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

Bonjour, Lather Games

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG24 w/26mm Oumo Synthetic #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 #FLIPTOP #MODERNGEM
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: AA Shaving - Wapiti
• Post Shave: D.R. Harris - Marlborough Splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Aaaaaannnnddd we're back to the craziest month on the calendar. The month where many of us are sneaking our cellphones into our bathrooms to provide proof of shave pics. It's a month where we are scraping every last bit of smooshes off of wax paper into our bowls like a crazy person. It's a month where (most) of our spouses wonder whether we lost our minds somewhere between May 31 and June 1. It's a month where some hearty souls will attempt feats of derring-do (ice kamisori anyone? How about a headstand shave?) and live to tell the tales. Lather Games 2024 is here. Let's Fucking Go.

A big thanks to u/OnionMiasma for his generosity and sending out a bunch of smooshes of AA Shaving's Wapiti. This is not a soaper I am familiar with, but I'm glad I got to try. The LG 2024 brush did a fine job of whipping that smoosh into a YouTube worthy lather (it was friggin' sexy and shiny) and the shave was top notch. There's some seriously awesome residual slickness and post shave feel with that soap base. The Marlborough definitely matched up well with the woody notes in Wapiti. I would definitely be down for trying another scent from these guys.

As to the new to me hardware? I've got nothing. There isn't much I haven't shaved with at least once and only appeals to my desire to avoid a visit with a plastic surgeon (Rolls Razors scare the crap out of me). So there's that.

We'll see how the first 10 days of this go as my sister-in-law is staying with us, which impedes my ability to hit some of the day-of sponsor points since much of the hardware is in the upstairs bathroom in the bedroom she is camped out in. So no AP Shave Co brush this morning.

Looking forward to everyone's competitive spirit this month. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

Ahoy, Lather Games!

• Brush: Omega Pro48 #HOLLOW #OLDWORD
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (2)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Cayman Express
• Post Shave: Joseph’s - Double Distilled Bay Rum Splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Day 2 of LG! LFG!

This is an easy day for me to get down with since I'm one of those weirdos that loves Bay Rum. Give me something simple like the Domenica splash or jazz it up a bit like Barrister & Mann does and I'm all good. Try not to throw a shit ton of cloves in it though. No one likes that. We're not making a pumpkin pie here, kids. We're making something manly.

I've got a couple of Bay Rum options in the den but went with TSF's version because...sponsor points! While it says "Bay Rum" on the tub, this soap to me seems a bit more adjacent to Seaforth Spiced than a Bay Rum. But hey, I'll play along with TSF's games here. The scent is great but is a bit cinnamon forward (like Spiced). And then for the splash, of course I'm going to go with the one that has a friggin' old ship on it. Nothing says classic Bay Rum like an old sailing vessel on the label. Of course, Joseph's might have ripped off the idea from another scent type that will get some use today that also has a sailing ship on the bottle and has a name that sounds like Bold Lice. But the ships are different so there's no copyright infringement or whatever. And there's a lighthouse on my bottle.

As to today's challenge...Well, all I can say is that our man u/Priusaurus damn near reached legend status in last year's challenge. This is a man who loaded his cojones and dopp kit into a wheelbarrow and wheeled all of it to a table at a restaurant. As passerbys and fellow restaurant goers stared in awe, he whipped out his stupendous...shaving gear...and proceeded to attempt a relaxing shave at the table only to have management raise a fuss. Hell, I'm paranoid about shaving outside in front of a lighthouse (I need to make that happen this year) and this man does it at a busy sidewalk cafe. So I raise my coffee cup this morning in honor of this legend.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 3 - Where's The Beef

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG24 w/26mm Oumo Synthetic
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (3)
• Lather: Grooming Dept - Mallard Corretto
• Post Shave: A whole faceful of OSMA
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Clara Peller would have been seriously disappointed with this shave. I know I was. Look, I love duck. A lovely roasted duck in some fruity sauce is fantastic. I've whiled away hours of my life playing Duck Hunt. I spent any number of hours of my youth stoned out of my mind watching Howard the Duck. My hockey-playing stepson loved watching The Mighty Ducks. Duck, Duck, Goose was a great way to show how much of a crush you had on a girl in 3rd grade. It was the only way I could get any girl to chase me, but therapy and time have addressed those issues. But duck in a shaving soap just doesn't work for me.

Thanks to u/Tetriside for this smoosh (and a couple of others). But on smoosh alone, I don't think I need to try another duck base. I remembered using a WCS soap sample a few years ago and thinking their duck tallow base was kind of meh. Forget "Where's the Beef?". Where's the residual slickness? Where's the post-shave? What's that quacking I hear in the distance? Oh, it's the ducks in the pond behind my house flying away laughing at my duck tallow using ass. Even they know their fat doesn't come close to rivalling cows.

I did like the scent of the smoosh, however. It's a light but complex scent. But I had a new problem on my hands- What splash to pair it with? I had a secondary problem- My sister-in-law who is visiting us and staying in the upstairs bedroom where my splashes are? Yup, she tested positive for COVID. What's a guy to do when Shaving Glory is on the line? Read the Daily Challenge, of course, and find out all you need to do is rub that sexy OSMA alum block all over your face. And I have OSMA. Do I use it much for shaving? Not really. Do my wife and I use it on bug bites or the on the dogs when their nails get clipped just a bit too short? Absolutely. It's a fabulous thing to have around for first aid purposes and the random shaving need. Today fell into the random shaving need category and onto the full face it went. The stinging was expected. My face trying to turn itself inside out from the drying of the salt...probably not expected. Yes, I left it on for 45 seconds and then washed it off. I debated sucking one up for LG and walking away with a tight face for the day, but my common sense kicked in and I balmed myself up. Between the Duck and the OSMA, this is about the driest my face has felt in a long time. The only combo that could make my face tighter would be a Cella (red) and OSMA combo.

On to this Monday where my coworkers are going to wonder if I've had Botox because my face is pulled tightly from this combo. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 4- K.I.S.S.

• Brush: Omega Pro48
• Razor: Karve Brass CB SB-C
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (1)
• Lather: Eleven - Sicilian Lemon
• Post Shave: Eleven - Sicilian Lemon toner
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

I was made for loving wetshaving. I am a member of the Knights of Satan's Shavers fanclub. Hell, sometimes I paint my face before I shave so I can shave off lather and make up. I even rolled out of bed this morning and painted my face up like these guys who I'm sure took their inspiration from KISS, cranked up some black metal (I am truly the loudmusicboy) and lathered up some lovely Sicilian Lemon. This stuff is definitely not made in Detroit Rock City or some forest town in Norway. No, this fine one-note scent comes straight from Charleston, South Carolina. Eleven checks off all the simple notes. Start with the labelling and the beauty of its simplicity. The scent is great. The base is fantastic. I am now feeling as clean shaven and make up free as the 1983 version of KISS. Tune in tomorrow to see who I paint my face like before I shave. Given my musical tastes, I have a ton of options.

As to the Daily Challenge...I don't know that I ever really paid attention to bases until I joined this sub almost 3 years ago. I liked soaps or I didn't like soaps. In retrospect, I realized I enjoyed B&M's Glissant base a lot. That was a gamechanger for me when I purchased my first tub of Bay Rum several years ago. My favorite base now? I love Milksteak. It absolutely ticks off all the boxes for me.

Enough of these shenanigans for now. Time for coffee. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

Edit: This post was written before I had even seen u/MudAccording 's post. But clearly great minds think alike. Also, the djudges had to know that some of us were going to think of platform boots, make up and eyebrow melting pyrotechnics instead of one-note scents.

LG Day 5- Canned Goop Day

• Brush: My sexy hands
• Razor: Schick M1 #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Schick Injector (1)
• Lather: Barbasol - With Soothing Aloe
• Post Shave: Gillette - Cool Waves splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

This tends to be a day I dread because it means I'm going to be using the can of Barbasol that has been living in my basement bathroom for years. This can was bought at CVS or Hannaford (Maine grocery chain) many moons ago. And I confirmed, while at CVS yesterday, that this 'flavor' of Barbasol is still readily available. I'm pretty sure that when the Apocalypse comes, the only things left will be cockroaches, SPAM and Barbasol. Now, some might wonder why, if I was just at CVS yesterday, I didn't grab a tube of Cremo to bring myself more joy for this one day. Well, the Cremo will spend the next 15 years or so living in the basement bath after purchase because I'm pretty sure it will only be used once a year. It's going to take me a solid 15 years to get through all of my soap. And this is just one day so I can suck it up and tap back into my uneducated shaving ways of yore. Also, I'm a masochist.

But look at my morning set up!! It's downright barbaric. It's just a can of goo and a razor. There was no feeling of ritual pulling the can and razor down on to the sink because there's nothing else to prep for. Look at that rust on the can giving it that vintage look (because that can is probably 15 years old, at least). Although, we should take a moment and appreciate the wonders of science that Barbasol was able to proudly promote that its can had a rust-proof bottom.

On to the shave we go. Well today's challenge is to lather in reverse. I guess the reverse lathering technique for today is that I usually put a brush in my hand, swirl said brush over puck and then swirl soapy brush on my face. Now, I'm going to flip that shit and make my hand the brush, pop some goo into it and then swirl goo on to my face. Crazy (and did I mention barbaric?)!

So there I am swirling goo on to my face and adding water to my hands to hydrate it to a serviceable level singing along to this ditty that I heard while at the grocery store last week. I did want to ask the store manager if they might also consider adding this to their in-store playlist as a follow up track. Kids will love it. Alright, face is lathered up and I get to work with my trusty Schick that was probably purchased from an Eckerd Drug, Rexall or Laverdiere's (Maine drug store chain) 50-something years ago and dial it down to 5 since it's a new blade shaving over canned goo. With a light hand, I got to work and this song from a recent CVS adventure popped in my brain. As I was "nah-nah-nah, nah nah nah-nah-ing", it dawned on me that I was having a pretty decent shave. Slapped more goo into the hands and hydrated everything up for a second pass and this CVS brainworm entered the party. Pass 2 is done and somehow I'm feeling more joy. This shave is pretty damn good, as long as you don't expect any residual slickness or post shave whatsoever.

Time for some splash that was purchased at CVS last night. Apparently, they were cranking the classics Look, there's no point in half-assing this LG day with some bougie artisan splash. No, we're going for drugstore designer and Gillette Cool Waves fits that bill. I've never used it before and I have to admit that I don't feel like I wasted $8.59 last night. I dig it. The scent is nice. It doesn't feel like it's all alcohol. I'll actually use this!

So on a day I dreaded, I managed to find joy. It wasn't delirious ecstacy by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm definitely not starting this day like a cranky bastard. So try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 6- Thirsty Thursday

• Brush: Vulfix Pure Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGDERS
• Razor: Karve Brass CB SB-C
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (2)
• Lather: Areffa Soap - Kentucky Bourbon
• Post Shave: Areffa Soap - Kentucky Bourbon splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

It's the Thirsty Thursday edition of the Lather Games and I decided to show up with a handle of bourbon. Not that I am here to encourage alcohol consumption this early in the morning, or, for some like our youngest competitor u/bacconchop, ever (don't do it man! The Shaving Overlords are watching). I've never used Areffa Soap from the Ukraine before, but I received this sample soap and splash in a Pasteur's order. Figured LG was a good time to break it out. I have no idea what base this soap is and I do know Areffa has produced some soaps with bear and I think badger tallow. These folks clearly don't fuck around. Regardless, the shave was solid. Scent-wise? I'm happy to say that I won't get arrested for operating under the influence of a post-shave contact drunk. My coworkers wll also not be slipping me the number for our EAP either. All in all, a good shave...

...That I memorialized in my first ever shaving video. As a fan of very chill shaving content like Haircut Harry (It's great nighttime-need to be lulled to sleep content), I decided to take a more ASMR approach to my first go-round. Also, my wife and dogs were asleep in the next room and if I woke them up because I was talking loudly to myself making a 'shaving video', well, let's just say the whole "Happy Spouse, Happy House" thing would get off to a rocky start today. Is this video going to top the content put out by our man u/VisceralWatch? God no. He has the benefit of using his dulcet tones to extoll the virtues of whatever products he is using. Maybe in my next video attempt, I'll pull out my radio DJ voice of old (first career) and we can see who's got the dulcetest of dulcet voices in the wetshaving world.

Time for coffee with just coffee in it. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 7 - Vetiver You Want

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG24 w/26mm Oumo Synthetic
• Razor: Schick M1 Adjustable
• Blade: Schick Injector (2)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Dirtyver
• Post Shave: SIR Irisch Moos splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Thanks to everyone's favorite lather chugger u/hugbckt for the smoosh. By the way, if you haven't seen his latest feat of lather imbibing, you're missing out. Thanks the u/TheBunnynator1001 for my official burple LG brush that helped me turn said smoosh into an awesome lather. I'm on theme and nailing today's sponsor theme as well. I had no clue what vetiver was like prior to the start of the LG. I now feel confident that I have a sense as to what it smells like and I might find myself eyeing some vetiver-y purchases in the future.

As to today's challenge, I'm going to take an F. I actually made an attempt. Hell, I even started to film the attempt before I said, "F@#^ this.!" after I did the first half of the shave. Life is too short for shitty shaves and this one-pass Wet Tuber inspired madness was giving me a shitty shave (not to mention a bunch of unwanted weepers).

On to a joyful coffee which will put the memory of this shave far behind. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 8- Maggarding

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG24 w/26mm Oumo Synthetic
• Razor: Rex Envoy #CNC
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (3)
• Lather: Maggard’s - Convergence
• Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Bay Rum splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Celebrating Small Business on this Saturday of the LG. Top to bottom, this shave contains zero BIG SOAP. I wasn't going to allow CORPORATE SOAP to creep into this shave (although Rapira could be owned by some big conglomerate, but it's just a blade). We all have to take a moment and salute the fine artisans who have beaten BIG SOAP into submission (at least around here). Without them, we'd probably be hanging around Badger & Blade more. Without these artisans, we'd have more money in our bank accounts and have to withstand fewer withering looks from our spouses. But who needs more money? And a little marital friction just keeps life spicy or so I try to tell myself. Do you really think BIG SOAP would ever think about creating a banana scent? Would BIG SOAP go so far as to drop a soap with motor oil notes? BIG SOAP wouldn't have the balls to release a Doritos smelling soap with a matching Mt. Dew splash. But the artisans around here are more than willing to meet the demands of our shaving community. And we thank them for their efforts! Thanks to Maggard's for being such a supporter of these artisans and making it easy for us to get our hands on their offerings.

As far as big stupid orders from Maggards, I don't have one. I do order enough from them though. I tend to have big (relatively speaking) stupid orders from Stirling Soap Company. I have to restock my bath soap twice a year, so it's off to Stirling I go where I'll buy 5 to 7 bath soaps at a time and while I'm there I'll grab a tub of something and/or some splash samples. Oooooh, look coffee! On November 25, 2022 from Stirling I ordered- West Indies Lime soap and splash (since PIF'd), a tub of Mediterranean Man, a bar of Rosemary Mint soap, one of Eucalyptus Mint soap, one of Clementine soap, two bars of Bergamot Lavender soap and one of The Fresher. My most recent soap restock was in March of this year. Maggard's fills the artisan soap itch for me while Stirling fills in my other soap needs.

Speaking of coffee, I'm enjoying a nice cup of Rock City Maine Maple Coffee at the moment. Rock City is up in Rockland, Maine and they make some good beans. Another small artisan to crow about this morning. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 9- Shave and a Haircut- Two Bits

• Brush: Semogue 610 #SMOLL
• Razor: Merkur 37C #ZAMAC
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (4)
• Lather: Proraso - Menthol & Eucalyptus
• Post Shave: Proraso - Menthol & Eucalyptus splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

During Small Business Saturday, I got a call on my phone from an Anonymous number. I tend to let these go to voicemail, but yesterday I let my curiosity get the best of me and answered it on the third ring. When I answered I was met with a "Boungiorno Mister...ehhhhh...loudmusicboy." Uh oh, had the Polizia in Rome finally tracked me down to talk about that swimming escapade in the Trevi Fountain? Or maybe it was my moped misadventure down the Spanish Steps? When I was just about to poop in my boxers just a week bit, he introduced himself as a representative from BIG SOAP. Apparently, BIG SOAP has been stalking this sub since last year's failed attempt at naming rights and even a sponsor role in the Lather Games.

"Signor Lucifero", I think that's what he said his name was and I'm pretty sure it's an alias, went on to tell me how disappointed BIG SOAP was to not have a role in this year's games. "We make prodotti fantastici (according to Google Translate- Fantastic products)..." as he went on and on about the 'classic artisans' and their legacies in the wetshaving world. I got a Master's-level course in the history of wetshaving. As the conversation went on, I became enthralled with his tales of BIG SOAP's contributions to the world. His tone was mesmerizing, it was almost as if I was listening to the dulcet tones of u/VisceralWatch. I soon found myself shaking my head in agreement with his take on the wetshaving world. I even began wondering if our man VW had actually sold his soul to the devil and was he actually 'Signor Lucifero'. Does VW even know his soul is Italian??

And then before I knew it, he was making me an offer I couldn't refuse. "Use Proraso on Barbershop Day." If I swore to do that, he promised me that the BIG SOAP famiglia would take care of me. He said something about offshore bank accounts, a villa on the Amalfi Coast and a lifetime supply of whatever soap I wanted. I was powerless by that point. And my wife would be pissed if I turned down a free (is there really anything in this world that is free?) villa in Italy. So there I was this morning, calmly pulling down the Proraso Green and muttering over and over again that it's "il più grande di sempre" (after I felt like I was speaking in tongues, I Google translated my rambling as "the greatest of all time). And the shave was beautiful. The most glorious shave I've ever had. I even thought my bathroom turned into the Sistine Chapel for a brief moment as I was pretty sure I was hearing angels singing.

So here I sit, waiting for another call from 'Signor Lucifero' aka u/VisceralWatch. My wife has already started packing. I was assured by my new friend that our dogs would have no problem getting over with us, so they're ready to go as well. Farewell, Maine. It's been a ride, but a life sipping wine on a cliff overlooking Italian waters calls to me. Arrivederci!

And now back to a moment of reality- The Daily Challenge- 7/32. I suck at this kind of thing. And no, I didn't use Google to help me. Only Google translate.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

• Edited after posting to come off sounding like less of an asshole.

LG Day 10- Happy Together

• Brush: Semogue 610
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (4)
• Lather: Noble Otter/APR - Texaus
• Post Shave: Barrister & Mann - Bay Rum splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

I won a PIF for this unobtanium soap not long after joining this sub and it definitely comes in handy for this day of the LG.

And it pairs well with B&M's Bay Rum on the day we are spotlighting B&M. B&M's Bay Rum in Excelsior was the first artisan soap I purchased. Before I stumbled into that, I was lost in a world of non-artisan soap. Will definitely expanded my horizons. I don't have a ton of B&M soaps in my collection, but what I do have, I will absolutely replace when the time comes.

Today's Daily Challenge is a fun one for me. My brain has a very deep song catalog that is accessed multiple times daily. The jukebox in my head definitely runs the gamut from Awesome to WTAF??. Unfortunately, u/Crossan1983 's song entry is probably going to be added to the catalog and will most definitely fall into the WTAF category. Those songs tend to hit the mental jukebox when I'm rolling out of bed.

Using Texaus, my brain made the quick leap to Texas and immediately played this nugget from Concrete Blonde. My wife and I love/loved(?) Concrete Blonde and Johnette Napolitano was a criminally underrated vocalist. While this is not my favorite Concrete Blonde song or album by any stretch, I just love her voice. But my brain was not done with this whole Texas musical association thing and the mighty Clutch started spinning in my head. I love Clutch. I've loved them from the first time I saw them in a tiny club in Portland, Maine in 1995. I've seen them no less than a dozen times and they are absolutely one of my favorite live bands. Oh wait, my brain is making another Texas association, hold please. And in comes Power Trip to continue the morning madness (R.I.P. Riley Gale). What's up with this band being on the list? They were from Texas. Again, this is how my brain works.

Alright, time to shut the jukebox down for a few minutes and finish my coffee in peace. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 11 - April Showers Bring May Flowers

• Brush: MOAR F’N BOAR
• Razor: Schick M1 Adjustable
• Blade: Schick Injector (3)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

You know what those April showers do? They make everything outside come alive!! Lawn all brown and shitty from being covered in snow? April showers turn it green! All of those bare trees in your yard? Those April showers get those buds a-poppin' and leaves a-leavin' (or something like that). Those April showers wake the groundhogs up to start eating all of your plants that are coming alive in your yard. Sometimes, you might even find yourself walking outside in various states of undress in a cool April rainstorm just to feel alive!

I think Alive is most definitely a Spring scent since it falls in line with u/mammothben and his own rationale for making the scent which was, "I made Alive as a way to work through my own process of emerging from the lockdown and pandemic disruptions, to find ways to be reborn, to reemerge celebrating the growth that often happens through death and dormancy." He uses words like "emerge" and "reborn" and "growth". Sounds friggin' Spring-like to me. And I'm pretty sure the Mammoth Mafia starts whipping out Alive en masse come Spring. Oh, and it has plant stem and white florals and wood and bergamot (which grows on trees) and...

As to the Daily Challenge...My wife has written an astrology blog for 25 years. As part of her blog, she has always provided the color of the day. Over the years, there are any number of people (not necessarily me) who can't get dressed in the morning without knowing the color of the day. When my wife was a DJ on an alt-rock station here for a number of years, she would broadcast the doings of the zodiac and the color of the day to thousands of listeners. And they were thankful they knew how to dress themselves. I checked my wife's blog and today's color is apparently orange. As a diehard University of Miami fan, you know what color pairs awesomely with orange? Green (I had to get to my SOTD somehow). I think I did a fair job of color coordinating. I do appreciate how the labelling on the razor meshes with the color of of the splash. If only MOAR BOAR was a little more forest-y green, this picture would be perfect.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 12- Cream

• Brush: Leavitt & Pierce 22mm Silvertip
• Razor: Merkur 37C
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (5)
• Lather: Musgo Real Shaving Cream
• Post Shave: Proraso - Menthol & Eucalyptus splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Woke up this morning and took a look at the calendar reminder on my phone that said today is Cream Day. Immediately, the musical jukebox in my head fired up and pingponged from here to here to here. Once I settled on a song, it was time for a shave. I've got a few cream options in the den, but Musgo won out. Throw in the 37C and a badger brush and it's 2008 for me all over again. Musgo is now wildly overpriced, but it's in the den for nostalgia purposes. For me, it still works like a charm. And while I think they reformulated the scent in the last several years, it still smells great to my nose.

Want to see my shave of the day and want to see what else I have stuffed into my house shaving-wise? Well, here's your opportunity to get a glimpse behind the curtain of loudmusicboy's shaving life via a den tour.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

OP gives video tour of entire house, increasingly small New England bathrooms, all manner of nooks, and clandestine products hoarded in medicine cabinets. Shows off sick music posters and cute pets that did not give permission to be on camera.

OP gives video tour of entire house, increasingly small New England bathrooms, all manner of nooks, and clandestine products hoarded in medicine cabinets. Shows off sick music posters and cute pets that did not give permission to be on camera.

LG Day 14- Frigid Friday

• Brush: Leavitt & Pierce 22mm Silvertip
• Razor: Merkur 37C
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (6)
• Lather: Master Soap Creations - Peppermint Latte
• Post Shave: Stirling - Glacial Spearmint splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Hooo boy. This was not the shave I wanted for today. When the LG calendar was originally released, I was like "Frigid Friday on the 14th? Cool!". I typically work from home on Fridays and play catch-up. But as the result an invitation last week, today will not be a chill work from home Friday. No, I'll be suiting up and heading into the office to interview for an internal VP position. Now, I haven't worn my pinstripe suit in over 4 years (Thanks pandemic!), but I confirmed the other day that it still fits. I had to make a run to a men's store yesterday to snag a white collared shirt. Hell, I even blew the dust off my black dress shoes and polished them last night. Under these types of circumstances, I should be shaving with something more...executive. This would have been a good day for a Fougere Friday. But no, it's Frigid Friday with this super friggin' cold combo.

If you've never used an MSC chilled soap and you enjoy a cold face, MSC does a fine job of building the chill up over the course of the shave. Do a couple of passes and lather a couple of times? You're at Full Freeze Mode. Now, let's add a Glacial Stirling splash, shall we? Thankfully, I learned last year from you pros around this sub to apply Stirling splashes with a damp hand lessen the burn or the freeze. Did I listen to that advice today? Of course not! I made the executive decision to just avoid the whole damp hand thing and just slather it right on my face. I'm pretty sure my knees are going to be bruised to hell from falling on them on the tiled floor as the burn hit, the chill intensified and the tears streamed from my eyes. Good thing my knees will be covered for this interview, but my eyes!! Are they getting puffy from the vapors and the tears? Why yes, yes they are. Oh god, what does the wife use to get rid of puffy eyes?? And will she care that I may have to use the last of her eye cream??

And then my mind turns to how the interview could go...

SVP- "Hey, loudmusicboy, thanks for coming in today and meeting me with us."

Me- "Thanks for the opportunity. I'm looking forward to the chance to dazzle you with my bona fides."

SVP- "Looking forward to it. But before we start, I just have to ask, have you been crying?"

Me- "Nope, no crying here."

SVP- "You sure you haven't been crying? Unless you have a shellfish allergy, you look like you just watched Beaches."

Me- "Nope, all good. Damn pollen."

SVP- "Didn't you coin the phrase 'There's no crying in workers' comp'"?

Me- "I did, but I'm not crying."

SVP- "Hmmmm...You sure you're not upset about the latest large loss? You know, the guy who got squashed by the dumptruck body?"

Me- "Nope, I'm fine."

SVP- "What about the guy who got his arm ripped off in the conveyor?"

Me- "I've seen that before."

SVP- "Or the..."

Me- "Ok, Ok...I've been crying! But not because I watched Steel Magnolias or had some guy crying on the phone to me about how he has to buy his Oxy off the street because we denied it. It's because of what I was forced to shave with!"

SVP- "Excuse me?"

Me- "It's this whole wetshaving subreddit competition thing and today we had to shave with the coldest stuff in our dens and then stack them up for pictures and..."

SVP- "Oh hey, look at the time. Damn, I'm sorry, but I'm apparently double booked and late for another meeting. Thanks for coming in. Really, it's been a pleasure and hey, nice shine on those shoes."

Let's just say I'm hoping the reality of this interview is far different than what my mind has cooked up for it. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 15- Near Death Experience

• Brush: AP Shave Co Deep Blue 26mm G5C
• Razor: Karve Brass CB SB-C
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (7)
• Lather: Crown & Crane - Green Tea
• Post Shave: Eleven - Sicilian Lemon facial toner
• Post Shave: Eleven - Unscented AS balm

Between last year's AA and some hardcore usage in May, I've got about a third of a tub left of this soap. And yes, that's the farthest along toward a kill of anything in my den right now. Sad but true.

As far as the Daily Challenge goes, I tried to make a dry lather but failed. I thought I got all the water out of the brush, but apparently there was just enough to end up with serviceable but definitely not dry lather. I prefer something more drippy. This lather did cling to the razor like a damn tree sloth though.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 16- Happy Father's Day

• Brush: Semogue 610
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (6)
• Lather: Tabac
• Post Shave: D.R. Harris - Marlborough splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads and stepdads out there!

While I was having a lovely shave this morning, I'm pretty sure my dad was preparing to pull out his yellow Bic disposable and Edge Gel and go to town. Don't think that I haven't tried to convert him back to the ways of his youth, but over the years I have been met with looks of derision and tales of how DE razors just sliced him up. It probably didn't help my dad that my grandfather was a traveling salesman, which left the "How To Shave" teaching to my grandmother. My grandmother did a fine job raising two boys in a lot of respects. Teaching them how to shave might not have been her finest moment. And my dad is a pretty dapper guy, which makes his whole crappy shaving routine all that more maddening. Shaving choices aside, I'll be ringing up my dad in a bit to wish him a Happy Father's Day and making sure he's not building an Ark down there in Miami this week.

I won't tell him about my shave with brands and products that are definitely older than me. The GEM, even as a Frankenrazor of sorts, is made of pieces that my grandfather could have shaved with. Tabac...That brand is definitely older than me. It's a soap that reminds us Gen-Xers of the grandparents coming over and then rummaging through nana's purse to see what treasures were in there. I wedged my puck of Tabac into an Old Spice mug that I found at my in-law's house last year. We know Old Spice is eternal. Semogue has been making brushes since the '50s. And then there's D.R. Harris, which has been around since 1789. I'm pretty sure my great, great, great, great (?) grandparents were too busy being chased around by the Cossacks to worry about smelling great with whatever DRH was producing at the time. Zingari Man is the only modern brand that was used today. I think I had a pretty friggin' proper Father's Day shave, if I do say so myself.

As to the Daily Challenge, I'm going to take an F on this assignment. I'm just too hairy of a bastard to have smooth legs, thanks to my dad's genes.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 17- Veggin' Like a Legend

• Brush: MOAR F’N BOAR
• Razor: Schick M1 Adjustable
• Blade: Schick Injector (4)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles - Purple Grapefruit
• Post Shave: Thayers Lemon Witch Hazel
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

This was not the shave that I had planned for today, but when I woke up and saw today's sponsor, I called an audible. Now I unfortunately won't be using Retreat on Sandalwood Day. But, hell yes to the Catie's Bubbles on a Monday. Catie's Bubbles is easy to love in any of their bases. Plus, they make some of my favorite scents in this whole wetshaving thing- Connecticut Shade and Retreat, in particular. And lest we forget Waterlyptus, the quintessential scent of summer which will be put to good use once this month of shaving shenanigans is completed. Purple Grapefruit is no slouch though. Lavender + Grapefruit just works and is perfect for the morning deep breathing shave meditation.

And then there's the Daily Challenge...friggin' knee lathering. I had high hopes of shooting video of me knee lathering while sitting on the shitter this morning, but I failed to hit the video button on my phone thanks to not having any coffee in my system. But the lather happened. While it was tempting to taken things a step further and shave my leg, I thought better of it.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 18- For All My Dead Soapies

• Brush: Leavitt & Pierce 22mm Silvertip
• Razor: Karve Brass CB SB-C
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux(8)
• Lather: Storybook Soap Works - Coffee Spoons
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles - Retreat
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

I got coffee in my nose before I got coffee in my belly with this shave. Thanks to u/Tetriside for the smoosh of Coffee Spoons. I'm not sure I was familiar with this soaper in the 'Before Times' when I spent more time cruising B&B. But I understand why some of you get all misty-eyed when SSW hits the SOTD feeds. That was a great shave and that scent would have been a winner for me back when it was out. Don't ask me to dump out my fresh cup of coffee for them; however, I will at least raise my cup and thank them for their service to this hobby.

Now I'll flip the script a bit for today's challenge...

Hey there. Been lurking for awhile and figured I'd finally pop my cherry with some questions and thoughts. So, some guy reached out to me and offered me a 'smoosh' of a soap. Is that code for something? Are smooshes legal? Seems kind of shady to be getting an offer like this via DM but any way I accepted his offer because I like living on the edge.

A couple of days later, the 'smoosh' arrived at my house. My wife opened the envelope before I got home from work and apparently thought I was getting drugs in the mail. Of course, it would have been nice if she hadn't thrown all my clothes out of the house before asking me the question of what was actually in the baggie. I pleaded with her to just open it up and touch it and sniff it. Would you guys tell your wife to do that? And hey, where do you you get those drug-sized baggies? She was on the verge of flushing it down the toilet when I snatched it out of her hand and ripped it open to prove to her it was actually soap. I guess the coffee scent calmed her down and she was able to feel that it was actually soap.

Any way...how do you guys use a smoosh? Are you supposed to open the wax paper and rub it all over your face? How do you avoid getting the wax paper stuck to your face? I mean like I had a lot of the wax paper on my face. Wouldn't it be better to use tin foil? I've only used Proraso and it's awesome but I just squeeze the tube on my face, rub it in with my hands and shave. This smoosh thing seems more challenging. So after rubbing the wax paper smoosh on my face I grabbed my cool Viking Beardmaster War Machine Razor that my wife bought me from Amazon because it had 5 star reviews and it looks cool as hell. Is it a cool as hell razor? Should I upgrade to something better like the Viking Pillager Open Comb? Or what do you guys think about Henson or Supply? I see their ads all over my feed. Is their SEO game good or are their razors good? And what would be a good choice for shaving my junk too?

So yea, the shave. It took me some time to select the right blade for the shave. I kept changing blades with each stroke. I was able to try the Feather, Astra, Gillette SB, Treet, Winner, Lord, and I can't remember what other blades. I've read around here that you should try one of each blade in a sampler before settling down. I don't know how you guys survive the inital transition to a DE. I now have to wake up at 4 a.m. because it takes me an hour and a half to shave with all of the between-stroke blade changes. How long does it take you to shave? How many days a week do you shave? Overall, even with all of the different blades, the shave ended up being good, but I don't know why you guys spend so much time tracking down smooshes of dead brands. Doesn't PAA make a coffee scented soap? They seem like a cool company and they keep showing up in my social media feeds so they have to be good, right?

I think I'm going to stick to my Proraso and hopefully I'll find one blade that I can use for a whole shave so I can go back to waking up at 7 a.m. Those are just my thoughts and your feedback is appreciated.

Wicked edge user says something vaguely offensive, gets confused by smushes, questions a sponsor, and uses all of the blades.

Wicked edge user says something vaguely offensive, gets confused by smushes, questions a sponsor, and uses all of the blades.

LG Day 19- Juneteenth

• Brush: Omega Pro48
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (7)
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Amber Bomba
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z splash

It's Juneteenth here in the States. If you need a primer on what that means, our man u/Priusaurus did a fine job with the abridged version of the history (not to mention that his full post is just fucking amazing). And while this country has come a long way over the last 159 years, we still have work to do, especially in the face of what seems like an increasing number of folks who think that America was better when we could oppress everyone who wasn't white. Today, this song immediately came to mind. It still has relevance.

I also want to thank our esteemed judges for putting this day on the calendar. Your attention to the actual dates on the calendar is appreciated.

From the soap perspective, this shave was easy to figure out. Wholly Kaw is from New Jersey (thank you Google). This is the only soap of theirs I own because it's a banger of a scent. It's just not a summery scent and not quite the scent for day that will hit 90 here in Maine. But hey, these are the sacrifices we make for this month on the calendar. When it came to the splash, overthinking definitely came into play. My first choice was Lucky Tiger, who I thought were from New York. And then I hit the Googles to find out they were started in Missouri and are now in Wisonsin. Nope. Fumbling through the splashes, I grabbed Areffa's Kentucky Bourbon. Areffa, from Ukraine! Kentucky Bourbon...uh nope. Under normal circumstances my brain would have processed that out quickly. But this was my pre-coffee brain in action. Finally, I just settled on HoM Z. I skipped over the balm today since what I'm using is either from Missouri or Virginia.

As to the Daily Challenge, I don't typically get in on the whole meme thing, but since it's Lather Games, why the f*&% not

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 20- Summer Days

• Brush: Omega Pro48
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (8)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co - Montrose Beach
• Post Shave: Stirling - Coconut Lime splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Summer has most definitely arrived here in Maine. With a projected high of 92 degrees today (after it being about 90 yesterday), I'd love nothing more than to be back at the beach today working on my tan. I'd love to be driving to the beach with all of the windows and the sunroof open, cranking 80s summertime classics like this and this. But no, I'll be in a suit bright and early this morning for Round 2 of this VP interview process. Unfortunately, career considerations are going to have to be more important than winning internet points.

But, I am definitely keeping that beachy spirit front and center with this shave. There's a lot of coconut going on here and I definitely feel like I'm slathered in some high quality suntan lotion. I'm way more happy with these smells walking into the interview than last week's interview Frigid Friday scents. One of the interviewers might even wonder if I literally rolled into this thing off the beach...

And a mea culpa is due here. I was a bit rough on duck bases on Where's The Beef Day and got plenty of thoughts and feedback from some of the luminaries around here about how wrong I was. Needless to say, back on that day, I forgot that I had recently taken delivery of this CGC soap and really enjoyed the Darkwing base. So I apologize for a generalization about duckfat bases because Darkwing is really friggin' good.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 21- Fougere Friday

• Brush: Omega Pro48
• Razor: Schick M1 Adjustable
• Blade: Schick Injector (5)
• Lather: Barrister & Mann - Fougere Gothique
• Post Shave: Proraso - Menthol & Eucalyptus splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Hail to the man named Endeegee...Nope, that's not it.

There once was a man from Nantucket...Definitely not starting there.

There once was a scent so unique

They called it Fougere Gothique

Scented with mushrooms, ashes and pity,

And a note of 'ancient atrocity,

It smelled so good but yet so bleak.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 22- Spooky Season

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG24 w/26mm Oumo Synthetic
• Razor: Karve Brass CB OC-F
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (9)
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana
• Post Shave: Stirling - Coconut Lime splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

It's chilly and rainy outside. The perfect day for a razor with bloodletting potential and Boonana (thanks u/Tetriside). There is no question that SW has a top tier base. My problem has been finding a scent that I like. Sure, I could use their unscented soap, but that's the shaving equivalent of getting a banana in your Halloween bag (I wanted a Snickers, god damnit). Boonana might be the first scent that didn't make me wrinkle my nose or depress me because of the darkness. I actually liked it! Look, as much as I like my music dark and heavy (and maybe with the occasional Satanic invocation), I like to shave with some brightness. And dare I say, there is a wee bit of brightness to be found here, probably because of the bana...er...boonana. I also didn't draw blood with the OC-F plate because I had a nice slick base to work with. I had to add the Coconut Lime just to give me more lightness.

As to the Daily Challenge, some people might assume by my name that I might be the type of guy to carve Slayer into his arm, but you would be incorrect. Beyond spending hours and hours in a tattoo chair, I'm not a fan of mutilating my body. I'm not sure I've got anything carveable around here, but if I do, I'll edit for my skills later.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 23 - Sweet Sunday

• Brush: AP Shave Co Deep Blue 26mm G5C
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (9)
• Lather: Hoffman’s Shave Co - A Date With Mrs. Claus
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

I think I got a cavity from inhaling the sweetness of this one. Hoffman's describes this as a "glorious Christmas cookie scent" with notes of buttercream, caramel, almond, sugar cookie and vanilla. In the realm of Christmas cookies, I'd say this smells like a Snickerdoodle cookie. Is that the most glorious Christmas cookie? I'm not sure it is. This is a challenging subject because I have some friends that go all out baking during the holidays and I wind up with boxes of mixed baked goods from them. Sure there might be a sugar cookie or two in there but there's any number of sugary delights that are far better than a Snickerdoodle. I guess I've been spoiled like that. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves what your favorite Christmas cookie is. This sample smelled like cookie off the tub but less so once lathered. The shave was fine, but Hoffman's base isn't going to give any of the top tier artisans a run for their money.

If I shaved in the kitchen this morning, I'm pretty sure this soap would not have made it smell like I was baking cookies. But, I didn't shave in the kitchen and my bathroom didn't smell like fresh baked cookies either. As my wife was waking up as I got out of bed, I thought better about shaving in the kitchen in the interest of marital harmony.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 24- Christmas June Eve or Whatever

• Brush: Shore Shave 26mm Motherlode
• Razor: GEM Junior
• Blade: GEM PTFE (10)
• Lather: Beak & Snout - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Orbit splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Here we go, the last week of the Lather Games is in full effect and it's the June version of Christmas Eve. Typically, in my family Christmas Eve was more known for going out for Chinese food and catching a movie. But we're not here to talk about the best Chinese food dishes in our particular towns. No, we're here to extol the generosity/gift giving prowess/shrewd trading skills of this sub. I think my shave covers all of these traits of the sub pretty well. The only item I paid for was the blade and the balm. I guess I need to work on a balm connection for next year.

I digress. The brush was an AA prize from a couple of years ago from the esteemed u/EldrormR. The razor came in the last PIF train from u/jwoods23. The splash came out of a trade with u/oswald_heist.

And then there's the soap. This soap, as some of you may remember, came from u/hugbckt. Well, he doesn't have the soapmaking skills, but his friend in New Hampshire does. Huggy was generous in this PIF as any number of us received samples. This was right before Hug's ego took hold due to his sudden acclaim for his lather and stubble chugging abilities. Clearly his ego has continued to grow since the last Lather Games and this guy thinks he can go from subreddit stardom to some kind of viral TikToker and beyond. What else can explain his shitpost about my inability to shave in front of a lighthouse with him last week? Clearly, Huggy thought that two dudes shaving on the jetty in front of Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse was going to propel him from shaving obscurity to some kind of fame. He was definitely thinking bigger than u/VisceralWatch. Maybe he was watching fellow Mainer Julia Gagnon's recent run through American Idol and figured he had more (and different) talent than she did. I mean if he has to get inspiration from American Idol, I get it, but he definitely shouldn't be questioning my music taste at that point. Any way, Hugs had visions of reaching TikTok influencer status. Imagine a big bearded dude and a dapper non-bearded dude shaving by a lighthouse, answering questions and responding to quizzical looks from tourists walking by. The video would of course be finished off with a dual chug. Internet fame and fortune would have quickly ensued giving Hugs the ability to finally build that shaving bunker on his property. But fame and fortune were not to follow all because I had a big interview early in the morning. What was he expecting me to do? Postpone the interview on account of pursuing internet points and helping someone become a viral TikToker? Yea, that would have gone over well. But clearly, Huggy felt betrayed by my actions and...well...here we are. I hope the Hug-man is able to find happiness and internet success and the subsequent riches that will come from it. Me? I'll just continue to enjoy being a slave to my corporate overlords. I'll continue to ply my trade in obscurity in the insurance industry.

Leaving Huggy in the dust and turning to the Daily Challenge. I think there are two artisans that I would be interested in seeing make a sub exclusive- Declaration Grooming and Spearhead. Both artisans have bases that absolutely slap, with Milksteak just edging out Highland for me. Both artisans have keen scent noses and really do an amazing job of blending scent notes together. They both have signature scent styles for sure. I've only been around here for 3 years so I don't know if DG has ever done one in the past. We know Spearhead hasn't.

Those are my thoughts for the day. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

OP uses many words to make excuses for not shaving in front of a lighthouse with a fellow Redditor. OP may have gotten the job.

OP uses many words to make excuses for not shaving in front of a lighthouse with a fellow Redditor. OP may have gotten the job.

LG Day 25 - Have A Very Merry Chri...What the F$%&?

• Brush: AP Shave Co Deep Blue 26mm G5C
• Razor: Karve Brass CB OC-F
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (10)
• Lather: Stirling Christmas Eve
• Post Shave: Stirling - Christmas Eve splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Ah yes, it's Christmas in June where instead of freezing our balls off we will be sweating our balls off. It's a time of year where we choose to smell like fir trees, cookies, egg nog and the sadness of having to assemble a child's toy with Ikea-like instructions at 2 a.m. Do you miss drunk relatives falling into the Christmas tree? Invite them over to relive the experience by having them fall into the azalea bush. However, you can still gather around the tv and put on some Christmas classics or Christmas classics that you can debate the Christmas-y nature of. Or maybe you'd prefer to gather around the hifi for some summery Christmas hits It's also the time of year where you have an excuse to buy yourself something that your family won't. So, let's belt out a Ho Ho Ho and get on with the shave, shall we?

Stirling Christmas Eve is the only Christmas soap I own because it's awesome. You know what else is awesome when shaving with a Christmas soap in June? Wearing a hat while doing it.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 26- Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Aurora Grooming LG24 w/26mm Oumo Synthetic
• Razor: GEM Junior #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Blade: GEM PTFE (11)
• Lather: Subtle Art Soap - Bay Rum
• Post Shave: Stirling - Glacial Spearmint splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Well look at this. As someone who is typically one of the first 5 or so posters on SOTD threads, it was strange opening up the thread and seeing 30-something comments on here already. The thrill of competition clearly driving some folks to set alarms or pull all-nighters to be the first to shave with something. While I personally enjoy spraying lavender on my pillow to help me fall asleep at night, I have to wonder if the scent of cheese sauce and Mountain Dew is more or less calming as a sleep aid. I'll let our experts weigh in on that.

After a solid 6 hours of sleep, I woke up and calmly grabbed this tub of Bay Rum. I was in a meditative state knowing that 1) This is a brand isn't really on the sub's radar screen and 2) Bay Rum seems to be one of the least enjoyed scents around here. Now, if Wildcard Wednesday gave you the ability to knock out a whole scent category with the shave, I might have been a little more intense about my morning. But no, I got to take a relaxing shower and then have a relaxing shave with this nice take on Bay Rum. Not too spicy, a little fruity, really just a damn good summery Bay Rum. It's going to be hot today so I decided to end my shave with a good cry thanks to the Glacial Spearmint. And now, I sit here posting, calm in the knowledge that no one is going to be beating me to this. Is this a safe shave? Sure. I could have smeared some Skyr on my face and tried for more creative djudges points, but by the time I did that, someone might have stolen my idea and I'd be left smelling like peach and lingonberries.

Let me sip some more coffee before responding to the Daily Challenge. Ahhhh, that's good. Now how do I clean my brushes? Well, aside from swirling the brush in my hand under water post shave followed by a shake out of the brush(holding the knot firmly while doing so) and then a towel strop/dry, I don't do anything else. I don't have a cleaning regiment for my brushes. The only time I will do a deeper clean of a brush is if I'm selling or gifting one. Then I'll do a good palm lather with dish soap.

Let me take another sip of coffee before I remind you all to try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 27- Just To The Left of Information Overload

• Brush: Leavitt & Pierce 22mm Silvertip
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: GEM PTFE (12)
• Lather: Spearhead - Spiced
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles - Retreat splash
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

Shout out to u/partyman97_3 for hooking me up with this smoosh. If I hadn't finished my tub of Spiced earlier this year, I wouldn't have had to go out begging for the most obvious soap with ten scent notes. From the Spearhead site, or if you look at the top of your tub-

Scent notes include: Mandarin, Aldehydes, Carnation, Anise, Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamom, Benzoin, Tonka, and Vanilla.

Bam! And what's even better about this day is that today is Round 3, and the final round, of this VP interview process I'm going through, or what u/hugbckt refers to as selling my soul further to be /#boringcorporateman. Yea, whatever cupcake. Any way, as far as I'm concerned the calendar couldn't line up better for getting the power scents on for such an occasion. Spiced is a friggin' great scent. I mean I'm not sure it's the most summery of scents but on a day like today, who cares. Follow that up with Retreat and I'm just radiating confidence, but not cockiness. This ain't no sure thing, but at least I smell ready.

On to the Daily Challenge. As a right-handed guy, maybe I should look at today as a left handed gift or maybe it's an opportunity to walk down the left hand path. I mean what could go wrong shaving lefty with the MM24? Actually, nothing went wrong as you can see from this clip of my first pass, but let's just say I didn't exactly find the angle easily. Maybe it was the whole lefty thing or maybe it was trying to shave lefty while looking at my phone. I decided to take the next passes off camera and, admittedly, right-handed because I need a good shave today. It all worked out in the end. Oh, do you need an actual left-centric musical earworm? Here you go!

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 28- Cheapass Motherf&$#er Day

• Brush: Omega Pro48
• Razor: Schick Eversharp G
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: Arko - Arko bowl
• Post Shave: Thayers - Lemon Witch Hazel
• Post Shave: Stirling - Glacial Unscented AS balm

I've had two sips of coffee and now I'm being expected to do math?? What, the hell? Is this some CIA black site interrogation technique? I haven't taken a math class since my senior of high school and I barely, and I mean barely, got a C in my Trig/Analytic Geometry class. It's a good thing you guys aren't asking us to do word problems because I've sucked at those since first grade. But this math should be easy enough, I think.

Let's break down the cost of this shave:

Arko Shaving Bowl- 90g- Available at Maggards for $5.95 or $.06611/gram

Thayers' Lemon Witch Hazel- 12oz/340.194 grams- Available directly through Thayers for $10.95 or $.03218/gram

Stirling Glacial Unscented Balm- 4oz/113.398 grams for $9.35 or $.08245/gram

On a per gram basis, this is the cheapest software in my den, and that's pretty damn cheap.

Now, if we add in the hardware-

Schick Eversharp G- Acquired in an antique store for a whopping $6. It was, and still is, in excellent condition, and it was pretty much a steal.

Schick Injector blade- Injector blades are not where you are going to save a lot of money on a per blade basis. I can get injectors via Walmart.com for $9.57 for 7 blades or $1.37/blade. Granted, I can get 20 or so shaves out of an injector blade, but I can also get 20 or so out of an Astra SP that's $.10.

Omega Pro48 brush- Acquired through Amazon. Current price of this brush is $12.99. Are there cheaper brushes on Amazon? Sure, but I actually enjoy this brush and think it's a great entry level brush as well.

How did it all shave together? I got a perfectly lovely BBS shave. The scent of Arko doesn't bother me, but it sure as hell isn't going to put a smile on my face like some artisan soaps do. I throw the Thayers into the rotation from time to time and I like it. I'm definitely not going to be catching whiffs of this stuff throughout the day, but I'm also not getting nasty looks from the wife either for using it (the wife isn't a huge fan of my aftershave tastes). Could I make due shaving with this set up every day if I had to? Absolutely. Look this set up beats the living shit out of a cartridge and canned goo any day of the week.

Now it's time to drink more coffee and not think about the price per gram of the coffee I buy. Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 29- Sandalwood Saturday

• Brush: Omega Pro48
• Razor: Schick Eversharp G
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: TOBS - Sandalwood
• Post Shave: D.R. Harris - Marlborough
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - Unscented AS balm

It's too bad that this is the first introduction to sandalwood for a lot of folks because it kind of sucks. So why do I have it? I bought it because I like sandalwood and this is one of those longstanding scents. I figured "why the hell not?" Yea, this is just not the scent that works for me and I should just put this up on the 'zaar and move it on. Cyril Salter makes a much better sandalwood scent if someone desparately needs a cream from a more traditional artisan. Now the Marlborough splash righted the wrong of the TOBS cream with its cedarwood/sandalwood mix.

As to today's challenge...I think you have to hand it to my fellow Pine Tree Stater u/hugbckt who is really bringing his A-Game this year, shitpost and all. Look, the dude transformed into a cupcake right before our eyes, along with other feats of shaving strength. u/tsrblke is also killing it this year. Of course, I think we'd all like to be a fly on the wall of his daughter's future therapy sessions where she talks about the trauma of having to wear a bucket on her head or shave her dad for "internet shaving points". It's been a damn entertaining month for sure and I suspect the winner will just scrape by with a fraction of a point.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.

LG Day 30 - Bon Voyage, Lather Games

• Brush: Semogue 610
• Razor: Karve Brass CB OC-F
• Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux (11)
• Lather: D.R. Harris - Windsor
• Post Shave: Proraso - Menthol & Eucalyptus

What? It's done? This is the last shave controlled by our Shaving Overlords? You mean I can go back to having, what's the term...freewill(?) with my shaves? What the fuck am I going to do tomorrow when I have to stare at my den and choose my own shave? All the choices. All the scents. Well, I'm definitely not going to have any subpar shaves until the next LG. I'm definitely going to be use summer-y scents for the next several months. I'll probably even start July off with the two new soaps I got from DG's sale that have been collecting dust this month. There will be no canned goo. There will be no pressure to stack my shaving items and then play Jenga with them. The next 11 months might be...relaxing.

But one more shave before we go and this shave definitely country hopped. Since I live in the US, no US products were involved in this shave.

• The razor is from Canada
• The brush is from Portugal
• The blade is from Russia
• The soap is from England
• The splash is from Italy

Since I only have US-made balm, I sucked it up and didn't use any today.

So Bon Voyage Lather Games. It's been quite a month and it's been fun. I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow back at the old SOTD thread.

Try to enjoy your day and remember to be kind to one another.