a mug.

Stoll Jr. - 3D Lathercatcher ~ 29p

The razor was harder to judge as a friend did this one for me gratis, so technically free. But to put a value on it, the black filament was about £15.99 for 1kg, the razor weighs in at 18g, so around (15.99/1000)*18 = 29p

Persona GEM Blade - 18p

Now I know you can get these cheaper elsewhere, but the service from connaught is second to none. A tray (100 blades) of these being £18, so 18p per blade.

Noxzema - Crema Rasatura Perfetta - £3.60

Much prefer aftershave splashes, but a balm in a pinch is OK. This one is inoffensive, has what seems like a bit of menthol in there which is pleasant, and works very well.

Artiscent Atelier - Vetiver Arome EDP - £10

Sods law, when I was taking the pic I missed the fragrance. A perfectly acceptable scent, nothing to write home about but for the price it is remarkably good value!

Giving me a grand total = £23.56

Barring the brush, which I would have been better off picking out my omega and sacrificing the extra couple of pound, it's a nice cheap setup.

The more I think on it though, I'm not sure I ever really got into this for monetary reasons, and if I did I sure as shit missed the mark. I still find pleasure in using the luxuries!

Photocontest

Going with the daily theme, I give you 'Money' with the total cash that my shave cost me minus the Fragrance. I completely bloody forgot about it until after I had already taken the picture and I didn't have an extra £10 to throw in. I was lucky to have any at all, I barely use cash nowadays.

Stay strong all, we're almost there!

Have a cracking day all and a good kick off to the weekend!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 29-Jun-24

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Bone Lilly' V23 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: Merkur - 39C #ZAMAC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Sir Henry - Sandalwood
• Post Shave: Sir Henry - Sandalwood AS

Bit of a delay in posting today, it was supposed to be my sleep in day today whilst the Mrs takes the little one to dance class. Alas, the other half finds out last minute it was the final class of the term so all parents were able to go and watch...Mrs came and shook me awake, not even a chance to shower and shave until now. Ah well, I'll sleep when I'm dead.

Despite the disrupted morning, and my now 'otherwise' mood, it was a pleasant shave with the Sir Henry Sandalwood. I've got a couple of their sets and they are actually quite nice, I find the soap a little drying but their splash makes up for it. I prefer their Quartet (Barbershop), but this is decent.

Daily Challenge - Do Our Homework Day

ROTY

If I'm right I think there's only been 3 or so contestants that have picked up all the ROTY tags (bmac92, BossHoggins10, Brokenjaw622), might be wrong if course. Of those I would say bmac92, certainly effort had gone into the posts and by the look of it he's going for max tags and bonus points.

Photocontest

This is a tough one, as to the actual photo contest in terms of points I have zero clue. But there have been some real standout pictures that have seriously drawn my eye. iamhonestlylying's day 20 cannonball pic was brilliant, brokenjaw622 on day 9 for darkness was great but I think my favourite was chronnoisseur420 on day 11, the Lavender set with the lego just looked amazing!

Feats Of Fragrance

Absolutely no bloody clue, I have zero clue when it comes to Fragrance, so people could be talking utter rubbish for all I know. But I'll pick schontzm because the name is somewhat like schnoz.

Overall Lather Games Champion

This feels like it could be anyone's game at the moment. I mean ok, not anyone's but there seems to be a good few viable contenders. Could Priusaurus be the first back to back winnner or will someone be able to prise it from his lathered hands (or I think it'd be the first), perhaps MrTangerinesky will romp away with the win, or will hugbckt and his excellent memes take crown (I enjoyed those). Though I've not been keeping score (who has time for that), I think I'll give it to MrTangerinesky. That's not for one singular thing, as frankly I think it's too close to call without masses of spreadsheets or a clever judging portal to hand! Saying that, I could have completely overlooked the top contender and completely ballsed up my guess!

Photocontest

Aiming this one at 'Trash' (Rubbish), because, to quote u/tsrblke "here's theme, because I need to hit theme.".

Might be completely off so either which way, happy shaves and have a grand day all!

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 30-Jun-24

• Brush: Zenith - MOAR Boar #SUBBROOSH #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Atelier Durdan - Vestige ++ #CNC #MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Trouble Maker
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Trouble Maker AS
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavender Interupted

Well that's all folks, it's been a fun run and everyone has done well to make it through. There's been a lot of excellent posts, some entertaining hijinx with only a small amount of drama.

So for for today's theme and challenge - International Day, all my gear is from a country other than my own current residence.

Zenith - MOAR Boar - Palermo, Italy

Atelier Durdan - Vestige - Veyron, France

Personna GEM Blade - Verona, VA, USA - or possibly Obregon, Mexico

Summer Break Soap - Trouble Maker - Kearney, NE, USA - I think this is the rough origin, my searching skills failed me.

Barrister and Mann - Lavender Interrupted - Hartwick, NY, USA

Fingers crossed those are at least roughly accurate, either which way none of it is made near me in North Wales, so I'm at least safe in that respect! Though it would be considerably more convenient they were.

Photocontest

Final theme for the month 'Soccer', I most certainly call it football though! With football being the world's most popular sport I think that fits fairly well with the international challenge! That being said I can't stand the sport, I'm rugby through and through. This is actually my daughter's football, she loves to play.

I never set out for any wins, my only intention was to have a little fun, play along and enjoy everyone's quality posts. So in that respect, I've won and achieved what I set out to do! I've thoroughly enjoyed the photocontest, really must plan better though, there were a number of missed opportunities, but still fun.

Really though, I'd like to thank the various sponsors for stepping up and to the djudges for running this thing. You can see that it takes a lot of effort and time to plan and execute this, I mean we're looking at a global competition here, so trying to arrange something that everyone can participate in (at least to a degree) is an impressive feat. So thank you for giving up your personal time both before, during and after as we know it doesn't end with the final calender day, it is very much appreciated.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has taken part. Without the efforts the majority put in, this would be a boring affair. So thank you all!

To that end, for the final time, everyone have a cracking day and I'll see you for AA!

Cheers

Marc