Echo by Davidoff

Davidoff Echo, an aftershave for men was originally an impulsive purchase by yours truly when firmly in the mindset that spending $35 for a 100ml bottle wasn't too much if it was nasty once I got my sniffing tackle around it. If you want to buy a bottle after reading this, then you can for under £20 from places like Fragrance Direct. Before you rush over to buy a bottle, read on.....

The first thing that attracted me to this on the shelf was the stylish bottle, it has to be the funkiest aftershave bottle. Made from clear glass it is more of a sculpture than a bottle. On deeper research it comes to light that a designer was commissioned to actually make the bottle! A bit over the top for an aftershave, but a nice touch all the same. A work of art? No? 

To this day I've never seen Echo advertised in the UK so you really have to do some digging to find the marketing blurb, or as I shall now call it 'garbage':

'Dynamic, cool and masculine Echo is an urban trendsetter'

The notes to Echo build it up as an airy innovative fragrance that contains:

Head: Suede, musk, liquid air.

Heart: Sandalwood, cedar wood, nutmeg.

Dry-down: Chilli pepper, black pepper.

From reading the notes I would be inclined to think from the notes that the fragrance would be very dry and heavy on the nose and the combination of suede, musk and sandalwood would make this strong providing a very hard wearing masculine fragrance.

Actually applying the fragrance is a bit tricky due to the size and shape of the bottle. The smooth ridged glass combined with wet hands is not an option and I found that I had to use two hands. One to hold the bottle and the second hand to actually press the atomiser! The first thing to strike me was that large amounts of the aftershave are dispensed with one press of the atomiser, meaning that three squirts are more than enough.

My initial thoughts about this fragrance were correct, heavy suede with a warm musk was the first smell to strike me and it was far from cool. After shaving this stings, it stings a lot and in my case inflamed the area around my neck when I applied it after shaving. I am not a big fan of heavy fragrances and as such I wasn't happy when I first applied this, but to its credit, the head notes do fade very quickly, however the woody and spicy notes are equally as strong as the head notes and again, these seem far too heavy on the nose. 

Thankfully within 10 minutes of application the head and heart notes do become lighter and less evident, however there remains a warm, woody spicy fragrance and the dry down notes to me were at no time evident. This doesn't mean that they weren't lingering though. An hour after applying Echo my better half would not come within 50 yards of me, due to the "awful pepper smell". 

In the interests of seeing if the fragrance altered over time, and indeed how long it would last I persevered - I even tried changing my moisturiser, tried it with a beard, tried it shaved all to no avail. Unfortunately the fragrance does not calm down. 

Overall, I was drawn in by the cool bottle and cheap price but was left disappointed by the heavy fragrance. To this day Echo sits on the shelf in the bathroom and is never used. Although some people would like this sort of fragrance (Davidoff themselves do say that it is for a more mature audience - that rules me right out). 

I personally prefer light fragrances that have a citrus base and personally would never ever buy this for myself or as a gift for others. It simply is not refreshing enough and lacks that certain something that would make people stand back and say "wow, that smells lovely".

Davidoff Echo in my opinion would appeal to those who like Christian Dior Fahrenheit, Polo by Ralph Lauren and Diesel Zero Plus. I could also only see it suitable for daywear due to the heavy nature of the fragrance.

If you like your fragrances to be light, citrus based and easy on the nose you should avoid this at all costs.

NOT 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

Bleu De Chanel Eau de Parfum

It was quite by chance that I my love affair with Bleu De Chanel started. A poorly planned (read I thought the missus was packing my aftershave) visit to Manchester resulted in me rooting around the wardrobe of a friend in search of smellies before heading out to dinner. 

The bottle after a little filtering....

The bottle unfiltered....

Apart from the shock of realising that most (read normal) people have two or three bottles I didn’t have much to choose from and none that I had used myself personally. Bleu de Chanel was chosen after a cursory sniff of each bottle and then boom, a new favourite was found, and then received for Christmas. 

Bleu de Chanel was not an aftershave I had seen that much of prior to using it the first time, but after that it was being advertised everywhere - billboards outside my local pub, in the magazines I read and then finally every time I looked around for something new to try.

A 50ml bottle of this baby can set you back upwards of £50. You can buy it here for the cheapest I can find it at £47.50. 

So, apart from the flashy adverts, what do Chanel say about their aftershave in the marketing blurb (I warn you now, massive flowery blurb alert)?

‘A spectacular scenario. An unexpected masculine spirit. BLEU DE CHANEL embodies a tribute to masculine freedom. Composed by Jacques Polge, the Creator of CHANEL Fragrances, BLEU DE CHANEL reveals itself in three acts.

ACT 1 - Freshness: A spirited burst of freshness ripples across the skin. A sense of liberating well-being is released. 

Citrus accord, Vetiver, Pink pepper.

ACT 2 - Energy: A rush of explosive energy galvanises the senses. The taste for action is electrifying. A positive current of vitality takes over. 

Grapefruit, Dry Cedar notes, Labdanum.

ACT 3 - The senses: The body gains an untouchable confidence, embracing a masculinity that is enigmatic, irresistible, impenetrable.

Frankincense, Ginger, Sandalwood.

Its enigmatic blue defies definition. Too blue to be black, too black to be blue. A bottle of dense, solid glass which blends authority with elegance. One of a kind, unlike anything else.’

See what they did there?!? They broke down the head, heart and dry down notes into acts…..genius (sarcasm alert).

So, in a nutshell, freshness, energy and masculinity. Did it deliver? Well yes, and it delivered in bucket loads, so much so it gave my all time favourite aftershave, Bvlgari Pour Homme a real run for its money.

Immediately after spraying on to my neck it was clear that this had a deep body to it. Rather being light like a citrus this feels almost heavy on the skin and it certainly is invigorating, its like being punched in the nose by someone holding a bunch of flowers. The Vetiver gives it a floral aroma and the pepper ensures that there is no danger of this being mistaken for a floral perfume. That deep body straight away screams that Bleu de Chanel is a man’s aftershave.

As the dry down starts the grapefruit heart takes the edge off the floral scent, it does become lighter while retaining the sharpness of pepper. It’s lovely, each stage of the process is, and personally I like smelling it evolve.

The ginger and sandalwood dry down notes blend superbly with the grapefruit making the final scent as a rich citrus and spice aftershave which will have heads turning. A few sprays of this and it motors on, and on. It lasts for hours and is prominent on the skin and to those around you.

I have been sat in bars when women stop and come in for a sniff. It’s universally loved - I can’t get enough of Bleu de Chanel. It has everything that I love in an aftershave, but considering the price, unlike me I would recommend this for special or romantic occasions. Personally I wear this most of the time and hence why after three months my bottle is about half full. 

If you want to get noticed for smelling lovely gents then I highly recommend Bleu de Chanel. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
  
In the words of Alan Partridge, “kiss my face”.

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

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Google+
Bloglovin

View Post

Molton Brown Templetree Body Wash

Anyone who casts their eyes over my little blog on a regular basis may have seen me write up my thoughts on Molton Brown Black Peppercorn Body Wash will know that I loved the manly fragrance and the fact that it banished BO (body odour). I was impressed, so when that ran out and a bottle of Molton Brown Templetree Body Wash appeared I couldn’t wait to try it out. 

I was so eager to try it that once again I committed the cardinal sin of beauty blogging by using it before taking photographs from several thousand angles - you would have thought I would learn but…..

Anyway, a small 100ml bottle of Templetree appeared, spookily a day after I had commented on a picture of it on Instagram saying I wanted to try it. Not spooky really, I could probably pick fifty random beauty products and the missus will have it somewhere. Needless to say, you don’t have to fear that my opinion has been influenced in any way. 

If you want to pick this up for yourself you can get a 300ml bottle direct from Molton Brown for £18 here. 

Like my last post, it could be me being tight with money or just because I have no idea how much things cost nowadays but £18 seems a lot to pay for a body wash. Go on, say it, I’m tighter than the rear end of a fish..….

This is what they say about Templetree over at the Molton Brown website:

‘A blissful bath and shower gel blended with moisturising algae extract and purifying templetree flower extract.

The fragrance
Top note: fragrant jasmine.
Middle note: fruity Rose.
Base note: sandalwood. 

Formerly known as Blissful Templetree’

Well, I now know what it used to be called, and the way my brain works I’ll retain that useless fact until the day I expire! 

Like other Molton Brown body wash this lathers up really well even when using only a little. If you look at the bottle in the pictures you can see how much has been used - that is after I had used Templetree for three days, so a little goes a long way, and in fact this what I consider small 100ml bottle will last for ages.

The fragrance is the clincher for me when I thought about whether I would recommend this. The jasmine and rose give this an incredibly strong aroma that is only magnified by the hot water of a shower. The lather retains it’s rich texture for ages and as it is absorbed into the top layer of skin you really start to just pull out the rose notes. 

While a lovely fragrance not that manly - so I was pleased that like an aftershave, once dried it took on a warmth as the rose was replaced by subtle hints of the sandalwood. For me, once dried off the fragrance is perfect for both sexes, not too feminine and not too masculine. 

But does it banish BO? Yes, yes it does, and even better, once it has helped wash the stink off it does have a positive effect on my skin, it does feel smoother - it’s not groundbreaking but there is an obvious difference.
Like most things I suppose, it depends upon your own personal preference, but if you like subtle floral fragrances with a solid warm base that will help clean away your sins in the shower then this baby is for you. Personally, and considering I’m tight I will buy this when the current body runs out. Hell, a 300ml bottle would probably last me for months! 

Try it, I think you’ll like it.

RECOMMENDED

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

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Google+
Bloglovin

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

Commes des Garcons Blue Santal

Back in July of last year I finally got around to giving my thoughts (probably much to the displeasure of the company) on Commes des Garςons 2, a unisex fragrance. I hated it, so I was quite surprised to be offered a sample of their new fragrance Commes des Garςons Blue Santal to get my nose around.

At an eye-watering £75 for 100ml from House of Fraser here it was a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained when it came to getting my hooter around the sample. 

This is what Commes des Garςons say about Blue Santal:

‘In the summer of 2013 Comme des Garcons launched the collection of Blue Invasion which includes three "blue" fragrances— Blue Encens, Blue Cedrat and Blue Santal, in characteristic flacons colored in blue, iridescent from the darkest to the lightest shade. The new perfumes are created to accentuate radical contradiction providing a mixture of luxurious warmth and sea freshness. The olfactory evocation of the fascinating paradox presents the blue color as timeless and very intense in three different ways.

BLUE SANTAL provides frozen and cold Australian sandalwood combined with warm pine notes and tartness originating from juniper berries. 

The official notes are Mediterranean pine, juniper berry essence, blue pepper and sandalwood from Australia.’

The sample came looking swish

Dexter the cat seems to like it....

As soon as I sprayed a little of the Blue Santal it became very clear, very quickly to me that this was much stronger than Commes des Garςons 2 (my main bugbear with that was it was so subtle you had to reapply every ten minutes). The initial fragrance seems dominated by the pine and berries. They blend and give a first impression of sitting in a pine forest while snorting on berry juice, the pine being the over-riding note - fresh, clean and very manly. The berries sit behind this fragrance providing a subtle depth to the initial blast. 

I have to put my hands up here and say that I was impressed - the first impression stuck and the feeling/memories that were awakened when smelling this a big plus for me.  

After five to ten minutes however as the pepper started to come to the fore the complete blend had hints of cat urine - the fragrance became very bitter on the nose for a good ten minutes before it finally dried down completely. 

At dry down the fragrance thankfully became lovely again, although it became significantly heavier on the nose. While pine can still be detected, the freshness of the berries disappears completely. Throw into the mix the depth and warmth provided by the sandalwood base and this screams ‘I am man’. The pine and sandalwood complement each other perfectly.

This is like a rollercoaster of a fragrance the likes of which I had never smelt before. Starting so fresh and wonderful the heart notes just knock me that little bit sick but with a bit of perseverance once it dries down to the base notes it once again becomes an absolutely outstanding masculine fragrance. As the transformation of the fragrance takes just thirty short minutes this is one I would buy, but apply well before leaving the house.

When looking around I found some people who said that this reminded them of Gucci Rush (oh dear, that is one foul fragrance) and I’m inclined to agree if you just take how it blends and smells shortly after application but it couldn’t be further from Gucci Rush after around fifteen minutes so I think the association is literally bang out of order. 

Applying the value for money test and the unease caused by the application and changes in fragrance sees Blue Santal fall down from one that I would rush out to buy. I would recommend it as the final fragrance is lovely but this is expensive stuff and personally I feel there are better options out there. If price is no barrier for you then I would say take the plunge, the online reviews I have seen of this are overly harsh and as no lover of the brand or their previous offerings I can hand on heart recommend this to people who like their earthy offerings and warm masculine fragrances.

RECOMMENDED

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

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Google+
Bloglovin

View Post

Closed on Monday Deluxe Pomade

My Limited Edition Birchbox for Men came with lots of goodies for me to try - everything contained in it was new to me and I’m yet to find something in there that I don’t like. The Mazorin Wash Trade Face Scrub left me speechless while earlier in the week I took the plunge and for the first time used a pomade to style my hair. The pomade in question? Closed on Monday Deluxe Pomade.

Before I started blogging about beauty products and general things that I like I had never heard of pomade, in fact it wasn’t until around April this year that someone stumbled across my site after using Google to search for the phrase ‘cool grease z ultra hard hair pomade’. After my WTF moment I went to take a peek at what they could have been looking for. 

After reading about pomade I have to say it didn’t really strike me as something I really needed to try and thus until this arrived it was pushed to the back of my head with all the other unimportant stuff in my brain like how to cook, pick up clothes after myself and iron. 

I realise I’m waffling, so, what do Closed on Monday say about themselves and their Deluxe Pomade (lifted directly from their website - their capitals, not mine)?

‘CLOSED ON MONDAY, A GROOMING RANGE DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN BRITAIN.  OUR PASSION AND COMMITMENT TO THE CRAFT OF BARBERING CULMINATES IN A DELUXE POMADE, BEARD BALM, MATTE MOISTURISER AND DELUXE WAX THAT EMBODIES THE DISCERNING MODERN GENTLEMAN.

CLOSED ON MONDAY — PURVEYORS OF GOOD TASTE.

HAND MADE THIS TRADITIONAL POMADE HAS A MILD SANDALWOOD AND VETIVER FRAGRANCE AND LOOKS AND FEELS LIKE A LIGHT GEL WAX.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:

RUB AN AMPLE AMOUNT OF CLOSED ON MONDAY DELUXE POMADE INTO THE PALMS OF YOUR HANDS UNTIL IT SOFTENS, THEN RUB THE FIRM BUT PLIABLE WAX ON YOUR FINGER TIPS AND WORK FROM ROOT TO TIPS AND STYLE TO ACHIEVE YOUR DESIRED LOOK.’

The first thing I did when I pulled this from the box was unscrew the lid and take a long deep sniff of the contents - boy, you really can detect the Sandalwood and Vetiver (two of my favourite smells). If anything, the Vetiver really comes through as the dominant fragrance. For those who haven’t come across it in the past you probably have, you just don’t know it. Vetiver is within around 90% of all perfumes and aftershaves! It is an earthy, grassy essential oil that is added as a base note.

Personally, I love the fragrance but was a little confused as to how a product that looks a bit like and has the consistency of Vicks Vaporub was going to keep my spikes up for a sustained period of time. My hair was cut down to about two inches in length and I was ready to try the pomade. 

I took a healthy blob of the pomade (as instructed) and rubbed it between my palms until it took on a nice silky consistency before rubbing it from root to tip. It was fairly easy to apply actually, as it warmed it became much more pliable and really easy to style with. As a first time user I posted this picture to my Instagram account to show off my attempt.

Ignore the crows feet and focus on the spikes!

Since then I’ve found the right amount to use (see picture below) for my hair and have mastered how to style the spikes properly (should I do a vlog?!?) to the point that one application is good enough to keep my hair styled for well over ten hours, and actually resembling the style from the day before when I get out of bed the following morning.

Just a tiny amount is needed - yes, just enough to cover a fingertip

When looking at whether I would recommend a hair styling product I always look at the residue that is left on the shaft of the hair and how easy it is to wash out. I‘m pleased to report that there was no sight of white flakes coming from or on my hair, no sticky residue when touching my hair and it washed out really easily. Result! 

Onto the bits that surprised me - well unlike a gel, cream or wax it doesn’t leave your hands and fingertips feeling sticky after applying it, in fact, when I first used it I didn’t have the instant urge to wash my hands, I didn’t need to. In addition to this, the finish on my hair was incredibly matte in nature and looked as though I wasn’t actually using a hair styling product. 

While £14.50 for 100ml may seem like a lot for a hairstyling product as you can see from the pictures, after 4 days of use I have hardly made a dent in it. A 100ml jar of the Deluxe Pomade is available as part of the Limited Edition Birchbox for Men here or direct from the Closed on Monday site here. 

It won’t replace my favoured brands completely but it is a great addition to my hair styling collection (which is growing like you wouldn’t believe) and I’m immensely impressed with the hold, the finish on my hair and the fragrance. 

Top notch stuff - having never heard of Closed on Monday I will be keeping an eye on their products. In my opinion they can add purveyors of quality British goods to their website to go alongside purveyors of good taste.  

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by this pomade convert

Have you made a beauty product discovery recently that made you go "wow"?

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

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Google+
Bloglovin

View Post

Christmas Gift Ideas for Him #4 - Intense He Wood by DSquared2

Fourth in the Christmas Gift Ideas for Him series is an aftershave that has been in my collection since September - Intense He Wood  by DSquared2. How I am managing to restrain myself with a product that looks on the bottle to be called Intense Wood I have no idea. It’s licence for double entendres - I‘ll behave though.

A 50ml bottle of Intense He Wood will set you back £50 from the DSquared2 website here.

But at £50 for a 50ml bottle is it any good? Well yes, it’s actually one of my own personal favourites for a few reasons, namely - it’s a strong, delightful fragrance with a range of top notch notes to blend into a deep, warm masculine fragrance. It also lasts for well over ten hours and I am yet to find someone who hasn’t smelt this on me and said “wow, what is that nice aftershave?!?”

You can actually buy this a little cheaper from the Debenhams website here, and this is what they say about the aftershave:

‘The celebration of a perfume that marked the era in the modern olfactory landscape. WOOD. He WOOD. Made in the element of communication, attraction, design... Strong and determined character. Unique in uniting the ideal of sensuality to the concept of wood. An extraordinary fragrance, timeless, unique, inimitable, today rediscovers its original version in a strong, viril and sensual reminiscence of the genuine sentiment of the Caten twins for their homeland, Canada. The deep love for the natural element that characterised this land: wood. Intense He Wood DSquared2 is born.’

The bottle is actually made from Canadian Red Alder and really reinforces that earthy vibe about the aftershave. It actually drew my eye from across the shop when I first tried this and I was hooked after just one whiff.

Just a few sprays from the atomiser fills the room with a rich and deep spice with hints of violet that dries down to a warm, rugged and woody base that reminds me of walking through a pine forest. It is do warm yet remains fresh. Before hitting the final settled base notes that rank this as one of the most masculine fragrances I own.

I’m not a fan of this kind of thing usually, but it is the perfect fragrance for the dark days of winter. The sandalwood, cedar wood and veviter blend to form a base that lasts, and lasts and then lasts some more. I can apply three sprays from the atomiser first thing in the morning and it will still be noticeable by those around me at bedtime some 16-18 hours later. You can’t argue with that kind of longevity.

£50 may seem like a lot of money but in the value for money stakes this is actually a good deal. A little goes a long way and I am yet to find anyone, either male or female who doesn’t like it.

Perfect for every occasion, if you buy this as a gift you will be noted down in the recipients good books.  

FORGET THE REST, TRY THE BEST

You can read my other Christmas Gift Ideas for Him by clicking on the links below:

Christmas Gift Ideas for Him #1 - Superdry Varsity Track T-Shirt

Christmas Gift Ideas for Him #2 - Starbucks Sprinkler & Mug Set

Christmas Gift Ideas for Him #3 - Aromatherapy Associates Refinery Shaving Essentials 

View Post

Fahrenheit by Christian Dior

After nearly a month I’m back - I’m not sure if it was a lack of energy or just the fact that I’m simply overwhelmed with the sheer volume of things I have to write about. Needless to say, let’s ease back into this gently and by casting my thoughts on an old school favourite of mine.

Fahrenheit by Dior is one of those staple aftershaves, it stems from a period in my life when I had a job that allowed everything I wore to be made by Dior, Valentino or YSL.

Christian Dior oozed class to a younger, less wiser Stephen, although I have to say their shirts still scream quality and to this day retain an air of distinction.

The packaging is very dull. If I was out shopping, the packaging and the bottle itself would probably put me off trying this at all. The bottle comes wrapped in burnt red box and the bottle bears the same colouring. 

The notes to Fahrenheit state that this is a warm sensual fragrance with hints of hawthorn, honeysuckle, sandalwood, cedar and patchouli (whatever that is).

After applying the product I found the smell to be very warm with an earthy and strong woody overtone. 

As the smell stayed on my skin it changed becoming a distinctive honeysuckle smell that was delightful, it lightens and becomes softer but you are never far away from the warmth striking your nostrils.

I always find that aftershaves that suit me aren't noticeable after being applied. This basically means I can't smell it. Fahrenheit, after about an hour is one of those fragrances and only a tiny amount was required for good coverage.

Although this is marketed as a sensual fragrance I wouldn't say that it's one of those aftershaves that will make heads turn (not unless you put too much on) in the street but it is very pleasant. 

Personally I wear this fragrance to work. If you're looking for a "pulling fragrance" and if you pardon the pun, it won't have temperatures rising. For that, you are much better off trying Joop or CK Truth, they have softer notes that leave a far sweeter smell fragrance after time. 

In my opinion this is an aftershave for a man‘s man, but it's not one of those smells you'd prefer on a night out. OK for daywear, left on the dresser for big nights out. 

Despite that, it is a quality product and you can do a lot worse.

Fahrenheit can be purchased in 30mls, 50mls and 100ml bottles. A 50ml bottle will set you back £17.99. At that price it represents excellent value for money and is well worth a look. 

RECOMMENDED

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

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Google+
Bloglovin

View Post

True Star for Him by Tommy Hilfiger

Cast your mind back to 2006 - Gnarls Barkley was ‘Crazy‘, The Fray were singing about ‘How to Save a Life’ and The Black Eyed Peas were encouraging people to ’Pump It’. 

While others were smashing the Billboard charts, Beyonce on the other hand was trying her best to flog the female version of Tommy Hilfiger True Star. That‘s interesting fact number one, but how many have seen the rarely shown advert for the male version advertised by Spanish crooner Enrique Iglesias? Not many I would imagine!

The obsessive compulsive in me had been kept in check for some time until I saw an offer I just couldn’t pass up. Despite never having had the urge to try any Tommy Hilfiger products due to the association with Ali G* and the overall image of chav** that springs to mind whenever I utter the name.

Source

Source

The offer in question was a 50ml bottle of True Star for £12.99 as part of a deal with Cerruti 1881 EDT. 

True Star is available in all major high street stores and online retailers in 50ml and 100ml bottles. 

You can normally expect to pay £25 for a 50ml bottle and it does pay to shop around. As said earlier, I bought this as part of a discount with another product.

The first thing to strike you about True Star is the elegant looking bottle, not only does it look sleek on the shelf, the frosted glass is tapered at both the top and bottom, capped by a chrome atomiser that dispenses the aftershave. 

This is quite possibly one of the classiest bottles I've ever seen and it upped the anticipation that this actually might be a very good fragrance despite my preconceptions of it's chav image.

The notes to True Star detail the ingredients as:

• Head: Pink grapefruit and Lavender
• Heart: Black liquorice, Nutmeg and Vetiver
• Dry-down: Saffron, Sandalwood and Musk oil

First things first, this aftershave is strong. Only two blasts of the atomiser were required to fill my bathroom with the initial aroma and there was no noticeable burn on application, always a good sign in my books. The initial note to strike my senses was indeed the pink grapefruit, the lavender being only a slight undertone to the main note. 

Extremely refreshing, light and fruity were my first impressions, and this remained throughout the following minutes as the faint hint of liquorice combined with the grapefruit to form something of a spicy partnership.

The actual nutmeg wasn't evident as a fragrance however it did make the fragrance heavier, it no longer felt light and if anything the fragrance become somewhat stronger and more noticeable as I moved around. This was in no way unbearable and reminded me of Acqua di Gio by Armani.

The dry down notes didn't become evident at all until after an hour of wearing. The sandalwood and musk oil instead of making this exceptionally heavy seemed to stand off against the liquorice that gives True Star a feel of being overly masculine with a slight feminine appeal.

Basic notes combined wonderfully to provide a medium balanced fragrance that was not light but not overly heavy on the senses. In my opinion True Star should be seen as a unique fusion between citrus and earthy notes that will appeal to everyone regardless of their personal tastes.

Lasting for well over 8 hours I would say this is a multi-purpose fragrance that could be used for any occasion. Personally I've found that the people who come into contact with me like the fragrance and it receives compliments and I’ve not had any cursory glances on public transport that suggests it doesn’t reek! 

The only time I get strange glances is when I mention who this is made by - people genuinely seemed shocked that Tommy Hilfiger has produced such a lovely fragrance. 

Overall I was stunned with how wrong my preconceived view of this product was and I have no hesitation in recommending it to everyone. I am man enough to admit I was wrong and I wholeheartedly apologise to Mr Hilfiger.

True Star would make an ideal gift and is certainly good value for money.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

*Ali G was at the height of his fame. A parody of chav culture of being inept, uneducated and proud. He also wore Tommy clothing.

**Chav, a very common British phrase to describe people of a lower class - it actually stands for....Council House And Violent

View Post

Cerruti 1881 Pour Homme

With a sensitive nose and obsession never to give off an Old Spice aroma my favourite aftershaves tend to be light, fruity numbers that have long lasting staying power and the head turning factor that boosts the confidence.

As regular readers will know, my current favourites include anything from the range by Bvlgari, Joop and Davidoff Game all of which are rock solid performers in the aftershave stakes.

With a collection of aftershaves that now requires draw space in addition to shelves in my wardrobe one of the aftershaves that I tend to be use infrequently is Cerruti 1881 Pour Homme.

Source

A 50ml bottle of the 1881 Pour Homme version of the aftershave will cost anything from £30 to £40 making it quite expensive in comparison to other leading aftershaves on the market, however, shopping online can lead to some serious savings.

Given my final summary of the fragrance at the bottom of the review, I would strongly suggest testing the fragrance on the high street and then if you like it, placing an order online where the prices make it a reasonable purchase.

The bottle to 1881 Pour Homme is actually quite unique in shape and look, with frosted glass and pale looking contents it gives the impression that water has frozen to the sides. This is pretty funky in my view and was the original reason I bought it. Impulse control is not one of my strong points!

This odd shape actually makes the bottle really easy to grip in comparison to aftershaves that simply have smoother shaped bottles. In a nutshell, it looks rather classy from the moment it is removed from the box.

Source

The notes to 1881 Pour Homme are vague and opt to give pretentious marketing blurb instead of just giving a breakdown between the head, heart and base ingredients to enable an informed opinion to be given on how the fragrance should smell over the time it’s worn.

From what I can gather from a little bit of research into the fragrance and the exchange of one or two emails with the makers is that 1881 Pour Homme is unique in the fact that it has few head and heart ingredients.

Before going any further I will explain the differences between head, heart and base. The head note ingredients are usually the first ingredients you will smell in an aftershave or perfume. In light a fruity fragrances these tend to be citrus fruits or plant extracts. The heart notes provide the deeper body to the fragrance and usually consist of tobacco, berry extracts and milder spices while the base notes provide the long lasting fragrance when combined with the head and heart notes.

Cerruti advise me that the ingredient notes are:

• Head - Rose blossom, lemon and lavender.
• Heart - Blackberry extract, gingko and clove.
• Dry down - Sandalwood, musk and saffron.

Taking these notes into account, the aftershave should initially be light and fruity with a fragrance that remains light for a few hours before becoming warmer as the day/night progresses, with the gingko and lavender giving enough body to make it a long lasting and very masculine aroma.

As I write this I can from memory smell this aftershave on my dad and this is how it does smell on him, and I'm sure how it smells on my dad is how Cerruti intended it to be.

If I had to rate it based upon how it smells when my dad wears it I would without hesitation give it 5 stars and a hearty recommendation but my personal experience of the aftershave is completely different. That is not to say I dislike it, I actually find it neither amazing nor repulsive.

A few liberal squirts of the atomiser release enough of the aftershave to keep the fragrance in your nostrils and the nostrils of those you are close to for well over 8 hours at a time making it incredibly long lasting and good value for money in aftershave terms as a bottle is likely to last for a good few months even when used on a daily basis.

First impressions when I spray this are indeed of a very light, almost unnoticeable fragrance, the only ingredients picked up are of the lemon that give it a refreshing citrus zing that lasts for around 30 minutes before it begins to blend with the other notes and alter on my skin.

Over time, the rose and lavender notes become more pronounced with the lemon becoming less obvious. None of the heart notes are actually detectable at any time but after around an hour the fragrance stops being light and settles down to be reasonably heavy as the sandalwood and musk base notes give it much more of a masculine aroma.

My main bugbear is that when others wear 1881 Pour Homme it remains light and airy with the lemon and citrus fragrance being the overwhelming note however when I use it the musk and sandalwood dominate the fragrance making it much heavier than my personal taste deems acceptable.

Cerruti 1881 Pour Homme is an aftershave I can take or leave, it is one of those aftershaves that has a distinctive fragrance that changes dramatically depending upon the wearer.

When my dad wears this it is instantly recognisable and smells wonderful, on a par with some of my favourite aftershaves, but when I wear it I have to admit it smells very mediocre, and doesn't give that air of individuality that comes with more refined fragrances such as Bvlgari Extreme or Bvlgari BLV Pour Homme.

This is the first time I have been unable to give a firm recommendation when reviewing an aftershave and this is because the fragrance can alter so much depending upon the wearer. My experience is that 1881 is inoffensive, pretty decent for daywear around the office but lacking that something that makes it just that little bit special. This is an aftershave you really should try before you buy.

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

View Post