u/glink48's SOTDs for challenge 'Lather Games 2023'

https://imgur.com/a/2sl14Qd

• Lather: Highland Spring Soap Co. - Green Door
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Blackland Era - SB1
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Dr. Jon's Essentials Lemongrass and Geranium AS Tonic

This shave was sponsored by u/Walden He was generous enough to PIF the razor and he threw in this soap. I really wanted to use the soap, but I was saving it for today as I've never used Highland Spring before.

The lather was nice, not too thirsty, slick enough, and provided good cushion...it also didn't take too long to work it up. The scent is pretty stellar too. It's pretty earthy/woodsy, but well balanced. It's not heavy or light, it sits in the middle, which provides a pleasant non-polar experience.

I kinda messed up by pairing the soap with the splash as the splash is strong and kinda takes over everything. It all smells like lemongrass now and I won't be making that mistake in the future.

For those that wonder about the razor, it's very smooth. With the Level 1 safety bar, it's super mild and my shaves could be closer, but man...this is one comfortable razor. I think I'll see if Blackland has any level 3 components still lying around.

Well folks, happy to be playing in this with all of you and here's to the kickoff of another month of the shaving awesomeness that is the Lather Games!

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/NBgrE8y

• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Carpathia Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Ever Ready 1912
• Blade: GEM PTFE Coated
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Carpathia AS

So day 2...this one was actually kind of difficult. Most of my den is vegan, so I actually had too much to choose from and didn't completely decide on this until I got out of the shower.

Ultimately, I went with this setup because u/Phteven_j is such an intergal part of the Lather Games. Not to mention that this set is really good. Smells like wet stone with some wood scents mixed in. It's nice. Plus the performance is really good from both the lather and the witch hazel based aftershave.

Shaving with the SE was pleasant. It's normally my razor for Mondays, so the shave was nice and it always delivers a quality result without too much discomfort.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/GF7HZEG

• Lather: Cella - Original
• Brush: Erskine Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Gold Ball-End Tech
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - AS Balm (Unscented)

I'm not sure what went wrong with Cella. I did try and keep it to mass-market Italian manufacturers and used some Proraso pre-shave, which may have caused the issue. In either case, the shave wasn't real slick and those are the two things that could have caused it. To be honest, I'm hoping it was the pre-shave because it seems like I'm having issues everytime I use it...the shaves tend to be subpar.

I did really enjoy the Almondy scent on Cella though. I'll give it another shot post-games to see how it goes and I may just add it to the rotation. The scent is muted but pleasant, it just feels clean in a way that doesn't try and go for that. I'll reserve comments on the performance for another time as I have a suspicion that the Proraso pre-shave messed that up.

Onto the man of the hour, u/RedMosquitoMM

He threw the gauntlet down at the last games with his whole "winning" it and all that. Showing my hand, I don't really know too much about the guy, which I take as a good thing. According to post history, he's a nice dude. According to my memory, he's a great member of our community and I'm glad he's here.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/XhSpLIs

• Lather: Dr. Jon's - Flowers in The Dark
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Rockwell 6C (R4)
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Thayers - Rose Petal Toner

Problem: Shaving with floral soap to obtain a reasonably comfortable and smooth shave.

Constraints: My face (middle-aged male, average facial hair hardiness, 1 day growth), VA water make-up.

Inputs: Flowers in the Dark (prominently floral scent, vegan base) shaving soap, Rockwell 6C adjustable razor with 4 plate (.61mm blade gap), Gillette 7 o'clock SharpEdge blade with 12 uses (6 on each side).

Experiment: took shower using normal procedures. Wet brush with 120° water, ensured damp but not dripping. Swirled brush directly on soap for 40 rotations. Swirled brush in mug for 100 rotations. Applied lather to face. Shaved with the grain for one pass, rinsing every 4 strokes. Shaved against the grain for 1 pass, rinsing every 4 strokes. Rinsed face with 100° water, dried with towel. Applied Rose Petals toner (with hazel based).

Results: smooth shave with no irritation. Exuding floral and rose scents with ozone overtones.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/YTQRTy9

• Lather: Gillette - Pure Cream
• Razor: Gillette Trac II
• Post Shave: Duke Cannon - Ice Cold Balm

So I tripled down today. At the beginning of 2022 I was stationed in Germany and had to go to a school for a little over a month in Alabama. The trip out there was challenging to say the least. It snowed pretty hard the night before and I needed to get to the base shuttle so early that the roads weren't plowed yet. My daily driver is a Ford Fiesta ST (with snow tires at that time). I'm pretty sure I plowed a little of the road myself. On the shuttle ride to Frankfurt, we lost a windshield wiper and a few of us rigged up something to get us the rest of the way there. After an uneventful flight on a 767, I landed in Charlotte, wheeled my luggage through customs, and took a puddle-hopper flight to Montgomery. While I made it to Montgomery relatively unscathed, my baggage didn't...evidently the plane was overloaded and they left some of our bags behind. This was Saturday and class was starting on Monday. All of my stuff to include uniforms and more importantly my shaving gear was in my checked baggage...which didn't arrive until late on Tuesday. So I went over to the BX (base store) and got all the shaving gear you see above.

The shave was fine. Not great, but not the worst I've had. The cream actually is really slick and smells clean, as mass market crap tends to do. The razor delivered a decent shave, while it was a bit rough. The balm is pretty menthol-heavy but did the job just fine.

Onto the daily challenge, my preferences have changed over time. When I first got started with wet shaving I was into wood scents. Then I got into smokey scents and Fougeres. At some point I bought a ton of Dr. Jon's 13 and the oud featured there became my favorite scent. If I had to pick today, I'd say a scent that featured oud coupled with a Fougere and maybe accented with lime and smoke would check all the boxes.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/gGeXFKx

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - West Indies Lime
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Gillette Ball End Tech #REGUS
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - West Indies Lime

I heard you guys like stacked up dickholes. The first one is free. For more, subscribe to my OnlyFans for more subpar content.

I like this scent way more than I ever thought I would. Lime with smokey overtones. It's delightful. Performance is good....just a solid good. Not flashy, incredibly consistent, puts up with my shitty lathering technique, exactly what you'd want if you were imagining your ideal soap performance. Same with the splash...good, doesn't kick your ass, smells nice, and eliminates irritation.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/stmxxIY

• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Le Piment de la Vie Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Ever Ready - 1912 #TWINS #BRASSING
• Blade: GEM PTFE Coated
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Classic AS

The Spice of Life...that's the translation of this Catie's Bubbles name. It's a sweet scent that features spice notes. I generally use this one around Thanksgiving and Christmas as it reminds me of the scents that go along with those holidays. As usual, Catie's Bubbles delivers a great shave.

Onto hobbies!

I'm into a few. I play video games, but I wouldn't exactly consider myself a gamer...just an enjoyer. I also am trying not to suck at playing guitar, but I wouldn't consider myself a guitarist or musician. I appreciate, but don't really participate in those communities. For communities I do participate in...I'm somewhat of a gearhead and I'm into cars (both the vehicles and the movies). I also bike (Mountain and Road). I'm a member of the Overlanding for the Poors group on Facebook.

Here's my rig https://imgur.com/a/LYvdzRj It's a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I've got a 3" Iron Rock lift on with some slightly oversized All Terrain tires on. I use it to go camping, haul my bikes to trails, and move stuff around (think trips to the dump). I had to fix a bunch of stuff on it when I bought it (transmission issues, water pump, ac, some wiring issues), but with almost 180k on it, it runs pretty good now. Even if it leaks from the output shaft seal a little. I've slept in it, gotten to some amazing camping sites that required a 4x4 to get to, strapped my canoe on the top, and done quite a bit of soft roading in it. It's been great! For the community aspect, we have great respect for those that use their rigs...and greater respect for those that don't have tons of money in their rigs to get the same thing done. Think of that new $50k Tacoma that's got a $3k rooftop tent and another $10k worth of modifications and gear strapped all over it...and where'd you see it? Target. You saw it at target. And it was clean too. Why? Well, that's because the guy either goes camping once a year or might go camping at some point in the next 2 years. He drives that thing around to look like he uses it...but probably doesn't. Poser.

On the bike front...I put more miles on my road bike than my mountain bike these days, but my mountain bike is better than the road bike. I'm in another group called Pathetic Mountain Bikers. We have pillars of our community that we call Dentists. These are novices, much like myself that have all the best gear. Keep in mind that it's pretty easy to spend $5k on a good bike....and their bikes generally cost more than that. It's also not that they can't ride...they can...but they ride just as well as I do on my setup that runs about 20% or less than what they're taking to the trail.

I guess I just like being an underdog.

Have a great day folks!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Wetshaving/comments/14tvgmp/saturday_daily_questions_newbie_friendly_jul_08/jr6ah54?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2

https://imgur.com/a/kKxvJC6

• Lather: Maggard Razors - Groves of Italy
• Brush: Erskine Synthetic #ANCIENT
• Razor: Gillette Trac II #RAINBOW
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Sharp Dressed Man Balm
• Post Shave: Maggard Razors - Alum Block

All the software above came from Maggard. They're truly my favorite shaving supplier. I like being able to buy multiple brands from one spot and save money on shipping. Them being a large supporter of the community doesn't hurt either.

The razor was meh. I only used it because I'm a doofus and forgot to use the hashtag on my last shave with it. I did one pass and called it a day. The soap lathered up nicely and smells like a sweet fruit orchard. It's not available anymore, but if they re-release, it's worth picking up. Sharp dressed man compliments it well.

On the daily questions, my answer is the top link in this post. I don't use or browse that thread nearly as much as I used to, but I am glad it's incorporated in this subreddit. It keeps it pretty clean and we end up with less one-off questions. I think that's one of the most annoying things about Wicked Edge...seems like at least once a week there's some dude trying to get people to talk them into continuing to wetshave because they have technique problems or something...or will a Henson work for me...or what's the sharpest blade because I'm a manly man that wants the sharpest blade to slice my face up (then posts two days later about how DE shaving sucks because they got a more comfortable shave with a cartridge and it's definitely not user error because I'm amazing in every way and I'm my mom's special boy.

Anyway..The Daily Question thread rocks. Long live the Daily Question thread.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/3EfJof2

• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Irish Coffee Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Blackland Era - SB1 #CNC
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - AS Balm (Unscented)

Combined comment for the theme and challenge today...first the challenge. I guess my family has reached the "Acceptance" stage today because nobody batted an eye when I told them I'd be shaving in the kitchen. I guess we're past the point of no return now. I will note that my wife was a bit concerned on the Floral day, because when I was taking the picture of the shave gear outside she questioned whether I'd be shaving outside or not. Nevertheless, the shave in the kitchen went off without a hitch. I used a hand mirror to do this one, it wasn't too bad.

The shave itself was great. I'm a fan of this CB scent, although I use it sparingly. I should probably put this in a more regular rotation because I'm liking it more and more. I used to think it was too sweet of a scent, but I guess my nose appreciates it more now. The razor delivered a comfortable shave, thanks again to u/Walden for the PIF. It's the nicest DE in my collection.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/nme5Bba

• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Fake Yellow Light Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillette Flare tip Super Speed
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Hipster Balm

Fake Yellow Light is a lyric from the song Ten by Jimmy Eat World. The line is as follows: Going nowhere, in the fake yellow light. It's a somber song...which if you're a Jimmy Eat World fan, is expected as their catalog ranges from songs the will make your heartbeat quicken to songs that bring you down into a depressive state. Truly a great band, and the soap does the song justice.

It features a lot of scents, to include some almond and leather notes. It's not light and fresh, but it's not dark and dreary either. I guess you could say, it's in The Middle. The soap does the song and the band justice. Obviously the performance is good like you'd expect from Declaration Grooming.

As far as the label, I gave it a shot. When creating art, a friend of mine once said "I want to sound like me" in reference to singing. Taking that to heart, I'm definitely tracking that it ain't anywhere close to a perfect copy of the label....but it's MY copy of the label.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/HPNdywW

• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Ocean Grove Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Blackland Era - SB1
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Executive Man Balm
• Frag: Duke Cannon - Seneca

So the aquatic scent was a pretty easy choice with Ocean Grove. The deodorant and fragrance feature aquatic scents. Executive man features some fruity top notes that tie it all together. I do have some citrus scents, but I don't have the matching gear to go with it.

The challenge was, well, challenging; but I think I've got it. This centers on a main color of blue, with sub colors of white, gray, and black.

The soap is in a blue tub with a predominately gray label featuring white writing and black accents.

The razor is gray.

The brush is has a blue and black handle with a gray and black knot.

Fragrance (and deodorant) are feature blue and gray predominately with white and black accents.

Balm is in a white container with blue accents and black writing.

I think it works.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/3hQU960 https://imgur.com/a/ZLPkvrZ

• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - 95 Liquid Labels Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillette Tech Gold Ball-End
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Executive Man Balm

Man, I love Catie's Bubbles and who knew that their third ingredient is Coconut Oil? It felt like a 95 Liquid Labels kinda day anyway. Executive man compliments it nicely.

Onto the challenge. I'm a mug lather guy. I've lathered in my hand in a pinch, but I go to the mug every time unless I don't have a choice. Today I face lathered and it was glorious. I've always kinda thought that my brush lacked backbone...pretty sure it's because it's a face lathering machine. I may not be going back to the mug.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/DiKU8sk

https://youtu.be/JYhUpZhqUNo

• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - La Terre Verte Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm #COMPOSITE
• Razor: Rockwell 6C (R4)
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - AS Balm (Unscented)

Today I came to find out that I have several soaps that have patchouli notes, but really only one that features patchouli prominently. La Terre Verte doesn't disappoint though. The patchouli is an undertone until you lather the soap, then it steps out front and center. No issues with the shave as I really enjoy Catie's Bubbles lathering prowess.

Onto the song. It's come to my somber realization that I've reached the age where my formerly "New Alternative" tastes are now considered classic rock. I decided to shave with an old favorite of mine, and in true Hipster fashion, you've probably never heard of them. Jump, Little Children released their album Magazine in the late 90s. There were two singles on the album, Cathedrals and Come Out Clean. If you've heard JLC before, it was probably Cathedrals, which is a beautiful piece. I like Come Out Clean quite a bit more though. My favorite line in the song is "Don't try and bring me down, 'cause you know I won't go, I don't give a damn about it anymore. I won't go." As the kids say, the whole album slaps. Give it a listen.

Have a great day folks.

https://imgur.com/a/JGehBHZ

• Lather: Black Ship Grooming Co. - Shipwreck Cove Soap
• Brush: Erskine Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Era - SB1
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Duke Cannon - Ice Cold Balm

Glad I took a look through my den this morning. I was all set to use Proraso Green, and not looking forward to it, but I found my sample of Shipwreck Cove and swapped it out. Menthol? Check. Better performance than Proraso? Absolutely. Between the lather and balm, it was a cool morning.

With the against the grain first pass, my razor choice was definitely strategic. I've got Gillette SharpEdge Yellows loaded in all my DEs and the Blackland has the freshest blade. Strategy pays off. The pass was comfortable. No issues from the shave.

Have a great day folks!

• Lather: Wet Shaving Products - Olympus
• Brush: Erskine Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Tech Gold Ball-End
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Executive Man Balm

Today's shave was built upon the principle of surprise. I was surprised about the theme because I had no clue what the hell a Chypre even was. I was surprised when I searched "Chypre" on Maggard it only came up with like one result "Le Grand Chypre". I was surprised that u/worbx announced a PIF, had that soap, and even though I didn't win, he was kind enough to send me a smoosh. I was surprised about my paranoia when I hastily added the sample of it to my Maggard cart to ensure the USPS didn't destroy my hopes and dreams by losing my smoosh sample. Then I was further surprised that Creed Aventus is a Chypre and I already had dupes of the scent in my den. So I used Olympus soap and Executive Man balm since I don't think I have room in my calendar to use WSP anywhere else.

I'm currently waiting for my video to load to Imgur, but it hasn't loaded yet and I'm not sure it will. I'm losing faith so, to hedge my bets here, lemme tell you what I appreciate about people that video their shave. That shit is difficult. I don't like talking and shaving and I'm sure there's loads of awkward silence in my video. If it loads up later, I'll post it up. If it doesn't, you're not missing much.

I'm about to take my road bike on the capital trail for a bit. Take care wet shavers. Please like and subscribe.

Have a great day folks!

Edit: video probably won't happen. It was 10 minutes long and the limit for Imgur is like 60 seconds. I also did everything through their app so I don't have a local copy. Consider yourselves spared. Apologies and congratulations.

https://imgur.com/a/fbxtZ9W

• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Seville - Omnibus Base
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Ralf Aust Straight
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Barbershop Balm

Evidently I was logged into an alt account when I posted the first time. u/onionmisama memes are loaded with this link. Enjoy!

I love meme day. Mine are loaded up in the Imgur link. Enjoy!

Also, nice face lather day with Seville. Also sending my straight off to get homed but wanted to use it at least once in the games.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/e3U3B1r

• Lather: Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux - 88 Chestnut Street Soap
• Brush: Erskine Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Era - SB1
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Maggard - Alum Block
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - AS Balm (Unscented)

So I'm pretty sure Shawn Maher collaborated with Catie's Bubbles on La Terre Verte, but rules is rules and it ain't on the label. Chatillion Lux is prominently featured on this label for 88 Chestnut Street.

The soap is super soft compared to the rest of my samples, and it lathers up great. It also smells like Honeysuckle...which is quite pleasant. I went with an unscented balm and no frag so nothing competed with the scent. I liked it more than I thought I would. Also I just did one WTG pass with the Era today since I shaved late and need to satisfy the djudge's kink for shaved off whiskers tomorrow. I should have a decent amount to work with, freaks.

Onto Osma. I don't have it. But I was moved by somebody's review of it to look for it at one point then immediately forget about it next time I went binge-spending for shaving gear I didn't need. I used my Maggard block instead. It was ok. As I understand it, Osma is a solid piece of Alum whereas my block is the "particle board" of Alums...which is likely why it seldom makes it out of the plastic case in my den. I normally don't see much irritation these days and what little I do see us immediately soothed by either a splash or a balm...which is a better experience for me than rubbing salt on my face. Maybe I'll pick up some Osma the next time I'm feeling irresponsible to see what all the fuss is about.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/ZZdoFwS https://imgur.com/a/s20Ifs5

• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts - Autumn Ash Soap
• Brush: Erskine Synthetic
• Razor: Ever-Ready 1912 SE
• Blade: GEM Blade
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Hipster Balm

I'm still mixed about Autumn Ash, but it continues to grow on me. I get more campfire now embers now with a touch of sweetness, and it works. I'm a huge camping fan, and if things go to plan, my 25 July shave will be from the woods. The lather this morning was pretty crappy, but that has way more to do with me and nothing to do with SW's product. I just get lazy with these samples and I should have worked it more.

For the challenge, the water in my sink is cloudy because it's full of whiskers. Enjoy that, I guess.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/eN5MOzo

• Lather: Proraso - Eucalyptus Oil and Menthol Cream
• Sock: Runnox, Ankle Cut
• Razor: Gillette Gold Ball-End Tech
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Duke Cannon - Ice Cold Balm

Djudge's and Lather Competitors, I'm sad to announce that we have a mole. Yep, that's right, an insider threat has wormed their way into our ranks. Now I'm not sure who it is, but I assure you that we're in dangerous waters. We have been infiltrated by Big Lather.

Let me explain. I conducted a thorough investigation consisting of listening to the Lather Games podcast and completing the daily challenge on theme today. Let me tell you that within those parameters and through my exhaustive research that no stone was left un-turned.

Discovery 1: the sock EATS cream. I used at least 3 times as much cream to get any sort of Lather.

Discovery 2: the Djudges mentioned reaching out to Proraso to sponsor the Lather Games (like they aren't already lining your pockets).

Discovery 3: Proraso makes shaving cream.

Conclusion: the Djudges are ALREADY in bed with Proraso! Whoever decided that today was lather with a sock day did it to get us to use MORE of their product! Look at the facts sheeple, Proraso is a gateway drug to a shaving product addiction, we all probably have some in our den and it's a theme of the games every year! By having us unsuspecting participants lather with a SOCK, we're going to consume much more of their product! Proraso stood to gain upwards of 25¢ from today's theme and likely TRIPLED their take to 75¢ by making us lather with a sock! Don't be naive Lather-letes, Proraso has flipped one of the Djudges into making this happen.

So what was it, traitor? Money? Sex? Travel? Career opportunities? Fringe benefits?

Was it worth it?

We, the faithful shaving community DEMAND answers!

https://imgur.com/a/6U974Gx

• Lather: Zingari Man - The Explorer
• Brush: Erskine Synthetic #ANCIENT
• Razor: Rockwell 6C (R4)
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - AS Balm (Unscented)

Zingari Man's The Explorer is a dupe of Bvlgari Man Wood Essence. It's a nice combination of wood and citrus smells. It was my first time using this soap and it's nice. The only post Shave I've got that wouldn't overshadow it is the Zingari Unscented balm, so it was an unintentional brand pairing today.

The lather procedure on the other hand...

Well, I like nice thick lather...bordering on pasty. So I decided to make this soupy shit you can see on the second picture. I figured since you converted me to face lathering, maybe I could learn something....and I did. Soupy lather sucks. Don't do it. Or maybe I did it wrong. I dunno. But I won't be emulating this (by choice) at any point in the future.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/KF0n1uA

• Lather: Martin De Candre - Fougère Soap
• Brush: Maggard 24 mm Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Flare tip Super Speed
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Classic AS

Today was a very pleasant shave. MdC gives a great lather and smells clean and like you'd expect a Fougere to smell. No complaints here, it's a marvelous soap. The flare tip was a solid pick for this morning. It was smooth, which leads me to believe I've reached the low-teens on shaves with this blade.

On the haiku-front, I've been thinking about it all morning and I finally felt inspired enough to make it happen on the way to work. I call it Ode to the American Highway. Behold my poetry below.

Left lane for passing,

Please use your damn cruise control,

Don't be a dipshit.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/Q4NStzk

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo Shaving Soap
• Brush: Maggard 24 mm Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Era #CNC
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Sharp Dressed Man Balm

What's that smell? Blueberries and smoke and stuff. Yeah that's right. You just left a jazz club with blueberry products. HoM really did make a great soap here. The scent is heavy with blueberries and smoke, but they work well together. The performance was good. No complaints with any aspect of this shave.

I didn't do the challenge. I'm going camping tomorrow for a few days (there will be one shave post from the woods) and I figured I'd be uncomfortable enough without some random hair growing back in.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/ZcvsMhz

https://imgur.com/7mxAqn9

https://imgur.com/43VvJrj

• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Rebelle Soap
• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Gold Ball-End Tech
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - AS Balm (Unscented)

So my wife, who doesn't like scents, likes the smell of Rebelle. That's really saying something. Rebelle is a combination of a bunch of stuff, but to me it smells musky (but in a clean way) and manly. I dig it. She digs it. I'll take it. Once I get past this stage of "I've gotta have a little bit of everything" I can see having a vegan tub of this with the accompanying AS in the den...even better because my better half likes it.

Lather is the second shot. I'm not the biggest fan of lathering off a sample, but this did fine for me.

Third shot is my campsite for tonight. If I don't get rained out tomorrow, you can expect my next shave to be from this adventure.

https://imgur.com/a/vtcTEiJ

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - West Indies Lime Soap
• Brush: Erskine Synthetic
• Razor: Blackland Era - SB1
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - West Indies Lime AS

Well, today didn't go to plan. I got rained out of the camping trip, so instead of sitting in my Jeep or under a tarp scrolling through my phone, I packed up and headed home. Sucks though, the SOTD shot was actually gonna be on my kayak and I was going to shave on the water.

But here we are with a boring bathroom shave. I will say that I quadrupled down on the challenge. The soap gets smokey with lime undertones after you lather it up. The splash is more lime-forward.

The soap and splash were courtesy of u/loudmusicboy. Not only is he a generous dude, but he's also a competitor in the games. True to his name, his PIF requested that you share a story where you went to a concert...I don't go to many anymore, but I went to several when I was younger. Reminiscing on music-centric memories is always a great time.

The razor came to me via u/Walden. The razor is amazing and incredibly smooth. Thanks to the Djudge for offering it up and I'll count myself incredibly lucky for winning the PIF. He also threw a soap in, I hadn't ever used that brand but it was a great smelling soap with good performance to boot.

The brush was also a PIF win, but I can't find the record of who did the PIF. It was a series PIF with 5 brushes and the winner of each PIF got to pick the one they wanted. I was the last winner, and I use the brush quite a bit.

There are so many great pillars of this community. I appreciate being a part of it. For the sake of brevity, I'll call out u/Marquis90 as well. I truly enjoy our periodic shave-bud days where we use similar scents. If I was still stationed in Germany, he's a member I'd go meet.

Have a great day folks.

https://imgur.com/a/pNTgdnx

• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Eigengrau Soap
• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Gold Ball-End Tech
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Carpathia AS

Mmmm...winter. Sounds awesome because it's hot and humid outside right now. Einengrau is an amazing winter scent. Snowfall in an evergreen forest at twilight. And not super wet slushy stuff...fresh powder. It's marvelous.

Onto the challenge, I shaved with my left. It was ok, not great. I went slower and my technique wasn't great, but I made it through with no cuts. There's a guitar dude I follow that wanted the new guitar player experience, so he decided to learn to play left handed. This was kinda like that, clumsy and not as great...although it gets the job done. Reminds me of me from when I started shaving with a DE a few years ago.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/suKwoeG

• Lather: Noble Otter Soap Co. - Plunder Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Ever-Ready 1912 SE
• Blade: GEM PTFE Coated
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Sharp Dressed Man Balm

Today's lather was inspired by 2 things....one was the points but two was cannon smoke. How badass is that of a scent note? It may not be as innovative as motor oil or ky warming jelly...or as good of a time for that matter...but freaking cannon smoke.

Onto the den, here's the hardware https://imgur.com/a/cqwyHV4

I've played around with a few ways to display the software...I think I'm gonna go by brand groups.

First on the docket is Catie's Bubbles https://imgur.com/a/kWDeemI

Dr. Jon's https://imgur.com/a/PqR95yQ

Wet Shaving Products https://imgur.com/a/sWwZAZP

Barrister and Mann https://imgur.com/a/wAGWhbu

Declaration Grooming https://imgur.com/a/cbrjrzL

Red House Farm https://imgur.com/a/yvn2GOA

Zingari Man https://imgur.com/a/gk5LcKU

Creams https://imgur.com/a/IlnGsLd

Duke Cannon https://imgur.com/a/B0kEWqo

Random Soaps https://imgur.com/a/CG7gaVf

Random Post Shave https://imgur.com/a/LXQX8ZP

Stirling https://imgur.com/a/GxGYNYC

Southern Witchcrafts https://imgur.com/a/Yc1YNha

So a few months worth at least.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/TzGuSpz

• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Purple Grapefruit Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Gillette Gold Ball-End Tech
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Thayers Facial Toner - Rose Petal

Purple Grapefruit is the obvious shave for today. It's a soap I've grown to appreciate more and more since I've gotten it. It's more lavender-heavy then grapefruit, but it's very pleasant overall. Since it's Caties Bubbles, the performance is excellent.

The shave outside was actually really good. I brought out a mirror, but it worked well to just use my phone. I shaved on my back porch and if I caught the attention of my neighbors, I didn't notice. Picture journey below...

https://imgur.com/a/nKG214m

https://imgur.com/a/ufAto0e

https://imgur.com/a/mGjAEic

https://imgur.com/a/ukqPKIS

https://imgur.com/a/bHCvChQ

Have a great day folks!

• Lather: Palmolive Classic Cream
• Brush: Maggard Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Gold Ball-End Tech
• Blade: Astra - Superior Platinum Green
• Post Shave: Brut - Classic AS

Well, no SOTD pic today. I snapped the photo last night but I guess it didn't save or something. Who knows.

Anyway....this is the cheapest setup I've got by volume or thing used.

The Palmolive cost me about €1 at a Netto market when I was stationed in Germany. You can likely get 50 budget friendly shaves out of it.

I bought the user-grade Tech for about $10 off the shave bazaar.

A tuck of these blades runs $1 on Maggard, whereas my normal Gillette SharpEdge blades run $2 a tuck. Looks like you can buy a 100 pack for $13, which would translate to 13¢ per blade.

The brush is either $9 or $10 via Maggard.

Finally, Brut is available for $5.48 at Walmart right now, and it should be good for about 100 uses....it's a big bottle.

I don't know how many shaves I can push this Astra for, but you can buy this setup for about $26.70 plus tax and be good for at least a month. Depending on what I get out of this blade, that could be at least 50 shaves before you need to buy more product. The limiting factor is the cream. If we assume 13 shaves per blade ( I normally get 30+ out of my normal ones). Ignoring the sunken costs of the hardware, you're looking at about 7.5¢ per shave for consumables.

I wasn't expecting much out of this shave, and I got a good shave out of it. Did I enjoy it? Meh. My face is smooth, the blade was not irritating, and I do love my Tech. I do like that this is an incredibly low-cost option to get a solid shave though. It beats the hell out of cartridge shaving ..by a lot. That helps me feel smart and smug, just like a true Redditor.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/wo108uH

• Lather: Red House Farm - Bourbon and Sandalwood
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Ralf Aust Straight
• Blade:
• Post Shave: Dr. Jon's - Essentials Lemongrass and Geranium AS Tonic

I was happy to use u/Grindermonk 's Red House Farm Bourbon and Sandalwood this morning. Lather was great, scent was muted....which since I'm not a big Sandalwood fan, it was alright with me.

Onto the challenge....I think u/hugbckt takes some phenomenal photos. u/Environmental-Gap380 does a wonderful job dexlacribing scents for FoF. Finally, I think u/OnionMiasma is gonna take the prize this year.

Have a great day folks!

https://imgur.com/a/PHtyvEK

• Lather: Martin De Candre - Vetyver Soap
• Brush: Maggard Timberwolf Synthetic 24mm
• Razor: Rockwell 6C (R4)
• Blade: Gillette 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Classic AS

I have company today, so I'm just gonna jump right into it.

I live in the US.

Martin de Candre is made in France.

Old Spice proudly displays "Made in Canada" on the bottle.

Rockwell has their 6C razors manufactured in China.

Gillette manufactures their 7 O'Clock SharpEdge blades in Russia.

Finally, I have no clue where the brush was manufactured...hopefully Taiwan. I did check the site and Maggard has over 850 of their black synthetic knot brush in stock, so I'm betting he's not setting these in-store.

It's been fun this year. I look forward to seeing the results tomorrow. Thanks for a great Lather Games!

Have a great day folks!