u/wyze0ne's SOTDs for challenge 'Lather Games 2023'

July 6, 2023 - Dickhole trickhole stack

• Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR 31mm bleached boar #CHONK #OLDWORLD
• Razor: Elmax Pro Kamiso shavette
• Blade: Wizamet (2)
• Lather: House of Mammoth x Lather Talk - Voices
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth x Lather Talk - Voices
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth x Lather Talk - Voices

It's been a while since I've used the ol' MOAR BOAR it seems because I somehow underloaded Tusk. Lather was a bit thin by the third pass, but I soldiered on unfazed. I just picked up this cheap Kamisori shavette from Amazon on a whim and it's a neat little shavette. I really think I prefer this style as opposed to the traditional folding straight razor style. It's just easier to maneuver I think. Voices is a wonderful scent and I was happy to break it out for Dickhole Day. My wife loves it too so bonus there. I think my stack came out well after one fall (eek) and about 5-10 minutes of trying to get it to work.

P.S. What's with renaming this day oLfAcToRy OvErDoSe? Is the term "dickhole" or joke behind it too offensive to our delicate sensibilities now? It would be a shame to get rid of the lexicon of jokes and terminology we've created that make this sub fun, but the fun police seem determined to do just that.

July 7, 2023 - Spicy

• Brush: Zenith 507U XS 27mm extra soft horse #HORSESASS
• Razor: Yates 921-H #CNC
• Blade: Wizamet (4)
• Lather: MacDuff's Soap Company - Winter Cabin
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Reserve Spice
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Fake Yellow Light

To my nose Winter Cabin is a warm, spicy scent smoothed out by raspberry and sandalwood. With appropriately spicy notes of cardamom, saffron, and vanilla (yes, vanilla is a spice according to the Fragrantica list) I believe it qualifies for today's theme. I followed it up with the wonderful recreation of the epitome of spicy scents, OG Old Spice, BaM Reserve Spice. This has to be one of my favorite aftershaves in my collection in both scent and performance. Love this stuff. I followed it all up with another warm/spicy scent in Fake Yellow Light. The chai spices in this really come through for me in this EdP which is obviously more suited to colder weather, but given today's theme, here we are.

I'm not involved in any other hobbies at a community level like I am with wetshaving, but I have several other interests/casual hobbies. Those include camping, concerts, mushroom hunting/growing, rock collecting, and tinkering on cars.

June 9, 2023 - Cup o' tea

• Brush: Omega S-Brush (27mm x 62mm) #TOLL
• Razor: Merkur Progress #DIAL
• Lather: Soap Commander - Memories
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Soap Commander - Memories
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - ROTY 2020

Wonderful post yard work shave with Soap Commander Memories which is primarily a red tea (rooibos) scent backed up by cedar and saffron. It's really nice and I also got the best lather I've ever had out of SC with this rarely seen synthetic brush. The Progress loaded with a Wizamet was excellent as well. This blade works so well in all of my razors. Time to stock up! Unfortunately I forgot about the challenge so no kitchen shave today.

July 10, 2023 - Dun dun duuun dun dun dah duun

• Brush: Chisel & Hound "Chocolate Drop" / 26mm Maggard Razors faux horse #FAUXFUR #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Karve CB (copper) / D plate
• Blade: Wizamet (5)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Smoke on the Water
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman
• Fragrance: Chicago Grooming Co. - Smoke on the Water

Any fledgling guitar player knows that the first song you learn how to play on it has to be Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple. I no longer play guitar, but it was definitely one of the first tunes my Dad taught me.

As for the shave this soap is an excellent scent in a top tier base as I've said many times before. I have the trifecta, but I felt like using Clubman for my splash today. Paired nicely in my opinion.

Here's a little update of today's soap label for the challenge. Happy Monday Lather Gamers!

July 11, 2023 - Complimentary Non-Dickhole Color Coordinated Green Summer shave

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts "Lochloosa" / 26mm Boti Silvertip badger
• Razor: RazoRock Game Changer 0.84
• Blade: Wizamet (6)
• Lather: Eleven Shaving - Lime and Basil
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Moon Soaps - Astoria
• Fragrance: None

Eleven's Lime and Basil is nice and refreshing summer scent. It's a bright and sweet lime with some herbal tones from the basil. Speaking of refreshing, Astoria is one of the best in that regard. It's citrus forward aquatic notes backed up by evergreen freshness pairs beautifully with today's soap selection. The splash also has the perfect level of menthol which is always nice for hot summer days. The shave itself was smooth sailing as usual with this razor and blade combo.

July 12, 2023 - Fluffy lather shave or potential AA set up preview

• Brush: Zenith 507A XSE 27mm unbleached boar #TEXASPIGSTINKMASSACRE
• Razor: Weck Sextoblade #YTHO
• Blade: Kismet (4)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag

As you can see from the ingredients, Potassium Cocoate is third on the list thus qualifying this soap for today's theme. And a fluffy lather it is. Def not my favorite base, but it is serviceable and seems to lather better with a boar brush. Stag is something of a right of passage here on r/wetshaving, but not all are chosen. For the brave ones that are, once they start down the path of Knighthood there's no going back during the month of August. I'm not sure if I'm ready to use the Weck for a month straight especially with this soap that lacks the protection qualities of my top bases so that is yet to be determined. Last year went okay with the OCMM, but open blade is a different beast entirely.

As for the challenge, I hate bowl lathering. The only time aside from this challenge that I ever use a bowl is for loading samples. Ever since I started wet shaving I've been a devoted face latherer thanks to watching the likes of u/Cadinsor and Nick Shaves's videos early on. Building the lather on my face is one of my favorite parts of the entire shave so I was missing that today.

July 13, 2023 - Hippy shit

• Brush: Prometheus Handcrafts "Sequence" / 28mm Maggard Razors SHD #SHD
• Razor: Muhle ROCCA R95
• Blade: Wizamet (6)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Lather Games ROTY 2022
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Hindsight
• Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Harmony

LG ROTY '22 is four note blend of scents that are commonly considered "dank" which is something that hippies are quite fond of. I get heavy patchouli in the mix with pine coming in second. The leather and vetiver are lurking in the background to fill out this wonderful earthy blend. I chose Hindsight aftershave for its inclusion of a cannabis note for obvious reasons. For the fragrance I'm going with the best incense and dragon's blood scent in existence (and the only bottle of this frag in existence to my knowledge). Scoot gave me this bottle as a gift one night after helping him label some Darkfall soaps. As he handed it to me he said "Now you can smell like a hippy!" I will treasure it until it's gone. It's a shame that the soap and splash burned my skin when I tried it because I adore the scent, but at least I can enjoy it as the frag which is even better to my nose.

For a song to go along with a hippy theme, how can I not pick one from The Grateful Dead? "Althea" is one of my favorite tunes from them. It's got a nice chill and relaxing groove that's perfect for spacing out laying in the grass on a sunny, stoney afternoon.

Peace fam.

July 15, 2023 - Campground shower Chypre Shave

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps "Tekamah" / 26mm G5C
• Razor: Baili BT131 / TiBam "Norsborg" handle
• Blade: Wizamet (7)
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Azure
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - Barber Blue
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Dammusi

Excellent excellent shave to knock down a couple days growth. This new base from Catie's Bubbles is something else. Probably one of the best soaps out right now nO cAp. This scent is also incredibly well done. I had never smelled an aquatic chypre before this, but I can tell you I like them now! It's a bright "blue" scent while at the same time possessing a resinous quality. Dammusi makes an awesome follow up to this shave. These two are the scents of this summer for me!

And when it comes to wet tubers, nobody is better than u/VisceralWatch! ;)

July 17, 2023 - The OG collab that started the collab craze

• Brush: Semogue Owner's Club boar
• Razor: RazoRock German 37 / MR5
• Blade: Wizamet (19)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming x Chatillon Lux - Sni Mato
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Bash
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavender, Interrupted

Ok, so this wasn't the first collab between DG and CL (that was Unconditional Surrender), but it was one of the first and it set off the idea of getting premium perfumery level artisan made fragrances into our shaving soaps. Thank Shawn and Scott for coming together as a dynamic duo. They make the best collabs that ever collabed!

As for the challenge, this isn't a challenge. I use Osma every day. I just love the feeling of rubbing that glass smooth block all over my face at the end of a shave. It's also nice to know you had a great one when you get zero of that sting. Other shitty disintegrating alum blocks don't compare. It's like ketchup. Heinz or nothing baby.

July 18, 2023 - Autumnal Shave

• Brush: "Graffiti" handle / 26mm Maggard Razors mixed knot (badger/boar) #MISTURA
• Razor: Rolls No. 3 Imperial Model #SELFSHARPENING
• Blade: Rolls
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Darkfall
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Nocturne
• Fragrance: Australian Private Reserve - Carnivale

This is one of my favorite scent combos to use during my favorite season (or anytime really). All the delicious cozy scents of fall are encapsulated here (sans pumpkin spice). You've got the smoky, woody goodness of Darkfall followed by a nice tart apple with a kiss of smoke in Nocturne. Carnivale brings an autumn festival vibe with sweet dried fruits, cannabis, brandy, spices, and various woody base notes (sandalwood, cedar, ho wood). It is a rich intoxicating scent that unfolds like a story. Top notch juice this is!

This was also the first full shave I've done with the Rolls razor and it wasn't half bad to be honest. I hated this thing when I tried it before so I was dreading using it. I figured what the hell, might as well pick up the hashtag since I have one lol. I had some major tugging in my trouble spots, but I was able to escape with a DFS, no cuts, and surprisingly little sting from the alum. I'll call that a win.

Atlas Shaves--

That is all...

July 19, 2023 - C.R.E.A.M.

• Brush: my sockless right hand
• Razor: Yates 921-H
• Blade: Wizamet (20)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Brushless Cream
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - Clubhouse
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts - Boonana

Today's C.R.E.A.M. is another little gift from Scoot when he used to live in my neighborhood. It was never "marketed" as anything because it was never sold, but it is definitely a cream and lathers well enough without a brush. This is the first time I've actually used it and it's not bad, but it doesn't really stack up against any of DG's other soap bases. Shave number 20 on this Wizamet was not as bad as you would expect from a blade with this mileage. I can't remember the last time I took a DE blade this far. I can definitely tell that it's duller than the other Wizamet I have going at 7 or 8 shaves however. Totally random choices for the aftershave and frag today. They work surprisingly well together! And no, I did not lather with a sock. That's just lunacy.

July 20, 2023 - Pasty Dupes

• Brush: Envy Shave aluminum chalice / 26mm Maggard Razors SHD bulb #HOLLOW
• Razor: Muhle ROCCA R95
• Blade: Wizamet (7)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - 40
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. - 40
• Fragrance: Chicago Grooming Co. - 40

CGC 40 is a dupe of Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous and it is quite a fabulous scent, MOIMO. It's a shame that I used Darkwing to create a pasty lather because it's so nice and slick once properly hydrated. Vida knows how to make a damn good soap. It's one of the best. This lather was so thick it was sticking to my razor and making it hard to rinse off. Not what you want your lather consistency to be. I mean, it worked, but it could have been a whole lot slicker. The only benefit would be the time savings I guess. It's also a shame that most of the YouTube guys don't know how to properly hydrate their lathers and stop at a pasty thicc lather like this. Newbies that tend to watch them go on thinking that's "good" lather when they should be using a lot more water. As for the brush hashtag, you'll just have to take my word for it. I've replaced the knot in it twice and it is indeed hollow. :)

July 21, 2023 - Fougere Friday

• Brush: Chisel & Hound "Blue Sky" / V9 Fanchurian
• Razor: Schick G5 injector
• Blade: Chick (?)
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Beaudelaire
• Fragrance: Rogue Perfumery - Mousse Illuminee

Blueberries taste good

But the lather is bitter

Do not eat your soap

July 22, 2023 - Always skip leg day

• Brush: Semogue Owner's Club boar
• Razor: RazoRock Game Changer 0.84 / MR5
• Blade: Wizamet (8)
• Lather: Lakewood Soap Company - Smokeberry
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - Latigo
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Love in the Time of Da Rona

I came across a few folks in the shavesphere that praised this scent profusely and since I'm always intrigued by scents with a hint of smoke (read: NOT Texas on Fire) I decided to try a sample. The published notes include blackberry, leather, and smoke. I get 100% 0 smoke unfortunately. What I do get is the smell of a leather jacket that somebody spilled cherry or berry flavored Kool-Aid on. Not great to be honest. I don't get the hype. This soap base is not great either, but completely serviceable. Too fluffy/high structure with mediocre slickness. Fine Latigo (Knize Ten dupe) does pair well with this since it is a leather based scent and Love in Time of Da Rona (think West Egg with strawberry) rounds out the berry theme nicely. As for the challenge I'll stick to face shaving, thanks.

July 23, 2023 - Smelling good

• Brush: Chisel & Hound "Eosophobia" / 26mm Boti Silk High Mountain White badger
• Razor: Merkur Progress (set on 3)
• Blade: Wizamet (21)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Reserve Cool
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Reserve Cool
• Fragrance: None

My wife and daughter (or anyone else in my life for that matter) never comment on any of my many scents, but I seem to remember getting a "You smell nice" out of this set once so that's what I'm going with. I like this scent enough, but the main reason I picked this up from the Inna sale on M&M was for the OG Reserve software formulas. They are both such great stuff it's a shame they were discontinued.

Challenge: Remember kids, if it ain't drippin' you must be trippin'.

July 24, 2023 - Free soap appreciation day

• Brush: Zenith MOAR BOAR 31mm bleached boar
• Razor: Karve CB (copper) / D plate
• Blade: Wizamet (1)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Roam
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Wood Shop
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Sherlock

This soap was given to me by the one, the only u/iamsms. Proof of his Lather Games chops here. Roam is one of my favorite soap scents and having already killed a tub I figured I would have a go at another when he offered it up for free in IRC one day. Such a bro! The three scents today are all tied together with a smoky, woody, leathery theme. Some real cowboy shit. Yippy ki yay motherfuckers!

For the challenge I would like to call out a few Discord peeps that have been really generous with letting me borrow things and try some new soap scents. I raise a glass to u/EldrormR, u/InfernalInternal, and u/JoboozeRum. Thanks again! You guys are awesome!

July 25, 2023 - Left handed Christmasy shave

• Brush: Omega S-Brush
• Razor: GEM OCMM
• Blade: GEM PTFE (35)
• Lather: Noble Otter - 'Tis the Season
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Noble Otter - 'Tis the Season
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Taum Sauk (not pictured)

'Tis the Season is THE scent of Christmas to me. It smells like a pine tree, but with a bit of sweetness from raspberry and vanilla and a kiss of savory rosemary. That addition may sound weird, but it works. It all comes together as a warm, cozy scent reminiscent of Christmas morning with your family.

I originally had my Kamisori shavette slated for today because it's green to go with my red brush, but thought better of it when I saw the challenge. I think this gold colored brass OCMM looks better with the labels anyway. The left handed shave went surprisingly smooth considering the 35 use blade (left over from AA last year. I figured I would see how far I could push this one). Taum Sauk topped it all off with its lovely woodsy cedar and vanilla aroma.

Chisel & Hound brushes are great. I love Rob's style and how he uses different materials and techniques in his creations. While I didn't use one of my four C&H brushes today (I wanted to color coordinate with the label in my SOTD pic), I always enjoy them when I do. Keep up the good work u/geekyoldrob!

July 26, 2023 - WCW/Den Tour

• Brush: Whipped Dog butterscotch handle / 24mm AP Shave Co. Tuxedo
• Razor: Baili BT131 / TiBam "Norsborg" handle
• Blade: Wizamet (2)
• Lather: WestMan Shaving - Utopia
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Paul Sebastian aftershave
• Fragrance: Demeter - Pipe Tobacco

I don't think anyone else here will use this soap today so I'm probably safe. I've used this sample once before and while it's supposed to be a tobacco scent it kinda smells like weed to me. I was in a hurry because I woke up late so my lather wasn't the best, but I did notice this soap has a "different" kind of lather quality than most soaps I've used. Hard to explain IDK. It's serviceable though and my face felt really soft after the post shave rinse. All of the other items in my shave I'm pretty sure will be unique to mine as well, but we shall see lol.

DEN TOUR (re: I have too much shit):

Brushes and razors

A few more brushes

Soaps (I think there's 40 in the drawer)

Aftershaves

Fragrances/odds and ends

I didn't take pics of blades or samples, but I don't have a ridiculous blade stockpile (maybe 400-500?) and not very many samples at the moment.

July 27, 2023 - Lavenderp Day

• Brush: Chisel & Hound "Root Beer Float" / 26mm Maggard Razors premium boar
• Razor: Muhle R41
• Blade: Wizamet (3)
• Lather: Zingari Man x Rogue Perfumery - Bon Monsieur
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Lavanille
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavender, Interrupted

While thinking about this theme yesterday (no, I didn't plan a single day of the calendar) I didn't think I had any lavender-centric soaps until I pulled out Bon Monsieur. Lavender. First note listed on the label which I should have remembered since I made the damn thing. I love this scent, but I never realized it was lavender heavy until it was in my mind and then it clicked. Lavender is definitely at the forefront and the main player in this lovely aroma. Unfortunately, I didn't shave outside because I woke up tired with a raging headache and just wasn't feeling it. Everything outside is all wet and gross from the hours of rain we had last night too. No thanks. I wish that wasn't the case because I love being outside and it would have been a fun shave if I was feeling up to it.

July 28, 2023 - Cheap ass shave

• Brush: Omega S-Brush - $10
• Razor: Baili BT131 - $8
• Blade: Astra SP (1) - $0.10
• Lather: Williams - Mug Soap - $1.89
• Post Shave: Jeris - Osage Rub - $0.019/ml

TOTAL: 20 bones

It's been ages since the last time I used Williams. I actually grabbed this puck off the PIF table at the Maggard meet up in the interest of giving it another shot eventually so it was free. Unsurprisingly the lather was shit, but it worked. All of the items in my shave are the cheapest in each category, but made for a pretty decent shave. I skipped out on the alum and frag to keep it uber cheap. I actually really enjoy using Osage Rub. The scent and blast of menthol are great for hot and humid days like today.

July 29, 2023 - Sandalwood Saturday

• Brush: Elite Razor Maple burl w/ Chrysocolla inlays / V10 Fanchurian
• Razor: Elmax Pro Kamiso shavette #KAMISORI
• Blade: Wizamet (3)
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Traditionalist
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Fine Accoutrements - Santal Absolut
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux - Santal Auster

Today I'm rolling with my three favorite sandalwood scents in all of shavedom. All different takes on sandalwood, but all blend amazingly well together for a wonderful woody sandalwood bomb. I would be remiss if I didn't use a wooden shave brush for this one so I busted out the Elite. The kamisori kinda sucked, but I escaped without any cuts or major irritation. It has me rethinking using a Weck for the next month. I know the point is to get better at it but I'm not sure I care enough to lol.

As far as who I think will win LG, I'm not sure. I haven't been following every post, but there are some definite contenders like u/OnionMiasma, u/Priusaurus, u/Crisp_Mango, u/chronnoisseur42O, and u/hairykopite to name a few.

July 30, 2023 - Shaving around the world

• Brush: Semogue Owner's Club boar
• Razor: Mühle ROCCA R95
• Blade: Wizamet (5)
• Lather: MacDuff's Soap Company - Raspberry Metheglin
• Alum: Osma
• Post Shave: Alt Innsbruck
• Fragrance: Australian Private Reserve - Marbles

I live in the United States. Every item from my shave today is from a different country other than my own.

Brush - Portugal 🇵🇹

Razor - Germany 🇩🇪

Blade - Russia 🇷🇺

Lather - Canada 🇨🇦

Alum - France 🇨🇵

Aftershave - Austria 🇦🇹

Fragrance - Australia 🇦🇺

So long Lather Games. It's been fun. On to a month of drudgery.