Blizzard Battles 2026, Round 11 Adopted Acres vs. Phoenix Artisan's Frost Byte

Howdy, and welcome back to Blizzard Battles. Round 11. I still can’t quite believe we’re here.

Closing Out Round 10

Before we get into it, let’s wrap up Round 10. When we left off, Hendrix Classics & Co.’s Bitter Cult had four points and the Cajun Blade’s Sub Zero had ten. So we already knew the Cajun Blade was moving on. What we didn’t know was who’d take the label art vote, and I left that one up to you.

Twenty-five votes for Hendrix Classics & Co., nine votes for the Cajun Blade. Label art goes to Hendrix Classics. Congratulations there, Pete. Final tally: five points for Hendrix Classics & Co., ten for the Cajun Blade. You’re moving on to the final four.

Meet the Final Four

Here’s the bracket. I run the final four the same way every time, semifinals first, then the finals right after. Let me get everything together and introduce the first matchup.

Semifinal One: Adopted Acres vs. Phoenix Artisan

On the left, Adopted Acres Soap Co.’s Triple Dog Dare. On the right, Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements’ Frost Byte. No splash on this one, so it’s soap only, guys.

For hardware, I’m using my usual dedicated Blizzard Battle brushes from Grizzly Bay: the black Feral on the left, the red Feral on the right. For the razor, kind of in celebration of Blackland Razors releasing their Batch 4, I’m shaving with a very unique one, my Batch 2. I haven’t used it in a while. It’s a single-edge, split-back razor, and a lot of you are going to have comments about it down in the description below.

Let’s get these brushes loaded, starting with Triple Dog Dare. No menthol crystals growing in this one, but man, it smells good. Notes are pineapple, apple, ice citrus, marine air, juniper breeze, orange blossom, lily of the valley, jasmine, winter cashmere, sandalwood, tonka, moss, and musk.

I have to remind myself every time to load the PAA soap light. I always overload that brush. Triple Dog Dare’s loaded, tub’s rinsed, and I’m on to Frost Byte, just a couple of swirls this time so I don’t repeat the mistake. Glasses off, face wet. Let’s go.

First Pass

Lather’s already overflowing on both sides, and my eyes are watering before I’ve even started shaving. It is cold. This soap wants more water than you’d think, even with a heavily loaded brush.

I went into this matchup with a preconceived notion about who’d come out on top, based on how I’ve rated these two before. First pass in, and I don’t know anymore. I’ve scored Triple Dog Dare a five in the past, twice even, and it’s a severe cold. But Frost Byte feels colder to me this time. That’s a five. Which means Triple Dog Dare, as much as I’ve loved it before, is a four on this pass. I feel weird saying that, but I can’t deny what I’m feeling.

Second Pass

Getting that second-pass punch, the cold hits different two passes in. Both of these bases are tremendous, genuinely great soaps under all that menthol. Second pass starts working into the burning, the good kind. This is a lot of fun and a fantastic shave.

These two are neck and neck, dead even on cold, but I’m getting a slightly more intense burning sensation on the Frost Byte side. Second pass goes to Phoenix Artisan.

Third Pass

Final pass, and my eyes are watering enough that I can barely see without my glasses. This is where that Blackland razor shines, going against the grain on my neck. It’s always been an amazing razor for that.

I’m burning, crying, sniffling, and laughing all at once. Doesn’t make a lot of sense on paper, but that’s what happens when you’re having this much fun with it. My eyes are red, and the lather’s still going strong on both sides. I really hate when these two are this close; it makes the scoring hard, but it’s the good kind of hard. Adopted Acres makes up ground on this pass. It’s minute, but I’m feeling just a bit more intensity on that side. Third pass goes to Adopted Acres.

Longevity and Fragrance

No splash in this matchup, so once I rinse off (carefully, this menthol water finds its way into my eyes every single time), longevity starts right away. These two are still duking it out, like two evenly matched boxers trading punches. Both of them are top tier, some of the best mentholated soaps I’ve used, and that’s true of everything in this semifinal round.

Longevity ran thirty-one minutes and twelve seconds. I thought it would go even longer, honestly. Gut feeling, I’m still partial to Adopted Acres, but Frost Byte is the clear winner on longevity, still noticeable well after Triple Dog Dare had faded. That point goes to Phoenix Artisan.

Fragrance is the easy one. A hundred percent, that point goes to Adopted Acres’ Triple Dog Dare, and it’s worth two points instead of one. Menthol just isn’t doing it for me on the nose. Sorry, Phoenix Artisan, zero there.

A Tie, and It Comes Down to the Label

Add it all up and we’re sitting at eight points apiece. A tie. I did not see that coming. So it comes down to the label art, maybe the most important vote you’ll cast until the next semifinal rolls around.

Triple Dog Dare’s label is fantastic, Cara did a great job on that art with Doug. Frost Byte is classic Phoenix Artisan work, and you can’t deny that art either. I’ve got both labels up side by side. Vote for your favorite down in the comments, because that’s what decides this semifinal.

I’ll get the votes tallied and get the next semifinal filmed and posted soon.

Find your peace in what and where you can. See you next time.