KIEHL'S GROOMING SOLUTIONS LAUNCH

May 21, 2017 by Mr Luke Christian

**EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT THE NEW KIEHL'S RANGE FOR MEN**

I had recently been invited by Kiehl's to go along to an intimate gathering with some fellow male bloggers at the ultra chic bar; Disrepute hidden away in London just outside of Kingly Court. A bar that can only be described as 1920's Gatsby, with a modern exclusive feel to it!

The purpose of the launch was to be introduced to their new 'Grooming Solutions' range for men. Grooming Solutions offers a full grooming experience, from the preparation stages, right down to the finishing touches.

The products featured within the Grooming Solutions range are;

Nourishing Shampoo + Conditioner
Texturizing Clay
Creative Cream Wax
Clean Styling Gel
Nourishing Beard Grooming Oil
Exfoliating Body Soap

We got to sample a few of the products, and what I found was a great touch and rounded the collection off nicely, was that each of the products all smelt the same! A blend of the Sandalwood, Cedarwood and Eucalyptus essential oils. One which I am rather intrigued and keen to try out, is the Texturizing Clay which offers a 'matte finish', which is precisely what I look for when it comes to hair products!

Kiehl's Grooming Solutions will be launching nationwide on May 24th, both online and in your Kiehl's Boutiques. As I have not yet had the chance to trial out each product fully myself, do check out for full reviews on each of the Grooming Solutions products mentioned soon, here on my blog!

Don't forget to check out my other Kiehl's reviews such as their;

Will you be trying out any of their Grooming Solutions products mentioned? Which sounds most appealing to you? Have you ever used any of Kiehl's products before? If so, which ones have you tried? Do let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to click the like button!

SPRING FRAGRANCES '17

May 16, 2017 by Mr Luke Christian

I wanted to compile a little Guide of some of my favourite fragrances that you need to look out for this Spring Season!

Within this Guide, I will be talking about my experience with each fragrance, and I will be covering the most important aspects of any fragrance;

Notes featured within the fragrance
Longevity
Sillage
& the scent itself

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**DIESEL - ONLY THE BRAVE: HIGH**

*- Top Notes: Ginger, Mint, Grapefruit, Yuzu*
*- Middle Notes: Geranium*
*- Base Notes: Amber, Woody Notes*
The opening of Only The Brave: High begins with a fresh, citrusey burst that soon settles and dries down into a more woodier and spicy feel. The longevity of the fragrance lasted for up to 5-6 hours upon my skin which I found rather impressive in terms of how light it felt, and the sillage was light-medium which I would have expected given that Only The Brave: High is an Eau De Toilette! I found the fragrance to be better suited for daytime, and was an overall clean, fresh scent!
You can purchase Diesel - Only The Brave: High here.

**PACO RABANNE - INVICTUS: INTENSE**

- *Top Notes: Black Pepper, Orange Blossom*
*- Middle Notes: Laurels, Whiskey*
*- Base Notes: Ambergris, Salt, Amber*
Out of these fragrances listed, the Invictus: Intense is one of those that gained me a lot of compliments! A more intense, powerful version of the Paco Rabanne - Invictus original, but any similarities stop there.
I found that this version was more dense, and sat on my skin for up to 4-5 hours. The sillage was medium-heavy, and I found this fragrance to be better suited for a cooler, Spring evening!
You can purchase Paco Rabanne - Invictus: Intense here.

**RITUALS - OASIS VERTE**

*- Top Notes: Pink Pepper, Grapefruit, Lime*
*- Middle Notes: Ginseng, Bourbon Geranium, Rhubarb, Violet*
*- Base Notes: Vetiver, Patchouli, Atlas Cedar, Oak*
A strong, earthy fragrance that opens with a sharp burst of the woody and citrus notes. The longevity of Oasis Verte lasted for up to 6-7 hours on my skin, and the sillage was heavy, with a loud projection. I found this fragrance better suited for the daytime.
You can purchase Rituals - Oasis Verte here.

**PENHALIGONS - ROARING RADCLIFF**

Top Notes: Bergamot, Tarragon, Rum
Middle Notes: Ginger, Rose, Tobacco
Base Notes: Amberwood, Beeswax, Cinnamon, Honey, Leather, Tonka Bean
My personal favourite as Roaring Radcliff certainly lives up to its namesake! The opening of Roaring Radcliff is sweet, and settles with a muskier, smokier feel to the fragrance. A loud projection, that isn't afraid of drawing attention to itself, perhaps more suited for the confident, collected gentleman.
The longevity lasted for an impressive 7-8 hours, the longest lasting within this guide! Definitely more suited for the evening/nighttime I found! I also must point out that I particularly love the design of the bottle, unique and quirky!
You can purchase Penhaligons - Roaring Radcliff here.

**DAVID BECKHAM - MADE OF INSTINCT**

*- Top Notes: Grapefruit, Fennel, Carambola*
*- Middle Notes: Violet Leaf, Sage, Pink Pepper*
*- Base Notes: Cashmere Wood, Balsam Fir, Moss*
Made Of Instinct is a woody, yet fruity fragrance. The opening begins with the sweetness of the Grapefruit note, and soon dries down into a woody, more 'green' fragrance!
The longevity of Made Of Instinct lasted for 4-5 hours upon my skin, and the sillage was light-medium. I would recommend wearing this fragrance during the daytime, perfect for that cooler Spring day.
You can purchase David Beckham - Made Of Instinct here.

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I hope you have enjoyed my Spring Fragrances Guide! I hope that is has helped and informed you on making some choices when it comes to updating and refreshing your fragrance for this Spring season!

Have you tried any of these fragrances that I have featured within my Spring Guide? If so, which ones have you tried? Which is your favourite? Perhaps least favourite? Which worked for you, and didn't work so much? Do let me know, as I would love to hear from you and don't forget to click that 'like' button down below!

LAB SERIES PRO LS ALL-IN-ONE FACE GELS

May 11, 2017 by Mr Luke Christian

For the past couple of weeks I have been trialling out two new products by LAB Series, both of which are part of the 'All-In-One Pro LS Facial Gels'! As a fan of Lab Series, and having trialled and tested various products by the brand before such as the Matte Renewal Lotion, the All-In-One Shower Gel and their Urban Blue Detox Clay Mask, I was rather excited and curious to see what these two products would be like.

ALL-IN-ONE FACE CLEANSING GEL

Before application of the Cleansing Gel, I washed my face and left it a little damp to allow the Cleansing Gel to work to its full advantage.

The Cleansing Gel quickly began to foam, and as I began to clean off the Gel, my skin immediately felt smoother to touch! It also got rid of a few dark blemishes, and really cleansed my pores without feeling too harsh on my skin. I also noticed that my facial hair felt softer too, and more conditioned which was a huge bonus for me!

You can purchase the All-In-One Face Cleansing Gel here!

ALL-IN-ONE FACE HYDRATING GEL

Out of the two, I will be honest and say that unfortunately, this didn't sit well upon my skin. I don't know if it was my skin type, or what the reason was for why it didn't work out, but I found that the texture was slightly thick and didn't feel as though it was absorbing into my skins pores..

Nevertheless, these things happen and not all products work for everybody! However, The Hydrating Gel did create a mattified look to my face!

You can purchase the All-In-One Face Hydrating Gel here!

Have you tried either of these All-In-One Face Gels? Did you find you had any problems with the Hydrating Gel like I did? Have you tried any products by LAB Series before? If so, which ones have you tried? Do let me know your thoughts, as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to click that 'like' button down below!

YOUTUBE; GUCCI UNBOXING

May 10, 2017 by Mr Luke Christian

GUCCI UNBOXING | Mr Luke Christian

CASPER MATTRESS

May 09, 2017 by Mr Luke Christian

Upon my return from my weekend trip to Paris last month, I arrived home to be greeted with a rather large box... Inside it, came the Casper Mattress! Having used the Casper Mattress now for a good few weeks, I can honestly say I don't know why it took me so long to discover it. It is beyond incredible!

When designing the Casper Mattress, the designers main factors which they took on board to create this were:

Firmness
Density
Rebound Speed
Airflow
Transition Temperature
Odour

The delivery on the Casper Mattress was pretty impressive as I placed my order one Thursday evening, and it had been delivered to me on the Saturday morning. If you place your order, it can take up to 2 business days for delivery, ensuring you can get that perfect sleep, just that little bit quicker! On the first night of trialling out the Casper, it was a lot firmer than what I had been used to and I was slightly dubious as to whether or not I would find this comfortable. Having said that, as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out for the count!

A memory foam layer helps to support the comfort layer which allows for your body to feel supported, whilst still feeling comfortable enough to rest your body. The Casper Mattress came tightly compressed in its box, which unfortunately got thrown out before I had the chance to photograph it! But to make up for this error (not on my part may I add!), take a look at the Unboxing video on how the mattress can be unwrapped!

Designing the Perfect Mattress | Casper® UK

To sum things up, my nights sleep has never been the same since having my Casper Mattress. It is incredibly comfortable, and makes for a rather difficult period in the morning when I know I have to get up...

You can purchase the Casper Mattress here!

Have you tried the Casper Mattress before? What did you think to it? Have you tried the Sheets or their Pillow? What are your thoughts? Do let me know, as I would love to hear from you! Don't forget to click that 'like' button down below too!

LA ROCHE POSAY ANTHELIOS XL LAUNCH

May 07, 2017 by Mr Luke Christian

I recently attended the Launch for La Roche Posay for their latest collection; Anthelios XL!

Set on the rooftop of Ham Yard Hotel - London, the rooftop had been decked out with all things Summertime, however the weather couldn't have been further from it. Dull and cold, yet the brightly coloured packaging of the Anthelios XL managed to perk things up!

The Anthelios XL Range varies from Suncreams, Sun Sprays, Sun Lotions, Sun Gels and Sun Sticks. Anthelios XL is a sun care range designed for sensitive skin for both children and adults. The products within the Anthelios XL Range offers high protection sun care against UVB and UVA Rays which combined, are responsible for 80% of the signs of premature ageing.

Anthelios XL tailors sunscreen protection for three different skin-types;

Dry
Normal/Combination
Oily

After taking numerous photographs of the Launch, we were then told we could take away a goody bag depending on our skin type. As my skin-type tends to differ between 'Normal' and 'Oily', I chose the 'Oily' goody bag to see if the products within the bag will help protect my skin this Summer! As the weather here in England is currently abysmal, I haven't been able to trial out the products featured within the bag yet as there has been so Sunshine! So do keep your eye out for an upcoming products review on the Anthelios XL Range I was given.

You can view the full Anthelios XL Range here!

Have you tried any of the Anthelios XL products before? If so, what have you tried? Have you tried any La Roche Posay skincare products? What are your thoughts? Do let me know what you think, as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to click that 'like' button down below!

BYKILIAN FRAGRANCE CONSULTATION

May 04, 2017 by Mr Luke Christian

The ByKilian Boutique is situated in the luxurious Burlington Arcade in London, and despite going to the wrong Burlington Arcade.. (Yes that actually happened, and yes I was and still am, absolutely mortified.) I had a fragrance consultation, and I gained a better insight to the relatively new brand to the fragrance world; ByKilian.

Each of the ByKilian fragrances are all classed as unisex, and each offer a different experience. We began with their best-selling fragrance, 'Straight To Heaven' which is a beautiful masterpiece, and certainly lives up to its name! I was lucky enough to have gotten a little sample of this, and Straight To Heaven begins as a woody, fruity fragrance, which then turns and settles into a sweet and spicy fragrance.

ByKilian has 7 fragrance categories which collates different fragrances within them. The categories are -

L'ŒUVRE NOIRE
ARABIAN NIGHTS
ASIAN TALES
IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL
ADDICTIVE STATE OF MIND
BOUTIQUE EXCLUSIVES
MIDDLE EAST EXCLUSIVE

Whilst I couldn't sample each and every fragrance in each set, I explained that my preference to fragrances were those which were powerful, in your face, and lasted a long time upon my skin. To cater to my preferences, I was then able to sample those which may have appealed to me best. Out of L'Œurve Noire: I sampled 'Straight To Heaven' and 'Back To Black'. The fragrance from Arabian Nights: I sampled 'Musk Oud,' which I must say became an instant favourite! In The Garden Of Evil: I sampled the best-selling fragrance which appealed more to the women than men, which was the 'Good Girl Gone Bad'. From the set Addictive State Of Mind: came the 'Vodka On Rocks' which was a rather apt choice for my kind of fragrance given the name... To finish off, I sampled the 'Single Malt' which is part of the Burlington Arcade, London Exclusive set.

Alongside the fragrances such as the perfumes and aftershaves, ByKilian also produces Home Scents and Jewellery. One particular item which caught my eye was what I thought was a decorative piece of artwork as part of the store's decor, which was in fact their Scented Tassels! Designed with the home scent as a unique gift, these can also be hung between each item of clothing within your wardrobe, allowing the fragrance to linger onto your clothes.

What I most enjoyed about my experience with ByKilian, was the quirky and unique names of each fragrance which have all been inspired by Kilian's love for Poetry. Each ByKilian bottle is designed black, creating a sleek and sophisticated look, and rather than throw away your empty bottle after its use, each bottle can be refilled!

I am hoping to sample the 'Single Malt' fragrance which was my favourite out of the ones that I smelt, and once I do so, a full fragrance review will be posted here, so be sure to check back for that! You can view the full list of ByKilian fragrances here.

Have you sampled any of the ByKilian fragrances before? If so, which one? Are there any from ByKilian you feel that I need to try out which I haven't mentioned yet? Do let me know your thoughts, and don't forget to click the 'like' button down below!