Christmas 2016: Gifts for a Bearded Bloke

Over the course of the year I've been inundated with various products to tame my mane (read beard) or just to get rid of it completely. There are a range of products, services and experiences that I would recommend, but rather than just re-hash things that I've already written about I've gone a little bit further and decided on a mash up of products. Some I've written about, some I've used and some stuff is just really cool. So, stuck for a gift idea for the bearded man in your life or for the bearded man in your life you no longer want to be bearded? Read on!

The Real Shaving Company

There are two little crackers (not literally crackers) from The Real Shaving Company. First up is the Shaving Brush Collection which at £9.99 from Boots here is well worth a look for those interested in taking some time and effort into their shaving preparation. Not only does it contain a professional synthetic bristle brush (it's hard to tell the difference between this one and real badger hair brushes), it also comes with a 50ml tube of their shave cream which again is actually well worth a look.

Second up is the Men's Travel Essentials, only £5.99 from Boots here. It contains steps one, two and three from the range with all of the products coming in travel friendly 50ml tubes.

So, the three products are:

• Daily Face Scrub 
• Shave Cream 
• Moisturiser

All three products are good value for money and the pack is a must have for the frequent flyer/traveller (no more ditching products at airport security). 

Barber Pro Shave Mug

With a variety of shaving brushes on hand now in my bathroom for yonks (read a while) I have struggled to actually use them properly, either rubbing the brush into a bar of soap or squeezing an assortment of product onto the brush. Neither approach has really been ideal, but lo, what is this, a funky little enamel coated cup to finally end my half arsed approach to applying shaving cream! 

At just £8.95 here, this mug is not only a bit of a looker (I think it's cool) it's easy to wash out and let's me mix my shave cream properly before spreading it across my face with a brush.

This would make an affordable secret Santa, a cute little stocking filler or quirky gift.

Big Boy

Two products from the Big Boy range in focus today, with more to come in the New Year. Big Boy are a new brand to me but I've been using them on and off over the last few months. The brand originates in Sicily. They say that their products combine rich natural ingredients like Sicilian olive and almond oil with bees wax and shea oil create superior hair and skin products.

First up is their Soothing Drops, which cost £24.95 from their website here. They smell amazing and are applied with a dropper into the hand before applying to your beard. I love the fragrance, it's like a clean, sterile smell and it doesn't interfere with any aftershave or cologne applied after using it. The emulsion drops are absorbed by the beard and skin quickly and since using this I've found a marked decrease in the number of acne outbreaks under my facial foliage.

Second up is their Moisturising Cream, with a SPF20 and hefty £36.95 price tag comes in a 50ml tub. Again it has the fragrance of the soothing drops and despite the price tag it happens to go a long way, even when used on a face as large as mine. Not only does this reduce the damage to your skin from sunlight I have found that it does help to keep my skin feeling and looking more hydrated - the harsh cold weather has form for drying out my skin but this acts as a kind of rescue remedy! Top stuff and with this you get what you pay for.

Men-U 

What about a seven piece all you need travel bag and essential grooming products? Well, over at the Mankind site you can pick up everything you need as a kind of grooming grab bag for just £22.49 here. 

I'm a big fan of their products and have used a large amount of the range before, but in this gift set you get to play with:

• 100ml of Daily Refresh Shampoo
• 100ml of Shower Gel
• 15ml of Shave Cream
• 15ml of Healthy Face Wash
• 15ml Matt 'Skin Refresh' Gel
• 15ml of Liquifflex

Before you ask where the seventh product is, its the actual toiletry bag. In the past I've used the shampoo and shower gel and been impressed, but for me, the Skin Refresh gel was a real eye opener that soothed my skin after shaving. 

Cornerstone shaving box

How about a monogrammed razor and enough product to keep your face as smooth as a peach? Well, you could take a peek at the Cornerstone subscription shaving box. It comes with a cool blade shaft, enough razors to keep you going for well over a month but best of all, it comes with one of the best face scrubs ever, excellent shaving cream and a lovely cooling balm for when you've finished. 

At £30 for the monogrammed razor and six blades, face scrub, shave gel and post shave balm it is well worth the cash. You can read my review of the box here, or just pop over to the Cornerstone site here and take a look at the options available (you can tailor the box to suit your bearded bloke's shave routine).

This Bearded Life

Yes, a shameless plug for a recent post, but I genuinely did enjoy reading this book by Carles Sune. I'm not one for endless reading about grooming, I find it all very repetitive if I'm honest but I did find this a page turner. The interesting facts, history of the beard and quirky illustrations captured my attention, and that's hard to do. At £12.99 you can't go wrong. You have the chance to win one of two copies in a previous post here (until midnight on 14 December).

Ted's Grooming Room gift vouchers

I've visited three of Ted's Grooming Rooms over the last two years and each time I've found the experience to be truly uplifting. I'd strongly recommend a visit for a haircut, to have your beard trimmed or removed or to just shape your brows. It's a great grooming experience and you can pick up gift vouchers here.

The 'Full Ted' service that I usually opt for is available for £48.50 and includes a haircut with a clean shave or beard design. A few pictures of my before and after visits are below to show how they really can transform even the most neglected (grooming wise) into something that looks sharp and on point.

Before and after a visit to Ted's Grooming Room just off The Strand

Before and after my latest visit, this time to the new branch by St Paul's

So, there you have it, my selection of possible gifts for the bearded bloke in your life. There are so many things that I could have added, like the amazing Oil Can Grooming Iron Horse Beard Oil (£24), Jamie Stevens MR Beard Oil (£10) or Citrus Wood by Yardley London (£19.99), but alas I didn't want to overload you dear readers with too many choices. Needless to say, they all come highly recommended from me.

I do hope you find this useful in your quest for gift ideas, and please do let me know what you think to my selections, or indeed the products if you choose to buy them for yourself, a friend or a relative.

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Cornerstone Shaving Box

If you follow the blog you may have seen my recent post, ‘An Idiots Guide to Shaving’ where I shared some simple advice on how to get that great shave. Where did I get these tips from? Well, the excellent folk over at Cornerstone, a flexible regular distributor of razor blades and men’s shaving supplies. 

The box is starting to look a bit worn after a few months of abuse!

The box before I got stuck in!

Oliver, the founder of the company not only talked me through the perfect shave back in April at the Man Made salon in central London, I was also provided with a full shaving kit so that I could go away and attempt that elusive perfect shave. 

Big smiles all around on my part and after using this now for a month where my face has actually been as hair free as it has been for years I feel that I can give a good run down of the products available, the shaving experience and whether you should be signing yourself or your other half up for a regular delivery.

Cornerstone have a simple philosophy of keeping things simple, yet everything from the box and product design screams understated class, from the clean and fresh face scrub, shave gel and post shave balm to the aluminium razor (you can even have your razor monogrammed with your initials - it‘s the small things that amuse me).

Delivery options couldn’t be clearer and once you have an account set up you can chop and change your options. Personally, as I use the excellent RazorBrite to keep my blades going for much longer I don’t need a regular delivery of blades. Simple, you can remove them and just select the shaving aids. Brilliant.

With no minimum term, free delivery, the ability to suspend or amend how often you receive a box, or simply reduce your order means that you, the consumer are in control of what you get. Another tick in the positive box! 

So, what did I think of my box?

Face Scrub

I have to admit, this is by far the most impressive thing in the box for me. A 100ml tube of the face scrub utilising cedarwood and volcanic sand provides one of the best exfoliating experiences I have ever had. The volcanic sand is perfect as an abrasive while remaining gentle on the skin. 

No bogeys? Check, Ears Clean? Check - you may proceed with photos......

A charcoal grey in colour I couldn’t detect the sand when I squeezed a bit onto my hand initially but as soon as I started to rub into my face you can feel the grains of sand. As it spreads across the face you can after about a minute see the tiny particles of sand. Awesome! 

Fragrance wise it is subtle and not overbearing. Despite giving it a good sniff (to the point some went up my nose) I just couldn’t identify it. Sorry! 

After using this and prior to shaving my face did have that post scrubbed glow, my face felt clean and my pores were well and truly open for business. Top notch stuff in my opinion and on a par at least with one of my personal favourites, Scaramouche & Fandango 'Fs' (face scrub). 

It's the face scrub, not my filthy face that turned the water this colour!

So far, so good.

Shave Gel

The sensitive shave gel comes in a 150ml tube and uses a blend of ginger and eucalyptus. For me, anything that has a base fragrance of eucalyptus is a winner and this is no different - I love the fragrance, especially as the ginger aroma seems to activate as it is massaged into the face. 

Stephen's cold was getting worse and worse.....just kidding.....this is the shave gel

As a lo-lather shave gel you shouldn’t expect a face full of foam, oh no, what you get is very similar to my experience with Rehab London Argan Oil Shave Gel, just a smooth covering of the gel that changes from being quite clear to off white. 

Personally I have found that leaving it for around 60 seconds on the face works great for my face and that lack of lather really does help you when it comes to the actual shave experience. You really don’t need to work hard and the lather/gel doesn’t clog blades, not matter what brand you decide to use.

The Razor + blades

The razor is by far the coolest I’ve ever had, and now with hindsight I wish I had opted to have my initials engraved onto it. It is so lightweight even with a blade attached that you feel like you are playing around with a fencing sword as you swipe across the face. 

The blades are really good, they last for ages and are spaced well so that even the thickest of the thickest hair will rinse off under water as you shave. Excellent in my opinion, and with that erm, razor sharp edge you really don’t have to apply that much pressure to remove those pesky hairs. 

Post Shave Balm

Personally this was the weakest of the box for me but that is not to say it isn’t good - after all, I have been mightily impressed with my Cornerstone box, so much so that it has taken me nearly 8 weeks to truly commit my feelings about the product to the blog - I really wanted to give the entire set a good road test.

After using the products I didn’t have any irritation prior to using the balm so I can’t really comment on it’s soothing properties, but it did leave my face feeling soft and smooth. The fragrance is fairly subtle so no danger of over-powering any cologne or aftershave.

I am delighted that I have had the opportunity to try the Cornerstone range - not only did I meet some thoroughly lovely people from the company, I have been shaving properly ever since and have done so without leaving my face in need of bandages/my body requiring a blood transfusion! 

The fact that you can alter, amend and suspend deliveries is the clincher for me, and with everything above in mind there is nothing much more for me to say. 

Impressed, that’s me - seriously, give them a go.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Shavekit - a better shave. For less...

In the last couple of weeks I have to say that I have shaved my face even more than normal - a combination of loads of products to try and just the general urge to keep my facial hair looking tidy has spurred me on to really try out a number of different blades, lotions, scrubs and cleansers. You name it, I‘ve probably used it over the last two months. 

Today I’m going to be giving my thoughts on Shavekit, a mail order company who kindly sent me their new five blade razors to try, and try I have, for the last three weeks in fact these babies have been keeping my face free from hair, but how do they stack up against the more mainstream brands like Wilkinson Sword or Gillette? Read on….

So, what do Shavekit say about themselves?

‘We wanted to create a smarter, sharper, simpler way to shave. In short, a modern shave. So we cut out all the fuss. We threw out the old barber's chair, the whisker twiddling, plus the cost and the hassle of shopping in store.

We got rid of the fluff, but kept the quality of a real shave. We just deliver the kit you need, every month. So you can enjoy the perfect shave, every day.’ 

So, for £8.95 a month you receive in the post 5 ceramic-coated carbon steel blades and a cracking rubber grip to attach them to. Yes, it is that simple. So why buy through the post? Well, if your local supermarket is like mine then razor blades are treated more as some form of treasure to be protected and you have to wait around for someone to take them out of a protective cabinet (seriously, has anyone ever been offered hooky razor blades down the pub? Is there a Silk Road type website on the dark web where shadowy figures trade in illicit blades?!?!?). This removes the hassle and each month you can return home to find the blades on the mat ready for action.

The actual grip is really solid in build and the rubber handle makes it incredibly easy to use - there is no danger of losing grip mid shave and taking half of your face off. I see this as a massive plus, particularly if shaving when my hands are going through a bit of a shaky phase (no, not hangover shakes, but the actual tremors I suffer with in my hands). 

When thinking about how I would describe a razor blade I considered a mild rant about when will the addition of blades stop? I had considered patenting a 25 blade razor the size of an iPad as a joke but alas the lazy streak in me won in the end. Instead you’ll be stuck with the dry thoughts - the blades do what they are supposed to, they are, erm…..razor sharp…..see, I said it was dry.

In all seriousness, the shave quality is really good. The open back design means that even longer facial hair is rinsed clear of the blade between strokes and only a mild amount of pressure is required when moving the blade across the face. Following the shaving tips I’ve previously written about here I have to say it was a great finish.

Those irritating bits of hair just under my nose usually result in me cutting myself, but not this time. Being able to grip properly and the excellent cutting action on facial hair meant that I have managed to remain cut free for ages and for this I am truly thankful.

Personally I find these blades on a par with the excellent blades that come with the Cornerstone shaving kits and head and shoulders above premium brands like Gillette. 

Razor blades are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination and I think the blades from Shavekit are great. While I wouldn’t need a monthly delivery of blades Shavekit do have a system where deliveries can be suspended so you receive what you need. A very nice touch.

Cost effective, long lasting (I’m still using the first blade with the same results some four weeks later) and convenient I can’t find any fault (which is rare). Go on, give them a try. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Now for the good bit. The lovely people at Shavekit have provided a nice little voucher code for my readers to use should you decide you want to give the service and blades a try. If you enter the code ‘BEAUTYKINGUK’ when prompted during the order process you will receive 70% off your first order. 

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An idiots guide to shaving

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to the Man Made salon in central London to meet with the lovely folk from Cornerstone, a fairly new shaving subscription service and sample some of their products. 

While I have tried the kit I received as a sample once (and I have to say, was impressed), I do want to try it out a few times before giving a firm view on whether I would recommend it (all of the signs so far are positive) so keep a beady eye out for that one coming up. What struck me however when talking with the founder of the company, Oliver was his passion for the products and for shaving in general. When we first sat down and I asked the very simple question, “why”, the response resonated with me. 

What was the response? Dad’s, you’re all pretty bobbins at actually teaching your sons to shave properly (I’m paraphrasing here). It resonated so much that I tried to remember if my own dad had taken me to one side and suggested any tips to avoid shaving becoming a pain in the neck (literally). Nothing, squat, zip diddly - there was no father/son bonding moment over a razor blade as the thirteen year old me removed the first semblance of bum fluff from my face.

That lack of knowledge has resulted in me shaving like an amateur (and suffering) for well over twenty years. While writing this blog has opened my eyes (and pores) to new techniques and products, I felt compelled to share with you the Cornerstone six steps to a smooth, comfortable shave (and this acts as a rather nice warm up to my actual review of the products I used).

These tips have been taken directly from the amazing shaving guide I received and after following each step to the letter I have to say it made a big difference to my shaving experience - so why not share? Why not indeed.

Step One 

Before shaving take a warm shower to open up the pores in your face and soften the stubble. By doing this it should make it easier for your razor to cut each hair, giving a closer and more comfortable shave.

Step Two

Gently exfoliate your neck and beard area. By using an exfoliator with beads or grit like grains in a circular motion you can free an ingrown hairs and wash away any grime from the pores. This should leave a smoother surface for the razor to pass over and in theory reduce any cuts.

Step Three

Apply a shaving cream or gel of choice - from my experience, using a low lather gel or cream results in a better shave as the razor glides better over the face and doesn’t clog as much leaving stripes that require further attention.

Step Four

Make sure you have a fresh, sharp razor. There is no point following these steps if you are going to attempt to shave using a razor that has all of the sharpness of a blunt butter knife. The sharper the blade, the fewer passes of the beard area that are required.

Step Five

When shaving don’t press too hard and avoid shaving against the direction of hair growth. Going against the direction of growth results in hairs being cut at differing lengths, encourages ingrown hairs and that my readers is the main cause of the redness and itchy feeling.

Step Six

Rinse off any remaining shaving gel or cream with cold water. Not only does this spank you wide awake but it also serves to close the pores. Using a post shave balm, cream or serum is a crucial step, it helps to replenish your skin’s natural moisture and keep any skin irritation at bay.

There you go, six simple steps that have changed the way I shave. Yes, it takes longer to shave, but those extra minutes remove any danger of razor burn, I didn’t cut my face to ribbons and not a jot of irritation. For this I am truly thankful!

Choose your products carefully, chop and change to find what suits you personally and your own skin type, but if you follow this great guidance from Cornerstone then in my opinion you can’t go wrong.

Why not take a look at the Cornerstone website here and see if they can help you like they have helped me.

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