SOTD by u/Tetriside

July 1, 2023 – Bonjour, Lather Games!

• Brush: Vie-Long Horse Hair #HORSESASS
• Razor: Rolls Razor Imperial No. 2 #SELFSHARPENING
• Lather: Central Texas Soaps – Down By the River
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Rope Swing
• Fragrance: Adidas – Moves

Thanks to /u/walden for this smoosh of Down By The River. I hadn’t heard of Central Texas Soap prior to receiving this smoosh. It’s listed on Pasteur selling for $10 for 5 oz, which is a lot soap at a cheap price. The ad copy states “the fragrance of this always invokes memories. Green fougere, moss, and ozone mixed with funky notes of dirt and mud.” I get ozone, fresh green notes, and sweet lavender. I don’t detect any mossy notes or citrus I expect to be present in a fougere. It's not really dirty either, but the idea of the river comes through. I found it to be pleasant. The soap was definitely in croap territory. It lathered and built volume quickly. It didn’t need a lot of water. Slickness was good, with a bit of secondary slickness. I wasn’t expecting much given the price, but I’m impressed. Add this the list of “bang for your buck” options.

Sticking with the idea of playing by the river, I grabbed my Rope Swing aftershave. It’s interesting trying to analyze this fragrance while experiencing the sensation of alcohol sting and synthetic cooling overwhelming your senses. This fragrance is sweeter than down by the river. It leans floral and aquatic with stronger ozone than Down By The River, and lots of the dandelion note. While it is fresh, I don’t get as much green notes. I wish there was a place that actually smelled like this. I would spend a lot of time there.

Moves smells like the 2000’s. I’ve had this bottle for a long time. My best friend in middle school wore it. So, what else was middle school me to do but get my own bottle? This might be my first cologne. The fragrance is aromatic and fruity, with noticeable pineapple, orange, and hints of citrus. That’s complemented by soft floral notes centering around lavender. A touch of musk adds a masculine note. There are hints of oak moss. Overall it’s very fresh and bright and tones down the darker, heavier notes that can be found in more classic fougeres.

Challenge: I bought this Rolls Razor specifically for this day. I’d like to give a huge shout out to /u/gcgallant. I figured this razor would be ready to use, touched up on the integrated hone and strop, when I bought it. After posting in the mail call thread, I was informed that was not the case. gallant offered to hone the blade for me at no charge, and did the job with quick turn around. Thanks gallant! The Rolls Razor is essentially a narrow straight razor blade with a safety bar, attached to a stick. It comes packed into a clever case with built in mechanisms for honing and stropping. I’ve attempted to use a straight razor twice and neither attempt went well. I had high hopes that this would be more intuitive. But, I had trouble shaving with this razor. It felt like it was pulling at my hair and would not go over certain contours of my face. I had to use buffing strokes to get it to remove anything. I had a lot of trouble finding and maintaining the correct angle. There’s not much margin for error. I found that when I let up on the pressure I was using, it was a bit easier.

#FOF

**[July 1, 2023 – Bonjour, Lather Games!](https://imgur.com/hVrikQU)**

* **Brush:** Vie-Long Horse Hair #HORSESASS
* **Razor:** Rolls Razor Imperial No. 2 #SELFSHARPENING
* **Lather:** Central Texas Soaps – Down By the River
* **Post Shave:** Summer Break Soaps – Rope Swing
* **Fragrance:** Adidas – Moves

Thanks to /u/_walden_ for this smoosh of Down By The River. I hadn’t heard of Central Texas Soap prior to receiving this smoosh. It’s listed on Pasteur selling for $10 for 5 oz, which is a lot soap at a cheap price. The ad copy states “the fragrance of this always invokes memories. Green fougere, moss, and ozone mixed with funky notes of dirt and mud.” I get ozone, fresh green notes, and sweet lavender. I don’t detect any mossy notes or citrus I expect to be present in a fougere. It's not really dirty either, but the idea of the river comes through. I found it to be pleasant. The soap was definitely in croap territory. It lathered and built volume quickly. It didn’t need a lot of water. Slickness was good, with a bit of secondary slickness. I wasn’t expecting much given the price, but I’m impressed. Add this the list of “bang for your buck” options.

Sticking with the idea of playing by the river, I grabbed my Rope Swing aftershave. It’s interesting trying to analyze this fragrance while experiencing the sensation of alcohol sting and synthetic cooling overwhelming your senses. This fragrance is sweeter than down by the river. It leans floral and aquatic with stronger ozone than Down By The River, and lots of the dandelion note. While it is fresh, I don’t get as much green notes. I wish there was a place that actually smelled like this. I would spend a lot of time there.

Moves smells like the 2000’s. I’ve had this bottle for a long time. My best friend in middle school wore it. So, what else was middle school me to do but get my own bottle? This might be my first cologne. The fragrance is aromatic and fruity, with noticeable pineapple, orange, and hints of citrus. That’s complemented by soft floral notes centering around lavender. A touch of musk adds a masculine note. There are hints of oak moss. Overall it’s very fresh and bright and tones down the darker, heavier notes that can be found in more classic fougeres.

Challenge: I bought this Rolls Razor specifically for this day. I’d like to give a huge shout out to /u/gcgallant. I figured this razor would be ready to use, touched up on the integrated hone and strop, when I bought it. After posting in the mail call thread, I was informed that was not the case. gallant offered to hone the blade for me at no charge, and did the job with quick turn around. Thanks gallant! The Rolls Razor is essentially a narrow straight razor blade with a safety bar, attached to a stick. It comes packed into a clever case with built in mechanisms for honing and stropping. I’ve attempted to use a straight razor twice and neither attempt went well. I had high hopes that this would be more intuitive. But, I had trouble shaving with this razor. It felt like it was pulling at my hair and would not go over certain contours of my face. I had to use buffing strokes to get it to remove anything. I had a lot of trouble finding and maintaining the correct angle. There’s not much margin for error. I found that when I let up on the pressure I was using, it was a bit easier.

#FOF