June 24, 2024 - Christmas Eve in ~~July~~ June
- Brush: Semogue Owner’s Club Cherry
- Razor: Karve CB C solid bar
- Blade: Treet Classic Carbon Steel #STAINLESSLESS
- Lather: Tallow & Steel - Shag
- Post Shave: Tallow & Steel - Shag Toner
- Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Limon EdC #FOF
Today’s Theme:
My smoosh, spritzer, and blade all came from u/tsrblke. He must have gone through a ton of stamps from all the smooshes he sent out. I only sent out a couple smooshes myself and a big box of samples, blades, razors, and a brush. I’m not sure who sent out more smooshes, The Tsar or u/OnionMiasma. I bet their inboxes are blowing up with notifications.
Today’s Challenge:
I have read a many of the suggestions so far. Currently I have exclusives by House of Mammoth and Summer Break Soaps. There might be a smoosh or two,or one I’m forgetting. I also have an Aurora Grooming LG 2024 Brush and the Moar Boar.
I have a few I think would be cool, but one might be another importing issue. Seeing how u/djundjila got a Bigger Badger in his Moar Boar handle, is another Subbroosh a good idea? Maybe a 29 or 30mm badger (Fan please) to really start eating up more soap. The Moar Boar isn’t as hungry after a good amount of breaking in. For soaps/fragrances I think I’d go with Spearhead Shaving Co. or Stirling Soap Co. Both are active here and it would be interesting to see what they can dream up.
FRAGRANCE:
I feel like this should be in all caps, but I’ll refrain. This came about because somehow last year I didn’t think Shag was that strong a scent. Sure my home office smelled of patchouli for a couple weeks, but when I lathered it up, the scent mysteriously faded to almost nothing. The winner of the Shag set, up/tsrblke, asked if I wanted a retry with the splash too. I was game. In the last few years I’ve learned to appreciate patchouli more thanks to scents like Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli and its use in many tea inspired scents. I was game for an extra challenge. As I mentioned when I got the package, it conveniently was labeled as Hazardous Materials. Like last year,opening up the mail was a hit of patchouli, and everything in the box smelled of it. Would this year be stronger? I would think it would be the opposite as aromatic oils evaporate over time. I was so WRONG, but not in the way I expected. The patchouli is much more present than I remember, but there is a dark grassy earthiness to it too.p, almost leathery or even rubbery. I’m picking up smoke too, but not jazz cabbage that I associate with patchouli from college. It is more a burning leaves in the fall kind of smoke. The aftershave really brought it all out. I’d say this is up there with the ode to masculinity - Stag. So fitting since they rhyme. As soon as I got the package I had one fragrance I thought would work to take it the YRP direction - Barrister and Mann - Limon. The citrus and rose fragrance could fill in the YR to go with Shag’s patchouli. Again, I was WRONG. When I first splashed some on, sure it brightened things up, but the EdC faded quickly. Maybe if it was parfum strength. I may give myself a couple more splashes. Getting harder to type as my eyes are tearing up a little.
All that said, and I don’t dislike the fragrance which does surprise me as I favor brighter scents. Still there is so much going on with it, that it is giving me a bit of a lesson in scents. Crazy.