Guide London Shirts + Giveaway

If you saw my TK Maxx Haul earlier in the year you will have seen the lovely flowery shirt from Guide London I managed to pick up well below the recommended retail price. Pleased was an understatement then and still is!

When I was asked if I would to take a look at their Autumn collection and choose a shirt to style I didn't have to think twice, and opted for the slim fit Dark Blue Dobby Shirt at £60.

With free delivery on orders over £45 then you really can't argue, and I have to ask, why aren't you currently checking them out for yourself? There are loads of shirts, tees, blazers and malewear over at the Guide London site here.

And this is what it looks like when worn by yours truly! 

This is, if my memory serves me correctly the fourth shirt I've owned from Guide London and each one has lasted for years and years. The colours don't run, the stitching is rock solid and best of all, the cuffs and collars never fray. Years after purchase they look as good as the day I bought them. 

Personally I'm looking forward to many years of wear out of the new addition to my wardrobe.

Now here is the good part, you have the opportunity to win a Guide London shirt worth up to £80 using the competition widget below. Good luck!

Win a free Guide London Shirt Worth £80 with Beauty King UK 

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Protect your phone with Lux Box

Let me tell you a sorry tale of 'told you so' that resulted me me gleefully accepting the offer of the Wonderful Things Factory to try one of their luxury iPhone cases, LuxBox.

Until May I had managed to resist the urge to buy an iPhone, hell, my Samsung Galaxy 2 (yes I know it has antique value) is still going strong so why bother splashing out on a new phone? That was until I was handed an IPhone 6 as my new work phone with the wise and sage advice of "you better get a case for that as the screen will crack at the slightest bit of pressure". Fast forward (not so much) two days and carelessly throwing things into my bag resulted in cracked screen! I needed a case!

This is what theWTFactory say about the LuxBox here:

'The Wonderful Things Factory (aka theWTFactory) is working right now (literally) to create cool stuff for you to use, wear, touch, look at and experience.' 

Now, the lovely phone case you can see above was sent to me to test by theWTFactory and I have to say, I'm impressed. While $55 may seem a lot for a phone case, when you consider the cost of replacing a damaged screen it's actually just a drop in the ocean and well worth the initial outlet.

I expected it to take weeks to arrive from the good old USA but no, it took just three days. It arrived, thankfully not via Yodel (that's a rant for another time) in a secure box with minimal packaging but as soon as it was opened it just oozed class and that Christmas morning feeling was upon me. Weird, it is after all just a phone case.

Slipping it onto the phone was a breeze and initially I was surprised by how lightweight the case was. It weighs just grams and once on, you hardly notice it's there - it doesn't weigh down the phone and it doesn't add that much to the dimensions so it slips straight into the pocket with no hassle - result! 

This is a luxury phone case - it looks great, and personally I love the walnut finish on the rear of the case, it just looks so much different to the clip on cases you can pick up for a couple of pounds down on Camden Market and I for one am a very happy bunny. I would probably baulk at paying so much, but actually after dropping my phone twice since installing this (and no damage to either phone or case) I would probably pay double! 

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Why is there a lack of plus size male models?

The topic of plus size models has long been a hot one in fashion and retail circles. But while plus size female models are becoming increasingly respected and marketed – indeed, UK Plus Size Fashion Week took place over three days in London during September – what about the men?

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Where are all the plus-size male models? It’s a question the Guardianasked recently. The article’s writer, Morwenna Ferrier, commented: ‘I asked three major agencies in the UK, all of whom have plus-sized female models on their books, and they all said they have no plans to sign plus-size male models.’ However, in Germany there’s a different attitude, with three agencies that specialise in plus-size male models.

In model terms, plus size for women starts at 14; in retail clothing terms it’s more commonly 18. But for men, what is considered plus size? Clearly, that opens up a wide field. Recent research from Mintel shows that 20% of males in the UK – so almost a quarter of the population – have a waist size of 38 inches or more. That’s a lot of bigger guys who are never going to look like the muscular perfection that is David Beckham in his boxers.

But also, men’s clothing is available in far bigger sizes – from 1XL all the way up to 8XL. These size ranges are typically available from specialist suppliers dedicated to the larger man though generally many mainstream retailers have a wide range. Dobell suit trousers go up to 48 inch waist, and jackets to a 54 inch chest.

So – it’s certainly not the case that bigger or plus sizes men aren’t being catered for. The clothes are out there. What’s the problem? At this year’s New York men’s fashion week the subject was raised and the message from modelling agencies was that there is no demand for plus-sized models. ‘As an agency we don’t dictate demand, we respond to it,’ DNA model management’s Gene Kogan told YahooStyle. ‘Demand has to originate from designers, brands or retailers. If there was a strong demand for plus-size male models, believe we would be scouting for them.’

There’s also a train of thought that the majority of male clothing is not bought by men at all, but by their wives and partners - so the marketing and advertising of men’s fashion is aimed at women.

These days, even the non-human models are far removed from large physiques.

Thisreport suggested the standard male mannequin size has shrunk from a 42 inch chest and a 33 inch waist – some might consider those ‘average’ dimensions – to a 35 inch chest and a 27 waist over the last 40 years. Those measurements actually make for a very slender, almost waif-like figure. The type of figure seen almost exclusively on the catwalk and inside high-end lifestyle magazines.

While there is pressure on brands and retailers to feature plus-size female models – and applause and appreciation when they do – it seems the plus-size male model doesn’t actually exist. Not yet, at least. Until there is a breakthrough, the DadBod will stay firmly in the background, outside the public glare.

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Jord 94A Wooden Watch

Every so often a product comes into your possession that captivates you, whether it is the scent, the style, how it is made, the colour or even it's packaging, sitting and looking at something thinking 'wow'. This happened to me, but the Jord 94A Wooden Watch was actually sent to my other half, but as soon as I saw it I knew it would be mine, all mine! 

JORD watches are made out of sustainably sourced wood from across the globe. Each watch is then lovingly crafted and are unique. I now have the 94A Series which is Jord's first mixed material watch, presented with a squared dial and metallic face, it really does look cool and is perfect when topped off with a few wooden bracelets. 

The watch itself is even more stunning than it looks online. It is so much lighter than I had expected it to be but it is the craftsmanship of the watch which is truly amazing. Being made of wood, there are no rough edges and whilst it is chunky, it looks amazing whilst being worn, it is so unique to have a wooden watch. It is also light as a feather so no feeling like you have a dead weight attached to your arm.

I personally think the 94A Series is more suited to a man than a woman (I would say that, and actually did to convince the other half to let me have it). That said, we both absolutely love it, so it will be a race in the morning to see who can wear it first.

If you want to take a look at JORD watches, you can see the range here. They are amazingly priced, this one is $159 which is around £100 and then delivery is $20 (so just under £10) which is couriered.

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Buki Koshoni - Functional Art & Clothing

Today is all about the tees, but not just any old ordinary tees, these are from the amazing photographer Buki Koshoni.

If it wasn't for my other half I would be wandering around looking a right state, after all I have eyes that would have been rejected if there was some form of quality control at birth - I'm colour blind and struggle with shades of red, green, blue and brown (so just most colours around). Combine that with a middle age taste in clothes and you have a fashion mess if I choose clothes on my own.

This is what is says about the brand over on the Buki Koshoni website here:

'The Brand was founded on the art, design and ideals of photographer Buki Koshoni. Our "functional art" ethos looks to challenge the symbiosis of art, design and fashion, forging a truly global, entertaining and progressive brand.
Apparel, art and designs, that not only beautify a person or space, but also create and encourage “active participation” Functional Art, whether it be upcycled funiture, an expertly sewn shirt or a fine art print, we encourage active participation between the art and its owners'.

Fortunately, there are people out there trying to help fashion paupers like myself and the wide range of classic yet edgy clothing from the Koshoni range really does appeal to me. When asked if I would like to try and style some of the tees it took me ages to choose two but in the end I went for the Leaving Las Vegas tee and the A & O 'Splash' Print. Both are £45 each.

At £45 for a tee these are expensive but the images are stylish, look great (I think) when paired with a pair of classic skinny jeans and a pair of boots. I feel confident that I don't look like a school teacher (no offence intended teachers) at an end of term disco when wearing these and will be picking up a few more to add to my huge collection of tees.

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FIT Skincare Moisturising Ultra Serum

Beautykinguk, looking a state so you don't have to......

So it came to pass, I was offered the chance to try out FIT Moisturising Ultra Serum, a rather expensive moisturising cream type thing in an attempt to get this old face of mine looking as good as possible. I’ve had it for some time but waited until I had the chance to give it a try on my recent break to Suffolk (after all what better place to try it than the seaside).

At £50 for a 30ml tube saying that its expensive in my view is an understatement, but hell, I find everything expensive these days (I'm firmly putting this down to my northern roots and our rep for being tight fisted but also the fact I'm getting on a bit).

With this is mind I expected miracles from this serum, and after having a good read of the marketing blurb waited a few days where I applied nothing to my face to get it prepped for one heck of a testing. By the time I used this I looked awful around the eyes and after squinting in the nice Suffolk sunshine the lines around my eyes and forehead were looking tasty - when I say tasty, what I actually mean is deep.

This is what they say about the serum over at the FIT Skincare website here: 

'Moisturising ultra serum intensely hydrates, repairs, protects & refreshes skin. Packed with premium performance active ingredients, vitamins and utilising OXY-FIT-10 technology it recharges & stimulates the skins natural repair mechanisms. Non greasy and lightweight the ultra serums molecules are quickly absorbed deep into the skin to act faster and work for longer.'

So, what does this actually having going for it? Well, the serum has a thick consistency and despite this it is absorbed into the skin really quickly. At first it looked like it would leave a greasy residue on the surface but this actually dried out within minutes of application. 

First of all let me explain something about my eyes - they often look swollen (thank you Richard Padgett for smashing with full force a cricket bat into my face when I was aged seven - oh dear god that was thirty years ago!) and have really dark bags. If you follow through the images you can see the effect that the serum has had and I admit it, even with the hefty price tag I was blown away with the results, particularly on the fine lines and deeper numbers - this knocked years off me (and for this I am truly thankful). 

In the words of Rod Stewart, ‘every picture tells a story’ (it was his third studio album released in 1971) so rather than endlessly describe the process this is what the serum did for me, so prepare yourself for images of face, and my eyes…..Taken before application, twenty minutes after and a couple of hours later. 

My skin feels and looks plumper and hydrated, fears of an oily or greasy residue were unfounded and after three days of using this in the morning my the swelling around my eyes wasn’t as bad (the usual recoil I suffer with that first look in the mirror in the morning stopped).

Yes this is a bit on the steep side but for results it knocks the socks off the Clarins Eye Serum and seems to last for ages. That 30ml tube will last for months if used sparingly and that is all you need - a little goes a long way and it isn’t something that actually needs to be used on a daily basis, instead it compliments my already huge and extensive grooming routine.

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