BEARDS: Modern Day Duke Beard Wash & Tonic

Where has he been for months I hear you say? Growing a beard. With that in mind expect one or two posts on beards over the coming weeks and months, but today I'll start off with two cracking products from Modern Day Duke - Luxurious Beard Wash and Superior Beard Tonic.

So, who are Modern Day Duke? You can read all about the company and it's ethos over at their website here:

LUXURIOUS BEARD WASH

A 200ml bottle of the luxurious beard wash will set you back £16.95, which compares favourably with other beard washes on the market. There are a number of things that I genuinely like about this beard wash - it smells lovely, it lathers up a dream, it cleans away grime and doesn't dry out my skin. 

Those four things above make this a must-have product for any beardy weirdy like me.

But saying that it smells lovely is a bit vague and really doesn't do this justice. It blends together cedarwood (a favourite base note in many an aftershave in my collection), lime and aloe vera. The cedarwood gives it an earthy masculine nose but the sharpness of the lime gives it a fresher tangy citrus waft that personally I've found a touch addictive.

Just two pumps of the beard wash, slap it onto a wet beard and you're away - it's like an explosion of lather that intensifies the fragrance two-fold. Result! 

Last but not least, my beard feels clean, smells clean and fresh while also have a softer, smoother feel. 

SUPERIOR BEARD TONIC 

Having now come down with a massive dose of OBD (Obsessive Beard Disorder) keeping it in shape and trying to avoid looking like a hobo means carefully oiling and brushing down the stray hairs. Get a crappy oil and you'll be wiping oil it off your face, hands and sometimes clothing all day. I'm happy to report that this is not one of those lemons!

While the oil itself is quite thick any fears that this would just be smeared up and down my face were quickly allayed - a couple of drops from the applicator, a quick warm up between the palms and it's ready to go. Being, well, an oil, it is smoothed onto the hair really quickly and is absorbed by the hair and skin in under a minute. Excellent.

Throw into the mix once again that lovely fragrance, this time with hints of bergamot, patchouli and grape. It's fresh, it's fruity and for some reason whenever I use this I have an urge to grab an axe and chop some wood.

Styling my beard is a doddle using this - the one day I didn't use it my lovely aunt commented "you look homeless", which says it all. 

Saving the best for last - my beard does grow quicker using the tonic - in just four months I've managed to grow a beard that would have taken at least a year. Indeed, the people I work with have commented on how fast it has grown. 

50ml of this will set you back £18 and at that price, if you have whiskers, you shouldn't be without this.  

I've been using both products on my ever-growing (and greying) beard now for a good four months. Those four months have seen my beard grow at a speed I've never known before, not a hint of beard itch or scratching and the oil leaves the longer style of beard in a position where brushing and styling is a breeze.

They (Modern Day Duke) say that with a great beard comes great responsibility. Not too sure about that, but when they attach phrases like superior and luxurious to these products I'm more than inclined to agree with the assessment. Both products are reasonably priced, I've been introduced to a brand I will be using again (when this batch runs out) and I know I'll be supporting a company that manufactures here in England. 

Summarising in one word how my beard feels after using? Majestic.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin

Facebook

View Post

BEARDS: Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Beard Soap by Menrock

Back in January 2015 I reviewed the For My Beardy Beloved Box Set from Menrock, it was one of the first reviews on the blog, so when I received the latest For My Beardy Beloved 'Awakening' Box Set from the other half as part of my Valentine's Day presents I was chuffed to bits and couldn't wait to give each of the products a try. The box set is great and can be picked up for £29.95 from Menrock here. Today however I'm going to be focusing my attention like a laser beam on the Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Beard Soap that came in the set.

The beard soap comes in the set, but you can buy a 100ml bottle for £12 here.

I had very high expectations from this as my beard is currently strong (read: the longest its ever been) and I really enjoyed both the fragrance and results that the oakmoss beard soap had delivered. After reading the marketing blurb and being notoriously bad at being able to wake up my expectations rose even further.

This is what they say about the 'awakening' over at the Menrock site:

'Our Sicilian Lime and caffeine beard shampoo is just like its twin balm - Light, refreshing and packing a powerful punch. Ideal for those grey and groggy Monday mornings where you don’t want to wake up, and neither does your beard'.

To use Menrock suggest a 4 step approach which goes like this:

Step 1: Muster the courage to crawl/roll/slither out of bed.

Step 2: Apply and lather in our lime and caffeine infused beard shampoo.

Step 3: massage well into your beard and skin and rinse it out with warm water.

Step 4: Lay thine eyes upon the mirror and marvel at the unparalleled majesty that is your freshly washed and perfectly groomed beard.

Being a smoker and living in London my beard does attract a lot of grime and without regular washing and brushing I'm sure it would stink to high heaven. This would have to do something special to clean this beard and wake me up! 

From day one this has become a firm favourite - it lathers up wonderfully and has the most beautifully deep citrus vibe to it that gets progressively stronger as it lathers up and soaks through the beard to the skin. It's easy to rinse off but the best is yet to come.

The claims of 'awakening' really punch home about five to ten minutes after I've dried my beard and brushed it - pow, its like a slap in the face as the caffeine cools the face, it's like an ice blast that slaps you awake and keeps you awake. Having to venture into cold wind with this on your face is like dipping your head into an ice bucket. Awesome for waking up this sleepy corpse. Top notch on that score.

The fragrance is lovely and settles down after drying off and doesn't interfere with any aftershaves or colognes that are applied. Again, good stuff.

All in all I think £12 for 100ml is about right for this. It leaves my beard feeling and looking clean. It has a fragrance that is gentle on the nose and the 'awakening' effect alone is worth the price. It really is a great product that forms part of a great box set for that bearded bloke out there. 

If you want to enhance the slapped awake feel you can magnify the results, massively so by adding the Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Beard Balm to your bristles before brushing. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin

Facebook

View Post

BEARDS: The Great British Grooming Co. Beard Wash and Beard Oil

I had planned on writing lots of beard related posts for Movember but alas the day job got in the way (in a very nice way - check out 'The Meters Collection post). I had intended to talk in depth post after post about the variety of potions and lotions I’ve been using to keep my facial fuzz clean, under control and most of all, calm. Nothing is more irritating than a scratchy beard and before I shape my facial hair into something resembling an effort at growing a moustache I want my face as calm and clean as possible. First up though are two products, The Great British Grooming Co. Beard Wash and Beard Oil.

So, who are The Great British Grooming Co.? This is what they say about themselves over at their website here:

‘The Great British Grooming Co.™ Traditional grooming made modern. Custom built to be at the very core of the modern man’s grooming kit, The Great British Grooming Co.™ is a capsule beard care collection designed to care for the manliest of faces. With exceptional formulations blended with the hydrating, nourishing and skin boosting properties of Argan Oil, The Great British Grooming Co.™ tames facial hair in four simple steps …’

Beard Wash - £4.99 - 200ml - With a rather thick tea-strainer of the moustache and the beard coming along nicely it does mean that my face seems to attract even more dirt when travelling around the polluted streets of London. Rather than wasting face scrub, using this beard wash has been something of a revelation. 

In the interests of seeing how much grime this removes I washed my face in the sink rather than in the shower as normal and I have to say, "yuck"! It was vile seeing how much grime was removed when I first used it. There had clearly been a build up after using just a normal shower gel to face my face and beard.

The fragrance is manly and actually quite subtle, it has more of a rugged and earthy aroma which doesn't seem to linger on the skin or the beard after drying off. In addition, there is no unsightly flakes of beard dandruff and to the touch it feels squeaky clean.

The best part about this is clearly the moisturising and smoothing effect that the Argan Oil provides and personally, my face feels really soft and smooth, as does my beard, and that's before any beard oil is applied! 

Beard Oil - £8.99 - 75ml - This is the third beard oil brand that I've tried on my facial fuzz and once again, I have to rate it on just a few factors - price, how quickly it is absorbed, how it looks when applied and how it leaves the beard feeling. 

Price wise, you can't grumble at the cost, it's really reasonable (I paid £20 for a 50ml can of beard oil at the weekend) when compared with other brands out there on the market. In terms of application just a little is enough to spread across my growing beard and once applied it gives the oily shine you would expect but after around five minutes it dries into the hair and has more of a matte effect. 

The best thing is that it works, it makes brushing the beard into shape (in my case just smoothing the hair down and in one direction) a breeze and after a week of using it my beard itch is barely noticeable. My beard feels more conditioned and even when first waking in the morning the horrid itch isn't bad. 

Both of these products are reasonably priced and for me are must haves now in the bathroom to keep my beard on point. Nobody likes a crusty old beard and I'm not different and thanks to these two top products my face doesn't act as wife repellent! Why don't I just shave you say?

You can find these products on the highstreet at Waitrose and Superdrug and they would make a lovely Christmas gift!

RECOMMENDED

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin

Facebook

View Post

For My Beardy Beloved - The Blade Shunners Beard Kit

When it comes to picking gifts for blokes for Valentine’s Day I’m guessing it’s pretty tricky. I know I’m a nightmare to buy for so today I’ll be showing off the For My Beardy Beloved - The Blade Shunners Beard Kit.

The kit by male grooming peeps Menrock was sent to my other half and in the absence of any signs of a beard on her it was passed to me to give it a try. Over the last twelve months I have been growing a beard on and off, I go through phases where I like the beard but then it gets too long, looks messy and feels itchy and wiry. 

Add into the mix friends who point out the one or two white hairs in my beard constantly and threats of having the hair pulled with tweezers - yep, the razor tends to come out!

At the moment I haven’t shaved for nearly four weeks and have the start of a pretty decent beard I think so there was no better time to have this appear in the house. So what is the beard kit? Well, to be honest it makes the perfect male grooming gift for anyone sporting a beard - it has not just Menrock beard wash, it also has a beard balm, moustache wax and a beard comb. As a nice touch my box also came with a mini pack of Love Heart sweets as a nod to the upcoming date.

The pictures below show the products that come in a stylish little box. You can buy the kit for £22.10 from Amazon here if what you read inspires you.

This is what Menrock say about the kit:

‘Growing stubble is easy... you just dodge the razor! However, maintaining the follicle forest is a different story. This ace gift boxed beard kit (the 'For My Beardy Beloved' box to give it its proper title - yes we are pleased with that one!) contains everything a blade shunner needs to keep his beard in tip-top shape. 

The kit includes both a Men Rock Beard Soap (100ml) and the lovely 'a little goes a long way' Men Rock Soothing Beard Balm (100ml), some gorgeous Men Rock Sandalwood Styling Wax and a little pack of Love Heart Sweets. It's everything you need for perfect whisker formation and comes gift boxes with a little pack of thank you Love Hearts as standard.’

For me the first thing was to get the lids off the balm, wax and wash to have a good sniff. I expected subtle earthy tones from the Oak Moss but what I got was something more like sandalwood - with such a strong fragrance, almost over-powering, in an instant I had a flashback to a barbershop in my youth, the smell was identical. I love the smell, and the fact that it doesn’t linger is a massive plus as it doesn’t alter the fragrance of other products. 

If you don’t like earthy, mossy or sandalwood then steer well clear - you have been warned.

The beard wash is brilliant - it lathers up well, has the fragrance mentioned above and doesn’t dry out my skin. In fact, in the days that I have been using it I have noticed more of a shine to my beard and it feels smoother. Applying the balm after washing is really easy and it spreads across the face without an hassle, drying into the beard almost instantly. 

After using both for a day or so (one wash of the beard and two applications of the balm) I have noticed subtle differences to the feel of my beard. There is no itch around my neck and chin (and its due considering the length) and it still feels smoother. I have to say it does still feel a little wiry but I expect that to change as I use the product more.

I smiled when I was presented with the box, smiled more when I opened it and realised that it contained beard balm (a product just that day I had said I had wanted to try) and am still smiling after using it. In gift terms you can’t argue with that, particularly as it won’t break the bank at just over £20.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

*Hopefully in a few more weeks I will be able to use the comb and wax to style some beardy weirdy shapes!  

You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Google+
Bloglovin

View Post