Posted on 22/10/08, filed under The Naked Groomer
I’ve worked in a few companies that have run competitions I couldn’t enter due to being an employee. Most of these have gone straight over my head but this time I’m upset. I want to look like James Bond!
Mankind are basically going to give away an experience that normally only sits with Royalty, Investment Bankers (until recently) and, of course, James Bond himself. The winner and two of his friends will be ferried around in a Phantom Rolls Royce, starting at the iconic No 11 hotel -
www.number-eleven.co.uk– where they will be staying the night. From here they will head to Oliver Spencer for their own tailor made suits (I’ll stick with Slaters for the minute!!). Then it’s off to get a pair of Church’s shoes, a tailored Turnbull & Asser Shirt and a Swaine Adeney Brigg suitcase and umbrella. Once the shopping is finished the winner and friends head to the Nickel Spa in Covent Garden for treatments and then receive a grooming set from Mankind to continue their newly found style. The evening will be finished with a photo shoot, dining and martini cocktails back at No 11 London.
Now that is the sort of prize I would like to win! It’s something that I probably wouldn’t actually do for myself (or be able to afford!). As you’re probably not a Mankind employee you are more than welcome to enter. Just visit www.bondmakeover.com for more info on the prizes and details on how to get involved. Good luck!!
Posted on 25/09/08, filed under The Naked Groomer
It’s only in recent months that I’ve started to come to terms with the fact that men, just like women, are allowed to take care of their skin. I probably had a similar view to a lot of blokes – that skincare was for girls, like The Sanctuary’s skin care products, and men were too manly to need to take care of their skin. Obviously I now realise that this is completely ridiculous and, having started working within the grooming and beauty industry, I can see that there’s a massive demand for skincare that’s specifically developed for men.
To be honest, before I joined Mankind I didn’t have a clue that half of the current skincare brands existed. But simple marketing logic tells me that there’s no supply without demand. From my limited experience I’ve spotted a number of popular men’s skincare brands, including Lab Series, Anthony Logistics, Biotherm, Kiehl’s and Ren (to name just a few).
The future is definitely bright for men in terms of looking after our skin and actually feeling comfortable talking about it. I still struggle with my close friends when I tell them that I exfoliate and moisturise. You should see their faces when I tell them that I blow dry and straighten my hair every morning before work. I think it’s going to be a tough challenge to get some of these lads to open up to the brave new world of men’s skincare, but it’s going to happen. It’s inevitable, and eventually everyone will have joined the club!
Posted on 23/09/08, filed under The Naked Groomer
I came across an article in Arena recently which was reviewing razors. The only reason I’ve brought this up is because I’m amazed at how something designed to take hair off your face uses more technology than NASA.
Just to let you know where I stand with razors – Unfortunately I have that fantastic type of facial hair that you might refer to as ‘bum fluff’. Electric hair clippers are my weapon of choice as the other options tend to involve copious amounts of ripping and pain. It’s the best method I’ve found so far and I can keep it at a respectable length without it turning into some sort of facial comb over. I am, however, envious of those of you who can enjoy the closeness off a good old wet shave!
The article compared three razors (Gilette – Fusion Power Stealth, Wilkinson Sword – Quattro Titanium Precision, and King Of Shaves – Azor). Judging by the names, I initially thought Gilette might have designed some sort of advanced invisible fighter jet and King Of Shaves had set up their own South American country. I was disappointed to find out that they were both sticking to razors and hadn’t moved into impressive military technology or old school colonisation. With my lack of experience in the razor world, it looks to me like their trying to outdo each other by adding more blades, offering extravagant names and telling us that their razor has more working parts than a spitfire.
Is it just me? Am I naïve about how much difference these features make to a wet shave?
