Duodi 22 Prairial an 233 de la Révolution, jour de Camomille

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Blaireau de la République with 24mm G5 Synthetic
• Razor: Thiers Issard Le Grelot
• Lather: Zingari Man The Watchman
• Postshave: Naissance 702 Witch Hazel
• Postshave: Zingari Man Bon Monsieur Recovery Splash
• Postshave: Nivea After Shave Balm

This is the first shave with this new (to me) Le Grelot razor, which I got for a reasonable price off the bay. Very nice blond horn scales, and the same 7/8th razor shape as my Coq et Renard. Since @djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social will ask, here are the pics:

The scales look really nice, and the guillochage is also very good. But it is time for GRUYE now. The shave itself went very well – always a pleasure to use a good Thiers Issard.

Have a good evening!

~Shared via emacs & sotd.el~

The Art of Shaving: Day 10 of Lather Games

• Brush: Chisel and Hound – Flame On with v26 Fanchurian
• Razor: Wolfman WR2 (1.55 mm SB / 1.25 mm OC) $CNC
• Blade: Feather new Hi-Stainless
• Lather: Schmiere – Abschaum
• Post Shave: Schmiere – 1959
• Fragrance: Brut – Original

Theme justification: I bought this tub on art alone. Schmiere is a brand of Rumble 59, and targets greasers (unsurprisingly, "Schmiere" translates to "grease"). They mostly make pommades and most of their tub art shows birds with pompadours. It's really consistent artwork that doesn't get boring, a bit like Noble Otter, but without the nobility. Quite the contrary, the branding targets the other end of society, and the name of this soap "Abschaum" is a play on words as it means both "scum" (as it societal rejects) and literally means "refuse lather". The post shave artwork uses the same crow, but as a little easter egg, the bird has a full beard on the soap, and is clean-shaven on the post shave. This kind of complementary artwork is rare in wetshaving.

On a side note, just like the artwork, the scents of the lather and post are complementary as well: The lather is a fresh laundry detergent kind of scent ("Sea breeze and the good old days" in the artisan's copy) while the splash is a woody spicy affair ("Mixture of refined woody and tart-spicy forest aromas", but the German copy uses the word "herb" to describe the scent and it's (IMO) mistranslated to "tart" in the English copy. "Herb" is the rugged, refreshingly bitter scent you get off a hoppy Pilsner for instance, and it fits this splash's description better than "tart".)

The soap base is good on its own and surprisingly great for a soap that's made as the one shave soap of a niche pommade brand. I had a fantastic shave with it and some of my best hardware.

Today's challenge is one of my least favourite to participate in, but I like looking at other's drawings a lot. Have mine.

June 10th, 2025: The Art of Shaving

• Brush: Grizzly Bay - Chisel & Hound v24 Fanchurian Badger
• Razor: TriDE Safety Razor - 3D-printed red
• Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium (4)
• Lather: Talent Soap Factory - Kittyhawk - Soap
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Gravefruit II - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Stirling - Glacial Unscented - Balm
• Fragrance: Stirling - Arance Mandarini - EdT

$discord

Theme justification: I grew up in northeast Ohio. For a few years, my grandparents organized a family reunion of sorts on Kelleys Island in Lake Erie. We'd all stay in these little cabins surrounded by flowers and fruit trees. We'd spend long summer days walking down to the beach or exploring the woods around the cabins.

The label art for TSF Kittyhawk brings me right back to those summers on Kelleys Island. To running around in the dusky evening as fireflies blinked in and out in the warm summer air, to the sound of music and laughter filtering out of the old wooden cabins. It's the only label I own that immediately brings me back to a singular time and place. Just lovely.

Daily challenge:

I'm no artist, but at least you can see the similarity.

$FOF - I get orange, salt, juniper, and some other fruitiness from Kittyhawk. This played nicely with the grapefruit, mango, and jasmine in Gravefruit II. Arance Mandarini (a dupe of Tom Ford's Mandarino di Amalfi) finishes out the progression with bright notes of orange blossom, grapefruit, lemon, jasmine, and black pepper. I thoroughly enjoyed this combination, and will probably need to pick up the rest of the Arance Mandarini trifecta.

$SELFCARE - Work is already roaring, but I'm working from home today, so I'm taking some time for myself before jumping into the business of the day. And honestly, spending twenty minutes drawing this morning felt like a small meditation. Little wins.

$ROTY

June 10th, 2025: The Art of Shaving

• Brush: Rad Dinosaur Creations - Stars w/ AP G5C Synthetic
• Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy Ti
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Mike's Natural Soaps - Orange, Cedarwood, & Black Pepper - Soap
• Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - Tonsorial Parlour - Aftershave

Daily Theme Justification: See below.

Daily Theme: Good label art is 100% a subjective thing, and I 100% percent not pick this because of simplicity 👀. AI art is becoming prolific in this space. While it is not necessarily a travesty, it can certainly cheapen products and/or people's perceptions of brands and artisans. The first thing you think when you see one is "Ugh, could they not hire somebody for this?" However, you can't blame artisans for this because it creates incredible images for zero cost and shaving soap isn't exactly the most lucrative business. Some AI labels border and exceed ugly and gaudy. Half the time you can't even tell which artisan made the soap without reading the entire label.

In come Mike from Mike's Natural Soaps (yes, this is actually a picture of Mike). Mike made one label ever and it is instantly recognizable. Mike doesn't need rulers,1000 shades of blue pencils, sketching paper, photoshopping software, or anything frivolous as previously mentioned. Two different font types and a loon is all Mike needs to make his products stand out amongst the sea of overstimulating labels. Today, I pay homage.

Daily Challenge: Yes, I actually created this with my own hands. Do not mistake it for the OG artwork.

June 10th, 2025: sample 2 down

• Brush: Zenith - red Boar
• Razor: Gillette - Rocket HD
• Blade: Big Ben
• Lather: Wickham Soap Co. - cashmere - Soap
• Post Shave: Wickham Soap Co. - Gothic revival - Balm

$discord

Sample killed.

June 10, 2025

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Classic 26mm V23 Fanchurian $COMPOSITE
• Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24 $MODERNGEM
• Blade: Personna Gem PTFE (1)
• Lather: Summer Break Soaps - Wood Shop - Soap
• Post Shave: Summer Break Soaps - Wood Shop - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayers - Coconut - Toner

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

There isn't a SBS soap cover that doesn't make me smile in some way, or that doesn't exude youthful energy. They all make you think that the product inside will be fun. I think they are all exceptional. I just happened to be in the mood for Wood Shop today.

I've complimented him on his work before, but kudos from me to u/wyzeone. Very impressed!

u/EldrormR's MM24 is a work of art in its own way. I'm thrilled to have an example of his work, and I really enjoyed using it today.

June 10th, 2025: Art

• Brush: Zenith - 508A XL/Bristle (B35) (MOAR BOAR) 31mm Boar
• Razor: Joseph Rogers & Sons Near Wedge (6)
• Lather: Noble Otter - Logbook - Soap
• Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Petrichor - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Auntie Anne's Preztels 🥨 - Knead - EdP

$discord

Theme justification: Noble Otter has always had great custom artwork for their tubs. Logbook is in the 'new' style, but it's still great. The 'old' style of Noble Otter art, like seen on Hamam, is preferred by a lot of people but I don't have any tubs like that anymore.

The tub art features an otter in a pilots uniform, and there are little things scattered around like a pair of aviator sunglasses, a headset, an E6B, a compass, etc.

Petrichor might be my favorite aftershave label. It captures the scent perfectly with its depiction of grass and trees lining the banks of a pond.

Knead just has a pretzel on the label.

I enjoyed this straight shave, but I've gotten better results in the past with this razor. Still, it remains a favorite as it's incredibly gently. Zero harshness to it, and it's nearly silent due to the near-wedge shape. I liken it to some of my favorite DE blades which tend to share the same "smoothness" and treat my skin nicely.