features, Grooming
By Gerald Lynch on November 16th, 2012
16 days into Movember 2012, and taches up and down the land are starting to look like Basil Brush’s tail. Mo maintenance ain’t easy but, for a prostate cancer bashing worthy cause, men up and down the land are persevering, battling through the bedtime rebukes of their partners and the back-of-the-bus jibes from school kids.
Thankfully, Gillette have spotted that a few of us might need a hand keeping our facial fluff looking respectable, and have opened up their “The Best A Mo Can Get” pop-up babershop at 10 Newburgh Street, just off of London’s uber-trendy Carnaby Street. Offering free trims for all Mo Bros that pass through its doors, Brandish took our most hairily-blessed Mo Bro Perrie down to have his impressive lip-wear touched up.
With pro barbers on hand to offer tips and tricks for the best Mo maintenance, as well as complimentary drinks and luxury hot towel shaving experiences, Perrie’s mouser went from droopy to Dali-worthy in minutes.
With the shop decked out like a 1940s members club, complete with leather furnishings and games rooms, the barbers used Gillette’s Fusion ProGlider Styler, a 3-in-1 styling tool “based on performance driven design”, to get the job done.
Offering a precision edging blade, it let the team trim the loose waves of Perrie’s lip locks, with an ergonomic grip that prevents the line from slipping when perfecting the “Craig David Chin Strap”. Sporting blades said to be thinner than a surgeon’s scalpel, the Fusion ProGlider Styler gives the closest shave this side of a cut-throat, according to Gillette’s expert grooming team.
Blasting out choice cuts from Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly album while the bantering barbers slashed away at errant stubble, The Best A Mo Can Get barbershop has real attitude, and is definitely worth a visit from any Mo Bros struggling to keep their facial manes in check.
Gillette will be doing their part to fight prostate cancer during the Movember campaign in other ways too, aiming to donate £100,000 to the cause through sales of their Movember stamped products.
Gillette’s The Best A Mo Can Get barbershop is open to all members of the public, with a special late-night opening planned for November 22nd. There will also be a number of events including intimate DJ sets, cocktail nights and whiskey tasting sessions across the month. Check
www.facebook.com/GilletteUK for more details.
Tags: gillette, Gillette Fusion ProGlider Styler, Grooming, grooming products, Looking after a moustache, Moustache maintenance, movember, products, shaving, The Best A Mo an Get
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Grooming
By Gerald Lynch on November 5th, 2012
We’re five days into Movember 2012, the charity campaign that sees blokes growing a moustache to raise awareness of the dangers of prostate cancer. If you’re taking part, but have ended up with a tache more like Basil Brush’s tail than a finely groomed Errol Flynn number, you’ll be pleased to hear that Gillette are opening up a unique pop-up shop to cater for all your facial fluff needs.
The Best A Mo Can Get barbershop in London will offer free tache-touch-ups over the course of the month, with pro barbers on hand to offer tips and tricks for the best Mo maintenance, as well as complimentary drinks and luxury hot towel shaving experiences.
Decked out like a 1940s members club, complete with leather furnishings and games rooms, we’re predicting plenty of Dick Dastardly tache twiddling to take place.
“As part of our commitment to Movembers cause we wanted to provide Mo Bros with a gentlemanly space for their Movember experience,” said Jared Regan, Gillette Brand Manager.
“Mo Bros are the advocates of such an important cause so by offering them free touch ups for their Mos we hope to encourage more people than ever to get involved. Together with Movember and our Gillette consumers across the UK, we’re going to change the face of men’s health, one Mo at a time!”
Gillette will be doing their part to fight prostate cancer during the Movember campaign too, aiming to donate £100,000 to the cause through sales of their Movember stamped products.
If you’d like to visit Gillette’s The Best A Mo Can Get barbershop, head down to 10 Newburgh Street in London, just off of Carnaby Street. It’ll be open to all members of the public on 8 November to coincide with the shopping district’s Christmas lights being switched on, as well as a late-night opening on November 22nd. There will also be a number of events including intimate DJ sets, cocktail nights and whiskey tasting sessions across the month. Check
www.facebook.com/GilletteUK for more details.
Tags: Barbers, beard, charity, gillette, Grooming, Grow a Moustache, Mo Bro, moustache, movember
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Celeb style, Grooming, News
By Gerald Lynch on October 26th, 2012
What do you think of when someone says to you “Arnold Schwarzenegger?” I think of a man fist-fighting with the Predator, an amnesiac on Mars on a mission to “give this people der air” (sic), a time travelling robot assassin who knows now why you cry, though it’s something he can never do.
What definitely does not spring to mind when I think of the muscle-bound ageing Austrian action star are fashionable hair cuts:
But that’s just what Arnie looks to be sporting in his upcoming action/horror flick “Ten“. A short back and sides crew cut quiff number, the Governator looks a bit like a roid-rage TinTin.
Not sure how much that’s going to help his character in the film, which sounds much like an urban Predator (which would be just Predator 2 we guess, sans Danny Glover?); DEA agent Arnie sees his crack team one by one knocked off. Are they all hits from the Cartel, or is a supernatural force at work?
Expect supporting cast members Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard, Joe Manganiello, Malin Akerman and Olivia Williams to all die horrible deaths.
In other Arnie news, we may be seeing Schwarzenegger return to the Conan the Barbarian role which first brought him silver-screen fame back in 1982. “Conan the Legend“, to be produced by Chris Morgan, would discount the woeful Conan the Destroyer and recent Jason Momoa remake and deliver on the promise of “another story for another time” that concludes the original movie, with Conan sitting as king upon a throne, purveying his conquests.
Morgan says
After the original seminal movie, all that came after looked silly to me. Robert E. Howard’s mythology and some great philosophy from Nietzsche to Atilla the Hun was layered in the original film. People say, he didn’t speak for the first 20 minutes of the film, but that was calculated in depicting this man who takes control of life with his own hand. This movie picks up Conan where Arnold is now in his life, and we will be able to use the fact that he has aged in this story. I love the property of Conan so much that I wouldn’t touch it unless we came up with something worthy. We think this is a worthy successor to the original film. Think of this as Conan’s Unforgiven.
There’s been a struggle to get the film made so far, with Morgan tempted to do his own screenplay to get the ball rolling. With his only notable writing credit having been The Fast and The Furious 5, we sincerely hope someone else gets there first.
Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Conan the Barbarian, crew cut, Governator, Grooming, haircut, haircuts, hipster haircut, Legend of Conan, Predator, Schwarzenegger haircut, short back and sides, Ten, The Terminator
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Grooming, News
By Gerald Lynch on October 1st, 2012
With the annual prostate cancer ‘Movember’ moustache-growing fundraiser kicking off in just under a month, it’s time to start looking at some new products to keep your extraneous facial hair in line. Today we’ve got the Gillette Fusion ProGlider Styler to show you, a 3-in-1 styling tool “based on performance driven design.”
Offering a precision edging blade, it’ll let you sculpt sharp hair lines, with an ergonomic grip that’ll prevent your line from slipping when you’re perfecting that Craig David chin strap.
With blades said to be thinner than a surgeons scalpel, you’ll be able to get the closest shave this side of a cut-throat, too.
“Our deep understanding of men and our strong design and engineering heritage enabled us to recognise an opportunity to better meet the complex needs of men who style their facial hair,” said Dr. Kristina Vanoosthuyze, Scientific Communications Manager for Gillette.
“We combined two powerful and proven technologies to help men achieve their individual style with ease.”
Both the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler and Fusion ProGlide Clear Shave Gel are available in shops now. You’re looking at around £20 for the Fusion ProGlide Styler and £3.99 for the Fusion ProGlide Clear Shave Gel.
Key features are as follows:
- Weight: 92g (including cartridge and battery), 83g trimmer-only
- Length: 13.8cm; Handle width: 1.2cm; Head width: 4cm
- Silver Chrome handle with blue accents and a black elastomer that surrounds the handle
- Power source: one AA battery
- Waterproof
- 3 comb attachments for trimming to 2mm, 4mm and 6mm hair-length
- Power Trimmer Door which opens easily to rinse trimmer (including under tap water)
- Stylish Base and Holder that conveniently stores all three combs, the Fusion ProGlide™ attachment and the Braun Trimmer
Over the next few weeks Brandish are going to be getting you all prepped for the annual “Movember” moustache-growing charity fundraiser, digging out the best products, gadgets and tips from leading grooming industry members to make maintaining your ‘tache as easy as possible. Keep checking back for more Movember updates, and good luck!
Tags: facial hair, Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler, Grooming, movember
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Celeb style, features, Grooming, music
By Gerald Lynch on June 29th, 2012
Rock ‘n’ roll can be broken down as follows: 10% fashion, 10% music and 110% HAIR. We know that adds up to 130%. That’s why we’re writing for a fashion site and aren’t quantum physicists. But it also acts to highlight just how important good hair can be in the making of a musical and cultural icon, and cementing the status of bona-fide rock ‘n’ roll stars. Where would Elvis be without his quiff? Or Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust without his…his unique style? On the dole queue, that’s where. Here, Brandish pick out the 20 most iconic hair styles in rock ‘n’ roll history.
Scroll down to get started!
David Bowie
Flaming red with a quiff up top and party mullet at the back, David Bowie's transformation into Ziggy Stardust was one of the most striking in pop history. With the sci-fi influenced Ziggy Stardust look, Bowie opened the floodgates for a whole sea of androgynous stars and, to a lesser extent, made homosexuality and bisexuality less of a rock 'n' roll taboo in the process.
Tags: 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990s, 2000s, A Flock of Seagulls, Adam Ant, Alternative, best, Billy Corgan, bob Marley, buddy holly, Classic Rock, costume, david bowie, David Lee Roth, Elvis, elvis presley, G n R, Glam, Grooming, grunge, Guns n Roses, hair metal hairstyles, hair styles, hairstyle, Hairstyles, Human League, ian brown, iconic, indie, Jim Morrison, kurt cobain, Led Zepplin, Little Richard, Metal, Mike Score, mod, Morrissey, most iconic, New Wave, nirvana, outfit, Phil Oakey, punk, Reggae, Robert Plant, rock and roll, rock and roll hair, rock and roll hairstyles, rock hair, rock n roll hairstyles, sid vicious, Slash, Smashing Pumpkins, Steve Marriott, Stuart Sutcliffe, the beatles, The Doors, The Human League, The Sex Pistols, The Small Faces, the Stone Roses, The Strokesmost iconic rock hairstyles, Van Halen, Ziggy Stardust
Posted in Celeb style, features, Grooming, music | 8 Comments »
features, Grooming, News
By Gerald Lynch on March 14th, 2012
Razors at the ready folks; a new scientific study claims to have proven that your chin chaff is about as attractive as draping a mangy cat over your face and then combing yesterday’s porridge through it.
OK, so that may be a tad extreme, but there’s a fair amount of research backing up the anti-beard brigade this time. Haven’t we spent the last few years following in the footsteps of bands like Kings of Leon and Fleet Foxes with a “back to nature” look? What else goes with the wardrobe full of plaid shirts and hunting accessories we’ve all been collecting for the last half a decade?
Without going too deep into the specifics of the Behavioural Ecology journal, which has re-ignited the debate, cultivating all that fur seems to have been for naught. The journal’s researchers asked 127 New Zealand females and 100 ladies of Polynesian decent from Samoa for their opinions on the facial hair of 10 men each from their own race (apparently the island of Samoa hasn’t been all that westernised over the years, and produces good subjects in terms of those who haven’t been too influenced by western media views on beauty). Though the Samoan test subjects were more forgiving, on the whole, the study showed that beards are out.
The conclusions drawn were, as you’d expect, a hodge-podge of evolutionary theory (there was mention of the importance of lions’ manes at one point!), finding that, on the whole, beards merely “augment perceptions of men’s age, social status, and aggressiveness, but not attractiveness”.
On the totally non-scientific filpside however, having a chat with my female friends suggested that the blokes used as bearded/non-bearded examples in the study weren’t exactly Brad Pitt to begin with, which may go some way towards explaining why so few found the guys attractive in the first place.
Which compelled us to do a short study of our own. Called “Good Beard, Bad Beard” we’ve pulled together a handful of celebrities who, for better or worse, have donned or dashed facial hair over the course of their careers.
Scroll down for our verdict on their beardy looks!
Thom Yorke - GOOD BEARD
Sporting as many looks as the musical styles he’s dabbled with, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has what we affectionately refer to as a “quirky” face. We far prefer his more recent beardy looks than his young peroxide blonde locks, with the facial hair unusually giving him both a more refined look during interviews and even more eccentricity on stage. He’s got a ponytail though right now, and that’s just not acceptable. The Karma Police will be knocking on his door for that travesty pretty soon we’d imagine.
Tags: Bad Beard, beard, Brad Pitt, david mitchell, facial hair, Fleet Foxes, Frankie Boyle, Good Beard, Grooming, Ian McKellan, joaquin phoenix, kanye west, Ken Watanabe, kings of leon, Radiohead, Ryan Gosling, sexy, Thom Yorke, With Beard, Without Beard, Zach Galifianakis
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Grooming
By Laura on March 15th, 2011
Last month the guys over at Stargazer sent us some of their natural hair wax to test out.
Overall we thought it was a great product. The packaging has a wonderful retro feel that made us think of classic barber shops and 50’s styling. These practical tins also make it easy to slipped into a bag or kept in your office desk.
We found the Natural Hair Wax to be ideal for creating a raw, untouched look that will still last all day and night. In other words its a perfect for those who want to style their hair in the morning and forget about it after. For a wax it was very light weight and was hardly noticeable once applied, even in lighter hair.
Stargazer’s Hair Wax also comes in “Hold” which is apparently better for creating more sculpted styles.
If you are in the market for a new hair wax definitely check out Stargazer. Available for £3
Tags: Grooming, hair, hair wax, stargazer
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features, Grooming
By Laura on February 5th, 2011
This month one of our reviewers, Joe, kindly tested out the monthly box scheme for male grooming essentials – “Men Are Useless.” For about the same price as you would pay at the shops, Men are Useless will do all your essential toiletry shopping for you, box it up and deliver it through your letter box.
Read Joe’s full review of the service below:
My box came with:
1 x KoS Razor (w/ 2 heads)
1 x KoS Face balm
1 x KoS Shave Gel
1 x Moose Head Grime Blasting Face Wash
1 x Original Source Hair & Body Wash
2 x OrganicHomme active fix Repair Serum sachets
Menareuseless mints and selection of sweets
Overall I was extremely impressed with the packaging and layout of the products within the box. It felt like getting a treat, despite the fact that it’s full of things you’d normally just get at the supermarket/chemist. That said, its a great idea as these are the kinds of things I tend to forget to buy, so this service would ensure I’m not having to steal from my flatmates. Oh and the sweets were a nice touch too!
It arrived quickly and fit through the letter box with no problems. My favourite product from the box is probably the shower gel. The shaving products were all great too. I would definitely buy Kings of Shaves as opposed to Gillette now.
I would definitely consider this option for myself each month, especially because the pricing is so reasonable. However, I am not sure I would buy it as a gift as there are no luxury brands included, but as a monthly service its great.
Overall we thought that this was an excellent service and would definitely recommend it to our readers.
Joe received “The Works” Box available for £16.99. They also offer an “Essentials” box for £14.99.
*Disclaimer Brandish was given The Works Box by Men Are Useless to demo. This however in no way influenced our review.
Tags: Grooming, men are useless, monthly grooming service
Posted in features, Grooming | 4 Comments »
Brand Spotlight, Grooming, News
By wreid on July 17th, 2009
Back when she started out, Karen Elson had her eyebrows infamously off-ed at the suggestion of Steven Meisel. She catapulted to international fame fronting high-fashion campaigns and covers from W magazine to Italian Vogue. All this would suggest that the loss of one’s eyebrows is actually rather beneficial- a debate being started over on the Daily Mail website. In the latest Givenchy advert, model Adriana Lima shows off a pair of bleached brows and the Daily Mail is as always on the attack.
Unfortunately for my now traumatised retinas, the newspaper made up a few of Britain’s biggest stars without eyebrows (image above.) I’m not a fan; waking up without eyebrows would be one of my worst nightmares. I can understand that on someone staggeringly beautiful and Elson-esque, a lack of eyebrows would only increase allure. However, this is most definitely one trend I pray does not make the leap from womenswear to menswear. Let’s leave it to the models!
(Image: Daily Mail)
Tags: adriana lima, ballantyne, brandish, daily mail, Daniel Radcliffe, eyebrow, eyebrows, fashion, Givenchy, Gordon Brown, Grooming, italian vogue, Karen Elson, reid, Steven Meisel, style, vogue, w, will, will ballantyne reid, will reid
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Clothing, Entertainment, Grooming
By Will Reid on April 23rd, 2009
It looks as if, this summer, you will be mercilessly defined by your haircut. We’ve outlined a few of the trendiest, the possible need for back-up in a can, and now, I have a new look. This piece of major hairspiration comes in the form of the ‘Pale Fountain’ editorial in the latest issue of Crash magazine. I’m loving the almost bark-like quality of this model’s gorgeous copper locks and his overall effortless look means that he can play up his fashion with structural shapes, patterns and brash fabrics (check the velvet and plaid after the jump!) This follows on with the current trend for vampires, supernatural adolescents and dewy youths. So, next up should really be a post on how to find inner vampire. Oh, what a job!
See more from the editorial after the jump!
(Images: The Fashionisto)
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: crash, ed cullen, editorial, edward cullen, Grooming, hairdo, hairspray, hairstyle, magazine, pale fountain, reid, the fashionisto, trend, twilight, vampire, will, will ballantyne reid, willl reid
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Grooming
By admin on March 27th, 2009
Kiss and Make Up‘s Zara on jaw defining shaving cream:
If 2008 was the year that mancake rose to power, 2009 has solidified the metrosexuals place in society. We’ve featured the rise of Ab Gel and manscara, well now there’s another potion available for the looks obsessed male. It’s a shaving cream that promises to define the jaw as well as help you whisk away stray hairs.
It’s called the Jaw Line Defining 3 in One Shaving Cream, and is designed to be used with the dry shaving method.
The idea is that the cream helps to tighten and tone the jowl area, by including the ingredient Glaucine to stimulate elasticity. It also contains glycerine and Shea butter to help the razor slide across the skin and is paraben free.
It costs £20 from Mankind, and will be desired by preening males everywhere.
Tags: defining cream, Grooming, jaw, shaving
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Entertainment, Grooming, Heroes and Celebrities
By Will Reid on February 11th, 2009
Yesterday, I was on my way to Gatwick after a holiday in Brighton and the radio came on with Jimmy Carr talking about such things as ‘Guyliner’ and ‘Manscara.’ It turned out that Carr had himself been wearing these rather controversial at the Elle Style Awards on Monday night and he explained that “you can’t polish a turd but you can sprinkle glitter on it.”
At Brandish, we have already investigated this trend of man make-up with hilarious videos and opinion pieces. What do you think? Tell us on our Facebook wall.
(Image: WENN.com)
Tags: brandish, brighton, carr, celeb, Celebrities, comedy, cosmetics, elle, elle style awards, facebook, fashion, gatwick, Grooming, guyliner, jimmy carr, mancake, manscara, style, tv, willl reid
Posted in Entertainment, Grooming, Heroes and Celebrities | 1 Comment »
Grooming, News
By admin on February 4th, 2009
Click image to enlarge
Doesn’t Fiddy scrub up well? From coke dealer to primped popstar I guess it doesn’t come as that much of a surprise to learn that 50 Cent is planning to release a range of cosmetics for men. Jean Paul Gaultier’s heralded the acceptance of male cosmetics into the mainstream, (and also a hilarious video or two courtesy of Stuart and Sean) and now Curtis James Jackson III is joining the bandwagon.
The line will include moisturiser, night cream and health supplements, a source close to the rapper said “50 prides himself on having a ripped body… he’s on a health kick and barely touches alcohol”.
[Image: WENN.com/Fayes Vision]
Tags: 50 Cent, cosmetics, cream, curtis james jackson III, Grooming, men's
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Grooming
By admin on January 29th, 2009
Click image to enlarge
At a recent friend’s birthday one of the presents which got the most attention was Mr Taylor’s Moustache Wax.
The friend in question does indeed sport a ‘stache and the wax helps him keep it in shape with the merest hint of a handlebar curve at the sides. It also comes in various colours to add a little oopmh to your facial furniture and costs just £5.95 which is a great price for a gentleman’s grooming classic. A great product which if you have facial hair you probably never knew you needed, but once tried will become indispensable.
Tags: beard, finish, Grooming, hair, hold, moustache, mr taylors moustache wax
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Grooming
By admin on January 22nd, 2009
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Beauty expert Zara gives us the ‘need to knows’ on Lynx Bullet: Deodorants aren’t the most exciting things in the world, nut with nifty add campaigns and entertaining TV virals, Lynx has carved out a niche in the market. Their latest development is for the Bullet, their new pocket sized can that can create the ‘Lynx Effect’ when you’re out and about.
But how would one carry such an item? A mere backpack seems like a silly idea- so they’ve designed a custom leather wallet to keep it in.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 6876, deoderant, Grooming, lynx bullet, wallet
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