Primal Man Shave Club

UPDATE: September 2016 - it appears that Primal Man are no longer, which is a shame as I did like their service.

Primal Man Shave Club is about getting back to quality shaving - boom, that's pretty much their ethos and this is reflected in the boxes they post to their members. A monthly kit which arrives through your letterbox featuring a range of different products from soaps, aftershaves, razor blades and so on, essentially everything you need for a wet shave and an idea to make it less of a chore and something more fun with new products to test and try out.

Having been asked to give my views on the box, I was delighted at how well packaged everything came, from the outer box where there is no disguising what it is that is inside, to the positioning and well packed items.

Inside this box I have:

• The Razor - a premium Primal Man double edge razor. The razor has a specially grooved handle for maximum grip and provides a wonderfully smooth shaving experience. The Razor has been weighted to perfection and allows you to "let the razor do the work". For me this had an added nostalgia as I first used a safety razor like this to have my first ever shave some..........(gets out a calculator).......twenty five years ago........(holy Jesus I'm old)

• After shave Balm - Made by Institute Karite, a brand I have never come across it is described as being a moisturising balm to relieve and soothe the burning sensations of shaving

• The Brush - Made by Kent (whom are by appointment to Her Majesty The Queen) which is great quality, great for creating lather and designed ergonomically to making using it easy

• Supermax Super Stainless Blades - Helpfully included is a pack of blades that should last you for the entire month, depending on how often you shave

• Shaving Soap - Again made by Kent, this soap is Enriched with a fine fougere fragrance with pine, clove and lavender extracts, on a base of cedardwood, nutmeg, sandalwood, vanilla and musk

• Alum Matchsticks - From The Legends of London, these alum matchsticks are great antibacterial sticks for calming razor burn, closing pores and are really soothing when used

All of this costs just £24.95 per month, though a three month subscription costs £20.95 per month and so on.  A year long subscription is just £16.95 per month and like other subscription boxes it can be cancelled at any time. Free shipping to: England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They do ship internationally but then you are looking at paying £10.50 on top for shipping per box. 

Now, I have used the products in the box and they warrant individual reviews rather than me listing it all down here (so watch out for those), but even the razor was worth buying the box all on it's own. The retail value of the products far exceed what you'll pay (the razor - without any blades is about £45 to buy in the shops). 

My shaving experience was actually rather good - a little more concentration was needed as it does have the ability to slash your throat (and I did do some prep using a deep cleansing scrub after showering) but it was really close, in fact I can think of only one shave closer at that was carried out by the amazing Darius at The Legends in Holborn.

Minor irritation (more due to me applying too much pressure on the blade) did occur but the aftershave balm calmed this down brilliantly.

I never pass up the chance to have a play around with an old school shaving kit and I'm really quite teary (no really, honest) at the memories this brought back. This emotional connection combined with the excellent high quality products mean that I will happily be signing up for the Primal Man Shave Club on a longer term basis.

Dexter likes the box as well......

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED


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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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GO24-7 Texture Paste

For the last couple of months I've been wading my way through various hair styling products from Fish Soho completely forgetting that I received a 2oz tub of the GO 24-7 Texture Paste as part of the Selfridges&Co Male Beauty Box in June.

As my Fish products started to run dry just over a week ago I decided to give my hair a few days rest before starting to test this one. GO 24-7 is not a brand I'm loyal to, in fact I've never bought anything from them before. 

While the 2oz tub costs $15.95 on the GO 24-7 website what initially struck me was the fact that this sells for around the same price as my current favourite from Fish Soho - Stiffish.

The fragrance actually oozes floral tones, so much so that in an instant childhood flashback it reminded me of the smell of Shake 'n' Vac powder that my mum used to use before vacuuming around the house. It hits the nostrils with an artificial punch that while not offensive is nothing to write home about.

Personally I like to apply hair styling paste to damp hair as I find it much easier to style. In the interests of research I actually tried applying to damp and dry hair, the results of which were massively different. 

Once I had zoned back in after my childhood flashback I removed the plastic cover that protects the paste and rubbed my fingertips over the pale contents of the tub. It certainly doesn't have the texture of a paste, in fact it's more of a wax/paste hybrid. It's solid, but seems to become more pliable the warmer it gets. Without warming it slightly with your fingertips you will struggle to get enough out of the tub to do any styling at all.

When applying to damp hair it is a breeze to style and it dries fairly quickly into a solid hold, so much so that the spikes in my hair (currently two inches in length) remain upright, but have an almost matte look finish. I'm not a great fan of this look, mainly because I get ribbed for looking like Andy Coulson (the disgraced and currently incarcerated former Director of Communications of David Cameron) but I couldn't grumble about the initial hold. 

After the damp application the hold remained for around five hours, I could alter the style, the paste didn't rub off onto my fingers and there were no signs of the dreaded white flakes associated with hair styling products. 

So, the hold didn't last that long, and when you also factor in that I found it near on impossible to style my hair when it was applied to dry hair I just tossed this back into the basket of hair products to be used when my favourites run out.

GO 24-7 Texture Pasture competes on a price level with other brands, but it fails to live up to expectations in the most important category - it doesn't have the long lasting hold that I personally look for in a hair styling product. If you are looking for a paste you should take a look at Fish Soho, but if gel is more your thing then The Legends London have a maximum hold gel that gives far superior hold and is much easier to apply.

While I won't be rushing out to replace this one when it eventually runs out and it seems that I'm being overly harsh in fairness to he product it does have strong hold, just not for long enough.

NOT RECOMMENDED

You can buy the product here if you wish and there is a pretty decent hair styling tutorial video.

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The Monday Montage

It’s Monday, and while I’ve had an epic writing session over the weekend I wanted to look back over the posts that have graced these pages over the last week before going into full blown aftershave and moisturiser mode.

As I’ve said before, and as you can see from the posts I’ve made over May and June I neglected the blog while off work really living up to the nickname of ’Sicknote’.

In something of a rare week, posts this week were a mix of things I really like and some products that I’ve been trying that to be blunt left me frustrated, angry and annoyed.  Seriously, this week some products had me venting my spleen (and then some)!

The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel + Giveaway

The Legends wasn’t one that had me annoyed (frustrated yes that I couldn’t recreate a style isn’t their fault) in fact it has me fascinated in the fact that you can use one gel to achieve so many styles.

Not only is it a great hold gel, oh no, I have a giveaway of the stuff. You can enter my clicking here.

Commes des Garcons 2

Up next was Commes des Garcons 2, a unisex fragrance that costs the Earth and delivers as much as a Post Man on strike. This one really did rub me up the wrong way and I’m surprised I haven’t had a solicitor’s letter yet.

To view Stephen in full blown vent mode click here.

#BGOmeetup

In a stunning display of tardiness I posted up my thoughts on the #bgomeetup in King’s Cross. It was a great night; I met lots of lovely people but most of all I won a prize for the best selfie.

You have to click here to see the Lizard King in action with Verne Troyer.

Shockwaves Style Control Spray

The name of the product couldn’t be more misleading; it lacks the ability to control the shortest of styles. While it is cheap, it didn’t work for me and left my hands sticky and my hair looking a right state.

You can read more about the hairspray here.

Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label

The last post of the week had me laughing - the bottle always reminds me of melting biros on Bunsen burners in science at school.

Is it aftershave heaven or hell? You have to click here to find out.

Coming up this week.........

• We have aftershave with Invictus by Paco Rabanne;
• A little bit of The Bluebeards Revenge moisturiser;
• Groomed hair and body wash.

Hope you have the time to take a peek at my latest posts. Is there anything you would like to see me review here?

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The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel + Giveaway

On 30 June I had an out of body experience - I visited The Legends barber shop in Holborn. If you haven’t seen how they knocked years off me with the best haircut ever (what the hell have you been doing?) you should as they also gave me a bag of goodies to give away. You can read about the out of body experience here. 

I have to confess I was cheeky and asked for a tub of The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel for myself as I really liked the style my barber Darius had managed used it. 

In the shop Darius used just a tiny bit of the gel, explaining that it was unique in that you could achieve different styles depending on how, and how much you apply. It says that it is a no flaking formula (oh god, there really is nothing worse - especially in a black or dark blue suit) medium matte finish. 

The marketing blurb/instructions say:

‘Spike it up or slick it flat, get that wet look or keep it dry, Maximum hold hair gel gives maximum hold and frizz control without flaking for your every style.’

For my cut my hair had been dried and a little massaged into the shaft of the hair which resulted in a fantastic matte look.

The day after I tried applying to my hair while still damp which the blurb says should result in a wet look and guess what, it did, in fact the hold was solid once the gel had been absorbed and absorbed in my hair. Styling was a breeze with damp hair and while the gel does leave a sticky residue on the hands to wash off it has a reassuring crisp feel to the touch. 

When applied to damp hair I found myself checking throughout the day that it hadn’t flaked onto my suit jacket. I’m happy to report that there were no such signs all day. In fact, on examination the morning after applying there were still no flakes in my hair - result.

I really wanted to recreate the style that I had in the shop so applied to dry hair, styled and then dried it on a low setting so not to blow out the style. Styling wasn’t the easiest - I think more down to my ability rather than the product. After a few tries I managed to get close to the style I wanted and my hair had a great matte finish, in fact it looked and felt a little ‘fluffy’ as though it had more volume than usual rather than when I have sharp spikes.

The dry, matte style also didn’t result in any flakes being visible. It’s a big bug-bear of mine that most products do but this doesn’t.



Again, even when applied to dry hair it holds, and holds and holds. 24 hours after applying the style has remained rock solid and for a hair gel to can’t beat that. Even better, if you want to re-style while out and about you simply run a damp palm through your hair and hey presto you are ready to go again.

So, what can I say? This gel has a 1980’s retro feel to it. It looks great in neon pink and has that retro hair gel fragrance, an almost chemical aloe vera aroma that doesn‘t overpower aftershave.

At £8 for a 220ml tub of The Legends Maximum Hold Hair Gel this represents great value for money. Less than a pea sized amount is enough to style hair at about an inch in length which means that this will last month after month after month.

You can find stockists at their website here.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I have a 220ml tub of the gel, a smaller travel tub and some alum matchsticks to give away thanks to the lovely people at The Legends. To enter just click here and fill out the rafflecopter entries.

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The Legends London + a Giveaway!

Any readers of the blog with a Rain Man like memory (and stamina for wading through my musings) may recall that I once took the plunge and admitted to having a morbid fear of hairdressers and barbers.

It stems from a trip of young Stephen to the barber (known as whip it off Wilf) for what I thought would be a trim, instead Wilf, god rest his soul (no I didn’t kill him, he was old and it was 30 years ago so safe to assume) took his cue from my dad (no, I haven’t forgotten dad) and proceeded to shave my head. Imagine a peanut that has been in the sun for a week and you get the idea of what I looked like.

This fear has meant that trips for haircuts have been few and far between throughout my life. I once found the perfect stylist when working in Southwark, London – Trevor was the first hairdresser who could cut my hair to perfection but sadly he moved on, it was also expensive at the time circa 2005 at £40 for a wash and cut. Trevor’s departure resulted in very infrequent visits to my local barber shop for an acceptable cut at £10.

Out of nowhere I received an e-mail from The Legends, a traditional barbershop based in Holborn, London asking if I would like to try a cut and some of the treatments they offer. Their full contact details are below and directions can be found from their website. 

After considering the phobia I tentatively accepted and on Monday (30 June) I made the short walk from my office to the shop to see what they could do with the face and hair only a mother could love. Below is the arty shot taken before I stepped in (and after about the third cigarette smoked with shaking hands)!

So what do The Legends say about themselves?

‘The Legends Barber Shop carries you back to a time when taking care of the way you look was part of being a man.

With uncommonly friendly service and a passionate attention to detail, the trained professionals at The Legends Barber Shop are schooled both in the time-honoured traditions of barbering and shaving.

With skills firmly rooted in tradition, all of The Legends barbers will work hard to give you a haircut you can be proud of.

Our friendly and talented staff will hook you up with the latest styles as well as a fresh interpretation of the classics. From the traditional and short hair cuts, through to old-fashioned hot towels and a straightedge shave, to the head massage you enjoy when you are finished.

At The Legends Barber Shop, we bring you the nostalgia of yesteryear with a modern twist.’

The shop itself is traditional in nature, the window display of antique barber ware struck fear into me but it does look cool. There are chairs for waiting customers but what strikes you from the moment you walk in is the feeling of openness and light. It is really bright considering the narrow shop front and as you walk down towards the rear it really opens up to reveal a host of barber chairs, sinks and the coolest cash register ever.

The barbers, all dressed in white look the part (always check out the hair of a hairdresser is my motto) and as soon as I arrived and before they knew who I was they were attentive, noticed I was a bit warm and offered to take my suit jacket.

My barber was to be Darius, a cheerful looking chap - he looks 35 (claims to be older) with a well groomed beard and moustache. He looked the part and after a brief introduction I sat into the chair of doom. 

I had considered letting Darius loose on my hair with a brief of ‘do what you think would suit this face’ but decided I might be a tad upset if he placed a paper bag over my head. Instead I opted for the sides to be shaved with really short top that could be styled into a bed head look.

After washing my hair and trying to keep consciousness (chilled out as my head was massaged by one of Darius‘ glamorous assistants - they set to work). A promise was made, “by the time we’ve finished you’ll look 16 again”. A pretty impressive boast I thought. 

Normally when I get my hair cut they start by shaving the top - instead Darius trimmed away at the top and as I gasped at the sheer amount of grey hair falling into my lap we struck up conversation about blogging, how they had found my blog, the history of the shop and his ethos as a barber. 

As the cutting continued I was surprised given it’s location tucked away between Red Lion Square and Theobalds Road at the number of people popping in to book appointments, having their hair cut or just stopping by on the off chance of a cut. This isn’t a place that needs bigging up in any way I thought to myself. 

The haircut took around 40 minutes and we chatted away, my nerves put completely at ease. We moved on to talking about shaving, blades etc as the clippers came out and the sides were shaved down to the bone. 

It was a completely painless experience and actually incredibly relaxing - I could have happily closed my eyes and slept I was that relaxed and at ease. 

Readers will have to wait for the final look at the bottom as the haircut wasn’t the end of proceedings - oh no. What I will say here is that for the first time in 10 years, and for only the second time I have found a barber who makes my hair looks simply amazing, is easy to style and does actually make me look substantially younger. 

Darius is a barber, not a miracle worker but I’ve been surprised at work with the number of really positive comments on how it makes me look younger (had three of these), that I now look like Andy Coulson the disgraced spin doctor who used to work for David Cameron (seven of these and counting - Jane Bailey*) and two where people had to take a second look to realise it was me.

You can’t beat that!

Anyway, I digress - I’d always wanted to have a traditional shave using a cutthroat razor and this is on offer. After applying lotion that cleared my sinuses in seconds (a lovely mint/menthol) a warm towel was placed over my face for a few minutes. Again I had to resist the urge to sleep I was so relaxed.

After wiping off my face shaving cream was applied. My leg started to tremble - I was nervous as soon as I saw the blade. Darius, sensing this put me at ease with references to the size of his liability insurance and some good humoured banter. The shave was such a unique experience and the final results were one of the closest shaves I’ve ever had.

His hands were steady (bonus), he didn’t cut me (bonus) and when the phone rang and I jumped he didn’t slash my throat (bonus). 

As I left I had the biggest smile on my face in a long time. My hair looked great, my face was so smooth and I felt like a new man.

There are pictures littered throughout this post about my experience and they show the magic that is The Legends and in particular Darius who is clearly a hair artiste with skills other barbers can only aspire to.

The shave was £22.50 and I will be having one again, probably as a treat now and again or if I’m going to a special event.

The full price list can be found on The Legends website here but at £18.50 for a wash and cut that is only just a touch more expensive for what I have been spending to be under whelmed by my local barber. You could add £20 onto the price and I would still pay it.

When they claim to give you uncommonly friendly service, passionate attention to detail and give you a haircut you can be proud of they are right on the money. Everything they claim to be is true and that is rare in this day and age. 

In summary:

Darius = Legend
The Legends = Legends

I normally have a kind of scale that I use ranging from ‘avoid at all costs’, ‘not recommended’, ‘recommended’ and ‘highly recommended’. In this case I have had to add a new one ‘forget the rest and go with the best’.

Forget the rest, go with the best

*names have not been changed to protect the very guilty

THE LEGENDS LONDON GIVEAWAY

In addition to making my week, I also have some of The Legends products to giveaway to one lucky blog reader thanks to the generosity of the staff, the Rafflecopter widget is below.

For a chance to win:

• 220ml tub of The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel (another post on the way)
• 40ml tube of travel sized The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel
• A pack of The Legends London Alum Matchsticks (used to mop up blood from nicks when shaving)

 

• Sadly this giveaway is limited to residents of the United Kingdom (don’t worry; another giveaway for a global readers is not far away).  
• If you are under 18 years of age, please ensure you have your parents permission to enter because I will need your address to post the prize.
• All Entries will be checked

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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