u/Tetriside's SOTDs for challenge 'Lather Games 2023'

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Vie-Long Horse Hair #HORSESASS
• Razor: Rolls Razor Imperial No. 2 #SELFSHARPENING
• Lather: Central Texas Soaps – Down By the River
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Rope Swing
• Fragrance: Adidas – Moves

Thanks to /u/walden for this smoosh of Down By The River. I hadn’t heard of Central Texas Soap prior to receiving this smoosh. It’s listed on Pasteur selling for $10 for 5 oz, which is a lot soap at a cheap price. The ad copy states “the fragrance of this always invokes memories. Green fougere, moss, and ozone mixed with funky notes of dirt and mud.” I get ozone, fresh green notes, and sweet lavender. I don’t detect any mossy notes or citrus I expect to be present in a fougere. It's not really dirty either, but the idea of the river comes through. I found it to be pleasant. The soap was definitely in croap territory. It lathered and built volume quickly. It didn’t need a lot of water. Slickness was good, with a bit of secondary slickness. I wasn’t expecting much given the price, but I’m impressed. Add this the list of “bang for your buck” options.

Sticking with the idea of playing by the river, I grabbed my Rope Swing aftershave. It’s interesting trying to analyze this fragrance while experiencing the sensation of alcohol sting and synthetic cooling overwhelming your senses. This fragrance is sweeter than down by the river. It leans floral and aquatic with stronger ozone than Down By The River, and lots of the dandelion note. While it is fresh, I don’t get as much green notes. I wish there was a place that actually smelled like this. I would spend a lot of time there.

Moves smells like the 2000’s. I’ve had this bottle for a long time. My best friend in middle school wore it. So, what else was middle school me to do but get my own bottle? This might be my first cologne. The fragrance is aromatic and fruity, with noticeable pineapple, orange, and hints of citrus. That’s complemented by soft floral notes centering around lavender. A touch of musk adds a masculine note. There are hints of oak moss. Overall it’s very fresh and bright and tones down the darker, heavier notes that can be found in more classic fougeres.

Challenge: I bought this Rolls Razor specifically for this day. I’d like to give a huge shout out to /u/gcgallant. I figured this razor would be ready to use, touched up on the integrated hone and strop, when I bought it. After posting in the mail call thread, I was informed that was not the case. gallant offered to hone the blade for me at no charge, and did the job with quick turn around. Thanks gallant! The Rolls Razor is essentially a narrow straight razor blade with a safety bar, attached to a stick. It comes packed into a clever case with built in mechanisms for honing and stropping. I’ve attempted to use a straight razor twice and neither attempt went well. I had high hopes that this would be more intuitive. But, I had trouble shaving with this razor. It felt like it was pulling at my hair and would not go over certain contours of my face. I had to use buffing strokes to get it to remove anything. I had a lot of trouble finding and maintaining the correct angle. There’s not much margin for error. I found that when I let up on the pressure I was using, it was a bit easier.

#FOF

July 2, 2023 – Don’t Have A Cow, Man!

• Brush: Summer Break Sheridan w/ 26 mm Synbad
• Razor: GEM 1912 #TWINS #BRASSING
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (6)
• Lather: Henri et Victoria – Cognac and Cuban Cigars
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Tobacconist
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive – Treachery

I wanted to make a Chick-fil-a joke about cows. However, all the images of cows say “eat more chicken,” which isn’t vegan 🚫 🐔 .

Challenge: used a SE. I don’t know if I’m supposed to tag both razors, but its twin will be used tomorrow. Here’s a closeup of the brassing.

I prefer natural hair brushes. However, a synthetic knot fells more appropriate for vegan. So, I figured now was a good time to get a hardware sponsor.

I was originally planning to use Phoebus Lilas for this shave. But, in the midst of a tiny meltdown over which soap ingredients are truly vegan, I changed my plan and grabbed the sample that says “vegan soap,” instead. Although I received confirmation that Phoebus was safe, I stuck with this, as it was easier to pair complementary fragrances to (I don’t have many floral frags). Cognac and Cubans is the most cigar-like soap I’ve smelled. It smells of spicy, cured tobacco leaf reminiscent of smelling a strong, dark, stogie. I don’t really get any cognac. I hadn’t used this in a while. I remembered liking the fragrance. I forgot about the frag burn 😳 .

Tobacconist is sweeter, and much less spicy. I smell vanilla and get a floral impression. It’s probably just the balm, but I got a clay note as well. This one is lighter and more balanced, but I kinda miss the big, in your face, tobacco.

Treachery: I love this fragrance! It’s decadent. It’s bold. It’s sweet. It’s spicy. At first smell, it’s predominantly boozy with a bold whiskey note that’s smooth yet strong like a barrel proof dram. The whiskey blends with a caramel-like sweetness, with a hint of vanilla. Spicy tobacco offers some contrast and comes out more fully after the dry down. The tobacco in this feels more like pipe tobacco than a cigar. It becomes more spicy over time, with traces of chocolate becoming noticeable. It’s dessert, an after dinner aperitif, and a leisurely smoke.

#FOF

July 3, 2023 – Almonday

• Brush: Muehle Classic Shaving Brush Silvertip Fibre 25mm
• Razor: Ever Ready 1912 #TWINS
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (7)
• Lather: Captain’s Choice – Italia
• Post Shave: Captain’s Choice – Italia
• Fragrance: Rogue Perfumery – A’Oud Ancienne

Challenge/album thoughts: I love music. I listened to music all the time when I was growing up. My iPod click wheel and iPod Classic are two things I remember fondly because I loved having all of my music with me all the time. As an adult, I switch between music and podcasts depending on the activity. While I occasionally play a vinyl on the stereo in the nearby bedroom while I shave, I typically listen to podcasts while shaving. In honor of /u/RedMosquitoMM I listened to Gorillaz – Plastic Beach, which he shaved to on June 4, 2022 during the lather games. I don’t know how I landed on that particular post any more than you do. The Gorillaz song I’m most familiar with is Clint Eastwood, which got a lot of radio play back in the day. I never liked the song and thus never felt a need to listen to the rest of their music. But, this is for Mosquito, so I pulled it up on Spotify. This isn’t a review as I’ve only listened to it once. These are initial thoughts. Plastic Beach is musically adventurous. It hits a lot of genres: hip-hop, 80’s synth pop, modern synth pop, Outrun, orchestral, space opera, Jamacain. It has a lot of features that work well on their respective tracks. There’s definitely enough going on to hold my attention. I’ll give this another listen later.

I bought this Ever-Ready 1912 for #TWINS. It came in a random case with two handles, neither or which where screwed into the head. The handles are identical. I picked one at random and screwed it into the head. It didn’t want to stay put. It kept loosening during the shave. Aside from the head pivoting randomly, it gave a good shave.

After using a smoosh for Almonday last year, I bought samples of this and Geo F. Trumper Almond cream. Italia is a straight marzipan fragrance. I enjoy baked goods with almond extract. This scratches that itch. This is a simple yet enjoyable fragrance. I’d like to have a set, but I’m trying to limit my purchases (trying). The aftershave smelled sweeter as I was spraying it from the sample. I got a spun sugar note. Once I rubbed it in and it dried, the fragrance isn’t really perceptible. I think A’Oud is overpowering it.

I picked A’Oud because it has a bitter almond base note, and that’s the only almond note I have among my frag bottles and samples. This was one of two samples that was included with a bottle of Mousee Illuminee. These vials are odd. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to use them. It took a bit of effort to remove the plunger. I splashed a bit onto each wrist and rubbed them together lightly. Surprisingly, oud isn’t the star of the show. The dominate note I get is civet. It packs a punch. I get notes of bitter citrus, and as the name suggest, oud. I wasn’t expecting this to be so fecal. There’s also nothing my nose recognizes as almond. Oh, well. I tried.

#FOF

July 4, 2023 – April Showers Bring May Flowers

• Brush: Semogue SOC Mixed Badger/Boar #MISTURA
• Razor: CJB Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
• Blade: Feather ProGuard (AC) (4)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Field Day
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Tres Matres
• Fragrance: London Razors – Mountain Laurel

Challenge: in order to have a more controlled lathering environment I elected to bowl lather for the shave. This will make it easier to account for water added to the lather and reduce the loss of lather that typically occurs when face lathering. At multiple intervals I will evaluate the slickness of the lather on the /u/ItchyPooter scale. The lather will be evaluated visually and using a peaks test.

8:55 wet brush to soak.
9:14 1/4 tsp soap in Captain’s choice bowl.
9:16 spread soap in thin even layer in bowl. Shake brush to remove excess water. 5 ml water added to bowl. Swirl brush to load soap and begin building lather. Still in proto-lather stage. 1/10 Pooters.
9:18 incorporate 5 ml water into lather. 5 ml looks like a lot of standing water. Will add water in smaller increments moving forward. Need more precise measurement device. Lather still pasty. 3/10 Pooters.
9:21 search for medicine syringe with smaller units fails. Will guesstimate 2.5 ml using medicine cup.
9:22 incorporate 2.5 ml water. Starting to look like lather. Still pasty. Lather is in WCS territory. 5/10 Pooters.
9:23 incorporate 2.5 ml water. Lather is developing a noticable sheen. Peak test performed. Peaks still hold shape. Lather is in Ruds territory. 8/10 Pooters.
9:25 incorporate 2.5 ml water. Peak test performed. Peaks form and disipate. 9/10 Pooters.
9:29 wet face and work lather into beard.
9:31 begin shave.

Time spent building lather = 11 minutes
Total water added to bowl = 17.5 ml

I noticed a flaw in my methodology. The Pooter scale is a measurement of the messiness of a lather. According to Pooter’s wisdom, the sign of a great lather is seeing soap sling off the brush. However, it’s impossible for lather to sling off the brush when lathering in a bowl. All of the lather is contained in the bowl. It is only when face lathering that the brush is free to sling lather onto the walls, mirror, counter, floor, and elsewhere. Meaning, it is only possible to achieve a full 10/10 Pooters through face lathering. This is scientific proof that face lathering is superior to bowl lathering. I’ll be awaiting my nomination for the nobel prize in wet shaving.

Field Day is the first Summer Break soap I used. It’s the type of unique fragrance you only seem to find in wet shaving. Summer Break says this fragrance is inspired by the smells of a spring morning. When I was a kid I thought watching my dad cut the grass looked exciting. There’s a pull cord which starts a loud motor. Hovering just over the ground is a whirling blade of (hopefully not human) decapitation. The coolest part was the switches and levers that controled everything. When the job was done, the lawn looked nice and there was an oddly pleasant and distinct smell. This fragrance is a dead ringer for fresh cut grass. Now I’m old and I know cutting the grass can be a pain in the ass. At least I still get to enjoy the smell of fresh cut grass.

Tres Matres is one of my all time favorite fragrances in wet shaving. Southern Witchcrafts refer to it as a floral petrichor. I get light floral notes similar to lilac or mountain laurel, ozone, moss, and damp soil. It has more earthiness than other ozonic fragrances I’ve smelled. It reminds me of tilling a garden and smelling good moist soil. It evokes the feeling of fresh air and spring flowers in a way only a Southern Witchcrafts fragrance could.

Mountain Laurel is probably my most frequently worn scent. That’s because it smells really good and is very approachable. It’s a gorgeous composition of light, fresh, sweet floral notes. It’s like standing in a field of flowers on a nice spring day. It’s not the most complex fragrance. I don’t notice any differences over time. The longevity is excellent. It last a full day on my skin.

#FOF

Funny proof of face lather > bowl lather

July 5, 2023 – Canned Shave Goop

• Brush: Four fingers and an opposable thumb
• Razor: Assured For Men Men’s System Razor #RAINBOW
• Blade: Assured For Men 3 Blade Cartridge (1)
• Lather: Barbasol – Soothing Aloe
• Post Shave: Brut – Classic
• Fragrance: Eau Studio – Noble Pour Homme

~~/u/Mammothben’s custom fragrance survey.~~ Challenge: I love coffee. I make a cup with beans from my local roaster almost every day. If I ever decide to take up fragrance making as a hobby, I’d want to craft something that incorporates coffee. If any woolly fragrancer happens to read this looking for ideas for an individualized fragrance, please don’t make this verbatim; unless it sounds good, in which case you should make it and give me credit 🤪 . My fragrance notes might look something like this:

Top notes: coffee, black cherry, almond
Middle notes: tobacco, tonka bean, cade oil
Base notes: sandalwood, rose, patchouli

I tried to listen to the Canadian pharmacy's intercom music playlist during my shave, but couldn't get the link to open in the Spotify app on my phone 🫤 .

I stopped by my local Dollar Tree yesterday and bought the Barbasol and cartridge razor. It feels wasteful. But, it’s the Lather Games and I want points. My expectations for this stuff is very low. So, how bad is it?

I read the directions on the Barbasol can. It simply says to shake the can and hold it upright. I wet my face, sprayed some soap into my off hand and went to work. The soap is unsurprisingly very dry. It exploded in volume as soon as it escapes from the can. I used my main hand to drip some water into my lather hand and worked it into the soap on my face. I did this a few times in an attempt to hydrate the lather. The soap smells of aerosol, and a powdery soapy scent. I don’t smell any aloe.

This razor is completely useless. It struggled to remove the Barbasol, let alone cut hair. It required a lot of pressure to get the blades to do anything. Even for the price, I didn’t think it would suck this bad. I guess I could’ve looked for a safety razor, but I wanted that #RAINBOW tag. After one pass, I grabbed my Schick injector to get a more accurate impression of the lather.

Even shaving WTG using the injector there was visible stubble in the lather on the razor. This confirms that the cartridge razor didn’t do much, if anything. No matter what I did, the lather was dry. It was possible to shave with it. I wouldn’t do any buffing using this soap as there’s zero secondary slickness. Post-shave feel is nonexistent. The aloe is a lie. It is convenient. But, there are brushless creams that are just as quick and provide better slickness.

This bottle of Brut was purchased at Kroger. I quite like this fragrance. It’s classic without feeling too cheap. It smells fresh. It’s aromatic. There’s a spicyness but it isn’t too heavy. It’s hard to put a name to the spice. It’s not peppery, or cinnamon… I’m looking through the list of spicy notes on fragrantica and nothing really fits… maybe bay leaf? It has a dry woodyness to it. It smells like oak. There’s a bit of grapefruit. Okay, time to look at the fragrantica entry. There’s a lot of notes I wouldn’t have guessed and few that seem obvious now that I’m looking at them: anise, basil, and lavender. This is one of those fragrances where stuff blends together.

Last time I was in my nearest Lidl I picked up bottles of their Eau Studio brand Noble Pour Homme and Defiance Pour Homme at half price. I assume they are dupes, but I can’t find any information on which fragrances they are dupes of. Today, I’ll be using Noble. It’s a citrusy musky fragrance. I get a big mandarin note bringing an energetic feel. There’s a strong note that I think is oud. I’m definitely getting musk. I also smell sandalwood. I feel like I’m missing something. There’s maybe a note of vetiver, sage, or pink pepper (something spicy). It smells pretty good. The original would be a good date night fragrance, but you could get away with this in an office setting, too. The performance is shite. It's only a skin scent within an hour.

#FOF

July 6, 2023 – Olfactory Overdose

• Brush: Semogue SOC Boar #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable H4 #DIAL
• Blade: Wizamet (2)
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Mood Indigo
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Mood Indigo
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Mood Indigo

Challenge: It’s my SOTD pic.

I love Mood Indigo. My first Lather Games, Mammoth soaps were hard to come by. I was sent smooshes of Shire and Mood Indigo and loved both of them. Fortunately, production increased and I was able to buy a trifecta of Mood Indigo later that year. I’ve used this for Austere August, so I can say with confidence that it’s a fragrance I don’t get tired of. It has staying power. Opening the soap was like seeing an old friend. Rich oud and sweet blueberries caught my attention right away. With a little more time, my nose picks up vetiver and black pepper. Black pepper is easy to miss at first. Once I noticed it, I felt like it’s role in the fragrance was pivotal. While the oud is the first thing that grabbed my attention, and the blueberry adds a tantalizing touch, the fragrance isn’t an oud bomb, or even fruity. The black pepper keeps everything in check with a subtle spice.

I smell the fragrance a bit in the balm when I put it in. But, it doesn’t last long. Balm isn’t a great medium for fragrance.

I’ve been wearing the fragrance for about 30 minutes now, and have already gone nose blind. I sprayed it on my wrists and chest. I can smell the oud, blueberry, pepper combo up close, but don’t get any projection.

#FOF

July 7, 2023 – Fremen Friday

• Brush: Heritage Erskine w/ Gel Boar
• Razor: Karve CB
• Blade: Wizamet (3)
• Lather: Chiseled Face – Bay Rum
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Bay Rum
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes – Tyrannosaurus Rex

Challenge: I’ve taken up a lot of hobbies over the years; probably too many. I aquire new ones periodically, or get back into old ones. I got really into disc golf about 5 years ago. If you don’t know what disc golf is, it follows the rule of golf but is played with flying disc (we don’t like it when you call them frisbees, that’s a brand name). You start each hole by throwing off a tee area and count the number of throws it takes to get the disc into a designated basket. I discovered disc golf by driving past a course and seeing people play, which is actually how a lot of people start playing. Unlike ball golf (yes, we call normal golf “ball golf”), disc golf looks like fun when you watch people play.

Check out /r/discgolf and you’ll probably see lots of disc golf doing what we love most; posting pictures of discs we just bought. There's generally conversation about the current pro tournament and players. You’ll probably also see a lot of post and comments about smoking and drinking on the course.

Here’s some jargin for you: bomb – a long distance to throw a disc (“nice drive, that was a bomb.”); ace – hole in one; field ace – a throw in from distance that isn’t an ace; hero shot – an iladvised tricky shot, usually to make up for a bad shot.

I won this soap and splash from bay rum connoisseur /u/jeffm54321. Upon opening the soap I was greeted with a big aromatic note of bay. This fragrance also has an anise sweetness. I don’t get anything boozy from the soap. The splash has a strong menthol burn. It smells of bay, anise, and a touch of something resembling Jamacian rum.

fragrantica says that Tyrannosaurus has fresh spicy notes. When I smell it, the first thins I notice are smokey cade oil, rose, an animalic note, and general incense vibes. In terms of spice, there’s a bit of a cummin or nutmeg note. There’s definitely some coniferous wood notes. Overall, it’s a powerful fragrance. I doubt dinosaurs smelled like civet. Especially not the Jurassic Park variety. However, the composition feels exotic, domineering, and primal, fitting of an apex predator.

#FOF

July 8, 2023 – Small Business Saturday

• Brush: Maggard Razors Aluminum handle 2-band badger 22mm
• Razor: Maggard Razors SS70
• Blade: Wizamet (4)
• Lather: Maggard Razors – Lilac
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Presto
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Fougère Angelique

Challenge: My question in the DQT.

Thanks to /u/chronnoisseur42O for the smoosh! Lilac is a pleasant soft floral. It’s somewhat powdery. It’s not particularly sweet or musty. The soap is just okay. I’ve never been impressed by this base. It doesn’t hold much water. It doesn’t leave any residue behind, meaning there’s no residual slickness. Primary slickness is just fair.

I used Maggard Razors SS70 and Aluminum Handle brush in honor of today’s theme. I won the SS70 in a PIF from /u/wyze0ne. It doesn’t clamp down on the blade very firmly, which leads to some blade chatter. There’s lots of blade feel, maybe more than any other safety razor I’ve used. It’s mild-medium in aggression, but feels harsher. I feel like I’ve had some good shaves with it, but today’s shave was a bit unconfortable and left some irritation.

The brush is great. The knot is very good. If you like small brushes, check this one out. I paid ~$7.50 during Black Friday. It was a great deal.

I picked Presto to pair with Lilac based on smelling the dry soap. Presto is very floral. There’s a bit of greenness to it. An underpinning of rosy sandalwood grounds the fragrance. It’s bright and feels very fresh. The splash has a cooling effect. As a result of those ingredients, the smell also has notes of aloe vera, and my hands are tingly.

Fougere Angelique is a Maggard exclusive. The fragrance is intriguing. Right off the bat, there’s a soft, sweet lime. There’s a hint of a sharper citrus. The citrus notes blend with a note of lavender. Taking a long sniff reveals fresh green notes followed by strong oakmoss. Digging a little deeper I get a note of dirt (pun intended). I also get a note of creamy sandalwood, similar to Barrister and Mann’s Sandalwood soap fragrance. Angelique is an unconventional fougere that paints well outside the lines of a traditional example of the genre. It begs you to take another smell and delve deeper into its layers.

#FOF

July 9, 2023 – Death Before Decaf!

• Brush: Brad Sears Gonzo Handle w/ Manchurian Fan 24mm #SHD
• Razor: Gillette Old Type #REGUS
• Blade: Wizamet
• Lather: Storybook Soapworks – Coffee Spoons
• Post Shave: Macduffs Soap Company – Imperial Earl Grey
• Fragrance: Ineke – Jaipur Chai

Here’s the base plate of my razor for proof of tag.

Didn’t do the challenge. I got home late. I was tired. I forgot. I already shaved. Don't have time to do it again.

Coffee Spoons isn’t a satisfying coffee fragrance. It smells like stale coffee grounds, and a bit like pencil shavings. The soap also isn’t very good. But, it’s unobtainium and comes in handy every year for the lather games. So, it’s worth holding onto.

I bought Imperial Earl Grey to compliment B&M Cheshire, which is also Earl Grey inspired. Imperial Earl Grey is bright, vibrant, and fruity. Bergamot and Mandarin orange burst with ripe flavor. There’s a note that smells like guava. The splash feels rich in skin food.

Jaipur Chai is very tea-like. It’s a subtle fragrance, and leans feminine. I smell notes of black tea, cardamom, nutmeg, and something earthy. It’s not as spicy as an American chai blend. I would prefer a stronger spice note to gravitate to. But, Ineke’s compositions tend to be understated.

#FOF

July 10, 2023 – Musical Monday

• Brush: That Darn Rob White w/ Blue Ferule w/ Fanchurian
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .84
• Blade: Wizamet (6)
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Rebelle
• Post Shave: Wholly Kaw – Rebelle
• Fragrance: Berceuse Parfum – Allegretto 7.2

Challenge: Do you think I can get a job drawing labels?

This set of Rebelle was a prize from a previous Lather Games. Rebelle is a fantastic fragrance. It’s a leathery oud fragrance. Or is it an oudy leather? I smell notes of sandalwood and vetiver which give the fragrance a raw, natural feeling. Everything blends really well. The fragrance feels rich, luxurious, and masculine.

Allegretto has a smokey oud characteristic. I get notes of lavender and vetiver. It’s woody. After some time to dry down it smells a bit aromatic. I still get a smokey/musky feel and smell a dry woody note. There’s something sweet coming through now as well. The note is difficult to place. Maybe a light floral? This is more of a cold weather fragrance to me.

#FOF

July 11, 2023 – Sunny Days

• Brush: Ever-Ready 200 w/ Oumo Badger Fan 24mm
• Razor: GEM Featherweight
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (8)
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime

Challenge

I really like the look of the Ever-ready 200 handles. I bought this one on ebay. The knot is scritchy and agitates my skin. The shave was a bit painful. Unfortunately, the seller set the knot with epoxy. I need to look into bleaching the tips.

I’ve started scooping new soaps instead of loading from the tub, especially if I’m not sure I want to keep it. It’s also more precise. I have too many brushes to know how quickly each of them will load with every soap base in my den. I opened SSL and saw I had loaded from the tub previously and was pleased. It feels more satisfying to load from the tub for some reason. Not measuring out my soap kind of bit me. I way overloaded. It was a mess. I inadvertently ended up using my chest to store excess lather (NSFW).

The Featherweight is my least favorite GEM that I’ve used. It’s way too mild. However, the handle looked good with SSL label.

Sea Spice Lime was the subs favorite new fragrance of 2021. It was mine as well. Shawn Maher has done an awesome job with the fragrances for the Seaforth! line. Sea Spice Lime is my favorite of the bunch. The lime forward fragrance is bright, sweet, smooth, and fun. There’s a sharper citrus note I think is bergamot. There’s a soft spice and a touch of aquatic feel. There’s an underlying note of something green/earthy/mossy that’s subtle but keeps things from becoming overly sweet. I wish I had the Ice version. But, I’m hesitant to add another soap to my den when I already have SSL.

This is my first time using the edt. It's been on my wishlist, but the challenge nudged me to finally purchase it. The fragrance presents the same in all three mediums. I went nose blind to the edt fairly quickly. It doesn't have much silage.

#FOF

Chest lather storage

July 12, 2023 – IT’S SO FLUFFY I’M GONNA DIE

• Brush: Omega 10049 #HOLLOW #TOLL
• Razor: German WWI Travel Razor #UNICORN #JETSETTER
• Blade: Wizamet (7)
• Lather: Black Ship Grooming – Grace O’ Malley
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Santa Noir
• Fragrance: Crabtree & Evelyn – Sandalwood

Challenge: I lathered in my Captain’s Choice bowl.

I bought this razor for the hashtags. The ebay listing called it simply German WWI Travel Razor. There’s no branding on the razor or the travel case. The only markings on the razor is “Made In Germany” on the bottom of the base plate. This razor is terrible. It’s far too mild. There’s virtually no blade exposure. The shape of the head creates a very narrow window for the blade and doesn’t feel like it’s at the best angle.

Coconut oil is the first ingredient in Blackship Grooming's soap. Smelling the sample of Grace O’Malley, I got lots of sandalwood. So, I chose to use sandalwood as the common link between my fragrances today. Once lathered, Grace O’Malley becomes powdery. It never gets more defined than powdery sandalwood. I don’t see what this has to do with Ireland or piracy. I wish they had been bolder and made a soap that smells like corned beef.

Santa Noir is a riff on the very limited collaboration between House of Mammoth and Australian private Reserve, Santal Noir. While I haven’t had the privilege of smelling Santal Noir, this fragrance bears similarity to two other sandalwood focused creations from House of Mammoth, Sandalorian, and Cerberus. The sandalwood is creamy and is complemented by tropical fruits. The Santa aspect comes in the forum of evergreen Christmas tree notes like pine needles and fir.

Every Lather Games since my first, I’ve acquired something new thinking it would be useful for next year, only for that theme to be removed from the calendar. Last year, my family was cleaning out my grandmother’s house after she passed, and I found a few shaving items I thought I’d be able to use for Father’s Day, only for the games to be in July.

One of those items was this bottle of Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood cologne. The fragrance is a dry sandalwood combined with amber. It’s not particularly complex. It’s a no frills masculine fragrance for the kind of person who likes to keep things simple. It smells nice.

#FOF

July 13, 2023 – Hippy Dippy Baloney

• Brush: Wild West Brush Works Purple Swirl w/ Oumo SHD Manchuria 28mm
• Razor: Razorock Game Changer .84
• Blade: Wizamet (8)
• Lather: Siliski Soaps – Incense
• Post Shave: Epsilon – Blue Mediterranean
• Fragrance: Dior – Fahrenheit

Challenge: I’m using a soap called Incense, so the song Incense and Peppermints is the first thing that came to mind. I don’t listen to much music from this era. I’m familiar with the song from, and associate it with, the movie Austin Powers, which I watched repeatedly as a teenager. The movie parodies hippie culture just as much if not more so than James Bond films. I haven’t watched it in a long time, but I think the song plays during a flashback of a party in Austin’s hippie pad.

Thanks to for the smoosh. It’s a shame Siliski closed down. This is a really good soap. I don’t have many memories of incense. This is a genre that’s harder for me to know what I’m smelling. Siliski Incense smells pretty much like every store I’ve ever walked into that sold glass pipes and bongs. The fragrance is earthy, dirty, musty, a bit spicy, and smells like some sort of tree bark. It’s not my favorite thing, but I don’t hate it.

I bought this sample of Epsilon Blue Mediterranean specifically for today. The fragrance is a dupe of Floid Blue, which I’m not familiar with. The description states “The Blue Mediterranean fragrance will surprise you with main notes of patchouli.” When I first put it on, it was hard for me to get past the smell of menthol. Now that it’s dried down a bit, I definitely smell patchouli. This fragrance is less hippy and more of a cool powdery barbershop. It’s a bit minty, earthy, and dirty. But it’s mellowed out by some floral notes. I smell lavender.

I chose Dior Fahrenheit today because there’s a patchouli base note listed on its fragrantica page. The fragrance is leathery, floral, slightly woody, and spicy with a bit of musk. The floral notes are soft and feel fresh. The spice is mostly nutmeg and patchouli, and there’s a consistent pairing of musk and amber.

After about 30 minutes, the floral notes start to become more prominent. The spicy notes feel softer. The amber is stronger. More woody notes come through. I smell cedar.

I like this fragrance a lot. It does a great job of taking what are typically heavy fragrance notes and makes them feel fresh and aromatic. There’s a strong juxtaposition between veg tanned leather and fresh flowers. The fragrance is on the masculine side due to the spicy, musky notes. This one is better suited to colder weather, which we don’t get a lot of in the south east. One day, I would like to get a full bottle of this.

#FOF

July 14, 2023 – Frigid Friday

• Brush: APShaveCo w/ 24mm Cashmere Fan
• Razor: Muhle R41 Grande
• Blade: Wizamet (9)
• Lather: Gillette – Pure
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Chaipre

Challenge: I shaved against the grain on the my sideburns, cheeks, and around my chin which was the most difficult part.

This is the APShaveCo brush available at the razor company.

Gillette Pure is marketed as a “soothing shave cream with aloe” on the label. Menthol is among the listed ingredients. I’m not sure if Gillette still sells this. It’s not on their website. This was their premium shave cream that could be found in Walgreens. The instructions say to rub the cream on your face and lather with your hands or a brush. It doesn’t say anything about adding water, but I decided it needed some. It didn’t begin to lather until i had worked some water into it. Like canned goo, this dried out quickly on my face, despite my efforts to hydrate it. Slickness is better than Barbasol, but there’s not really any secondary slickness; not ideal for today’s challenge.

There’s nothing special with the fragrance of Pure. It’s a generic powdery barbershop that smells like baby powder. It smells clean.

This is an older Declaration Grooming splash that includes menthol in the ingredients list. It's a pleasant level of cooling for someone like me who isn't a Cryogen masochistic. Chaipre is an awesome fragrance, probably my favorite original fragrance from Scott. I get a mixture of cardamom, citrus oil, fresh green notes similar to eucalyptus, moss, sweet citrus, and tea. This bottle goes with a tub of soap in the Icarus base. I think that makes it the OG Chaipre. I’m curious how V2 compares.

I don’t know if there’s such a thing as cooling cologne. If there is, I certainly don’t have any. Instead, I’ve chosen something thematically chilly, Snowy Owl. There’s a note in this that’s meant to smell like snow. I kind of get that, but there’s a honeydew melon quality to it. The fragrance right now is soft and clean, with slight vanilla sweetness. I detect a bit of a musk, and a hint of an animalic note.

After drydown, the musk and animalic notes are easier to smell. Some amber and incense come out. It’s a nice fragrance. It’s somewhat feminine. It feels elegant.

#FOF

July 15, 2023 – Sheep-ruh

• Brush: Maggard Razors Handle w/ AP Shave Co. Gelousy SHD fan 24mm
• Razor: Muhle R41 Grande
• Blade: Wizamet (10)
• Lather: Grooming Dept – Chypre Vert
• Post Shave: Catie’s Bubbles – Mille Chypre
• Fragrance: Aramis – Aramis

Challenge: I made a video. Go easy on me.

Chypre vert smells like green tea, sculpting clay, muddy rose, and fruit. It feels muted and dull. The soap made a good lather.

Mille Chypre open with a lemony citrus with a bit of something sharp (yuzu?). I get mossy green notes. There’s a rosy floral note. The fragrance is bright and cheerful.

Aramis is, I imagine, a more traditional chypre. It feels old fashioned, like it’s withstood the test of time. I’ve read that chypre tends to be a feminine genre of fragrance, but Aramis is very masculine. The fragrance is very strong with lots of sillage. It’s a mix of earthy, musky, and light floral notes. It’s almost animalic. I can pick out notes of patchouli, leather, and amber. After a while, it dries down to mostly patchouli, leather, and amber, but there's not a huge difference. This is definitely a fragrance for cooler weather. It’s a fragrance I enjoy having in my den.

#FOF

July 16, 2023 – Barbershop Day

• Brush: Heritage Erskine w/ Gel Boar
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo SS .72
• Blade: Wizamet (11)
• Lather: RazoRock – Blue Barbershop
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Feur de France
• Fragrance: Nishane – B-612

Challenge: Fresh memes.

My memory of Blue Barbershop is that of a baby powder like fragrance. Lathering it today I get distinct notes of oakmoss, light lavender and a hint of something woody. It is very powdery. I like the way it smells, even though I got a bit of frag burn. It reminds me of the powder the barber brushes on the back of my neck after a haircut. While I never thought of that as a fragrance before I started wet shaving, it is the smell I associate with getting a haircut. I bought this soap when I first started wetshaving. As I recall, the description promised a traditional triple milled soap that’s produced by long time Italian soap makers. It sounded promising, but now I know better. The performance is very underwhelming. It takes a lot of soap to get a lather going.

Seaforth! Fleur de France is a French barbershop fragrance. It’s my second favorite Seaforth! fragrance after SSL. The lemony rosemary is invigorating. At the heart lies oakmoss and geranium with a touch of soft musk which adds an air of mystery. It’s a great example of a handful of sent notes amounting to more than the sum of their parts.

Peruse the fragrantica page for B-612 and you’ll see multiple reviewers refer to the fragrance as a barbershop. Right off the bat there’s a lot of notes coming at me. Lavender, geranium, dry wood, and oakmoss. It’s somewhat sweet, with lots of lavender. The other notes create a slightly smoky, woody backdrop.

It’s about an hour later. I’m smelling lots of lavender, fresh laundry, patchouli, and oakmoss. I like this one a lot. It’s the type of thing I’d wear if I was getting dressed up.

#FOF

edit: added a meme for /u/djundjila

July 17, 2023 – Happy Together

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Matterhorn w/ Maggard 28mm SHD #COMPOSITE #SHD
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo SS .72 #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet (12)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Cerberus
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Cerberus
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming – Cerberus

Challenge: Rub salt on my face? Why stop there? Everyone who knows a bit about cooking knows salt is only half of the basic seasoning regiment.

After only getting a sample size decant of Sandalorian, I was hyped when Cerberus was announced. It might not be exact, but it’s 90-95% there. For this release, House of Mammoth made the fragrance, Noble Otter contributed their aftershave formula, and Declaration Grooming provided the soap, bottled the fragrance, and sold everything through their site. Since this is a three way collaboration, it was given the name Cerberus after the three headed dog from Greek mythology, most famous for portraying Fluffy in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Cerberus smells so good. The fragrance presents well in all three products. Big juicy fruits mesh perfectly with sandalwood. The fruit smells like bright juicy apricot. The sandalwood note is on the dry side. There’s a note that's warm and sweet that helps blend the two.

After about half an hour, the edt smells less bright, and less fruity. The apricot is mostly gone. The warm sweetness has amped up. It smells like honey. There’s something resinous in there, too.

While I’m glad to have this in my den, I’ve definitely been reluctant to use it. Upon reference my shaving spreadsheet, I’ve only used this soap a couple of times, and the aftershave and fragrance one or two additional times. Having unobtainium is a double edged sword.

#FOF

Guy used a salt mill on his face

Guy used a salt mill on his face

July 18, 2023 – Spooky Season

• Brush: APShaveCo w/ 24mm Cashmere Fan
• Razor: Razorock Hawk v2
• Blade: Feather ProGuard (AC) (11)
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts – Boonana
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Boonana
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts – Boonana

Challenge: Here you go, sickos.

This soap is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
It also smells like bourbon. B-O-U-R-B-O-N.

Southern Witchcrafts use both the words “spooky” and “autumn” in their description of the soap.. This is a fun fragrance. As soon as I started loading my brush I smelled banana candy. It’s a boozy fragrance with a strong bourbon note. The rest of the soap fragrance is a mix of pumpkin, floral vanilla, and a hint of something earthy. The sweetness and banana give it a plasticy runt candy vibe. If you’re the type of person that needs to drink to get through a night of trick-or-treaters knocking on your door, or if you just have a nose and think this sounds interesting, this is for you.

The aftershave projects the fragrance quite a bit. The fragrance in the splash comes off a bit spicy with the tobacco note coming through a bit. The sweetness has a caramel syrup quality to it. The banana is closer to banana ice cream (chunky monkey, anyone?) than candy. The fragrance is strong enough that I’d want to be careful what cologne I paired it with.

The edp has a lot of the tobacco note present. I get a lot of pumpkin, and a bit of banana. The bourbon note comes through underneath the tobacco. There’s a note of something earthy / dirty. This is the most wearable expression, although I do enjoy the big banana note in the soap while shaving.

#FOF

July 19, 2023 – Cream, cream, why are you still a theme?

• Brush: Red House Farm Wool Sock
• Razor: Schick Injector Type N1
• Blade: Schick Injector (11)
• Lather: Geo. F. Trumper – Extract of Limes
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Peaches + Scream
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors – A Whiff of Wafflecone

Challenge: What a terrible idea! I won a PIF from /u/grindermonk a while back for one of his soaps, and he threw in a pair of wool socks! I don’t wear wool often, but I know it’s very absorbent. Sounds perfect for making lather right? I lathered it buy rubbing both halves of the sock together, like I would a washcloth. It took a lot of soap. I rubbed the lather onto my face with the sock. It was hard to get enough soap on my face. It was a bad shave.

I didn’t have anything planned for today beyond using one of my Geo. F. Trumper cream samples. Are there really enough Geo Trumpers in the world to warrant the middle initial? This theme doesn’t really lend to scent pairings. So, rather than match the fragrance of the soap, I’ve organized the shave around the idea of cream.

Geo. F. Trumper Extract of Limes is a simple fragrance. It’s sweet. There’s not any sharpness to the citrus. It’s one-dimensional in the way a lot of these old timey shave like your grandpa branded products are.

Peaches and Scream is a set that I bought and never really used. I kind of regret not using it, because it smells really good. It’s very peachy. There’s a creaminess to it. There’s just a hint of something boozy, almost as if this was a liqueur.

I’m not a fan of A Whiff of Waffle Cone. It’s artificial and saccharine. But, there’s a fragrance note of ice cream, which fits today’s theme. This smells like caramelized sugar. There’s lots of vanilla. There’s a warm amber-like note that provides the waffle image. There’s a bit of cinnamon. It definitely makes me think of ice cream.

#FOF

July 20, 2023 – I’ve been duped!

• Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving sub exclusive MOAR BOAR #CHONK #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Schick Injector Type N1
• Blade: Schick Injector (12)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Sandpiper
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Sandpiper
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Sandpiper

Challenge: Pasty enough for you? Surprisingly, it wasn’t a terrible shave. Wetting my razor helped.

I don’t typically go for dupe fragrances in soap. Some of them smell nice. But, I have yet to smell a designer fragrance I absolutely love. A good original fragrance from a wetshaving brand feels special. There’s a closer connection to the artisan when I get to analyze and enjoy an original fragrance. I bought this set of Sandpiper to support Rod for his help getting MOAR BOAR in the hands of the community. I used this set throughout the month of March, mostly using my MOAR BOAR. I’ve been waiting to use this brush in the Lather Games for this shave.

When I decided to order the Sandpiper set, I already had a sample of the edt I bought along with some bar soap. I figured it would be a good way to find out what YSL La Nuit de l’Homme smells like. So, I already knew that I liked it. My favorite aspect of this fragrance is the prominent cardamom note. It turns out I really enjoy cardamom in fragrances. I find it comforting. The cardamom is complimented by a note of lavender. Then, there’s a woody musky thing going on. I’ve read this dupe is pretty accurate, but I would like to compare it to the real thing.

#FOF

July 21, 2023 – Fougère Friday

• Brush: Fuller w/ Zenith B10
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo SS .72
• Blade: Wizamet (13)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Reserve Fern
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Fougère Classique
• Fragrance: Rogue Perfumery – Fougere L’Aube

Challenge:

Is there art in words?
Does metered verse add meaning?
Does rhyme bring splendor?

My soap and aftershave are based on different formulations of the lauded Fougere Royale. According to Will, Fern is based on a later formulation of Fougere Royale sold under the name “H” by the remnants of DeLaire’s American subsidiary, DiParco. Fougere Classique is based on a demo formula of the original fragrance.

The first thing I notice in Fern is fresh spice. It’s very mossy. There’s a musty lavender. It isn’t as powdery as many other fougeres I’ve smelled. There’s a resinous Tonka Bean-esque thing going on that makes this feel firmly like a fragrance from a bygone era of three-piece suits, and hats. It’s very masculine.

Fougere Classique splash smells more green, and in balance with the moss. Lavender is less of a distinct note. There’s something herbal to it. I get an earthy patchouli note, too. It’s masculine, and feels dapper and classy.

Now for Fougere L’Aube. Right off the bat I get green spicy notes. It’s very fresh and aromatic. It’s interesting how much more modern this feels. I’m don’t smell any distinct lavender note. Maybe some will show up in the dry down. It smells like dasies. There’s a lemon oil note that runs up against an herbal note that smells like thyme. If I nose it enough, I notice a subtle amber note. It’s a sophisticated fragrance that would inspire confidence if I was wearing it.

After about 30 minutes of dry down, I’m smelling some lavender. It’s still prodomenently an aromatic fragrance. I also smell a bit of rose. This is a gernanium heavy fragrance.

Once it gets down to base notes, there's more amber, it's slightly woody and vaguely animalic. The aromatic notes have worn off.

#FOF

July 22, 2023 – Berries, and things called berries

• Brush: Omega 10049
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (9)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. (Formerly Oleo Soapworks) – New City: Back of the Yards
• Post Shave: Zingari – Unscented
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts – Fougere Nemeta

Challenge: I did a two pass leg shave. Thanks to /u/Newtothethis for her helpful leg day guide. I used my MM24 because /u/tsrblke mentioned in his post that it was good for shaving body hair. I showered before shaving and washed my legs with the glycerine soap I use for my face. I gathered my stuff and sat on the edge of my tub. I lathered in my Captain’s Choice bowl. I chose to use my Omega 10049 because the knot is big, holds lots of lather, and has good flow through. I loaded for about 1 minute initially. I had to go back for another 15 second load to finish my left leg. But, it wasn’t a crazy amount of soap.

The GEM 1924 head on the MM24 is very efficient. Even so, it clogged frequently. I found rinsing it under running water then pulling as much hair away from the blade as possible with a paper towel worked best to clear things up. I did my first passes WTG and my second ones ATG. The rules for the challenge say “shave your legs at least high enough to wear shorts.” I’m a man and it’s not the 80’s. So, I shaved from my ankles to my knees (including the knees), but didn’t go above that. Now I just have to hide my legs with jeans in 90+ degree heat for the rest of the summer.

Here’s my pics. SFW but not pretty.

#FOF

New City: Back of the Yards says “raspberry + leather” on the label. I think it might be a dupe of a Tom Ford cologne. I don’t which one, or if the raspberry is a part of the original, or added by Vida. This fragrance is in the same vein as Vor V; or if you prefer, it’s the rasperry version of Almond Leather. The raspberry note is strong and smells nice and ripe. The leather smells like a couch. I don’t get much else from this. Maybe a little geranium.

I had planned on using the matching New City aftershave. But, putting fragranced splash on my legs seemed weird. Like, who’s smelling my legs, and why do they smell like raspberries? I used ZM’s unscented recovery splash and called it a day.

Fougere Nemata is a unique fougere. It takes the framework of an aromatic fougere, with notes of lavender and geranium, and combines it with strawberries. The greenness gives the impression you’re smelling the entire strawberry plant, as you get both the sweet fruit and the bitter green stem and leaves.

July 23, 2023 – “What IS that enchanting aroma?”

• Brush: That Darn Rob White w/ Blue Ferule w/ Fanchurian
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo SS .72
• Blade: Wizamet (14)
• Lather: Zingari – Mousse Illuminee
• Post Shave: Zingari – Mousse Illuminee
• Fragrance: Rogue Perfumery – Mousse Illuminee

Challenge: way too much soap. Not my best work 🙁.

Someone sent me a smoosh of this soap last year. I loved it, and ended up accumulating the trifecta over time. I received the soap as a birthday gift and everyone who smelled it really liked it. Soon after, I bought the soap and then ended up getting myself the fragrance for Christmas. It’s garnered multiple compliments.

I used the fragrance before I left the house early this morning. I didn’t have time to shave until later in the day. Below are my thoughts on the fragrance.

#FOF

Mousse Illuminee is striking. It is dark and seductive and has an air of mystery about it. At first it smells mossy with a tonka-like smokiness and a cumin-like spice. Given some time to dry down, a prominent civet note makes itself known. I feel foolish for not picking it out sooner. Lavender is faint but present. florals are kept to a minimum. Once it gets down to base notes, the civet is faint, leaving mostly moss and bit of tonka.

July 24, 2023 – The day of the night before not Christmas

• Brush: Summer Break Sheridan w/ 26 mm Synbad
• Razor: Razorock Hawk v2
• Blade: Feather ProGuard (AC) (12)
• Lather: Los Jabones de Joserra – Kush
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – Darkfall
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive – Nefertiti

Challenge: Thanks to /u/chronnoisseur42O for helping me fill out my calendar. Today’s soap is 1 of 3 smooshes he sent me. If you take a look at the trade thread you’ll see he offered to help pretty much everyone who needed something. He’s putting together a very solid effort in these games. I’m sure a lot of planning went into that. And still, in the spirit of the games, he generously helped his fellow competitors.

When I asked chronnoisseur for a smoosh of this soap, I assumed it would smell like weed. I now know that this is a dupe of Nasomatto Black Afgano, which I’ve smelled before. Kush is pretty close to the real deal. The fragrance is dark and smokey. It doesn’t smell like tobacco, matches, or even burning wood. It’s more like the smell of burnt wood after the fire has gone out. It’s woody. I’m definitely getting a cannabis note. There’s a mossy greenness. The soap is pretty good and made a slick lather. I don’t understand why it’s $35, especially when their soaps are dupes.

I decided to use Darkfall to pair with the smokiness of Kush. Darkfall is an amber fragrance that’s inspired by the smell of GA in the fall. The fragrance has a smokiness reminiscent of burning piles of dead leaves. Once my nose adjusted to the smoke, I could smell a nutmeg, clove, cinnamon type of spice. It’s very dark and feels too heavy for summer.

After I found out that Kush is a Black Afgano dupe, I pulled out my sample of the Nasomatto fragrance. Unfortunately, it has either evaporated or leaked. There’s nothing left. So instead, I’m using another fragrance with a cannabis note, Nefertiti. This bottle was received in the December gift exchange.

Nefertiti is an exotic blend of cannabis, honey, and incense. There’s a resinous quality to it. There is a fragrant green note that smells like ivy and is almost soapy. I think it’s lavender. After a while the lavender note gets stronger, and is still accompanied by mossy cannabis. I’m now also smelling amber. It’s a very interesting fragrance that feels indulgent.

#FOF

Edit: I wish I'd come up with this in time for meme day, but the latest LG podcast made me think of this.

July 25, 2023 – Christmas in July

• Brush: Semogue 610
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (10)
• Lather: Noble Otter – The Night Before
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Vespers
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Vespers

Challenge: I’m left handed. I typically use my right hand for certain areas. I used it exclusively for two passes today. It’s wasn’t great, but it didn’t cut myself either.

I bought The Night Before with this day in mind. Sadly, I don’t smell much of anything from the lather. Noble Otter scent strength tends to be light. But, with this one I’d smell my brush and get nothing. There was maybe a hint of Christmas tree, but that’s reaching. When I smell the tub of soap, the fragrance is light but easier to smell. It’s very muddled. There’s a Christmas tree note, but something about this fragrance doesn’t work. It’s like the notes are canceling each other out. It feels flat and bland. The lather wasn’t very good. I probably needed more soap.

I love Vespers. I’ve come to the opinion that this is Will’s best work. The fragrance is an exciting combination of cardamom, cranberry, and (here comes the buzz word / wetshaver crack) mousse de saxe. It’s sweet fruit, warm spice, and evergreen all at once. The mousse de saxe is used very skillfully by Will. It’s subtle and intriguing. The cranberry cardamom hits me with fruity sweet aromatic spice up front which quickly blends into evergreen notes of fir and balsam. The mousse de saxe adds a lot of depth. Beneath the evergreen is a long complex smell composed of dark moss, amber, maybe something like ambergris.

#FOF

July 26, 2023 – Wild card Wednesay

• Brush: Century Travel Brush #ANCIENT #RUNT #SMOLL
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo SS .72
• Blade: Wizamet (15)
• Lather: Archaic Alchemy – Agave
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger – Lucky Tiger
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes – Macaque

Challenge: Den tour. I moved most of my shave stuff to this bookcase. Moving all these boxes and seeing how much shelf space is taken up puts things into perspective. There’s a few things in the bathroom, but this is most of it. Every box is full, so there’s loose software where space could be found. One of the shoe boxes contains frag samples. The other has soap samples, two packages of Nacets, assorted boxes, cases, and odds and ends. The tea tin is full of blades.

—

Meet Mr. Monkey. Today I’m going to teach Mr. Monkey how to shave. First things first, I have a brush and razor that are just the right size for Mr. Monkey. Now to select a brush for myself… What’s that Mr. Monkey? We both have to use your brush? I don’t think your brush is big enough… No! Stop that! Don’t throw that! Bad monkey! Don’t make me spank you! Fine, fine! We’ll both use your brush.

Let’s load our brush with soap. Alright Mr. Monkey, put that into your shave mug. I’m going to face lather. Now, watch how I do it. Okay, your turn. Let’s get you lathered up, and shave.

Good job! Time to clean up. Let’s rinse your mug.

—

Hopefully someone found that amusing. Full album

I found this vintage NOS brush on ebay. The seller’s description says these are from the 80’s. The knot diameter is 12 mm; loft is 33 mm. There were other brushes that could’ve met the requirements for these tags, but this one made me laugh, so I bought it. The knot was springy. I had to pinch the knot above the handle to pick up any soap. It took a little effort to get it to splay. It says “pure badger” on the bottom of the handle. It was scritchy and uncomfortable to face lather with. Going into this, I was worried it would fall apart. It made it through with about 3 hairs falling out. However, it felt fragile. It’s so tiny that it’s totally impracticable, but good for a gag.

Agave is true to it’s name. I’ve never smelled the plant itself. But, I find it to be accurate to agave sweetener, or mezcal.

Lucky Tiger is a post shave product I like to use when I don’t have a matching splash. The face feels are good. It smells like orange oil. Sometimes it’s nice to have something simple.

In honor of Mr. Monkey, today’s fragrance is Macaque from Zoologist Perfumes. Macaque is strongly animalic fight off the bat. It’s a dirty fecal note, like visiting elephants at the zoo. There’s some aromatic leafy green notes.

After some time to dry down, it’s greener, there’s a hint of zesty citrus. I’m getting a note that smells like patchouli.

Overall, it’s heavy and there’s no brightness to lighten things up.

#FOF

July 27, 2023 – Lavendursday

• Brush: Maggard Razors Aluminum handle 2-band badger 22mm
• Razor: Karve CB
• Blade: Wizamet (16)
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbles – Menage a Lavande
• Post Shave: Thayers – Lavender
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Lavender Interrupted

Challenge: I shaved on my back deck. My SOTD pic is in a planter I recently set up. I spread my shave cream in my sample bowl, loaded my brush, then filled the bowl with water for lathering and rinsing. The lather turned out well. I tried to use the reflection in the glass to shave, but it was hard to see what I was doing, so I mostly went by feel. Album.

Which flavor of lavender is my soap? I can’t say for sure, but the short answer with Menage a Lavande is several. It smells soapy off the tub. Once it’s lathered it’s a multifaceted lavender extravaganza. There’s fresh laundry lavender. There’s green lavender. It’s aromatic, sweet, and vibrant. This is the most lavender I’ve smelled packed into one fragrance. Truthfully, I’ve only kept this for lather games, but the fragrance is growing on me.

I’ve had this bottle of Thayers for a while. I bought it early on in my wetshaving career. I used to think this was a great product. Now, this is an underwhelming post shave. It feels very watery and like it’s not doing much for my skin. I’m tempted to try and use it up, but it’s the only lavender post shave I have. The lavender is in this is somewhat anemic. The lavender is green, a bit bitter, and floral. It’s drab in comparison to Menage a Lavande. It’s in line with what I think of when I read lavender in commercial products.

I don’t know if Lavender Interrupted will be considered for fragrance of the year since it’s not in soap, but it’s my favorite new thing so far. I’m smelling all sorts of things: lavender, sandalwood, amber, vanilla, smoke, hard wood, tobacco, incense, a bit of leather. I smell patchouli but it's hard to separate from the incense. Remember the other day when I said mousse de saxe was like wetshaver crack? Well, it’s here, too. It's smells really nice. After about an hour it's mostly lavender and mousse de saxe. This is a fragrance you can spend a lot of time diligently sniffing through it picking out notes. It’s dark, but balanced enough not to be too heavy. It’s intriguing, yet approachable. I know I said Vespers was Will’s best work a couple of days, but this is in contention. I anxiously await the opportunity to buy a full bottle.

#FOF

July 28, 2023 – Frugal Friday

• Brush: Omega 10049
• Razor: Schick Injector Type N1
• Blade: Schick Injector (13)
• Lather: Williams – Mug Soap
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva – Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Eau Studio – Defiance

Challenge:

• The Schick Injector N1 was $2 in 1980. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $7.74 in 2023 dollars.
• I only have Schick blades for the injector. So, these are the cheapest at $1.23 per blade.
• 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. These sell for $2.99 for a 1.7 oz bottle, which makes it $1.76 per ounce.

I bought this puck of Williams at a grocery a few years before they stopped making it. I’ve only used it a few times. I remember it making a decent lather, but today was not a positive experience. The lather was airy and barely had any slickness. While fragrance is listed in the ingredients, I don’t smell anything beyond a general “clean” soap odor, and the scent is very light. To be fair, no one was ever buying this soap for the smells. This was a product for old timers who consider any beer that isn’t Budweiser to be fancy, stuck up beer. Now that it’s been retired, it’s mainly a comodity for assholes to flip to hipsters.

Aqua Velva Ice Blue is an item I found when we were cleaning out my grandmother’s house. Coincidentally, a tab on the Williams box suggest (commands?) that I try Aqua Velva After Shave. My aunt immediately wanted to smell it because it reminded her of my grandfather. The splash feels watery. Other than a light alcohol sting, and mild cooling, there doesn’t seem to be anything in this to soothe skin. It’s hard to pick specific notes from this fragrance. I would characterize it as a traditional clean fragrance. If I smell the open bottle, I get lots of mint, lemon, oakmoss, and a touch of lavender or violet. There’s also a note that smells like patchouli.

/u/USS-SpongeBob did a review of Ice Blue in his Classic Aftershave series. He classifies the fragrance as a floral chypre. I still don’t have a good handle on the chypre genre. But, I would like to smell a more upscale/modern interpretation of this. This fragrance feels chemically. I’d like to smell something similar made with higher quality ingredients. I'm torn between liking it and wishing it was less plasticy.

I can’t find any source of what fragrance Defiance is meant to dupe. My first thought when spraying the fragrance was “woody.” I smell citrus top notes, aromatics, and musk. The aromatic notes smell like geranium and moss with a touch of musky lavender. There’s a slight earthiness that I think is vetiver. The woody note smells like a hardwood like cedar. The aromatic notes make this feel approachable, and project nicely. The darker notes makes me think this is more of a date night fragrance. For a cheapie cologne, it smells nice. The performance from these Eau Studio frags hasn’t been great, but that’s not surprising.

#FOF

July 29, 2023 – Sandalwood Saturday

• Brush: Muehle Classic Shaving Brush w/ Silvertip Fibre 25mm
• Razor: Karve CB
• Blade: Wizamet (17)
• Lather: Proraso – Sandalwood
• Post Shave: Proraso – Sandalwood
• Fragrance: Maher Olfactive – Santal Auster

Challenge: I didn’t realize we had a homework assignment. You know, aside from being asked this question every year. I’m not the one who’s supposed to be reading and djudging all of the posts. You’re asking someone who’s going to take a C-/D+ on the test, and that’s from cheating off the judges from listening to the podcast.

Who’s winning? I’ve enjoyed /u/Priusaurus’ interviews and his posts have been interesting and well written. I think he has a good shot.

Feats of Fragrance is tough. No one has taken it to the level /u/USS-SpongeBob did last year. There’s a bunch of us doing consistent write-ups. It’s going to be close.

I haven’t paid attention to the photo contest. I made no attempt to compete in it. Isn’t it points based on a checklist? You want to me to go through and add up everyone’s themes? That’s what the bot is for.

Thanks to /u/schontzm for the smoosh. This is my first time using Proraso. The soap was very soft, so I’m assuming it’s the cream. I’ve noticed that when the topic of Proraso comes up on the sub, sandalwood seems to be the favorite. I can see why. I used the whole smush thinking I would need all of it for two passes. This is a very fluffy soap. I ended up with enough for four passes. It lathered easily and was plenty slick. There was a bit of secondary slickness, but not a lot. My face feels very dry right now, but the shave was pleasant. This is a good sandalwood fragrance. Off the top of my head, I would say it’s dry. Let’s look through the list: “decalinyl formate” sounds like what I’m smelling. It's not very complex, but it's sure to satisfy fans of sandalwood.

I bought a sample of the aftershave to use today. It also left my face feeling dry. It’s lightly fragranced. In addition to sandalwood I smell a bit of aloe, which makes the sandalwood in this smell creamier than the soap. I like the soap, I could do without this splash.

Santal Auster is an unapologetic-ally masculine sandalwood fragrance. This smells like “amyris acetate” variety. It smells a bit earthy. It has a warm, honey sweet, resinous quality. There’s an animalic note that comes in on the tail end, like a beaver that chomped a bunch of sandalwood. While I got a lot of sandalwood at first, the animalic note now overpowers it. There’s something that smells kind of sour that inter-plays with the warm sweet note. I like animalic fragrances. This is a very good one. Once I stopped nosing it constantly and gave it time to dry down, it comes off as Sandalwood, again. It's an awesome fragrance whichever stage of dry down it's in. It's layered, nuanced, and refined. It feels classic.

#FOF

July 30, 2023 – Bon Voyage, Lather Games!

• Brush: Semogue SOC Boar
• Razor: Gillette English Flat Bottom Tech
• Blade: Wizamet (18)
• Lather: Fitjar Islands – Slåtterøy
• Post Shave: Los Jabones de Joserra – Vanitas
• Fragrance: Serge Lutens – L’Eau Serge Lutens

And so, the Lather Games come to an end. I wasn't able to spend quite as much time as I would've liked reading all the SOTDs. Truth be told, I've been stressing over my own posts more than last year. Still, it's been fun. Another one on the books. Thanks to all the djudes. Thanks to /u/djundjila for stepping up and taking the reins on the portal. I found it very helpful as a player. I'm sure the djudes are fans, too. The Games wouldn't be possible without it. Thanks to /u/uss-spongebob for answering so many stupid questions.

Challenge:

• Semogue – Portugal
• Flat Bottom Tech – England
• Fitjar – Norway
• Los Jabones de Joserra – Spain
• Serge Lutens – France
• Me – U.S.

I got Slåtterøy in the 2k subscribers giveaway from /u/kammander-kim. I smell bay as soon as I open the lid to the soap. It’s kind of piney. There’s a bit of lemon oil which adds some brightness and makes this feel fresh. When I smell the soap puck the bay is kind of herbal sweet. It’s not your typical spicy sweet bay rum scent. This fragrance feels more placid and serene.

According to thirstybadger.ca, Vanitas is a dupe of Amouage Jubilation XXV. I immediately get notes of Tonka bean and castorum. I went nose blind to this very quickly. Smelling the bottle I get a balsamic blackberry note. I think there’s some amber in the mix with the castorum. There’s a sweet spice, probably cinnamon. It smells good, but I'm having a hard time picking out more than this. I'd like the smell a sample of Jubilation at some point.

I got this sample of Serge Lutens L’Eau in a lot of samples on the bazaar from someone who was in the market for a lemony fragrance, as there were a couple other lemon heavy samples in the lot. If you get a car that’s a lemon, it’s a very bad thing. If you get a fragrance that’s lemon, it could be very refreshing. With a fresh application of L’Eau, I smell lemon peel and zest. It’s bright. Very fresh. Geranium, green vines. Once it dries down a bit I get a leathery note. Further into dry down I get a lot more geranium and greenness. It’s a very clean fresh fragrance.

#FOF