- 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