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I would want nothing more for Christmas than to be gently woken up by these two guys handing me a steaming mug of tea as they pick out my outfit. I could happily trot off to the shower knowing they were planning my clothes, hairstyle and make up for the day. Check out this video where they showcase their styling genius, mm hairgel.
[Source]
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Everyone is guilty of it, (well not everyone, I have a colour-coded Google Docs spreadsheet, natch!) but last-minute Christmas shopping can often leave you with gifts that have an air of desperation about them.
These picks have something for every wallet and they all carry an air of “What this? I bought this in November” insouciance. The Habitat lamp is a tasteful nudge for every Ikea junkie, and the watch will help the wearer get the ‘Sexy Cab Driver’ look which is going to be very important in ’09. A ‘To Do’ tattoo list is useful when compiling all those New Year’s resolutions, and all the more useful because they’re temporary. Resolution, what resolution?!
I mentioned Burts Bees in my winter sun post the other day. They’re a great man brand, and a perfect stocking filler idea. Clean fruity smells that are never too girly and that no-nonsense packaging with the Walt Whitman-esque bearded guy logo. Buy here from John Lewis or Wholefoods or, if you’ve got friends or relatives coming over from the States or Canada, beg space in their luggage. The also have an online store here.
Top tips UK-side: the orange facial cleanser is perfect for winter mornings as a wake me up. A bit like smearing your face with a zingy marmalade. Leaves a light residue on your skin after wiping the excess away that helps to protect from the elements without being greasy. It even tastes great!
I’ve already praised their never-ending lip balm but also worth mentioning is the super-hardworking hand salve. Go get.
AskMen.com has recently proved to be a good source of interesting and insightful fashion features (at least once you’ve clicked through such literary gems as “Is a 3-some really worth it?” and an “Is Britney actually Hot?” poll.) A look at their Fashion section resulted in me reading a great article by P.A Parfond, the site’s weekly fashion correspondent, entitled “Shaving Tips From Moroccan Street Shavers.”
The feature is a look at the tips of three different barbers from within Morocco and Parfond reveals that the reason Moroccan barbers are the best shaver in the world is because “Moroccan street shavers hold the secrets to the perfect shave, no matter who the recipient…for them, shaving is an ancient art, one bound by rules and techniques that men growing up in the West are rarely introduced to.”
Check out the different tips by following this link.
Men.Style is great for tongue-in-cheek features and their ‘Ultimate Party Guide’ is not only perfectly-timed but a great read and (just to add some sense of validity to this post,) a good laugh. The feature aims to make you “a legendary host” and the site has got a few of America’s most refined movers ‘n’ shakers on-board to add their two pence to the Christmas-party-nightmare cup.
If you are planning to throw a party and you’re hoping it lives up to the obviously high-expectations of those who actually enjoy Christmas (which I’m sure is all Brandish readers!) then you have to read the full run-down of the guide after the jump!
Off on a winter sun break? Picking up essentials for a trip at this time of year can be a shopping challenge as you try to locate that single dusty shelf of sun lotion amongst all the Christmas fare. With some clever choices, you can cut this down to a couple of visits.
First stop: Kielhls. Ultra Facial Moisturiser SPF15 doubles up as a daily moisturiser whilst helping to protect your face from any UV damage. Their ultra-light Hair Conditioner and Grooming Formula can be used as a leave-in that stops your hair drying out and keeps that side parting in place. Burts Bee’s lip balm (John Lewis) is an essential and lasts forever.
Meanwhile, American Apparel stock swimming shorts all year long so you don’t have to risk poolside shame in those baggy nylon trunks from the remainders bin. Pick up a light scarf and cardi for cooler evenings and you’re all set.
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Mad props to Tavi for uncovering this gem, looking at the images of convicts on Least Wanted’s Flickr page immediately made me think of Style Salvage Steve’s amusing hairstyle gif.
I like the nonchalant quiff in the top image, and the mini Little Richard-style pompadour in the second picture, surely a little inspiration if you’re bored of your current ‘do? There are some cracking images after the jump, an Irishman who was arrested for being ‘Communist (drunk)’ and a wonderfully handsome man who was arrested for being ‘invert’. We definitely don’t approve of that sort of thing.
[Source: Least Wanted, via: Style Rookie]
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It’s competition time on Brandish and you could win our unrivalled fantastic Christmas Goodie Bag. I’ve got an amazing haul of men’s toiletries and other goodies we’ve amassed through the year at Shiny all up for grabs and all you have to do is tell us what you want.
That’s right, simply join up to our Blog Network on Facebook and tell us what you like about Brandish and or what you’d like to see more of. That way you stand a chance of winning our Christmas goodie bag and we get find out what you’ve enjoyed over the past year on Brandish and what you’d like see more of next year. See after the jump for our step by step guide to participating.
[Image: Dezo Hoffmann/Rex Features]
Welcome to our Christmas gift guide, this month will see a rundown of the best gifts for loved ones, or inspiration for yourself. Christmas is a great time for getting fun stuff you wouldn’t normally splash out on and Paul Smith‘s coloured toothbrush fits that category perfectly. Snap it up for £5 from My-Wardrobe.com to make a bright stocking filler. They’re great for travelling, or buy a set to use as as posh guest toothbrushes. Mmm, fancy!
Resident make up expert Zara put male cosmetics to the test recently thanks to our two willing guinea pigs, Sean Hannam and Stuart Waterman. The guys bravely applied bronzer, eyeliner and even fake eyelashes for the test with varying results. All I’m going to say is that from Stuart’s expertly made-up eyes the My Chemical Toilet editor’s either been been in too many male grooming vids or he has a weekend job none of us know about…
Where he’s a woman. What I’m trying to get across here is that Stuart Waterman is a woman in his spare time.
Mark Turner Kiss and Makeup’s favourite metrosexual gives his verdict on the Moosehead range
Spending most of my supermarket time between the ‘save 3p on sticky, dented, own-brand, multipack cans of diet coke’ section and perusing what’s new in the 2 for 1 section, I’ve never been enticed into buying any Moose Head products (plus I go to Tesco and they’re at Sainsbury’s). So when someone thrust a handful of these my way I thought I would add my two cents worth.
The 3 products I’ve mainly been using are the Mellow Deo Spray, £2.49, Look Buff Face Scrub, £3.99 and Moose-Turising Face Hydrator, £4.99. My initial thoughts were the body spray and moisturiser are distinctly average. They do what they are supposed to do, no more no less with no fuss or excitement. The mellow spray has a flat, boring scent and the moisturiser is a standard, vitamin enriched, slightly greasy affair.
The face scrub is so good however, it has rapidly been promoted to the honourable position of face scrub most suitable for hangovers.
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Quantum of Solace premières tonight and while we wait for the celeb pictures to filter through take some time out to groom yourself to Bond standards.
You might not have a Daniel Craig’s superstar budget but with a little TLC you can make yourself the object of any man or woman’s affections. A moisturiser with SPF is an immediate shortcut to smoother, younger looking skin and if you can’t make it to the Groucho Club for a martini a quick squirt of this scent will give you the 007 aura.
Clinique age defense hydratorwith SPF: £25. Demeter martini cologne: $20.
L’Occitane‘s (pronounced OK-SI-TAN) eau de toilette for men is supposed to be the distillation of Provence in the south-west of France, where the company is founded.
On the first spritz L’Occitan hits you with immediate top notes of black pepper that conceal citrus and resinous elements. Provence is ever-present in the pine and mentholated lavender middle notes which give it an old-timey medical feel. It loses its bite somewhat as the gritty black pepper gives way to muskier softer smells with a hint of honey.
Usually prefer a more persistent scent but it’s a very effective eau de toilette and leaves a subtle aura of scent which isn’t overpowering or chemical. On the whole I like it and I would wear this myself, it would be perfect for adding a bit of texture and depth to my Paul Smith Rose perfume.
From our beatuy site Kiss and Make Up: There’s nothing worse than a slightly uneven goatee. If you’re going to go to all that trouble you have to get it right, and if that involves a shaver/ ruler combo , well, why not? It was been designed by James McAdam as a helpful tool for the ‘common man’ and could be good way to encourage men to keep their facial hair in shape. I think I’d find it pretty funny if I saw a guy using this, so everyone wins!
Right, no jokes about Beppe from Eastenders, George Michael or Craig David. Oh go on then.
Kiss and Makeup get James Moody, their USA metrosexual to give his thoughts on Porsche’s foray into the fragrance market.
Essence by Porsche Design is a successful parlay into fragrance by the car manufacturer parent group. This cologne manages a duality of being remarkably fresh and sophisticated at the same time. Many colognes with a cool scent lack any substance and are tacky. This cologne impressed and is appropriate for any occasion exactly because its both clean and organic at the same time. It is sexy.
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