The GQ Grooming Power Pack 2016

If I said you could pick up an excellent male grooming box for just under £35 that was packed with top notch gear you would probably call me a bit of a mentalist, but no, The GQ Grooming Power Pack 2016 is here and I love it.

Packed with eight, yes eight products worth £130 this has opened my eyes to yet another aftershave (yes another), body washes I’ve never even heard of let alone used and banished my hatred for all things Toni & Guy.

As male beauty boxes go, they are very sparse with only Selfridges and Birchbox coming up with the goods until now.  

Once the box arrived, feeling quite heavy and packaged to the gills with products, I was keen to see exactly what was inside and surprisingly, each and every product is just fantastic, a decent enough size so that you can definitely get a try before you buy feel and a mixture of brands I have comes across and some I haven't.

So the first item out of the box is Escentric Molecules - Escentric 03 Body Wash 200ml - I have only recent come into contact with this brand by way of their Molecule 01 fragrance (review coming soon) so I was impressed to see a full sized body wash. Described as being a body wash which is bursting with the scent of warm ginger, spicy green peppercorn and fresh Mexican lime plus base notes of amber and leather, it definitely has a manly scent to it and one which lingers on the skin for most of the day. Priced at £20.

It is quickly becoming my favourite body wash of 2016 (yes, I know it's only February), this has one hell of a powerful punch thanks to the heady fragrance from the vetiver, grapefruit and lime. I adore the smell of this and it’s a belter when it comes to washing away any hints of body odour. 

The fragrance lingers on the skin for hours and once it has been washed off and I've dried myself and I can still pick up hints of ginger and peppercorn an hour later.

Lathering up brilliantly, the luminous bottle and fragrance make this something that goes on the list to replace well before the actual bottle runs out. 

MALIN+GOETZ - Vitamin E Shaving Cream 29ml - This is a new brand that I have never come across before, so I was interested to see how well the creams works on the rare occasion that I shave.  Described as being packed with vitamin E and amino acid proteins to effectively prepare and ph balance all skin types for a smooth, non-irritating shave. This soothing formula cools and protects without clogging razor allowing you to rinse clean without residue, drying, or stripping. 

Neville - Face Reviver 30ml - Another brand I have never come across but is said to be suitable for all skin types.  Face Reviver is a non-greasy daily moisturiser skin shield. Vitamin A prevents inflammation, Vitamin E protects and repairs whilst Aloe Vera soothes and moisturises.

Elemis - Time for Men Energising Skin Scrub 20ml - This scrub helps to prime the skin for a clean, smooth shave by lifting the hair before shaving to make it a much easier task and it is said to help protect against ingrowing hairs. Containing marine phytoplankton, laurel and hops in a vitamin E-rich base, dead skin cells are removed to leave skin polished, smooth and brighter as well as shea butter and beeswax to nourish and condition your skin with essential moisture.

Penhaligon - Sartorial Fragrance 30ml contains notes of violet leaf, neroli, cardamom, black pepper, fresh ginger, beeswax, cyclamen, linden blossom, lavender, leather, gurjum wood, patchouli, myrrh, cedarwood, tonka bean, oakmoss, white musk, vanilla and amber. 

If you read my post about my favourite fragrances from 2015 you will have seen that I have a soft spot for Penhaligon’s No33. Sartorial was a fragrance on my list of things to try, but as it can be a touch on the expensive side I hadn’t yet got around to picking up a bottle. This 30ml tester has been pretty much all I have worn since the box arrived.

Strong top notes that ooze masculinity, it starts off almost floral but dries down quickly to leave a subtle yet long lasting body that has warmth from the cedarwood and a sweetness that is retained for well over ten hours thanks to just enough Tonka bean in the dry down. This is an aftershave for all occasions and has drawn lots of compliments.

A 100ml bottle costs £88, so this 30ml bottle pretty much makes the box worthwhile on its own. Top notch stuff.

The Refinery - Shave Foam Gel 125ml - This is a rich foaming shave gel helps to protect against razor burn and nicks for a close, comfortable shave. Contains clove and peppermint for a spicy, minty effect as well as fresh aloe vera, which adds moisturising and soothing properties. 

Toni&Guy - Styling Fibre 75ml - Creates casual, lived in texture with a matte finish. Loosen product between palms and work through dry hair for medium hold. 

I had a bad experience attempting to use a wax from Toni & Guy some ten years ago and have avoided anything else from their hair styling range since. After my Osmo Clay finally ran out and in a rush to get to work I reached into the box to use this. At the time I had really quite long hair that was so thick it was a bit of a pain to style. 

Applying this to damp hair made styling actually really easy and after it had dried not only was the style held firmly in place it had a great matte effect look while the strands remained pliable. This meant that after being in a force ten gale I could pop it back into place easily. 

Toni & Guy, all is forgiven. Well worth a look for any style - from an inch to spike or long to sweep back this will hold your hair in place and leave it looking like it hasn’t got any product in it. Nice one.

Philip Kingsley - Flaky/Itchy Scalp Shampoo 20ml soothing but highly effective shampoo that will leave hair shiny and manageable, whilst quickly clearing dandruff and irritation.  The one thing I don't have is a flaky or itchy scalp, but the wife is a huge fan of this shampoo and has already claimed it for herself.

At £35 for £130 worth of products you can't argue - the products I have tried have massively impressed me and I can't wait to try the rest. Even if they are all rubbish the fact that I've fallen for Sartorial and finally gotten over my mental block on Toni & Guy products (I have even avoided getting my hair cut in there due to my wax experience) for me makes this well worth the cash spent on it. 

Go on, if you are new to male beauty boxes, give this a try. If you are looking to introduce your other half to more grooming products, give it a try. if you just want to smell amazing (using Satorial obviously), give this a try.

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Essence Perfectrice Skin Perfector by L’Occitane

The battle with the bags (eye bags that is, not the fish wives who live on my block) continues and while my eyes have never looked better there are still days when they can look a little puffy, be a touch blemished and the lines more pronounced.

I’ve tried a couple of things with success and when the opportunity to try L’Occitane Essence Perfectrice Skin Perfector I could resist the temptation. If I’m going to be honest, when approached by the PR company it was basically the least feminine thing in the new range. As an aside by taking the plunge my eyes have since been opened to the Cade male grooming range also from L’Occitane (a couple of posts to watch out for there).

A 30ml bottle of the Skin Perfector will set you back £38 and can be bought here, and while £38 may seem like a lot, when you compare it to other eye creams. 

Personally I only have two issues, my eyes and the deep ridges and frown lines on my forehead. Some serious plastic surgery is required for the forehead so I didn’t expect much from the product there, but around my eyes the lines are more shallow and I started using this in the hope that it could help me out.

This is what they say about Essence Perfectrice Skin Perfector over on the L’Occitane website:

‘Ideal for all skin types, this fresh and ultra-light serum, with an expert second-skin-like texture helps to visibly improve skin quality. Skin texture looks smoothed and refined, pores seem tightened, fine lines and imperfections seem reduced. The skin reflects light better, looks more even and its radiance is boosted. 

Each day, your skin reveals its natural beauty, it feels ultra-smooth and velvety, and your complexion looks more even, fresh and glowing

L'OCCITANE has extracted from peonies growing in the Drôme Region of France, a perfecting concentrate. Rich in natural plant sugars, this patented extract acts on skin cells to help visibly correct complexion and texture irregularities.’

First of all this does scream feminine from the bottle to the fragrance. That said, I don’t tend to mess around applying this stuff in public (although by publishing this here, in theory I actually am - one to think about) so even I could throw aside any potential jibes and gave this a try.

The creamy textured Skin Perfector has a fairly subtle floral fragrance, in fact I was surprised by how faint it was. It got additional points in my book for not interfering with my aftershaves after I had used it, and in fact, within a couple of minutes you could be forgiven for forgetting that you had this on your face, that is until you start to feel your pores tighten.

I applied this after showering so the pores on my face were open when I rubbed it gently around my eye area and forehead. After around fifteen minutes I could feel a rather strange sensation as though the skin was tightening. It actually made me feel more awake as my eyes tightened and opened a little bit more than usual. Impressed is a slight understatement at this point.

After an hour I went back to take a look - the skin tone was far clearer, and looked smoother to me. The fine lines around my eyes (read crows feet) were substantially reduced and in parts no visible without a good hard look. The ridges in my forehead as I said earlier would take some serious work but even they seemed more reduced in depth, and just by removing the blemishes just above my eyebrow looked so much better.

The acid test for me when using these products is whether I feel more confident about how I look after using them. In this case, yes, yes I did, and in fact I could see a noticeable difference in my skin texture after a few days of using this. Over a week later my eyes just weren’t are dark in the morning which helps to avoid that moment of shock when I clap eyes on myself after getting up!

The purchase price may put some people off, the packaging will probably put a lot of blokes off this but if you want my advice, take the plunge and invest in some. I love using it and it boosts my confidence knowing that make face looks even better.

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Ted's Grooming Room - Step 03 Post Shave Balm

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (well Enfield in London) I started to write up what I thought of the Ted’s Grooming Room range by Ted Baker, starting as you would expect with Steps 01 and 02. 

I’ve had Step 03: Post Shave Balm now for nearly twelve months and as the tube comes to the end of its life it dawned on me that I hadn’t committed my thoughts (my thoughts should always be committed, usually under the Metal Health Act) to the internet about it. Disaster (not).

You can read up on the earlier steps in the Ted’s Grooming Room by clicking on the links below (if you so wish):

Step 01: Face Scrub
Step 02: Shave Gel

150ml of the post shave balm is available here for £9, and back in the day, when first writing about male grooming products I would have thought this expensive, however over a few short months, and after realising how expensive some products (that don’t work) cost, I’ve adjusted my position. It’s a reasonable price and if you read on, I’ll tell you whether you should part with your cash.

So, what do Ted Baker say about the product? Well, they talk like it’s some new form of Anthrax about to be unleashed onto enemy troops! Seriously, this is what they say:

‘For a moisturising finish like no other, deploy Ted’s best kept secret weapon. The soothing eucalyptus will have dry skin waving the white flag.’

While I may have had this for twelve months I have been using a host of other products during that time. Realistically, this would last for around six months if used three times a week. Now that’s still not bad, and even if you don’t get around to using it in that time it doesn’t seem to diminish when left on the shelf. 

I played with a few filters on this shot!

With sensitive skin around my face that is prone to irritation after shaving the prospect of something that could cool potential razor burn was welcomed with open arms. After shaving I regularly get a burn and my skin dries out so quickly once the beard is gone. Anything that can help is a bonus.

First impressions have stuck with this one, I love the smell of eucalyptus and continue to do so. I can literally stand and just sniff my hands the fragrance is so strong and rich. The white balm has a crème like consistency and it was so thick I struggled to comprehend how it would be absorbed. Particularly as after squeezing some out onto the back of my hand it doesn’t seem to be absorbed into the skin at all!

A quick rub and hey presto, a 50 pence sized amount of the balm, rubbed between palms and then applied to the face was enough for me. The fears of it just sitting on the surface were unfounded, as soon as pressure was applied it soaked in so quickly it was hard to keep track of the areas of my face I had already covered. 

Once on the skin the balm does have an immediate cooling effect, and the fragrance remains strong. The first time I used this I applied a second coat so to speak and this again was absorbed really quickly. While there was no tingling sensation I usually experience as the razor burn cools this did settle my skin down, and do it quickly.

After using a dodgy shave cream and shaving down a quite long beard I had a break out of red, itchy and blotch skin around my jaw line. After using this the itching and redness subsided within around thirty minutes. That made me a very happy man. There is little more irritating than a sore and itchy face after shaving. 

Unlike some post shave balms and moisturisers this didn’t leave my skin feeling greasy or looking as though I had been varnished. If anything it helps to keep my skin feeling soft and smooth to the touch and for that I am thankful. 

Yes, my tube is now empty, and The Last Post is playing in my head (see how I’m staying with a kind of military feel, this is gold people). 

When you consider that it is only £8 for a product that will last for ages, smells amazing and helps calm skin down after shaving then you can’t really argue. It’s great value for money from Ted and despite the weaponised marketing blurb it does what it says it will. Go on, if you suffer after shaving you could take a closer look at Step 03: Post Shave Balm.

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Burt‘s Bees Natural Body Wash for Men

The bees, the bees, they’re everywhere……well, my bathroom is packed with things from Burt’s Bees, does that count? 

If you mentioned bees to one of my former colleagues he would slap his head and look as though a little bit of his own life force had been drained, hence why I have warped, yet funny flashbacks every time I use Burt‘s Bees Natural Body Wash for Men. 

This came to me along with a host of other products thanks to the lovely PR people for the company. When they said ‘samples’ I didn’t expect the 350ml bottle of the body wash that arrived. If you want to buy the same bottle you can do for £10 here.

Now £10 for a body wash will probably get Lynx users (Axe for my European readers) fainting in the aisles, but I think £10 for 350ml is actually not a bad price, and if it had that little goes a long way going for it then the initial purchase price shouldn’t turn into a factor when considering whether it represents good value for money. 

This is what Burt’s Bees say about the product over on their website:

‘Wake up with the invigorating buzz of Burt’s Bees Men Body Wash. Get an intense clean with this energizing and purifying body wash, containing lemon, orange and petitgrain oils it washes away dirt and odour, leaving your skin refreshed.

Burt’s Bees Men Body Wash uses natural and refreshing ingredients to invigorate your skin and your senses. Coconut, sunflower and citrus oils cleanse while cypress and fir oils energize for skin that looks, smells, and feels its natural best.’

Normally the first thing that strikes me about a product is the way it smells. It could be me, well hell, I know its me, but before I try anything, drinks, food or beauty products I give them a good sniff first (I say it’s because I can detect all major poisons so my family don’t try a random assassination - this is a joke for the avoidance of doubt). 

In this case it wasn’t the fragrance of the product but the texture that had me having my WTF moment. While in the bottle the liquid looks just that, quite runny, to the point that I made a mental note to be careful not to let too much be dispensed and subsequently flow off my hand. This is where it got a bit strange, as I poured some out it almost has the texture of washing up liquid in that as soon as it hit my hand it seemed to sticky and become a bit thicker. Run off my hand this will not (sorry, random Yoda moment). 

A lovely, light citrus, with lemon being the order of the day is perfect for a body wash, and with slight hints of bergamot this packs a fragrant punch that will not just wake you up in the morning, but it will also leave your skin with a delightful lingering aroma that ensures that body odour is gone, and stays gone. Happy days.

Unlike other body washes where the fragrance explodes into life when it comes into contact with warm water this one remains the same. Understated would be a good way of describing the lovely aroma that comes with the overly rich lather that helps scrub away the dirt and grime that has built up over the course of a day or night. 

It takes a bit to work up the lather, but once the body wash has made its transition from thick liquid (I am yet to find something where so little results in such a large amount of lather) an amount the size of a fifty pence piece is all that is needed to bring on enough of the lather to wash a full grown man from head to toe.  

So, was the dreaded BO (body odour) banished? Hell yeah, it was kicked to the curb, taken out with the trash (insert another generic saying) lol. On a serious note, all that was left after showering and using this body wash was a very, and I mean very subtle hint of lemon.

While washing using this is initially like smearing yourself in honey, and while weird at first I simply couldn’t fault the final results. The subtle aroma, the way my skin was left so smooth I couldn’t help but poke my arm to feel how soft and supple it had become. 

Lush - there you go, this stuff is amazing. I have been using it on and off now since it arrived in December and I’ve used about a quarter of the bottle. On the value for money test it works for me, and is likely to stick around for at least an other six months before the bottle needs replacing. 

While this was a PR sample, the acid test is would I part with my own money for the product. Well yes, yes I would. Taking everything into account, including no a hint of dry skin anywhere on a my body or irritation then this is one that people should take a serious look at, I know I will be searching it out when I need to replace my bottle.

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Soap & Glory Giveaway

This may be my last post of 2014, I’m guessing that Christmas will be a busy so as a thank you to those have read my blog throughout the year, and for those future readers I thought I would add a bit of festive cheer by giving away not just one, but two gift sets from Soap & Glory.

Unfortunately, due to postal restrictions this giveaway is only open to those with a postal address in the United Kingdom. Don’t worry though, in the New Year, and when I reach 1,000 Twitter followers I will run a global giveaway.

So what am I offering to you lucky, lucky readers?

VAVA GROOM

A Soap & Glory gift set for guys which includes:

• Soap’er Man - Hair and Body wash
• Eau Man - Body Spray
• A Man’s Gotta Dew - Facial Moisture Balm
• A Shave to Lov - Shave gel plus a barbershop striped comb
• A black Soap & Glory toiletries bag 

YOUR OWN SWEET LIME

A take anywhere sized collection featuring popular Soap & Glory products such as:

• Sugar Crush Body Wash
• Sugar Crush Body Scrub
• Sugar Crush Body Buttercream
• Sugar Crush Hand Food
• Super Smoothing Body Polisher 

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is fill out the entries in the Rafflecopter bar below.

The giveaway will be open for a month and the winner will be notified by e-mail by 21 January 2015 - so a nice start to the New Year.  This is a UK only giveaway and some of the entries are mandatory, so please ensure you enter correctly or your entry will become null and void.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and to everyone who reads and comments, have a Happy Christmas and a wonderful 2015.

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Six of my top hairstyling picks for 2014

As I mentioned in my last post about hair products (Osmo Grooming Gift Set 2014), in my first year of blogging my hair has taken a pounding with new products as I search out the best fit for my hair and my limited styling abilities.

Today I will be counting down my five favourites from 2014 based upon the five criteria below:

• HOLD
• EASE OF APPLICATION
• STYLING 
• FRAGRANCE
• LACK OF RESIDUE

Over the months I’ve posted about fifteen different hair styling products, the first being one of my first ever posts - Fishshape Hair but alas this beauty doesn’t manage to hit the top six and the competition if you’ll pardon the pun has been stiff, in fact it’s been tricky to select my favourites from the year so ranking them was impossible. 

While Fish Soho have become a massive favourite of mine, over the last month or so I have tested and fallen for a few newbies to my collection.

SuperFish Fishpaste Hardcore Hold Matte Effect Putty

How could I leave out the first product that I took with me as part of my #hairontour trip to Amsterdam? I was drowned by torrential rain, blown about like a rag doll in the wind and still it kept my long (much longer than usual) spikes up. In addition, once wet it didn’t run off down my face, which was a massive bonus at the time as I styled the drowned rat look.

Easy to style with, no residue at all and cracking hold. You can do a lot worse than this.

Structure Paste Flexible Adhesive

Now this has the hold, look and texture of cement. I’ve never used a product that could, if left, probably hold a style for well over five days! It is tremendous in terms of hold but it was like applying a thick clay to my hair.

Styling took longer but boy, it did the business for me. The only flaw was actually washing it out - it is that strong it clings to the hair shaft. 

SuperFish Stiffish Cream

I didn’t write about this one until recently, and I don’t know why. Why the hold isn’t solid the cream is so pliable it makes styling of short to medium lengths so easy it literally takes me two minutes in the morning. The cream isn’t that thick meaning that fingertips can be used to style rather than palms.

While it isn’t a solid hold this works wonders for holding my spikes in place for hour after hour.

Closed on Monday  Deluxe Pomade

 

The first pomade I have ever tried. I had low expectations and was blown away by the level of hold, how little was needed to spike my hair and the lack of residue. The hold was so strong it lasted for well over a day in the end. Top notch stuff

Osmo Matte Clay Extreme

If you had said to me three months ago that I would be including any clay into a top five list I would have called for the men in white coats. It has always been a natural enemy of my hair and I have always found styling with it a nightmare. With excellent hold, a beautiful fragrance and styling ability that is a breeze this is now a firm favourite. 

The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel

Last but not least we have this offering from The Legends London and wow, it is quite possibly the best gel ever to grace my hair. Both unique in the fact that you can apply to wet and dry hair for different finishes, if the style droops in any way a dab of water and its ready to style again. Get in!

The luminous pink gel is really strong, and sticky. Styling is easy to damp hair and it is perfect for medium to longer lengths as once set this holds hair brilliantly although hair becomes concrete like in texture.

With an amazing hold, really affordable price and the fact that you can just wet and go in the morning means this finishes off my list for 2014.

All of the above get my seal of approval. 

Have you made any hair styling discoveries in 2014?

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