u/Priusaurus's SOTDs for challenge 'Lather Games 2024'

June 1, 2024

• Brush: 2023 Lather Games Champion Trophy with AP Shave Co 26mm SilkSmoke Synthetic Knot #FRANKENBRUSH #COMPOSITE #TOLL
• Razor: Rolls Razor #FOREVERSAFETY #STAINLESSLESS
• Blade: Rolls
• Lather: AA Shaving – Wapiti Soap
• Post Shave: WSP - Mahogany Splash
• Fragrance: Jovan - Sex Appeal

What’s the best way to kick off my quest to become the first ever back-to-back Lather Games Champion? I need to set the tone from day one. Let every last one of you know that I am not taking it easy this year. If you want to take this trophy from me, you’re gonna have to pry it from my slippery, lathered hands. I will not lay down and I certainly will not back down. No, I won’t back down! You could stand me up at the Gates of Hell… But… I won’t back down.

What’s the best way to set the tone and let your opponents know that you mean business? As I oft do, I look to history to help guide me, since we all know history has a way of repeating itself. I think back to an event that set the tone for something great. Something at set the tone for a lot of our ancestors. Something that set the tone for the foundation of my country. An event that made us THE United Fucking States of America!!! The place where WE first let u/enndeegee’s Great-Great-Great-Great Grandparents know that we aren’t gonna take their bullshit anymore! The British think they can tax our tea?? Get out of here with that nonsense! Good luck collecting taxes from the bottom of the fucking Boston Harbor! That’s right. Priusaurus’ Lather Games 2024 Shave Numero Uno took place at the site of the Boston Tea Party. The place that set the stage for the American Revolution is the same place setting the stage for Lather Games X: Priusaurus’ Revenge: Part Deux: ~~Electric Boogaloo~~ Defending the Crown™.

What was once called “Griffin’s Wharf” is now (appropriately) called “Independence Wharf” and there’s a marker that memorializes the night a group of colonists banded together and tossed 342 chests full of tea into the Boston Harbor, giving a figurative middle figure to King George, u/enndeegee’s family, and taxation without representation. And that’s the same energy I’m working with today! And to really drive the point home, I nicely packed up a special brush to use today. It’s a little big, but I was proud to unwrap this badboy as my brush today. I’m not going to lie to you. As far as brushes go, this isn’t the most comfortable one in my den, but the goal today is intimidation, not comfort. I can have good, comfortable shaves starting in July, as I gaze at my Championship Trophy for another year. Now, it’s time to get to work.

I find a spot on a bench, overlooking a replica of the ship that the badasses threw tea off (called The Beaver), and lathered up my smoosh of Wapiti, that was so generously sent by u/OnionMiasma. And I’m just gonna throw this out there to start. This brush is NOT ideal for making a lather in a travel bowl. It’s my first-time using AA Shaving and I have them fighting with one arm tied behind their back before lather ever hits my face because the brush is unwieldy. Next, the homeless guy sleeping on the bench next to me started making noise, so I was rushing more than I would have liked. And finally, never used a Rolls Razor before and likely never will again. I honed it on my own stones to the best of my ability (which admittedly isn’t that great) but there’s a reason why they stopped making these things. Tough draw for AA Shaving. Might as well tie the other arm behind their back, and maybe a leg too. The first time I use them and it’s also the maiden voyage with these two contraptions for brush and razor. And it’s outside, trying to use the selfie mode on my camera as a mirror. But… That’s the way Lather Games be sometimes. Unsurprisingly, as I shaved, I got a few looks from people passing by, but once again: That’s the way Lather Games be sometimes. Got a somewhat serviceable shave and managed not to slice myself open. Gonna be an awesome month!

Oh yeah, and a friendly little reminder for my fellow competitors this year: You come at the King, you best not miss. Priusaurus’ Revenge: Part Deux: Defending the Crown™ starts today.

#FOF: Against my better judgement, I’m tossing my hat into the ring for FOF again this year, despite having no idea what I’m doing. Sorry u/wallygator88! Not the best start, if I’m being honest. When I lathered it, Wapiti smelled mostly aquatic to me, and I was expecting a bit more woodiness based on the scent notes. I brought WSP Mahogony as a splash, expecting the woody-spicy splash to complement the wood notes in the soap, but it just didn’t jive like I hoped. The fragrance, Sex Appeal, was used mostly for the double-entendre, but also does have a sandalwood note and actually it doesn’t smell too bad. The spiciness of it actually pairs pretty good with the splash and it almost has an Old-Spice-esque vibe to it. The splash and frag really made this a woodtastic shave!

Special Challenge: Never used a Rolls before. And back in the drawer it goes. #neveragain #unlessitsforachallenge

Soap theme justification: Never used AA Shaving before

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: All scents have an over-abundance of wood 👀

Not your typical shitpost... but if there is such a thing as shit talking opponents in lather games... this is it!

Shaves with his trophy, shaves in public at the site of Boston tea party, return of the champion!

June 2, 2024

• Brush: Chisel and Hound – LG2024 – 25mm Paragon Synth
• Razor: Karve – Christoper Bradley Copper #RUSTYBUTDUSTY
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Soap Commander - Endurance
• Post Shave: Terrafirma Soapery – Chesapeake Bay Rum Splash
• Fragrance: Elysian – Atlantis EdP

““Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” -Mike Tyson” – Priusaurus

Guys. I had a plan today. I had a plan to start off the SOTD by telling you all about the USS Constitution – Old Ironsides.

I was gonna say it’s the most badass ship in the US Navy and built in 1797, this majestic ship earned the nickname "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812 when it’s oak hull was swatting down British cannonballs like Dikembe Mutombo blocked shots in the 90s. Old Ironsides wagged its figurative figure and said, “No, no, no! Not in my house!”

I might’ve even showed you a video re-enactment I made of the War of 1812, complete with the music from the 1812 Overture, with rubber duckies representing British Ships and Old Ironsides defeating all of them as cannons bounced off it’s hull.

Then I’d go on to say that despite being outgunned and outnumbered in battles, the Constitution emerged victorious time after time after time, becoming a symbol of American naval prowess and overall badassery. Over the years, it underwent numerous restorations to preserve its historical grandeur and is the oldest commissioned warship in the Navy. That’s right – Old Ironsides never retired and is still part of the Navy - complete with Naval Officers and crew still serving on the ship today. And it’s a BFD if you get stationed on the USS Constitution.

And I’d finish the story by saying: This ship is living proof that “they don’t make them like they used to”. When she was built, the expected service life of a ship like this was 10-15 years, and here she is, beautiful as ever, sitting at 227 years young. So, let’s raise a shot of Bay Rum to Old Ironsides in honor of Ahoy Lather Games! A day celebrating ships, pirates, and all things Old Spice!

Then I’d do the big reveal and say that today, I’m going to toast Old Ironsides the Lather Games way… By packing up my shave stuff, getting on the train, and shaving in front of this storied warship! But… That’s not what I’m doing today. I, unfortunately, have to attend a funeral today, so a trip to The Charlestown Navy Yard is out of the question for today’s shave. So instead, I have the next best thing. A toy boat as a stand-in for Old Ironsides! Surrounded by rubber ducks, representing the many, many British warships that The USS Constitution took out! So, everyone out there is just gonna have to imagine this is The USS Constitution. Got it? Good.

And what better to shave with than a smoosh from Mr. Old Spice himself, u/cowzilla3. I requested a smoosh of Endurance because it received a 5 out of 5 in both Oldness and Spiciness in The Great Spice Off. And Old Ironsides is the oldest and spiciest ship in the Navy, so it’s fitting.

Really happy to be shaving with a DE after yesterday’s fiasco with the Rolls and it is nice to shave in the comfort of my bathroom, instead of one bench away from a sleeping homeless person.

For #FOF: So this scent journey worked better in theory, than it did in practice. Old Spice and Bay Rum go together like Doritos and Mountain Dew, but then adding the aquatic fragrance of Atlantis on top of it did not mesh as well as I hoped for. If I was in this just for the smells, I would’ve could’ve should’ve picked a spicy fragrance, maybe a spicy amber like 3 Scots… But I was really leaning into the ship/nautical theme and didn’t put the smellz first.

Challenge: Soooo…. Ummm…. Real talk guys: What’s an appropriate way to honor myself? Like if I come out and proclaim myself to be the Greatest Lather Gamer in the History of the Lather Games, is that too much? Plus, I don’t think that’s true (yet). Others have placed in the top 5 for a few years in a row, and I’ve only won once (so far). I guess it would be a bit obnoxious to do that, so I’ll just say I had a good run last year and someone better come kick me off my high horse this year or else I’m going to be REALLY insufferable for the next 13 months.

Soap theme justification: Used the spiciest and oldest smelling Old Spice Dupe

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Ahoy indeed! I hit all three the potential theme options for the day (1) Old Spice Soap: Check (2) Bay Rum Splash: Check, (3) Nautical Themed Frag: Check.

https://youtu.be/ltCn00o_HsQ

a video re-enactment of the War of 1812, complete with the music from the 1812 Overture, with rubber duckies representing British Ships.

Is it dumb? Yes. Did it make me smile? Also yes.

June 3, 2024

• Brush: Zenith B16 #OLDWORLD #HOLLOW
• Razor: Ever Ready – 1912 #TWINS #RUSTYBUTTRUSTY
• Razor: Gem - 1912
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Daveli Farms - Cranberry, Pomegranate, Vanilla Sheep Fat Shave Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Pinky Swear Splash
• Alum: Exotic Blend of Salts from around the World
• Fragrance: Clinique – Cocoa & Cashmere EdP

🎵Mary had a little lamb🎵
🎵Little lamb🎵
🎵Little lamb🎵
🎵Mary had a little lamb🎵
🎵Whose fleece was white as snow… And whose lamb had sweet, sweet talloooooow🎵

Did you know the classic children’s nursery rhyme was about a real-life girl named Mary Sawyer? And you’ll never guess who followed her to school one day, school one day, school one day… It was a little lamb! No one actually documented the name of the lamb, so for the sake of this post, we’ll call the lamb: Porkchop. You can read the whole story here, but poor, little Porkchop was abandoned and Mary rescued him. And Porkchop pretty much became her shadow, following her around everywhere. The consensus is that one of Mary’s classmates wrote much of the nursery rhyme we know and love based on his eyewitness account. Now, there are some controversies about who actually wrote the diddy, but the story itself is believed to be 100% factual. Henry Ford, yes the car guy, even stepped in and purchased the actual Old School House that Porkchop followed Mary to and moved it 20 miles away from its original location to preserve the building. No word on what happened to little Porkchop or if they made shaving soap out of its tallow. But they should have. Because I’ve tried a few different soaps made from Sheep Fat and I haven’t been disappointed yet.

This Daveli Farms shaving soap performs quick well, especially for the price-point – I think it was like $8 for the tub. It’s definitely a no-frills soap. No fancy art, or layers of complex scent profiles here. Hell, it came in plastic wrap and I had to put it in my own tub. But at the end of the day, it smells nice enough and gives me a good, slick shave. I don’t know what it is about sheep tallow, but I really enjoy shaving with sheep fat soaps. To some noses, the funk of sheep can be a bit too much, but for me, the performance positives outweigh any slight sheep funk.

"Everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go." And indeed, everywhere my razor went, this soap provided the perfect cushion and glide. No nicks or cuts – just a smooth, close shave that left my skin feeling as pampered as little Porkchop The Lamb. The sheep fat tallow works its magic, creating a rich, slick lather white as snow that feels super smooth on my skin. It was a shave experience that will leave me with a DFS that’s bound to follow me to work all day, work all day, work all day. The DFS will last all day, because it’s was a good shave!

#FOF: The sweet, tangy notes of cranberry and pomegranate mingle with the warm, sweet aroma of vanilla in the soap. I quite enjoy it this scent, and building off the sweetness from the vanilla and finishing the shave off with Pinky Swear, which is comprised of Caramelized Sugar, Nutmeg, Cocoa, Cedar, White Musk, Tonka, & Vanilla sparks joy in my life. To triple the sweetness, I used Clinique’s Cocoa & Cashmere, which is almost like a simpler version of the Pinky Swear Splash, sharing Cocoa, Vanilla, and Musk notes. No surprise, a stellar gourmand day in the books! Together, this trio created a symphony of scents that harmonized pretty perfectly. The bright, fruity notes of cranberry and pomegranate, the creamy vanilla, the immediate sweetness of Pinky Swear, and the rich, warm embrace of Cocoa & Cashmere all blended into a magnificent fragrance journey from start to finish.

Challenge: Osma. No thanks. Never touch the stuff and probably never will. I’d rather grind it down into a powder and snort it before rubbing a dirty old block of salt on my face. And you shouldn’t either... HOWEVER, in the spirit of the Lather Games, I decided to try something today…

It's come to my attention that I can come across as a "Coastal Elite", or perhaps a bit "smug" or even "arrogant". Whatever. Just because I enjoy the finer things in life, doesn't mean I can't slum it with you commoners in r/wetshaving. So, imagine my surprise when I found out there are people who will take a basic block of salt and rub it on their face after shaving. Unbelievable! What will you poors think of next? But I digress... Priusaurus doesn't do anything basic and I'm not about to start today. I gathered a smattering of my artisanal salts, and mixed them together in a one-time-use crystal bowl. If you all do a basic block of salt, I'll do a blend of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, Black Icelandic Lava Salt, Icelandic Flaky Sea Salt, and Smoked Salt Flakes from the coast of Maldon, Great Britain... Because, it's truly the only civilized way. I rubbed this concoction all over my face and despite using higher quality materials, I don't see the appeal and have come to the conclusion that I am simply too high brow to understand this Osma thing. This will be the last time I rub salt on my face after shaving. My face feels like a freshly brined piece of Wagyu that I'm about to Sous Vide and serve with a glass of Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard 'Mundus Bacillus Terrae' Malbec. Ugh... I'll never live this stunt down with my friends at The Country Club.

Soap theme justification: The soap is made from Sheep Fat.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Everything tasty and sweet.

artisan salts in a fancy bowl instead of alum

artisan salts in a fancy bowl instead of alum

June 4, 2024

• Brush: Stirling Soap Co – 24mm Synthetic Brush
• Razor: Gillette - Aristocrat Adjustable #ADJUSTABLE #REVENANT
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Eleven Shaving – Sweet Organic Orange Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Everett Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Everett EdP

First things first for the hashtag, this razor started out as a broken Slim Adjustable, but Backroads Gold restored and replated it in Gold, thus the Revenant hashtag.

Second things 2nd: Thanks to u/OnionMiasma for the smoosh. Never tried Eleven soap today and I was happy to give it a go today.

Third things 3rd: Thanks to the orange for being a great fruit that lives up to its name! Ever had a dragonfruit? Not made out of dragons. Grapefruit? Not grapes. Just a sour-ass citrus. It gets worse… Pineapples DON’T come from pine trees, honeydews aren’t made from honey, and passionfruit is simply uninspiring. More like laythereuntilifinishfruit, amiright?? But the orange? What is it? It’s ORANGE. BAM!

And Oranges are delicious. They are basically nature's way of saying, "Here, have a burst of sunshine in your mouth!" Picture this: a round citrus ball, the color of a warm sunset, wrapped in its own handy-dandy packaging. Peel it open, and voila! Instant vitamin C boost and a juicy explosion that might just make you reconsider wearing that white shirt. An orange is a fruit you can set your watch to. Consistent as hell. It always shows up, is super convenient, and you know exactly what you’re gonna get with it. And that’s why oranges are the MVPs of the produce aisle.

Now onto the shave: Keepin it simple for those that are a little… Ummm… Simple…. One note in the soap: Sweet Organic Orange.

And for my Orange shave today, I decided to use the perfect packaging of the Orange, the peel, as a shave bowl to load from. And it was… An adventure. Click here for step by step instructions. Ended up working simultaneously better and worse than I thought it would at the same time. I couldn’t quite build a good lather in the orange peel “bowl”, but I usually face lather anyway and I was able to load the brush just fine from the orange peel. Ended up creating a beautiful, shiny lather which exceeded my expectations. Today was my first time using Eleven’s soap and if it can generate a slick lather using an orange peel bowl with some residual orange juice kicking around inside of it, then I have all the confidence in the world it would be even better using it as intended! I did get little bits of orange all over my sink and counter and the bathroom is a sticky mess, but that’s all part of the Lather Games Experience.

Great, orange shave today!

#FOF: My shave started out as simply a singular note of orange, but ended with what has quickly become my top scent of 2024: Everett. Sure, there is orange immediately when you sniff Everett, but it is so, so much more. Close your eyes and take a breath. Imagine sunshine warming your skin as you lay out on freshly cut grass on a warm June, Lather Games Day. You snack on a juicy orange slice, just peeled and bursting with citrus juices. Then a delicious hint of marshmallow with an ever so slight sweet smoky tendrils of a dying campfire drift past your nose. That, my friends, is the delightful essence of Everett from House of Mammoth. Truly a chef's kiss to finish off a simple orange shave soap.

Challenge: If we’re talking bases and strictly bases, I honestly don’t have any bases I miss more than what is currently available. I’ve tried a few old ones, but I really enjoy what is currently available. I am famously not picky when it comes to soap bases. I can get a good shave with just about any modern soap base. My top three are Doug, Tusk, and Omnibus. I realize Omnibus might not be a popular opinion with some folks in these parts, but I really enjoy it and it always gives me stellar results.

Soap theme justification: Soap has one scent note: Orange

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Oranges! Soap, Splash, and Frag all feature the scent of oranges.

OP uses orange peel as shave bowl.

OP uses orange peel as shave bowl.

June 5, 2024

• Brush: My hand
• Razor: Target Brand Disposable Razor #RAINBOW
• Lather: Barbasol – Soothing Aloe Shaving Cream
• Post Shave: Brut – Aftershave Splash
• Fragrance: Calvin Klein – Defy EdT

Would you believe that I forgot all about the Lather Games today?

No?

Well, let’s just say for the sake of this story, I forgot all about the Lather Games. I’m driving to a meeting, rub my face and realize… Oh shit! I completely forgot to shave today!

Yes! That’s EXACTLY what happened today. In my car, driving, not thinking about Lather Games at all! And what is a fellow to do? I guess I have to pull off at the nearest exit to find a store to procure something to shave my face with. And look what I have here: A Target! What are the odds? Right when I realize I need to shave, a Target is right here! It’s a Lather Games Miracle!

I enter Target the exact opposite way that my wife goes to Target: With a purpose. First, I head over to the travel size section because Lord knows I don’t need a big can of foam goo. Picked up a small can of Barbasol with Soothing Aloe. Then I head to the men’s care section and snagged a pack of Target Brand disposable razors and bottle of Brut Aftershave. Perfect. This is everything I need! I go to the front, pay, and do the next logical thing: Head directly into the Target bathroom to shave there.

I’ve always found Target bathrooms to be on the higher end of store bathrooms – I think because of the good lighting. However, but they ALWAYS are right in the front of the store and have a heavy amount of foot traffic. Oh well – I guess everyone else is gonna have to use the other sinks because this one is gonna be occupied!

For the challenge, I’m using my hand to lather, which is the opposite of what I usually do (use a brush). I get lathered up and quickly try to put my phone away as someone walks in to use the bathroom. I don’t want this guy thinking I’m a weirdo photo-documenting my Target shave. Plus, I’m pretty sure taking pictures in the Target bathroom is a worse offense than shaving in one.

The shave itself was…. Fine…. At least in the sense that my whiskers got cut and there was no blood drawn. Barbasol isn’t exactly what one would consider slick and no one is going to mistake this lather for artisanal soaps. If Everett is a brilliant olfactory opera, this was more like a me learning how to play the recorder in elementary school. The lather was thick and foamy, but slickness? About as slick as sandpaper. But hey, it got the job done.

And the splash was… Fine… I mean, it’s Brut Aftershave. This stuff is an old-school classic, and when I splashed it on, I felt like I was being initiated into a secret society of dads and granddads. The scent actually wasn’t too bad if I'm being honest. Very much smelled like my barbershop… Probably because this is the splash my barber uses. The fragrance lingered for far longer than I would have expected and was honestly pleasant and fresh.

But the shave lacked so much. Privacy for one. I’ve done more than my fair share of public shaves, but this was different. In a public bathroom, with people coming in and going out. I didn’t love that. Really takes the #metime out of my shaving ritual with strangers entering and exiting my sacred shaving space. And the products I used had no character, no heart, and no artisanally crafted scents. Oh shit! The SCENTS!! I DON’T HAVE A FRAGRANCE TO WEAR!

Well, lucky for me, there is an Ulta Beauty right next door to Target! I pack up my newly acquired razors, go into Ulta Beauty. Head straight for the fragrance area and look for a fragrance that (1) has a tester and (2) I want it to complement the lather and splash I used today. Perfect! This one says it’s “Fresh”! Relevant Post-Shave and Fragrance Points: Unlocked! The nice girl comes over and I ask her to test this one. Smells nice enough. I don’t think CK Defy is going to be winning any Golden Pears anytime soon, but the scent is unoffensive and clean and paired nicely with the Brut Aftershave. As far as #FOF goes, I smell like a basic guy who is trying to smell good. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but nothing stands out today. I thank the nice girl for letting me try the tester and go about day, heading for my meeting. Thankful that there happened to be a Target and an Ulta Beauty right when I realized I forgot to shave on Canned Goop Day! What are the odds??

Soap Theme Justification: And wouldn’t you know, on the day I forgot about The Lather Games, it ends up being Canned Shave Goop Day and I’m perfectly on theme.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Everything can be found in your neighborhood Target and Ulta, and are scents which could be considered “Fresh”.

My favorite part about this is that he was dressed as a Target employee.

I don't think he did that on purpose, I assume he just chooses to dress like retail employees on a regular basis.

June 6, 2024

• Brush: Oumo - Imitate finest two band 24mm synthetic #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Chiseled Face – Legacy #CNC
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Storybook Soapworks - Coffee Spoons Soap
• Post Shave: Storybook Soapworks - Coffee Spoons Splash
• Fragrance: Hoffman’s Shave & Soap Co. – Affogato EdP

Coffee. I’d argue coffee is the most important beverage in the United States of America, possibly even the world. Coffee is the only thing keeping our society functioning and holding other stimulants at bay. If all of a sudden, all the coffee plants disappeared off the face of the earth, I think a different plant from Columbia would become this country’s drug of choice. But thankfully, coffee plants aren’t going the way of the Gros Michel (RIP) just yet. So, you ease up on your plans to become the next Pablo Escobar while we’re all able to count on getting our next morning cup of joe without issue.

Most days, black coffee is the only flavored beverage I drink (shout-out hydro-homies), so it’s natural for me that I love coffee scented products. And one thing I’ve found: it is REALLY hard for artisans to make coffee scented products. It seems like a lot of them either try to do too much or just smell fake. Don’t get me wrong, I love the scent of Gemultikeknnadamm from CFG more than the next guy, but it’s not just coffee. Simple coffee is really hard for some reason. Fortunately, I was able to acquire Storybook Soapworks from Inna’s collection last year. Unfortunately, he passed away before I started wetshaving, so I never got to know him, but the way I hear the OGs of this community talk about him is telling of the type of person he was, and the type of community member we should all strive to be like. So today, I’m very happy to use Coffee Spoons. It’s straight up black coffee. Just like I make it for myself every day. Soaked my brush in my scuttle of black coffee for good measure.

The Affogato EdP is alright, but there’s something about it that’s off, even for the Gourmand King. Coffee is certainly the star of the show, but it takes the coffee and adds a figurative scoop of vanilla ice cream to it. On paper, it should work better than it does in reality. But for #FOF, this is really simple one. If you like coffee (and I do) today was a brilliant day, which I am ecstatic to take part in. Sure, smelling like a Starbucks all day may not be for EVERYONE, but I’m not everyone. Every December, I celebrate the 12 Days of Coffee by preparing coffee a different way, every day for 12 days in a row, culminating with a delicious whipped coffee on Christmas Morning. I often say that I enjoy coffee and caffeine is just a byproduct. And this what today gives me. Wonderful enjoyment of a wonderful gift from God – Coffee.

Challenge: Ugh… Our r/wetshaving overlords having wettuber the day after u/Enndeegee calls my Target shave lame and u/ginopino tossing grenades at me from the clouds. If this was last year, it would be Spite Shave City, taking no prisoners. But this year, I’m turning over a new leaf, biting my tongue, spreading LOVE, not Spite, and leaving the negativity for everyone else. I’m not gonna take the bait and I’m certainly not let them bring me down to their level. Still, I rise: Here’s the video.

Soap Theme Justification: Everything smells like coffee

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: The soap is coffee, the splash is coffee, and the fragrance: COFFEE!!

Player embraces love, empathizes with those other players coming at him, then spends the rest of the video airing his grievances.

Quotes Ghandi.

Insults a djudge. Sadly, there is no gag order in place here.

Forms an alliance with MrTangerineSky.

Takes 9 minutes to do all this that this judge will never get back.

Player embraces love, empathizes with those other players coming at him, then spends the rest of the video airing his grievances.

Quotes Ghandi.

Insults a djudge. Sadly, there is no gag order in place here.

Forms an alliance with MrTangerineSky.

Takes 9 minutes to do all this that this judge will never get back.

June 7, 2024

• Brush: Terrafirma Soapery – 28mm G5C #COMPOSITE #PREMIUMPLASTIC #FRANKENBRUSH
• Razor: Gillette – Blue Tip SuperSpeed
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Mike’s Natural Soaps – Vetiver Soap
• Post Shave: Tallow & Steel – Rainforest Splash
• Fragrance: Guerlain – Vetiver EdT

First things first, thanks u/Tetriside for the smush

I gotta be honest here, I didn’t have any wacky shavanigans planned to celebrate Vetiver Day. If I had to describe Vetiver in one word: Earthy, I guess? I don’t really know. This isn’t really a scent I’d typically go for. But the beauty of the Lather Games is trying new things (check), interacting with the community (double-check), and have entertaining posts (shit!). Okay. Gotta think. Gotta think of something… ANYTHING. I google “Vetiver” and it’s a grass… What the hell is entertaining about grass? I briefly consider creating a shaving brush out of blades of grass, but I only have one smush of this soap and I’m not confident enough that would work. I don’t want to burn the one smush of anything Vetiver I have on something that could ruin the smoosh, DQ me, and tank my chances of a repeat. What else could I do? I cut my grass. And it IS getting a little too tall… Could I shave while cutting my grass?

In the words of Kevin Garnett: ANYTHING IS POSSIBBBBBBLLLLEEEEEEEEE!!!

Gather up my shave stuff and head outside to shave and mow my lawn. Multitasking at its finest! Is this a stupid idea? Undoubtedly, but I’ve also had worse. And do I feel the need to go above and beyond and do stupid shit for the Lather Games?? Also, a resounding yes!!

So, here I am shaving while mowing the lawn for Vetiver Day.

From a logistical point of view those silly lawnmower safety switches make shaving and mowing a little difficult. I opted to bowl load, and hooked the Stirling Travel bowl to a carabiner clip, attached to my belt loop so I could lather one handed. The interesting thing about mowing the lawn while shaving and only doing an against the grain pass is you only get one take. If I were to do this again, I’d alter the camera placement a little bit and maybe speed up the video in post production, but all and all, I think I nailed it.

The scent of vetiver was perfect for a nice outdoor shave. Lathering with it gave me a sense of one-ness with the earth (which was immediately counteracted by the gasoline fumes from my lawnmower.) The scent of the soap was actually deeper than I initially expected. I used T&S Rainforest for the splash, which has Vetiver one of the top notes. I thought I was smelling Vetiver pretty prominently, but others could say it’s mostly Frankinsence and Fir. Whatever. It’s all naturey things. Then for the finishing #FOF touches, I used Vetiver by Guerlain, which is very obviously Vetiverific! This isn’t the scent profile I typically go for, but it was nice for a change. All in all, it great to be outside, shave outside, and smell like the outside while doing outside things!

Challenge Against the grain for just one pass. Done and done. Actually, worked out well for multitasking to only have to do one pass. I did choose the mild Blue Tip Super Speed for today’s shave (for obvious reasons), but it wasn’t bad.

Soap Theme Justification: Ummmm… Ya know. It’s in the name.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Vetiver is ever-present in the splash and the frag is called Vetiver… So… Yeah…

June 8, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co Complete Candy Stripe - 24mm Boar/Badger Mix #MISTURA
• Razor: GR100B Kamisori Shavette #KAMISORI
• Blade: Feather Professional Soft Guard Artist Club
• Lather: Maggard Razors – Mango Sage Tea Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Voices Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Voices EdP

Dear Brad Maggard,

Thank you for taking my money, and in return, sending me stuff I don’t need, for a hobby in which I acquire items far faster than I can ever, ever use them.

Sincerely,

Everyone on r/wetshaving

I’ve been wetshaving a few years now, and every now and again, I thank the shaving gods that of all the different shaving groups I found my way to reddit and r/wetshaving, and of course, that also led me to Maggard Razors. If things had been different, I could be eagerly scooping up all the different Shave Dad releases instead of a micro-drop of Animal Crackers or helping to get a set that smells like Doritos and Mountain Dew released. But, fortunately for me, I found w_e, then eventually landed home here. While some online shaving stores seem to overhype up every release single release, nonstop spam social media, have constant discount/affiliate/referral codes, artificially jack up the price of discontinued products, acquire subpar shaving soap companies, or publish youtube videos, Brad Maggard just chugs along, delivering quality products with superior service at a fair price. Crazy, right?!?? I, for one, appreciate the Maggard approach. It is truly a breath of fresh air in a world of constant hype, FOMO, and BS. Like a lot of people, I prefer to shop local and shop small. There is no question that it’s easy to shop on Amazon or the big box stores, but small businesses are what keeps small towns running and a store like Mags helps keep our hobby going. So, for this shave, I raise a figurative cup of Mango Sage Tea to Mr. Brad Maggard. Thank you for enabling me in this unexpected hobby that I’ve come to love.

I’ve always said I can get a great shave from any modern shave soap, and that’s true, but the Maggard’s house brand isn’t my favorite. The performance is… Adequate. But there are many artisans who make soap that I enjoy more. The good thing is: Mostly all the artisans who make things I truly enjoy make products that I can buy at Maggard Razors!

The scent of Mango Sage Tea quite enjoyable to. It’s a little fruity without being overly sweet, thanks to the tea notes. It’s actually a very nice summertime scent. I don’t think I’ve ever drank a Mango Sage Tea, but I would certainly like try it if it tastes like this soap smells. Using Voices for #FOF is kind of a no brainer today. All the software I used features Mango, but the soap is undoubtedly sweeter than the splash/fragrance. It’s almost like I had the dessert first, then went on to eat the sticky rice main course. Voices is one of the more unique scents I have in my den, and it won some award or something. It’s bright, clean, a little woody, and deliciously creamy. I swear, each time I spray it on myself, I discover something new to appreciate with it. Something about wearing Voices puts me in a good mood and signals to myself that it’s gonna be a damn good day!

Challenge: I look back at my order from Maggard’s my biggest and most stupid order is probably my first one. I was new to discovering scents and picked up a huge variety of every product under the sun, without really considering anything what I needed and the scent profiles of what I was buying/already owned. I bought a smorgasbord of soaps, splashes, balms, blades, a brush, and a pre-shave oil. There were some products I bought only because like one person on reddit said they liked the scent (Leviathan) and other things I bought just because they were on clearance for a reason (First Line Shave). The day the order arrived I learned I should be a little more discerning when I buy wetshaving products. A lesson I would fail at time and time again. There was some really good stuff in that first order, like SW Samhain and CB Irish Coffee, and yet there were more misses than I would have liked. As I’d come to find out, that is all part of the experience!

Soap Theme Justification: It’s Maggard’s Soap.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: The theme of the day is: Mango

June 9, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co - Black/Gold Flakes - 30mm Oumo Boar #TOLL
• Razor: Diane Hair Shaper #WECKONISTA
• Blade: Fromm
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Picture Day Soap
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Picture Day Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Hygge EdP

Smoke fills the room, as a meeting of shave artisans from around the globe gather for their monthly meeting. They're all tired. They meet regularly in the dimly lit streets of r/wetshaving where shadows danced with secrets and whispers echoed off cobblestone walls. They were are the darlings of the craft, their creations adored by connoisseurs who sought the exquisite aromas they concocted with passion and precision. But now, they were prisoners of their own success, shackled to the demand for barbershop scents that stifled their creativity and gnawed at their souls.

An artisan named Will took a long, drawn out drag on a cigarette. From the lit end, a long, cylindrical column of ash extended, seemingly defying gravity as it clung precariously to the cigarette. "I just don't know how much longer I can do this," he sighed. "I'm one of the best perfumers in this hobby and they want me to create another Barbershop scent..." He sounded beyond defeated.

A deafening silence filled the room. They all know the reality of the situation. The hive mind had asked for yet another barbershop scent and there's only so much one artisan can take.

Another artisan took a sip of whiskey from the dark corner and breaks the silence, "I'm telling you guys. Give up the barbershop scents. You'll feel better when you do." His voice was soft and gravely, yet his words projected across the room. Everyone stopped. You could cut the tension with a Weck. Kyle emerged from the darkness.

Some sneered, while others just shook their heads. Everyone was silent. That would be impossible! For their operations relied on the barbershop scents to stay afloat. They've created this monster and now they have to deal with the Frankenstein they birthed.

Kyle stood tall in the workshop, surrounded by shelves laden with exotic oils and dried herbs, his hands stained with the orange of Dorito dust. "You'll drive yourself insane if you keep doing Barbershops," he declared. Everyone knew he was right. His words carried the weight of years of frustration. "We're artisans, damn it, not puppets dancing to the tune of the masses. Set yourselves free and create something special! Something unique!"

His words hung heavy in the air. The others exchanged uneasy glances, their faces etched with doubt and fear. But Kyle's resolve was unwavering. He had made up his mind long ago, and he would not be swayed.

The other artisans knew there was truth in Kyle's words. But, they couldn't do it. While they would love to be done with Barbershop scents. They just couldn't. They had to bow to the whims of the masses, sacrificing their artistry for the sake of profit. While only Kyle would reclaim his craft, one tub of soap at a time, the rest would continue to grow weary, praying for a chance of artistic redemption, and just hoping to break free from their Crafters Choice prison.

But the path to Kyle's liberation was not without its obstacles. The public clamored for a re-release of Picture Day. Their voices were a cacophony of demands that threatened to drown out his voice of defiance.

But he would not be deterred. With steely determination and a heart as unyielding as a titanium razor, he would not back down. Kyle was armed with nothing but passion and unwavering belief in the power of his creativity. And a lot of lavender. As he stood in his quest for freedom, he knew that no matter the outcome, he had already won the greatest victory of all: the right to create on his own terms. And the sweet scent of defiance that lingered in the air would promise of a far brighter tomorrow than any Barbershop scent ever could. Maybe one day the other artisans would follow him, but today was not that day. For he was ahead of his time.

Fin.

My #FOF: Finishing up the shave with HoM Hygge is the most no brainer of every #FOF no-brainer there could possibly be. They’re both barbershop styles and share some of the same characteristics, but Hygge has a subtle citrus sweetness to it that really gives it an extra je-nais-se-quois where it is so much more than a barbershop fragrance. It’s clean, wearable, and there’s a musk that gives it an absolutely delightful warmth. These two scents share a lot of similar characteristics, but are wonderful on their own and amazing when layering the Hygge on top of the Picture Day Splash.

Challenge: I got a 15/32. I’m kinda pissed I missed Rawr.

Soap Theme Justification: From SBS: “This is my interpretation of a barbershop style scent, which was developed with my barbershop in mind”

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Barbershops everywhere!

Just a great post. Entertaining, on topic, well-written. Glad this was my last one of the day.

This ~~might be~~ is the post I've enjoyed the most of everything I've judged.

June 10, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co - Blue & Clear - 26mm Oumo Horse #HORSESASS
• Razor: EldrormR Industries - MM24 #MODERNGEM #FLIPTOP
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – 88 Chestnut St. Soap (collab with Chatillon Lux)
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Bellringer Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Sonder EdP

First things first, thank you to u/hugbckt for the smush of 88 Chestnut St. Also, do yourself a favor and read his daily SOTDs. He is really bringing it this year!

I’m a big fan of collaborations within this little hobby of ours. Things that show that these artisans are more than just competitors, but allies who can work together to create something special. They can create something that is greater than what either of them could make on their own. Using their own strengths for the betterment of the end result. In the business buzzword bingo world, we call that Synergy. I challenge anyone to attend any sort business seminar and tally the number of times you hear it. Hell, scroll through linkedin and you’ll see the word “synergy” as often as you see the word “bergamot” in scent notes.

Artisans we love, working together for a better end result is awesome. Much like how WE work together for a better result. This community, r/wetshaving, and everything amazing that comes along with it – Lather Games, Side-Contests, Austere August, Photo Contests, Charity Shaves, PIFs, Advent Calendars, and everything else – are all because a member of the community had an idea and other people rallied around it, helped out, and kept the tradition going for the betterment of the community as a whole. It’s really something special and unique, and I’m so glad to be part of it.

There are many collaborations between Declaration and CL and this is one of them. 88 Chestnut St has a bunch of citrus notes, as well as a fairly strong petitgrain note to make it more than just a citrus explosion. The soap performs nicely and I had a very good shave even though I HATE this horse brush, but hey, a hashtag is a hashtag.

For #FOF: Everything is bright and uplifting. This shave wasn’t just a collaboration between CG & CL, but the scents of SBS and HoM tied everything together with their respective pieces of this puzzle. I often relate my scents to seasons and this is an absolutely wonderful summer shave. The citrus in the soap, combined with the refreshing citrus in the splash, and of course, the citrus in the EdP. Absolute perfection. The citrus of Sonder dissipates quickly, leaving me with longer lasting florals, green notes, and a woody base. I’m absolutely feeling (and smelling!) great with today’s scent combination.

Challenge: Jack Johnson - Better Together. It’s appropriate for the theme of the day, and the uplifting nature of the music also fits the bright nature of the scents I used today.

Soap Theme Justification: Declaration Grooming made the soap and Chatillon Lux made the scent.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Everything citrusy and bright

June 11, 2024

• Brush: Oumo - Pandora SHD - 28mm Badger #SHD
• Razor: Gillette - Aristocrat Adjustable
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: House of Mammoth – Alive Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth – Alive Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Alive EdP

"The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,
…
They thought, 'If only Casey could but get a whack at that—
We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.'"

Ahhh… Spring. Despite all the pollen and having seasonal allergies, it’s my favorite time of year. The days get longer, the weather gets warmer, and the true sign of spring arrives: Baseball. There’s nothing like it. I get that the popularity of the sport is steadily decreasing and some people say it’s boring. But, to me, it’s perfect. There’s nothing like it. It's the same game that's been played for over 150 years. There's something special about it's relaxing pace, stellar atmosphere, and the fact that even the best players will fail 7 out of 10 times. Anything can happen in baseball. And in 1888, Ernest L. Thayer wrote the quintessential baseball poem “Casey at the Bat” in Worcester, Massachusetts. Telling the story of the Mudville baseball team, and their star player, Casey, as he comes up to the plate with the game on the line. I won’t ruin the ending for you, but give it a read or let James Earl Jones read it to you. It’s a wonderful piece of American literature and one of my twins toddlers’ favorite bedtime stories.

And since it was written in Worcester, Massachusetts, the AAA baseball team in Worcester – The Worcester Red Sox - have a statue of Casey at their ballpark to commemorate the poem being written there.

And I’ll give you one guess as to why I’m telling you this story....

If you didn’t guess that I’m shaving with Casey, then you haven’t been paying attention to how I operate. So yes, I packed up my mobile shave den and headed to Polar Park, home to the Worcester Red Sox, and went to Centerfield, where the statue of Casey sits.

Fortunately for me, there is a bench right next to the oversized Casey statue. Unfortunately for me, they are doing construction directly across the street from the statue, so there is a construction crew with a boom lift truck doing work 20 ft away from MY shaving space. The nerve… Usually shaving is my time to be at peace with myself, but with these guys hammering, loudly talking, and staring at me, it gets a little uncomfortable. As I started to load from the tub, one of the workers came over and told me he was the “site’s safety officer” and that I could sit here, but he was gonna stand here to ensure the crew was aware of me sitting on the bench. Ummmm… Sure thing bro-ski. If you wanna watch a guy shave, say the word and I’ll send a whole WetTuber SOTD thread to you. The whole interaction was weird and honestly a little tense. He clearly didn’t want me there, but also couldn’t really ask me to leave, since I was on the opposite side of the street from him and his crew.

A lesser Lather Games contestant would have packed it in at that point, but I had already put quarters in the meter, so I wasn’t about to let that $1.50 go to waste. With the added pressure of a “safety officer” looming over me, I rushed to build a bad looking, yet effective, slurry lather like u/sgrdddy taught us. I never want to be a bother to anyone when shaving in public, and this guy was not excited about my presence, so I didn’t take the time to build a spectacular lather. (Sidenote - I’m starting to think that maybe bowl lathering is the way to go for these mobile shaves. Especially when speed is of the essence. But I digress….)

I shaved without issue with Alive, splash on Alive, then sprayed on Alive, packed up my stuff, and said goodbye to my new safety officer friend as he pretended to not pay attention to me.

What a day to be Alive! Happy Spring to all!

Challenge: Color coordinated. Such green niceness! Looking at a lot of the pics today, I missed the memo about using grass as a background.

For #FOF, Alive is one of my favorite fragrances in this hobby and it screams Spring to me, so using an Alive trifecta was a no-brainer today. The green apple right on top of the fragrance gives it a fresh brightness, and then basil and bergamot add a little spice to it. Mix in some florals, then it sits on a deliciously woody and musky base that lasts for the rest of the day. This is the perfect scent for a shave at the ballpark!

Soap Theme Justification: Did you know Alive is a Spring Chypre in its original conception? I found that out thanks to u/USS-SpongeBob.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Trickhole. It’s all relevant.

Player shaves in a local (?) baseball park after doing a great job of tying Spring to baseball and sharing a fun poem "Casey at the Bat"

June 12, 2024

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps - Berwyn Handle - 26mm APShave Co Gelousy Badger
• Razor: Wolfman WR2 – 1.15 Gap
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Moon Soaps - Amaretto Speciale Shaving Cream
• Post Shave: Moon Soaps - Amaretto Speciale Splash
• Fragrance: Pearlescent Parfums - Baklava Extrait

For today’s shave, we’re all using creams. Which are a different consistency than soaps – on the product description for this cream, Moon Soaps says: “This formula is a very soft cream comparable to the consistency of room-temperature butter” and they are absolutely right. But don’t spread this butter on toast, despite the delicious smell! And this smell is awesomely delicious. For the uninitiated, Moon Soaps is one of the most unique artisans in that they have several different soap bases across their line-up – pretty much every scent has its own base. Which can be frustratingly confusing when you like one-scent they offer, but prefer the base of a different scent. Anyway, that’s how they do it and it works for them and they are the only artisan (that I know of) that operates like that.

I don’t have any wacky shavanigans planned for today, so I’m focusing my effort on a great #FOF write-up. Today’s shave was the perfect shave for The Gourmand King (me). It was sweeter than a trip to Willy Wonky’s Factory. Can you get Type II Diabetes from a shave? We’re about to find out!

Starting with the Amaretto Speciale Shaving Cream. My bathroom was transformed into the bakery section of Willy Wonky’s Factory. I loaded my brush into the creamy goodness and was immediately hit with a whiff of sweet almonds and cherries. Lathering up almost felt like spreading sweet marzipan over my face. I half-expected a team of tiny Oompa Loompa’s to emerge and start decorating my cheeks with frosting swirls and sprinkles. Then, if the shaving cream was an Oompa Loompa’s dream, the matching splash was a delicious river of almonds and cherries cutting through land of sweets. I slapped it on, and BOOM—my face was engulfed in a wave of sweet delight. The splash almost had a warming effect, like a cozy blanket of almond and cherries, soothing my freshly shaven skin while making me smell like Little Debbie’s Dad.

To top off this sugar-fueled journey, I used Pearlescent Parfums’ Baklava Extrait. One spray, and I was back to the Willy’s bakery! The scent of the extrait surrounded me with by layers of flaky pastry, dripping with honey and pistachio. The scent was rich and decadent, perfectly complementing the almond notes from the soap and splash. I felt like a walking dessert tray, ready to tempt anyone within smelling distance.

Today's shave was a sugar-coated extravaganza! From the sweet embrace of Amaretto Speciale to the buttery goodness of Baklava, this shave was a Confectionery Circus and I was the Ringmaster.

Oh, and that line about no wacky shavanigans was a lie.

This lather smelled so sweet, and I had a Chocolate Eclair Cream Pie that was missing something...

I couldn’t help myself but to put a little bit of lather on top of the pie and ate it.

Was gross. Don’t recommend. Lather is for shaving. Not for human consumption.

Challenge: Den Tour Time! Last year, I made sure I included my feet in every picture for u/J33pGuy13’s pleasure, and felt dirty afterwards, so I’m playing it straight this year. If no feet in the pics costs me the victory this year, I’ll be kicking myself (with these sexy tootsies of mine).

First off: Full sets of soaps and splashes live in organizers under the futon in my home office.

Coffee scented soaps/splashes get their own little tub

Brushes go on a on spinner organizer thing

Razors on the windowsill

Two plastic tubs for fragrances

I keep the little things in organizers in an antique Table Talk Pie Crate

Soap Samples

Splash Samples

Blades

Straights

Misc handles (some I’ve turned myself) and knots

And finally…

Two toolboxes of soaps/splashes that are not part of sets – Also the top top of the toolbox has blades, different baseplates, and stickers, which I’ve been meaning to stick to the box, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

I’m REALLY trying to stop buying soaps and splashes unless it’s something special. I’ve been getting more into the fragrance side of things because (1) I have enough soaps to last forever and (2) the scent of the fragrances last for so much longer so I can enjoy the scents throughout the day. It’s science.

Soap Theme Justification: Amaretto Speciale Shaving Cream. It’s right there in the name.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Deliously gourmand, almond scented Soap, Splash, and Fragrance. Yum!

Player eats boston cream pie with Amaretto Speciale lather on top. "Smells great, tastes horrible."

June 13, 2024

• Brush: Yaqi – 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. – 40 Soap
• Post Shave: Chicago Grooming Co. – 40 Splash
• Fragrance: Chicago Grooming Co. – 40 EdT

Oscar Wilde said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, the wetshaving world is VERY flattering to the fragrance world. Because dupes are everywhere.

But I can’t help but think of the classic Michael Keaton movie, Multipicity, when he makes a clone of himself, and the clone makes clone himself, who then clones himself and #4 ends up being a little slow. How they explain it is how I feel about most dupes: “You know how sometimes you make a copy of a copy… It’s not as sharp as the original…”. Dupes often don’t smell near the same as the original. Just ask u/cowzilla3.

And it can be unimaginative. I struggle to call people who just exclusively dump a preblended dupe into their soap "artisans". Sure, a dupe here and there is fun and ea$y, but if you aren’t making your own scents, at least sometimes, can you really call yourself an artisan?? What do you think? Sound off in the comments below! And it’s for this reason, I don’t have many dupes in my den. I find myself gravitating toward unique, original scents as I appreciate the artistry of those who create something new. All that being said, this dupe of 40 is Fucking Fabulous. No, like really, like, it’s so good, but it’s also based on the Tom Ford scent, Fucking Fabulous. And Vida makes damn good products, so this is so enjoyable to use.

And since 40 is a copy of a designer scent, and everyone is using copies of scents today, I figured it’d be appropriate to head to the copy machine at my office and have a nice copy shave there. This is even tougher than shaving in a park or restaurant, or Target bathroom, because I know these people! If I stranger sees me shaving on a bench, whatever. They think I’m a weirdo and go about their day. If someone I work with sees my shaving next to the copier, there’s no coming back from that. Plus, the copier is just kinda in the middle of the office, a stone’s throw away from a VP’s office. My best bet to avoid people would be going at like 5AM or staying well past working hours, but neither of those options seems appealing.

I honestly don’t know how I would explain this away if I get caught. There’s a perfectly functioning bathroom here. What excuse could I possibly have? The truth shall set you free. Explaining the Lather Games is the only way to go about this.

The copier sits directly behind the VP’s Admin Assistant, who we’ll call “Donna”. I start by telling her I’m doing an internet shaving competition and I’ve already lost her. Then I tell her I’m going to shave in front of the copy machine… And the look she gave me was a combination of bewilderment, surprise, and utter confusion. I tell her a bit more about The Lather Games and the hobby side of shaving, and end with “Don’t worry, I won’t make a mess and I’ll be done in 5 mins.” Donna doesn’t really know what to say, because (1) I doubt this topic was covered in her training manual and (2) it’s not like I report to her, so she can’t tell me NOT to shave in front of the copier. She’s not copier security. Plus, Donna is a real one. She just said “Just please make sure clean up when you’re done. [VP] will be really upset if something gets messed up there.”

I reassured her they wouldn’t even know I was ever there and looked at my shaving space for today. I sit down on the floor, get set up and begin to lather and then proceed to shave in front of the copy machine. Miraculously, no one came up to print or copy anything while I was using the space, so I only had to have that one conversation with Donna. Time will tell if she tells anyone about this. I’m considering this a test of Donna’s trustworthiness. I swear if I hear about this from my boss, I’m gonna know you’re a snitch, Donna!

My #FOF was somewhat uninspired, but still smelled amazing. Sure, trickholing a dupe isn’t exactly olfactory rocket surgery, but this scent is great. It’s rich leather and sweet vanilla, with lavender, sage and a slight hint of almond that says, "Yeah, I’m fabulous, and I know it." It has a really nice warmness to it, and one I really, really enjoy. It’s perfect for those days that I want to “just smell good”. Whether it be for a date out with the wife, an important work meeting, or attending a wedding. Every fragrance has its place in my den, and this one is for those times I want to smell Fucking Fabulous.

Challenge: I took my turn with my kids’ crayons and drew the 40 Label. I’m the worst artist in the world.

Soap Theme Justification: 40 is a dupe of Tom Ford’s Fucking Fabulous

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: 40 Trickhole

Office copier nook shave for Dupelganger day!

June 14, 2024

• Brush: AP Shave Co - Black/Gold Flakes - 30mm Oumo Boar
• Razor: Personna - New Angle 70: BBS-0
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving – Sea Ice Lime Soap
• Post Shave: Declaration Grooming – 1904 Splash
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving – Sea Spice Lime EdT

Today was a bit of a science experiment. So, let’s go through the Scientific Method:

Step 1: Define a Question to Investigate: Can I make a bowl of ice, build a lather in it, freeze it, and then then use it a couple days later for Frigid Friday?

Step 2: Make Predictions: Sure, why not. It’s called Sea ICE Lime. Surely, it won’t mind being turned to ice.

Step 3: Gather Data Through Experimentation:

Three days ago, made a lather bowl out of ice.

Two days ago, I attempted to make lather of Sea Ice Lime to freeze for a couple days. First, soaked the brush in ice-water in an attempt to ensure my ice bowl didn’t melt when making lather.

I got my ice bowl ready

And I tried making lather of Sea Ice Lime in the ice bowl, but it became a watery mess.

So I built it in a different bowl

Then transferred it into the ice bowl.

And put everything back in the freezer. I had no idea how it would react or what would happen.

Today, I removed the ice bowl lather from the freezer and followed Dairy Queen’s lead to ensure it was frozen solid.

Let’s lather!

Well, that didn’t really work. I just made a cold, watery mess and my brush couldn’t really pick up enough lather.

Step 4: Analyze the Data: FML.

Step 5: Draw Conclusions: Even though the soap is called Sea Ice Lime, it works best when it’s not frozen solid. This turned into a cold, watery mess of a lather.

Well, that’s the scientific method for you! You never know how an experiment is going to turn out. That’s why it’s called an experiment!

BTW – Shout-out u/Ironbeard_SYS for giving these tubs away for just the cost of shipping to newbies a few years back!

Also – Shoutout to u/jwoods23 for PIFing this razor to me.

From a #FOF perspective, these scents are absolutely perfect for each other. All the scents are lime+alittlebitmore. And it’s that littlebitmore that makes it special. It’s the salty sea breeze mixed with the zest of freshly sliced limes. As the shave continued, a scent of driftwood comes out, giving the scent of soap a little more depth. Then with the splash, the lime is the star of the show once again. Except this time it’s lime with florals, sandalwood, and a touch of coffee. It’s zesty, evocative, and takes the scent of lime to another level. Finally, going back to the scent of the soap for today’s frag, we’re back on the beach with the limes, driftwood, and salty air! This blend of bright citrus and aquatic elements really creates a refreshing, invigorating scent that creates the allure of the sea and the crisp zest of lime into a scent you can wear all summer long. As I typed this out, I realized the Shawn Maher created both of the fragrances that I used today, for different companies. I wonder if that’s why I ALWAYS pair SIL with 1904. To my nose, they are perfect for each other.

Challenge: Stacking! Pro-tip: Taking the caps off the splash and frags give a flatter surface to work with. Risk vs. reward, because WHEN the tower drops, splash will go everywhere.

Soap Theme Justification: Sea Ice Lime is mentholated, hence the word “Ice” in the name.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Limes all around!

frozen lather

June 15, 2024

• Brush: Yaqi - Evil Zebra - 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Personna - New Angle 70: BBS-0
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Mickey Lee Soapworks - Souq
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving - Spiced Splash
• Fragrance: Le Monde Gourmand – Chai Epice

First off, I was sent this tub of UnObTaNiUm by u/jwoods23 and (ironically) this tub immediately became the tub that is closest to dying in my den. I guess when it does, I can just fire up the Delorian, program the flux capacitor, and go back to when Mickey Lee was still slinging soap and stock up. Wouldn’t that be nice? To have the ability to KNOW the future. Sure, the easy answer is picking the winning lottery numbers, or betting on sporting events or stocks (bitcoin anyone?) but a sneaky good benefit would be knowing when your favorite shaving soap artisan is going to go out of business or will discontinue a scent. Sometimes we get a heads up something is going away, so we can stock up more stuff we’ll never use. And other times something just rides off into the sunset, never to be seen or heard from again. I have no idea which one MLS was because it was gone when I started wetshaving, but I wish we could still buy this magical creation.

Well, as nice as it would be to live go back in time and buy stonks of Souq, that isn’t possible yet. So, until that time comes, I’ll treasure and enjoy what little of it is left here and be grateful that my guy u/jwoods23 wanted to share it with someone. That being said, if anyone who has never tried it wants a smush, I’m happy to send a few out so others can experience the magic of this wonderful scent that will never exist again. There’s not a lot left in this tub, but I’ll share what I can.

The scent of Souq is a wonderful homage to the open-air markets (souqs) of Bahrain. The smell of sweet figs with spices galore. While it’s incredibly unique, pairing it with Spearhead’s Spiced seemed like the right idea. They seem to share a lot of the same spice notes – namely cinnamon and clove – and while Spiced isn’t as sweet smelling as Souq, the do complement each other nicely. To close out the shave, I brought the sweetness back with Le Monde Gourmand’s Chai Epice, which brings back the Fig note from Souq. As well as, musk, wood, and spices. If the soap was like walking in an open air market of Bahrain, the fragrance is like buying chai tea at that market and drinking it in the warm comfort of your own home, under a blanket. It’s more sweet, than it is spicy, and it rounds out the spice experience of today’s shave and a delicious finish. #FOF

Challenge: Sucks to have to waste good, limited soap on a dry shave, yet the judges say “dance monkeys dance” and I say “How high?”

When not doing Lather Games stunts, my lather is usually pretty balanced and hydrated to a nice, dripping sheen. Today, I kept it as dry and it was… Not the best shave. I mean, if every youtube shaver can shave like this daily, I can manage it for a day.

Soap Theme Justification: It’s the most emptiest tub I have. If this tub of Souq could talk…

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Spices Galore!

June 16, 2024

• Brush: Farvour Turncraft - Baby Blue Fordite - 26mm AP Shave Co Independent Synthetic
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE
• Lather: Taylor of Old Bond Street - Avocado Shaving Cream
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving – Heather Splash
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving – Heather EdT

11PM Update: IF ANYONE THOUGHT THE REIGNING CHAMPION WASN'T GOING TO SHAVE HIS LEGS, GO GET YOUR HEAD CHECKED. CHAMPIONS NEVER QUIT!!!!

So this morning, I posted the bullshit below about how I wasn't going to shave my legs today, something something revolution, blah, blah, blah.... And some of you fools actually bought it. That's what separates the winners from the ~~losers~~ not winners. I had a busy fucking day today, celebrating three different Father's Days, so I shaved my legs in the car, with my 3.5 yr old twins in the backseat, and my wife driving. Ensuring we following Rule 3.4 aka "The u/MrTangerinesky Rule"

CUE THE VIDEO

I forgot to take a before picture, so here's a screengrab of from the video. And here's the after: Hakuna MaFUCKINGtata indeed. Silky smooth. Oh, and leg shaving is no joke: GORE WARNING HERE'S MY BLEEDING LEGS. Maybe next time, I don't shave my legs in the car with an MMOC?

The Original SOTD Post below:

~~The judges think they're real funny doing a surprise leg shave day challenge on Father's Day. Real cute, guys. But you know what,~~ ~~for the first time in my Lather Games career, I'm skipping a challenge~~~~. I'm gonna bet on myself and not worry about the .2 points. And I suggest everyone else do the same. We need to send a message to the judges that we, the people, have power around here! Sure, the Lather Games wouldn't exist without these people who volunteer much of their time and get nothing in return.... BUT... The Lather Games also wouldn't exist without us, The Participants! And I'm tired and being pushed around by their challenges! And I'm not gonna take it anymore! If everyone joins me and skips this absurd challenge, no one gets an advantage and we ALL head into tomorrow without the .2 points for this challenge and we can pretend like it never happened. We need to take the power back! Now,~~ ~~WHO'S WITH ME~~~~?? VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!!~~

Now, on to the shave:

To celebrate Father’s Day, I’m shaving with TOBS, because that’s probably what my dad learned to shave with a bazillion years ago. I feel like TOBS is like the Sears and Roebuck of the wetshaving world and the year is 1995. At one point, they were the powerhouse of shaving and one of the only games in town… Then a little upstart or two comes along and TOBS isn’t worried. “We have our reputation and a big customer base,” they’ll arrogantly say. Then slowly their market share gets chipped away, bit by bit. Not enough to be worrisome at all, but just enough where executive think: “That’s weird. I guess it was a down year.”

But the next year is down too. And so is the next one. And your customer base start to (1) realize there are much better options out there and (2) they all start to die because they’re old. It wasn’t good for Sears and it can’t be good for TOBS. As we’ve learned, just because you’re a big company doesn’t mean you can’t fail (unless you’re a bank or car company) and I doubt King Charles will be bailing out Taylor of Old Bond St when they inevitably (hopefully) go under. There’s so much better stuff out there. We know it. And it’s only a matter of time before their customers find out about it too.

As far as the scents of the day go, TOBS Avocado is a “fresh fougere” according to TOBS’ website and while I don’t quite smell that, the soapmakers’ word is canon around these parts. To my nose, it almost smells a little cucumber and powdery. The scent is fine, but nothing to write home about. For my splash, we have Spearhead’s Heather splash and the matching EdT. While TOBS Avocado is a basic scented “fougere”, Heather a wonderfully complex scent that is perfect for any day of the week. It has fresh green notes, clean lavender, and bright bergamot. Wearing the scents of Heather took my scents of the day from meh to pretty damn good. #FOF

Challenge: ~~I’ve addressed this above.~~~~. Now, if only I had a suggestion for the judges on what they~~ ~~can do with those .2 points…~~ Champions never quit. Of course I shaved my legs. I wish I used a better soap than TOBS though.

Soap Theme Justification: TOBS has been around like a bazillion years.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Fougere on Fougere on Fougere.

June 17, 2024

• Brush: Declaration Grooming - Jefferson Thaw B16 - 28mm Artisan Tied Badger
• Razor: Wolfman WR2
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Catie’s Bubbes – Saturday Morning Soap
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face – Gemulietake Splash
• Fragrance: Gallagher Fragrances - Wicked Good EdT

To think there was a time when people thought there was no possible way vegan soaps could perform as good as tallow soaps. But, as humans, our history is riddled with bad predictions. Like that guy in the 1800s that said everything that can be invented has been invented, or those people who said the internet was just a fad, or that time u/OnionMiasma sent me a card proclaiming he would beat me in this year’s Lather Games. Bad prediction after bad prediction after bad prediction. (And yes, Mr. Miasma, I saved this card as bulletin board material for these Games. Little did I know you’d run away scared and become a judge this year.)

But fortunately for everyone, inventions continued to be invented, the internet is here to stay, u/OnionMiasma won’t be winning The Lather Games this year, AND Daddy Bubbles is a stubborn son of a bitch who built his business on making vegan soaps just to prove other people wrong... His words: "When I was trying to teach myself the basics behind making shaving soap (there was almost no publicly available information on it, was a very closely guarded secret til John from LASSCO and myself started sharing) there were two soapmakers in a Facebook Group that threw down the gauntlet saying that you can't make a good shaving soap without using animal fat. I took that as a challenge and I've never turned my back on that. Neither of them is involved with the industry anymore, yet here I am and there's plenty of other veggie based soapmakers now because of it." Source

Saturday Morning is one of the more fun scents that Catie’s Bubbles has, and if you know me, that means it had to be part of my den. Shaving with a soap that smells exactly like Fruit Loops always brings a smile to my face. The scent is spot on and is a joy to use. For my splash, I opted to the sweetest coffee scented splash I have: Gemulietake. Scented like cookies with coffee. Because if you’re having Fruit Loops for breakfast, why not down a cookie with your coffee afterwards? To close out another Gourmand #FOF, I used Wicked Good by Gallagher Fragrances and let me tell you: This is THE gourmand fragrance. It’s chocolate and vanilla and soooo sweet. Absolutely perfect for me and perfect for today’s sugary sweet shave.

Challenge: To the people complaining that knee lathering is impractical… Have you tried yoga?

A little peek behind the curtain: it took me like 6 tries to get that pic. I set my phone on a timer and for some reason, it wasn’t focusing. Maybe my phone was trying to help out and blur my face for me? Either way, a serious lack of hydration with that lather. Had to work in a lot more water to be usable.

Soap Theme Justification: Catie’s Bubbles makes Vegan soaps.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Sugar rush shave! Sugary cereal soap. Cookies & coffee splash. And chocolate and vanilla frag.

June 18, 2024

• Brush: TerraFirma Soapery - Deep Blue Spalted Shave Handle - 28mm Oumo Best 3 Color Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Blue Tip SuperSpeed
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Central Texas Soaps - Padre Island Soap
• Post Shave: Central Texas Soaps - Padre Island Splash
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co - South Padre EdT

Gone, but not forgotten. Today, we pour one out for the soapers gone by, and that includes Central Texas Soaps… However, does anyone really know what happened to CTS? Well, gather round, for I shall tell you the truth of what happened to Central Texas Soaps.

Richard "Big Tex" Johnson, made his money as an importer/exporter. He imported mandarins, and exported diapers. But his true passion was being a shaving soap artisan and crafting scents as a creative outlet… And to make a little money on the side. He strived to create a shaving experience so smooth, it'd make a rattlesnake envious and scents that would make an armadillo say “OOOOOOOOooooo”.

To celebrate a particularly lucrative quarter of imports/exports, Big Tex decided on a team-building retreat. They packed their truck with coolers full of Shiner Bock and enough mandarins to feed all the longhorns in Texas. You may be asking if longhorns eat mandarins, and to that I say, “Mind your business.” Destination: Padre Island, the sandy paradise where the only worry was sunburn.

Now, Big Tex wasn't exactly known for meticulous planning. He didn’t trust GPS, maps were more like suggestions, and, of course, asking for directions was out of the question. He traveled using his compass, the placement of the sun, and his famous gut-feel. So, naturally, they ended up lost on a deserted stretch of beach, miles from civilization. Their convoy of pick-ups got stuck in the sand and being so far away from civilization their phones were as useful as a cactus hat in a downpour, and the batteries died faster than a jackrabbit chased by a coyote.

They were stranded with trucks full of mandarins. They had enough mandarins to eat for weeks, but morale was plummeting and Big Tex needed something to make the crew feel better. Day turned into night. And nights turned into weeks. Big Tex, ever the people-pleaser, decided it would be best to use his time to craft a new scent to bring happiness to the group, instead of trying to get rescued. He took inspiration from his current experience. Rather than eat the mandarins, he used them all to create a citrus accord. He blended that with the sand from the beach, as well as some salt water to capture the essence of the ocean mist, he created what would become known as “Padre Island” – the scent I shaved with today.

News of their predicament finally reached civilization, thanks to a seagull who snagged Big Tex's cowboy hat and used it as a nest. A rescue crew arrived, but it was too late. The only thing that was left was a bottle of Padre Island Fragrance Oil and a note that said “Make it happen”. The rescue crew knew just what to do. They released Padre Island because that’s what Big Tex would have wanted.

Central Texas Soaps is no more. But we can always remember the Padre Island fiasco thanks to Big Tex and his dedication to creating fragrances, even though some “survival experts” suggest he maybe should have eaten the mandarins for survival, instead of creating a fragrance with them. But who knows if you can actually trust those experts. I, for one appreciate Big Tex’s dedication and the final scent he ever created.

For my fragrance of the day is South Padre EdT by Stirling and it is the perfect #FOF to use with Padre Island. They are both based on the scents of the beaches of South Padre Island in Texas. Stirling’s is a little bit more complex, adding in some lavender and slight floral notes, but both have me feeling (and smelling) like I’m laying on the beach, soaking in the rays, while reading a book and listening to the waves crash into the sandy beach.

Challenge: I gotta be honest, guys. I’m kinda over shitting on w_e. Each sub has their own energy, users, and each serves a purpose. I feel like a lot of people on r/wetshaving think they’re better than w_e. But that’s not the case. Things are just different over there.

Just because it’s a disorganized mess, and their users can (and do) post whatever random thought enters their mind, it doesn’t mean it’s bad - it’s just different. Both can exist and we don't need to make fun of them.

And just because one of their mods had a shitty experience with Razor Emporium and then suspiciously removed RE from their do not buy list right after RE sent him free shaving soap, it doesn’t mean there is anything amiss over there.

We do our thing and they do their thing. One approach is not inherently bad. It just depends on what every user prefers. I started at w_e, and found I prefer things at r/wetshaving. Do I think I’m better than everyone over there? Well…. No. Perhaps I’m just a bit more enlightened?

As I think about it, maybe we’re not so different after all….

Soap Theme Justification: Central Texas Soaps no longer exists.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Padre 3 times!

June 19, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Gold/Blue/Black - 26mm Mags SHD Badger
• Razor: Blackland – Era – Plate 4OC
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - King of Bourbon Soap
• Post Shave: Stubble Buster – Evocative Splash
• Fragrance: Joop – Joop! EdT

Finally! A new lather games theme that doesn’t start with the sentence “Shave with a soap that prominently features XYZ scent note…” It's about time! A lot of the daily themes can get worn out year after year after year after year. Redoing the same themes and challenges can get a bit tired, so I'm grateful the organizers included this theme since (1) Juneteenth is an important day in US History and its recognition is long past due (2) it's something new to post about instead of another description of sandalwood (3) the distinction of US geography adds in a different/strategic element to building your Lather Games calendar.

If anyone out there has objections to the inclusion of Juneteenth because it's "political", I'd love for you to explain how celebrating the freeing of slaves in the United States is political. Recognizing, and learning from, US History is important for everyone.

Shitposting about Juneteenth doesn't seem right, so I’ll take a moment to explain why Juneteenth exists: Picture this: It's 1865, and the Civil War has ended. President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had declared slaves in Confederate states free two years earlier, but Texas, being Texas, ignored the memo. So, for those still enslaved in the Lone Star State, life hadn't changed much. Enter Major General Gordon Granger, who rolled into Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, and dropped the freedom bombshell with General Order No. 3. This marked the true end of slavery in the United States. I think that is a BFD, and should be recognized and celebrated.

For my #FOF, the scent of King of Bourbon is mostly vanilla to my nose. It’s not too sweet, as there is also Ginger, Tobacco, and some earthy Cypriol and Vetiver to balance the scent. It’s very nice. For my splash, I stuck with the vanilla theme with Evocative, which is a dupe of Joop. The scent profile was a perfect complement to King of Bourbon, adding layers of complexity with hints of spicy herbs, sweet cinnamon, and vanilla. And of course, it made sense that I used the real deal for today’s fragrance. I’ve always enjoyed Joop. It’s sweet vanilla, cinnamon, and a hint of tonka bean. For me, it’s an absolutely delicious spicy vanilla bomb. Sure, at this point, it’s dated. But it was literally the first fragrance I ever bought in my life, when I was in high school, so spraying this on immediately takes my memories back to the carefree days of the 1990s. I just need to frost my tips and I’m good to go!

Challenge: Memes! I fully recognized I peaked in Meme Day posts in 2023, and no, I don’t have a soap to get released today. Instead, I decided to do what other competitors may be too afraid to do. I’m memeing each one of our Lather Games judges. That’s right. Every judge gets a meme!

u/Djundjila gets a meme!

u/DoctorRotor gets a meme!

u/FrankieIVFingers gets a meme!

u/J33pGuy13 gets a meme!

u/OnionMiasma gets two memes to represent his 2nd place finish last year!

u/PutneyCJ gets a meme!

u/RedMosquitoMM gets a meme!

u/ShavinginCT gets a meme!

u/VisceralWatch gets a meme!

u/wallygator88 gets a meme!

Please don’t DQ me.

Soap Theme Justification: Wholly Kaw is made in New Jersey, which is a Northern State.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Vanilla all around

OP says he didn't shitpost. Memes are good tho'

OP rides the fine high-low line of thoughtfully explaining the history of Juneteenth while also elevating the meme challenge form.

June 20, 2024

• Brush: Yaqi – 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Personna - New Angle 70: BBS-0
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Zingari Man – The Watchman Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann – Waves Splash
• Fragrance: Gallagher Fragrances – Amongst Waves EdP

Shaving outside again and the neighbors think I’m nuts… Again... I can only imagine what they think when they drive by or look out their window and see a grown ass man doing shit like this. “Last week, Priusaurus was shaving and mowing the lawn, now today he’s in a kiddie pool, with an inflatable Triceratops that shoots water out of its head, shaving his face. Is he okay? Who do we call for this?”

Well, neighbors, it’s The Lather Games, and I have a trophy that I’m not ready to give up yet! And you’re goddamn right I’m doing this in the front yard! That way everyone in the neighborhood can witness what Lather Games Greatness is all about!

Sidenote: You think it’s a coincidence there’s a rainbow in this picture of my shaving spot? It’s gotta be to symbolize my pot of gold at the end of the month, right?

Here’s the video to witness this 2-pass ridiculousness of a shave for yourself. I sped up the shave for the viewing pleasure of whichever lucky judge gets this one.

If I’m being honest, not the best shave, but I managed to complete my standard two pass shave in my front yard. My triceratops sprinkler friend seemed to be happy spraying lather off my face faster than I could put it on. The good news is, the lather was super hydrated and nice and dripping, so we know I ain’t tripping. Also kinda funny that about halfway through the shave, my phone got so wet that I didn’t need to use anything to sensor my face. Made editing this whole hell of a lot easier. It maybe also hurt the video quality, but we do these things in one take. I had no idea until I watched the video back. C’est la vie. That’s the way The Lather Games be sometimes.

For the #FOF thing, the scent of The Watchman is so very good. I’m generally not the biggest fans of aquatic scents, but this one is wonderfully complex that is absolutely delightful. Maybe it was because my Triceratops friend was relentlessly spraying water in my face, but it really felt like I was really shaving in stormy air and dark seas and I’m sure the scent of the Watchman absolutely helped. I wish I had a lighthouse Watchman to rescue me from the onslaught of water I was experiencing. The Waves splash was like a dive into the ocean, with a more fresh, aquatic scent - it has a very enjoyable floral vibe to me and it smells almost sweet. It’s the perfect follow-up to the soap, creating a seamless transition to that keep the marine vibe going strong. And finally, Gallagher Fragrance’s Amongst Waves kept me right on the seaside with a nice crisp, fruity aquatic. The fragrance is sweeter than the splash, so we’ve been increasing the level of sweet with each product today. Amongst Waves certainly captures the essence of the ocean, but adds in Green Apple, Honeydew, and Lime, making it an aquatic like I’ve never experienced before. Very fun fragrance, and perfect for when you are getting sprayed in the face by an inflatable dinosaur friend. This trio of products (and the dinosaur) all combined to form an absolutely aquatic shaving experience, perfect for the summertime. From the soap to the final fragrance, each step enhanced the feeling of being one with the ocean, even if I’m just sitting in a kiddie pool, in my front yard, getting my face blasted with water from an inflatable Triceratops. Here’s to enjoying the summer, one shave at a time!

Challenge: Obviously.

Soap Theme Justification: “Prominently feature aquatic or citrus accords”: Consider it done. The Watchman is one of the best aquatic scents I know of. From Zingari Man: “The sea air, alive with electricity, feels almost a part of him. The water, the salt, the fresh life of the ocean, the almost sweet warmth of the lighthouse lamp, he wears them like cologne. And so too may you with this aquatic fragrance named for such a man as him: The Watchman.” Reads almost like a J. Peterman Catalog entry, doesn’t it? But hell yeah, it’s aquatic.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Aquatics all around. Waves on Waves.

https://youtu.be/sZS7NAzCdWU

Guy shaved in kiddie pool

https://youtu.be/sZS7NAzCdWU

Guy shaved in kiddie pool

June 21, 2024

• Brush: Zenith - B16 - 24mm Boar
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Barrister and Mann – Passiflora Soap
• Post Shave: Maol Grooming – Wilde Flowers Splash
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Passiflora EdT

Passiflora’s a scent quite divine,

From Barrister and Mann, so fine.

With notes of fresh green,

It’s fragrance serene,

In my shave den, it surely does shine.

.

There's passionfruit mingled with grace,

A hint of sweet florals in place.

A fougere as its base,

It's a scent that will chase

Any worries right out of your space.

.

Each lather brings forth a bouquet,

Transporting you far, far away.

To meadows and streams,

Where the morning sun beams,

In a wonderful, fragrant display.

.

The splash, it's a perfect accord,

With Wilde Flowers that can't be ignored.

It soothes and it charms,

After shave, no alarms,

Just a skin that’s refreshed and restored.

.

Then the EdT gives a last touch,

A fragrance that’s never too much.

It lingers and plays,

Through the rest of your days,

With a scent you’ll grow fond of, and such.

.

Passiflora, a joy to behold,

In each product, its story is told.

A fougere delight,

From morning to night,

It’s a scent that’s pure #FOF gold.

Challenge:

Priusaurus returned with a cheer

Playing Lather Games with no fear

Make limericks all day

Been planning since May

Keeping the trophy for another year

Soap Theme Justification: “Passiflora is an elegant, sophisticated, spicy fougère” – Will Carius

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Lavender & Geranium across the board

June 22, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts X John Butcher - "Mark" - 24mm APShave Co Cashmere Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Aristocrat Adjustable
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Southern Witchcrafts – Samhain Soap
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Samhain Splash
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts – Samhain EdP

The judges know it’s not pumpkin season, right? So I guess I better carve a the pumpkin of the Summer: A watermelon! I was so excited to carve the little bastard with my kids I completely forgot to take a before picture, so you all are going to have to trust me that I didn’t buy a watermelon that was pre-carved.

Anyway, we carved up a watermelon, and set him up with my gear for a SOTD pic but then I realized he wasn’t quite camera ready. He’s looking a little scraggly. I can’t have my new friend looking not his best in pictures. And it didn’t seem right that I be the only one to shave around here. Let’s clean him up a bit, shall we? You guys know the drill. First comes the lather. Let’s pause for a quick picture to commemorate the occasion. My little melon’s first shave! They grow up so fast. Now, let’s clean you up, buddy. I gave him a BWS shave, wiped him down, and bingo! He looks about 10 years younger, doesn’t he?

A little behind the scenes: This was a fun challenge, judges. My kids had a blast with this one. However, my wife’s sister is visiting from out of town and staying with us while she’s here. Having to explain to her why we bought a watermelon only to scoop out the melon, and carve it up, slather lather all over it, and then shave it was an interesting conversation. She went along with it, but I’m pretty sure she thinks (figured out?) I’m a crazy person. Kitchen shaving with her around tomorrow is gonna be interesting…

Now, on to the #FOF:

In my humble opinion, there is no better Autumn Scent than Samhain. It actually ~~may be~~ is one of my favorite scents in wetshaving, so I’m using a trickhole of it today because it’s the best. It’s warm and inviting, a little gourmand, but still balanced enough for anyone to wear out for any occasion. Not all SW scents may be for me, but the ones that are for me, are phenomenal.

Using Samhain is like stepping outside on a fall morning, where the air is crisp with the aroma of fallen leaves and autumn traditions. Its warm scent envelops me in a wonderful sensory embrace, weaving a story that lingers long after the first whiff. The fragrance opens with the inviting sweetness of spiced pumpkin and nutmeg, reminiscent of a freshly baked pumpkin pie. This initial burst of warmth and comfort is quickly accompanied by the rich notes of bourbon and a hint of tobacco.

As the scent continues to develop, it reveals layers of complexity, reminding me of the scents I would smell trick or treating in New England or attending Harvest Festivals in the fall. Notes of sandalwood, incense, and amber reveal the spirit of a New England harvest festival and I can almost hear the leaves crunching under my feet as I stroll in the cool breeze and listen to kids running and playing. To put a finishing touch on the whole experience, there’s smoky allure of burning embers and aged woods, that transport me to a cozy bonfire under a starlit sky. It's the final whisper of one of my favorite times of year that brings this fall-time shave experience together, leaving me with a sense of both enchantment and nostalgia.

For me, Samhain is more than just a fragrance; it's a journey back through back to the autumns of my childhood – and one I hope my recreate for my kids as they get older. It's a perfect blend of pumpkin and spices, with the crisp whispers of fall leaves, and it absolutely create a captivating symphony for the senses. This scent is Autumn in a bottle.

Challenge: Obviously.

Soap Theme Justification: From SW: “Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the ‘darker half’ of the year.” It is celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Trickhole.

June 23, 2024

• Brush: Priusauruswood Botcrafts – LatherMaster3001
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory – Cakehole Soap
• Post Shave: Talent Soap Factory – Cakehole Splash
• Fragrance: Le Monde Gourmand - Crème Vanille EdP

Finally! It’s shave in a kitchen day. Some people may remember last year, I duct taped a shaving brush to the dough hook of my Kitchen Aid mixer and a Legendary Lather ensued. This year, I went back to the drawing board. If this was Version 1.0, I knew there were many improvements that needed be made.

For the sake of brevity, I won’t take you through ALL the steps. But the long and short of it is: I learned how to create 3D models in Autodesk Fusion 360, figured out how to copy the exact measurements of the base of the dough hook to fit on my mixer, added some design elements, and literally 19 iterations later: This model of a Kitchen-Aid Shave Brush Attachment was born. Yes, there were 18 versions before finalizing on the design of this one. I created everything about it from scratch. No downloading other people’s models. This was 100% designed and created be me. Some changes between iterations were small details, like rounding where the mixer pin sits in the handle and other changes included the overall height, or the depth of the ferrule, or the depth of the lettering. The overall look and feel was modeled after the Amazon Blue Origin Rocket and I picked a silver filament and a black knot to compliment the Kitchen-Aid Mixer. Finally, it was time to print and each time I printed a test one, it took approximately 8 hours to print. And I printed quite a few before landing on this one. I’ve had this final prototype – The Priusauruswood Botcrafts LatherMaster3001 - ready since late May, and it has yet to make a lather. I was waiting for today: Shave in a kitchen day.

Now that I’ve done all the preparation I could. I took a scoop of soap, stuck it to the bottom of the bowl soaked the brush for a minute, attached it to the mixer, verified that we’re go for launch.

And…

It worked way better than I could have ever imagined! The handle and knot stayed secure, the mixer did its job, and The LatherMaster3001 is now ready for preorders!

With last year’s Version 1.0, I couldn’t set the mixer above Setting 4 before the duct-taped handle would come loose and the brush would fly off. With this bad boy, I could push that bitch to the limit! At the end, I had it on 10 and wished the mixer could go up to 11. I got a beautiful slick and shiny lather and was ready to shave!

I obviously used the lather right then and there and proceeded to shave in the kitchen. Would have been a pain the ass to lug that mixing bowl to the upstairs bathroom anyway.

Oh, and my wife’s sister is staying with us, so she witnessed this entire production as well as yesterday’s watermelon carving/shave. There’s no coming back from this, boys and girls.

Onto the #FOF:

What can I say about a soap and splash that smells exactly like a rich, buttery cake that’s fresh out of the oven and getting frosted? This experience was smelled delicious from beginning to end. When making the lather in the mixer, the delicious scent of cake immediately wafted up into my nose, and then immediately slathering that lather all over my face and shaving in the kitchen was perfect. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed my wife was baking a cake as I shaved. Now, I knew that was impossible because the mixer was otherwise occupied, but that’s how spot on this scent is. I honestly don’t love the splash, to me the scent of the alcohol overwhelms the sweet scent of cake. Once the alcohol dissipates, it does smell delicious though. And my daughter took a big whiff of my face and said, “Daddy, you smell YUMMY!!!!” I’ll take that every day of the week. I absolutely understand that this set is not gonna be for everyone, but it’s perfect for a fun shave or for a day dedicated to gourmands. The Crème Vanille fragrance was honestly a little disappointing. For some reason, the perfumer put notes of Jasmine in the fragrance, probably to “balance” the fragrance or something. Whatever. I was expecting a straight up vanilla onslaught, and this wasn’t it. On the dry-down, it became a lot more of what I was hoping for – a warm sweet amber fragrance. In hindsight, I wish I used a different fragrance today because the goal was to solely have a scent-notes for diabetes. But that’s on me. I didn’t read the scent notes since I set up my calendar a month ago so the jasmine caught me off guard today. I guess this is why we buy samples and try new things!

Challenge: See above. Short answer: Yes.

Soap Theme Justification: Dare you question The Gourmand King on Gourmand Day?

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Sweet and Vanilla for everything!

Player 3D printed Kitchen Aid attachment brush to bowl lather in the kitchen

June 24, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Gold/Blue/Black - 26mm Mags SHD Badger
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Noble Otter - Orbit Soap
• Post Shave: Elysian Soap Co – Shaved Ice Splash
• Fragrance: Kenneth Cole – Mankind Rise EdT

From Merriam-Webster (the dictionary people):

Exclusive (ik-ˈsklü-siv) adj. 1 a: excluding or having power to exclude; b: limiting or limited to possession, control, or use by a single individual or group. 2 a: excluding others from participation; b: snobbishly aloof

On a day to celebrate community, togetherness, and gifting things to each other, here the judges go sowing division amongst wetshavers everywhere. Now, I am fully aware when I get into Lather Games mode, I can come across as brash, arrogant, insufferable, intolerable, egotistical, pompous, conceited, braggadocious, smug, and possibly a tiny bit self-important. I think self-awareness is key to life, and I am nothing, if not self-aware. I am not going to be everyone’s cup of mountain dew during the Lather Games. I get that. However, today, I hope r/wetshaving realizes that I will, once again, be the one who stands up for what is right. I’ll be the one to take the heat. The one who is critical of the judges, on the behalf of the little shavers everywhere who have never won the Lather Games but are trying their best out there.

Why the desire for sub-exclusives? Why do we want to exclude others from the certain joy that comes with a carefully crafted scent? Is our hobby not niche enough that we need to separate ourselves into “us” and “them”? Those who belong and those who don’t? Why can’t we be inclusive, instead of exclusive?

Has anyone out there ever been excluded from something? Whether you weren’t invited to a party? Or didn’t make the school basketball team? Or not being able to buy bomb-ass scented products because you didn’t know r/wetshaving existed? Now, I’ve never personally experienced anything like that, but I’m sure it isn’t a good feeling. So today, I propose we do away with sub-exclusives! First, we exclude people because they aren’t part of our little shave group, then what other reasons are we giving for excluding people? Dare I speculate?? Excluding people because they aren’t part of “my group” is wrong and it’s a slippery, slippery slope and I won’t stand for it!

So today, I’m speaking up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. We need to include people, not exclude them! Lest we forget:

First, they excluded r/wicked_edge, and I did not speak out - Because I was not a member of r/wicked_edge.
Then, then they excluded Shave Dad, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a member of Shave Dad.
Then they excluded The Brotherhood of The Holy Black, and I did not speak out – Because I didn’t get tattoos of a shaving brand tattooed on my body.
Then they excluded r/wetshaving – and there was no one left to speak for me.

So, join me, in saying: We’re done with sub-exclusives and we’re moving forward together with sub-inclusives! Who's with me!!!???!!!???

Now, I must get off my soapbox and onto my grooming routine: First off, thanks to u/Tetriside for this smush of Orbit. Orbit is designed to remind its users of clean, cool, outer space. I love a lot of what Noble Otter makes, but Orbit didn’t really do it for me. Instead of making me feel like Matt Damon in The Martian, it honestly just kinda reminded me of the dish of potpourri my mom kept in our house when I was a kid. It’s probably the Eucalyptus and Rose notes, but it did not scream outer space to me. Granted, I’m not an astronaut and admitted don’t know what space smells like, but I’m guessing there’s no Eucalyptus there. No surprise, it’s performed wonderfully and the cooling agent gave it a refreshing kick - but the scent wasn’t for me. It’s probably because it just doesn’t remind me of space at all. I used Elysian’s Shaved Ice Splash because is mentholated and shares Eucalyptus as a scent note. Quite honestly the scent of Shaved Ice smells more like clean, cool outer space than Orbit does. The splash is minty, fresh, clean and… Out of this world! (sorry, I had to). My fragrance was Kenneth Cole’s Mankind Rise. From the first spray, I immediate got a whiff of eucalyptus to tie the whole experience together, then the rest of the fragrance was like my interstellar space ship landed in a forest. It’s a woody aromatic scent that’s not bad, but not really something that is especially unique either. It’s fine, but nothing special I like the fragrance to be the special scent to carry me through the day, and this just kinda was there. Overall, while the scents of today didn’t bring me my favorite shave this month, a galaxy away from the worst. #FOF

Oh, and if Summer Break Soaps and Southern Witchcrafts ever do a combined-sub-exclusive-dual-release of a fragrance that share all the same exact scent notes, but the two scents are each unique to their brand/vision/style, please disregard everything I said in the first half of my SOTD and sign me up for a set of each. I think u/rocket455 may have mentioned that at some point? Or maybe is was u/phteven_j? I don’t know… Maybe I dreamt it? But I would love for it to happen.

Soap Theme Justification: Tetriside was so kind to send this to me.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Eucalyptus in everything. Bonus Eucalyptus fun fact: Eucalyptus is the only thing that Koalas eat. Everyone knows that. But did you know that they will also only eat the leaves off the branch. If Eucalyptus is on a plate or in a bowl, a koala won't recognize the only food they eat as food. It has to be coming directly from the branch or they won’t touch it.

June 25, 2024

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - Gold/Blue/Black - 26mm Mags SHD Badger
• Razor: Rockwell 6s
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Macduff’s Soap Co - Santa’s Cheer Soap
• Post Shave: Macduff’s Soap Co - Santa’s Cheer Splash
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Rumble EdP

Anyone that knows me, will not be surprised I really enjoy the scent of Santa’s Cheer. It’s a rich, warm, boozy eggnog scent. It’s a sweet, spicy gourmand that is absolutely perfect for Christmas in July, but in June. A scent like this won’t be for everyone, but it is for me. It reminds me of the Christmas Eve parties my family would have when I was a kid. The anticipation of Santa Claus bringing me presents in a few short hours, the twinkling of the lights, and scent of eggnog and Christmas trees fill the room. Ahhh… That is Christmas. A scent like that can make it feel like Christmas, even on the hottest June day. But wait. There’s no scent of Christmas trees in this scent – this is a delicious spiked eggnog and Christmas needs a Christmas Tree! Shaving with this alone is just missing something…

So… Let’s do the only logical thing: Go shave in a pine tree! I wandered around the wilderness (my front yard) for what seemed like hours until I found the perfect shaving tree. There she is, my shaving spot for the day. I made extra sure not to get even a drip of lather on the ground, for I’m now concerned about the carbon emissions of my outdoor shaves, thanks to u/MudAccording.

Of course, I made a quick video because obviously.

Adding the real-life-in-person-scent of the white pine tree in my yard was the cherry on top of an already delicious Christmas Sundae. Santa’s Cheer is sweet and deliciously boozy. To top off this yuletide shaving experience, I’m using House of Mammoth’s Rumble. I love this scent so much. Rumble is also a warm, boozy fragrance that is probably considered gourmand-adjacent. It’s sophisticated, bold, and perfectly wearable. It’s definitely a cold weather scent to my nose. The notes of chocolate, rum, and coffee played off the spiked eggnog from the soap and splash. Then there are notes of vetiver, labdanum, and woods that keep the fragrance from being too sweet and making it a wonderful fragrance for when you don’t want a little sweet, but not smell like a chocolate shop. With a combination like this, I am ready for Christmas in July, but in June. This is something that Santa would absolutely wear on his way to deliver shaving gear to all the good shavers and shavettes out there. #FOF

Challenge: I wore a Santa hat and made a video just in case you wouldn’t believe me. I’m disappointed in the lack of Santa hats I’ve seen thus far today.

Soap Theme Justification: Doesn’t get more Christmas than Santa’s Cheer!

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Rum and Chocolate of Rumble pairs spectacularly with Santa’s Cheer.

June 26, 2024

• Brush: My hands
• Razor: Target disposable razor
• Blade: Whatever the hell in already in there
• Lather: Pace – Nacho Cheese Sauce, Medium
• Post Shave: Mountain Dew – Soft Drink
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps – Remote Learning EdP

Of all the things I did last Lather Games, getting u/rocketk455 to release Remote Learning may be my favorite. It started as a ridiculous question in my interview series, “How many people will it take for you to release Remote Learning?” and I 100% expected him to make a joke of my question. Then gave a real answer - 10! And several days before I published the interview, I double checked with him. Was he sure I could run with this? I was willing to pretend like it never happened now that he’s had a couple days to think on it. And once again, to my surprise, he said yes. I posted the interview, and a stand-alone post for the set, and the rest, as they say, is history.

So, for my Wildcard Wednesday shave, I want to honor the origins of Remote Learning. By shaving with Nacho Cheese Sauce and using Mountain Dew as my splash. Of course, there’s only one Remote Learning, so I finished off the shave with my lifetime supply of Remote Learning Frag. I think this is the 3rd time have sprayed it on myself…. And….

Here’s the video

All in all, it was better than I thought it was gonna be. The smell of the Pace Nacho Cheese was not good. Admittedly, I bought it at the dollar store, so I’m guessing they don’t stock the high-quality stuff, but it was slick enough and provided a nice protective barrier for the Target Disposable Razor. The scent did bring me back to my high school and college days when I would eat the worst foods imaginable with zero consequence or regard to the nutritional aspects of food. The Dew Splash was sticky and sweet, but I’m pretty sure all the sugar acts like an astringent to tighten the skin and seal up any micro cuts that occurred from the shave. The lemon and lime were invigorating, packing a nice caffeinated punch to close out the shave, although the carbonation damn near killed me when I got some up my nose while pouring it on my face. Hand to God, the Nacho Cheese of the frag smelled better than the Nacho Cheese Sauce. My wife did not approve of the scent combination and kindly requested I shower before going to bed. I, of course, obliged. All-in-all, this fragrance combination evoked the pleasant memory of a sticky movie theater floor, covered with Nacho Cheese Sauce and Mountain Dew, and allowed me to reminisce about years gone past and the fleeting nature of youth. This shave gave me a moment to reflect on the limited time any of us have on this planet called Earth. #FOF

Challenge: Cleaning brushes? They get cleaned when I put soap on them daily, right? I don’t have a brush cleaning routine. I’ve never cleaned a brush. Does that make me gross?

Soap Theme Justification: If someone else uses Pace Nacho Cheese Sauce, Medium before me, I’m gonna be pissed.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: It’s Remote Learning, come to life. Then finishing with the EdP from Summer Break Soaps

User shaves with the real version of "Remote Learning" - nacho cheese sauce and mountain dew for splash.

User shaves with the real version of "Remote Learning" - nacho cheese sauce and mountain dew for splash.

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.

June 28, 2024

• Brush: Assured for Men – 18MM Terrible Dollar Store Brush #RUNT
• Razor: Assured for Men – Terrible Dollar Store Razor
• Blade: Shark – Super Stainless
• Lather: Free Soap Collective - L'Air du Panache Soap
• Post Shave: XtraCare – Fresh Scent After Shave Splash
• Fragrance: Bod Man – Really Ripped Abs Eau de Whatever

Let’s go down the list bit by bit today:

Soap: $0.00 - Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. And my friends, today, I feel like the luckiest man on the sub. A couple months ago, I won a PIF from u/jwood23 and it included two soaps from The Free Soap Collective (FSC). Basically, this dude named Max created a very successful video game franchise, and (I’m assuming) did pretty well for himself, so now he makes shave soaps to give away as a hobby on the side. This all happens in a Facebook group called The Shave Market, which I requested to join when I found out about this, but they (sadly) did not approve my request to join. No clue why, but I’m clearly not what they’re looking for in a member. If anyone has an in, please put in a good word for me. ANYWAYS… He never charges for the soap and built this whole “company” called “Free Soap Collective”. Bingo, bango, bongo, the MSRP is $0.00. Saving money babeeeey! I made sure I checked with the Lather Games Rules Liaison prior to using this today because I don’t want to get DQed on a Day 28 technicality, and we’re good to use this today! And FSC makes good stuff – even Ben thinks so! L'Air du Panache is supposed to smell like the Grand Budapest Hotel, but I get spices on top of a base of vetiver and sandalwood. I think. I don't know. They won't let me in their group to ask them. The scent isn't really something I'd typically buy, but it nicely done and enjoyable to use. I wish I could say it evokes the memory of the time I went to Budapest, the only time I was in Budapest, I was staying in a hostel with a naked guy sleeping on the bunk below mine. Not exactly Grand.

I’m still using the ~~worst~~ least expensive of everything else I own. Last year on Frugal Friday, everything I used was from Dollar Tree/Dollar General.

Brush: $1.25 - Okay. I’m not gonna try to bullshit anyone this year. The brush sucks. It costs $1.25 and is awful. In preparation for today I tried all the tricks to break a brush in: Scruffing it on a towel, soaking it in salt water overnight, scrubbing it on a brick wall, and leaving lather in it for days on end. Hell, I even oiled it up, tied a string around it and put in under my mattress for a few days. I’ve tried it all. And you know what? It still sucks. There are just some things you shouldn’t buy at Dollar Tree and shaving brushes is one of them (another is nacho cheese sauce). I think this thing could also double as a scouring brush.

Razor: $1.25 Also not good. With a decentish blade in there it’s not TOO bad, but it’s no Wolfie, that’s for sure.

Blade: $.07 I had to do a lot of math for this one to calculate the price per blade for every brand I have. The cheapest is this Shark Super Stainless one. Meh. I tend not to be too picky when it comes to blades. Sure, I have my favorites, but I can get a good shave from pretty much anything.

Post-Shave: $1.25 I remember the splash being a pleasant surprise last year and this year, it’s the same. The scent is generic, but inoffensive. The nice thing about aftershave splashes is that they can be ridiculously simple and still be nice… And XtraCare proves that!

Fragrance: $4.50 for 100ml Bod Man: America’s #1 Men’s Fine Fragrance Brand. I got this 100 ml bottle from Dollar General, but if you buy one of their “full size” bottles the trigger and atomizer are literally the same as a bottle of Windex. Really Ripped Abs, smells like a gym locker room mixed with a can of cheap energy drink, and it is perfect for those who want to make an unforgettable impression—just not necessarily a good one. BodMan ensures you won't break the bank while breaking nearby nostrils with its overpowering aroma. It's almost as if someone thought, "What if we bottled the essence of overly confident teenagers at a discount price?" If you're looking for a cologne that screams "I bought this with my allowance," look no further than Bod Man Really Ripped Abs. #FOF

Challenge: Today’s shave proves you don’t need to invest a lot into wetshaving to get a ~~nice~~ shaving experience. I love saving money, so I feel ecstatic that I saved so many American Freedom Dollars on this shave. On a per shave basis, this shave cost pennies.

Soap Theme Justification: The soap is from an entity called Free Soap Collective. The MSRP is $0.00. Is that enough for you??

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Everything is the cheapest thing in my den AND everything comes in a blue container!

But you could have just used your hands and saved $1.25

June 29, 2024

• Brush: Declaration Grooming - Jefferson Thaw B16 - 28mm Artisan Tied Badger
• Razor: Wolfman - WR2 1.15 w/WRH2
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Vanilla Sandalwood Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Vanilla Sandalwood Splash
• Fragrance: Tumi - Kinetic [--:-- GMT] EdP

^(If) I did it.

Is anyone here able to pinpoint one moment when their world almost came crumbling down? One moment where you realized that from that point on, nothing could ever possibly be the same? One moment, where you were accused of something so absolutely horrific, and you feared your good name and reputation that is beyond reproach may have been forever sullied?

We'll folks, I can tell you exactly when that moment was for me. It happened yesterday at 4:50PM EST. It was when u/Enndeegee pointed out to the world that I have hands. Big beautiful hands, that can both hold a shaving brush AND slather ~~lather~~ Nacho Cheese Sauce all over my face.

And because I used my big beautiful hands to lather on Wildcare Wednesday, Mr. Scrub, u/Enndeegee brought forth the accusation that could alter the very fabric of these Lather Games. An accusation so bold, it made all of r/wetshaving, stop and begin to wonder if I am a legitimate Champion or an I someone that plays fast and loose with the rules. You know the type of person he means, right? The type of person who would remove a vendor from a DNB list in exchange for free soap. Last year’s first runner-up, u/OnionMiasma, even called for me to have my title vacated and for me to give up my 2023 prize. As an act of defiance, I am using my 2023 prize brush today. These are incredibly serious accusations and something that no one should take lightly.

You see, I entered my hands as my brush for my SOTD markdown on Wildcard Wednesday, and since I didn’t pay money for my hands, he maintains they automatically became my least expensive “brush” in my den, and as such, I needed to use my hands as a brush for yesterday’s frugal shave to earn the Special Challenge’s .5 bonus points. But I didn’t. I used a brush from Dollar Tree that cost $1.25. And I can see how a simpleton like NDG would say something like that. And we all know that u/Enndeegee can’t spell, but I didn’t know he couldn’t read either. The rules to Frugal Friday clearly state: “Products obtained at a discount or for free should use their everyday price for this calculation rather than their discounted price.”

Sure, I didn’t pay money for these beautiful hands, but the fact I obtained them for free does not factor into The Frugal Friday Rules. Their everyday price is what matters. And I challenge anyone, anyone at all, to procure a set of hands like mine for less than the $1.25 I paid for my Dollar Tree brush. Do you want to know the actual value of hands? Well, I could just throw out any number, but I’ll let the lawyers at Parker Waichman LLP tell you: The USA National Average is $144,930 per hand. And remember, I entered both hands as part of my den, so we’re looking at a value of $289,860.

So, Mr. Scrub, please enlighten me: Which value is higher? $1.25 or $289,860?

I know you don’t usually think about things in American Freedom Dollars, so I’ll give you a minute to do the math. Don’t forget to carry the 1.

$1.25 is lower. The Assured for Men Dollar Tree Brush is indeed the least expensive brush in my shaving den. I rest my case. You can see yourself out.

I expect a full apology, and will be seeking damages for the pain and suffering I’ve experienced since your post. My reputation has suffered incalculable harm and all the little shavers that once looked up to me, may never see their Champion the same way again. I don’t know how you sleep at night. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Please don't bother replying. you're getting on my tits now.

BTW – I’m confused. Are you Los Dupe now? Or is he on your side? Are you still hunting him? Am I Los Dupe? Do we know? You have a lot of loose ends to tie up and the Games end tomorrow. You’re running out of time on this.

For the #FOF thing: The scent of Stirling’s Vanilla Sandalwood is a beautiful harmony of creamy vanilla and rich sandalwood. The sandalwood added an earthy depth to the sweet vanilla, creating a scent that is both comforting, sophisticated, and a little sweet. The scent is like a warm hug lingering just long enough to keep me enveloped in its cozy embrace. The sandalwood here is perfectly balanced with the vanilla, neither overpowering the other, but instead dancing together in olfactory harmony. To cap off the shave, I opted for TUMI Kinetic [--:-- GMT]. The frag took the sandalwood experience to a new level, infusing it with vibrant spice notes that complemented the smoky vanilla and sandalwood base. The sandalwood in Kinetic [--:-- GMT] truly shines through to provided a robust, grounding note that carried the sweet and spicy elements with damn near perfection. This was an absolute joy for me to use.

Challenge: I don’t know who won, but I can tell you that I hope I did. I’ve been going all out and never taking my foot off the gas. And I’ve been trying to play like I’m behind and have nothing to lose. I made it known that I want to be the Tom Brady of The Lather Games, so hopefully I showed that every single day. The competition has been tough - u/hugbckt truly stepped up this year and demonstrated what he’s capable of and u/MrTangerinesky played a stellar (well behaved) game as well. He is one of the most creative people on this sub and his brain works in a way that is great for The Lather Games. Avoiding Spite Shaves was probably better for both of us, even if it wasn’t as much fun… But winning is fun too. I wouldn’t be shocked if either one of those guys won. At this point, we all have done just about all we can do. One more day, shavers and shavettes! What a great ride it’s been!

For ROTY, it’s going to be u/bmac92.

For FOF, I think u/hugbckt.

For Photocontest: No comment.

My favorite posts (that weren’t mine): u/chronnoisseur42O turning himself purple, u/hugbckt’s Christmas Story, damn near everything that u/MrTangerinesky does

Soap Theme Justification: What’s that word after Vanilla? Oh yes, it’s Sandalwood! It’s right there in the name.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Tumi’s Kinetic [--:-- GMT] has a base of two scent notes: Smoky Vanilla & Sandalwood, which is obviously the two scent notes in the soap and splash I used.

User calculates brush price, finds he had used the most expensive piece of hardware in lather games history

June 30, 2024

• Brush: Yaqi – Evil Zebra – 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Karve – Christopher Bradley, Plate C
• Blade: Wilkinson Sword
• Lather: Abbate y La Mantia – Crumiro Soap
• Post Shave: Master Soap Creators – Apricot Pie Splash
• Fragrance: Thierry Mugler - Angel MenEdP

I live in the USA
Yaqi Brush is from China
Karve Razor is from Canada
Wilkinson Blade is from Germany
Abbate y La Mantia Lather is from Italy
Master Soap Creations Aftershave is from South Africa
Thierry Mugler Fragrance is from France

Legacy. Long after I’m gone, when all my shaving gear is inevitably inherited by my children, and eventually passed down to their children, one day, one of my grandchildren may stumble across my Lather Games Trophy and ask me about it. And I’ll wryly smile, and tell them I was one of the Greatest Lather Games Shavers of all time. Then they’ll ask me why I have so many soaps, when I can’t possibly use them all, and I’ll gently tell them to mind their business and shut their little mouths!

But… Back to Legacy. Let’s focus on that.

Here I am, trying to cement my Lather Game Legacy. Trying to become the first ever back-to-back Lather Games Champion. Anyone that has participated in Lathers Games will tell you that winning is hard. As former winner, CosmoBarber, came down from the Mountain to tell me just 3 days ago: “There are only a handful of Lather Games Champions on this planet, so honor that crown!” Winning the Lather Games twice has never been done. For good reason. Many would say it’s impossible. I’ve said that I wanted to be the Tom Brady of The Lather Games and cement my Lather Games Legacy and do it. For those who don’t know American Football and don’t know who Tom Brady is: (1) What is it like under the rock you’re living under? (2) He’s won more Championships than anyone else in the history of The National Football League. He is considered the undisputed Greatest Of All Time – The GOAT – in professional American Football. To quote T-Pain: All he does is win, win, win.

So today, on the last day of the 10th Annual Lather Games, and I’m going to where the Greatest American Football Player of All Time spent the vast majority of his career. A place that has a winning atmosphere. Where greatness lives and where mortals become legends. The place that Tom Brady won more than any other: Gillette Stadium. This stadium is for winners. It is home to the greatest football dynasty of all time. And today, it will be forever intertwined in my Lather Games dynasty.

I spot several benches outside the stadium, directly next to the Patriots Hall of Fame. Perfect. I can feel the energy of championship after championship upon me as I make me way down the stairs. I see the Patriots’ Super Bowl Banners donning the stadium. I, too, know what it is like to hoist a Championship Trophy. I want to feel that again. But for now, I can’t get too far ahead of myself. I still need to shave today and get the damn thing won this year. Winning one ain’t a dynasty. Gotta win at least two for that. I get to my perfect shaving spot, in the shadow of Gillette Stadium, where Tom Brady first became the superstar everyone knows today. And I’m right outside the Patriots Hall of Fame, where Tom Brady was inducted just 2 weeks ago, cementing HIS legacy in New England. And hopefully where I cement MY Lather Games Legacy. The pressure is on. Let’s shave.

The Stadium and Hall of Fame aren’t too busy this morning, but there is a steady stream of people walking by me as I prepared to shave. The final time I’ll be using my mobile shave den this year. As I lathered up Crumiro, it started to smell like a sweet Italian Bakery had moved into Gillette Stadium. The rich, buttery scent of freshly baked cookies with a hint of almond wrapped filled the air around me, to compliment this winning atmosphere. Ahhhh… It’s also fitting that I end the Lather Games with a Gourmand Shave. If only they served cappuccinos at the stadium, it would be a like shaving at a quaint café in Rome – The type of café that was the home to the greatest NFL dynasty of all-time… People are walking about, heading into the Patriots Hall of Fame or waiting their turn for a tour of the stadium, as I go about my business. Entirely focusing on the final shave of the Lather Games. I give myself a good final Lather Games shave, wipe my face with a towel, then splash on Master Soap Creators' Apricot Pie Splash to continue that the dessert theme. As I splashed it on, the juicy aroma of ripe apricots mingled with the comforting spices and buttery crust of a homemade pie. It was like taking a bite of a perfectly baked, golden-crusted pie, still warm from the oven. My skin felt refreshed, and I felt at ease, knowing I did everything I could this year and I’m about to put the final touches on my last shave of the Lather Games. To top it all off, Thierry Mugler’s Angel Men EdP sealed the deal. This powerhouse fragrance, with its complex blend of caramel, vanilla, and sweet spices added a wonderful, sophisticated layer to the sweetness of the shave. It’s like the final flourish of an extravagant dessert—rich, indulgent, and utterly unforgettable. The perfect finishing touch. A dessert shave that was a symphony of rich, decadent scents, each note harmonizing perfectly to create a deliciously satisfying experience for the final course of my LG2024 shaves. #FOF

Thank you to the organizers, judges, fellow participants, and the great sponsors that all make these crazy games happen. Even if I didn’t fulfill my desire to be the first ever back-to-back Champion, I’ll be ecstatic if I pull an Djundjila and go from 1st to 2nd, or even if I pull a Red and go from 1st to 5th, or do something entirely different. I could have messed up and finished 52nd. I don’t know. The fact of the matter is: I love these games, I love the competition, I love the writing, I love the shavanigans, and I love the community. This year had less Spite, more love, and was just as much fun for me. I tried my best to bring the heat with every single post and make people smile, roll their eyes, shake their heads, and maybe even chuckle to themselves. The goal was always to entertain. I took no days off and left it all out on the field. I’d be beyond honored to win again, but I’d also be happy to send the trophy along to its next destination. Lather Games 2024 has been a hell of a ride. And remember, the real meaning of the Lather Games is the friends we’ve shaved with along the way.

Priusaurus reminisces about the games and dreams of becoming our first back to back champion. Goes and shaves at Gillette Stadium, the stadium built on the backs of wetshavers and Tom Brady, in hopes to strive towards that sort of legacy.

https://imgur.com/a/lets-shave-7m1SAQ6

Priusaurus reminisces about the games and dreams of becoming our first back to back champion. Goes and shaves at Gillette Stadium, the stadium built on the backs of wetshavers and Tom Brady, in hopes to strive towards that sort of legacy.

https://imgur.com/a/lets-shave-7m1SAQ6