The Bluebeards Revenge Eau De Toilette

Until I started this little corner of the Interweb, I had never knowingly smelt, seen or bought any products by The Bluebeards Revenge. I'm pretty certain my vice like memory that never lets go, would remember the very cool styling of the packaging had it ever crossed my vision.

The first time I clocked (that's Mancunian for saw) the brand was over on The Ged Lab blog, where I can recall leaving a comment that I needed to get my hands on some of their stuff to try.

Roll forward a couple of months and the beautiful, nay gorgeous PR people at the company asked if I would like to try their aftershave and moisturiser. I didn't have chance to respond myself, BeautyqueenUK had already said yes (made me think I might be starting to smell a bit).

Enter via my local Royal Mail sorting office a 100ml bottle of The Bluebeards Revenge Eau De Toilette which has a recommended retail price of just £19.99, yes under 20 pounds! 

The last time I bought aftershave for under 20 quid it was vile, gave me a rash and generally was used to keep foxes out of the garden all summer (seriously Diesel Zero Plus trickled around a garden fence will keep 'em away).

The marketing blurb for the aftershave says:

'The Ultimate Fragrance for Real Men! - Refreshing new fragrance aimed at the modern, masculine man

This refreshing new fragrance opens with ozone notes accented by Sicilian bergamot and Ligurian basil. The heart features a rich blend of jasmine, black tea and watermint, while the rich base notes include Madagascar vanilla highlighted by sandalwood and patchouli along with oakmoss and musk.

Inspired by the real life heroes and other larger than life characters who put the "Great" into Great Britain, this eau de toilette features an atomiser spray that is easy and efficient to use.'

I didn't investigate the notes before trying this, so without any preconceptions of what it would smell like I just sprayed and prayed (hey I managed to get a MAC10 machine gun joke into an aftershave post) - and to cut a long story short was impressed, not just by the fragrance, but also by the bottle, the lasting power and the way in which it changed but remained as marketed.

As soon  as it is sprayed from the atomiser you know that it has a cool and refreshing aroma. Yes you can detect citrus but to me it had hints of what I would call soapy and quite rich, almost bitter on the nose. It is far more lighter on application than CK One or Acqua di Gio but seems to warm up within minutes with subtle hints of warm spice before drying down to a masculine woody base.

After an hour I can still smell this on myself and that is quite rare. What you can pick out is black pepper that gives the masculine edge with warmth through the spice down to the base.

It is just simply stunning to experience this fragrance change and even better, to smell it again 10-12 hours later as good as it was when it was applied. This has strength and longevity that gives the highest of the high end brands a run for their money.

On a personal note I like the aftershave a lot. It's hardwearing and excellent value for money. It will turn heads and is very different to anything I have smelt recently, but I will be using this for office wear and maybe the odd night out down the  pub.

If you like Fahrenheit by Dior but want something cheaper and lighter then you should get a bottle without delay.

RECOMMENDED

Finally the last cool thing about this company? On the inside of every box there is an advert for Orchid, the charity that fights male cancer along with advice for men in relation to lets be frank, their balls and checking for lumps.

Gentlemen, you should visit the Orchid site just for information.

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Kitchin N1

There is such a thing as a free meal, well there is if you respond to Twitter requests from PR companies.

About 6 weeks ago I sent a random tweet saying that I would like to try Kitchin N1, a restaurant in Kings Cross, just around the corner from my offices and one I’d passed a few times but never ventured in.

Taking inspiration and influence from Indian, Chinise, Italian and Thai recipes the restaurant gives off a vibe of eastern promise and aromas that will assault your sense (in a nice way) while you try and resist the temptation to bury your head into the huge selection of dishes on offer.

Not only does Kitchin have so much food my stomach started to rejoice but the island preparation area allows you to watch in amazement as the chefs cook away.

Entering the restaurant, we were shown to a table and handed a drinks menu which had something for everyone, whether you like your wine, champagne, cocktails, beer or soft drinks, every need is catered for.  The joy of doing a restaurant review allows you to have the attention of the manager for some of the time to throw questions at him, nothing was too much for any of the staff and as we got to grips with how everything worked, I couldn't help but notice the number of people who came in, had their meals and left.

When you go to Kitchin N1, you have your table for around 1.5 hours, 2 hours at the most and as it is buffet style, essentially you can eat as much as you like, but be warned, if you waste excess food, you will be charged for it.

Their is a choice of cold or hot starters and your choices include Greek Salads, houmous, opinion rings, Sushi, onion Bhaji, prawn toast, soups and many many more, you simply go up, take a plate and choose whatever you fancy eating.

These are just some of the starters and main dishes that we made our way through.  Each dish tasted freshly cooked, if it was meant to be hot it was and likewise if it should have been cold it was.  There was nothing I disliked or wouldn't have eaten again.

When it came to trying the mains which were on offer, again there is something for everyone, whether you want it cooked in front of you from the Wok station to make your own stir fry or from the grill station where an option of meats will be presented to you and cooked for you to your liking.  Choices of mains again include dishes such as Pizza of the day, curries such as Rogan Josh, Kormas, Thai Green Curry, italian pastas, chow miens, prawn dishes and rice or noddles.

The final test if all of that hadn't been enough to try is the dessert menu!  By this point, both Rachel and I had been feeling pretty full, but felt it rude not to try a few of the options on offer, well as soon as I saw the chocolate fountain and marshmallows I was in heaven.

There is also a bit of theme for Kitchin N1 at the weekend.  On Friday, Saturdays & Sundays there is a selection of fresh seafood, including Prawns and Mussels as well as certain fish dishes. On Saturday evenings they serve crispy Duck, spring onion, sarded cucumber, hoisin sauce & pancakes and on Sundays there is a full roast!

Price wise, well lunch will cost just £7.99 and dinner in the evening £14.99 with a slight variation at the weekend, all of which can be found on the Kitchin website and to make life easier, you can book your table online too, a straightforward easy to follow form and it is all done for you.

For a restaurant which is hidden away from the bustling streets of Kings Cross on Caledonia Road, it is one which is worth going to find.  The food is exceptionally lovely, there is something for everyone and the experience is something I had never experienced before. From salads which are fresh and crunchy, to meat that is cooked to your liking and hot, curries which are as tasty as they are from your local Indian and desserts which melt in your mouth, it is not somewhere that will break the bank to enjoy good quality cooked food.  

If you are out and about in Kings Cross and are looking for something a little bit different, I urge you to give Kitchin N1 a chance, it is worth every mouthful.

It is so good I’m going again soon.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Invictus by Paco Rabanne

It was back in March when I first exposed my nose to a tester of Invictus by Paco Rabanne and I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh new smell and had to get my hands on  a bottle as soon as possible.

The aftershave made it onto my aftershave wish list and the rest as they say is history. 

A bottle was purchased for £50 for a 100ml bottle and boom, my years of wandering in the Paco Rabanne wilderness were over. I had been a big fan of XS in my youth but had gone off it over time. As I said in my previous review, my tastes changed dramatically and the fashion house just didn’t come up with anything new to really grab my attention.

Oh how that has changed.

The marketing blurb for Invictus really does take creative writing to the extreme:

‘Created for contemporary heroes, Paco Rabanne Invictus is the ultimate scent of victory.

The eau de toilette is an ode to the unconquered and invincible triumph of athletes, a signature scent for sons of Olympus who exalt in the sensation of winning.

The quintessential essence for men who are modern champions, no matter their sport.’

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some numpty who rushes out to buy a fragrance just because I like the look of the bottle, but it was the bottle that made me investigate more. It is so unique, and looks cool. It reminds me of the European Cup (yes, the European Cup that Liverpool Football Club have won five times if reading Manchester United fans) and I‘d be lying if I said I hadn‘t lifted the bottle above my head to recreate Istanbul in 2005 (thankfully I wasn’t wearing a full Liverpool kit at the time - no excuse for a grown man to wear a full football kit).

The notes to Invictus give a good idea of what to expect and while reviewers would have you believe this is a ‘woody’ fragrance I’m inclined to disagree with this broad brush description. It’s far too easy to label an aftershave and put people off when actually they would be surprised. 

• Head: Grapefruit Peel, Marine Accord;
• Heart: Bay Leaves;
• Dry down: Guaiac Wood, Patchouli, Amber Gris Accord.

First of all, the bottle is really easy to grip, with the atomiser located within the top. Three sprays and hey presto, you have enough of the fragrance dispensed to leave you smelling wonderful for over ten hours, in fact on a good day you can still smell it the morning after applying which represents one hell of a long lasting product, which if you consider the price actually makes this fall into the good value for money category.

But what does it smell like? Well, as soon as it leaves the bottle you are hit with a beautiful blend of grapefruit - rather than wafts of citrus though it immediately blends with the marine accord to give depth to the fragrance. It isn’t sickly sweet, instead it rests on the skin without irritation and stays fresh for a good hour or so until the heart and dry down notes come to the fore.

It’s a young fragrance at first but starts to change, becoming warm and sensual. The bay leaves give this an edge that make it that touch more masculine than you would expect.

After two hours, unlike other aftershaves I can still smell it on me and my clothes and I admit it, I do find myself staring into space when I catch a whiff of myself during the day - it is lovely. 

The patchouli and amber I had expected would make this really heavy on dry down but that isn’t the case, the fine blend is out of this world and doesn’t make it so warm you lose that young vibe it gives off on first application. This is where I disagree with the categorisation of the fragrance.

While this is a deep and seductive fragrance it can’t be placed strictly into the ‘woody’ category in my opinion. It is far too light on application, has a lovely citrus zing to it and when it dries down isn’t overly warm. Yes you can pick out the patchouli that gives a masculine and manly base but the head and heart notes don’t fade away completely giving this an edge that truly does make it the aftershave of winner, nay, the aftershaves of kings. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

OK, well here is the picture of me pretending to win the European Cup....

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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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Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label

Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label came into my collection of aftershaves as a gift. Personally I had never heard of this fragrance but I assumed that it did indeed rival the "fit man smell" of Ralph Lauren Blue and Joop. 

Having owned previous Givenchy offerings and personally finding them all to be of a high quality I had no hesitation in trying this out.

I didn't buy my bottle, but you can expect to pay around £22 for a 50ml bottle and £33 for a 100ml bottle of the EDT. 

In brief this is one of those ‘nice’ fragrances in my opinion, it is nothing special to write home about and certainly not an aftershave I would be shouting a recommendation for from the rooftops.

The packaging to the fragrance looks rather refined, but once the bottle has been retrieved the first thing that strikes you is that it looks extremely tacky made up from clear chunky glass and melted down blue biro's. 

The blurb for Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label states that:

An aromatic homage to the traditional gentleman, reinterpreted for the modern man of action. This fragrance embodies the energy, style and attitude of today's man. It goes on and on, but basically the fragrance should be cool, mixed with spices with woody undertones to give a warm manly scent.

The notes are:

Head: Grapefruit, hedione and bergamot;

Heart: Cardamom, davana and pepper;

Dry down: Olibanum, vetiver and cedar.

When I think of that description of a fragrance I think Fahrenheit with it's warm woody tones and before trying I actually thought this might simply be a rip off of the Christian Dior fragrance. 

One spray of the atomiser dispenses a large amount of the fragrance, and first impressions are of a light citrus fragrance that is easy on the nose and ultimately unique and refreshing - you really can pick out the grapefruit tang. 

It should be noted however that the refreshing feel is replaced by a severe burning sensation - Christ, this burns more than other fragrances when applied after shaving due to the high alcohol content.

After settling the citrus fragrance vanishes completely with warmer undertones coming to the fore. The cardamon and pepper really make this warm and spicy, and I swore that I could detect hints of tobacco and amber. 

Given an hour to settle and this certainly does become more of a manly, warm and rugged spicy musk smell, although it isn't overpowering in the slightest. It's masculine but exceptionally subtle. The fragrance remains faint but is noticeable on clothing and when stationary for well over eight to nine hours.

The actual results of applying this fragrance were not unpleasant, I do like the smell, however I just don't think it suits me personally. 

Initially this is a light and refreshing fragrance but this fades too soon for my liking and I am not a big fan of deeply woody fragrances, they remind me too much of Old Spice. 

Although my wife liked this when she purchased it, she went off it very quickly and it now is only used for casual wear and for around the office during the day, I certainly wouldn't be spraying this on myself if I was embarking on a romantic evening out, there are better fragrances that guarantees the right type of attention. 

At most, only two sprays of the atomiser are all that is needed to give good coverage making the actual product very good value for money. 

All in all Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label is not an offensive fragrance that will have people walking past holding their noses and judging by the price and bottle design it isn't trying to capture the crown of the more exclusive male fragrances on the market. 

I'll continue to wear it until the bottle finally runs out but I won’t be rushing to replace it. 

If you are looking for a fragrance that is fairly cheap, long lasting and spicy/woody in nature this is for you. 

If you are looking for something light, refreshing and will make you stand head and shoulders over everyone look elsewhere.

RECOMMENDED………….at a push

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Shockwaves Style Control Spray

After having my hair cut quite short I went through a rotation of trying different hair products to find the best hold that looked cool. I first picked up the Shockwaves Style Control Spray from Boots after being impressed with their mousse and at £2.79 for a 250ml can the voices in my head said give it a try - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The spray once dried is meant to give a strong hold for hours for every type of style. I chose the ‘strong’ version thinking it would be easy to apply as my hair tends to spike naturally after years of the same style - how wrong I was.

After washing and drying my hair I held the can five to six inches away from my hair and started to spray fairly liberally. 

Having something of a childhood flashback I expected the spray to have a strong chemical smell that would seem to remove all oxygen from the room. Instead I was greeted with an extremely pleasant clean and fresh fragrance (bonus). It wasn't as harsh as other brands and didn't make me cough or retch.

I had spiked up my damp hair and after spraying noticed that they spikes had gone flat very quickly, and before it had dried. I put this down to fact that I might not have dried my hair enough and set about styling the spikes back in.

My can went straight in the bin after a styling nightmare, hence a stock image

The spray seemed to dry very quickly after this (in less than 30 seconds) and my style was set. In the time it took top put on a shirt and return to the mirror the spikes that I had thought had dried solid had actually become lopsided and weren't being held up at all by the spray (not a good look - think Tin Tin stuck in a wind tunnel).
I applied more spray and tried again to style, by this point I had used what felt like a third of the can. Again, after around five minutes of restyling my hair had gone flat again, my hands were sticky and I had to go back and wash my hair before using a different product. 
The actual feel of my hair when styling with the spray was crisp to say the least and it gives the impression that your hair isn't going to fall out of place. The problem though is that the solid crispy hold was of a style I didn’t want. 

Even though I was trying to get my hair styled into a spiky effect I have in the past used hairspray that did the job very well. The Style Control Spray didn't come close to having the hold of other brands. 

So, the good points:

• Cheap. Usually retails for £2.79 in most supermarkets and large chemists.
• Dried quickly. No hanging about waiting for it to dry.
• Nice smell.

The bad points:

• Doesn't give a strong hold, although it does give that impression on first application.
• Lasts for about 10 minutes at a time!

Overall I wasn't impressed with the Style Control Spray. It didn't do the job it was meant to and in comparison with other sprays it is a weak contender in the market. 

In short, it’s a lemon on short styles and there are much better products out there.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Have you picked up a lemon hair styling product? What would you avoid in the future?

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