Men's Grooming Tips And Advice

This week’s fragrance review is Artisan Acqua by John Varvatos. Artisan Acqua is a new scent launched by John Varvatos in 2014, and I have had a smell of this, which I like. Like the other Artisan bottles, this one takes a similar design, with a hand-woven rope style.

It is quite a masculine style of scent, and is an aromatic, warm kind of style with a hint of spice and woody notes. It definitely feels like a grown up fragrance, so if you’re looking to wear something a bit more formal, or something non-offensive this is a contender.

It seems to be pretty hard to come by, after having a bit of a search it seems that Debenhams is the only place out of the big perfume/aftershave retailers which are selling this.

An aromatic style of scent is something you should have in your fragrance wardrobe. If you haven’t already got one, this is worth considering. It’s something which will sit in between a light, citrus EDT and a musky, woody EDT.

Best season to wear – Autumn/Winter
Scent type – Aromatic, Warm, Spicy
Age Recommendation – 21+
Best Worn – Evening, Casual, Formal

Top Notes – Tangelo, Mandarin, Paradisamide, Galbanum, Lentisque, Angelica root

Middle Notes – Clary sage, Lavender, Coriander, Toscanol, Basil, Geranium, Palmarosa, Jasmine sambac

Base Notes – Moss, Patchouli, Fir balsam

Another trip down memory lane in my fragrances takes us to Intimately Beckham For Men By DVB. This was one of the first ventures into the fashion world for “Brand Beckham”, and is one of many of the celebrity fragrances which have been launched.

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Another visit to my old fragrances and this is Prada Amber from around 2006.

Despite it’s really nice smell it’s another which I have not used a great deal, partly because at the time there were so many other ones I liked better, and partly because it’s not a spray bottle, rather an old fashioned proper aftershave style of bottle which I like less.

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I have always had a wet shave, which means buying a lot of blades over the years. There’s almost always a time where I have to think, “Do I need to buy blades” and when I do, it means having to go into town and get myself a pack, which are getting more and more expensive.

Shaving is not just about the blades, you’ll also need shaving gel or foam, and as I always mention you can’t forget about post shave balm. If you’re like me you, you’ll not run out of these things at the same time which is quite annoying.

Cornerstone is a men’s shaving brand with a difference. It’s a subscription based service, and their philosophy is to create a more simple way to shave. Their shaving kits comprise of a face scrub, shave gel and post shave balm, as well as a pack of blades and your very own, customised stick with your initials inscribed.

The service costs £30, and they have three plans you can subscribe to, which depend on how often you shave; You can opt to get a box send to you every 6, 12 or 24 weeks depending on how often you shave. The box will contain:

1 stick (Your first box)
6 blades
Face Scrub (100ml)
Shaving Gel (150ml)
Post Shave Balm (75ml)

For myself, shaving 3 times a week they recommend a box every 12 weeks, which would mean using one blade for 2 weeks. This seems a long time to me, since I currently use one blade every 10 days or so, however I’ve been reading that they actually last a lot longer.

I really love the box and the presentation, each component has it’s own compartment, everything is laid out well and the packaging is really cool.

How does it stack up against old fashioned shopping?

I usually buy 150ml King Of Shaves Gel (£3.69), 150ml Dove MenCare face scrub (£2.86), MACH3 blades, £13.99 for 8 and 100ml Dove Mencare Post-Shave Balm (£3.86). That is a total of £24.40 which is slightly cheaper, and you get slightly more than the Cornerstone box.

Final Word

The Cornerstone box is slightly more expensive than the DIY options of buying your own products, however you’re getting them delivered to your door, without the need to go out to the shops which can make this service worthwhile.

If you’re the guy on the go, living a busy life and don’t want to worry about your shaving regime being disrupted because you’ve forgotten to buy something, this takes all the hassle of buying essential products for your shaving needs.

Forget about forgetting that post shave balm, with the Cornerstone box it’s as simple as choosing your plan and letting them take care of the rest.

Dolce and Gabbana released an anthology of unisex fragrances back in 2009, each one numbered 1, 3, 6, 10 and 18. The idea of the range was that each scent was in fact a unisex scent, but later this was marketed slightly different, and they changed up the way they were marketed, with clear distinctions between the male and female scents. This is D&G Le Bateleur 1,a masculine scent.

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A classic timeless scent which has been around for a long time, I am talking about Acqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani. It may have been around for a long time, and is loved by many, however it’s one of my newest fragrances.

After all the hype surrounding it, I decided that I had to get myself a bottle, it almost felt like a crime not having this in my huge fragrance collection. It first appeared in 1996, and is still going strong, it’s a firm favourite with many, and makes a lot of people’s lists for a must have scent.

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Released way back in 1989-90, CK Eternity For Men is a fragrance you have probably heard of, if not tried. In a simple but chunky glass bottle, this Calvin Klein scent will take you back to the 90s and is not as refined as some of the fragrances of the modern day, however that is not necessarily a bad thing.

The citrus hits you as you spray it, with a mixture of aromatic and spicy notes making it an intriguing style of scent. Since I am rather young and was not wearing aftershaves or EDTs in the early 90s, this is an interesting style of scent which you don’t get very often these days.

It’s quite raw the way the citrus and spice is combined, with a hint of fresh notes and an even smaller hint of a woody scent. A great overall old school fragrance if you want to go for that style, but I prefer the more updated fragrances.

Read the best Calvin Klein Fragrances if you’re looking for comparison among the collection, and discover which CK fragrance is best.

Best season to wear – All rounder
Scent type – Citrus/Spicy/Fresh
Age Recommendation – 30+
Best Worn – Casual, Daywear, Evening, Retro

Top Notes – Mandarin, Lavender, Green Botanics.

Middle Notes – Jasmine, Basil, Geranium, Sage.

Base Notes – Sandalwood, Vetiver, Rosewood, Amber

What do you think of Calvin Klein Eternity for Men? Let me know your thoughts, and as always, you can read my aftershave reviews if you’re on the hunt for a new scent to wear this season.

Other Calvin Klein Fragrances

• Calvin Klein CK One
• Calvin Klein Escape
• Calvin Klein Encounter

Introduced in 2004, Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label is quite a refined smelling scent. encased in a glass bottle, it has a blue surround which takes most of the shape of the bottle, complete with a carved out back near the sprayer to make application easy.

It is a little citrus-like but it is more refined, with fresh notes coming through and a hint of spicy ones too. It has quite an elegant smell too it, and is not over-powering and a clean cut grown up scent. If you are in the market for something which is not going to be too over-bearing for those around you, yet you want to smell good, try this out. Recommended for the spring or summer, it’s perfect to wear during the day in the office or at Uni.

Best season to wear – Spring/Summer
Scent type – Citrus/Fresh/Slightly Spicy
Age Recommendation – 16+
Best Worn – Daytime, Formal, Casual, Uni, Work

Top Notes – Grapefruit, Hedione, Bergamot

Middle Notes – Cardamom, Davana, Pepper

Base Notes – Olibanum, Vetiver, Cedar

Other Givenchy Fragrances

• Givenchy Irresistible Fresh Attitude
• Givenchy Xeryus Rouge

Nivea for Men have launched a new cooling collection alongside their sensitive range of men’s skincare products. Additions to the range are a new cooling shaving gel and cooling post shave gel, which contains 0% alcohol to help prevent burning, reddening and skin irritation.

Included in the sensitive range are a shower gel and antiperspirant stick, as well as a face wash, hydro gel and moisture cream. I am a big fan of using post shave balm, and I have used many over the years. Not every man uses one, but it’s a product I swear by, and I cannot imagine not including one in my shaving regime. The Nivea for Men cooling post shave balm has a slight green and citrus scent, and is cool on the skin. The antiperspirant stick works quite well, and is quite odourless which is something I like in an antiperspirant. It’s said to last for an effective 48 hours, so I will have to conduct further tests to see how well it holds up in a hot and sticky office situation, something many of us are all too aware of. The shower gel works well, and has that similar citrus-like scent to it.

All the products are available to buy now from the usual places, priced at the following…

NIVEA MEN Sensitive Post Shave Balm – £7.10
NIVEA MEN Sensitive Shaving Gel – £4.50
NIVEA MEN Sensitive Shower Gel 250ml – £2.00
NIVEA MEN Sensitive 48 hour Sensitive Protect Stick – £2.49

Boss Bottled Unlimited is the latest fragrance from Hugo Boss, inspired by the BOSS man’s determination and drive for success. This limited edition energizing scent is available to buy now, but be quick, because it is only on sale for a limited time. It’s a real summer style of scent, so would be perfect at this time of the year for Father’s Day.

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