THE PERSONAL BARBER

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*Please note, this post has been sponsored.

I had recently been contacted by The Personal Barber to try out one of their subscription boxes! The box that I had received was their ‘Wet Shaving Box’ and this is the first box that you receive when signing up to their subscription service.

The Personal Barber aim to create the ‘ultimate shaving subscription for men’ and by doing so, they wanted to turn a shaving routine into a fun experience as opposed to a daily chore. Using a single sharp blade for maximum control and comfort combined with top quality products, they wanted to show that you don’t need a gimmicky razor with extra, unnecessary add-ons! Every 6 weeks you will receive some of their hand-picked, top quality shaving products and all orders get shipped out on the same day, including free delivery to the UK.

Within the box came some handy tips and how to care for each of the items inside such as:

• What To Do With Your Used Blades

• Keeping Your Razor In Good Nick

• Looking After Your Brush

• Getting The Most Out Of Your Soap

I liked this little touch as this would prove highly useful for somebody who is a complete beginner to shaving! Now, the products that I had received inside of the box were:

• The Personal Barber - Double Edged Safety Razor

A double edged safety razor that was a new one for me having not used a razor like this one before! Upon first glance it did confuse me a little as I couldn’t see a blade on it. Luckily, this came with instructions… Made up of 3 parts, you can unscrew the handle, place one of the blades from Polsilver Super Iridum or Shark in between both of the head plates and then screw back into place. I found this razor to be strong, sturdy and managed to eliminate most of my facial hair. I’ll admit, it did take about 3 or 4 attempts getting used to this style of razor, but now that I have gotten used to it, I like that it feels more premium with a luxurious feel to it as opposed to other razors I have used before where they have been made from plastic and felt rather cheap in comparison!

• The Personal Barber - Synthetic Hair Shaving Brush

Made from high quality nylon, this synthetic hair shaving brush felt smooth upon my skin when applying the shaving soap, and I also liked how the sturdy handle made it easy to use. Again, I found that this brush had a premium touch to it, similar to the double edged safety razor!

• Faena - Premium Electron Shaving Soap

Sourced directly from the island, Lesvos - Greece, this premium shaving soap contains the ingredients such as: Tallow, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, stearic acid, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, aqua, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, lanolin, glycerin, kaolin, dehydroacetic acid (and) benzyl alcohol, parfum. I enjoyed using this shaving soap and I liked how the texture felt on my skin! I’m used to shaving gels and creams where they ‘foam up’ so to speak so this soap was rather unique to use in as it began to lather up which allowed the blade to glide easily across my face thus resulting in a rather easy and effective shave! There is a slight, subtle fragrance to this which had a woody, musky scent.

• Seven Potions - Pure Equilibrium Pre-Shave Oil

This pre-shave oil was again, unique for me as when I have previously shaven before, I tend to just stick the shaving gel/cream on and hadn’t thought about using a pre-shave oil before! Using a pre-shave oil helps to soothe and protect your skin and are rich in vitamins such as Vitamin E which helps with anti-oxidation, moisturisation and anti-inflammation. I was slightly dubious at first adding this into my shaving routine, but now, it’s a firm staple! I applied this when my skin had been cleansed, still slightly damp and I have noticed that since using this pre-shave oil, it has helped to make my facial hair feel softer in texture which in return allows the blade to work more effectively.

• The Personal Barber - Waffle Piqué Shaving Towel

I liked how easily this waffle piqué shaving towel absorbed water after a shave which I used to wipe off any excess. Plus, the aesthetic of the yellow logo against the dark grey makes for a rather good ‘insta-shot’!

• Polsilver Super Iridum & Shark - Super Chrome Replacement Blades

Working out how to insert these into the double edged safety razor was a bit of a challenge I’ll admit! (The razor does come with instructions so don’t panic!) Within this particular box I got 2 packs of replacement blades and the reason for this is due to different blades varying in levels of sharpness and different materials which allows you to pick out which best suits your facial hair and needs!

Overall, I was impressed with the results after the shave and I think this is a great introductory service somebody new to shaving! I also like that the products featured within the box are of top quality, and the packaging of the blades are rather slick too.

To find out more and to sign up for The Personal Barber, click here!

Have you tried The Personal Barber before? If so, what did you think? Is a subscription service something you’d be interested in? Will you be giving this a try? Let me know your thoughts as I would love to hear from you and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!

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FATHER'S DAY FRAGRANCES 2019

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With Father’s Day approaching us here in the U.K on Sunday 16th June, I have put together a few fragrances that will win your Father over! Failing that however, at least you’ve managed to gain yourself a new fragrance...

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HUGO BOSS - BOTTLED INFINITE

• Top Notes: Apple, Mandarin Orange, Cinnamon, Sage

• Middle Notes: Lavender, Patchouli, Rosemary

• Base Notes: Sandalwood, Olive Tree

A woody, aromatic fragrance that feels clean and sophisticated which has a strong projection and lasts on the skin for around 6-7 hours! Ideal for the Father who likes to make an impact without worrying about the scent fading away. To purchase, click here.

CALVIN KLEIN - ETERNITY FOR MEN: FLAME

• Top Notes: Pineapple

• Middle Notes: Rosemary

• Base Notes: Labdanum, Amber, Leather

A fragrance that takes you on an interesting journey, starting off with a sweet, punchy hit of fruitiness, that then settles down into a dense, smokey scent with a long lasting performance around 7-8 hours on the skin! If your Father enjoys interesting fragrances, then perhaps this could be one to try! To purchase, click here.

VERSACE POUR HOMME - DYLAN BLUE

• Top Notes: Water Notes, Calabrian Bergamot, Grapefruit, Fig Leaf

• Middle Notes: Violet Leaf, Papyrus, Patchouli, Black Pepper, Ambroxan

• Base Notes: Musk, Incense, Tonka Bean, Saffron

A solid fragrance in that it delivers a fresh, aquatic scent that epitomises the Summer feeling. Perfect for this time of year and despite feeling so light, its performance is rather impressive with the fragrance lasting for around 6-7 hours! A perfect fragrance for your Father if he enjoys a fresh, aquatic scent. To purchase, click here.

JUSBOX - BLACK POWDER

• Top Notes: Blackcurrant, Apple, Pimento

• Middle Notes: Suede, Tobacco Leaf, Olibanum

• Base Notes: Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Patchouli

Possibly the most interesting and unique fragrance within this Gift Guide. A leathery and spicy fragrance with a few of the fruity notes bursting out during the fragrances opening with a heavy silage and long lasting performance. If your Father enjoys having the attention on him and likes to impress, then I would strongly recommend Black Powder! To purchase, click here.

DSQUARED2 - WOOD

• Top Notes: Calabrian Bergamot, Sicilian Lemon, Mandarin Orange

• Middle Notes: Ginger, Cardamom, Violet Leaf

• Base Notes: Vetiver, White Woods, Ambroxan

WOOD opens up with a citrusy feel which then quickly turns into a more woody scent. A pretty steady fragrance in the sense that its performance is quite linear. Ideal for daytime and those who prefer a fuss-free fragrance that simply does its job! Its silage is soft-medium and lasts upon the skin for around 4-5 hours. To purchase, click here.

LACOSTE - EAU DE LACOSTE L.12.12 POUR LUI FRENCH PANACHE

• Top Notes: Lemon Zest, Mandarin Orange, Cardamom

• Middle Notes: Apple, Lavender

• Base Notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Narcissus

A woody, aromatic fragrance that has a spicy kick throughout its performance! Eau De Lacoste French Panache lasted for up to 6-7 hours with a medium to heavy silage. I would recommend this for those Fathers who enjoy a fragrance that has a clean and sophisticated feel to it. To purchase, click here.

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I hope you have enjoyed this Fragrance Gift Guide for Fathers Day! Are there any which you know will win your Father over? Perhaps any you think he might like to try out? Do you have any other recommendations when it comes to fragrances? Let me know below as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

*AD/Gifted for the purpose of this Gift Guide.

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FATHER'S DAY GIVEAWAY - HUGO BOSS: DARK BLUE

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For this Father’s Day I wanted to give away a classic staple in any mans fragrance collection: Hugo Boss - Dark Blue! Launched in 1999, this fragrance has stood around for 20 years and still feels as fresh and as relevant today. Pretty impressive right? A fragrance that is sweet yet spicy and has a dark, mysterious undertone to it running right through its performance.

• Top Notes: Orange, Ginger, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime

• Middle Notes: Mahogany, Cypress, Sage, Geranium, Cardamom

• Base Notes: Patchouli, Benzoin, Vetiver, Cedar, Vanilla

For your chance to win this classic fragrance, all you need to do is the following;

1. Follow me on my Twitter page here

2. Retweet my pinned Father's Day Giveaway tweet here

It's that simple! All entries will be checked on my Twitter feed, and the winner of Hugo Boss: Dark Blue will be announced via my Twitter on Thursday 13th June in time for Father's Day.

I wish you the very best of luck!

*Please note, this has no affiliation or link to the brand. This was purchased with my own money and this is classed as an AD due to having worked with Hugo Boss before on separate blog posts/work.

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JOHN LEWIS - LEEDS VICTORIA GATE

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I recently had the pleasure of being invited along to visit John Lewis in Victoria Gate: Leeds! I have visited the John Lewis store there many times before, but this was more of an in-depth tour around the store and to get a better understanding of John Lewis the brand, and the many services that they had to offer such as, The Beauty Studio.

The Beauty Studio is found on the ground-floor of John Lewis and is your ultimate go-to when it comes to all things beauty/male grooming! If you need some help, advice or guidance on where to start when it comes to skincare/beauty, then The Beauty Studio is there to walk you through various brands, listen to your needs and suggest products and treatment that they feel will suit you best.

The first stop I made on the tour was a facial from Clarins. Found on the ground floor, I had a brief consultation beforehand and told the beauty therapist, what my skin-type was, if I had any issues and ultimately, how I wanted my skin to appear and feel after the treatment. The treatment I opted for was the ‘Mens Energiser Facial’ to give my skin a much needed boost. The facial itself was incredibly relaxing and at one point, I think I genuinely started to nod off! After using various products on my skin such as the Active Face Wash, Exfoliating Cleanser, Toning Lotion and Super Moisture Balm, my skin immediately felt cleaner, soft to the touch and had a fresh, healthy glow! My facial at Clarins lasted for around 10-15 minutes and afterwards, I then met up with a personal men’s shopper and stylist at John Lewis.

I was taken into the mens private personal shopping room found at the back of Menswear on the ground floor and I admitted that not only did I not notice this area before, but I wasn’t even aware they did personal shopping! He explained to me that the room was in fact quite new to the store and that John Lewis want to offer the customer a whole experience, as opposed to just going into store and rushing back out again, (something of which I am guilty of!) With the mens personal shopping service, this allows the customer to be able to tell the stylist/shopper what their style is, what it is that they’re looking for, if it’s for an event, or if it’s just to refresh their wardrobe. John Lewis offer two services when it comes to Personal Styling - the 1 hour Style Refresh, or the 2 hour Wardrobe Review and the best part? It’s completely free! We then took a quick tour around Menswear and I came across a few brands that I liked such as Maison Labiche, Reiss, HUGO BOSS and Tommy Hilfiger.

After learning more about Menswear and the Personal Styling services that they offer, I then had a consultation with Tom Ford and being a fan of Tom Ford, this was something I was rather excited for! I’m quite stubborn in the sense that when it comes to fragrances, I know what I like. End of. So it was rather nice being introduced to different fragrances from the Tom Ford brand that I may not necessarily have gone out of my way to sample beforehand! I met with Sophia who took me through each fragrance group and after about 7 sample cards, I then ended up selecting Soleil Blanc which Sophia mixed with Oud Mineralé and wow, what a stunning blend! I was then shown the full range of the Mens Grooming products, the women’s beauty range and Tom Ford’s candle line. I wanted it all! I was then gifted a lovely Tom Ford goody bag which had samples of Soleil Blanc, Oud Minerale and the new Fougere d’Argent alongside a sample of Perfect Illuminator.

I then had a brief introduction to Elemis where I got to learn a little more about the mens range before being taken up to the very top floor of John Lewis to learn more about the Beauty Salon… Similar to the mens personal shopping room, I had no idea this Beauty Salon was even up there, nor did I know it even existed! Hidden away in the corner of Childrenswear, this is truly a secret little haven. Upon first glance, you could easily just assume that this was just a hair salon, but behind a certain mirror, is a whole different world, quite literally! Behind this mirror, it takes you into a private beauty salon with different treatment rooms behind each door. As we were walking through, we had to be incredibly quiet as there were currently treatments taking place. The whole private beauty salon is set up almost exactly the same as a spa, the only difference being is that there is no steam room… (I still think it’s a spa regardless!) The sort of treatments you can expect to find here for men are the Manicure 20 which includes - Hand soak, nail shaping, cuticle maintenance and nail buff for 20 minutes. Manicure 40, the same treatment as the Manicure 20, just for 40 minutes!

My tour around John Lewis had come to an end and it was a lovely experience! I feel that I got to learn a lot more about John Lewis as a whole and how as a company they are now wanting to give their customer an experience, from start to finish, perhaps the way forward now with the way things are changing on the high street? Thank you to everybody who I met on the day and for making me feel so welcome!

Have you been in John Lewis: Leeds before? Which department do you tend to visit the most? Are you someone who wants to be in and out of a shop? Or do you like to take your time with shopping? Did you know about the services that John Lewis have to offer? Do let me know below as I’d love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!

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SUMMER SHIRTS '19

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I have always said that when the Sun is shining and it’s hot here in England, (yes this can happen every now and again!) that there is nowhere I’d rather be! This was the case for one of my recent shoots, where myself and Matt McCormick stumbled across a field of beautiful yellow flowers. For this LookBook I wanted to create a rather dreamy setting with a few of my favourite shirt purchases I made recently from ASOS. I hope you like this LookBook as much as me and Matt do!

What do you think to this LookBook? Are you a fan of the photographs? Have you started building your Summer wardrobe yet? Are there any you think I should check out? Let me know down below and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

© Photography: Matt McCormick

WHAT I WORE:

LOOK 1: ASOS DESIGN relaxed viscose shirt with low revere collar in blue

LOOK 2: Another Influence neon revere shirt

LOOK 3: Sacred Hawk revere shirt in black star print reg fit

Shorts worn in all outfits can be found here, alongside the Calvin Klein Marvin trainers here too!

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ATELIER COLOGNE - CEDRE ATLAS

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With Father’s Day creeping up on us here in the United Kingdom, I had kindly been gifted a fragrance which would make for the ideal gift by Atelier Cologne; Cedre Atlas! A fragrance part of the Collection Azur which includes other fragrances such as: Figuier Ardent, Mandarine Glaciale and Sud Magnolia.

Atelier Cologne was created to be one of the first fragrance houses dedicating a whole fragrance collection entirely to colognes, allowing these fragrances to be worn as Pure Perfumes! Each fragrance has a different story and meaning behind it, which I find adds a level of intimacy and really allows you to understand how the fragrance is supposed to feel when sprayed upon your skin.

CEDRE ATLAS

• Top Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Blackcurrant

• Middle Notes: Cedar, Jasmine, Apricot

• Base Notes: Amber, Papyrus, Vetiver

‘On a cold winter day, you are taking a walk on a snowy forest path. The sky is clear and the sun shines through the bare trees. You take a deep breath, inhaling a fresh, woody scent that makes you feel warm inside.’

A fresh, woody fragrance that has a fine balance between the two! The opening is rather sharp with a fruity punch with the Bergamot and Blackcurrant notes coming through to start with, but shortly afterwards during the dry-down, Cedre Atlas then takes an interesting turn and becomes a much more colder, woodier fragrance. A complete contrast to its original opening!

In terms of the longevity, I must admit, I was slightly disappointed. I could only smell Cedre Atlas for around 3-4 hours on my skin however, I did gain a lot of compliments from wearing this! The projection I’d say is light to medium and given that the fragrance overall was quite light, I would recommend wearing this during the day.

A little tip: When you purchase the 30ml size, you also get a free leather case to go alongside it which can be personalised! To purchase Cedre Atlas click here, and to find out more about Atelier Cologne, click here!

Have you smelt any fragrances by Atelier Cologne before? If so, which one? Have you smelt Cedre Atlas before? What were your thoughts? Did you enjoy the fragrance? Let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

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ACQUA DI PARMA BARBIERE COLLECTION

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Acqua Di Parma have recently launched a grooming collection; Barbiere, which has everything you could possibly need and expect from the classic Italian brand! Ranging from shaving gels to creams, face masks and moisturisers, fragrance and more, I have recently had the pleasure of being able to trial these out over the past couple of months which had kindly been gifted to me to review.

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ACQUA DI PARMA BARBIERE COLLECTION

Face Clay Mask

Containing clay, Sambucus nigra flower extract and flower oil, I applied a thin layer of this onto my skin after having cleansed it, and to start with, the Clay Mask is rather gloopy and dense, but after leaving this on my skin for around 8 minutes or so, the Clay Mask began to feel tight and dry which I then rinsed off.

My skin felt incredibly smooth and I loved how my skin felt soft to the touch! I would recommend only using this Clay Mask once or twice a week, just to allow your skin to breathe a little in between uses.

For more information, click here!

Moisturising Face Cream

I applied this Moisturising Face Cream first thing of a morning after my face had been cleansed.

The texture of the Face Cream was rather light and when applied onto my skin, this absorbed quickly and easily leaving my skin feeling hydrated with a healthy, dewy glow!

Available in 50ml, learn more here.

Shaving Gel

Formulated using a blend of vegetal oils, this Shaving Gel aims to stop irritation and is better suited for those who need a quick shaving solution!

Once I applied this to the areas which I needed, the gel quickly turns into foam and made the razor glide across my skin rather easily.

This Shaving Gel comes in 150ml and you can learn more about this here.

Moisturising Eye Cream

This Moisturising Eye Cream has been formulated with hyaluronic acid and African birch tree bark extract which aims to reduce fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area.

The applicator was a little tricky to understand at first, but in order for this to work, you need to push down the metal ball to allow the Eye Cream to come through, and then you can roll this along your orbital bone!

I’ll be honest, I didn’t notice a big difference with this one and I’m not sure if it was either the way the applicator worked as it only let out a small amount of cream at a time…

For more information, click here.

Refreshing Aftershave Emulsion

Containing Hyaluronic Acid, this Aftershave Emulsion helps to hydrate the skin after a shave which restores and revitalises the skin which leaves it feeling soft due to the vegetal oils within it too!

Click here to read more details.

Soft Shaving Cream

Out of the shaving products, this Soft Shaving Cream was my favourite! This Soft Shaving Cream contains pomegranate seed oil, lemon oil, basil extract and hyaluronic acid.

Living up to its name, the texture of the cream was incredibly soft and I loved how easily this allowed my razor to glide across making for a quick and easy shave. I also liked how my skin felt afterwards and there was virtually no hair left!

For more, click here.

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Being a fan of the Acqua Di Parma brand already, be sure to read my other reviews such as;

Cedro di Taormina / Ebano / Aranci Di Capri trio / Christmas Collection 2018

Have you tried anything from the Barbiere Collection before? If so, what did you try? Is there anything you like the sound of? Let me know below as I’d love to hear from you and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

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