LG SOTD 21Jun2024
- Brush: Yaqi Bali - 24mm silver tip synthetic
- Razor: Henson - AL13 Medium (black)
- Blade: Euromax - Platinum (1)
- Blade: Sharp - Hi Platinum (1)
- Lather: Chiseled Face - Topanga Fougere
- Bowl: Captain’s Choice - Copper, standard
- Post Shave: Afta by Mennen - Aftershave Lotion, Original
Happy Friday, beautiful people. Welcome to the twenty-first shave of the 2024 Lather Games. It is Fougere Friday where it is our solemn duty to use a lather that is definitely some sort of fougere.
For today's on the road shave, going to try a sample from Chiseled Face of their Topanga Fougere, one of the fragrances they acquired from LA Shaving Co. when they folded. The lengthy marketing verbiage starts with,
"This distinctive fragrance offers a new approach to the classic fougère genre, crafted exclusively with essential oils and extracts for a pure and authentic olfactory experience. Our Topanga Fougère is an homage to the grandeur of Houbigant's Fougère Royale, created by the young genius Paul Parquet back in 1882. Although not a direct interpretation, this scent carries the inspirational spirit of its predecessor, transporting you to the heart of an imaginary forest. "Fougère," meaning fern in French, describes a scent that blends the woody, floral, and herbal notes reminiscent of a forest floor, despite ferns themselves being largely scentless".
I think I'm covered.
I have been curious to try this as it skips the oak moss and coumarin that are common in these earthy and/or forestry fougeres. The style of fougere (aka the main style) has yet to impress me but, off the puck, this was smelling pretty good.
(today’s shave description is in the form of a limerick - five lines, three long and two short, rhyming with aabba scheme)
I lathered my face with fougere,
Wondering if I should be rhyming it with Gary?
I held the blade steady,
For my face was ready,
And the shave was smooth and not a bit scary.
Alas, lathered, all the good vanished from the fragrance and was left with something that was most reminiscent of the smell of a compost pile with decaying fruit in the blend. If this was the creation of a genius in 1882, there were different metrics for that moniker. TTPP with this stuff.
If this theme returns next time, guess it’s back to Fougere Angelique that smells as similar to these authentic fougeres as gasoline or breakfast cereal but counts because Will Carius says so 😇
Enjoy the day!
——
Tournament of Blades Fight 422, Round 1. Euromax - Platinum (India) vs Sharp - Hi Platinum (Bangladesh)
The Sharp Hi Platinum started out as an accidental buy (meant to get more Sharp Titanium) but I tossed it in the blade pool and glad I did because such an easy comparison. The Sharp was a super smooth, comfortable shave with no faults. The EuroMax, though only a spot or two of discomfort around jawline, had just OK feedback versus the smooth, slick operation of the Sharp.
Winner of Round 1: Sharp - Hi Platinum