SOTD by u/RedMosquitoMM

LG23-23: "What IS that enchanting aroma?"

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts 26mm AP Shave Co. Gelousy SHD
• Razor: Wolfman Razors WR2-DC 0.95 SB / 1.25 OC #CNC
• Blade: Voskhod (16)
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Essentials - Shave Soap
• Post Shave: Dr. Jon's - 53 East and 51st - Aftershave Tonic
• Fragrance: Day Three Fragrances - Midnight Whisper
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Burundi, Kayanza - v: Red Bourbon, Jackson - p: Washed
• Music: Chromeo - Fancy Footwork
• LG Tags: #FOF

I shower after I shave; any compliments I'm getting are about my aftershave or fragrance (probably the latter), not my soap. Fortunately, my wife always reacts favorably to a few, and one of those options stood out as the best fit for today's theme.

The Essentials was a fundraising release that resurrected ZM's older Lothario scent, a fresh blend of tobacco, bergamot, and bay leaf. The bay leaf tames the tobacco's pungent qualities, while the zesty bergamot makes it lively and invigorating, instead of heavy and smoky. It's a handsome combination. I'm not one for gendering fragrances—that's all culturally-defined and full of normative baggage anyway—but Essentials/Lothario smells like it's intended to read as masculine. Brian Fantana approved.

While I'm on the topic of shave soap, today's a good day for a lather audit. I didn't shave my face yesterday (🧼🪒🦵) and have more stubble to mow down than usual; that's the kind of shave that puts a crummy lather to the test. I thought mine was a good one, but you be the judge. I also snapped a photo of my lathered brush and all the lather squeezed out of the brush after my shave. No stiff peaks, lots of shine, minimal bubbles, and protective density.

I followed up my shave by taking our suave playboy into the evening, splashing on a nightcap aftershave and finishing with a seductive night-out fragrance.

Dr. Jon's 53 East and 51st is a Jazz Age black tie affair, carnation boutonnieres pinned to midnight-blue jackets, expensive cigarettes weaving fragrant lines of smoke through the music-filled air. There's a chilly gin martini sitting on the glossy bar—no lemon slice, heavy on the juniper and, strangely, cedar. Not his usual brand. Our subject takes a sip, and with a twinkle in his eye, leans in to kiss his partner's cheek. He's staggered by the gorgeous floral perfume wafting from neck and chest. "Should we go back to my place?" The decision is immediate and unanimous.

Appropriately named for what's to come, Midnight Whisper leads with a jewel-toned rose, lush and heady. I'm not a rose guy, but gosh, what a rose it is. The opening also includes subtle citrus, but this dark, dreamy fragrance is all about the simmering drydown. Fine bourbon in a snifter mixes with creamy sandalwood, supported by an oud-amber base and just enough decadent vanilla to reinforce that caramel dram. Lingering traces of rose flash like crimson satin in low light. If you like warm, captivating fragrances, Day Three does them exceptionally well.

**LG23-23: "What IS that enchanting aroma?"**

- **Brush:** Dogwood Handcrafts 26mm AP Shave Co. Gelousy SHD
- **Razor:** Wolfman Razors WR2-DC 0.95 SB / 1.25 OC `#CNC`
- **Blade:** Voskhod (16)
- **Lather:** Zingari Man - The Essentials - Shave Soap
- **Post Shave:** Dr. Jon's - 53 East and 51st - Aftershave Tonic
- **Fragrance:** Day Three Fragrances - Midnight Whisper
- **Passes:** WTG, XTG
- **Coffee:** Burundi, Kayanza - v: Red Bourbon, Jackson - p: Washed
- **Music:** Chromeo - *Fancy Footwork*
- **LG Tags:** `#FOF`

I shower after I shave; any compliments I'm getting are about my aftershave or fragrance (probably the latter), not my soap. Fortunately, my wife always reacts favorably to a few, and one of those options stood out as the best fit for [today's theme](https://media.tenor.com/tKZT2LVu9aEAAAAC/sex-panther-paul-rudd.gif).

The Essentials was a fundraising release that resurrected ZM's older Lothario scent, a fresh blend of tobacco, bergamot, and bay leaf. The bay leaf tames the tobacco's pungent qualities, while the zesty bergamot makes it lively and invigorating, instead of heavy and smoky. It's a handsome combination. I'm not one for gendering fragrances—that's all culturally-defined and full of normative baggage anyway—but Essentials/Lothario smells like it's *intended* to read as masculine. Brian Fantana approved.

While I'm on the topic of shave soap, today's a good day for [a lather audit](https://imgur.com/a/3605tpp). I didn't shave my face yesterday (🧼🪒🦵) and have more stubble to mow down than usual; that's the kind of shave that puts a crummy lather to the test. I thought mine was a good one, but [you be the judge](https://i.imgur.com/2u67yyV.jpg). I also snapped a photo of [my lathered brush](https://i.imgur.com/xMCdSm1.jpg) and all the lather [squeezed out of the brush](https://i.imgur.com/zebiuJH.jpg) after my shave. No stiff peaks, lots of shine, minimal bubbles, and protective density.

I followed up my shave by taking [our suave playboy into the evening](https://media.tenor.com/3KPQARTLPk0AAAAd/paul-rudd-bond.gif), splashing on a nightcap aftershave and finishing with a seductive night-out fragrance.

Dr. Jon's 53 East and 51st is a Jazz Age black tie affair, carnation boutonnieres pinned to midnight-blue jackets, expensive cigarettes weaving fragrant lines of smoke through the music-filled air. There's a chilly gin martini sitting on the glossy bar—no lemon slice, heavy on the juniper and, strangely, cedar. Not his usual brand. Our subject takes a sip, and with a twinkle in his eye, leans in to kiss his partner's cheek. He's staggered by the gorgeous floral perfume wafting from neck and chest. "Should we go back to my place?" The decision is immediate and unanimous.

Appropriately named for what's to come, Midnight Whisper leads with a jewel-toned rose, lush and heady. I'm not a rose guy, but gosh, what a rose it is. The opening also includes subtle citrus, but this dark, dreamy fragrance is all about the simmering drydown. Fine bourbon in a snifter mixes with creamy sandalwood, supported by an oud-amber base and just enough decadent vanilla to reinforce that caramel dram. Lingering traces of rose flash like crimson satin in low light. If you like warm, captivating fragrances, Day Three does them exceptionally well.