Movember 2015

The hairiest month of the year has arrived and the term 'Movember' is one that you will see banded about all over the place and as well as being quite fun, there is a serious side to it and one that we should all take a moment to reflect on. 

The Movember Foundation is a global charity that is committed to men living happier, healthier, longer lives. Since 2003, millions have joined the men’s health movement, raising £402 million and funding over 1,000 programmes focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity.

In order to raise awareness, social media plays a huge role and the idea is that for 30 days you begin to grow 'your Mo' and as it grows, you take photos and post them on social media. So in an effort to play my part, on the very last day of the month, much to the horror of my wife, I shaved off my facial hair with a helping hand from the following products:

Crabtree & Evelyn Moroccan Myrrh Shave Soap. - This I absolutely loved and you can read about it HERE. It is worth noting that Crabtree & Evelyn are partnering with Movember for the month of November and will be offering a £1 donation on each product purchase across our men’s ranges.

As the beard and 'Mo' begin to grow, Mankind have a range of products which help keep the itching at bay and the hair soft and smooth rather than wild and grizzly. It's well worth popping over to their site this month (November!) as they are also running a social competition, offering weekly prizes for the best progress photos. To enter all you need to do is upload your photo to twitter and tag @mankindcouk and include the hashtag #MKMOVEMBER.

In addition, throughout November, Mankind will be offering 3 for 2 on beard and moustache products so well worth checking out their site.

But, should you choose to shave it all off, or just to remove the beard to show off the moustache I have to say, you could do a lot worse than checking out the huge range from Rehab London. I have already sung the praises of their shave oil here, but combined with Calm Balm and you have one of the most pain and hassle free shaves going. In fact, apart from getting shaved professionally, I'm yet to experience such few problems like razor bumps, burn and rash after using them.

What will you be doing for Movember? 

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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.

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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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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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