CULTURE & FASHION
There is no denying that the gentlemen of today are taking care of themselves more and more. The male grooming and treatments industry is booming at the minute in which we have looked at quite a few here on The Gentleman Select. From mail order subscription boxes of face washes and moisturisers to shaving kits and beard care, it is a vast and buoyant market place.
The Amsterdam based and globally known jeanmaker, Englishman Jason Denham, is always a personal favourite here at The Gentleman Select. Always re-knowned for a simple, not to busy yet consistently exciting classic approach to clothing, this Denham 2015 Fall/Winter Collection is no different.
Around Christmas time just past, I took a little jaunt through to Edinburgh to take in the glitzy lights and wintery festivities the capital had to offer and whilst there, I decided to check out the wonderful surroundings of DINE Edinburgh and more specifically, their incredible Martini Experience which is available for you to try now.
We’ve finally made it. 2018 is here and if getting fit and doing a little more exercise is part of your new years resolution then I have the perfect clothing accompaniment to go with it. The stylish and functional items of British Vintage Boxing. Rarely does a brand come along which instantly grabs my attention here at The Gentleman Select. One which captures an essence of classic Britain and ruggedness.
By now I should hope you are all very well prepared for Christmas with your presents neatly wrapped and waiting patiently under the tree.
Sunglasses are an item that we can wear all year round. Be it the blazing hot summers or the piercingly low winter sun, shades are an item we always carry with us wherever we go.
As many of you will know, I do have a particular weakness for tailoring so much so it is something which has featured many times on The Gentleman Select over the past few years and will likely continue to do so. With this in mind, you can imagine my delight then when the guys over at Slaters Menswear got in touch with myself and my friends of John at The Everyday Man and Robbie at The Middle Aged Man, to see how we could put together a trio of ultra sharp looks to really help you prepare for the forth coming Christmas and New Year party season.
With the mens grooming market now a multi-billion pound industry, there is certainly no shortage of choice out there, what can be tricky however is finding one which has a primary focus on all-natural products and a passion for old artisanal methods resulting in the creation of the most delightfully fresh mens grooming products I have tried in recent times. I’am of course talking about the newly emerging SCRUBD mens skincare.
Wether you are prepping yourself for winter, or perhaps looking to get a head start on your christmas shopping, the online destination at the top of your list has to be Mens Make-Up UK. The grooming store has the widest range of mens products in the UK including a vast range of make up, from concealers to bronzers and brow gel, perfect for anything you are looking for gifting or otherwise.
Keeping your body, as well as your grooming regime up to a high standard is a must for the man of today, that can however unfortunately mean a little bit of shopping around, picking up the odd razor, moisturiser and face wash as you go. What if you were so busy to shop around however, as many of us are now a days, that you just didn’t have the time. This is were The Personal Barber comes in, a mens monthly subscription grooming box, ready to ease your woes and keep you looking at the top of your game with the highest quality products.
The Personal Barber was created with the idea of making your shaving routine a joyous pleasure instead of a chore. By selecting the best products available in the market and compiling them into a neat little box, they deliver straight to your door, ready to break out and integrate into your grooming regime.
Here at The Gentleman Select I was lucky enough to try a selected range sent by The Personal Barber in which I have decided to go through each product individually. This is of course another brilliant trait of the company, to keep this interesting and varied, once you start your subscription each month you will receive different soaps, aftershave balms, oils and scrubs, something I personally think is wonderful.
To start off I washed my face with some warm water to really open the pores up, in which to fully prepare my skin before shaving I broke out the lovely Scrub Up Detox from #Rehab London. The result of two years research into what men really wanted from their grooming products, it contains volcanic sand from Tahiti and bamboo medula granules, it is gritty and hugely effective at getting deep into the pores of your face for an invigorating pre shave clean.
With my face preped and ready to go I removed the weighty, comfortable solid metal razor from the box and affixed its blade. Specifically in my box these blades were of the Personna Platinum Chrome version, these Israeli made blades, also known as “Israeli Reds”have a sharp, fine edge, perfect for the job in hand. Quite so there is something truly manly about this whole process, taking you away from using a plasticly disposable version out a cellophane packet. With a little bit of practise I was ready to go and began by lathering up with my TWA Burds Soap. This bay rum and tequila scented artisan soap is hand produced in Scotland and smells absolutely incredible, fresh and zesty, it is perfect for shaving with.
After generously applying it on I was ready to go and I must say, very excited by the whole process. I have never actually used a razor before where I have attached the blade. Straight away I felt the strokes made with the razor were slick, smooth and effective. In particular I used it for tidying up the hairs both around my neck area and on my cheeks, brilliant for getting an accurate, defined lines.
After a little bit of time and a throughly enjoyable process, I rinsed the soapy lather from my face with some cold water in order to close my pores, before patting my face dry with a fresh towel. This then left me with the final stage of the process and for this, I reached for the thistle and black pepper moisturiser from the Scottish Fine Soaps Company. Based in Stirlingshire, this family run business has been making incredible skincare products for over 40 years using all natural products. Personally I love this product, it is wonderfully soothing on the skin after shaving in which the rich milk thistle is perfect for keeping the skin hydrated.
For me The Personal Barber Grooming Kit is a fantastic choice for someone who is looking to put the gentlemanly touch on their shaving regime and also try a variety of product along the way. It is an aspect I love, sort of like a male grooming product lottery as to what you are going to find when your next subscription comes through. Whats better still the guys at The Personal Barber are extremely flexible so if for example, you are traveling for an extended time period, then you can cancel the order until you return. My recommendation is head over to the site now and sign yourself up for an absolutely fantastic grooming service.