LG SOTD 29Jun2024
- Brush: Yaqi B&R - 24mm boar
- Razor: Blackland - Era SB-L4 (using Maggard MR18 handle)
- Blade: Gillette - Platinum (3)
- Lather: Stirling - Vanilla Sandalwood
- Bowl: CaYuen - Dark Nebula, large
- Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Aftershave Balm, Embrace
Welcome to the twenty-ninth and penultimate shave of the 2024 Lather Games. Today’s theme is Sandalwood Saturday where we shave with a sandalwood centric lather. There’s also something about doing the judges’ jobs for them, but I’ll get to that later.
First, we must shave. Today’s lather has been in the den since September 2021 and was purchased as a sample from Stirling. It fell into the “no but finish” bucket - a soap that isn’t tub worthy but I still like enough to finish out the sample, which in Stirling’s case equals years in a den with a soap selection that moves beyond practical 😅. At least another four shaves to go so possibly kill it before 2025.
Sandalwood is one of those descriptors that is almost useful but not really. For some the scent is almost spicy, think the Proraso Red version. Some it’s kind of nutty, ZM’s sandalwood comes to mind as a version of that. Then there are the ones like Stirling’s Vanilla Sandalwood where it’s a pleasantly aromatic wood-ish scent, not at all in your face, and nothing weird. Recently I tried a sandalwood from Smitten Soapery, ancestor to the current ZM, and wouldn’t place it with any of these recognizable buckets, wouldn’t even classify it as a sandalwood if I were in charge, so there is a lot of room for variation under that single scent descriptor.
This brush is the second boar that I have and though more broken in than the Stirling is not as good. Not sure why I keep it around, or why used it today when there was no good reason 🤔
The razor is not one that gets a lot of love since I got the Karve CB. The Era is a razor that elicits a lot of mixed opinions from me. On the positive side I think they nailed an American made tech-like that is rock solid in construction and shaves well, that’s why it’s still in the den.
On the other hand, they screwed the pooch with project management and product support, and overhyped what was clearly not as slick as implied in prerelease marketing. I was marketed a $150-$200 caliber razor for $75, what I got was, checks notes, decent but not particularly competitive even for a $75 razor in a world where the Gamechanger exists. More importantly, I was hyped a Blackland product that was fully subcontracted and when the second contractor bailed after delivering one, repeat, one set of parts, they canceled the whole project leaving many customers unable to purchase additional plates because they had no capacity to support the product as Blackland proper. They can spin it however they want but I won’t be getting any more Blackland razors after my experience.
Called an audible and switched to the HoM Embrace over Afta for the post shave, it was a good call.
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The day’s challenge is to tell the judges about our favorite posts. That is a bit arbitrary since so much skimming and selective attention goes into looking over other people’s posts, so I decided to be a pseudo judge for Dupelganger day (everything I know about commercial fragrances was learned here and this is a good way to learn more). I read over every single post from 13June2024 and provided comments:
- alg82 - No formatting, no explanation of what it was a dupe of or even if was a dupe. No challenge participation. Whatever the penalty for DQ's were, this one gets them all.
- OnionMiasma - On theme for lather, presumably had matching theme for fragrance related BS. Low effort but compliant. No challenge participation.
- socialkittielynx - On theme for lather. Don't see how the post-shave fits with the other fragrances. Decent write up but "Nancet"???. No challenge participation.
- USS-Spongebob - On theme for lather, matching theme for fragrance related BS. Low effort but compliant. No challenge participation.
- gorgbob - On theme for lather, barely. No points for the challenge - if that is original work, it's nice, it also doesn't become shave label art because you title the imgur upload of what is clearly an unrelated wall piece, "label art" lol.
- GroundbreakingRole45 - On theme technically but taking away 25% (0.5 points). Is it a dupe? Yes, but it shouldn't be on the judges to do your job for you. This is the lowest effort post possible that could potentially qualify.
- jwoods23 - On theme for lather, matching theme for fragrance related BS. Good write up with clear justifications given. Challenge completed.
- dean_peltons_sister - On theme for lather. No challenge participation. Decent write up with bonus points for thumbing the nose at the theocracry by using PAA in the games, this sub member approves.
- oswald_heist - On theme for lather, matching theme for fragrance related BS.
- tsrblke - On theme for lather, matching theme for fragrance related BS. 0.1 points for challenge - disregarding whether AI prompted images should count, they ought to at least be in the form of a damn label, these were just themed pics, low effort but at least better than taking a snap of a wall poster. High effort post, could be tightened up, but solid and the interview was amusing.
- hugbckt - On theme for lather; don't know if fragrance BS met, don't recognize the stuff and he didn't explain. Nailed the daily challenge, best so far. Decent write up.
- InfernalInternal - Technically on theme for lather and qualified for related fragrance BS, 25% penalty for sending the judge to google machine to do what you should have done yourself. Challenge completed. Low effort in general.
- rebdoomer88 - On theme for lather. No challenge participation. Minimum effort post.
- BossHoggins10 - On theme for lather. Challenge completed. Decent but modest effort write up.
- SufficientKnee - On theme for lather, 25% penalty for no statement of what it's a dupe of. No challenge participation. Very low effort post.
- Str8_Razor - On theme for lather, matching theme for fragrance related BS. Challenge completed. Hashtags appear correct. Short but decent write up.
- ShaveyMcShaveface - On theme for lather. No challenge participation. One hashtag was questionable, other two seem legit. Very low effort post.
- Breadheater9876 - DQ'd from me. I've used Trade Winds, I've used Old Spice, and invoking Cowzilla's name as though it's imbued with magical bullshit does not make Trade Winds even tangentially an Old Spice dupe, sorry. Good effort :). Challenge completed.