Posted on 12/05/09, filed under Mankind Grooming Editor | Written by: Lee - Mankind Grooming Editor
You might not know it but this week is Sun Awareness Week, the annual drive by the British Association of Dermatologists to reduce the 200 cases of skin cancers diagnosed ever day in this country. What’s even scarier is that cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, are rising faster than any other type of cancer in the UK.
The irony is that in 4 out of 5 cases, skin cancer is entirely preventable. Any yet, many of us men are way behind women when it comes to adequately protecting ourselves from the sun’s damaging rays. I’ve actually talked to guys I the past who think sun protection is somehow ‘unmanly’ but believe me, there’s nothing macho about sunburn (or skin cancer) so now that summertime is here make sure you’re fully factored up. There’s a huge selection of suncare products here on Mankind so there’s no excuse.
And please guys, stay off the sunbeds. I know it’s tempting to top up your tan the help of a few tanning sessions but with up to 100 deaths from melanoma attributed to sunbed use every year it’s really not a risk worth taking. What’s more, according to Cancer research UK, using sunbeds before the age of 35 increases your risk of developing melanoma by up to 75%. So try faking it instead.
Okay, end of this week’s lecture!
Lee Kynaston, Mankind Grooming Editor
Posted on 27/04/09, filed under Mankind Grooming Editor | Written by: Lee - Mankind Grooming Editor
It was that famous social commentator Jerry Seinfeld (a man only rivaled by Homer Simpson when it comes to summing up the human experience) who said that men want the same thing from their underwear that they want from women: a little bit of support, and a little bit of freedom.
This must be true since sales of snug-fitting briefs are rocketing. In fact, I read in The Times on Saturday that sales of Y-fronts are up 35% since the recession started. Clearly, in these difficult times men are looking for support in areas other than just financial. But then, there is something inherently comforting about a pair of briefs.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I like boxers too but briefs are miles better at holding everything comfortably in place and have the added advantage of not riding up under a suit like boxers. What’s more, you never suffer from the scourge of ‘batwing ball’ on a hot summer’s day if you’re wearing briefs (think about it).
Anyway, since we always like to be bang on trend here at Mankind, we’ve just added these classic Sunspel briefs to our selection of quality underwear. We’ll be monitoring sales closely to see whether pant sales mirror the famous ‘lipstick Index’ commentators are always talking about at times of financial hardship. So will pants really be ‘riding high’ as the recession bites? Only time will tell…
Oh, and no, that’s not me in the pic.
For more great gifts for men
Lee Kynaston, Mankind Grooming Editor
Posted on 16/04/09, filed under Mankind Grooming Editor | Written by: Lee - Mankind Grooming Editor
Okay, so who saw last night’s episode of The Apprentice? The one where Sir Alan’s increasingly hapless bunch of dimwits (sorry, potential employees) had to create a bath and bodycare range? I’ve never seen anything so cringeworthy in all my life! Aside from the fact that one team actually put soggy, sticky honeycomb into a bar of soap (why they didn’t go the whole hog and include the bees I don’t know), it also featured some of the worst ‘managing’ I’ve ever seen and – to top things off – a grown man squealing at the sight of crabs (yes, the sea-dwelling variety in case you ask).
The funniest bit, of course, was ‘Oilgate’ (where poor Yasmina – a woman who says she wishes she’d been the brains behind Microsoft - confused cedarwood oil (nice but relatively cheap) and Sandalwood oil (very nice indeed and a small fortune to buy) and sent production costs soaring to such a degree that the group ended up making a loss. Failing to spot the mistake, team leader Paula (great hair, ever greater accent) claimed the raw materials would cost ‘naff all’. In fact, they came in a £700.
Now, just in case you’re reading this Yasmina, sandalwood is one of the oldest and most revered of all fragrance ingredients, comes from Mysore in India and has a wonderfully, warm, sensual and sweet aroma that’s long-lasting and fabulously masculine. Hence you find it in many men’s fragrances and as the dominant note in ones like this. Cedarwood, on the other hand, smells a bit like pencil shavings and is a natural moth-repellent.
PS. Thumbs up to metrosexual Geordie Philip who proudly admitted to wearing a touch of slap now and then and said: “I enjoy the odd cosmetic and from past experience with former girlfriends I’ve got a fair grasp of the market.”
