Blizzard Battles 2026 Round 4: The Shivering vs. Draconis Glacialis
Howdy and welcome back. We are deep into the 2026 Artisan Challenge now, and round four is where things start getting really interesting.
Quick housekeeping first: A Texan Shaves t-shirts are up at Overholt Supply Co., link in the description. Two styles available now, a couple more coming soon. I don’t make a dime off these, that’s all Overholt. I just appreciate what he does putting them together. Print on demand, ships fast. Okay, that’s enough of that.
Round 3 Results
You guys came out in record numbers for that label vote, and I genuinely appreciate it. We had 49 votes, which mattered because round three ended in a tie. Your votes broke the deadlock.
Wild Fox Rituals Arctic Fox against Wit’s End Small Batch Goods Berserker. Final count: 39 for Arctic Fox, 10 for Berserker. That gives Arctic Fox the label point and the round win, eight total points to Berserker’s seven. Wild Fox Rituals, you’re moving on, and you’ve earned a bye for round four.
Wit’s End, I hate to see you go. I love Berserker. That fragrance is something, and I can’t wait to use it again. If you want to grab a bottle for yourself, it’s available on the Etsy shop. Link in the description. Go get it.
Round 4 Contestants
With Wit’s End off the wheel and Wild Fox sitting out their bye, I spun twice and came up with this: Stirling Soap Company against Subtle Art Soap Company.
Stirling versus Subtle Art. Two serious names in one round. I am genuinely curious how this plays out, and I’m really looking forward to getting into these fragrances.
Stirling Soap Company: The Shivering
When I pulled The Shivering out of the box and saw that label, I stopped. You have got to be kidding me. Incredible. I absolutely love it. The side label is clean, no crazy warning copy or extra verbiage cluttering it up. Just great art.
I reached out to Rod and asked him about the fragrance. He told me it’s inspired by the original Aramis pour homme from 1964, and that this is in Stirling’s tallow and lanolin base. I looked up the notes from that classic. Top: lavender, lemon, caraway, basil, bergamot, clary sage, iris, and star anise. Middle: vetiver, patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, juniper berries, and cardamom. Base: oakmoss, leather, amber, musk, and tonka bean.
On paper, oakmoss and leather in the base with bergamot up top reads like something big and complex. Should be very interesting. Even through the menthol, I’m catching the faintest hint of that fragrance. Just barely, but it’s there. And they fill those tubs all the way up. I love that about Stirling.
One more thing worth knowing: The Shivering is not a regular release. Rod and Mandy said if there’s enough interest, they’d consider doing a limited drop. So if you want it, reach out to them. Get on the Stirling fan page on Facebook, there’s already a thread going. I’d love a full set if they release it. Probably soap and splash, but I’d take it in a heartbeat.
Subtle Art Soap Company: Draconis Glacialis
I am the number one fan of everything in the Draconis line. Draconis Luna was my first Subtle Art obsession, and that hasn’t changed one bit.
Draconis Glacialis. Another stunning label, clean on the sides, no extra noise. Good.
Scent notes: bergamot, verbena, mint, coriander, cedar, and amber. This one is in their new four butter base. The first time I opened the jar and got a nose of it, I had to stop and just sit with it for a second. That fragrance is so good. So good.
Draconis Glacialis does have a matching splash, available at Subtle Art Soap Company directly. For this round, though, we won’t be using splashes. Stirling didn’t include one with The Shivering, which is perfectly fine, because this challenge has always been about the soaps. And it’s just easier to load a splash with extra menthol than it is a soap. Keeping it clean and even for both sides.
The Shave
About two days of growth. I try to hold off for these battles when I can.
Both brushes loaded at the same time, 31 seconds of tub loading, red tip for Draconis, blue tip for The Shivering. I’ll be upfront: I set the timer to 31 minutes the first try instead of 31 seconds. I’m 55, you’re going to have to bear with me on this kind of thing. The brush was well loaded by the time I called it, so no real harm done. I need to be better prepared. I never said this was completely scientific.
For the razor this round, I went with my Aylsworth titanium Dreadnought, the original version made by Yates Precision Manufacturing. I absolutely love this razor. Felt kind of fitting to run it alongside Draconis.
After lathering both sides up, I could not tell the two apart at all. Not even a little. I’d expected Stirling might have a bit of an edge going in, honestly. After talking with Joe from Subtle Art and Rod from Stirling, I thought maybe Stirling was better positioned. Joe even told me he didn’t think Draconis was going to be cold enough to compete. Joe came to fight, because it absolutely was cold enough. Both of them did outstanding work on these.
First pass: neck and neck. Both got a 4 on lather structure, both got a 4 on coldness. Completely side by side.
Second pass changed things. I got a real menthol punch from The Shivering on the re-lather, got my nose running, everything going. But Draconis was climbing. By the second pass, Draconis Glacialis was noticeably colder. Significantly. It started to burn. Coldness point goes to Subtle Art.
The fragrance situation surprised me. In past rounds I’ve been getting solid hits of the actual scent during the shave. These two were just pure menthol for most of it. Near the end of the second pass I finally started picking up hints of The Shivering. Wonderful. And if you have not tried the four butter base from Subtle Art, get a hold of some. Super slick. Fantastic on the face.
My shirt is completely covered in lather. I got some of that menthol rinse water in my eyes, which was not fun. Nose is running. Face is frozen solid. That is the shave I signed up for.
Longevity is where we pick back up. Still very close. Half a step more intense on one side, but genuinely hard to call. These two are evenly matched in a way I did not expect.
Watch the full video for the final scoring on longevity, fragrance, and label art. It’s going to be close. Thanks for being here, guys.