u/USS-SpongeBob's SOTDs for challenge 'Lather Games 2024'

2024-06-01 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 2015 HD (22x55mm Badger) #OLDWORLD #SHD
• Razor: Wolfman WR2 #CNC #SPOOKY
• Blade: I don't even know what's in there, I forgot to check - maybe Astra Blue?
• Lather: The Goodfellas Smile - Amber Fougère
• Post Shave: Faberge - Brut
• Fragrance: Jean Paul Gaultier - Le Male

I'm back bitches (for 30 days (probably (we'll see)))

So one of the lame things about being LG staff and doing things like "deciding what the theme is every day and what criteria you need to meet to earn points" is that you have an "unfair advantage" when it comes time to "Play The Games," so you aren't eligible to win any prizes

On the other hand

If there are no prizes for judges then the points don't matter and I can do whatever the fuck I want all month without crippling my chances to win a prize

So I'm gonna be on theme in solidarity with y'all, but fuck everything else. 30 brands? 30 different dumb aftershaves? Etcetera? WHY? I want to enjoy my summer and just use stuff I enjoy, not be a slave to weird rules

Anyway, Ahem:

This vegan soap from The Goodfellas Smile (a brand I have never used before today) is in their latest "AJ-1" base, which is short for the modest doses of "argan oil and jojoba" they include in the formula. It's basically a classic Italian style croap recipe - heavy on stearic acid, coconut oil, and almond oil. Softer than any other soap I've used, nearly a cream; loaded less than half as many swirls in the tub than normal and still had plenty of lather for 3+ passes. Works up quickly, lots of volume, but still pretty wet instead of airy, which is a good thing. Slickness was decent, secondary slickness was acceptable. Post-shave is acceptable now in summer but would probably require the assistance of a good balm in winter.

Scent is... interesting. Despite their marketing I'd say this scent is more reminiscent of something from the late '60s than something from the 21st century. Fresh / fresh-spicy, aromatic green, a weird vanilla that strikes me as not quite vanilla - maybe heliotrope?, a little medicinal, a little Nag Champa-y, a bit grainy-textured in scent... really riding the fine edge between "nice and classy" and "this belongs in a bathroom." Reminds me somewhat of of Brut, Canoe, maybe some hints of Clubman, but doesn't smell like a direct descendant of any of them. Published scent notes (now that I read them) include orange, eucalyptus, basil, aldehydes, lavender, orchid, heliotrope (ah, yup, there we go), hawthorn, geranium, rose, musk, vanilla, coumarin, tonka, woods, amber, and patchouli; so yup, pretty significant cross-over in fragrance accords with the three aforementioned classic scents. Good homage to the pre-Paco Rabanne fougère genre.

I followed it up with some Brut splash (because I had some on-hand at my shave shelf and it seemed like a logical choice) and finally a spritz of Le Male, a proper modern amber fougère with its amber-vanilla-sandalwood drydown and its industry-redefining massive overdose of laundry musks (apparently something like 76% of the entire fragrance formula). Good mix with the TGS and Brut. Nicely complementary without actually occupying the same olfactory space.

#FOF , good luck y'all

(lol just kidding about FOF (or am I? (naw I definitely am, I got too much other stuff going on to write an essay every day)))

2024-06-02 LG SOTD

• Brush: AP Shave Co × SHAVE⭐DANDY Ocean Waves Rocket (26x55mm Synth)
• Razor: Fatip Gentile
• Blade: Astra Blue
• Lather: Van der Lovett - Sailor's Blend
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - SB-129
• Fragrance: Nautica - Voyage

Everything on theme, sort of; the razor and blade aren't nautical on their own, but they both arrived packaged in blue boxes to match the blue brush, blue-boxed soap, aftershave dupe of a blue-juiced fragrance, and blue-juiced fragrance that shipped in a blue box.

Van der Lovett was a Dutch grooming company that commissioned soaps from the same factory that made the old Tabac-style hard soaps for Fine (same soap formula and everything), so they stopped selling soap back when that factory shut its doors back in 2020. Seems like VdL finally shut down entirely a few months ago, making them another candidate for RIP in Piece day. Sailor's Blend was an aquatic described as having bergamot, green apple, jasmine, bamboo, cedar wood, and amber; mostly it just smells fresh, pleasant, and teal... nothing particularly distinct about any individual accord. Lather is exactly what you would expect from the old tallow version of Fine / Tabac soaps.

Followed that up with another nautically-named citrus aquatic aftershave and yet another nautically-named woody aquatic fragrance from Nautica. Nothing spicy here today! Just nautical names, aquatic aromas, and blue boxes.

2024-06-03 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 2015 HD (22x55mm Badger)
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Lather: L&L Grooming / Chatillon Lux - Catalan's Prairie*
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Catalan's Prairie
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - La Petite Prairie

Behold, my beef-free shave: beef-free brush, razor, blade, soap, aftershave splash, and fragrance

Things native to my part of the planet:
- Badgers
- Wolves & Man
- Bison
- Prairie
- More Prairie
- Even More Prairie (so much prairie)

Things not native to my part of the planet:
- Beef

Footnotes
*(Old bison base)

2024-06-04 LG SOTD

• Brush: AP Shave Co × SHAVE⭐DANDY Gold Rocket (25.4mm Mühle STF Synth)
• Razor: Schick Injector L1 (1967-1972)
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: Cella - Crema da Barba
• Post Shave: 6 parts Nivea Protect & Care aftershave & 1 part 4711
• Fragrance: Montblanc - Individuel

Don't try this at home folks, you might break your score. Remember: I'm a trained professional.

25.4mm (1") diameter brush. Single-edge razor with L1 handle. Single-note almond soap. 6 parts Nivea aftershave (zero published scent notes) mixed with one part 4711 (seven published scent notes) can be rewritten as (6/7)x(0 scent notes) + (1/7)x(7 scent notes) = 1 scent note. And finally, the fragrance itself is named "Individuel," which translates as individual or single, i.e.: one.

2024-06-05 LG SOTD

• Brush: Omega 11126 (24x55mm Boar)
• Razor: Generic Mach III
• Blade: Generic Mach III
• Lather: Nivea - Protect & Care - Shave Cream
• Post Shave: Nivea - Protect & Care - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Davidoff - Cool Water - 2023 Reformulation

Honestly? I like everything I used today. I know people dread Drug Store day, but this stuff all works fine for me, and it isn't even the nicest stuff the big chain drug store 2 blocks from my house sells.

Also I think the 2023 post-COVID reformulation of Cool Water (with the plainer lettering on the bottle) smells noticeably nicer than the previous 2010s reformulation, and part of the reason I say that with some confidence is that I can wear it without going "ow my nose." Smoother treble, more detail in the mids, bass has better sustain than the last version.

2024-06-06 LG SOTD

• Brush: Yaqi Moka Express (24x53mm Synth)
• Razor: Merkur 33c
• Blade: Feather
• Lather: Noble Otter - Thé Noir et Vanille
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm with Menthol
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Horsefeather

Coffee-pot inspired brush, tea-inspired soap, cocktail-inspired fragrance. Nothing exciting, clever, or new to see here, folks. Move along.

(I can be lazy if I want. I get zero points whether or not my SOTD is clever.)

2024-06-07 LG SOTD

• Brush: Dogwood Milkglass (24x54mm Synth)
• Razor: GEM Heavy Flat Top / G-Bar (1955-1958)
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Faskally
• Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer
• Fragrance: Azzaro pour Homme

If you ever wonder, "Does SpongeBob pick all the themes on his own?" or "Does SpongeBob just pick themes that he likes so that he can be on theme every day?" today should put those suspicions to rest.

At best, I tolerate vetiver. I have never ever found myself craving the scent of the stuff. I would never have included today's theme if it weren't for the input of other planners.

Faskally is acceptable. Grassy green with citrus brightness. Followed it up with some Skin Bracer just because they compliment each other nicely - there's no vetiver in Skin Bracer. And topped it off with probably the most-vetiver-forward fragrance in my collection, which honestly isn't that vetiver-heavy in my opinion. But... Azzaro does list Anise, Lavender, and Vetiver as the three core accords of the 300+ ingredient scent, so it's on-theme enough for today.

Gosh I hope I wrote the rest of the calendar to be more fun than today. I can barely remember the themes we chose this year... I'm just wingin' it and checking what the next day's theme is in every SOTD thread.

2024-06-08 LG SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Cherry Baritone (26x55mm Maggard Silvertip Badger)
• Razor: Maggard Injector Shavette
• Blade: Schick Proline P-20
• Lather: Maggard Razors - Lilac
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm with Menthol

I don't live in the US so I tend not to shop there very often, but when I do... the only wetshaving webstore I patronize is Maggard Razors. They're just so damn good, folks.

Lilac is my favorite of their house brand scents and (this may be controversial) I do actually enjoy the way it lathers despite the older-fashioned soap formula. Plenty good enough to give me a nice, comfortable shave.

No perfume today. Too busy running errands with my scentsitive wife.

2024-06-09 LG SOTD

• Brush: Yaqi Rainbow (26x55 Synthetic)
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SS
• Blade: Kai Captain Mild ProTouch MG
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Seville
• Post Shave: 4711
• Fragrance: Acqua di Parma - Colonia

Barbershop scents: scents that are either historically long-associated with the barbershops of some geographic region, or scents meant to evoke some aspect of shaving. Examples include Pinaud Clubman in the US (thanks to the decades they spent exclusively selling their products in barbershops and country clubs in order to build a brand association with professional grooming), almond or eucalyptus shave soaps and citrus-aromatic post-shave colognes in Italy, lemon shave soaps in Türkiye (e.g. Arko), etc. Products meant to evoke a "shaving experience" include anything clearly paying tribute to the aforementioned products, as well as anything generally meant to evoke the scent of shaving cream (usually some sort of accord of coumarin, amber, moss, and woods); well known examples include Brut, Paco Rabanne pour Homme, Azzaro pour Homme, Drakkar Noir, Barbasol & Friends, or anything based on those landmark fragrances (e.g. Rive Gauche pour Homme, Sartorial, Invasion Barbare, Bon Monsieur, Beau de Jour, etc.)

Anyway

All that to say that I am embracing the Italian side of my family today and going the citrus-aromatic route with Seville, 4711, and Acqua di Parma... the latter two being some of the fragrances that inspired Seville.

2024-06-10 LG SOTD

• Brush: AP Shave Co × SHAVE⭐DANDY Gold Rocket (25x55mm Mühle STF Synth)
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Blade: Lord Classic
• Lather: Wholly Kaw/Chatillon Lux - Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli (LE)
• Post Shave: 4711
• Fragrance: Giorgio Armani - Acqua di Gio

I don't think I have any proper collaborative collaborations in my soap collection, so much as I have several tubs where one person made a scent and another person put that scent in their soap and their creative processes never really crossed. (Compare this to something like HOM/WK Iced Tea or SBS/LR Mountain Laurel where the scents were group efforts.)

Anyway

Shave brush was a collaboration between me and Andrew. Razor: I wanted an aluminum WR1 and James needed to try out a new anodizing company for his brushes, so he machined me a WR1 from aluminum (to check the calibration on his mill), sent it to the anodizers to evaluate the quality of their work, and then sent it to me to use and keep tabs on how well the finish held up under regular use (answer: very well). Soap is one of the earlier versions of YRP and is a little more collaborative than usual, because apparently the original rose didn't come through well in Sri's base and he had to touch up the fragrance mix to come through faithfully. Aftershave is not on theme - it just goes really well with both YRP and AdG. Fragrance was a 3-way collaboration between Alberto Morillas, Annick Menardo, and Christian Dussoulier, two of whom are very nearly in the "can do no wrong" pantheon of perfumers.

Challenge

You Oughtta Know by Canada's pride Alanis Morissette is a collaboration featuring Dave Navarro on guitar and Flea on bass. That's why it's so fuckin' funky compared to the rest of the album.

2024-06-11 LG SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Walnut Alto (22x52 Oumo Manchurian Badger)
• Razor: Merkur 33c
• Blade: Feather
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Field Day
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Bonafide
• Fragrance: Christian Dior - Dior Homme Eau for Men

Iris three ways today because Iris is the first fragrant flower to bloom in my yard every spring and hot dog is it ever fragrant. Love it.

2024-06-12 LG SOTD

• Brush: Yaqi Rainbow (26x55 Synthetic)
• Razor: Generic Mach III
• Blade: Generic Mach III
• Lather: Nivea - Protect & Care - Shave Cream
• Post Shave: Nivea - Protect & Care - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Lalique - Lalique pour Homme (Lion version)

Oh what's that you say I already used this software this mo- WHO GIVES A SHIT? It's a shave cream and I like it, tadaa

I have very few frags I would describe as creamy. This one isn't quite there, but it's Very smooth and blond so that's good enough for me, a player who earns no points

2024-06-13 LG SOTD

• Brush: AP Shave Co × SHAVE⭐DANDY Ocean Waves Rocket (26x55mm Synth)
• Razor: Ever Ready Streamline (1949-1953)
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Cool
• Post Shave: Epsilon - Blue Mediterranean
• Fragrance: Barrister & Mann - Waves EdT

Today's shave: Cool Blue Mediterranean Waves

(Floïd Blue x 2, Gillette Wild Rain)

2024-06-14 LG SOTD

• Brush: Dogwood Milkglass (24x54mm Synth)
• Razor: Schick Injector L1 (1967-1972)
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: Proraso - Menthol and Eucalyptus
• Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer
• Fragrance: BRUT Special Reserve

All green (except for the razor), mostly fougères for Friday, and all of them have menthol - even the Brut. It's the only perfume I know that actually lists menthol in its ingredients on the label.

2024-06-15 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 2015 HD (22x55mm Badger)
• Razor: Fatip Gentile
• Blade: Astra Superior Stainless
• Lather: Fine Accoutrements - American Blend
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Paco Rabanne pour Homme

I have several soaps where I can see the bottom of the tub, so I had to take a look and determine which one was actually closest to being finished. To my surprise, the answer was Fine American Blend... I didn't realize I had done this much damage to this classic triple-milled soap. Paired with some AV Ice Blue (bottle is like 90% empty) and some trusty Paco Rabanne, which is nowhere near finished but definitely has a visibly bigger dent in it than the rest of my fragrance collection.

2024-06-16 LG SOTD - Into the Second Half of the Month

• Razor: Gillette Trac-II Plus
• Blade: Gillette Trac-II Plus
• Lather: Gillette - Foamy - Cream
• Post Shave: Gillette - Series After Shave Gel
• Fragrance: Guy Laroche - Drakkar Noir

This is how I remember my dad (Gillette) and stepdad (Guy Laroche) smelling back in the 90s.

2024-06-17 LG SOTD

• Brush: Yaqi Rainbow (26x55 Synthetic)
• Razor: Merkur 33c
• Blade: Feather
• Lather: The Goodfellas Smile - Abysso
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Ralph Lauren - Polo Blue

Developed a bit of a cold over the weekend. Luckily this vegan TGS soap is stronk and it cut through my sad sinuses. Very good Cool Water type dupe. The soap is a little smoother and fruitier than the real thing, which is welcome. No clue what the splash is like. Followed it up with blue aftershave and blue perfume.

Soap performance was just as satisfying as any other vegan soap I've used. It's fine, y'all. Vegan shave soaps earned their bad reputation back in the dark ages of modern shave soap before artisans truly understood what they were doing. If a modern vegan shave soap sucks, it sucks because the soapmaker sucks... not because it's short on animal-derived ingredients.

2024-06-18 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue SOC Mistura (24x53mm Finest Badger / Boar Blend)
• Razor: Schick Injector E2 (1936-1938)
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: Mickey Lee Soapworks - Lu'au
• Post Shave: Mickey Lee Soapworks - Lu'au
• Fragrance: Nah

Not only a shuttered artisan, but it was a Wetshaving Exclusive set.

No frag today, doesn't feel like there's much point when I'm still sick with a cold.

2024-06-19 LG SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Walnut Alto (22x52 Badger)
• Razor: GEM Jr (1933-1938)
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Barrister & Mann - Seville

AFAIK everything I used today was made in New York (or at least made by companies headquartered there), aside from the brush which I made myself.

No new memes this year but here are some of my prior entries to enjoy.

https://i.imgur.com/fXJm8c2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/hUB69lp.mp4
https://i.imgur.com/bj5WG69.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/DvALPRK.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/kbb6vIG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9DrYV3i.jpg

2024-06-20 LG SOTD

• Brush: Yaqi Rainbow (26x55 Synthetic)
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo 58
• Blade: Lord Classic
• Lather: SHAVE⭐DANDY - Colonia Nove
• Post Shave: 4711
• Fragrance: Acqua di Parma - Essenza di Colonia

Mega citrus day. Lemon bergamot neroli grapefruit petitgrain orange tangerine, then lemon bergamot orange neroli petitgrain, then neroli bergamot grapefruit petitgrain orange mandarine. Smells good.

2024-06-21 LG SOTD - Fougère Friday, baybeeeee

Yeah today's thread topic photo is actually one of mine from a few LGs back

• Brush: Yaqi Green Viper (with Semogue 1305 Boar knot)
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo 58
• Blade: Lord Classic
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Noir
• Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer
• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Beau de Jour EdP

A middle aged man from Saskatchewan
Wrote S-O-T-Ds 'til the thrill was gone
"Why post about it?
No-one gives a shit"
And so he shaved privately from then on

2024-06-22 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue SOC Mistura with "butterscotch" handle but we all know it's really pumpkin-colored
• Razor: Wolfman
• Blade: 7 O'Clock - Super Platinum aka BLACK NINJA
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Samhain
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Original
• Fragrance: Calvin Klein - Obsession for Men

My wife loves Halloween, I love Christmas. My soap collection reflects that: half a dozen full-size Christmas soaps and a small handful of Autumnal samples that I've been using to meet this day's theme for the last half decade that I've been playing Lather Games.

2024-06-23 LG SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Cherry Baritone (26x55mm Silvertip Badger)
• Razor: Schick Injector E2 with Butterscotch handle (1936-1938)
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Dickens Revisited
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm with Menthol
• Fragrance: Aquolina - Pink Sugar

I don't have much for gourmands but I love Dickens Revisited. Reminds me a lot of my grandmother's pear pie.

2024-06-24 LG SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY St Vincent (26x55mm Synth)
• Razor: GEM Heavy Flat Top / G-Bar (1955-1958)
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Spearhead - Black Watch
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm with Menthol
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Santal Auster

Got this Black Watch sample from /u/hugbckt and hot dang is it ever beautiful. Think I might have to buy the perfume for this one.

2024-06-25 LG SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY St Vincent (26x55mm Synth)
• Razor: Feather Artist Club SS
• Blade: Kai Captain Mild ProTouch MG
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Vespers
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Vespers
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Santa Noir

This is a good smelling day. Glad it's cool and rainy here and not blazingly hot like it was on the weekend.

2024-06-26 LG SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Maple Baritone (26x55mm Synth)
• Razor: SHAVE⭐DANDY Custom 77 Shavette
• Blade: Cloud 62mm x 16mm
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Executive Man
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm with Menthol
• Fragrance: Lalique Pour Homme

So I waited to shave until pretty late in the day and figured "I'll just use something from my collection that nobody else hasn't used yet." Figured I'd be able to find something.

Fuck y'all

I have a lot of soap, and I'm actually a bit surprised at how few of them have been used by other players so far today. Literally nobody has used any of my Stirlings and I have, like, 20+ of them. So here we are. One of the all time best selling soaps in the entire artisan shave soap ecosystem and I'm the first to use it today.

2024-06-27 LG SOTD

• Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY CS Baritone (26x55mm Synth)
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Blade: Astra Superior Stainless (A.S.S.)
• Lather: Mäurer & Wirtz - Sir Irisch Moos
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Giorgio Armani - Acqua di Gio

13, 14, and ... okay I went through my entire collection trying to find a fragrance with 15 advertised scent notes, but couldn't find any. Tons with 14 or 16 notes, but none with 15. So I just grabbed AdG because I know it lists a lot... let's see. 25. That'll do, I guess.

2024-06-28 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 1250 (22x55mm Boar)
• Razor: Ever Ready 1924 PAF (1919-1924)
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Proraso - Sandalwood
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
• Fragrance: BRUT - Plastic bottle version from grocery store

Cheapest cheapest shave. Cheapest brush ($15 back when I bought it), cheapest razor (I think this cost me like $13), the only blade that works for that razor, cheapest soap ($10 / 150g), cheapest aftershave ($5.97 / 200ml), cheapest fragrance ($8.99 / 88ml). All prices in CAD.

This shave was honestly really good and I really enjoy Proraso Sandalwood paired with Aqua Velva - there's like zero crossover between them, but they compliment each other very nicely. Also, I'm not just bullshitting about the quality of my shave for the challenge, and here's how you know: as LG staff I get no prizes so IDGAF about points. That's also why I ain't taking a photo to finish the challenge. Heck, I'm so satisfied with today's shave that I'll probably use most of the same stuff tomorrow.

Cheap stuff is even good enough for the judges, who OP reminds us can't earn points.

2024-06-29 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 1250 (22x55mm Boar)
• Razor: Ever Ready 1924 PAF (1919-1924)
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Proraso - Sandalwood
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
• Fragrance: BRUT - "PARFUMS PRESTIGE" glass-bottle version with gold medallion this time

Same stuff as yesterday, except today I used my most-expensive version of BRUT instead of my cheapest

Today's Challenge:

"Let the judges cheat off your homework and tell us who you think won the various contests and why? Which were your favorite posts and posters of the month?"

Afraid I'm not going to be much help there... Honestly I don't think I read more than maybe 10 SOTDs all month. Too busy working on my hobbies to spend my time reading about people shaving.

2024-06-30 LG SOTD

• Brush: Semogue 2015 HD (Portugal)
• Razor: Merkur 41c (Germany)
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (Russia)
• Lather: The Goodfellas Smile - Abysso (Italy)
• Post Shave: Epsilon - Blue Mediterranean (Spain)
• Fragrance: Azzaro pour Homme Cologne Intense (France)

Hey look at that we're done