SOTD by u/tsrblke

June 13, 2024 – Putting on the Ritz

• Brush: Maggards Mixed
• Razor: Wolfman WR1
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (2)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
• Fragrance: Jean Paul Gaultier – Le Male Elixer

What is a dupe? Obviously, it’s a copy of an existing popular fragrance. That’s the definition of it. But more generally, it’s a form of coat-tail riding. An attempt to capitalize on the popularity by repacking for a new (usually less affluent) market. A brazen money grab through imitation if you will. So let’s DUPE. I reached out to u/priusaurus to have him answer questions. Hoping to ride the coat tails of his victory last year into some points of my own now that his original market is saturated. Let’s see what he says:

1. What got you into wetshaving? Looked for a hobby that weirdos gravitated to and wetshaving sounded more useful than HAM radios.
2. So you won LG last year. In this particular niche of the hobby (reddit wetshaving wierdos) we do some pretty whacky things. Is this the strangest hobby you have? If not, tell us what beats it. By far. I still can’t get over the fact that my daily grooming ritual has become a hobby.
3. Are you doing anything different this year as part of your attempt that the repeat? Gave up on interviewing people. It’s been done and no one sane would attempt to duplicate that this year….I honestly think that odds aren’t in my favor. There’s never been a repeat Lather Games winner, so I’m just having fun this year.
4. In that vein, if you could have done one thing different last year what would it have been? It would have been easier if I didn’t try to hide my face in my first public video. Editing was a pain in the ass throughout the games last year. Now it’s kinda become a thing, so I keep my face hidden, even though I think the majority of the people in the sub know who I am.
5. Any advice for the rookies this year they can take into the last half of the games? Stay on theme, pick up all the sponsor/bonus points you can, and have fun with your SOTDs. Legendary points make all the difference top placements. And the judges reward creativity more than your insightful description of sandalwood.

Ah interesting. Well, sometimes dupes put their own spin on a dupe (See Stirling EMP). So, let’s add a few responses here, that is add a little dark spice to my dupe to distinguish it from u/priusaurus’s original department store fresh (boring) citrus fragrance to complicate it a bit.

1. first it’s ham not HAM. Second, I’m not an EmComm (Emergency Communications) type, so I’m not going to argue talking on the radio is useful, but what is useful is you learn a lot of skills along the way. Far more than I do shaving. Here’s today’s #photocontest. A DIY where my daughter and I are learning how to solder. But you have to solder something, so what to do? We made an antenna out of a tape measure and PVC pipes (take note Photo contest judges, there is a tape measure in this photo it’s just become an antenna. It’s a DIY project, made of DIY tools.). Do costal elites even bother with skills that require working with one’s hands? Probably not, can’t scuff up those golf hands. But the skills learned are useful. Moreso than lathering soap in public places. And what’s that next to it? It’s a QSL card from the International Space Station. Sure, LG trophies are cool, and I’ll happily take it this year, but no amount of wetshaving gets you contact with space. My hobbies are even weirder than wetshaving I suppose, but they have some cool results. (Working the world on 100w and a wire is pretty cool.)
2. Ok we agree here. But I guess all hobbies are selfcare so maybe all selfcare is a hobby?
3. This doesn't strike me as quite right. Arugably no sane person would dupe Aventus for the 100th time, and yet, it sells so everyone does it. Here’s hoping that idea works here too.
4. Again, we agree! You should have given up that bit a while ago, it’s just old and tired. Or at least tried to put a new spin on it. (Yawn).
5. Once again we agree. This is good advice, and not a moment too late. I will need to up my game. (But shaving outside in the urban jungle is played out is it not?)

Anyway, on to #fof, Prom King is a dupe of Le Male, a scent my wife likes very much. So, when she got a sampler of Le Male Elixir in her Ulta order a few months ago she tossed it to me and said “use this more.” To wit, I promptly put it away for LG to create this “Dupe-Dupe-Real (Flanker)” progression because LG was more important than using her favorite frag. As mentioned this is a flanker to the original, the upped the sweetness quite a bit (despite calling it a woody aromatic in their ad copy). If the SBS is a good representation of the original, I could go for a full bottle of that, but the bottle is also gauche. As it stands, I feel like we’d be better off getting u/rocketk455 to release Prom King EdT, because it’s better than this flanker, which is cloying. Nevertheless, the splash helps bring it back down to earth from a level of sweetness that's reminiscent of BR450. But I should probably get my nose on the original it’s duping before I draw any true conclusions.

For the Challenge, last year I attempted to use Photoshop AI to generate an image for Runaway, with results that looked like melted faces. I did not want to release that nightmare fuel on the sub so I drew instead. Let’s check in on Photoshop AI again this year.

1. First Prompt “Prom King Shaving his face.” Yikes. It went for ultra realism That’s…not a razor though.
2. Ok adjust, “Prom King shaving his face Cartoon.” Now we’ve gone abstract. That’s not even a person. Nor is he shaving. It's an emoji?
3. Ok last try “Cartoon Prom King shaving his face” I don’t understand what’s going on here. He has a beard and…a magic wand? But clearly not shaving.

End result: AI will not replace u/Wyz0ne anytime soon. His label is better.

[**June 13, 2024 – Putting on the Ritz**](https://i.imgur.com/ZFMTKjj.jpeg)

* **Brush:** Maggards Mixed
* **Razor:** Wolfman WR1
* **Blade:** 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (2)
* **Lather:** Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
* **Post Shave:** Summer Break Soaps – Prom King
* **Fragrance:** Jean Paul Gaultier – Le Male Elixer

What is a dupe? Obviously, it’s a copy of an existing popular fragrance. That’s the definition of it. But more generally, it’s a form of coat-tail riding. An attempt to capitalize on the popularity by repacking for a new (usually less affluent) market. A brazen money grab through imitation if you will. So let’s DUPE. I reached out to u/priusaurus to have him answer questions. Hoping to ride the coat tails of his victory last year into some points of my own now that his original market is saturated. Let’s see what he says:

1. **What got you into wetshaving?** *Looked for a hobby that weirdos gravitated to and wetshaving sounded more useful than HAM radios.*
2. **So you won LG last year. In this particular niche of the hobby (reddit wetshaving wierdos) we do some pretty whacky things. Is this the strangest hobby you have? If not, tell us what beats it.** *By far. I still can’t get over the fact that my daily grooming ritual has become a hobby.*
3. **Are you doing anything different this year as part of your attempt that the repeat?** *Gave up on interviewing people. It’s been done and no one sane would attempt to duplicate that this year….I honestly think that odds aren’t in my favor. There’s never been a repeat Lather Games winner, so I’m just having fun this year.*
4. **In that vein, if you could have done one thing different last year what would it have been?** *It would have been easier if I didn’t try to hide my face in my first public video. Editing was a pain in the ass throughout the games last year. Now it’s kinda become a thing, so I keep my face hidden, even though I think the majority of the people in the sub know who I am.*
5. **Any advice for the rookies this year they can take into the last half of the games?** *Stay on theme, pick up all the sponsor/bonus points you can, and have fun with your SOTDs. Legendary points make all the difference top placements. And the judges reward creativity more than your insightful description of sandalwood.*

Ah interesting. Well, sometimes dupes put their own spin on a dupe (See Stirling EMP). So, let’s add a few responses here, that is add a little dark spice to my dupe to distinguish it from u/priusaurus’s original department store fresh (boring) citrus fragrance to complicate it a bit.

1. first it’s ham not HAM. Second, I’m not an EmComm (Emergency Communications) type, so I’m not going to argue talking on the radio is useful, but what is useful is you learn a lot of skills along the way. Far more than I do shaving. Here’s today’s #photocontest. A DIY where my daughter and I are learning how to solder. But you have to solder something, so what to do? We made an antenna out of a tape measure and PVC pipes (take note Photo contest judges, there is a tape measure in this photo it’s just become an antenna. It’s a DIY project, made of DIY tools.). Do costal elites even bother with skills that require working with one’s hands? Probably not, can’t scuff up those golf hands. But the skills learned are useful. Moreso than lathering soap in public places. And what’s that next to it? It’s a QSL card from the International Space Station. Sure, LG trophies are cool, and I’ll happily take it this year, but no amount of wetshaving gets you contact with space. My hobbies are even weirder than wetshaving I suppose, but they have some cool results. (Working the world on 100w and a wire is pretty cool.)
2. Ok we agree here. But I guess all hobbies are selfcare so maybe all selfcare is a hobby?
3. This doesn't strike me as quite right. Arugably no sane person would dupe Aventus for the 100th time, and yet, it sells so everyone does it. Here’s hoping that idea works here too.
4. Again, we agree! You should have given up that bit a while ago, it’s just old and tired. Or at least tried to put a new spin on it. (Yawn).
5. Once again we agree. This is good advice, and not a moment too late. I will need to up my game. (But shaving outside in the urban jungle is played out is it not?)

Anyway, on to #fof, Prom King is a dupe of Le Male, a scent my wife likes very much. So, when she got a sampler of Le Male Elixir in her Ulta order a few months ago she tossed it to me and said “use this more.” To wit, I promptly put it away for LG to create this “Dupe-Dupe-Real (Flanker)” progression because LG was more important than using her favorite frag. As mentioned this is a flanker to the original, the upped the sweetness quite a bit (despite calling it a woody aromatic in their ad copy). If the SBS is a good representation of the original, I could go for a full bottle of that, but the bottle is also [gauche.](https://static.thcdn.com/images/large/original/productimg/1600/1600/12644210-4254804172794263.jpg) As it stands, I feel like we’d be better off getting u/rocketk455 to release Prom King EdT, because it’s better than this flanker, which is cloying. Nevertheless, the splash helps bring it back down to earth from a level of sweetness that's reminiscent of BR450. But I should probably get my nose on the original it’s duping before I draw any true conclusions.

For the Challenge, last year I attempted to use Photoshop AI to generate an image for Runaway, with results that looked like melted faces. I did not want to release that nightmare fuel on the sub so I drew instead. Let’s check in on Photoshop AI again this year.

1. First Prompt “Prom King Shaving his face.” [Yikes. It went for ultra realism](https://i.imgur.com/LGodGNw.jpeg) That’s…not a razor though.
2. Ok adjust, “Prom King shaving his face Cartoon.” [Now we’ve gone abstract.](https://i.imgur.com/f0RpSIn.jpeg) That’s not even a person. Nor is he shaving. It's an emoji?
3. Ok last try “Cartoon Prom King shaving his face” I [don’t understand what’s going on here](https://imgur.com/KCW0n39). He has a beard and…a magic wand? But clearly not shaving.

End result: AI will not replace u/Wyz0ne anytime soon. His label is better.