June 2, 2024 - Ahoy, Lather Game * Brush: Yaqi Atlantis 24mm Synthetic #FAUXFUR #COMPOSITE * Razor: Aylsworth Razors - Apex-AL6063 #CNC * Blade: Gillette Nacet * Lather: Chiseled Face - Bay Rum * Post Shave: Noble Otter - Plunder Splash * Fragrance: Maher Olfactive

FOF

Today’s Theme:

Product must be Bay Rum. Check! I was able to keep the whole shave on theme. My picture today has an Old Spice lighthouse decanter from back in the day when you would buy this kind of thing as a gift for dad. I think it was made in the 80s and still has a lingering Shulton Old Spice scent to it, though any aftershave is long gone. The brush has sea shells and seaweed in the handle. The razor is Aylsworth Apex, well pirates were kind of an apex predator of the sea, and Aylsworth sounds like it could be the name of a first mate on a pirate ship. Could also be a British naval officer chasing pirates across the Carribean Sea. I used a Nacet for the crocodile logo. I can’t tell if it swallowed a clock though. Noble Otter Plunder is working for my theme perfectly as a scent and imagery. Finally, my fragrance Maher Olfactive Treachery also ties in great.

Razor Review:

Since this is my first go with an Aylsworth Razor, I thought I would give my first impressions. I love the black and aluminum color combo. I don’t have a Henson, but the head looks similar to me. It is a very light razor. It would be very easy to apply too much pressure, but the feedback kept me from doing that. It is almost toast buttering like an MM24. I’ll need some more shaves to get it down, but so far it seems pretty good.

Paleontology Day:

This is my third Lather Games. Some players immediately come to mind from past games. My first games, I got to see a shave on a train by u/OnionMiasma. Another journey shave was done by u/djundjilla giving us a bicycle tour of Switzerland. The Air Bud shenanigans of u/cowzilla3 started that year too. Last year, u/Priusaurus took up the torch of shit posters past. His ongoing and escalating feud with another participant was required reading. The threads can get very wordy in the games, but his posts were must read everyday. I think that is the best praise, because who takes the time to read everything?

Feats of Fragrance Festic ~~F~~Themes:

I only have my soaps planned out, and a handful of fragrances. I figure this allows me to make a spontaneous change to better fit my mood or inspiration from the other players. After reading Onion’s post I knew I had to pivot a little. Side note: Either it was negligence, or a brilliant move against a competitor, not sure which, but running with cunning plan. I was originally going to use Old Spice aftershave and Plunder EdP. But reading about the treacherous betrayal that happened to Onion, I remembered Shawn Maher’s scent Treachery. It was perfect for today.

Bay rum is a scent that plays with spices. The bay is West Indies bay, not the dried leaves you throw in a soup or in Old Bay seasoning to completely cover crabs. (Blue crabs in particular, not the kind a pirate would get having fun ashore.) West Indies bay gets mistaken for cloves in scents. In fact, many bay rum scents may use clove oil instead of the bay. So I started with a foundation of traditional bay rum from Chiseled Face. Plunder is today’s sponsor’s riff on a bay rum, adding cannon smoke and rum/grog. This combo alone was wonderful as Plunder adds an extra layer of depth to bay rum. Topping it off with Treachery took the scent to a fantastic level. It has spice elements and whiskey to tie into the base laid down by the soap and splash. The whiskey adds a smokiness to play with the black powder cannon smoke of Plunder. I think it is the tobacco scent that wraps it up with a bow. I think I could consider the combination the scent of the captain’s quarters on a pirate ship. He has the spices and tobacco plundered from merchants, and the lingering cannon smoke from attacking those ships. He leans back in his chair, drinking his rum thinking, “It’s a pirate’s life for me.”

Sponsor Time:

Noble Otter is one of my favorite soap artisans. I have a lot of their products and many are on my desert island consideration. Barrbarr, Rawr, and Thé Noir et Vanille are my top three, but the order changes from time to time. The Plunder I used is discontinued, but I think it is still available until Cody runs out. This brand was in the first couple of artisan soaps I purchased and is usually a must buy for me. Except Batter’s Up, I’m not down for green bell pepper in my shave.