What soap/cream did you use today?

I had a small sample of Castle Forbes probably 3 years ago.  Today was the first time I was able to use it from the jar...scent is straight-up lavender and probably an 8/10 on strength.  It paired up very well with Fine Lavender Pour Homme

TommyCarioca: Thanks for asking! Yesterday's lather, alas, wasn't the greatest. I switched to a boar brush. Forgetting how much water they hold, I drowned the emulsion in the early stages of the build, and the stuff fell apart. That hasn't happened in a long time. I had a suspicion that it was more than just the brush or the water. So I took a look at the soap and found 'crystals' in it, hard little white bits that don't dissolve into the lather. That's usually a sign of a soap on its last legs. (I know when I find crystals in an Le Père Lucien soap, it's time to take it to the bin.) I'll keep plugging away at Cheshire on and off for the rest of the week using a variety of brushes, but if there's anything left by Saturday, it will be laid to rest.

May she rest in peace.

I have a hard time with boars;never seem to get a good load.

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Send all unwanted boars to me please.

Duly noted Lip.

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Seriously, HoosierShave , that's some impressive lather. Day after day, too. 

Can we talk you into doing a lather building 'tutorial' video?

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HaHa!  I wouldn't even know where to begin!  I have a lot of respect for the guys that do YouTube shave videos.  I find it hard to have meetings on Zoom because I like gauge everyone's interest in person.  Talking into a video camera/smartphone seems like it would be tough!

But one of the best videos I watched along my journey is the Merkur Man's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHHYN3Do9ns

Haven’t seen Dr. Merkur Man for awhile.  Anyone know where he went?

Desert Vetiver v. (Saponificio Varesino) flowers, sagebrush, juniper

Take a look at the notes listed above. Don't see any vetiver, do you? It's here in this soap, but it's playing third string at best. This fragrance is really all about artemisia (wormwood/sagebrush) and flowers. But they're not on an equal footing. To start off the puck smells sweet, like roses and melon, but make a lather and what wells up is a big acrid puff of western sagebrush. Desert Vetiver is the smell of the alkaline desert of the Great Basin and the Colorado plateau. It smells like driving the backroads across Nevada on wet summer's evening with all the windows down, while the fragrance of sagebrush, juniper, pine, wild rose, and greasewood fill the cab. You may pick up some lavender, too, but what's missing is the deep, earthy tang of down and dirty vetiver. A bit of a disappointment there. Nevertheless, if you can make peace with some dry and distant vetiver, you may find this is a fantastic fragrance, and the soap base (beta 4.3) is splendid.
   

Homelikeshaving sandalwood

Never experienced summer rain in NV nor anywhere in desert SouthWest

Today in my SOTD ...

Never experienced summer rain in NV nor anywhere in desert SouthWest

Me neither, but after reading Bouki's description, I certainly want to!   Seems to me, picking up a tub of Desert Vetiver would be significanlty less expensive than taking a trip to the southwest

Desert Vetiver v. (Saponificio Varesino) flowers, sagebrush, juniper

Take a look at the notes listed above. Don't see any vetiver, do you? It's here in this soap, but it's playing third string at best. This fragrance is really all about artemisia (wormwood/sagebrush) and flowers. But they're not on an equal footing. To start off the puck smells sweet, like roses and melon, but make a lather and what wells up is a big acrid puff of western sagebrush. Desert Vetiver is the smell of the alkaline desert of the Great Basin and the Colorado plateau. It smells like driving the backroads across Nevada on wet summer's evening with all the windows down, while the fragrance of sagebrush, juniper, pine, wild rose, and greasewood fill the cab. You may pick up some lavender, too, but what's missing is the deep, earthy tang of down and dirty vetiver. A bit of a disappointment there. Nevertheless, if you can make peace with some dry and distant vetiver, you may find this is a fantastic fragrance, and the soap base (beta 4.3) is splendid.
   

That’s what I’ve been looking for!  Sagebrush.