SOTD by u/RedMosquitoMM

LG23-04: April Showers Bring May Flowers

• Brush: Maggard Razors 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: Edwin Jagger DE86
• Blade: Astra SP (26)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Field Day - Shaving Soap
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Summer Storm - Aftershave
• Fragrance: INeKE - Balmy Days & Sundays
• Passes: WTG, XTG
• Coffee: Traveling and therefor whatever's in the Mr. Coffee
• Music: Lou Donaldson - Blues Walk
• LG Tags: FOF

I'm still enjoying vacation time with the family, so I wasn't able to measure, scoop, and lather with precision, but I'll describe my lab space in the spirit of today's challenge:

• We've got eleven adults and two kids competing for two bathrooms, so I'm keeping things contained to take up minimal countertop—a very mise en place arrangement. All my products are pre-scooped into sample containers or a sample aftershave sprayer.
• I like to scoop and load from a bowl, so I packed an empty Stirling shave soap tub. Won't shatter if I drop it and I don't need to cut into the limited dishes supply. I spread my soap out into the lid—it fits in the hand perfectly—and then load from there. I'm using just under 1/4 teaspoon of soap since this 24mm synthetic knot uses so little and any extra lather is just going down the drain.
• From start to finish, I'm taking way less time to shave than I normally do. A minute or so to load up the soap with lots of water, another minute or two to lather, and then about a minute for each pass with a minute or two in-between to rinse and re-apply. Leisurely shaves aren't an option at the moment.
• Audio feedback is strong throughout the shave, as the only competition is music playing softly from my tiny phone speakers.
• The water here is softened. I've said it here before and I'll say it again—if you have the option, get a water softener. I'd argue it's an even more significant variable than soap base.

For today's lather, I chose a Spring Break Soaps product (🍻 to today's sponsor spotlight) that was marketed for Spring, and prominently features floral, grassy, and petrichor accords. It's got it all. If you enjoy the scent of cut grass, this is one of the best options in the hobby; Field Day takes that distinct smell and adds the wet, dirty-green odor of settled morning dew or overnight rain, along with a bit of woody cedar in the base. Floral notes (iris, floral aldehyde) are more subtle, but present, and provide a beautiful backdrop for the rest of the accord. Along with the original version of Gentleman's Nod Jackie, Field Day is the most photo-realistic recreation of bright-green turf I've encountered. It's wet grass threaded with clover, sneakers rapidly turning bright green as you chase after the Frisbee at high speed, skidding to a stop. There's a bit of mist left in the air, but it's going to be a hot one.

Speaking of hot days, only today's lather needed to be a Spring scent—and not a scent marketed for other seasons—so Chiseled Face's Summer Storm avoids the DQ gavel. (Not to mention Summer Storm confusingly isn't marketed for the season and is available all year.) I mentioned last year that it's probably my very favorite aftershave, but it's a particularly good match with Field Day, playing off the damp soil, grassy, and floral notes. I'm always struck by how pretty it is—get past the wafting geosmin and there's a gorgeous medley of jasmine, lily of the valley, geranium, and mild citrus. It's a wonderful way to wake up after a morning shave.

Continuing with a day in the yard at Springtime, I left the dirty notes behind for my fragrance. Balmy Days & Sundays is relaxed, gentle, and contemplative wear, with a fresh green cast from grass and freesia. It really does smell like a humid day, toes dug into the grass, nearby trees and garden beds at full bloom. The floral notes are lovely, but also smell like they're drifting on the breeze, enjoyed in both aggregate and from a distance. Balmy Days & Sundays even smells a little soapy, especially right after applying; the official scent notes mention freesia, honeysuckle, and rose, but I'm almost certain that's from the combination of musk, "chypre accent," and mimosa. This is a wonderful option for folks that like their florals restrained and natural-smelling, especially if you enjoy green fragrances in general.

**LG23-04: April Showers Bring May Flowers**

- **Brush:** Maggard Razors 24mm Synthetic
- **Razor:** Edwin Jagger DE86
- **Blade:** Astra SP (26)
- **Lather:** Summer Break Soaps - Field Day - Shaving Soap
- **Post Shave:** Chiseled Face - Summer Storm - Aftershave
- **Fragrance:** INeKE - Balmy Days & Sundays
- **Passes:** WTG, XTG
- **Coffee:** Traveling and therefor whatever's in the Mr. Coffee
- **Music:** Lou Donaldson - *Blues Walk*
- **LG Tags:** `FOF`

I'm still enjoying vacation time with the family, so I wasn't able to measure, scoop, and lather with precision, but I'll describe my lab space in the spirit of today's challenge:

- We've got eleven adults and two kids competing for two bathrooms, so I'm keeping things contained to take up minimal countertop—a very mise en place arrangement. All my products are pre-scooped into sample containers or a sample aftershave sprayer.
- I like to scoop and load from a bowl, so I packed an empty Stirling shave soap tub. Won't shatter if I drop it and I don't need to cut into the limited dishes supply. I spread my soap out into the lid—it fits in the hand perfectly—and then load from there. I'm using just under 1/4 teaspoon of soap since this 24mm synthetic knot uses so little and any extra lather is just going down the drain.
- From start to finish, I'm taking way less time to shave than I normally do. A minute or so to load up the soap with lots of water, another minute or two to lather, and then about a minute for each pass with a minute or two in-between to rinse and re-apply. Leisurely shaves aren't an option at the moment.
- Audio feedback is strong throughout the shave, as the only competition is music playing softly from my tiny phone speakers.
- The water here is softened. I've said it here before and I'll say it again—if you have the option, get a water softener. I'd argue it's an even more significant variable than soap base.

For today's lather, I chose a Spring Break Soaps product (🍻 to today's sponsor spotlight) that was marketed for Spring, and prominently features floral, grassy, and petrichor accords. It's got it all. If you enjoy the scent of cut grass, this is one of the best options in the hobby; Field Day takes that distinct smell and adds the wet, dirty-green odor of settled morning dew or overnight rain, along with a bit of woody cedar in the base. Floral notes (iris, floral aldehyde) are more subtle, but present, and provide a beautiful backdrop for the rest of the accord. Along with the original version of Gentleman's Nod Jackie, Field Day is the most photo-realistic recreation of bright-green turf I've encountered. It's wet grass threaded with clover, sneakers rapidly turning bright green as you chase after the Frisbee at high speed, skidding to a stop. There's a bit of mist left in the air, but it's going to be a hot one.

Speaking of hot days, only today's *lather* needed to be a Spring scent—and not a scent marketed for other seasons—so Chiseled Face's Summer Storm avoids the DQ gavel. (Not to mention Summer Storm confusingly isn't marketed for the season and is available all year.) I mentioned last year that it's probably my very favorite aftershave, but it's a particularly good match with Field Day, playing off the damp soil, grassy, and floral notes. I'm always struck by how pretty it is—get past the wafting geosmin and there's a gorgeous medley of jasmine, lily of the valley, geranium, and mild citrus. It's a wonderful way to wake up after a morning shave.

Continuing with a day in the yard at Springtime, I left the dirty notes behind for my fragrance. Balmy Days & Sundays is relaxed, gentle, and contemplative wear, with a fresh green cast from grass and freesia. It really does smell like a humid day, toes dug into the grass, nearby trees and garden beds at full bloom. The floral notes are lovely, but also smell like they're drifting on the breeze, enjoyed in both aggregate and from a distance. Balmy Days & Sundays even smells a little soapy, especially right after applying; the official scent notes mention freesia, honeysuckle, and rose, but I'm almost certain that's from the combination of musk, "chypre accent," and mimosa. This is a wonderful option for folks that like their florals restrained and natural-smelling, especially if you enjoy green fragrances in general.