SCOTT SCHUMAN INTERVIEW // BRAUN WORKSHOPS

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I informed you that I would be writing up about the interview I was lucky enough to have with Scott Schuman from thesartorialist.com, and the workshops with Braun that I attended. 

Having resigned myself to the fact that I had missed out on an opportunity to interview Scott Schuman due to a delayed train, I was excited yet slightly panicked as I was told the interview was in fact still going ahead! I made my way to the room in which I would be meeting Scott, and began asking him a few questions. I had written them down in my diary, yet throughout the whole duration of the interview, I didn't feel the need to look at them once! 

I began by asking Scott; 

  • 'What made you decide to start up your own blog?'  

"I didn't feel that there was anything really out there at that point in terms of blogging and I wanted a platform in which I could have the freedom to be able to post what I want, and to have no restrictions."

  • 'What is your grooming regime?'

"I love waking up early, and I would class myself as an early riser. I use the Braun Series 9 (to which he is an ambassador for.), and I like to keep my regime as simple as I can."

  • 'What makes a blog post successful to you?'

"I don't necessarily think there's a special ingredient for a successful blog post, but I do think that if you enjoy what you're writing about and you feel happy with the direction your blog is going in, then that's great! What I try to do with my blog, is although it is personal and it's about me and my life, and what I like and enjoy, it is still not all about me? It's personal, without feeling like you know too much about me."

  • 'Do you have any advice to give others who may want to start their own blog?'  

"I think that too many people these days think they know everything just because they're doing it, and I think people need to sit back, and take a few lessons and learn about what it is that they're actually doing. Just because you're doing it, doesn't mean you're doing it well. We can all learn from others and evolve. Social media is so big and you can really make a success out of it if you just learn and don't rush things." 

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I attended a workshop with Scott Schuman's personal barber; Michael Haar who demonstrated to us some of the Braun styling tools (which included a very exciting new launch which isn't available in store until 2017!) The model's facial hair after having used the trimmer looked neater, and defined his facial features more by trimming the hair accurately into place. The trimmer comes with 9 adjustable blades, enabling you to choose the look you want without being too complicated! The kit can be used for beard control, ear & nose trimming, hair clipping and for manscaping. I hope to put this to good use soon, and will give you a full detailed review on this shortly...

The following morning arrived, and I attended the Timepiece workshop held by Cameron Hauxwell who talked us through the various watches by Braun. They were broken up into three categories;

  1. Classic Collection
  2. Prestige Collection
  3. Slim Collection

All of the watches looked impeccable and all felt extremely lightweight! Although Cameron explained that Braun have tapped into the Scandinavian trend and making their designs simple, my favourite collection had to be the 'Prestige Collection' as all of the watches had greater detail to them and as a lover of 'skeleton design', this collection was a definite winner in my eyes! 

We then moved onto the next workshop with product designer; Ben Wilson, and for some reason, I seemed to have been slightly cursed with modern technology.. I say this, due to not being able to view the 'virtual reality goggles' despite others being able to! Luckily, after a few attempts I was able to experience this, and it felt rather surreal seeing a shaver in the most intricate detail, up close.

What I like about Braun as a brand, is their attention to detail. Everything is so meticulously planned for each product, and having come back from the workshops, I have realised just how much Braun plays a big part in my life! From my toothbrush, to my beard trimmers, body groomers, to my mother's hairdryer right down to my newest addition, the alarm clock! A big thanks again to Braun for the invite, and a big thank you to Scott Schuman for allowing me to interview you! 

I hope you've enjoyed my blog posts on the events with Braun, and I would love to hear from you! Don't forget to check out my review on the Braun Art Of Precision Hair Kit!

BRAUN: FOIL EXHIBITION

It was only when Ben Wilson (product designer for Braun) was saying a few words at the Tower Bridge in London during a three course meal, had it dawned on me just where I was, and how fortunate enough I had been to have received an invite. The whole trip was primarily to get a better insight on the BRAUN brand, attend various workshops, and to go to the 'Foil' exhibition at the V & A Museum in London.

Prior to the Tower Bridge meal, I had gotten up at 4:30am in order to get ready to catch my train from Leeds to London. I was due to interview Scott Schuman from thesartorialist.com at 11am, however my train had been at a standstill for 40 minutes, so needless to say I wasn't exactly calm. I had resigned myself to the fact that I had missed out on the interview with Scott, and felt disappointed and frustrated to have missed out on this opportunity. (Or so I thought...)

I arrived in London a few minutes past 11am, and upon my arrival, a chauffeur was awaiting me. (I know, how fancy!) As we drove through London, I was taking in all of the sights, and felt excited for the upcoming events. I eventually arrived at the Rosewood Hotel, in which the Braun Workshops were being held, and where I would be staying overnight. I have to say.. The Rosewood Hotel is hands down, the most exquisite hotel I have ever had the pleasure of staying in!

I met Tom and Robin in the hotel lobby, and was told that the interview with Scott Schuman was still going ahead! I will have more details on the interview with Scott in my next blog post, so be sure to come back for that! After the interview, we made our way through to the dining hall and sat down for some lunch. The lunch was lavish, and consisted of a three course meal! After lunch, we had gotten into a minibus which took us over to the V & A Museum for the Braun Foil Exhibition. 

We arrived at the V & A Museum, and made our way inside and I couldn't help but feel in awe of all of the grand sculptures and artwork as we walked through! Before heading into the exhibition, we were all given a brief outline as to what the exhibit was about, and what to expect. As the doors opened, a sense of calm filled the air, and what greeted me, was a 20 metre long kinetic sculpture. Made up of 50,000 metal triangles, the sculpture was designed by Benjamin Hubert who explained that it was a magnified version of a shaver foil. The exhibit was presented in the Tapestry Room, and I found that the light bouncing off of the sculpture, hitting the various tapestries hung on the wall, simply stunning.

I returned back to the hotel, for a workshop with Scott Schuman's personal barber - Michael Haar. More information on all workshops with Braun including the interview with Scott Schuman will be in my next blog post! As night began to fall, a minibus took us over to a three course dinner at the Tower Bridge to conclude the day's event. The view of London's city life, all lit up at night was extraordinary!

Looking back on the 2 day event with Braun, it all seems slightly surreal, and I have found that it is always when you are out of a situation that you can look back and reflect. I had a blast, and one that will be etched into my memory for a long time. A big thank you to the team at Braun for inviting me, and for giving me this opportunity! You can check out my blog post on Art Of Precision by Braun here!

Do you own any Braun products? Have you ever stayed at The Rosewood Hotel in London? Have you visited the Tower Bridge? Let me know your thoughts down below, as I would love to hear from you!

ASOS MENSWEAR A/W SHOWCASE

I had the pleasure of being invited down to the 'Exclusive Branded Showcase' by ASOS, and there I met the lovely Charlotte! I got taken into the ASOS showroom, and came across rails, all full with amazing designs! One half of the room was geared towards Menswear, the other being Womenswear. (Needless to say I still had a sneak peek at the Women's!) 

The rails were divided into sections of different designers such as;

  • Reclaimed Vintage
  • Le Coq Sportif
  • North Face
  • Ellesse

The rail of 'Reclaimed Vintage' was the one that caught my eye the most. I am a big fan of 'Reclaimed Vintage', and I have found that their designs are so striking, yet still remain stylish. From their oversized bomber jackets, to their animal print coats/shirts (The leopard print coat being my favourite item!), to their silk items. I'd just like to point out that Silk is going to be a massive trend this A/W... I'm just saying. Now here's hoping the weather starts to turn so we can finally start wearing layers upon layers! 

*All of these clothes featured in the photos will be available to purchase from October!*

Do you shop at ASOS? What is your favourite purchase from there? Do you have anything that's caught your eye? Let me know your comments down below!

PERRICONE MD PHOTO PLASMA

I first became aware of Perricone MD whilst trialling out the little sample size of their excellent, 'Cold Plasma' within the Mr Porter S/S Grooming Box which you can read here. After a few days of applying this, I knew that Perricone MD was fast becoming a new, firm favourite skincare brand of mine!

I had the pleasure of receiving the Photo Plasma; an anti-aging moisturiser with SPF 30. Now, I am only 23 years old, so some of you may think is a little premature of me to be using anti-aging moisturisers. However, I have always thought that the prevention, is better than trying to cure a problem!

Perricone MD - Photo Plasma claims to protect your skin against 10 common skin aggravators: 

  1. UVA Damage
  2. Chemical Irritants
  3. Dehydration
  4. Extreme Cold
  5. Pollution
  6. Excessive Heat
  7. UVB Damage
  8. Smoke
  9. External Stress
  10. Free Radicals

Prior to the application of the Photo Plasma, I cleanse my skin first thing in the morning, and then apply a moisturiser. I then apply the Photo Plasma on top, as I find that it 'locks in' the skincare products and acts as a barrier. The application of the Photo Plasma glides across my skin perfectly, and the texture is so smooth! My skin looks radiant, has a natural glow to it and I find that it creates a mattifying effect which is ideal as I personally, dislike products that make my skin look greasy/shiny!

You can purchase Perricone MD - Photo Plasma here!

Have you tried this before? Have you tried any of the Perricone MD products before? Let me know your thoughts down below, as I would love to hear from you!

ZADIG & VOLTAIRE FRAGRANCE LAUNCH

Prior to receiving the invitation to the Zadig & Voltaire; Fragrance Launch, I didn't have much knowledge on Zadig & Voltaire, other than it being a chic, Parisian brand! 

I travelled down from Leeds to London, and made my way over to the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch, where the event was to take place. As I entered, I was shown the way downstairs, and upon arrival, I received a stamp and was greeted by the lovely Miranda, the host for the night. The venue had a really edgy vibe to it, and I liked how dark and grungy the setting was, completely different to any other event I have attended! I had a spray of both of the fragrances; This Is Him! & This Is Her! and unsurprisingly, I immediately took a liking to the male fragrance. Spicy, intense and powerful, this fragrance holds some of the key factors I look for when finding a new scent! I particularly like the design of the two bottles, both of which have a jagged edge to them, in which they can interlock when pushed together!

A little pop up stand was placed in the corner, where you could choose from two designs in which you could get 'tattooed' onto your skin, I chose the #THISISZADIG design and had this sprayed on my lower forearm! Unfortunately, I had to catch my train, so I left a little earlier than I had hoped! As I left, I was lucky enough to have received a goody bag with the two fragrances in, in which I will share with you the This Is Him! fragrance in more detail. Throughout the journey home, I kept getting little wafts of the This Is Him! fragrance, and found it more intriguing as the night went on.

THIS IS HIM!

  • Top Notes: Grapefruit, Black Pepper
  • Middle Notes: Incense, Vanilla
  • Base Notes: Sandalwood

The opening of the fragrance begins with a spicy feel to it with the Black Pepper and the Incense notes blending beautifully together. The fragrance then takes a different direction, and feels slightly creamier, yet remaining strong without being too overpowering. I had worn the fragrance the day after the event at work, and was slightly taken aback due to the amount of compliments I had received. Not because I disliked the fragrance, but because I didn't think that the projection was as strong as other people were making out! However, having said that, that is the sign of a good fragrance; when you can't smell something on your skin, yet others around you can. The longevity of This Is Him! lasted for up to 5 hours on my skin, which was slightly disappointing, but a valid reason to go back and top it up right?

This Is Him! & This Is Her! fragrances are both releasing Nationwide tomorrow (Monday 12th September 2016) and both come in the 30ml, 50ml, and 100ml!

Will you be trying these fragrances out? Are you a fan of Zadig & Voltaire? Have you ever visited the Ace Hotel in London? Let me know your thoughts down below, as I would love to hear from you! 

1

If you had told me one year ago, all the things that would have happened to me from creating my blog, I would have just stared at you blankly. No, seriously.

In the Summer of 2015, I had moved to Manchester in the hope of building a life up over there. However after just 4 weeks, unfortunately, it didn't work out. I had returned back to my hometown slightly sheepish, I had fallen ill, and at that point, I had no job, and no source of income.

As the days went on, I genuinely had no idea what to do with my life. My two friends have their own blogs, and I had always had this little niggle in the back of my mind to create my own blog, but never had a reason to do so. I think you can guess where this is going now... 

After a conversation with my mother, I will never forget the words she said: "Just do a blog and see what happens. If it fails then so what? Just try it!" Lo and behold, on September 3rd 2015, came my first blog post. 

 

As the weeks went on, I found myself fully immersed in creating my layout, creating new blog posts, taking several photographs, and I probably shouldn't admit to this, but there was a point where I thought 'What if I run out of things to blog about?' ... Yeah I know. Anyway! 

Fast forward a year on, and here I am, 104 posts later, on September 4th 2016. I don't mean to be a cliché, in fact I'm actually cringing, but I honestly believe that 'everything happens for a reason.'

Had I not moved back from Manchester, I doubt this blog would have been created. Had I not experienced a low point in my life, again, I doubt this blog would have been created. So for that, I am grateful for my friends and my family for giving me that little nudge to start this up. 

Thank you everybody for all of your support, I am truly grateful and I am looking forward to the second year. After everything that has happened in the first year of blogging, who knows where I'll be this time next year!?