Posted on 30/11/10, filed under Mankind Grooming Editor | Written by: Lee - Mankind Grooming Editor
As reluctant as I am to blow my own trumpet, I like to think I have impeccable taste when it comes to men’s fragrances. So I was thrilled to learn that Mankind are now stocking scents from one of my all time favourite fragrance houses, Czech & Speake.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the company was initially set up by Frank Sawkins in the late seventies to sell his exquisite bathroom accessories. Like the fragrances that eventually followed, these accessories combined quintessential Englishness with fine, traditional design and a gentlemanly exclusiveness you’d expect from a company based in Jermyn Street, one of London’s most exclusive fashion districts.
My absolute favourite is No 88 which took its name from the number of the building in Jermyn Street where Sawkins had his original studio. I first smelt in back in mid Eighties (it launched in ‘81) and instantly fell in love with its barbershop talciness, long-lasting sensual dry down (courtesy of vetiver and sandalwood) and cool black packaging. If you’re looking for a masculine fragrance with absolutely bags of staying power I honestly can’t think of a better one! The fact that I still wear it, some 25 years after discovering it, tells you how highly I regard it – not to mention how old I am!
It’s not the only great fragrance Czech & Speake do though. If you like sparkling, fresh citrus fragrances, Neroli is one of the best you’ll ever come across. Cuba, too, is worth checking out. It’s a rich spicy, tobacco-y fragrance sometimes described as being ‘animalistic’ and does tend to polarize people but it’s great if you like uber-rich, warm and sensual smellies. And since it is coming up to Christmas time I cannot go without mentioning Czech & Speake’s Frankincense & Myrrh Cologne. The epitome of biblical luxury it might be but it’s actually a fragrance you can wear all year round if you’re a fan of those rich, evocative insense fragrances. But come on, with a name like that, can you think of a better present? It’s certainly on my Xmas list!
Lee, Mankind Grooming Ed
Posted on 27/10/10, filed under Mankind Grooming Editor | Written by: Lee - Mankind Grooming Editor
In case you hadn’t realised it it’s Movember again which is a brilliant chance to show off your manly ‘tache-growing prowess for charity (or just grow something perfectly ridiculous so everyone in the office can laugh at you and call you Fu Man Chu). Whatever your reason the important thing is that you take part.
The funds raised from Movember’s UK campaign benefit the The Prostate Cancer Charity, the UK’s leading prostate cancer charity.
It’s a particular gripe of mine that cancers that effect men, like prostate cancer, receive scant media attention compared to those affecting women, like breast cancer, so I do urge all Mankind customers of ’tache-growing age to take part. And just to help you along here are a few tips from me to ensure your mo is truly magnificient!
- Always shave just outside the line of your moustache so you can tidy it up properly with a the edging blade of your razor or beard trimmer.
- Invest in a shaving mirror – it’ll be much easier to see what you’re doing!
- When creating complex lines around your ‘tache shave with a good quality shaving oil like Molton Brown’s Re-Charge Black Pepper Shave Oil. Since it’s transparent you’ll be able to shave with pinpoint accuracy.
- If you don’t like the colour (maybe it has flecks of grey or is the colour of copper) try dying it with one of Just For Men’s Beard and Moustache Colour Gel.
- Wash your mo often (hair absorbs odours and collects bits of food remember) and moisturise the skin underneath since hair wicks moisture away from the skin, drying it out.
- Trim and tidy. The best-looking ‘taches end on or just above the lop lip line so make sure yours is neat and tidy with the help of a gadget like Remington’s Creative All in One Grooming Kit.
- Enjoy it! Growing a Mo is supposed to be fun. And you never know, you might even decide to ‘keep the caterpillar’!
For more information about Movember and how you can raise cash by growing a ‘tache go to www.movember.com.
Lee, Mankind Grooming Ed
Posted on 20/09/10, filed under Mankind Grooming Editor | Written by: Lee - Mankind Grooming Editor
It's her epilator ok? The clue is in the colour!
The other day I read a fascinating, but rather alarming, survey that revealed that over three quarters of men admit to stealing tbeir partner’s beauty products, with over a third saying they often pinch their partner’s shampoo and 1 in 10 admitting to using someone else’s razor. Scarily 7% use their partner’s toothbrush. I know! And bear in mind that these are figures for men who admit to it! In another survey, by the College of Optometrists, one in five women have caught the men in their life using their eye make-up! (I’m hoping this means concealer rather than eyeshadow or mascara).
As someone who writes about male grooming for a living I’m not surprised by this but I’m still horrified too, principally because there’s simply no excuse for it! The selection of grooming products available (there are thousands available on Mankind alone and that’s just the tip of the iceberg) means that men are spoilt for choice when it comes to skin and haircare. A word of warning too. Just because it’s white and comes in a pot doesn’t mean it’s a moisturiser. In fact, if you’re not careful you could end up moisturising with your other half’s hair removal cream (it happens trust me).
And even if it is moisturiser, it won’t be formulated to suit men’s skin, which is thicker, oilier and ages differently to women’s. Using the wrong product is like filing your Audi with diesel (i.e. not a very good idea at all, unless the car is your ex-wife’s). So if you’re one of those product thieves mentioned in the survey perhaps now’s the time to mend your ways and get into proper male grooming?
Lee, Mankind Grooming Ed
As reluctant as I am to blow my own trumpet, I like to think I have impeccable taste when it comes to men’s fragrances. So I was thrilled to learn that Mankind are now stocking scents from one of my all time favourite fragrance houses, Czech & Speake.
