SOTD by u/tsrblke

July 27, 2023 – Lavender 3 ways.

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Badger
• Razor: Valet Autostrop #selfsharpening
• Blade: Feather (SE) (1)
• Lather: Spieck – Lavender
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Bergamot Lavender
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann – Lavender Interrupted

You know given Will’s marketing maybe that title was a poor choice. Or a epic one? You be the judge.

Final loaner razor from u/Chronnoisseur420 to get some points. From here on out it’s u/j33pguy13’s CFL pass around (except Friday and Sunday when I need my English tech.) So I gues it’s tech on out except Saturday when I use the CFL…. Then, somehow we’re at AA… Wild how fast this went. Gonna blow off the first week of AA to test the CFL a bit more before I send it back. I’m both relieved and sad we’re reaching the end of our LG time.

Back to the valet. This thing is wild and over engineered, and it took me 10 minutes to figure out how to load it. (the blade goes on the top which flips over?) I guess if you strop disposable blades maybe it’s useful? Dunno. I borrowed it so I could hit 8/10 hardware points. This is where I stop on that because I’m out of time. (note to anyone counting, I’m counting ahead. This makes 6/10. the CFL hits CNC and Rainbow, for 8).

For the challenge. Did I ever mention I live on a corner lot? With a backyard that faces the street? This is basically shaving in public, with a nosy neighbor in that house above me who contently looks out her window at anything going on. Only difference is I can’t get thrown out of my house. Or rather, I don’t think my wife will throw me out. She’s already left for work. 20% chance my neighbor calls the cops on me. I waited to shave until after kid drop off to give me time to do this uninterrupted. Downside is it’s already 85 out. But hey shave sister ain’t that mister mister? Ah yes, that can keep me cool and moisten my stubble while I shave since this is well after showering. Got my gear ready outside, including a baby Yoda travel mirror I borrowed from my wife.

Start shaving, if I dump soapy water all over the brand-new patio, I will be thrown out by the wife. So, I have a cup to rinse my razor in. But as I lather, I stick my face in the mister to get more water. Then alternate the brush in. It works…not bad. Get a decently wet lather. OK this razor is…odd, and I can’t really stretch my skin. Boy that’s a lot of blade feel, but I can muddle through pass one. Suddenly! Sounds…oh shit, the nosy neighbor has opened her garage. Crap, she’s coming out….more sounds.. WHEW, her and her husband are having a spat trying to get in the car (nothing serious, he’s been hurt and not letting her help him get in.) They are distracted and not noticing me.* I can get done if I hurry. But once they pull out of the garage I’m busted. Best case I have to talk to them. Worst case I have to explain myself. Stick my face in the mister mister…oh crap, it’s not strong enough to get the lather off! Crap my hands are too slippery to turn off the hose and unhook Mister Mister. Quick, wet hands, rub face clean, pass 2. This pass hurts, I can’t see what I’m doing in the mirror, I’m XTG, WTG, and ATG all at once. Try to rise the razor in Mister Mister…it doesn’t work. Glad I brought the cup, but cup water is getting soapy. Make it happen, finish shave. Stick head in mister mister. Still not rinsing. HOW ARE MY SHORTS WETTER THAN MY FACE. Fine, whatever, hurriedly walk in with soapy, but socially acceptable shaved face. I did shave outside. Challenge complete, no neigbor questions. Once inside rinse off, change shirts (eff it it’s hot, soaked shorts are actually not bad.) Notice I’m bleeding in several spots. Whelp styptic time. Apply balm. Apply Frag. Roll into home office late.

Today’s #fof is pretty straight forward, Lavender everywhere. Which is good, I love Lavender. First post shave I bought: Bergamot Lavender. But I’ll go a bit deeper here with the theme and expound on types. The spieck Lavender strikes me as a more woody Lavender. This transitions nicely to the bergamot Lavender, which mixes with the citrus in the bergamot in the most fantastic way. The we move to the polar opposite of the spectrum: Lavender Interrupted. Lavender interrupted is sweet to the point I get vanilla first, and a punch of it. But it dries down to a sweeter Lavender. I want to stop and thank u/unitesstatesghost here for this sample. I was skeptical of Lavender Interrupted. I don’t like lavinille, which is nominally where Will starts here, it smells musty to me. So I didn’t jump on it. But she threw this in a PIF box to me and I’m glad because it’s nothing like lavinille. It defintely dries down more woody, but that just makes this FOF a full circle! Go me!

On to #photocontest, since we’re shaving outside, here’s an entry in holes. Specifically the hole left over from my old deck after removing the piers. It’s appropriate since I’m shaving on the patio that replaced it. I filled it in after this photo finally (one more to do done!)

Last 3 shaves remaining #ROTY folks. Who’s gonna finish strong?

*So occasionally they do notice when I do weird things and it ends not great. Which is why I’m glad I dodged it this time. About 8 years ago, I grew 4 hop vines off my back patio. She asked if I was growing pot. “Yes, I grow pot right out in the open!” When I explained it was hops, she inquired as to whether I was bootlegging because she didn’t know homebrewing was legal. When I brough home my first deer’s head to get the antlers off and did that in the back yard…yeah you can imagine how well that went over. Fun fact for u/AirBudruler I didn’t know it at the time, but I was saved from trouble by the Air Bud Rule. “Ain’t no rule that says you can’t perform cranial surgery on a deer head in your own backyard.” (As long as you legally hunted it and properly dispose of the remains, and I did both.)

[**July 27, 2023 – Lavender 3 ways.**](https://i.imgur.com/7FEgs0s.jpeg)

* **Brush:** Chisel & Hound Badger
* **Razor:** Valet Autostrop #selfsharpening
* **Blade:** Feather (SE) (1)
* **Lather:** Spieck – Lavender
* **Post Shave:** Stirling Soap Co. – Bergamot Lavender
* **Fragrance:** Barrister and Mann – Lavender Interrupted

You know given Will’s marketing maybe that title was a poor choice. Or a epic one? You be the judge.

Final loaner razor from u/Chronnoisseur420 to get some points. From here on out it’s u/j33pguy13’s CFL pass around (except Friday and Sunday when I need my English tech.) So I gues it’s tech on out except Saturday when I use the CFL…. Then, somehow we’re at AA… Wild how fast this went. Gonna blow off the first week of AA to test the CFL a bit more before I send it back. I’m both relieved and sad we’re reaching the end of our LG time.

Back to the valet. This thing is wild and over engineered, and it took me 10 minutes to figure out how to load it. (the blade goes on the top which flips over?) I guess if you strop disposable blades maybe it’s useful? Dunno. I borrowed it so I could hit 8/10 hardware points. This is where I stop on that because I’m out of time. (note to anyone counting, I’m counting ahead. This makes 6/10. the CFL hits CNC and Rainbow, for 8).

For the challenge. Did I ever mention [I live on a corner lot?](https://i.imgur.com/odFn8Uo.jpeg) With a backyard that faces the street? This is basically shaving in public, with a nosy neighbor in that house above me who contently looks out her window at anything going on. Only difference is I can’t get thrown out of my house. Or rather, I don’t think my wife will throw me out. She’s already left for work. 20% chance my neighbor calls the cops on me. I waited to shave until after kid drop off to give me time to do this uninterrupted. Downside is it’s already 85 out. But hey [shave sister ain’t that mister mister?](https://i.imgur.com/zxLUTzs.jpeg) Ah yes, that can keep me cool and [moisten my stubble](https://i.imgur.com/yb00E2i.jpeg) while I shave since this is well after showering. [Got my gear ready outside, including a baby Yoda travel mirror I borrowed from my wife](https://i.imgur.com/UFaut3P.jpeg).

Start shaving, if I dump soapy water all over the brand-new patio, I will be thrown out by the wife. So, I have a cup to rinse my razor in. But as I lather, I stick my face in the mister to get more water. Then alternate the brush in. It works…not bad. Get a decently wet lather. OK this razor is…odd, and I can’t really stretch my skin. Boy that’s a lot of blade feel, but I can muddle through pass one. Suddenly! Sounds…oh shit, the nosy neighbor has opened her garage. Crap, she’s coming out….more sounds.. WHEW, her and her husband are having a spat trying to get in the car (nothing serious, he’s been hurt and not letting her help him get in.) They are distracted and not noticing me.\* I can get done if I hurry. But once they pull out of the garage I’m busted. Best case I have to talk to them. Worst case I have to explain myself. Stick my face in the mister mister…oh crap, it’s not strong enough to get the lather off! Crap my hands are too slippery to turn off the hose and unhook Mister Mister. Quick, wet hands, rub face clean, pass 2. This pass hurts, I can’t see what I’m doing in the mirror, I’m XTG, WTG, and ATG all at once. Try to rise the razor in Mister Mister…it doesn’t work. Glad I brought the cup, but cup water is getting soapy. Make it happen, finish shave. Stick head in mister mister. Still not rinsing. HOW ARE MY SHORTS WETTER THAN MY FACE. Fine, whatever, hurriedly walk in with soapy, but socially acceptable shaved face. I did shave outside. Challenge complete, no neigbor questions. Once inside rinse off, change shirts (eff it it’s hot, soaked shorts are actually not bad.) Notice I’m bleeding in several spots. Whelp styptic time. Apply balm. Apply Frag. Roll into home office late.

Today’s #fof is pretty straight forward, Lavender everywhere. Which is good, I love Lavender. First post shave I bought: Bergamot Lavender. But I’ll go a bit deeper here with the theme and expound on types. The spieck Lavender strikes me as a more woody Lavender. This transitions nicely to the bergamot Lavender, which mixes with the citrus in the bergamot in the most fantastic way. The we move to the polar opposite of the spectrum: Lavender Interrupted. Lavender interrupted is sweet to the point I get vanilla first, and a punch of it. But it dries down to a sweeter Lavender. I want to stop and thank u/unitesstatesghost here for this sample. I was skeptical of Lavender Interrupted. I don’t like lavinille, which is nominally where Will starts here, it smells musty to me. So I didn’t jump on it. But she threw this in a PIF box to me and I’m glad because it’s nothing like lavinille. It defintely dries down more woody, but that just makes this FOF a full circle! Go me!

On to #photocontest, since we’re shaving outside, here’s an entry in holes. Specifically the hole left over from my old deck after removing the piers. It’s appropriate since I’m shaving on the patio that replaced it. I filled it in after this photo finally (one more to do done!)

Last 3 shaves remaining #ROTY folks. Who’s gonna finish strong?

\*So occasionally they do notice when I do weird things and it ends not great. Which is why I’m glad I dodged it this time. About 8 years ago, I grew 4 hop vines off my back patio. She asked if I was growing pot. “Yes, I grow pot right out in the open!” When I explained it was hops, she inquired as to whether I was bootlegging because she didn’t know homebrewing was legal. When I brough home my first deer’s head to get the antlers off and did that in the back yard…yeah you can imagine how well that went over. Fun fact for u/AirBudruler I didn’t know it at the time, but I was saved from trouble by the Air Bud Rule. “Ain’t no rule that says you can’t perform cranial surgery on a deer head in your own backyard.” (As long as you legally hunted it and properly dispose of the remains, and I did both.)