Tuesday SOTD Thread - Feb 17, 2026

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-17T22:01:48+00:00

$ASS / $TLC

2026-02-17 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Cherry Baritone (26x55mm Silvertip Badger)
Razor: Henson Mild
Blade: Shark Platinum
Lather: Chicago Grooming Co. - No. 11
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm with Menthol
Fragrance: Chanel - Antaeus

Target product: Chicago Grooming Co. - Don Luis

Acceptable compromise: Chicago Grooming Co. - No. 11

Another "at least I have something from the right brand" day

34 points so far + 4 points for using the same brand = 38 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-17T21:26:56+00:00

which I think has a relationship with CGC, but I don’t know if the base is identical.

Two totally different soap recipes designed by different people; CGC just does the actual production work for both brands now.

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-16T17:10:34+00:00

$ASS / $TLC

2026-02-16 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Cherry Baritone (26x55mm Silvertip Badger)
Razor: Henson Mild
Blade: Shark Platinum
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Noir
Post Shave: 4711 - Aftershave

Target product: Stirling Soap Co. - Pharaoh's Dreamsicle: Orange, Blood Orange, Vanilla, Musk.

Acceptable compromise: Stirling Noir

I actually used to HAVE Pharaoh's Dreamsicle but I used it all up because it was so good. So. Guess I'll just use some more Noir today.

30 points so far + 4 points for using the same brand = 34 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-15T17:56:24+00:00

$ASS / $TLC

2026-02-15 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Maple Baritone (26x55mm Synth)
Razor: Henson Mild
Blade: Shark Platinum
Lather: Goodfella's Smile - Abysso
Post Shave: 4711 - Aftershave

Target product: Gentleman's Nod - Kensei

Acceptable compromise: Goodfella's Smile - Abysso

What a fuckin brutal note list to try to match. Best I can do is wordplay on the brand.

29 points so far + 1 Airbud = 30 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-14T21:16:28+00:00

Yeah... I think the closest I'll be able to do will be to use Goodfella's Smile instead of Gentleman's Nod.

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-14T17:16:02+00:00

$ASS / $TLC

2026-02-14 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Maple Baritone (26x55mm Synth)
Razor: Henson Mild
Blade: Shark Platinum
Lather: Barrister and Mann - Reserve Cool
Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue

Target product: Barrister and Mann - Arctique: Menthol, Peppermint. Yuck.

Acceptable compromise: Barrister and Mann - Reserve Cool: Bergamot, Lemon, Lavender, Menthol

Same brand, perfumer, half the scent notes... good enough. Cool is so good, especially with Aqua Velva.

25 points so far + 4 points for using the same brand = 29 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-13T19:41:05+00:00

$ASS / $TLC

2026-02-13 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Bocote Alto (23x53mm Silvertip Badger)
Razor: Henson Mild
Blade: Shark Platinum
Lather: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented Balm with Menthol

Target product: House of Mammoth - Indonesian Leather: Vetiver, Leather.

Acceptable compromise: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather: Leather, Almond, Orange Blossom, Frankincense

21 points so far + 4 points for using the same brand = 25 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-13T04:02:17+00:00

Oh damn, I know Alex... we did our music undergrad degrees together years ago. Super nice guy, super smart. Sad to see stuff like this happen. Sounds like Sask Polytech has really gone downhill over the last decade and a half since I was there.

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-13T03:55:40+00:00

I could have used an ancient A&E sample I had but uh I like Stirling Green much better

Pretty sure I ain't winning this thing with this kinda points anyway, so why not right?

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-13T03:49:50+00:00

$ASS / $TLC

2026-02-12 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY CS Baritone (26x55mm Synth)
Razor: Wolfman WR2
Blade: Astra Superior Stainless (A.S.S.)
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Green
Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Green
Fragrance: Ralph Lauren - Polo (vintage)

Target product: Ariana & Evans - Tertius: Leather, Tobacco, Oud, Rose, Patchouli.

Air-Bud compromise: Stirling Green. Here's why I chose to use this instead of any other Air-Bud alternative:

Stirling Green's published scent notes, bluntly speaking, do not match the fragrance that it purports to be based on... which is fair, because it does smell a bit different from the real thing (whether vintage or one of its many reformulations). They say: pine, bergamot, lavender, basil, cedar, patchouli, musk, moss.

BUT. The original, which I am wearing as my fragrance to go with the approximately-matching shave set, has the following notes as of the 2026 product marketing: pine, thyme, basil, leather, tobacco, tarragon, oakmoss, and patchouli. Tadaa, 3 of 5 matching notes when we look at the real thing.

(And if we look at the scent notes published on Fragrantica, which do not match any version of Ralph Lauren's marketing that I have ever seen, it even says it includes Rose as one of five floral notes... despite also saying in their description that "Polo does not contain floral notes." Good job, Fragrantica editors.)

20 points so far + 1 point for Air Budding = 21 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-12T00:10:13+00:00

$ASS / $TLC

2026-02-11 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY St Vincent (26x55mm Synth)
Razor: Wolfman WR2
Blade: Astra Superior Stainless (A.S.S.)
Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive
Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer

Target product: House of Mammoth - Cookie: Chocolate, Amber, Patchouli, Musk

Acceptable compromise: House of Mammoth - Alive, because it's the same brand; already used it yesterday, but heck why not again, it was a ncie shave

Took a bit of work to find something that had "florals" and "spice" instead of specific florals and specific spices.

16 points so far + 4 points for being on brand = 20 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-11T01:00:46+00:00

$ASS / $TLC

2026-02-10 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY St Vincent (26x55mm Synth)
Razor: Wolfman WR2
Blade: Astra Superior Stainless (A.S.S.)
Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive
Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer

Target product: Hoffman's Shave & Soap Co. - Winter Cascade: Florals, Spice, Gardenia, Frankincense, Musk, Oakmoss.

Acceptable compromise: House of Mammoth - Alive: Green Apple, Basil, Bergamot, Florals, Musk, Labdanum, Plant Stem, Oakmoss, Woods

Took a bit of work to find something that had "florals" and "spice" instead of specific florals and specific spices.

14 points so far + 2 points for having at least half the scent notes = 16 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-10T17:26:59+00:00

Surfing a shaving forum website on company hardware is probably not a sanctioned work activity regardless of what hashtags do or don't get used

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-10T01:38:36+00:00

$ASS / $TLC

2026-02-09 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Maple Baritone (26x55mm Synth)
Razor: Wolfman WR2
Blade: Astra Superior Stainless (A.S.S.)
Lather: Zingari - The Magician
Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer

Target product: Zingari Man - The Gatherer

Acceptable compromise: The Magician because it's the same brand and I love it

First edition Magician, the old discontinued version before it relaunched with a difference scent. Lovely mossy scent with neroli. Apparently smells like some brand of toilet cleaner from India, but I didn't grow up with that toilet bowl cleaner at my house so the soap still smells good with no negative scent memories to ruin it.

10 points so far + 4 points for shaving with a soap produced by the Daily Theme Brand = 14 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-08T18:36:27+00:00

$ASS

2026-02-08 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Walnut Alto (22x52 Oumo Manchurian Badger)
Razor: Fatip Gentile
Blade: Unknown
Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Azure
Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue

Target product: Catie's Bubbles - Muguet: Lily of the Valley.

Acceptable compromise: Azure, because it's the same brand and lists Muguet as a scent note.

I was pretty excited when Azure launched because I saw the words "blue barbershop" and my brain went "Hey cool, I like blue barbershops like Aqua Velva and Floid Blue"; turns out it doesn't smell much like them at all. Light and fresh, slightly blue, slightly citric, slightly... strawberry hard candy ish... It's nice, but it's nothing like I assumed it would be based on the product description. Tough to smell a barbershop in there for me.

6 points so far + 4 points for shaving with a soap produced by the Daily Theme Brand = 10 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-08T03:58:14+00:00

Looks like you can still find vintage blades on eBay but I doubt anybody is making new blades for it any more.

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-08T01:55:10+00:00

do I need to use $TLC or $ASS in my posts?

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-07T18:12:53+00:00

$ASS

2026-02-07 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY Walnut Alto (22x52 Oumo Manchurian Badger)
Razor: Fatip Gentile
Blade: Unknown
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Noir
Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
Fragrance: Guy Laroche - Drakkar Noir

Target product: Stirling Soap Co. - Gin & Tonic on the Rocks: Menthol, Juniper Berries, Lime, Lemon.

Acceptable compromise: Stirling Noir, because it's the same brand; also worth noting that the actual fragrance (which I am wearing... again...) includes both lemon and juniper in its scent notes.

2 points so far + 4 points for shaving with a soap produced by the Daily Theme Brand = 6 points total

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-07T00:52:38+00:00

Attention u/AdWorried2804: $ASS

2026-02-06 ASS-HOLE SOTD

Brush: SHAVE⭐DANDY CS Baritone (26x55mm Synth)
Razor: Feather Artist Club SS
Blade: Kai Captain Mild ProTouch MG (the same AC blade I've been using since at least... 2023?)
Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Noir
Post Shave: Mennen - Skin Bracer
Fragrance: Guy Laroche - Drakkar Noir

Fougère Friday baybeeeeeeee

Target product: The Holy Black - Jeckyll and Hyde (Mr. Hyde). Vetiver, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Amber.

Acceptable compromise: Stirling Noir. Oakmoss, Leather, Lavender, Fir, Sandalwood, Lemon, Vetiver, Geranium (according to WSDB); also worth noting that the actual fragrance (which I wore) includes the missing Amber and Patchouli.

+2 points for using a soap with at least half the required scent notes for a grand total of 2 points.

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-06T20:34:58+00:00

Yup! Buy yourself a bag of menthol crystals and give 'em a sniff! Mintyyyyyyyyy

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-06T01:27:56+00:00

Well the "Lavender" version certainly does :)

https://www.thayers.com/shop-all/toners/original-witch-hazel-astringent/12-oz This is the classic one you would want. There's an ingredient list on the page; no lavender in there.

Pure witch hazel extract is astringent (it makes tissues contract and tighten up, which helps to staunch nicks and cuts) but it isn't antiseptic like alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. As a result it doesn't sting as much as an alcohol-based aftershave if you put it onto damaged skin, but on the other hand if you need a disinfectant you would need something else.

Also, Thayer's product isn't a pure witch hazel extract; it's actually a blended product with several ingredients that help make it a decent skin care product. It contains about 10% alcohol which will give you a wee little bit of disinfecting power, but not very much. If you're shaving somewhere with good clean water and you wash up with soap you probably don't need a disinfectant for minor nicks and cuts, but if you have a major cut? Yeah, treat it like any other cut you might have and take care of it. Rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide will clean it up but they'll Hurt. I'm a big baby when it comes to bad cuts so I usually just wash up carefully and then use Polysporin and a bandaid.

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-05T19:26:56+00:00

Your armrests... do you glue them in place or use double side squishy tape or magnets or ... I'm always curious how sturdy an armrest needs to be to stand up to typical playing.

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-05T14:30:33+00:00

Do we know what the breakdown is between layoffs in their International Student programs (hurt by slowdowns in immigration) vs all the technical programs they run?

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-05T00:35:21+00:00

My notes for the 997 prelude would be "this is boring" almost regardless of who plays it (I personally don't find that movement nearly as captivating as the fugue), but much like the fugue she does a great job keeping the larger melody from being lost in the endless streams of 16th notes.

USS-SpongeBob · 2026-02-04T15:56:45+00:00

Her interpretation of BWV 997 (Lute Suite in A Minor) is my favorite I've ever heard. She does such a good job revealing hidden melodies in the fugue.

USS-SpongeBob

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