June 27, 2024
- Brush: Yaqi - Barbershop - 24mm Boar #SMOLL
- Razor: Gem – Flying Wing Bullet Tip
- Blade: GEM PTFE
- Lather: Chiseled Face – Midnight Stag Soap
- Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Midnight Stag Splash
- Fragrance: Coty – Raw Vanilla EdC
Today is my simple tribute to a man who got me off the sidelines and got me to truly participate in Lather Games shenanigans. The year is 2022, and I am just dipping my toes into the r/wetshaving water. I see the Lather Games announcement and decide to take part. I quickly noticed there were several users posting using Midnight Stag every single day, trying their best to convince the judges they were on theme. They belonged to The Noble Order of Stag, and there was one user in particular who was crafting arguments with a particularly hilarious fervor. This user then started a side contest to have people argue on his behalf, every single day, as to why Midnight Stag fit the daily theme. Many days, I looked forward to posting my defense of him more than posting my own SOTD. It was fun and I had a blast. And I ended up winning that side-contest. That user and his side-contest is got me away from just posting individually, and got me interacting with different community members, stirring the pot a little, and having more fun with my posts. Without this user, my time at r/wetshaving likely would have been drastically different, thus altering the current history of The Lather Games forever. So, wherever you are, thank you, u/CosmoBarber, I’m about to be a two-time Lather Games Champion because of your ridiculous daily usage of Midnight Stag. And today, Midnight Stag is indeed on theme.
So, shavers and shavettes, gather 'round and let me regale you with the tale of a man who was not just a legend, but a force of nature, a fragrance icon, and an olfactory maestro—the one and only Cosmo. If you ever had the privilege of interacting with him, you know he was a man of epic proportions, a titan of scent whose very presence could make the flowers bloom and the air sing. And in his heart, he had one scent to rule them all: Midnight Stag.
Cosmo was not merely obsessed with Midnight Stag; he was the embodiment of it. From the moment he woke up to the moment called it a night, Midnight Stag was his constant companion. His house didn’t matter. His car didn’t matter. Even his dog took a back seat to the Stag. If you were within a mile of Cosmo, you knew it. The air surrounding him was always thick with the rich, heady aroma that could only be described as a symphony of leather, gasoline, smoke, and a hint of rugged, untamed wilderness. Midnight Stag is as if someone bottled the essence of raw masculinity and adventure, and Cosmo wore it like a second skin. But Cosmo was not just a man with an extraordinary nose; he was a connoisseur, a scent sommelier of the highest order. He could dissect all 11 of the notes of Midnight Stag with the precision of a maestro conducting an orchestra. "Ah, the top notes of Russian Leather," he'd say, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. "Followed by a heart of Motor Oil and Hoppes #9, with just a whisper of Birch Tar and Oakmoss. And the base notes? A sublime blend of Gasoline, Smoke, Cedar, Cade, Bergamot, and Vanilla." It was poetry in motion, a performance that left all of r/wetshaving in awe.
Cosmo’s devotion to Midnight Stag was more than just a personal passion; it was a crusade. He converted the uninitiated with evangelical zeal, spreading the gospel of The Ancient and Noble Order of Midnight Stag far and wide. His friends, his family, even passing acquaintances were not safe from his fragrant fervor. "You haven't truly lived," he'd declare, "until you've experienced the raw, untamed power of Midnight Stag." And somehow, he always convinced them. Is it a coincidence the Noble Order of the Midnight Stag has not been able to recruit a new member since Cosmo stopped posting about it? You tell me…
Cosmo, you were not just a shaver; you were a phenomenon. A force of nature whose love for Midnight Stag was only rivaled by the love that GaryTha gave to Williams Mug Soap. Your legacy is not just in the unforgettable scent of Russian Leather, Motor Oil, Hoppes #9, Birch Tar, Oakmoss, Gasoline, Smoke, Cedar, Cade, Bergamot, Vanilla that lingers in our memories, but in the the lathers you taught us to properly hydrate using Precision Loading for a Perfect Lather. You were the Midnight Stag in a world of faint whispers, a true original. Some people around these parts may remember your 2020 run of winning the Lather Games, but I’ll always remember 2022 for your pursuit of Stag.
Fin.
BTW – I went down a Lather Games 2022 rabbit hole preparing this. Did my rookie year have The Greatest Lather Games Rookie Class of all time? Me, J33p, Putney, Tangerinesky, Hugbckt, Str8_Razor, Marquis, loudmusicboy, Zimora, Environmental-Gap380, schontzm, PhilosphicalZombie, bloodcrab, and some guy named OnionMiasma. Goddamn, if there ever was a Lather Games Team event, where different years competed against each other, I would take our team 100 out of 100 times.
The Shave Soap and Splash, have some very obvious bold and rugged notes, and create a ridiculously powerful and unique scent base that is unlike anything else. But the splash shows a nice vanilla quality to it, and when layering Coty’s Raw Vanilla on top of the splash, the rich and creamy vanilla adds a layer of warmth and sweetness that beautifully complements the raw intensity of Midnight Stag. The combination results in a perfectly balanced fragrance profile that is both rugged and refined, making it a really nice scent experience those who appreciate something a little more… unique. #FOF
Challenge: Yep. I’m right handed and I used my left hand today. Nope. It wasn’t an issue. There was a time when this would have been the most questionable thing I’ve done in the Lather Games. That time has long past by.
Soap Theme Justification: Midnight stag has 11 scent notes: Russian Leather, Motor Oil, Hoppes #9, Birch Tar, Oakmoss, Gasoline, Smoke, Cedar, Cade, Bergamot, Vanilla
Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: The sweetness of the vanilla note in the Stag splash really comes through, then finishing with a Vanilla Fragrance ties the whole thing together.