WetShaving

June 30, 2025

• Brush: Wolfman WRB2 Bronze w/AP Shave Co MiG 26mm Premium Hybrid
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen2
• Blade: Personna Gem PTFE (2)
• Lather: Gentleman's Nod - Zaharoff Signature Rosé - Soap
• Post Shave: Gentleman's Nod - Zaharoff Signature Rosé - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Fragrance: Zaharoff - Signature Rosé - Eau de Parfum
• Talc: Yardley Gold

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

I'm taking my victory lap with a full-on luxury shave. I don't really have a favorite soap, but I have soaps that fit different moods. The scent of this one is sophisticated, and most suited to a formal night out, but I think of using it for special occasions. As this is a special occasion, the soap seemed fitting.

As for what makes the setup special. The Zaharoff Rosé EdP and GN aftershave with that fragrance simply complete the trifecta. If you use the soap, it is hard to imagine a luxury shave without these.

The Wolfman brush with the MiG knot continues with the luxury theme. The handle is machined bronze, and the knot is the closest in feel to a plush badger knot that I have experienced from a synthetic.

These days, the vast majority of my shaves are with straight razors. I use more safety razors in June and November and I wanted to end the Lather Games with a safety razor shave. The MMOC is special in this regard. It has a dangerous reputation, but for me, it was love at first use. Becoming a MMOC Whisperer in Austere August of 2022 was a pleasure, not a challenge. Using it today felt like a good way to take a victory lap.

Thanks to the judges for all their work. I enjoyed the enthusiasm of this year's participants; especially the first-timers.

Until next year!

Extremely smooth shave today

Victory Lap: Day 30 of Lather Games

• Brush: Declaration Grooming Washington Blood of Kings B3
• Razor: Zwilling J. A. Henckels Friodur 14 (8/8", extra hollow ground, stainless steel)Blade:
• Lather: Declaration Grooming – Cerberus
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Black Watch
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company – Seaforth! Black Watch

Theme justification: Cerberus and Black Watch came out a year apart, but they have a similar feel IMO and are tied for my all-time favourite scent. The warm fruit and wood really do it for me.

I also went with my current favourite brush and razor. The little badger is making me rethink my size preferences and the Friodur 14 has everything I want from a straight: heft, gentle conviction, stainlessness.

A big thanks to all the participants and the organisers for these Lather Games 😘😘

June 30th, 2025: My favorites

• Brush: Wolf Whiskers - "Gianmaria" w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Raw Titanium - (#69)
• Blade: Personna P74 (94)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Batters Up - Soap
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Gratiot League Square - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavanille - EdP

Theme justification: I bought this tub of soap on a trip to Merz Apothecary with u/VisceralWatch, and it has become my favorite scent! Weird, right? Everybody seems to hate Batters Up. VW handed me the tub and said "smell this", so I did. I was initially surprised by what was happening in my nostrils, and agreed "yeah, I can see why people don't like it". Then I smelled some other stuff, returning to Batters Up to give it another try. It didn't put me off, it was just different. I smelled it a couple more times and decided "you know what, I like it". I'm so glad I bought it. Noble Otter is, of course, great soap, and the scent represents what I love about artisan shaving -- uniqueness, variety, exploring, being bold, trying different things, telling a story, etc. That type of thing isn't possible outside of the artisan world, because a scent like Batters Up wouldn't be approved by the CEO's and other Executives involved in the process.

Everything else I used could be considered my favorite, too. The CFG Legacy razor, the Wolf Whiskers handle with my favorite synthetic knot, my favorite aftershave formula (and scent), and my favorite soap-scent-turned-frag, Lavanille. Fantastic all around!

Oh yeah, and the blade. This Personna P74 is nearing marathon territory, often defined as 100+ shaves. 100 isn't a goal, but at this point I can't not do it. After 100 I'll set it aside and try another DE blade for science. If I like the fresh blade better, I'll stop using the P74. Otherwise, I'll keep going with the P74. I haven't used any other DE blades since starting with this blade, but I've used cartridge's and straight razors. Here's my first shave with this blade, which was on January 17th of this year https://sub.wetshaving.social/post/1824382/2944765.

Duodi 12 Messidor an 233 de la Révolution, jour d'Artichaut

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks Gloire de France with Zenith 505BC Boar 🐗
• Razor: Parker Straight Razor
• Lather: Martin de Candre Absinthe
• Postshave: Naissance 702 Witch Hazel
• Postshave: Stirling Electric Sheep Aftershave
• Postshave: Nivea After Shave Balm

It's been a rather unconfortable day here (my weather app reports 39 degree Celsius, with a current temperature at 22:15 of 34 degrees). Tomorrow will be the same. Absinthe was good, and the combination with Electric Sheep is not bad at all. However, the refreshment was rather limited.

I'll go and get a cold shower. Have a good evening!

~Shared via emacs & sotd.el~

30.06.2025

• Brush: AP Shave Co. black & clear handle w/ 30 mm Tuxedo Fan knot
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: Perma-Sharp half DE
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Rope Swing
• Post-Shave: HAGS - Apocalypse ASB

-> 2-pass head shave. A very solid shave except for a nick behind my left ear yet again (I suppose it's some skin blemishes from my glasses that make this occur)

Really hot day, so I longed for something to cool down - enter Rope Swing, which even has "cooling shave soap" printed on the tub. The synthetic cooling agent pairs surprisingly well with the green scent. Unfortunately I don't have anything matching for post-shave products, finding alcohol-free toners or balms with menthol or WS-23 seems to be a rare occurrence.

First day where I am back to work for my practical exam week. Thursday and Friday are my days. I'm a tad bit nervous, but everything is manageable. Let's get this over with!

June 30th, 2025: Victory Lap

• Brush: Rad Dinosaur Creations - Copper Inferno w/ Trotter T1 Badger
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy Ti
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Catie's Bubbles - V - Soap
• Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - V - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Catie's Bubbles - V - EdP

Daily Theme: I have to give a shout to out u/brokenjaw622 for giving me some C Bubs soap to try out. I will not lie, I did not understand V at first. Here is a picture of the samples and my favorites in descending order from left to right. Obviously, since then this list has changed a lot since I have used most of them. I am almost certain that most of the heavy vetiver scents turned me off because they reminded me a little bit of maple nut candies. I have finally broken that mental connection and can finally enjoy Haitian Vetiver the way u/C_Bubbles intended. Some of my favorite scents end up being ones I dislike at first because they challenge my expectations and preferences in fragrances. V really opened up my nose and mind to what fragrances can be and anybody who have really gotten familiar with V know it is arguably thee best scent from a wetshaving artisan. It is one of those scents that is very complex, but it is not mud and I notice new scent notes every time I use it. This morning I kept smelling the sweet fennel. I also had a preconception of fragrances that have a lot of scent notes are a little pretentious, but V taught me that complex fragrances with a ton of scent notes can be approachable and appreciated despite how much is going on. Bubs really knows how to blend a fragrance and I really believe this would be my desert island fragrance

Daily Challenge: I used my V aftershave splash and fragrance today in addition to the soap. Please read above. As far as hardware goes, I have to say this handle from u/Priusaurus is my favorite of the four I own from him. I love the shape because it is rather simple and the grooves on the bottom add some tasteful texture to the handle. I remember when Prius stated that he was experimenting with handles and that there was one out in the wild. I hit him up and asked when they were gonna be available. He was very cool about letting me know that he was still working on getting a first batch curated and that he was still learning (this is substantiated by a lack of beard). I've since then purchased a handful of them and I am always happy to support somebody who is really involved in the community as a hobbyist as well. I got connected to Trotter Handcrafts and he gave me an incredible deal on this T1 knot and it is one of my favorite SHD badger knots. The Legacy razor has easily become my favorite razor because it reminds me a lot of a Gillette Tech, but much higher quality and slightly more aggressive. It gives me a close and easy shave every single time I use it and I have nicked myself with it maybe once. GSB's just because it is super sharp, smooth, and I never get duds.

To whoever wins the Games overall and the various side quests, I really appreciate everybody who participates, either as a competitor, djudge, or sponsor. There is hands down no other community I have ever seen or even heard of that is as cool as the people who participate in this forum. Whether you're new or old, people get into this hobby to save money (laughable) and almost always end up staying because of the sense of community, belonging, and engagement with other hobbyists and even artisans. People lose thrill, and they still end up participating and having conversations just because the people here are so awesome. While Lather Games can end up being exhausting throughout the month, the Games are something that is really unique and special, and something I am happy to be apart of for the second time. This competition is extremely silly, but that is the beauty of it. People organize, djudge, and participate because it brings people together for smiles, laughs, and even tears. There is not one other internet group that I would identify with other than you weirdos. Here is to LG 2025 in the books!

$discord

July 30th, 2025: Victory Lap

• Brush: Omega - 10048 28mm Boar
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Titanium Legacy Razor
• Blade: Personna Lab Blue (1)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Roam Two - Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Roam Two - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Roam Two - EdT

$discord

Theme: Roam Two is currently my favorite soap. It's another that brings me back to living in New Mexico. Especially the juniper that comes through more in the splash and frag. It's the only set I have backups for, and I want to grab another bottle of the EdT at some point.

Challenge: Photo of my current favorite setup..

If I'm being honest with myself, the Omega 10048 is my favorite brush. It's probably the cheapest brush I own, and the handle is super light and hollow, but it lathers amazingly for me. The tips keep getting softer, and the knot itself holds on to the perfect amount of water. It's like my "old pair of jeans" brush: reliable, comfortable, easy.

For a razor, it was a toss-up between the CF Legacy and the MMOC. I ultimately went with the Legacy because I find it gives an efficient shave while also being much more comfortable. This razor does well with any blade that I give it, but it performs especially well with these Personna blades. I'm very glad to have this in my den.

$SELFCARE - I took my time with my shave this evening; it was the perfect way to wind down at the end of the day. Ultimately, that's why I got into this hobby in the first place. It's been so good for me to have a little daily window of self-care every day. I'm very grateful for it.

$FOF - This was my only dickhold all month, and I'm not at all ashamed. Roam Two really is a journey from the sweet grass and black currant in the soap to the leather, juniper, ginger, tobacco, sage, and pepper in the splash and EdT. The combination perfectly paints, for me, the American high desert. Truly amazing.

$ROTY