October 4th, 2026: Bilingual Day

• Brush: Chisel & Hound "Waterlily" - Chisel & Hound v29 Fanchurian 26mm Badger
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (5)
• Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - Caoba - Soap
• Post Shave: Saponificio Varesino - Cubebe - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Oleo & Co. - Facial Toner - Toner
• Fragrance: Le Labo - Santal 33 - EdP

Theme justification - Caoba is Spanish for mahogany and therefore fits the theme.

Relevant Post Shave or Frag - Cubebe is the Italian word for cubeb (Piper cubeba), the tailed pepper the scent is built around. The word came into Italian from medieval Latin cubeba, which in turn came from Arabic kabāba. Cubeb is a Javanese/Sumatran pepper that reached Europe through Arab spice traders, so the Arabic name showed up with the goods and Latin appropriated borrowed it.

Daily challenge - Today I shaved without a mirror and, all things considered, it went really well.

There are two mirrors in our small apartment bathroom: one above our tiny and too-low-for-tall-people sink, and one on our medicine cabinet which is on a different wall.

I removed the mirror from above the sink and had a close and comfortable three-pass shave. The 34C is truly an autopilot razor for me.

$FOF - To my nose, Caoba in the lather is mostly mahogany with a hint of rose. Darkwing was, as always, Darkwing.

I only own the Cubebe splash, so it's always been a pairing exercise. It's peppery and resinous and doesn't have an obvious connection to mahogany, but the pepper keeps the wood from going flat, and once the splash dried down the two settled into a single spicy wood.

Santal 33 I was less sure about. It's a sandalwood supported by cardamom, iris, and leather, and I thought it might clash with Caoba/Cubebe. It definitely didn't, bringing a lightness and smoothness that really rounded out Cubebe's spice. Very nice!

October 4th, 2026

• Brush: Chisel & Hound - "Rob's Finest" w/ 25mm Synthetic
• Razor: Wolfman Guerilla - Gen 1
• Blade: Personna P74 (12)
• Lather: Haslinger - Schafmilch - Soap
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - La Forêt de Liguest - Aftershave

Great shave! This soap smells quite nice. It's a very neutral, soft scent, but I imagine it would never get old if you used it every day. Product listing showing zero English on the label: https://maggardrazors.com/products/haslinger-schafmilch-sheep-milk-and-lanolin-shaving-soap-60g-puck

Relevant post-shave - Chatillon Lux is a french name. La Foret de Liguest is a french name.

Daily challenge: no

4. October 2026

• Brush: AP Shave Co. 30 mm Tuxedo Fan w/ Black & Clear handle
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: Derby Premium half-DE
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Tobacconist
• Post Shave: Bali Gents - Skin Revival Spray
• Post Shave: HAGS - Barberwood AS tonic

1 pass on the dome, 2 on the face. All things considered, a great shave.

Haven't posted in a while because I actually built up some social connections and genuine friendships in RL! So, the colleague who I went to the gym with is going through some harsh shit. Actually, we grew closer and befriended over our shared misery and yesterday, she hosted a small party at her apartment with another colleague, her sister and a close male friend. Haven't gone out in so long, haven't had this much fun and interaction in quite a while... But of course it also involved drinking and as a lightweight, I was still a bit intoxicated today. Nevertheless, it was great and made our bond stronger - not only as colleagues, but as friends. As it was rather spontaneous, I only had time for a dry shave yesterday. So I wanted some self-care today before my home workout (which I actually finished, but I went easier today to account for my status). This was perfect to wind down.

Tobacconist is one of my earliest artisan soaps and I really love the scent of it. As a former smoker who converted to e-cigs, I often miss the smell of good Tobacco. This and FMoM deliver that really well. Of course, the Mammoth base is also really cushioning for my skin. Earlier today I trimmed my goatee down to stubble length, so I really needed a good clean shave around it to define the edges. The Thorn delivered that.

As for my fitness progress: I got myself a hangable pull-up bar two weeks ago and actually managed to do one. Just one, but still a start! Currently I'm training them with band assistance. My mother was worried yesterday that I look rather thin to her, usually an indicator that I am unwell - so I stepped on the scale today, once before eating and after. Both weights were in the 88 kilo range, so I am definitely below 90 kgs at the moment. I wouldn't have guessed from looking at the mirror except that I see some progress in my arms. Suddenly, there are thick blue veins in my biceps that I've never seen before. It's crazy, but at 32 I now have a better form than at 23! This motivates me to continue, but I don't necessarily want to lose more weight. I still need to eat more quality food. Still, small successes on my way 😌

LG SOTD - 2026-10-04

• Prep: Chiseled Face Groomatorium - Pre-shave Gel
• Bowl: Captain's Choice - Obsidian Copper
• Brush: Zenith - 507U (Olivewood) Boar w/ 28mm Boar
• Razor: RazoRock - Superslant - L3++
• Blade: Feather - New Hi-Stainless (DE)
• Lather: Chiseled Face Groomatorium - Gemütlichkeit
• Post Shave: Bond - Inspired By Whisky Woda Po Goleniu
• Post Shave: Bond - Inspired By Whisky Balsam Po Goleniu
• Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman Reserve Whiskey Woods Powder
• Tool: WSDB
• Platform: PieFed
• Tags: $discord

Theme: Bilingual Day - Gemütlichkeit + Polish Whisky makes something close to Rüdesheimer Kaffee I suppose.

gemütlichkeit /gə-moo͞t′lĭk-kīt″, -müt′lĭᴋʜ-/, noun, Warm friendliness; amicability.

Scent notes: Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and sugar roasted chestnuts served with a cup of steaming coffee

Daily Challenge: Go by feel. Do not use a mirror (or anything reflective) to shave today. My phone's camera does not use mirrors or reflection. It was weird shaving by phone. Seriously though, I tried keeping my eyes closed on the first pass but I kept cheating. In latter passes, I did better facing away from the mirror. It went much slower than usual and my sideburns were a bit crooked.

October 4, 2026

• Brush: Chisel & Hound Bordeaux 26mm V29 Fanchurian
• Razor: Clauss 6/8 Full Hollow Round Point
• Lather: Areffa Soap - Raudr Reyk (Red Smoke) - Soap
• Post Shave: Areffa Soap - Raudr Reyk (Red Smoke) - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Cherry Smoke - Eau de Parfum

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.

Raudr Reyk (name of the soap) is Ukranian and that is where Areffa Soap is located. The soap label and the name are in a foreign (to me) tongue so I think I am on theme. I chose not to take part in today's challenge, however.

I have several soaps from Areffa. Each is distinctive, and the bear tallow base from this maker is not a gimmick (imo). Raudr Reyk is inspired by Tom Ford Cherry Smoke which I used as today's fragrance. It is deep and rich and fruity in a pipe tobacco way. Amazing stuff.

Today's razor belongs to u/Impressive_Donut114 and it was just freshly honed. Since it is a German razor, I finished the edge on an Escher finishing stone from the Thuringian mountains in Germany. It passed the shave test with flying colors.

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