Gift SOTD:
- Razor: Above the Tie Atlas S1
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (1)
- Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Kyle SHD
- Lather: Spearhead - Seaforth Sea Ice Lime
- Aftershave: Spearhead - Seaforth Sea Ice Lime
- Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Everett
When the calendar originally came out, I glanced at my collection, saw several gifts I've received, and figured I had this day covered easy. However, 10 or so days in, I began to panic as I noticed that none of my gift givers were participating this year. I quickly sent a message to u/Ironbeard_SYS, because I knew he would be kind enough to help me out. I also really wanted an excuse to use Sea Ice Lime, one of my absolute favorites. u/Ironbeaed_SYS was kind enough to log a shave for me when though he is in the middle of a basement renovation. Of course, I now realize all of this is for nought, as yet again, I failed to read the entire description and missed the 50% of shaves. This time I don't have to pivot like I did on Fougére Day, but that's alright I want to share my story anyway.
One of the best things about being an artisan, especially an artisan on r/wetshaving, is the super supportive artisan community. We are all in competition for a limited number amount of money from people who collect soap for some reason, yet I've received nothing but kindness and generosity from every single one of my fellow artisans. It is seriously an awesome feeling. Several years ago, u/Ironbeard_SYS reached out to me hoping to discuss synthetic cooling agent as he had been doing some research and experimentation. I shared my experiences creating Cannonball and he shared what he a tried up to that point, which resulted in both of (certainly me for sure) gaining a lot of knowledge that otherwise we could have had to figure out for ourselves. Plus it was just fun. It's always a great time to discuss things with other people who know what its like to be in it. Some time later, u/IronBeard_SYS sends me a package containing Sea Ice Lime, several different synthetic cooling agents for me to experiment with, and Seaforth Spiced EdP, another of my favorites. I was blown away by his kindness because, in my mind, he had helped me just a much as I helped him. The whole thing was a really cool and memorable experience. Sea Ice Lime would be one of my favorites just because it's awesome, but the story takes it to a whole new level.
Challenge: This actually works our perfect, because without a doubt, Spearhead should be the next sub exclusive. Everything u/Ironbeard_SYS had released had been beyond excellent. Plus, he is a homegrown reddit artisan. It's a win win win. Someone make it happen!