LGSOTD 01-July

• Brush: Omega/Shave Factory - 10049 #HOLLOW #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Rolls Razor  #SELFSHARPENING   
• Blade: Rolls Razor Blade   
• Lather: Talbot Shaving – Iliahi Ridge
• Post Shave: Superdrug - Forest Fresh Aftershave 

This is my first Lather Games so fingers crossed I am doing this right, if not ah well, it’s all in good fun!

Tried to make this one a first for everything barring the brush, the Talbot Shaving Iliahi ridge was a freebie with a Charcoal Goods purchase earlier this year, it’s been sat in the drawer of mystery ever since.  Whilst quite mellow off the puck it kicks it up a notch on lathering, sandalwood seemingly but seeing as my only other experience with sandalwood is proraso and B&M I have a limited range for comparison, good though and lathered a dream with the piggy.  

The Superdrug Forest Fresh was remarkably good considering the price, if I remember rightly it was only a couple of quid but was perfectly acceptable, run of the mill type scent. What I didn't take notice of was the lack of a restrictor, so I ended up with enough in hand (and on the floor) that the scent is probably so intense now that I smell like I work in the world's oldest profession.

Now the rolls was an odd one, I’m sure this will be many people’s Special Challenge razor today.  I’ve never tried one before and I think it could do with a slightly better condition strop plate. The thing looks a little intimidating but it's actually fine. I’ll say it was an ok finish but not great but it's piqued my curiosity. I might actually consider digging a little further into this! 

Hope everyone has a good kick off to the games and a grand day. 

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 02-July

• Brush: Simpson Chubby 2 Synthetic Bristle #PREMIUMPLASTIC #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Wolfman - WR3 OC 0.50 #CNC #(ICan'tBelieveIt'sNot)ButterTheToastDay 
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE 
• Lather: HAGS - Undertow
• Post Shave: HAGS – Undertow

The HAGS vegan undertow is very good, I’ve had a couple of HAGS sets pass through my hands but this is the only one that remains. It’s not particularly unique, being one of a million Aventus ‘inspired’ scents, but it is just pleasant in and of itself. As a side, whether stork counts as food for the photo scavenger hunt is debatable, at the very least it remains on the vegan theme, or at least that's what my Mrs said (and subsequent googling showed) when she asked me what the hell I was doing snapping a pic of my shaving gear and a block of (not)butter in the middle of the dining table! 

I intended the slim for today just so I had something a little on the mild side after the rolls yesterday but the daily challenge must be adhered to, well at least where I can, so out comes the WR3. I have a handful of SE razors (mainly GEMS) but this is a cracker. After participating in the passaround in the UK I had to get my hands on one, despite some comparisons I've seen to droids which made me chuckle, I loved it so beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. So, in went the Google form and the wait began. Luckily the wait was short but I'm glad Tara's patience wasn't, with more than a handful of back and forths, a stunning razor with a gap that, luckily, was perfect for me landed on my doorstep. James really does amazing work. 

Great shave, smooth and smelling good. 

Sadly my ability to lyricise is sorely lacking but kudos /u/Crisp_Mango, truly inventive, well done! 

Hope everyone has a grand Sunday.

Cheers

Marc 

Ps. I have no idea whether this is the way to put links in or shout out to other users, I'm truly a reddit ludite. But if nothing else these games will be a lesson (and a giggle). 

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LGSOTD 03-July

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - 'Finned' V14 #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: GEM - Junior  #BRASSING #TWINS
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE 
• Lather: Cella – Extra Extra Purissima   
• Post Shave: Thayers – Lemon Astringent

Well, that was deeply unpleasant, I cannot stand marzipan in any form and if the scent is present in any form I cannot smell anything else. To voluntarily slap this on my face took a bit of resolve, but seeing as it’s my first effort this year I couldn’t skip one in the first few days.  I will say I cannot argue with the performance it was perfectly acceptable, but it will not see the light of day again beyond a PIF box. 

However the shave was made better by both the GEM Junior (tomorrow being the ER 1912 to make up the twins, or I think so anyway) and one of my favourite C&H brushes. Picked this up directly over a year ago in another heart racing, fastest finger drop and it quickly became one of my favourites. I'm still a big fan of my first Casanova V11 but this one is right up there. I've sworn off (on more than one occasion) picking more up with knots installed…but tell that to my additional purchases that go right through to V18 and I've not regretted one of them, I swear it's an addiction! 

The daily challenge being to honour the former king and reigning champ /u/RedMosquitoMM, no offence, all in jest (being new to the games and only recently starting to become active I'm still getting to know the crowd). However re-reading some of his prior games post and posts in general I can see valued contributions along with some amusing comments. I particularly enjoyed the likes of non-spooky summer solstice and he also seems to really understand scents, I most definitely do not…think caveman - "Good" or "Bad", I can see why he was declared the winner, well played. 

Hope everyone has a good kick off to the week. 

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 04-July

• Brush: AP Shave Co. - Handcraft Lemon Drop 26mm TGN Boar #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE #TOLL
• Razor: Ever Ready - 1912 #TWINS
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE
• Lather: Gentleman’s Nod - Juniper
• Post Shave: Gentleman’s Nod – Juniper AS
• Fragrance: Gentleman’s Nod – Juniper EDP

Introduction

The issue attempting to be resolved by the following experiment is the reduction of terminal hair growth, ensuring the use of a sufficiently keen blade loaded into a carefully engineered receptacle utilising a brush comprised of the hair of sus scrofa to create a lather of sufficient density and lubrication from a soap inspired by the vernal equinox to ensure removal of said growth with the absence of dermal irritation.

Equipment and Method

• Brush: 64.11mm Loft, TGN sus scrofa
• Water Hardness: ≤50ppm mineral content
• Water Volume: Absolute volume not recorded, added dropwise^(1)
• Load: 20 seconds
• Rotations: \~15 clockwise, 15 anticlockwise
• Brush Pressure: Minimal
• Lather Building: 60 seconds
• Blade and Receptacle: 3-faceted PTFE coated stainless steel blade held in a spring loaded ever-ready 1912
• Passes: 2
• Direction(s): WTG/ATG

• Pressure: Minimal

• ok I didn’t actually add dropwise as I don’t have a pipette at home

Following the methods above a lather of sufficient density and slickness was created to ensure drag-free movement of the blade and receptacle. Whilst not all presence of terminal hair was removed, a sufficient quantity was removed to obtain a smooth and irritation free outcome.

Discussion

Whilst there are always margins for error within any experiment, with influence both external^(2) and internal^(3), pre-analytical error^(4) and manufacturing tolerances that cannot be accounted for, the outcome was positive and with said methods recorded we are 95% confident that the outcome could be replicated over multiple iterations, however new user influences must be taken into account.

1. Screaming kid

2. Damn Tired

3. Bugger I miss loaded the blade

…load of waffle but kept me amused, I don’t often pay attention to what I am doing but that genuinely made me keep my mind in it, perhaps not quite as relaxing as the norm but certainly interesting. The AP Shave Co. handle picked up from a handcraft drop (a couple of years ago I think) is perfect for a tall boar, fits perfectly in my dinner plate sized hands. Threw in one of my work reference books, which I only just realised is also on theme for the photo scavenger hunt - happy coincidence.

Cracking shave, smelling good and looking forward to the day ahead.

Hope everyone has a grand day.

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 05-July

• Brush:  Haryali - Synthetic Silvertip #FAUXFUR 
• Razor:  Haryali - Travel Razor #JETSETTER 
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium
• Lather: Gillette – Labs Skincare Rapid Foaming Gel   
• Post Shave: L’Oreal Men Expert Hydra Energetic

It has been years since I used canned goop, the last time I used the stuff the sensor excel was still the big thing and I don’t think they’d got above 2 blades in general (or I certainly hadn’t noticed). Squirted some of the gel onto the brush (actually worked quite well).  There seems to be some sort of cooling effect which actually wasn’t unpleasant.  Despite that it will be very unlikely that this will see the light of day again and will probably join the Cella in exile. 

This Haryali synthetic silvertip brush actually isn’t that bad, did an ok job with the gel, barring dollops that were flicked around. Would this thing ever replace my Chubby 2 SiLVERTiP…not a chance on this earth.  However it’s not a bad little brush to throw into the travel bag if I needed something that I didn’t care whether it got damaged or not.  Also went for the Haryali Travel Razor, the shave actually wasn’t that bad, the quality of the finish a lot to be desired though, the plating isn’t great and there was a lot of dust in the handle but it actually gave an ok shave, but rough on the ATG pass but I don't know whether that was partially the fault of the canned goop! 

Theme for the photo scavenger hunt, but I wanted to get space and travel together and stealing my 4 year olds lego was the only way! 

For today's challenge, this is tough for me.  I do not detect subtle notes or understand how scents interact, it’s just not the way I’m wired. So all I can do is a student dinner (see what’s in the cupboard that you like, throw it together and hope you can keep it down)...so to that end:

I absolutely love Noble Otter Plunder, the strong smoke coming off it is amazing, so I would take that with a good helping of Tom Ford Ombre Leather and a touch of A&E Tobacco Road, and maybe a dash of vanilla (not sure about that one and it's probably in the others somewhere). If you were to crack on for a soap as well, do the same but add to that just a touch of cooling agent (think Stirling Margaritas in the Arctic strength, not B&M Terror - I still have some horrid flashbacks to a very unfortunate incident) and that’d be me.  Smoky, leather, Tobacco, Vanilla and the soap with a hint of chill.  At least in my head that would work for me, whether it would in reality is a completely different matter.

Have a good one all.

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 06-July

• Brush: Simpson - Chubby 1 #ANCIENT 
• Razor:  Blackland - Blackbird #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Vor V
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw – Vor V Toner
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw – Vor V Balm
• Fragrance: Wholly Kaw – Vor V EDP

If the judges were trying to make us really appreciate a proper soap and the artisans behind them, after yesterday's canned goop, I think you can give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done. Opening this up and getting a lather going was a relief! 

Took me a while to piece this Vor V set together, we don't often get the EDPs this side of the pond. Think I picked up the soap, balm and splash in December 2021 from Maggards then eventually managed to get the EDP from Slickboys. I use it sparingly as I know it probably won't appear on these shores again, but I love it. 

This brush was purchased in roughly 2011/2012, still going strong and a solid performer but prefer slightly larger brushes. 

For the challenge today, I have to be absolutely honest, I chickened out. I did have my Friodur 17 lined up but I really didn't want to see my beloved straight dinged up to high heaven. Enter the Blackbird, this was one of, if not the first, modern razor I picked up, often my travel razor just for the efficiency and how solid it is. Tried to stack the entire setup but for the life of me couldn't get the brush to balance but I've given it a shot, though apologies for the angle of the pic, my little one had pulled all her toys out in her bedroom and I didn't think you'd fancy seeing that mess!

Have a grand day all. 

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 07-July

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - Mammoth #SHD #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Myatt - Daymark #UNICORN
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium  
• Lather: Shulton – Old Spice   
• Post Shave: Shulton – Old Spice AS   
• Fragrance: Shulton – Old Spice Cologne  

Absolutely love the original old spice, managed to pick up a couple of pucks and a handful of original aftershaves, but this little travel bottle of cologne is all I’ve managed to get my hands on so I use it sparingly, bloody good though.  I’ve tried a handful of dupes, and the only one that I’ve settled on, should these run out in the near future is B&M Reserve Spice.  In the meantime this should cover the spicy aim of the day, brilliant stuff. 

Picked up the Daymark from that well known auction site, more for interest than anything else, but decided to throw that in the mix today.  Obviously doesn't accept standard blades so decided I would try to snip it to get it to fit.  Worked surprisingly well, I’m sure I could have cut it better but it worked well enough. Blade was flat and exposure was even when put together, giving a perfectly acceptable shave off a tad mild.

For the challenge today, tricky one. I don't have many obsessive past times, bit of DIY and subsequent TAD (Tool Acquisition Disorder) and motorbikes, going off in the mountains with a load of old folk reliving their youth as they can now afford the toys they wanted as teens. Really I would say bouldering would be my main alternative, certainly at this time of year.  Though no online presence within my little group, I would say they are just as nuts. I mean who voluntarily slings themselves up a rock face with no ropes and a dinky mat (or no mat) to try and hit when you fall off, and you absolutely will fall off. Ripping your your hands open, then being mocked for taking a break and being told to grab the tape and put yourself back together.  All this with tourists driving past us on the Llanberis pass whilst we stare blankly at a rock discussing the best way to get up. Going on to discuss whether you successfully pulled off that 6C (yeah I’m not that good but it’s fun) or whether you got lost halfway and meandered on to an easy 4, if there’s anymore boulderers out there, yes I know the V scale is easier than the Font scale to understand but it’s what I started with.  All of this followed by a swift pint of coffee at Pete’s Eats, I may be British but I can’t do tea.  Unfortunately, or not so much, with the closure we now have to go to a pub for several proper pints instead…what a shame. Sorry for the ramble! 

For the photo contest, I’m pushing my luck, here we have an extinct animal…well ok bits of Wooly Mammoth.  Cracking brush put together by Rob in collaboration with Heritage Fossils!

Decent shave and hope everyone has a good one.

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 08-July

• Brush: Muhle Rhytmo Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Henkotsu Kamisori #KAMISORI   
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Fougère Angelique   
• Post Shave: Barts Balm - Ben Nevis

One of my early day brushes, given to me by my wife as a christmas present as part of a set…I suppose I could pass the blame on to her for getting me started down the rabbit warren!  The knot isn’t anything special, and it has a backbone like a willow but it serves its purpose and I couldn't get rid of it. 

I’ve only tried this Kamisori a couple of times, I’m still not completely sold on it and much prefer my standard straights and western grind. It doesn't help that I've really struggled to put a proper edge on it, it does the job but it's not quite there. 

I absolutely love this Angelique soap though, picked it up from Maggards a good while ago.  Just a shame that I can’t get my hands on the splash to go along with it.  If I’m ever in the states again I may have to place an order to a hotel in the hopes I can bring it back with me.  I don’t have much in the way of software to complement Angelique, my other fougeres just don't seem to go so I usually throw on Thayers Lemon but decided to slap on Barts Ben Nevis instead, I guessed ahead of time this wasn't going to be the smoothest with the kami. 

I've garnered some useful information from the DQ thread in the past, I think as you say /u/Crisp_Mango, today is not that day, I almost put a disclaimer for people looking for genuine advice. Though there are instances where the advice tries to be helpful, though reading through the alt comments now from Friday I've taken some helpful info away myself.

Not daily question related but thank you again for the education that imgur images can be hidden in free talk Friday. After switching all of my pics over I thought they needed to be public, after being swiftly downvoted by the general public…philistines…I hid them again. Though one kind individual did ask whether I liked whisky and if so to try lapsang souchong in response to my 'I don't like tea' pic, weird but oddly kind. 

Hope everyone has a good kick off to the weekend. 

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 09-July

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Declaration Grooming B16 #SHD
• Razor: Henckels Friodur 17  #STR8SNOB   
• Lather: Ariana & Evans – Cha Cha Matcha
• Post Shave: Ariana & Evans – Cha Cha Matcha AS

To cover the theme for the day I'm cracking on with tea, but in this instance it's green. Whilst again I'm not a fan of the drink, much prefer the morning kick up the arse with coffee but I struggled to find one in Soap form, but this is actually quite pleasant. Unsurprisingly green, fresh and very decent performance, the splash has a fair longevity as well. 

Diving on with the straight as well, the Friodur 17 is a cracking razor. I thought going to 7/8 would be a bit of a step up but it's actually very manoeuvrable, as with my two others it holds it's edge really well. Wonderfully smooth finish. 

For the challenge of the day, shaving in the kitchen. I realise that this is only early days and the challenges are likely to escalate, but I've already got my Mrs sizing me up for a straight jacket. A very strange setup, I'm 6'5" so trying to shave over the sink was a no go. I had no option but to shave over the hob, mirror on the extractor and a pot to dump the lather/rinse the razor, weird. Saying that, shaving in natural light was actually quite nice for once. 

Think I can slot the hob on as technology, not particularly advanced I know…perhaps a stretch, nay worries! 

Safe shaves everyone, have a good'un. 

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 10-July

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - 'Eyespot' V18 #SHD #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Gillette - Slim J2 #DIAL 
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium   
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Electric Mayhem   
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Electric Mayhem AS   
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Electric Mayhem EDT

I am in no way musical, don't get me wrong I tried in my youth and I could just about get away with classical guitar, not particularly competent. Then, misguided, decided in my uni days to try out electric, that lasted all of two weeks. But my hoarding ways pay off, a couple of decades later the thing has finally seen the light of day and today it has been more useful than it has ever been before to hit the scavenger hunt for music…now it's back into the depths again probably never to see the light of day again. 

I like Electric Mayhem for a warm day, and we're halfway there despite being overcast, it's still bloomin warm. It's strange but I really do think Neon when I use this, I've never considered electricswing my thing but this is lovely. Does this also hit the Shawn Mayer vendor points? Not sure with respect to the rules but fingers crossed. 

Daily Challenge was to draw a pic of the soap, chose pencil and pen, can't for the life of me draw faces so we've got a creepy featureless creature, there was no way I was drawing the little people on the LP and I made the clefs too big but gave it a go. My daughter pinched it afterwards to colour in but she takes weeks so sadly no colour, she's only young. 

Hope everyone has a grand one. 

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 11-July

• Brush: Cadman - Tuxedo 30mm #CHONK     
• Razor: Frederick Reynolds - Swayback 13/16 Horn Scales #ALLNATURAL   
• Lather: Noble Otter - Jack
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Jack   

The Cadman brush is a great one, solid handle and whips up a great lather, and it's surprisingly not that hungry a brush despite its size. Picked up this Swayback from Griffiths Shaving a couple of months ago, solid and hefty razor.  My only barbers notch and I think it won’t be my last, I keep eyeing up a second Koraat (that damn configurator!) but we’ll see how we go. 

I've been looking forward to Jack, I have a good number of NO sets and love the vast majority, Plunder, Firefighter and Manoi being at the top.  I actually waited until today to use Jack for the first time, and it should hit the mark for Citrus Accords.  I was a little worried when I saw orange in the description, for whatever reason whenever orange is in something then that tends to be all I can pick up, and I am getting what seems like a strong hit to it, I have no idea why I pick that up so strongly. I don't think this is necessarily the soap, I think it's my nose, I had the same issue with Signature Soaps Novus Spice in which Brian said that he'd only added a small amount. Obviously standard NO performance, though of the card sets so far, Joker is in the lead. 

Edit: what I did forget to mention is that the wife passed positive comments, so might not be to my taste but is to the Mrs

Trying for the today's colour coordinated challenge and made it a green summer theme, fingers crossed this is the sort thing, I'm not exactly artistically inclined but have to give it a bash.  On the plus side I popped in the Noble Otter card set to capture the ‘Gaming’ item.  Best set of cards I own, I may have purchased a handful of sets for when I inevitably wear these out, my daughter loves the artwork.

Cracking shave and seemingly smelling good, hope everyone has a grand day.

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 12-July

• Brush: Simpsons - Chubby 2 SiLVERTiP
• Razor: Gillette - Old Type #REGUS   
• Blade: Gillette - Wizamet  
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles - Revolution   
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles - Revolution
• Fragrance: Catie’s Bubbles - Revolution

A last minute substitution, I had fully intended to use Signature Soaps today which contains Potassium Cocoate but after a BST purchase from a fellow LG contestant, which I didn’t realise before buying, I had to throw this in the mix as soon as I realised that it contained coconut oil.  

To be fair this was probably a bad idea, mainly because of the extra ‘opposite day’ challenge.  When I started out I used to bowl lather and thought nothing would change, got myself a little collection going with the obligatory muhle porcelain effort, dog bowls, scuttles and eventually a captains choice bowl. At that point I was out of town for a while and forgot the bowl and just went to the face…why hadn't I done that sooner!? I've not looked back since and so I am well and truly out of practice and the bowl sits under the sink unloved.  On top of that it’s a soap base that I have never used before, already this is not the best idea in the world.  So it really was a bit of a challenge but it didn’t come out too bad but I know both it and I can do better, it’s just my cack handedness. 

My sub-par lather aside, it doesn't take away from the scent on this. I had in my mind that it was going to be something like A&E Novelist, it is not. This has its own character and it's brilliant. It's stronger than Novelist and darker, but in a good way. The description helps to guide the mind of course but I imagine an old library, not the dodgy public ones, more curated antiques. I'll see what the longevity is like on the EDP but it's looking hopeful. Shame we can't seem to get more bubbles this side of the pond. 

Throwing in my Gillette Old Type for the REGUS tags, I picked this up as part of a Khaki Travel and though it does tend to be used for that purpose it really isn't.  It’s a lovely little razor, I would say that I prefer my ‘NEW’ but this does the job very well. 

Hope everyone has a cracking day. 

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 13-July

• Brush: Simpsons - Wee Scot #SMOLL #RUNT #OLDWORLD   
• Razor: Lambda - Athena #CNC   
• Blade: Gillette Rubie   
• Lather: Hampshire Wool fat - Original Patchouli
• Post Shave: Old Jeds Aftershave Balm - Patchouli

First time trying this Hampshire wool fat original patchouli scent along with Jeds Patchouli balm, I feel like I need to get some beads and a tie dye shirt for this shave. Hampshire is much lauded on the home forum, but just never got around to it, but I'm glad I did. Relatively soft, in consistency but excellent performance still prefer OG mitchells but it'll work. The balm wasn't bad either, I prefer a splash but this did the trick in a pinch. 

The Athena is a cracking razor, a lot of the draw initially is the packaging with the wooden box it comes in but it is an excellent razor for me. Efficient and smooth running, my only criticism (and I'm really reaching) is that the corners of the baseplate could be a little more rounded, beyond that it's brilliant.

Gotta be honest, today's extra challenge was a tough one. I went through so many songs trying to find something that was an ode to patchouli, but frankly the vast majority made my ears bleed or my brain rot which I just couldn't inflict on the judges, it truly is a hippy scent. But in my efforts I did find one that didn't make me cringe, a satirical ode to hippies and patchouli that made me chuckle whilst using the tiniest brush in my collection which also elicited a chuckle in itself, generates a surprisingly large amount of lather but it does take a bit of effort…it was a long shave…enjoy. 

Hippy shaves everyone! 

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 14-July

• Brush: Highlander - M7 Style #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Karve - CB G  
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium   
• Lather: Stirling Soap Company – Margaritas in the Arctic   
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Company – Margaritas in the Arctic AS
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Company - Margaritas in the Arctic Balm

My collection of mentholated soaps is limited. I've tried B&M Terror, and after an unfortunate incident that involved accidental cross contamination (some tears and a speedy entry to the shower), I swiftly moved it on. I've found that Margaritas is more my speed as I've mentioned before, a nice hint that doesn't last too long and so far no accidents. Though I am looking forward to other entries for today's theme, very interested to see what's out there and potentially expand my horizons. Though to be fair, price to performance, Stirling is hard to beat! 

Today's challenge was to go straight ATG, now I know the instructions were for at least half the face but I decided to do the lot. Trying to be a little sensible I thought I'd go for a relatively high gap in an effort to up the efficiency, hence employing the G plate which seemed logical to me, this was a last minute switch up before the shave but I was confident. Main face was no drama, I tend to do WTG straight to ATG, so it was a hop but not a massive leap. But as implied by the instructions the neck can be a tender area. Luckily it wasn't too bad, but there was a bit of feedback from the splash but really not much. It didn't feel like there was going to be irritation but just in case I brought in the balm (not pictured) to use after the splash just to make sure things stayed calm. 

Decent shave, but I won't be dropping the first WTG pass anytime soon, perhaps if I'm in a massive rush but otherwise I prefer the time. 

Hope everyone has a cracking day. 

Cheers

Marc

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LGSOTD 15-July

• Brush: Simpson - M7 Manchurian #OLDWORLD  
• Razor: E2UK DE #RAINBOW 
• Blade: London Bridge 
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Le Grand Chypre
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Le Grand Chypre AS

I was on the fence today with the software selection, I had tried to look around and see what was classified as a chypre other than Le Grand.  I did a run around on Fragrantica checking what I had in hand. It pulled out GFT Eucris but wasn't sure if it would cut it, this is way above my head, I'm still learning. . So instead I went with the safe bet of Le Grand Chypre.  Standard B&M performance which is cracking. If eucris is one then I'm gutted, love that stuff. 

This razor is a no-name effort, I actually stole it from the Mrs for the tags. She tried this when I convinced her to switch but she didn't get on with it and frankly neither do I.  It’s bloody awful, louder than a buzz saw but about as effective as a soggy sponge. On top of that the finish (unsurprisingly) is also awful, I wouldn't even PIF this on my worst enemy. 

Daily Challenge, Urrgh, take a video or tell you about my favourite wet shaving YouTube person and why they’re better than VisceralWatch. This was not a challenge I looked forward to regardless of the route I took.  Hardly any pictures of me exist, never mind videos, so youtube it was (maybe next year) though this in itself has its own barriers!  The biggest one, I don’t routinely watch wetshaving YouTube people (stars?), bugger.  The only reason I've been to YouTube was for honing advice, for this the main man Lynn Abrams being my pick. The videos just made sense, simple but also giving specifics allowing me to follow closely right from setting a bevel, actual honing through to refreshing.  

Now, why is he better than VisceralWatch, off the bat not a clue, the main problem being I have no idea who VisceralWatch is, HD Shaves? Think so from my reddit search. So to give a fair shout I had to go and watch….some time later...well that was an eye opener. He’s certainly reviewed a vast quantity of hardware and software, and of those I saw they were comprehensive. But why is Lynn Abrams better… sorry mate, that was the content I was after. Perhaps I've been living under a rock, I really am new to this particular corner of the internet.

Ah well, decent software but subpar finish, I’m looking forward to a better one tomorrow!

Hope everyone has a grand day.

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

#PhotoContest

LGSOTD 16-July

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - Manga V16 #SHD 
• Razor: Koraat - 6/8 Ebony Scales #ALLNATURAL #STR8SNOB   
• Lather: Ariana and Evans – Barbiere Classico  
• Post Shave: Ariana and Evans – Barbiere Classico AS
• Fragrance: Ariana and Evans – Barbiere Classico EDP

Newly acquired A&E Barbiere Classico is an excellent scent. Used it a couple of times so far and chuffed to bits. One of the few suppliers that I can get alcohol splashes and EDPs via direct ordering. Top that off with the cracking Koraat lead to a wonderful shave, though I prefer full hollow over near wedge (exception being my 72-V). I do want to get my hands on another when I get back from holiday in August, currently thinking double concave full hollow, barbers notch with a rounded point and a bit of spine work. Undecided on scales yet, but we'll see. 

Now for the challenge, meme day. Here's my effort and one that came to mind when I thought back to when I first started out. Though I obviously knew what it stood for, it still left scratching my head and thinking why bother. Of course as I gained experience I realised it was absolutely necessary, live and learn. 

Hope everyone has a cracking day. 

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

LGSOTD 17-July

• Brush: Highlander - Matte Chubby #PREMIUMPLASTIC #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Charcoal Goods - Gen 1 Level 3
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium 
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus   
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Cerberus   
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Cerberus  

Might be pushing my luck here, but surely 3 is better than 2.  Alternatively if the soap base was by DG, the Splash by NO and the Fragrance by HOM so was the fragrance by HOM used in the Soap and the Splash, meaning 2 collaborators on the Soap and 2 on the splash? Bugger it, it’s all I’ve been able to find in the den that meets any form of collaboration, or at least all I was able to recognise where they are also on the label!  This one is decent but much prefer the fougere release. I can use that one daily whereas this one is probably a bit much with me being at home in a room by myself typing away on a keyboard and talking on Teams, ah well. 

Threw in the Osma at the back end to meet the daily challenge. To be fair, completely forgot I even had that in the box of mystery. I very rarely use alum in any form, I just didn't feel any benefit using it routinely other than punishing me if I've been a tad over zealous. But if any razor is going to need it, then the CG Level 3 is one of them. The Gen 1 is fairly blade forward and it lets you know, very efficient though, but overall a grand shave. Tomorrow's challenge outcome should be seriously underwhelming after today's efficiency. 

Hope everyone has a good kick off to the week. 

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

LGSOTD 18-July

• Brush: Simpsons - M7 Manchurian   
• Razor: Blackland - Tradere  
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium
• Lather: Ariana & Evans - Revolution
• Post Shave: Ariana & Evans - Revolution
• Fragrance: Viktor Rolf - Spicebomb

A woody-spicy scent and one that I've always loved ever since catching a whiff in Debenhams years ago, and more importantly the Mrs loves it as well! I went looking around for dupes to get my grubby mitts on and it was only when one of my fellow forum members suggested this one. Would never have linked them based on the artwork, but took the leap and glad I did. Tomorrow's selection would probably be on the nose for this category but decisions had to be made.

Decided to run with the Tradere OC today, nicely efficient and will perhaps give me the best chance of getting a decent showing.  Love this tradere, I wasn’t around when the original came around so being able to give it a bash with Blacklands recreation was brilliant.  On top of that, the recent announcement of a final run and the opportunity to get my hands on parts has allowed me to get an order in for the SB baseplate, can’t wait for that to arrive on these shores.

Now for the challenge of the day, this one is genuinely pathetic. Yesterday's shave was incredibly efficient, so growth today wasn't massive, but I still had a go. Though the Mrs now thinks I'm absolutely batshit, end of the shave tried to half open the plug, whoosh good chunk went down the sink, couldn't stop the loud expletives, wife comes rushing into the bathroom to check what's wrong and I whinge that it's gone down the sink. The look of utter bewilderment will stay with me forever. 

Edit: I had to explain the challenge after I'd finished, which she thought was disgusting and insists we're all off our rockers, but was more concerned that the bathroom wasn't respectable...she's an odd one. I'm definitely going to have to tell her about tomorrow's ahead of time.

Hope everyone has a grand day.

Cheers

Marc  

ROTY

PhotoContest

LGSOTD 19-July

• Brush: Salomon Walking Sock
• Razor: Shield - Predator #CNC
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: Proraso - Wood & Spice Cream
• Post Shave: Proraso - Wood & Spice Balm
• Fragrance: Proraso - Wood & Spice Cologne

This was one of my first software purchases and though it sees little use, though I thoroughly enjoy the scent. For the price the performance is decent enough as well.

For the Daily Challenge, I had to give the Mrs a heads up on this one. If she wanders in without a clue she's going to have me committed. So I told her yesterday after she got over the residual hair snap. First response being to shake her head and laugh, the second response was to ask you lot who's going to wash the sock afterwards? Strange response but there you have it, remarkable that my wife is so understanding of these shenanigans, I'll count myself lucky.

So the first hurdle (beyond the better half), sock selection. Do I go for the standard black thin efforts, nah not likely to hold much lather. What about 5 finger socks, certainly be dextrous enough. Nope, what I'm after is volume. So instead I opt for Salomon walking socks, yeah they've seen a fair bit of use in the mountains but they've still got some life in them and surely a thicker sock would do the trick.

Brief soak and what I thought was enough of a squeeze of proraso, work together to form a (hopefully) decent lather. Now, do I transfer to a brush, nope because I forgot to soak the one I took the pic of yesterday and now I'm running out of time. Oh well, let's see how it goes using the sock, so on like a glove, couldn't take snaps at this point I was covered in the stuff. I'm already seeing one fatal flaw, this thing has fluff all over it and it's catching on my face and there's an odd hue to it, ah well carry on.

Sock off and hand cleaned up to take a pic, not horrendous but not brilliant, could have been better. Sock on for the second pass, nah it's already running out of steam, squeeze the sock and I get bugger all out of it but I do notice an odd colour in the sink. This thing is leaking dye, which at least explains the odd hue. One saving grace the bloody stuff washed down the sink without leaving stains. Add more soap and repeat.

So the overall conclusion being, if you have to use a sock, do not use a walking sock, it eats soap (should have known), it leaves fluff on your face and leaks colour.

Still smooth and smelling good though, so aim achieved.

Hope everyone has a grand one.

Cheers

Marc

LGSOTD 20-July

• Brush: Semogue - Galahad #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Blackland - Vector #CNC  
• Blade: Feather Professional   
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Ramblin' Man
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Ramblin' Man AS  
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Ramblin' Man EDT

I have a handful of dupe sets but plumped for Stirling. This is my second ever set of Stirling, the first being Executive Man. Ramblin' Man being based on Creed Himalaya, an everyday scent that I just enjoy in itself.  Not massively strong, but inoffensive for the office. What I would really like is a Ombre Leather dupe, alas I have not been able to find one. 

The vector is a no brainer type razor, I find I'm able to get a very close and long lasting finish with minimal effort. One of those I tend to pick up when I'm in a rush, but just felt like it today. 

For the challenge, ok so paste it was, only briefly splashes to wet the brush and loaded heavily, and on it went. Flecks of solid Soap attached to my face and I was half tempted to go for it, nah maybe just a little bit of water. So flecks are less pronounced but more paste like, and off I roll. Half way through, it's actually not that bad, not as slick as it should be but I'm not going on raw at least. I don't think I'll be changing my normal routine in favour of paste, but it wasn't terrible. 

Smelling good and ready for the day, but if anyone knows of an ombre dupe then please shout!

Hope everyone has a grand day. 

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

LGSOTD 21-July

• Brush: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus Fougere B15
• Razor: Henkels - Friodur 72-V
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus Fougere   
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Cerberus Fougere AS
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Cerberus Fougere - EDP

I almost didn’t pick up this cerberus offering, I liked the previous one but it was certainly divisive.  If I hadn’t though I would have regretted it, it smells really fresh and the edp hangs around nicely.  This one isn’t as in your face as much as the other, and most people that have have caught a whiff have always had positive comments   Though it is hard to separate my 2 favourites, the other being Fougere Nemeta, my Mrs actually prefers that one and she’s commented on it on more than one occasion.

The friodur is a cracking razor, I’ve found I prefer hollows but this wedge/near wedge is excellent in the smaller size.  Doesn’t have the flexibility but the manoeuvrability is spot on.  I’ve got this, the 17 and 472, I am determined at some point to get a 14 but we’ll see how that plays out.

Challenge of the Day

Themed Effort

Fantastic Fougere

Scent to Please All and Sundry

Teamwork for the Win

Alternate

Shaving nutcases

Seeking internet glory

We are all insane

I’m sorry for inflicting that on you guys (almost as sorry as I was for the hair in the sink), my alternate final line was 'This Haiku is Shit', a poet I am not.

Hope everyone has a grand day. 

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

LGSOTD 22-July

• Brush: Simpson - Colonel Best #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Every Ready - Ambassador
• Blade: Peronna - GEM PTFE     
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Gin & Tonic (On The Rocks) 
• Post Shave: Stirring Soap Co. - Gin & Tonic 

Strange time for berry club indeed, I initially struggled with this one.  I was going to try and bring in Smoking Bishop, almost wish I did with the terrible weather today, with wine, wine made from grapes, and grapes being berries.  Thought that might be a little too much of a hop, skip so decided to go for Juniper Berry, enter another Stirling offering with Gin & Tonic On the Rocks.  Standard stirling capability and very fresh off the tub and in use, the added hint of menthol was actually very nice, again not too in your face just pleasant. Not shave related, but on the grooming side, unintentional inclusion of Dapper Dan vanilla and raspberry scented clay for the hair.

Despite the very helpful guide provided by /r/Newtothethis this sadly is currently the only challenge I won’t be participating in. Gave the Mrs a heads up as to what the challenge was and turns out she's not into that or perhaps she was more concerned my legs would look better than hers when we went on holiday at the end of the month, who knows, but either which way I'm not running the risk lol. .   

Kudos to all who go the whole hog, and hope everyone has a good kick off to the weekend.

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

LGSOTD 23-July

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - Casanova V11 #SHD #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Gillette - ‘New’ LC    
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium   
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth Black Watch  
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth Black Watch AS

Considering the majority of my days are spent working from home, any comments I receive tend to be from the other half and my 4 year old daughter.  One thing’s for sure, neither are shy about letting me know when they don't like something, full on scrunched face, hand over nose type reaction. However, not quite so forthcoming when it is something that they really like.  So to receive any comments on any of the scents is a big thing so it sticks out, so far it’s close between this one, GN Ernest, A&E Vanille de Tabac, B&M Reserve Spice, Eucris, Fougere Nemeta and Shulton Old Spice.  All very different at least to me (barring reserve Spice and Old).  

So rather than going on a guess I popped them all out for them to have a smell off, this was already a risky endeavour as I don't think the Mrs has any real idea of how much gear I have and as mentioned she's commented more times about things she doesn't like but I think I got away with it. It seemed to be a close one but this one won out, though there were discussions and compromises. The wife loves slightly darker leather type scents and the daughter unsurprisingly likes slightly sweeter. So the leather on this appeals to the Mrs and the fruity plum appears to be what my daughter enjoys. As ever I can't go into the notes as I just don't pick them out, but my daughters comment on black watch was "It's delicious, I want to eat it all up.", so I think that's a winner! If the EDT ever makes it this side of the pond I will pick it up, alternatively I'm going to have to go searching for a close match. 

For the challenge I've tried to get pics, but the lighting is terrible. It would have been easier with a bowl but thought I'd stick with my normal effort and see what I could pull off. It's all quite dark, but a pic of the brush after first application, shot building it on and squeezed out after the 3rd pass today. This soap let's you know quickly when you don't have enough water, sticks to the razor like glue, and there was none of that.

Hope everyone has a grand day. 

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

PhotoContest

LGSOTD 24-July

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - 'Amphora' V13 #SHD
• Razor: Blackland - Sabre L2 #CNC
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE 
• Lather: Goodfellas Smile - Shibusa 2
• Post Shave: Goodfellas Smile - Shibusa 2 AS  

Today’s shave is sponsored by /r/hairykopite with the very generous gift of the Shibusa set.  As remarkable as it seems, and considering its easy availability, I’ve never tried goodfellas…or at least not that I recall (edit: I tell a lie, in the early days I had Furiah).  It was actually very nice, not quite my normal scent but still very pleasant and the splash lasts a remarkably long time.  The sabre was my first modern GEM, and a lovely razor it is, curious to see what the redesign is going to be. 

Now, the assistance from hairykopite for this day was purely by chance. He popped up a Catie's Bubbles set on a forum, of which I loved the look, and he recognised my username from here and mentioned the competition. A brief back and forth and a comment made in passing that I was unable to take part in all the days he immediately asked which I was missing, unexpected and certainly not prompted he gifted this set. I was genuinely surprised and incredibly appreciative. Though I registered on here as a member a while ago, I really haven't taken part. The odd post here or there but that's your lot. So I consider myself new, and it's actually quite hard as a 'newbie' to catch up, find your feet and contribute meaningfully with the various references and lingo relating to specific history on this sub that isn't universal. However, this show of selfless generosity just goes to show, regardless of the platform, history, or how much you are involved, the people who make up this crazy wetshaving community are a genuinely nice bunch. So hairykopite, thank you, an excellent example of the good folk here.

To everyone else who has been participating in this friendly competition (though it's a competition it seems more like team building to me), though I am not quite there, the welcome is very much appreciated, the banter is amusing and after this I fully intend to stay involved, cheers! 

Hope everyone has a cracking kick off to the week. 

Cheers

Marc

ROTY

LGSOTD 25-July

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - Brazier AP Gelousy #SHD
• Razor: Wolfman - WR2 1.25   
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium  
• Lather: Noble Otter – ‘Tis The Season   
• Post Shave: Noble Otter – ‘Tis The Season AS

Christmas in July, wow I didn’t actually know that was a thing beyond the original movie, I had to Google it and got lost in wikipedia. Seemingly it’s spreading across the world and becoming yet another ‘movement’, who knew, certainly not me, guess I get to use the phrase ‘bah humbug’ early this year.  Saying that though, at least today gave me an excuse to bring out the NO set, bought for this past real christmas but it saw only a handful of uses, shame really.  It’s nice, a little reminiscent of a car air freshener, but it’s actually enjoyable.  One brief note on the setup pic, I bloody hate that elf, 3 years we've had to find a ridiculous number of different hiding places because this child has a memory like a steel trap, damn elf! 

Now for the challenge, this could go a couple of ways.  I could go the easier route and just use my left hand, there’s no real challenge in that one though.  The razor mainly guides itself and with a straight I use both hands anyway.  The other, I could ask the Mrs. I considered this one for a while and thought why not, let's see what she says.  So I sidled up to ask her whether she’ll shave me…I think I could have phrased that better and put it into context first but never mind.  After a very puzzled look and a brief explanation she kindly accepted. I then had to clarify further that she had to use her left hand, a little less sure but after first laying out the terms that any injuries I suffer from shaky hands are of my own doing she was still in, so in for a penny in for pound!  So as my special guest star, welcome Mrs Crossan1983's hand. My choice of razor could have been a bit better, the gap is large ish and she’s not overly familiar with DE’s beyond the crap no name one use I used for the #RAINBOW tags, but I was slated to use this anyway, so this could be fun.  

Can't share the video, but here are a handful of stills, the first couple with the look of shock is that she seemed to take the advice of shave the lather literally, the razor barely touched my skin.  I'll be absolutely honest, we had to stop at one pass, that one pass took 20 minutes, only my first forays into straights took that long. We had to keep stopping, one for her hand to stop shaking, several times because we were laughing and unsurprisingly, given the time it took, I had to reapply (the lather wasn't my best). But after all that I can safely say I won't be asking the Mrs to shave me again unless I'm in a coma, awful finish. That was good for a laugh so thank you for the challenge. 

Hope everyone has a closer shave than me and a cracking day. 

Cheers

Marc

#ROTY #PhotoContest

LGSOTD 26-July

• Brush: Blackland - Signature
• Razor: Blackland - Dart #CNC  
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium    
• Lather: Southern Witchcraft - Fougere Nemeta  
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcraft - Fougere Nemeta AS 
• Fragrance: ScentUK - Inspired By Sauvage

So today, is it the fastest finger first? Well if I’m first across the line for this set then grand, if not oh well.  As mentioned in previous posts this is a cracking scent and I almost used it for fougere day but went another way, so decided to try and slip it in here.  I think it’s the wrong term but there’s something almost spicy about it which really appeals, another one where I’ll try to get the matching scent at some point.

On to the challenge, this was actually embarrassing, and I had to try and do it on the sly in segments so the Mrs didn’t really see how much stuff there actually is, and I managed to find some stuff I had completely forgotten about.  First up are the Brushes dominated by C&H, followed closely by Simpson and a scattering of other brands, I love them all equally-ish, much prefer the badgers, followed by Boar and only the top synths remain.  One not pictured is the SOC Taj purchased for Austere August and the piggy break in, that's currently packed in the luggage ready for the trip to Turkey on the 30th.  Now the hardware, high proportion of blackland gear with a smattering of other brands.  As I was packing them away I kept finding others that I’d missed so tagged them on at the end.  Now the bit where I get embarrassed, the software, I had to break this into a handful of photos as they are scattered in various locations, I actually got a sweat on at one point lugging all of these around before packing them away again.  I keep thinking I’ll have a clear out one day and I go through the list, but I just can’t bring myself to get shot. 

I’m sure a number of other folk have significantly larger and more varied collections, but this one is mine.

Hope everyone has a grand day.

Cheers

Marc

#ROTY  #PhotoContest

Edit: added another picture of software I'd forgotten to pop on Imgur, and wow haven't seen this many posting first thing in the morning so far, some of you must be knackered.

LGSOTD 27-July

• Brush: Chisel and Hound - 'Finned' V14 #SHD  
• Razor: Charcoal Goods - Everyday
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Homecoming   
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Homecoming AS

This is my first set of Summer Break Soaps, having never tried them before this was certainly an interesting day to try and do it. First up, the smell is bloody amazing. I've only got a couple of lavender soaps but this is beyond anything else I have. If there are darker scents available I can see myself getting more if they are just as good. 

My intent here was to show you a bit of my adopted homeland in North Wales, alas the climate here most days isn't exactly conducive to a comfortable outdoor shave, and today was no bloody exception. Now, had the challenge been yesterday it would have been fantastic, clear blue skies and warm. Unfortunately this was what my journey was like to my chosen shave spot!. I had wanted to go to Dolbadarn Castle but settled for lake side.

After arriving at my destination I took off into the woods bordering Lake Padarn, managed to find a relatively secluded spot so I think this will do along with a brief 360, half just to check I was alone.  

Went to work with the lather, slapped it on and snapped a pic. Though I forgot the mirror at least I had taken a pic and realised the lather was crap, I'm not in a bad mood, that's just my face and it's chucking it down. So added a bit more water and went to work. What I've now come to realise is that it's incredibly difficult to shave with a wet phone in selfie mode, couldn't get the damn thing to take a photo until the end and couldn't get the vid rolling. 

Though entertaining it wasn't the most enjoyable of outings on this particular day, I think it would have been fantastic on a sunny day.  At least I had a smooth finish and I smelt amazing. I'll be back here with my team for kayakng and paddle boarding tomorrow anyway. 

/u/Enndeegee look I think I actually used the PhotoContest tags correctly for once, about time. Admittedly not particularly difficult considering the necessity of the outdoor challenge but I'll take it. 

Hope everyone has an enjoyable outdoor adventure today! 

Cheers

Marc

#ROTY  #PhotoContest

LGSOTD 28-July

• Brush: Erasmic Shave Brush #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Gillette - Tech
• Blade: Gillette Super Blue
• Lather: Arko – Shaving Stick
• Post Shave: Nivea - Balm

The only positive to this shave is the razor and blade. I cannot stand the solid arko soap, be better off as a urinal cake. The brush is also terrible, seemingly synthetic bristle. I think the brush put more 'hair' on my face than the razor took off and felt like I was running a steel brush over my face.

I'm pretty damn sure I've gone off on a tangent and completely missed the point of today's theme and challenge, and I was egged on by the Mrs to attempt to work this out, whether it's right or not is another thing. I've tried to put the workings under a spoiler so no one was forced to read it. If it didn't work I'm sorry, I would strongly suggest just skipping to the end!

!Someone threw in an arko stick on a bst purchase a good while ago, so I haven't actually bought any. But went checking prices. So a 12 pack of arko = £10.87, each stick is approx 75g(91p per stick) which equals about 10.87/(12x75) = 1.2p per g. This stick was 76g pre shave, and this was the weight of the stick post shave. Obviously no change so I'll round up,  shave soap cost me 1.2p for this shave.!<

!The nivea men fresh is about £3 for 150ml, this one is a fresh jar so the weight is as new (can't discount the jar on this one). So the same exercise will have to suffice with this being the 189g pre shave and this is the 188g post shave. So 300p/188g = 1.6p, so I used 1g for a total cost in this shave of 1.6 pence.!<

!The razor is a little trickier, I wasn't sure what this one went for, but the best I could find was 89¢ (CAD) in 1968. So to account for inflation this would equate to approximately $7.48 (CAD). This would convert to approximately £4.42.!<

!The blades picked up from bigdealsmart, 100 for £9.20, so 9p.!<

!The god awful brush was popped in as an extra on an ebay purchase for a puck and mug of Shulton Old Spice, clearly hasn't been used since purchase. This is £3.15 from Savers.!<

!Finally the water, it's £1.4526 per cubic meter, 1 cubic meter = 1000 litres =1,000,000mL. 145.26p/1,000,000 = 0.00015p. 1g water =1mL.Weight of water pre shave 934g, and weight of water post shave 540g. So with 394g = 394mL x 0.00015p = £0.06p!<

So this shave cost approximately £3.15 (brush) + £4.42 (razor) + £0.09p (blade) + £0.01 (soap) + £0.02p (balm) + £0.06p (water) = £7.75, though the hardware is of course reusable.

Converted to USD for the majority this is $9.91.

Nice finish, cheap but not an enjoyable shave. I think I'm a little happier with the extra cash I've dropped on my gear, I feel a little more justified in my hoarding ways.

Hope everyone has a grand shave.

Cheers

Marc

#ROTY

LGSOTD 29-July

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Declaration Grooming B16 #SHD 
• Razor: Charcoal Goods - Everyday #CNC   
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium 
• Lather: Sir Henry - Sandalwood   
• Post Shave: Sir Henry – Sandalwood AS

I don't see Sir Henry so that much, certainly in the UK, but it's very nice and their Sandalwood is actually my favourite, followed by Kentucky Rain. Nice easy lather, lovely scent and non-alcoholic splash which obviously makes it a lot easy to acquire! 

For the challenge of the day, my favourite general reads have been /u/Priusaurus ' interviews, sometimes informative, sometimes amusing but always a good read. /u/Crisp_Mango deserves an honourable mention, everyday coming up with new lyrics deserves a shout out, very inventive. 

FOF I'm genuinely not sure, not being able to understand it myself, I would always struggle to know whether what someone is saying is on the nose or a load of rubbish. 

Best picture, this is truly challenging. There have been so many good ones over the course of the event. I think for myself it would be a toss up between /u/gcgallant for Almond day, another by gcgallant on day 25 and finally /u/chronnoisseur420 for day 11, I think this one just wins out for me, the lime background with the water splashes just really caught my eye. 

The best post, I'm not sure I should call it that as it's closer to stomach turning, would be /u/hugbckt and Day 18 and going the extra mile for the daily challenge, absolutely grim but shows absolute dedication to the cause. 

It's been an entertaining run, and I'm hoping myself and my gear arrive at tomorrow's destination in one piece and I have access to WiFi for my final shave tomorrow. 

Hope everyone has a grand day. 

Cheers

Marc

#ROTY  #PhotoContest

LGSOTD 30-July

• Brush: Wolf Whiskers - Boti 2 Band Fan
• Razor: Blackland - Blackbird #CNC  
• Blade: Wizamet - Super Iridium 
• Lather: Gentleman's Nod - Ernest  
• Post Shave: Gentleman's Nod - Ernest AS
• Fragrance: Gentleman's Nod - Ernest EDP

Well farewell Lather Games 2023, being my first effort it's been a challenge. Looking at everyone's posts each day I can see I've missed some of the intent of the daily themes and challenges and haven't gone wild like I should have, regardless though I've participated in my own way and thoroughly enjoyed it. As mentioned in an earlier post it has encouraged me to try and jump in where I can in a more active way. 

For the daily theme and daily challenge, I'm from the UK, specifically North Wales. So my Razor, Brush, and Software are all from the USA. My blades are from Russia. On top of this one, the shave itself is taking place in Turkey, all my gear arrived intact for the final day and for the kick off to Austere August (happy days!), so my first introduction to the rest of the residents here is of me (the nutcase) taking pictures of his shaving gear at the beach, had to be done, decent enough view from the room and my first package holiday. I'm used to winging it but needed a bit more organising with the little one in tow.

Thank you to the organisers/judges, the efforts you've gone to with just arranging everything, weekly entertaining podcasts, interesting challenges and feedback. It's very much appreciated, and to all the participants, both in what you've actually done and the efforts in your posts, thoroughly enjoyable. 

Have a grand one all, and I'll see you for Austere August. 

Cheers

Marc

#ROTY  #PhotoContest