SOTD by u/JoboozeRum

Aug. 1, 2022 - Austere August Day 1

• Prep: Hot Shower, Stirling Soap Facial Soap
• Brush: Zenith 508A SE 28mm
• Razor: GEM Micromatic OC Gen 1 - Patinaed
• Blade: GEM PTFE (1)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Restore - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Restore - Balm
• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Grey Vetiver

Well here we are, the first shave of Austere August. Going to be a great. So I am using an MMOC again this year, switching it up to the Gen 1 though. I did a force patina on it this weekend and it turned out quite nice. Next up is the raw hoggin' challenge. I am a big boar fan, so this was a nice excuse for another Zenith. The brush I am using is one of the mistake brushes from Gentle Shave, when they sent out mini B35's instead of the real deal. No matter, the handle is comfortable and it is the same knot that is in my B28 (28mmx57mm). Typically with boar brushes I use an A&E soap that I received as part of a lot, it works well because the concentration of frag burns out pig stench as well as it does skin. So this is the first time I am using a boar straight out of the box, and well it was just what I expected. It smelled like wet pig ass. I am lucky enough to be doing Mammoth Month, so I get the luxury of using Tusk all month. Restore is my weapon of choice to fight the stench. Restore is a lovely honey rose scent that has some earthy notes that keep it grounded and a fairly versatile rose scent. How did it pair with my pig ass brush? To quote Outkast - "Roses really smell like poo-poo-ooh". Yeah, it was rough; rosey hog ass is still hog ass. Good news is, Tusk loads like a champ and even though boars are really thirsty a 35 second load was plenty for a three passer. The Gen 1 MMOC adds a bit to the aggressive scale compared to the Gen 2, but there isn't that big of a difference between the two imo. I am pretty well versed in the MMOC so I doubt I will be providing any groundbreaking GEMsOfWisdom, it is a great razor. Post shave was great, Restore balm is really nice. Settled on Grey Vetiver for the frag for the month, see if I can put a dent in the bottle. Looking forward to see everyone's posts this month. There are some awesome side challenges, as well as some not so awesome ones.

Mandatory Tagging:

#GEMsOfWisdom

#Rawhoggin

#MammothMafia

u/EldrormR

u/Semaj3000