u/Tetriside's SOTDs for challenge 'Feats of Fragrance 2024'

June 1, 2024 - Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Bundubeard Sekelbos Hoss #HORSESASS
• Razor: Weck Hair Shaper #WECKONISTA
• Blade: Kismet (1)
• Lather: Soap Commander - Optimism
• Post Shave: Floid - The Genuine
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Black Watch

Challenge: I used a new to me soap, blade format, brush, and aftershave.

This was a long day. I spent 10 hours working a sound gig with no internet after getting up extra early to shave before I left. I wrote up most of this offline in docs.

Thanks to /u/Priusaurus for the smoosh. This is my first time using Soap Commander. Optimism is difficult to nail down. It smells a bit like green tea with a touch of bergamot. It also smells a bit like menthol. I was expecting more fruit. There's not much here. I'm having trouble picking up enough soap. It's drying out on my face and feels thin. I'm not impressed with this lather. I'm not feeling optimistic about Soap Commander after this shave. Coming back to this ~14 hours later: smelling my soap bowl, I can see how this is supposed to be pear. The fragrance comes off artificial in a Starburst kind of way.

This is also my first time shaving with a hair shaper. Thanks to /u/jwoods23 for the Kismet. I initially bought this Weck for Austere August. However, I wanted to do Rawhoggin and picked a soap that was easy to lather, but wasn't the best for slickness. I didn't want to do a full month of hair shaper shaves with that soap. So, I chickened out and never used it. This isn't my style of razor. I've tried using a straight razor once or twice, and have used a Kamisori shavette less than a dozen times. The Weck wasn't great, but wasn't terrible, either. My cheeks were easy. My neck was a bit more difficult. Shaving my chin was a challenge. My gotee was impossible. I couldn't get the razor to glide on my skin. When using “no pressure” the razor got stuck. With a bit of pressure it shaves well. But, I feel like I'm doing something wrong.

This is my first time using this new Bundubeard brush. The handle is beautiful and comfortable. The knot is a little scratchy. Backbone is low to mid; a bit more then my silver tip. I tend to mash knots a bit when face lathering. This is definitely more of a “just the tips” kind of brush. Flow-through is good. The knot gelled and stuck together splayed out after a bit of face lathering. This is the first brush I would say truly has a funky smell.

Floid aftershave is also new to me. It's hard to get a read on the fragrance. It dissipated very quickly. It's your standard barbershop fair. It dried quickly and had a touch of cooling. It doesn't feel like there's much in the way of skin-food. I'd classify this as a traditional mass-produced aftershave. Following up: Now that I'm home and can spray a bit on a Kleenex this is your standard powdery, musky, barbershop with the addition of menthol.

I picked Black Watch to match the plum and bergamot notes of optimism. This is a fragrance I like to wear casually. It's a leather heavy fragrance that works best in colder months. Warm spice blend seamlessly with the leather, while sweet plum keeps it from being too heavy. After an hour and a half I'm getting lots of leather and can still smell the plum. Three and a half hours after application it's mostly leather. There's some sweetness, but it's not differently distinctly plum at this point. Black Watch is a refined fragrance that's dressed down. I don't need to be wearing a dress shirt for it to appropriate. But, the shirt needs to have a few buttons.

#photocontest Animal (not alive). The monkey is not alive. I checked.

#FOF

June 2, 2024 - Ahoy, Lather Games!

• Brush: Heritage Erskine Gel Boar #RESURRECTIONBRUSH #TOLL
• Razor: Ever-Ready 1912 #TWINS
• Blade: GEM PTFE (13)
• Lather: AA Shaving - Gale
• Post Shave: Captain’s Choice - Bay Rum
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Arcane Abyss

Theme: Gale is an aquatic storm fragrance. Check out the nautical label. Bay Rum is Bay Rum. Arcane Abyss = Cthulhu of the sea.

Challenge: I have included a humorous book with a dinosaur on the cover in my SOTD pic in honor of /u/Priusaurus amazing performance last year.

As soon as I open the lid of Gale, I'm greeted with notes of ozone, melon, and violets. I'm a fan of petrichor scents, and this ocean storm take is right up my alley. I find this fragrance calming and relaxing; perfect for a late night shave. The soap base is nothing to write home about. It's good enough. But, I'd like more slickness, especially when using a GEM.

Captain’s Choice Bay Rum is very aromatic. The bay smells fresh and takes center stage. There’s slight sweetness with a touch of anise to complement the spicey bay note. I didn’t have much discomfort when I used my alum post-shave. However, this aftershave shocked my senses. I could’ve sworn I was feeling a strong cooling effect. But, no cooling agent is listed in the ingredients.

FOMO drove me to buy a trifecta of Arcane Abyss when it was re-released a few years ago. The first thing I notice is oud. Then, a mixture of lavender, cedar, and aquatic notes roll in. That is underpinned by subtle amber and an inky smoke. I’d classify this as an oud/aquatic. Like many Southern Witchcrafts creations, Arcane Abyss creates an air of mystery. It’s too pretty to truly conjure images of Cthulhu emerging from the depths. It's an interesting fragrance which draws you to delve deeper exploring its tasteful composition.

The gelled boar knot isn’t the best at picking up soap. I couldn’t get much volume from my lather. Maybe the pig was hungry. The backbone is good, but a little less than ideal. It feels nice on my face. It’s probably as close to silver-tip as a boar knot can get.

The Ever-Ready 1912 I bought to get the twins tag last year finally gets used again to get the tag this year. It’s not my favorite GEM. It’s not the worst, either. It’s not quite efficient enough for a good ATG pass.

#photocontest Water Vehicles. Here’s a better view of the kayak under my porch I used in my SOTD photo.

#FOF

June 3, 2024 - Where's the Beef?

• Brush: Brad Sears Gonzo Handle Manchurian Fan 24 mm #SHD
• Razor: GEM 1912 #TWINS
• Blade: GEM PTFE (14)
• Lather: Grooming Dept - Mallard Corretto
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Embrace
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Treachery

Challenge: I won’t be rubbing a styptic pencil and cracking black pepper on my face this year. I’ve been converted. In ~4 years of wetshaving I’d never used alum. In September I decided it was time to see what the hype was about. I included Osma in a Maggard’s order. I’ve used it after pretty much every shave since. I haven’t included it in my lather games posts because I don’t want the bot picking it up. Hopefully labeling it “Alum” will avoid that.

I love coffee. I drink a cup of black coffee made from good locally roasted beans almost every day. Mallard Corretto is tailored for a different kind of coffee drinker. It's very sweet. The combination of brandy and honey smells similar to caramel. There a big note of vanilla, and a bit of cocoa. If you like sweet fragrances, this smells nice. It's enjoyable for the duration of a shave. But, that's all I can take.

This soap utilizes a duck fat base. It's not the easiest soap to use. The consistency is that of room temperature butter. It's tricky to load as it likes to stick to my scooping stick, my fingers, and itself. I had little globules of soap in my brush that had to be worked out by working the brush on my face. It took a good bit of soap to get a lather going. Thankfully, it's not particularly thirsty. The end result was good. The lather had a nice consistency, resembling face cream. Primary slickness was good. Secondary slickness was lacking.

I picked Embrace to go with the coffee theme of Mallard Corretto. The fragrance in House of Mammoth’s balms tends to be a bit muddled. Embrace is warm and friendly. The notes blend together well. Nothing really sticks out more prominently than the others. I smell notes of fruity berries, cardamom, a sharper spice note, and a general green woodyness. It’s an inviting fragrance that I could sit with for a while. I wish this came in a candle.

The cocoa and vanilla sweetness of Mallard Corretto lead me to the most decadent fragrance in my den, Treachery. I love the bold boozy whiskey note in this that walks up and jumps on you like a poorly trained dog. It's chocolatey with an accompanying bitterness. After dry down the tobacco spice creeps up on you (or was it standing there the whole time?). There's also a warm spice that smells like cinnamon. This is a fragrance you wear when you want people to take notice. It also makes me want to smoke a cigar.

#photocontest - an onion, because it’s OnionMiOSMA day.

#FOF

June 4, 2024 - K.I.S.S.

• Brush: SmilezforMilez Skateboard AP Shave Co. MiG 26 mm #COMPOSITE #FRANKENBRUSH #PREMIUMPLASTIC
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird SS #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet (22)
• Lather: Phoebus - Lilas
• Post Shave: Thayer's - Lavender
• Fragrance: Crabtree and Evelyn - Sandalwood

Challenge: Siliski had a great vegan soap base. It’s a shame they quit making shave soap. For older bases, Barrister and Mann’s Glissant base still makes a nice lather. My favorite current base is Tusk.

Theme: All software is marketed as a single scent note.

Lilas is a nice lilac fragrance. It’s powdery, fresh, green, and lightly sweet. It’s pleasant and approachable. Phoebus’ base is good. It produced a SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE quantity of lather. The texture was… fluffy, and thick, even after adding enough water to get the lather flinging. Slickness was good, secondary slickness was lacking.

Thayer’s lavender is green and sweet. It's almost more clean than floral. There's not any complexity, and the scent doesn't last long. It’s kind of cheap.The splash is mostly witch hazel and doesn't offer much else.

I found this bottle of Evelyn and Crabtree Sandalwood when we were cleaning out my grandmother’s house. The sandalwood is dry and the fragrance is powdery and green/clean. Initially, the powdery lavender hits first and blends seamlessly with the sandalwood. When I hear sandalwood, I think distinctive, darker, heavier scents. C&E Sandalwood is fit for summer linens. It's light and breezy.

I bought this SmilezforMilez handle on the bazaar. There’s pieces of a skateboard deck under the resin. I fitted it with a 26mm MiG Premium Synthetic knot from APShaveCo which was $36.

#photocontest - trash. The letters were cut from cardboard packaging from a six-pack of Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA. The letters are sitting on other pieces of the packaging.

#FOF

June 5 - Canned Shave Goop

• Brush: Farvour Unicorn Puke APShaveCo Silksmoke 26 mm
• Bowl: Captain’s Choice Black Ceramic
• Razor: Merkur 34C #ZAMAC
• Blade: Wizamet (23)
• Lather: Barbasol - Soothing Aloe
• Post Shave: Brut - Classic
• Fragrance: Eau Studio - Noble

Theme: Barbasol is available everywhere that sells toiletries. Brut was purchased at Kroger. Noble was purchased at Lidl.

Challenge: This is a weird day for this challenge considering many of us are using products that are intended to be used without a brush. Nevertheless, I deviated from my normal face lathering routine and used a bowl.

The fragrance of Barbasol is a powder bomb. It’s aggressively powdery. Baby powder isn’t this powdery. Adding water to the foamed goop results in a lather that looks slick. And, it’s slick enough for a passable shave. Although, even when hydrated to the point of being translucent on my face, it still left my skin very dry. The fragrance seems to stick around for a while post-shave. I feel like this is going to give me a head-ache. It’s unwelcome.

I’m trying to come up with words to describe Brut. But, I’m still smelling the strong powder-splosion of Barbasol, which is odd because this aftershave fragrance tends to have good longevity. Time to splash more on. Lavender carries over from Barbasol. Brut has more of a citrusy presentation. I’m getting some heavier notes: oakmoss, patchouli, maybe vetiver. I don't know that is considered to be a fougere. But, the elements are there. The splash is just alcohol. It stings. It’s harsh. I like the fragrance. But, it needs to be paired with a moisturizing product.

Eau Studio is Lidl’s store brand fragrances. There are web pages listing what the dupes are for multiple Eau Studio fragrances. But, none of those pages mention Noble. So, it’s almost certainly a dupe of something. I’m just not sure of what. I get notes of oud, leather, wood, and white musk. There’s a note of sweet grass, possibly vetiver. It smells really good for a cheapie European grocery store dupe. Longevity sucks. But, again, it’s cheap.

#photocontest - Hobbies. I’m a disc golfer. I lurk, and occasionally comment on r/discgolf and buy/sell on r/discexchange. Included in my SOTD pic is my bag, featuring my Barbasol FD3. Barbasol started sponsoring the DGPT (Disc Golf Pro Tour) Championship in 2022. My buddy went to spectate the event and brought back tournament stamped discs for our disc golf friend group.

#FOF

June 6, 2024 - Thirsty Thursday

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps Sheridan APShaveCo Synbad 26 mm
• Razor: Eldrormr MM24 #FLIPTOP #MODERNGEM
• Blade: GEM PTFE (15)
• Lather: Elysian - Maple Coffee
• Post Shave: Macduffs Soap Co - Imperial Earl Grey
• Fragrance: Ineke - Jaipur Chai

Theme: One coffee and two tea beverage inspired scents.

Challenge: Here it is, the content no was asking for.

One of my favorite beverages is coffee. Today’s soap is Maple Coffee from Elysian. Thanks to /u/Priusaurus for the smoosh. While there are many options for maple coffee, flavored coffee isn’t my thing. The scent has a light roast coffee note. The maple smells like a good quality amber syrup. It feels like I’m enjoying a morning brew with a stack of pancakes. This was my first time using Elysian soap. I found it easy to lather with good slickness. This won’t win awards for secondary slickness or post-shave feels, but it’s a solid soap base.

I really like the scent of Macduffs Imperial Earl Grey. It’s brighter and fruitier than any cup of earl grey I’ve ever imbibed. There’s lots of bergamot, and a tropical sweetness like papaya or guava. There’s an odor of orange oil which translates into the face feel of the toner. Following that up is a rich note of black tea. This is citrus forward enough to feel fitting for summer. This splash feels like it contains lots of skin food. People averse to oily post-shave may not like it.

Ineke’s Jaipur Chai is an artfully composed fragrance. There’s a delicate note of black tea. Freshly sprayed I get a big note of spice that smells like patchouli, and a dry wood like cedar. It’s earthy and slightly smoky, like burnt firewood. It's elegant, and has an air of mystique. Over time, it becomes a bit musky with a slight sweetness. After a couple hours, it's mostly vanilla and clove.

#photocontest - Humor. Parks and Rec sign on my bathroom door.

#FOF

June 7, 2024 - Vetiver You Want

• Brush: Semogue 610 #OLDWORLD #SMOLL
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird SS #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet (24)
• Lather: Mike's Natural Soaps - Vetiver
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw - Rebelle
• Fragrance: Berceuse Parfum - Allegretto 7.2

I love puns. But, “Vetiver you want” is terrible.

Challenge: More wetuber nonsense. Can’t I just wear a bandana? I used the Blackbird for efficiency and did 1 pass ATG.

Vetiver is a scent note that was hard to get grasp on when I first took an interest in fragrance. It’s not in my pantry, or my garden, or growing in my yard. I don’t know of any uses it has outside of perfumery. I have some soaps and edts that have vetiver as a scent note. But, there's other notes fighting for attention with those fragrances. I saw a question in the daily thread about vetiver soaps a few months ago and someone recommended Mike’s. I hadn’t used Mike's soap. But, it was in stock. I thought it would be a good chance to smell a single note vetiver scent. So, I ordered a tub. It’s nice to have this frame of reference for vetiver. The tradeoff is that when I smell this my brain thinks "this is what vetiver smells like,” rather than trying to identify the scent of vetiver in the fragrance. So, how do I describe this? The scent off the tub is grassy and sweet. When lathered, the sweet note is resinous and there's spice bordering on smoky which takes me back to incense day last year. It's a complex scent. The soap base is much firmer than most artisan shave soaps; i.e. it's not a croap. That made it easier to spread a scoop of soap into my loading bowl. It doesn't produce much lather. I had to go back for more soap. It had good slickness. But, doing a single ATG pass was still a little uncomfortable.

I won a soap and splash set from Wholly Kaw in the Lather Games a few years ago. I had used a smoosh of Rebelle and liked it. And, that’s what I ended up getting. This is in my top ten fragrances from a wetshaving artisan. I smell a grassy vetiver note right away, along with leather and oud. Not to go off-topic, because today is about vetiver, but leather has been an underwhelming scent note for me since taking an interest in fragrance. I love the smell of quality leather goods. In fragrance, leather has been kind of boring. And yet, I love this fragrance. Leather is an anchoring note here, while two scents I really like, vetiver and oud, jazz things up. Oud is the strongest note. But, vetiver is definitely present.

For some reason, I thought Will from Barrister and Mann was involved with Berceuse Parfum. I must’ve been mistaken because his name is nowhere to be found on the fragrantica page for Allegretto 7.2. I have a few options for fragrances with vetiver. I chose Allegretto because it’s the most vetiver forward. Spraying it on now, I’m getting a strong vetiver top note. In fact, it’s difficult to pick much else out right now. Eventually it opens up a bit. There’s a touch of smoke, noticeable cedar, and a vague greeness. It’s not heavy. But, it’s certainly not green, powdery, or aromatic. Vetiver runs the show. This feels like a fragrance for a fall outing, hiking to a waterfall, visiting an apple farm, etc.

#photocontest - Grass, like vetiver.

#FOF

June 8, 2024 - Small Business Saturday... but in June

• Brush: Maggard Razors Aluminum Handle 2-Band Badger 22mm
• Razor: Maggard Razors SS70 #ZAMAC
• Blade: Wizamet (25)
• Lather: Maggard Razors - Mango Sage Tea
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Paganini's Violin
• Fragrance: Zoologist - Chameleon

Challenge: My biggest Maggard’s order was made last month and was just over $150. It was mostly samples and other items for a PIF I’m putting together. It also included Catie’s Bubbles Blugere for my fougere soap and a boar knot for my Aurora LG brush.

Thanks to /u/Impressive_Donut114 for the smoosh! As I begin loading my brush I smell tea with a muddled mango note. It's similar to brewing a black tea with bits of dried fruit. As such, the mango isn't particularly juicy or bright. I mostly get black tea. It's cozy. I'm not a fan of the soap base. It's too fluffy and doesn't hold much water.

For post-shave today, I'm using Paganini's Violin to play off the black tea in the soap. When I got the r/wetshaving release of Paganini’s Violin, I thought it was boring. I expect strong scent notes from Barrister and Mann. It took a few shaves for me to appreciate the subtleties of this unassuming fragrance. It's a dry, nuanced, tea-like fragrance. It's almost like the scent of paper. It's more delicate than any tea I've smelled. Imagine a tea that smells as light as violets. That's the best analogy I can come up with.

I chose Chameleon from Zoologist for the mango note to match the soap. Freshly sprayed, this fragrance feels aromatic; borderline aquatic, even. There's zesty citrus, mainly lemon, a dry woody note, and a bit of smoke. It's been a while since I've worn this. It's not what I expected so far. About 30 minutes later, there’s a tropical fruit buried in a light, powdery note. The powder note isn’t very green, or even floral. It’s as close to neutral as I can imagine for a powder note. Similar to Mango Sage Tea, the mango note in this isn’t a big player. It sits in the mix and complements the other players. A lot of the citrus has evaporated at this point. There’s still traces of the aromatic opening, but I’m mostly smelling the powdery note. It pairs nicely with Paganini’s Violin. Similar to my initial impression of Paganini’s Violin, I find myself wanting more. It’s pleasant. But, it’s not interesting enough to grab my attention.

I used the SS70 and aluminum handle badger for the theme. I don’t think I’ve used this razor since last year. The way it clamps the blade leaves room for chatter. It usually causes some irritation. Today wasn’t too bad. The brush is great for lathering, especially when I don’t have a lot of time to shave.

#photocontest - eyes

#FOF

June 9, 2024 - Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits

• Brush: ShoreShave Burnt Orange, Tangerine, PearlSwirl T4 Fan 26 mm
• Razor: CJB Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
• Blade: Feather Pro Guard (7)
• Lather: Eleven - Barbershop
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Fleur de France
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Picture Day

Theme: all software is/was marketed as a barbershop fragrance.

Challenge: 5/32

Another early morning shave on the weekend.

What is a Barbershop? Italian barbershop fragrances usually smell like almond. French barbershop fragrances are citrusy. In North America barbershop fragrances are often powdery, and often a fougere, or close to it. But, there's no clear definition. So, what makes something a barbershop fragrance? Marketing, apparently.

Eleven’s take on a barbershop fragrance is heavy on oakmoss, with a spicy basil and strong musk. I'm not finding any powder, or lavender at all, really. It feels like someone is missing. This is my first time using a product from Eleven. It took a lot of water before it started to puff up. Once it started it just. Kept. Going. It made a crazy amount of lather. This soap holds lots of water. Further testing is needed. But, the slickness was very good.

It's a shame that Fleur de France was discontinued, because I really like this fragrance. The scent notes on the label read like a typical barbershop with the addition of citron. The proportions of the scents separates this from American barbershop fragrances. A sharp, bright, note of citron is front and center. Rosemary adds some herbaceousness. The musk stands out. The oakmoss and coumarin are restrained and serve to form the base. It feels lively.

Picture Day is an American style barbershop fragrance. There's a strong note of lavender exhibiting a tasteful amount of powder that's not enough to classify this as a powdery fragrance to me. The aftershave is overpowering the frag at the moment.

After a couple of hours, I'm still smelling more Fleur de France than Picture Day. I'll have to revisit the frag when I get home.

I'm finally home, 12+ hours later. I gave Picture Day a spray on each wrist. I get a big green note which I assume is geranium. There's lavender which brings powder into play. Rather than being talc-y, the powder smells musty, or maybe peppery.

#photocontest - water

#FOF

Edit: replaced a pic with a meme.

June 10 - Happy Together

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Mint Smoke anchurian V20 26 mm #SHD
• Razor: Rolls Razor Imperial No. 2 #FOREVERSAFETY #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Rolls Razor Imperial No. 2 (2)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming - Armonia
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus Fougere
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus

Theme: All software products are collabs. Soap: Chicago Grooming x House of Mammoth. Splash and frag: Declaration Grooming x House of Mammoth x Noble Otter. There's a Mammoth on every label.

Challenge: Today’s theme is collaboration. So, I wanted to pick a song from a collaborative album. I listened to Love This Giant by St. Vincent and David Byrne while I was making dinner and landed on I Am An Ape. I found this stunning live performance. My software labels feature Mammoths, Bison, and Otters. An ape seems fitting.

I love Armonia. I purchased the frag when it was re-released this year to complete my trifecta. The draw of the fragrance is the note of spicy cured tobacco. That's complemented by a composition of green notes providing touches of powder and herb. There's a slight earthiness. Cedar serves as a backdrop. This is one of my favorite uses of tobacco in a fragrance. Chicago Grooming describes this as a fougere. The tobacco and cedar make this stand out in what is typically a lavender heavy genre. This Darkwing soap base is low-key one of the best on the market.

I bought this Rolls Razor for “new to you” last year. I haven’t used it since. I didn’t enjoy it. I saw many people using it this year have a bad time. And yet, here I am, using it again for hardware points. Time for a little secret, I’ve never used the built-in hone or strop. u/gcgallant was kind enough to hone it for me last year. I stropped it on a paddle strop today. I was reasonably sure I’d get a slick lather with Darkwing. So, today seemed as good as any to try shaving with this again. Despite my best efforts, it was still bad. The razor was tuggy. It didn’t do well on curved surfaces, or with the tougher hair around my mustache, goatee, and chin. This thing just doesn’t work well for me.

After the awesomeness that is Cerberus, the triumvirate of Declaration Grooming, House of Mammoth, and Noble Otter reunited to grace us with Cerberus Fougere. Splashing this on, I get heavy oakmoss right away with a bit of lavender. I have the set in front me. If I smell the splash in the bottle I get a big whiff of sweet bergamot. Nosing it a bit more, the oakmoss comes through. Smelling the soap, bergamot is there, a hint of oakmoss, and the sandalwood in the base is apparent. It’s an interesting exercise in fragrance. Going from the fruity sandalwood of Sandalorian to the dialed back interpretation of Cerberus, this fougere version came out of left field. The fougere elements are prominent. I can also detect the core Cerberus sandalwood note underneath. It lacks the fruit notes from the original. It stands alongside fragrances like Beaudelaire, Fougere Angelique, and Fougere Gothique as outside the box fougeres.

After missing out on Sandalorian, I was excited when Cerberus was announced. The opening is floral bordering on vanilla, green, slightly fruity, sweet balsamic, and sandalwood. It’s a fun combination of scents; the contrast of light, playful, sweet elements drawing to resinous, dry elements at the core. Wearing this makes me feel happy. Of the two Cerberus fragrances (Cerberuses? Cerberi?), the original still takes the cake in my book.

#photocontest - DIY. My mobile phone repair kit is to the right. The gaming PC I built last year is behind.

#FOF

June 11 - April Showers Bring May Flowers

• Brush: Semogue SOC Mistura #MISTURA #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Karve Christopher Bradley Brass C-Plate #ADJUSTABLE #CNC #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Blade: Wizamet (26)
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Tres Matres
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Tres Matres
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Tres Matres

Theme: Tres Matres is a floral petrichor fragrance.

Challenge: see SOTD pic

I’ve made an effort not to dickhole fragrances this year. Unfortunately, the color coordinated challenge backed me into a corner, today.

I was heartbroken when Tres Matres was discontinued. It was an early favorite in my den, and is still a fragrance I love. I wish I had some backups. There's a floral note at the opening that smells pretty and is just right for spring. The petrichor accord comes through from the start. I smell ozone and damp earth. I'm getting a lot of sweetness from the floral note, now.

With the splash: again, I get a green floral note in the opening which melds nicely with the petrichor.

The frag isn't much different. The ozone and green note come through a bit more and project nicely. I get less of the damp earth in this.

Razor tags: I have 3 base plates for adjustable. pic of patina for rustybuttrusty

#photocontest - wood

#FOF

June 12, 2024 - CREAM

• Brush: Munnin Woodworks Mother of Pearl APShaveCo G5C 24mm
• Razor: RazoRock Hawk v2
• Blade: Feather Pro Guard (15)
• Lather: Gillette - Pure
• Post Shave: Maurer & Wirtz - Tabac
• Fragrance: Calvin Klein - CK One Shock For Him

Challenge: Den Tour pic 1 - the shelves of shaving; pic 2 - soap box; pic 3 - post-shave box; pic 4 - frag box; pic 5 - razor box; pic 6 - under sink storage; pic 7 - bathroom drawer; pic 8 - overflow has gotten… pic 9 - kinda crazy.

Once upon a time, Gillette Pure was my Drug Store Day lather. It used to be available in my local Wallgreens stores. It’s not on shelves anymore. I guess it didn’t sell. There’s not much fragrance at first. I got a faint green powder and laundry musk in the soap while aloe seemingly hangs in the air. This cream is fluffy. The cream went from the tube, to my hands, then to my face, which was messy. I shouldn’t have rubbed it between my fingers. It made my hands soapy. It looked thin on my face at first. After a pass with the brush it morphed into pasty proto-lather. It puffed up quickly once I started adding water. I hydrated it until lather flung off of my brush. The slickness was okay, but not as good as the appearance of the lather led me to believe. It was at least a bit better than the Barbasol on Canned Goop Day. But, it was drying. The fragrance came out more when it was hydrated. The powder note was more prominent and smelled more distinctly of lavender. Overall, it’s a safe fragrance for a commercial product. It’s similar to what canned foam smells like. It’s non-offensive, and that’s probably the nicest thing I can say about it.

Today’s theme leaves the fragrance options wide open. I started by picking hardware and software that are physically black and white for my SOTD pic. Out of those options, I liked the idea of using other mass-market products in tandem with Pure. I won this bottle of Tabac in a PIF from /u/loudmusicboy. It’s the only Maurer & Wirtz product I’ve used. This fragrance is the most old man thing I’ve ever smelled. To be fair, it’s an old man who has taken care of himself and still cares about his appearance. I’d hate to smell the chain-smoking alcoholic on oxygen wearing a half open bathrobe old man fragrance. It’s floral. I get a mix of carnation, rose, and maybe some jasmine. This is that stinky rose note that modern fragrances have veered away from. It's soapy and woody at the same time, like this was cut from a soap tree. There’s a grassy note in there. Given time on my face, it does kind of smell like tobacco (I’m still uncertain whether tobacco is actually a note, here). It’s definitely old-fashioned. I have a lot of vintage razors. I appreciate seeing what older generations shaved with, and the trends wetshaving products have gone through. So, I’m happy to have this in my den.

I picked Calvin Klein CK One Shock For Him because of the black bottle, and because I thought it would go well with Tabac. The first smell of this makes me think “warm spicy.” It’s woody, but I get a hit of powder up front. Tobacco sits at the edges of the spice notes. There’s a hint of sweet citrus. After dry-down, the tobacco note comes through more. I get a note of amber in the base. The amber and powder combine into a sweet note resembling vanilla. I think it smells better after dry-down. Longevity is short. This doesn't have a lot of depth. It's a bit old, but not outdated. But, it's nice to splash on when I want a hit of tobacco.

#photocontest - Black and white

#FOF

June 13, 2024 - Dupelgänger

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving sub exclusive MOAR BOAR #OLDWORLD #SUBBROOSH
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo SS 0.72 #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet (27)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Sandpiper
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Prom King
• Fragrance: Rasasi - Royale Pour Homme

Theme: Sandpiper is a dupe of YSL La Nuit de l'Homme; Prom King is inspired by Jean Paul Gualtier Le Male; Royale Pour Homme is a dupe of Drakkar Noir; RazoRock Lupo is a dupe of Wolfman WR-1.

Challenge: The spacing on the letters got away from me 🙁.

I bought a set of Sandpiper to go with my MOAR BOAR in appreciation for Rod’s help getting the brushes through customs. I’d ordered an edt sample from Stirling previously, and already had my eye on a set. The cardamom is appealing to my fragrance sensibilities. The vetiver is just as strong, if not stronger. They play together as a joint note. A middle note of lavender softens things up, a bit. Meanwhile, cedar subtly underpins the vetiver. I don’t really smell anything I’d consider aromatic. This dupe feels mostly like a warm spice, with some wood, and a little fresh spice. As designer fragrances go, this has the appeal of being approachable without being powdery, and being warm without heavy spice notes, or amber.

This aftershave is from the original release of Prom King. It’s the first sub exclusive I bought. I missed out on a couple before, not realizing how limited the opportunity was. I think this dropped in May and arrived in time for me to use it for r/wetshaving Exclusive Day that year. I chose this dupe to use with Sandpiper because they both have prominent cardamom notes and share the characteristics of being aromatic fragrances built on fresh spicy, warm spicy, and lavender elements. The opening of Prom King is aromatic, and fresh spicy. I love the cardamom in this. There’s a mint note that is thankfully restrained. I smell a big vanilla note with an undertone of light lavender powder. There’s hints of warm spice, and amber. But, I mostly get top notes with this splash. Le Male is a fragrance I'd like to sample at some point. The aromatic, fresh spice elements make this feel at ease, and thoughtful. It has levity compared to Sandpiper.

Today’s fragrance is Rasasi Royale Pour Homme. A couple years ago, u/USS-SpongeBob destroyed everyone in the Feats of Fragrance side contest. Amongst his educational write-ups, he expressed a love of Drakkar Noir (I hope I’m remembering that right, it’s been a while). I had never smelled Drakkar Noir. When I saw a vintage Drakkar Noir dupe on the bazaar, I snagged it. I wanted to experience SpongeBob’s favorite fragrance, and hopefully absorb his knowledge and fragrance skills through osmosis. Drakkar Noir is another fragrance that is aromatic, with woody, fresh spicy, and lavender elements. Let’s see how that description pans out with Royale Pour Homme. I’m a 90’s kid. I wasn’t old enough to wear cologne when Drakkar was popular. Heck, I was probably wearing JNCO’s when this was popular. And yet, this kinda hits my nostalgia button. It’s hard to describe the fragrance. There’s aromatic top notes that I can’t ascribe a particular scent to. When I go to get a better smell, what’s underneath is unexpected. It’s… dirty? There’s a powdery note that makes everything else muddled. The dirty notes are the most interesting. It’s dark and earthy. There’s a leathery quality. If I really get into it, and sniff a few times, there’s just the slightest hint of green. After dry down, it starts to smell more spicy, almost peppery. It’s still very aromatic. Some floral notes begin to come through. The powdery note is present, but less cloying. While I think this is a dated fragrance, it is nice. It just doesn’t feel like “me.”

#photocontest - Steampunk

#FOF

June 14, 2024 - Frigid Friday

• Brush: Century 752 w/ 22 mm Maggard Badger
• Razor: Gillette 40’s Super Speed
• Blade: Wizamet (28)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Rope Swing
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Rope Swing
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Orris Forest

Challenge: Not as impressive as some of my previous efforts. The lid on the soap doesn’t sit flush, which prevented me from stacking it vertically.

Rope Swing is such a fun fragrance. I love the playfulness. The dandelion is unique. Ozone and green notes create a sensation of fresh air. A bitter green note makes me think of crushed plant leaves. This evokes images of spring outings; Those little adventures when the flowers are in bloom, where you take a trail just to see where it goes. It fits in the same niche as Rawr, in that regard (also, dandelions!). The splash smells sweeter. The cooling lasts for several minutes. I still smell dandelion more than 4 hours later. The longevity might be longer than the frag.

The description of Orris Forest reads: "Growing up, my grandmother lived south of Saint Louis close to the Meramec River. As a child, I loved hiking out in the woods behind her house down to a creek that was a tributary to that river. There were fun hills to climb, and the smell was so fresh, green and vibrant.” I felt that was in keeping with the theme of Rope Swing. The top notes are armatic green leaf notes, sweet floral, with a trace of evergreen. There’s an earthness, and woodiness, like ginger/vegetable peel, and some fresh spicy notes. Later, it's takes a softer tone, with lavender taking over the aromatics. This one feels more leisurely than adventurous. This is like a relaxing day spent gardening.

#photocontest - A (popcorn) bucket

#FOF

June 15, 2024 - Near Death Experience

• Brush: That Darn Rob White Handle With Blue Cap 2-Band Badger 26 mm #SHD
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo Silver #RAINBOW
• Blade: Wizamet (29)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Orbit
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger - Aftershave and Toner
• Fragrance: Zoologist - Koala

Challenge: Me, shave with pasty lather? This is the Lather Games. NOT the Paste Games! Fine, is this pasty enough for you, bastards? The only upside to this is maybe some pasty shaver finally made a decent lather.

I have a lot of soap and I typically shave every other day. That means I have lots of stuff that's only been used 2-3 times. So, how did this tub of Orbit come to look like this? Simple, someone else did the hard work for which I now take credit. This was heavily used when I bought it. I used it for Austere August in an attempt to kill it, only for the soap to laugh in my face. Orbit and Rope Swing are the only cooling soaps I've bought on purpose. I prefer the synthetic cooling agent. Menthol has a strong scent. Unless the fragrance is tailored around it, like Northern Elixir, it takes too much attention away from the fragrance.

I'm not the biggest Noble Otter fan. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan. They make great products, and the packaging is cute. I'm just not as smitten by the Otter labels as others seem to be. Nor do many of their fragrances pique my interest. That said, Orbit is my favorite Noble Otter soap. It smells rejuvenating like a cold shower after working outside in the heat. I don’t understand what the frozen space scent note on the label means. But, this does smell cold, somehow. Or maybe, more accurately, like cooling. The eucalyptus reminds me of the aloe ointment I put on my sunburns after beach days on vacation as a kid. I don’t get the bergamot note in this. The note of rose is used artfully here and meshes seamlessly with the cedar to provide a base for the fragrance.

I used Lucky Tiger because it’s the post-shave closest to death. This has been my go-to when using soaps without matching splash. The label reads “fragrance (citrus essential oils).” It smells like orange. Imagine an orange peel without the bitterness. The splash makes my skin feel great. It’s a great option when I don’t want the drying effect of an alcohol based aftershave.

I chose Koala for today’s fragrance to play off of the eucalyptus note in Orbit. The opening is green and earthy. If Orbit is in space, Koala is firmly on the ground in nature. I get a lot of vetiver. There’s resinous sweet honey-like scents, and Middle Eastern spice. I detect black tea, incense, and a subtle green floral note. It’s complex. As it begins to dry down, vanilla emerges to complement the incense.

I forget who I got this razor from. It was a freebie with a bazaar purchase. The Lupo SS 0.72 is a razor I can use on autopilot. This aluminum Lupo has been sitting unused. I figured it would be mild enough to make the pasty shave bearable. So, I gave it a shot. It was very mild. I had to check there was a blade installed. The verdict is still out on efficiency.

In honor of today’s sponsor spotlight, I used my other /u/geekyoldrob brush. The is an older one with the TDR coin. This was one of the first nice brushes I bought. I got it at the bazaar for a good price. I don’t know what knot is in this. I assume some version of Fanchurian. I like that it's not a gelly as some of my other badgers.

#photocontest - Soccer. I have officially spent money on this side contest.

#FOF

June 16, 2024 - Father's Day

• Brush: Vulfix Butterscotch Oumo Badger
• Razor: Gillette Black Beauty T3 #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Wizamet (30)
• Lather: Haslinger - Schafmilch
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Musk
• Fragrance: Chanel - Antaeus

Theme: all software brands used are older than me: Haslinger dates back to 1890 according to The Razor Company. Aqua Velva was trademarked in 1917. Chanel’s first fragrance, No. 5, was launched in 1921. I believe the hardware is older than me.

Challenge: Leg day! It was tough finding time to get this in, but I did it. Pre-shave left leg and right leg. Post-shave [left leg] (https://imgur.com/sYEafO6) and [right leg] (https://imgur.com/BsPHVcO). I know the photo edits look weird, but the carpet doesn't look great.

There’s not much to say about the fragrance of Haslinger Schafmilch. It’s unscented. It’s as plain as the nose on soap’s face. I can smell some of the soap ingredients. It kind of smells like milk, and… soap. Yeah. I haven’t used this much. It’s a hard soap. I scraped some soap off of the puck, smushed it into my loading bowl, and bloomed it (which I never do). I scraped way too much soap. It’s a European hard soap. I should’ve known it would fluff like a marshmallow. Anyways, I loaded my vintage Vulfix brush and began lathering on my leg. After a while, there was enough lather that I started scraping it back into the bowl, just so I could get some water into the lather on my leg. My leg was fully lathered, I had all of that in the bowl, and I only picked up like half the soap. A little goes a long way, I guess. Eventually I didn’t have time to fuss with it anymore and had to call it good enough.

The Black Beauty I used today was found in my grandfather's half-bath while cleaning out my grandmother’s house (he passed years before she did). The date code is T3 which means this was made in the 3rd quarter of 1973 (well before I was born). This was my first time shaving with it. I was going to use it last year. But, there’s no Father’s Day in July. I cleaned it up last night and soaked in Barbicide before the shave today. I set the dial to ‘4’ because that's my setting on the Slim. It shaved at least as well as the Slim. Clogging was an issue, though. [Warning, gross] This is what I pulled out of it during the shave.

I ended up putting some Aqua Velva Musk on my face so I could smell it. There’s a ton of alcohol vapor splashing this on. I was going to make a joke about not standing near an open flame, but there’s actually a warning on the label about it being flammable until dry. What to say about this fragrance? It’s a classic cheapie. The musk is readily apparent. It’s leathery. There’s a core of powder. But, it’s overpowered by the musk. I’m able to smell alcohol long enough that I get a diesel scent effect. There’s a spice of tobacco, or maybe a warm spice like clove. There’s sort of an amber-like characteristic. It’s a bit cloying, but charming in a way, too. Sometimes I’ll reach for this if I just want to have something to smell and don’t want to use one of my frags. It sticks with you for a long time. This is an old-school masculine aftershave that has staying power, literally and figuratively.

I purchased this bottle of Antaeus on the bazaar. It’s the vintage formula that contains real castoreum. Antaeus is woody and animalic. It’s a Chypre fragrance. In the opening I smell warm resinous sweet spicy notes, dry woody notes, and an animalic note. Overall, quite balsamic. Once the top notes evaporate, the balsamic notes are more or less gone. The animalic note remains. I smell oakmoss. It's a bit earthy, but there's some floral notes as well, mainly rose. I don’t know what modern bottlings are like. But, this has strong projection and good longevity. This fragrance has an air of mystery to it that I enjoy. It’s intriguing, yet understated. It’s not loud, but it does have something to say.

#photocontest - Prius. Taking pictures of strangers’ vehicles like a degen.

#FOF

June 17, 2024 - Don’t Have a Cow, Man!

• Brush: Zenith B15 #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Gillette Black Beauty T3 #ADJUSTABLE
• Blade: Wizamet (31)
• Lather: Saponificio Varesino - Opuntia
• Post Shave: Captain’s Choice - Venture
• Fragrance: Zoologist - Dodo

Challenge: Didn’t we basically do this yesterday? You guys are weird. Are you people trying to see balls? Because, this is how you get pics of balls. What's wrong with a good ol’ fashioned chest lather? I could have a luxurious chest lather going. But, no. Instead I’m showing off my knee like a mennonite hooker.

Today’s software fragrances all feature a note of pineapple. Starting off is Opuntia from Saponifico Varesino. First off, this is a great fragrance. I used this Zenith B15 with my tub of Saponifico Varesino Desert Vetiver in the same base for Austere August. This soap is okay. The fragrances are so good. I don’t want to get rid of them. Opuntia has an invigorating note of pineapple. The pineapple is bolstered by bergamot and black current. It’s aromatic. Meshed with the fruit, I get a woody note, and some musk. Underneath, there’s a note of rose and grassy scent notes. It’s a playful combination of fruity, woody, and musk that feels sophisticated.

This sample of Captain’s Choice Venture aftershave was in the Adentus box from /u/jwoods23. Venture is their Aventus clone. I smell pineapple, but also lots of aromatics. There’s some fresh spicy notes. The scent strength is pretty weak. It’s only been a few minutes and I can’t really smell it on my face. Let’s pop open the sample. In the vial, it smells more citrusy with a hint of pineapple. There’s a lot of bergamot. There’s a bit of a floral note. After repeated sniffing I get a whiff of patchouli. It’s much brighter and more aromatic than Stirling’s Aventus dupe, Executive Man. It’s fresh and fun. I wish I could smell more of it when it’s on my face.

Initially, I was thinking of using another Aventus dupe, Armaf Club de Nuit Intense Man. After comparing the scent notes to Dodo, I saw they were similar on paper. Now I’m wondering how similar Dodo is to the Aventus clones I’ve smelled (I’ve never smelled the real thing). Not very. There’s an intense note of sharp, tropical fruit. It’s dank and slightly tart. It makes me think of papaya.

It’s been about 20 minutes. The dankness isn’t as strong. It’s hard to pull specific notes. There’s a lot of fruity and fresh spicy scents. It feels like a singular fragrance.

It’s been a couple of hours. The fruity notes are gone. The fresh spicy accord remains. I think I’m not really smelling the basenotes, because this sort of just fell-off. The opening was unique and fun. Sadly, the base is kind of boring and not very noticeable.

#photocontest - time. I wanted to show off my new Millennium Falcon clock. You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?! It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

#FOF

June 18, 2024 - R.I.P.

• Brush: Semogue 610 #OLDWORLD #SMOLL
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo Silver #RAINBOW
• Blade: Wizamet (32)
• Lather: Australian Private Reserve – Passione
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Daydream
• Fragrance: Australian Private Reserve / Southern Witchcrafts - Gravefruit

Challenge: Hey, I've been lurking for a while. I met this guy Douglas, or maybe it was Erik, on Facebook. He seemed like a cool dude. He made soap with cool labels, and didn't let the haters get to him. He Petal Pushed some Fancy shaving stuff on me, and now I'm hooked.

I'm still new to this. So, I was hoping you could give me some pointers. I use Feather blades because they're the sharpest. I added a few shims to get some positive blade exposure. There were 5 blades in the pack. I need one to shave with. I hope the other 4 are enough. I corked my blade to make sure it was as sharp as possible. But, first I corked my cork to make sure it was corky enough. So, I'm doing all the things I've read to do, and I keep getting these bumps on my face. What gives?

---

Passione is a passion fruit fougere. As I load the soap I smell notes of passion fruit, lavender, and oakmoss. As I'm lathering, I get brightness from the passion fruit, and fresh green notes alongside the lavender. It's light for a fougere. I never really picked up any base notes. I imagine there are more layers to this in eau de toilette form. It still smells great. It’s energetic. It would be great for a morning shave. The fragrance makes me feel like I can switch on my extroversion and greet new faces. The fact that I'll never get to smell Passione in its full glory makes me sad.

Daydream isn't a fougere. But, it does share notes of passion fruit and oakmoss. Sweet bergamot is joined by notes of sharp passion fruit and bright lemon to create a pleasant and calming effect. Green tea and a touch of oakmoss offer some contrast to the sweet citrus. It pairs well with Passione. Daydream is approachable, pleasant, and tranquil. I love shaving with it. I need to pick up the frag at some point.

I don’t have any fragrances with passion fruit. So, I grabbed the only Australian Private Reserve frag I have, Gravefruit, from their collaboration with Southern Witchcrafts. The grapefruit note in this is fragrant, zesty, bright citrus, and tart. A ting of yuzu adds some sweetness. There are hints of woody and green notes, and maybe a grassy note. But, this is a citrus bomb. I love it. It’s perfect for summer. But, I’m afraid to use it. I have FORO (fear of running out).

#photocontest - Sugar & Sweets

#FOF

June 19, 2024 Juneteenth

• Brush: Rubberset 200-N Maggard Black and White 20 mm #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird SS #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet (33)
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Vor V
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Company - New City
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Fake Yellow Light

Theme: Wholly Kaw is in New Jersey; Chicago Grooming is in Illinois; Declaration Grooming is in Michigan.

Challenge: This is probably my favorite challenge. I've been jotting down ideas. I couldn't land on one for /u/cowzilla3, so I made 3. There's one for /u/sgrdddy, too.

The Architect
Waiting
NEED
MOAR
SPICE
Slurry
Soap Kill
My Homies

Vor V is the first Wholly Kaw soap and splash I bought. I got it before my first Lather Games to get a sponsor point on my calendar and won a set of Wholly Kaw as my prize that year (I chose Rebelle). Working backwards a bit: I paired this with New City because they smell very similar. I was under the impression that Vor V was an original fragrance when I bought it. The similarity between the two was apparent when I bought New City and smelled it for the first time. New City is/was advertised as being inspired by Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. Wholly Kaw’s ad copy? No mention of Tom Ford, Tuscan Leather, dupe, inspired by, homage, etc. Sure enough, a search query at thirsty badger confirms that I was sold a fabulous smelling lie of omission.

Now, to the fragrance. I smell raspberry and leather in equal measure. Once it’s lathered, it opens up a bit and the scent of oud comes out. Leather and raspberry sounds like an odd combination. But, the pairing smells really good. Leather scents sometimes fall flat with me; like someone who doesn’t move during… smooshing. I’ve talked about this before. I love the smell of a good leather wallet, or couch. It’s a luxurious material. Leather works very well in the fragrance. Raspberry gives it a nice berry boost. There’s something about raspberries that smells like happiness. It’s also unexpected in a leather fragrance. When the oud comes into play it takes it up a notch. I can just make out the saffron. This fragrance feels stylish, like a guy who wears sport coats with t-shirts and slacks with loafers. Did I just describe Tom Ford?

New City is more leathery than Vor V. There are herbal and floral notes that come through in this dupe. There’s a note of incense when I smell the bottle. I prefer the raspberry heavy approach of Vor V. But, I appreciate that there’s more nuance in New City.

Sadly, Tom Ford’s fragrances are out of my price range. So, sans Tuscan Leather, I scoured my den for something to go with the pair of Tuscan Leather dupes. I got a sample of Declaration Grooming Fake Yellow Light in the Adventus box. It has several scent notes in common with Vor V: leather, amber, chai (black tea), and vanilla. I have just enough of it left for today’s shave. I’ve worn this a few times (hence being nearly empty, although I think it leaked a bit, too), but haven’t really nailed this one down. At the start, Fake Yellow Light is resinous, ambery, leathery, with a touch of honey. There’s a strong tobacco scent. The dry down smells like leather, tobacco, chai, and amber. It's more of an amber/leather/tobacco fragrance compared to the Tuscan Leather dupes which are fruity and smooth. This might be one of my favorite Scott originals. There's a nice layering with the tobacco and chai spice. Everything is enveloped in amber. It's very masculine.

#photocontest - darkness. The light source is the night light in my bathroom with the door closed. There are no windows.

#FOF

June 20, 2024 - Sunny Days

• Brush: Century 752 Maggard Badger 22 mm
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Wizamet (34)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Ice Lime
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - Italian Citrus
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - Falling Into The Sea

Challenge: I didn’t go for a hike. But, I spent some time in the sun trimming trees, and pulling/digging up saplings. After that, I shaved on my deck(Yeah, it’s a mess and it’s falling apart). It was overcast until the moment I started lathering. I was using the reflection off my phone until I got an overheating warning and put it inside to cool off (first time I’ve seen one, it was fine in my pocket doing yard work). I made a quick slurry lather to move things along and did my shave.

I had planned on using Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime. I switched to Seaforth! Sea Ice Lime because of the heat. They smell the same, anyways. The Ice version has WS-23. Sea Spice Lime is so good. It has a bit of every summer-time fragrance element. It’s citrus heavy with sweet bergamot and tart lime. It’s a bit aquatic with hints of salty sea water. It’s green and fresh spicy in the base. This is my summer go-to. I wear the edt a lot this time of year. Coincidentally, my current bath bar is Sea Spice Lime. I’ve been smelling good the last few weeks. Sea Sp/Ice Lime is goated.

I was hoping to use Ausflug today. I’m not certain it would’ve worked. But, the scent notes sound about right. Plus, I really want to smell it. But, it’s still not here. So, I’m using what I planned originally, Fine Accoutrements Italian Citrus, which is inspired by Acqua di Parma Colonia. A Colonia style fragrance is something that is sorely missing from my den. I saw someone break out their full Acqua di Parma setup for Flex Day a couple of years ago. It looked fancy. And, it made me curious about the fragrance. I figured a sample of a dupe was a cheap way to try it out. I smell lemon, soapy floral, herbaceous, grassy, and woody notes. It’s classic, elegant, light, and aromatic. It feels stylish, and very appropriate for summer. I think it’s about time I picked something in this genre to add to the den.

Today’s fragrance is Falling Into The Sea from Imaginary Authors. I smell citrus and aquatic notes. The citrus is muted. It’s more bitter than tart. It smells like a mix of grapefruit flesh and bitter lemon. I don’t know how else to describe the aquatic note other than to say it smells like the beach; beach sand in particular. The citrus evokes the feeling of spending a few hours in the sun. It makes me feel nostalgic. It brings to mind summer vacations at the beach. The only thing that’s missing is the smell of sunscreen.

#photocontest - Earth. Terra.

#FOF

June 21, 2024 - Fougère Friday

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Matterhorn w/ 28 mm Maggard SHD
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Wizamet (35)
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Fougere Classique
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Fougere Nemata

Challenge: I wrote two. Choose your favorite.

---

A fougere of blueberry and moss
Goes together like Rachel and Ross
I think it smells great
I'm sure most can relate
It you can't, then xir, that's your loss

---

A fougere topped with blueberry
Catie’s Bubbles scent most merry
It made a mean lather
With brush knot of badger
Now my face is no longer hairy

---

Some people don't like fougères. And, those people are ~~wrong~~ entitled to their opinion. I love fougères. There’s a nice variety in the genre. You can find old fashioned oakmoss heavy fougères. And powdery, lavender forward barbershop fougères. Or green, aromatic fougères. Armonia is an example of a tobacco fougere. There’s even fruity fougères, like Passione. Blugere is fruity. Blueberry is a fun addition. There's lots of blueberry goodness in this fragrance. The fougere leans towards green notes. The lavender is slightly soapy. The oakmoss is toned down in favor of a woody scent. It’s fantastic.

Fougère Classique is based on the original formula for Fougère Royale. It’s mossy and floral. The base is composed of woody, leathery, resinous, and amber notes. The heavy base notes linger for quite a while. The floral notes soften the fragrance with an aromatic touch. Fougère Royale is a historically important fragrance. It’s cool to smell Will’s revised take. It's classic and masculine. It's not the best for hot weather.

Fougère Nemata is another fougère that plays with fruit. Only this time, it’s strawberry. It’s aromatic and green. There’s a bitter note, like crushed leaves or stems. The strawberry nestles in the bitterness, which makes it feel like it’s picked fresh off the plant. There are some floral notes that flow in and out of perception. It’s brighter than Blugere, but less fruity. I really like the aromatic, bitter quality of this fragrance. I feel like a strawberry.

#photocontest - Cactus. Fun fact: I bought this cactus for the photo and got stuck as soon as I got home.

#FOF

June 22, 2024 - Spooky Season

• Brush: ShoreShave Burnt Orange, Tangerine, PearlSwirl T4 Fan 26 mm
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Wizamet (36)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Darkfall
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors - A City On Fire

Challenge: I’ll come back to this if I have time…

Edit: Okay. First, who has a pumpkin in June? Here's an avocado. I carved it with a GEM blade.

Darkfall has a regional, geographic tie-in to where I live. The old L&L was based ~20 miles from my house before moving to Michigan and rebranding to Declaration Grooming. In the fall, it’s very common to smell burn piles. I can hardly leave my house without smelling burning leaves that time of year. The smoke in this fragrance takes me there. The note perfectly mimics the smell of detritus being consumed by flame. The dry soap is very smokey. Once it was lathered, I smelled a warm base consisting of amber, wood, and balsamic notes. It’s a cool fragrance, and somewhat of a novelty. I like the theme. It really captures GA in the fall.

Speaking of GA, Southern Witchcrafts is a GA based brand that makes great soap. Their two most popular fragrances, Autumn Ash, and Samhain, are both fall fragrances. They’re also two of my least favorite fragrances from the brand. Enter Boonana. There are notes of candy banana and lily up top which feel playful and make me think of Halloween candy. Notes of bourbon and tobacco provide warmth and darker sweetness to the mix. There’s a hint of spice from the tobacco. A note of vanilla rounds out the sweeter notes and keeps the banana and bourbon in balance. As I continue to smell this, the pumpkin note takes hold. It smells like the real thing, raw, freshly carved. It’s the note that ties everything together. Honestly, a lot of my criticisms of Autumn Ash could also be leveled at Boonana. It’s very sweet, the banana is artificial, and it can be a bit cloying. But, I like this one. Maybe it’s the Runts I ate as a kid, or my love of bourbon as an adult, but this fragrance is fun.

For the fragrance, I wanted to play off the smoke motif of Darkfall. I chose Imaginary Authors A City On Fire. It’s a little overwhelming at first. It’s deeply smoky. The smoke has a chemical-quality. It’s sort of like charcoal briquettes. There are other notes I smell, but in the context of the fragrance add the prefix “smokey” to them. I smell pine, slightly sour balsamic, and resinous sweet notes. It’s actually an interesting fragrance that's fun to nose through. I wouldn’t buy a full bottle because I don’t know when I would wear it. It’s not the type of fragrance that would draw complements.

#photocontest - fire, to go with the smokey fragrances.

#FOF

June 23, 2024 - Sweet Sunday

• Brush: Farvour Unicorn Puke APShaveCo Silksmoke 26 mm
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo Silver
• Blade: Wizamet (37)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Cakehole
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Peaches and Scream
• Fragrance: FZOTIC - Corpse Reviver

Theme: All software scents smell like dessert, sweet beverages, or sweets.

Challenge: I tried to use a hand mixer for the lather. The brush went crazy. So, I had to give up on the idea. I used the reflection in the oven door to face lather and shave. Thanks to Starbucks for the rinse cup. It kind of looks like crema.

Today's lather is Cakehole from Talent Soap Factory. Thanks to /u/Priusaurus for the smoosh. Cakehole is marketed as a vanilla cake scent. It’s sweet, but not as much as I expected. There’s vanilla, but it lacks the depth and complexity of vanilla bean. There’s a note of sweet bread. It does smell like cake. It's the standard Duncan Hines boxed cake mix. The soap was good from what I could gather squating in front of the oven. I have enough soap left for another shave. So, I’ll have to test this soap base again at a later date.

I believe this splash is based on a cocktail. Peaches + Scream is very peachy. I’m not sure how the smell of cream exists in fragrance, but this smells (dairy) creamy. Teak is an interesting touch that fits surprisingly well. It’s subtle, and rests beneath the peaches. Hints of bourbon and amber add a touch of warmth and compliment the airy, fruity notes. It's an approachable fragrance. It's not too sweet, or too heavy. I think this is a crowd-pleaser.

Corpse Reviver is an amber vanilla fragrance with lots of gourmand scent notes. I smell an intense dark chocolate note. After a minute or two, the chocolate gives way to brown sugar sweet whiskey, plum/date/fig fruit, and vanilla. Eventually, I get a bit of an animalic note. But, it doesn’t change much over time. This fragrance is decadent. I love the heavy dose of dark chocolate. It’s not an everyday scent. But, it would be fitting for a night out.

#photocontest - air

#FOF

June 24, 2024 - Christmas in July's Eve

• Brush: Bundubeard Sekelbos Hoss
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Wizamet (38)
• Lather: Tallow + Steel - Rainforest
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Mûir(e) Wood
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Confluence

Challenge: How could the answer be anything other than Stirling? How has there not been a Stirling exclusive, yet?

Today’s lather was given to me by /u/Priusaurus. This is the fourth sample he sent me that I’ve used in the Games. So, thanks for being so generous! I’ve used T+S before. T+S uses essential oils for their fragrances, a fact I learned thanks to the short lived Muh Oils theme. In the past, those essential oils have been very strong and headache inducing for me. Namely, Boreal.

Now to the fragrance. I smell a very strong patchouli note. It's overpowering. Dirty vetiver and sweet grass make the fragrance earthy. There's a note of incense lingering around the patchouli. There's a slight sweetness. This doesn't fit “rainforest.” I was hoping this would be mossy. But, it's an earthy patchouli bomb. I don't care for it.

I’m going for a woodsy fragrance theme today. For the splash, I picked Barrister and Mann Mûir(e) Wood. A sweet, jammy note of Blackberry greets me as soon as the fragrance hits my nose. I smell balsam, vetiver, and a bit of oakmoss. There’s an impression of fresh air. This doesn’t smell like an attempt to perfectly replicate woods. It’s more of an homage. I think it’s all the better for it. I love the mix of jammy berry and airyness with mossy and coniferous notes. It feels homey. It’s like if Smucker’s grew on trees.

Rounding out the woodsy fragrances is Chatillon Lux Confluence. This fragrance has aromatic top notes. There are sharp green notes contrasting coniferous ones. I smell layers of woody notes with resinous sweet undertones. The strongest notes to my nose are spruce and juniper. It’s very woodsy. There are a lot of elements. Yet, it feels cohesive and balanced, and detailed. It smells fantastic. It's a realistic woodsy fragrance that works for both genders.

#photocontest - birds. I took this as a safety pic. But, I managed to get one with a real bird. Zoom in the top right corner.

#FOF

June 25, 2024 - Christmas in July

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps Sheridan APShaveCo Synbad 26 mm
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Wizamet (39)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Santa Noir
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Vespers

Challenge: Fresh lid. I’ve only worn this to try it on. It still has the stickers.

Theme: The soap has santa in the name and the mammoth is wearing a santa hat. Hygge’s ad copy states “Sharp evergreens provide a wintry freshness, while amber, frankincense, and castoreum provide warmth and depth. We hope this scent will warm and lift your spirits even when it’s dark and cold,” which sounds on theme to me. Vespers is Christmas themed, as seen in the ad copy.

House of Mammoth r/wetshaving exclusive Santa Noir (stylized Santa~~l~~ Noir) is the follow up to the extremely limited (UnObTaInIuM) collaboration with Australian Private Reserve, Santal Noir. As you might have gathered from the name, the base of this fragrance is a sandalwood accord. The sandalwood is prominent, especially off the tub. The sandalwood is accented by notes of balsam fir, spruce, dried fruit, jasmine, and oakmoss, which establish the Christmas theme. Those accents come out more when the soap is lathered. But, this fragrance is still too sandalwood heavy to nail the Christmas motif. That said, it’s a great sandalwood frag that’s appropriate all winter long.

Hygge is in my top three House of Mammoth fragrances. There’s a top note of sweet citrus. I quickly run up against green spicy notes of juniper and fir, mixed with musky oakmoss. Digging a bit deeper, notes of amber and castoreum add depth and intrigue. Unfortunately for me today, balm is a terrible medium for fragrance. The smell didn’t last long at all, limiting my enjoyment of this fabulous fragrance. Hygge is everything I want in a wintery fragrance. It’s more wintery to me than Santa Noir. The fresh spicy notes hit just right. The citrus brings just enough sweetness. And the base notes are warm and attractive.

My introduction to Vespers came in the form of a fragrance decant PIF from /u/merikus. I liked it so much I bought a trifecta on the ‘zaar. The first thing I notice after spraying it on is a fragrant warm spicy note of cardamom. The opening is aromatic. I smell lots of green spicy notes. Tart and fruity cranberry accentuates the cardamom. Eventually, I get to a note of fir. I love the mousse de saxe in this. I think it’s one of Will’s best uses of the accord. It creates a depth of balsamic, resinous, leathery notes that allow the aromatic and fresh spicy notes to really pop. This fragrance is so much fun. It’s joyful! I’m kind of enamored with it.

#photocontest - Bokeh balls. This was tricky with a smartphone camera. I spent more time and effort on this than I did chasing birds yesterday.

#FOF

June 26, 2024 - Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: My hand
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo Silver
• Blade: Wizamet (40)
• Lather: Tostitos - Salsa Con Queso
• Post Shave: Mtn Dew - Mtn Dew
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Remote Learning

Challenge: I hardly ever clean my gear. I use ZM’s brush cleaner if I feel like a brush needs to be freshened up.

Video

The day has finally arrived. From my first (maybe only?) use of Remote Learning I said the soap smells like cheese powder. It lacks the tortilla chip corn smell of Doritos. So, to commemorate Remote Learning, I shaved with Tostitos Salsa Con Queso. It smells like nacho cheese and peppers, which might have bothered me if I wasn’t so concerned with queso dripping all over the place. It shaved better than some of the soaps I’ve used this month. Post-shave, the cheese smells a bit like vomit, which is fitting for a shelf-stable cheese-product.

I did the Dew. Mtn Dew did nothing to tighten or hydrate my skin. It’s a terrible aftershave. I’ve heard Starburst candies aren’t flavored. They’re only scented. i.e. your brain thinks “strawberry” because that’s what it smells like, not what it tastes like. I don’t know if that's true. But, I realized this soda (I’ll refrain from calling all soda Coke for the purpose of this post, even though that's what we do in Georgia) doesn’t smell as strong as Remote Learning because there’s no fragrance. I’m only smelling the flavors in the beverage, which aren’t strong in the context of aftershave. It was no match for the nacho cheese.

The Remote Learning edt is truly the smell of spite. Well, You Did This probably tops it. But, that was meant for /u/cowzilla3. The cheese note is bracing. It’s like inhaling the cheese packet from a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese (KD/Kraft Dinner to our Canadian wetshavers). Then, because smelling like fake cheese for 4-5 hours wasn’t enough, there’s also Mtn Dew. I bought it because it was funny and I wanted to be in on the joke. But, these things don’t smell good together. It’s revolting. It reminds me of a boardgaming store I used to play at. It’s true. Some nerds have bad personal hygiene. Of course saying this smells bad is like saying Snakes On A Plane is a bad movie. I knew what I was getting.

#photocontest - Fill the Frame

#FOF

Edit: took another SOTD pic

June 27, 2024 - Information Overload

• Brush: APShaveCo 24mm Cashmere Fan
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Wizamet (41)
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Blacksmith
• Post Shave: Gentlemen's Nod - Zaharoff Signature
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes - Musk Deer

Challenge: I did a two pass shave using only my non dominant hand.

Theme: The Blacksmith has 10 scent notes. Zaharoff Signature has 16 scent notes. Musk Deer has 11 scent notes.

Zingari Man The Blacksmith is a r/wetshaving exclusive. The fragrance is a dupe of Bvlgari Man In Black. It’s very leathery. I detect some cardamom, and something floral. There’s a woody note buried under the leather. There’s hints of rum and spice. It’s an upscale, leather-forward fragrance. But, I find it a bit lifeless. I think I’d like it more if the rum and spice were dialed up.

This Zaharoff splash is throwing me for a loop. When I splashed it on, it just smelled like bergamot, which isn’t even one of the advertised scent notes. So, I grabbed the bottle to give it another sniff. Now, it smells very musky, woody, with a peppery note. There’s still something reminiscent of bergamot. I think it’s the combination of cardamom, lavender, and pear, maybe mixed with an ingredient in the toner. It's a designer-style fragrance that's safe for most occasions, but doesn't spark joy for me.

A couple of years ago during the r/wetshaving secret santa, I was the lucky recipient of the full Zoologist sampler. There’s a lot of winners in the set. Musk Deer is one of my favorites. I’m immediately enveloped by a strong note of musk with soft powdery undertones running up against a wall of dry cedar. Over the course of an hour it hasn’t really changed. The fragrance feels warm, and quite dapper. It’s more of a fall fragrance.

This brush is a complete APShaveCo brush.

#photocontest - Pirates. This post was typed on my handy pirate keyboard. We were warned about pirates. But, the spirit of piracy is hard to stamp out. My SOTD pic is ~~me~~ a pirate showing off their shave wares and illegally downloaded music.

#FOF

June 28, 2024 Frugral Friday

• Brush: Omega 10049 #HOLLOW #OLDWORLD #TOLL
• Razor: Schick Injector N1
• Blade: Schick Injector (16)
• Lather: William's - Mug Soap
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Eau Studio - Defiance

Challenge: Let’s see how much money wetshaving has saved me!

• The Schick Injector N1 was $2 in 1980. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $7.62 in 2024 dollars.
• I only have Schick blades for the injector. So, these are the cheapest at ~$1.22 per blade.
• The Omega 10049 sells for $10.
• Williams Mug Soap sold for $1.25 for 50 g (1.75 oz), which works out to 2.5 cents per grams. My next cheapest was Arko shave stick at 4 cents per gram.
• Aqua Velva Ice Blue sells for $4.98 at Walmart for 7 oz, making it ~71 cents per ounce.
• Eau Studio is a Lidl store brand of fragrances. I paid $5 for this bottle, which is ~$1.97 per fl.oz.
• Grand total = $30.07

This is my same setup from last year. I haven’t bought anything cheaper. We're getting to the point in the Lather Games where I'm forgetting what hardware I've used for tags. I don't know why I'm freaking out. I think I maxed out on hardware points more than a week ago.

I don't think I'll ever be able to shave with, or look at, Williams Mug Soap without thinking of u/CosmoBarber’s epic GaryTha prank. It boggles my mind that this soap is still being flipped for as much as $20 a puck. Or, that anyone who likes wetshaving enough to participate in an online shaving community would freak out about it being discontinued. It’s not easy to lather. I had to work the soap for 2-3 minutes, adding water, until it finally lathered up. It was okay. I shaved. I didn’t cut myself. I can maybe smell a little bit of lavender. But, it’s basically unscented. This stuff is as "no frills” as it gets (got?). It was a frugal man’s soap. Sure, it was so cheap the only other option at the price point was canned goop. But, you know what? I shaved with Barbasol this month. It was easier to lather, more convenient, and provided similar performance. If you enjoy wetshaving enough to be reading this, buy better soap.

Aqua Velva contains astringent and fragrance, and nothing else; not even witch hazel. Oh, wait. There’s menthol. Why do all commercial shave products contain menthol? Is it cheaper to give the impression of relief with the cooling effect of menthol than using skin food ingredients? I mentioned it last year: there’s an Aqua Velva ad on the Williams Mug Soap box. Williams makes Aqua Velva, so it makes sense. The fragrance is a mishmash of leather, lavender, lemon, mint, and oakmoss. There’s no depth. It’s everything all at once and it doesn’t develop over time. It's a classic drug store fragrance, and a bare bones aftershave.

I had to check my previous posts to make sure I hadn’t already used Defiance. This is another Eau Studio frag from Lidl. I don’t know which fragrance this is meant to smell like. The top notes are aromatic, green like crushed leaves, and iris or jasmine. The base notes coming through at the moment are musky, woody, and amber. It’s lightly powdery and I smell a tinge of citrus. It’s sophisticated, and It got a compliment today.

#photocontest - money

#FOF

June 29, 2024 - Sandalwood Saturday

• Brush: Zenith B15 #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Eldrormr MM24 #FLIPTOP #MODERNGEM
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Sandalwood
• Post Shave: Proraso - Sandalwood
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive - Santal Auster

Challenge: You can have a pop-quiz, but pop-homework-assignment makes no sense. However, I knew this day was coming, and I’ve been trying to make note of good posts.

u/bmac92 is killing it in the ROTY race. u/bacconchop is also in the running.
u/Environmental-Gap380 has done a good job with fof thoughts.
u/ginopono has taken some incredible photos for the photocontest.
It’s always hard to tell who’s winning the games. Sometimes, I hear certain players mentioned a lot on the podcast. I feel like I’m not doing well because my name doesn’t come up. But, those legendary points don’t always result in top place finishes. u/Priusaurus has made a strong (and verbose) effort in his attempt at a repeat victory. However, there’s strong competition from the likes of u/hugbckt, u/2SaintsDude, and u/bmac92.

Theme: Soap is called Sandalwood. Aftershave is called Sandalwood. Frag is called Santal (Sandalwood) Auster.

My lather today is Barrister and Mann Sandalwood in the Soft Hearts base. Sandalwood is a classic men’s fragrance. This soap is the only straight sandalwood I have much experience with (I’ve used Proraso once). The fragrance is rich and has a dryness similar to notes of teak I've smelled in other fragrances (Torchwood, anyone?). It’s very woody. It’s simple, masculine, and smells amazing.

I shaved with a smoosh of Proraso Red/Sandalwood for sandalwood day last year. I also had a sample of the aftershave from Maggard’s. I can’t find the aftershave sample. I may have added it to the Big Box of Samples and forgotten about it. So, I ordered a bottle from the rainforest store to make sure it would get here in time. Proraso’s Sandalwood fragrance is light. I smell a citrusy lemon oil top note. It’s kind of boring, and doesn’t have much staying power. The splash isn’t very moisturizing. But, it feels nice on my face post-shave.

For Sandalwood Saturday I’ve chosen Maher Olfactive Santal Auster for the fragrance. The sandalwood is creamy and kind of sweet. It's bolstered by oud which contributes to the impression of creaminess. After the dry down, an earthy note of vetiver. A powerful amber note wafts to nostrils. It's deeply resinous, almost sulfuric. After a couple of hours, the oud is slightly stronger than the sandalwood, but both are still present. The base smells richly balsamic. There are traces of vetiver. This is the polar opposite of Proraso Sandalwood. Proraso is a simple, light, sandalwood which veers sharply away from heavy notes. Santal Auster builds off of sandalwood to create a rich, dark, balsamic fragrance with a procession of woody, earthy, and resinous notes. It feels intimate.

#photocontest - Baseball

#FOF

June 30, 2024 - Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Semogue Owner's Club Mistura #MISTURA #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Gillette Flat Bottom Tech
• Blade: Wizamet (42)
• Lather: Fitjar Islands - Slåtterøy
• Post Shave: Abbate Y La Mantia - Monet
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes - Dragonfly

Challenge:

• Me: US
• Brush Portugal
• Razor: England
• Lather: Norway
• Post Shave: Italy
• Fragrance: Canada

Another Lather Games in the books! A huge thanks to the organizers, judges, side contest organizers, and sponsors! It's been fun and a bit stressful. It's amazing how much work goes into this event. The Lather Games creates the biggest sense of community in the subreddit. I've never been a part of an online community that goes to this much effort to celebrate their hobby. So, I'm grateful to all who helped make it happen.

Fitjar Islands is a brand from Norway that makes personal care products, including shaving soaps and creams. I won this soap in the 2k subscribers giveaway from /u/kammander-kim. Slåtterøy is their take on a bay rum, and is named after a lighthouse near Fitjar. The bay note is aromatic and not overly pungent. There’s soft herbal spice and a natural sweetness. Hints of lime and lemon add a touch of brightness. This is the cleanest approach to bay rum I’ve smelled. It’s tranquil and calming; elegant in its simplicity. I’m glad to have an excuse to use it today.

There’s a common theme of water in my software choices today. Abbate Y La Mantia Monet is named after the famed French Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, and takes inspiration from his well known Water Lilies paintings. The scent consists of a water accord and flower petals. I smell notes of orange, banana, lilies, violet, rose, musk, vanilla, amber, and some green notes I can’t name. It’s pretty. It does a good job of conveying an impression of water without necessarily feeling like an aquatic. I don’t know that I’d want to wear this. It smells like pretty girls. And you can't walk around smelling like pretty girls.

Rounding out the water themed fragrances is Zoologist Perfumes Dragonfly. I had three aquatic Zoologist frags to pick from. I chose Dragonfly because Fragantica lists water lily as a scent note, which ties into Monet. Initially, I smell notes of bitter green, citrus spray, dirt, fresh air, and flowers. The aromatic green spicy notes and flowers pair well with the water accord and lilies in Monet. After ~20 minutes of dry down the citrus is distinctly grapefruit. I smell basil. The fragrance is mostly airy aquatic notes and sweet floral notes. The grapefruit and basil add a feeling of freshness and naturalness. It makes me think of playing in the creek as a kid. The bitter green notes remind me of Fougere Nemata. It's an excellent choice for warm weather. I really like it.

#photocontest - Donuts. French Crullers for international day.

#FOF