Blizzard Battles 2026 Round Nine: Subtle Art vs Hearth and Altar

Howdy, and welcome back to Blizzard Battles 2026, the Artisan Challenge. Round nine. But first we’ve got to close out round eight.

Round Eight, Final Tally

Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Frost and Space went up against Mäurer & Wirtz Ice Tears, and the shave off ended tied, seven to seven. That left it to you guys to decide on label art, and it wasn’t close: 33 votes for PAA, three for Mäurer & Wirtz. Point goes to PAA, final score eight to seven. Congratulations to PAA for moving on.

I want to say something about Mäurer & Wirtz here, because a few of you commented on the lather taking a while to show up. I reached out and asked about it, and the answer is that soap is sensitive to water, very sensitive. Worth remembering Mäurer didn’t actually design this soap for the Blizzard Battles, he let me borrow it. Outstanding of him to do that. But even accounting for that, it doesn’t lather up as easy as the heavily mentholated soaps built for this bracket, so I’m sticking with my score on lather structure. Mäurer, the soap’s great, and I hope you’ll build something for the bracket next year. I owe you a gift, so send me your address.

Five Left in the Bracket

Five artisans left in the bracket. I’m adding H C and C once their entry comes in, and PAA gets a bye this round since they were just in the last one. Let me grab the wheel and I’ll be right back.

Okay, I’ve got the wheel. First matchup: Subtle Art Soap Co. against Hearth and Altar. This is going to be a lot of fun. Give me a minute to get everything set up.

The Soaps and the Razor

On the left, Subtle Art Soap Co.’s Draconis Glacialis. On the right, Hearth and Altar’s Barren Earth. Both labels are beautiful, and this is the first time I’ve used either splash. I know for a fact I haven’t touched Barren Earth, I just pulled it out of the box. Pretty sure Draconis Glacialis is a first for me too. Excited to run both of these all the way through.

For the razor, something brand new. This is Shield’s Elite Titanium Destroyer Slant. Just got it in, never used it before, and I’m running it on three or four days of growth. I’ve been in love with everything Shield’s put out lately, and if I’m not mistaken this is the first slant they’ve ever made. Correct me in the comments if I’m wrong on that.

Fragrance notes, for the record. Draconis Glacialis is bergamot, verbena, mint, coriander, cedar, and amber. Smells fantastic. Barren Earth is written up as camphor spreading across a barren grove of dry cedar and lifeless vetiver, no growth, no warmth, no mercy. That one smells amazing too. I could not wait to get into these.

Lathering Up

Loaded the brush with Draconis Glacialis first, dropped it (classic), set it aside, then loaded Barren Earth. Smells so good. Rinsed the brush, face wet, timer ready, towel down.

Quick aside: if you’re watching and wondering about the lighted sign behind me, that’s the work of Philip over at Sharp 3D. He’ll change the colors, make it strobe, whatever you want. He’s got some generic designs available, and if you want something custom, reach out to him directly. That thing is outstanding.

We’re up against a stretch of brutal Texas heat this time of year, so a battle full of ice cold soaps could not be better timed.

Lathering up Draconis Glacialis first. Smells amazing, loved it the first time I used it and I love it now. This is Subtle Art’s new four butter base, and it’s already getting cold fast. Beautiful lather. Feels wonderful, refreshing, nice and chilly. Re-wet the other side and got Barren Earth going. Nose is starting to run a little. This battle’s going to be tough, these two are evenly matched. Actually, scratch that, one of them might be pulling ahead already. We’ll see.

Round One

Razor’s got a little chatter to it, which I’ll note. As far as lather structure, both soaps get credit here, and it’s close. Barren Earth is colder, but not by a lot. Neither one is quite hitting the top of my scale: Barren Earth isn’t quite a four in my book, and Subtle Art isn’t quite a two, they’re both sitting around a three, with Barren Earth just a step ahead. Intensity on the first pass, both around a three as well, but for scoring I have to give the edge to Barren Earth since it’s colder. Three points to Barren Earth, two to Draconis Glacialis. I may have scored Draconis higher in a past round, I don’t remember exactly, but it’s stronger than a two on its own, just not stronger than what Barren Earth’s doing here.

Round Two

That new four butter base is holding up beautifully on the second pass, and I’m getting that punch out of Barren Earth I like. Nose is a little loose but not running the way it has on some of the others. This razor is smooth and mowing through the growth. Went the wrong way on my neck at one point, had to go back over it. Grip on this handle is intuitive, there’s a little pinch area with flat sides right where my fingers land. Where do we stand after pass two? A lot closer than pass one. Subtle Art’s catching up, it’s tight, but I think Barren Earth is still a smidge ahead. Barely noticeable, but noticeable. Point to Barren Earth again.

Round Three

Getting a little more sniffly here, nothing major. Performance out of both soaps is stellar for how much menthol is packed into them. Final pass, and I’ve gone back to doing my whole neck at once instead of working it in sections, not the most scientific approach on my part. Barren Earth is starting to give me that burning feeling I look for, smoldering, not quite full fire yet but heading that way. It’s ice cold. Barren Earth starts to pull away here, so that’s the point for the third pass.

Splashes and Longevity

Rinsed off and I am smooth. Slick, too. Both of these soaps performed way above what I expected.

First up, Draconis Glacialis splash. Thank you Joe and Sadie for sending it over. Healthy amount, rubbed in well, and that fragrance is something else. Then Barren Earth, thank you Will and Sarah. Had to peel some plastic off the cap first. Good amount on, and this one lights me up. Joe and Sadie’s splash is outstanding on its own, but Will and Sarah brought real fire to my face with this one. Tears, sniffling, couldn’t keep one eye open for a solid ten minutes from the vapor alone.

Longevity landed at 24 minutes, 1 second, and I was still feeling it on the Hearth and Altar side after that. Might’ve even had another ten or fifteen minutes left in it. So longevity, hands down, goes to Barren Earth.

For fragrance, I’m going with Subtle Art. I love both of these, genuinely, but something about Draconis Glacialis just got me a little more. Two points there.

The Verdict

Add it up and Subtle Art finishes with five, Barren Earth with seven. Even with the extra point still on the table for label art, Barren Earth wins this round. Congratulations, Hearth and Altar, you’re moving on.

Now it’s on you. If you want to weigh in on the label art, Draconis Glacialis from Subtle Art Soap Co. or Barren Earth from Hearth and Altar, drop your vote in the comments below.

What a round. Both of these are favorite artisans of mine, honestly all five that are left are favorites of mine, and this one lived up to it. As for that Shield slant, I’ve got a stack of razors waiting on reviews, but this one gave me an incredible first shave. Jumped straight into my top three slants after a single pass. I need to run it on a head shave before I say more, but so far, impressive.

Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in round ten.