The men's grooming tips which will make sure you look and feel great. Learn what you need for the complete men's grooming routine, including skincare, hair, fragrance and guide on keeping yourself looking fresh.
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
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.
The Big Pony collection by Ralph Lauren was introduced in 2010 and contains 4 numbered scents which come in different coloured bottles. This is Big Pony 2 which comes in the red bottle. The fragrance is created from chocolate and musk, and is quite a sweet mild scent, slightly warming and fruity. It is so light, and the longevity and strength of this means it does not last too long, and is not as powerful as many other scents. It is a decent fragrance for casual daytime use, however if you want to make an impression with your scent this may not do it, which could be a good thing in some situations.
It’s not something I would consider wearing on a night out at it’s too subtle for my taste, however if you don’t want to make an impact yet want to smell decent, this may be for you.
Best season to wear – All Scent type – Sweet/Warm/Spicy Age Recommendation – 18+ Best Worn – Day, Work, Uni,, Formal, Casual
In 2002 Giorgio Armani released this, Armani Mania. The bottle is a classic no nonsense irregular cylindrical smoked glass bottle with a chunky gun metal grey top. Despite this scent being released over 10 years ago, it can still be purchased today, and is something worth considering.
Back in 2005 was when I first got this EDT, and I fell in love with it. Armani Mania became one of my favourites, and it brings back some great memories. It’s a warm, spicy and woody style of scent, masculine but not too dark and musky.
The spicy woody odour is toned down by a floral note which produces an interesting scent, giving the spicy aroma some lightness. The combination of it being not too light and not too musky but still enough to pack that masculine punch gives it a real elegant and sophisticated scent.
It’s perfect for a night out in the summer or winter, or when you want to pack a bit more of a punch in a more formal setting.
Best season to wear – All rounder Scent type – Spicy/Woody/Fresh/Floral Age Recommendation – 21+ Best Worn – Evening, Daytime, Office, Date Night, Casual
Top Notes – Tangerine Leaves, Saffron
Middle Notes – Cedar, Vetiver
Base Notes – Amber, Musk
What do you think of this Armani fragrance? Let me know, and don’t forget to read through some of the other aftershave reviews to find your perfect scent.
Essenza Di Zegna and Zegna Intenso are two fragrances which I got quite a while ago. Released around 2003 and 2007 respectively by Ermenegildo Zegna. The Italian fashion house is known for it’s elegance, and these two scents can certainly be described as that.
Both bottles are a similar style, with the Essenza being a light coloured clear bottle, and the Intenso being dark, and having stripes throughout in the style of closed blinds.
Essenza Di Zegna is a slightly fresh and aquatic style of smell, with hints of amber and musk as it settles down. It’s quite a strange combination, which makes determining it as a night or day scent is quite difficult. This means I could recommend it as either day or night wear, probably on a more casual basis. It’s a slightly warm aroma, but not something you’d exclusively classify as something for a winters night.
Zegna Intenso is a really nice, inviting scent, which slightly resembles Armani Code. It’s slightly woody and aromatic, and is perfect for date night, a night out with the lads, or any kind of situation where you want to smell like a warm and inviting individual.
Both scents are quite individualistic, and quite underrated in the fragrance market. Neither is a stand out scent which is going to be a must have for someone who’s looking for that one killer bottle of cologne, but if you’re looking for something which others aren’t wearing, either of these could be worth thinking about.
As both scents are quite old now, you can shop around and pick up either for a great price. It’s worth buying if you can get a good deal.
In terms of the longevity, as these are both EDT and not particularly strong, the longevity is fair. Expect to get 4 or 5 hours before the scent really starts to fade away, especially Essenza, the lighter of the two. The projection is also quite small, so people at the other end of the room are unlikely to smell the scent.
If you’ve got or worn either of these fragrances from Ermenegildo Zegna, let me know what you think of them.
Essenza Di Zegna
Best season to wear – Spring/Summer Scent type – Aquatic/Fresh Age Recommendation – 21+ Best Worn – Daytime, Casual
Zegna Intenso
Best season to wear – Autumn/Winter Scent type – Aromatic/Woody Age Recommendation – 21+ Best Worn – Nightwear, Casual, Date Night, Out With The Lads
A fire red bottle, and an oriental and warm smell, Hot Water by Davidoff is a fragrance which has been around since 2009. This EDT features a quite tall and slender looking bottle, with a few grooves thrown in and plastic sides.
An inviting aromatic scent, it’s a spicy one which will warm up your cosy autumn or winter nights. The spicy scent hits you straight away, and is not the most powerful I have experienced, although it does pack a punch, so if a warm spicy smell is not what you like, you should avoid this.
It’s not a classic scent by any means, but if you’re looking for something a little bit different to what the others are wearing, this could be a contender. It lasts for a fair while, a few hours, long enough for an evening out. It’s definitely one for the night, I would not really recommend wearing this as daywear for work or college, people may think you’ve just rolled in from a night out!
Best season to wear – Autumn/Winter nights Scent type – Aromatic/Spicy Age Recommendation – 18+ Best Worn – Evening, Date Night, Casual
Notes
Paprika, Pimento, Benzoin, Woodworm
What do you think of Hotwater from Davidoff? Let me know, and you can check out more of my aftershave reviews if you’re on the look out for a new signature scent.
The Bluebeards Revenge describes itself as the ultimate shaving experience for men. It was designed by a real life “bluebeard”, tired of having to combat tough stubble.
There is a paraben free range of luxury shaving products including everything you need for your shaving regime, including everything from shaving creams, pre and post shave solutions and a selection of razor blades.
I have been going through my old fragrances which I still have and came across Tokyo by Kenzo. It was released in 2007 but it’s now been discontinued, so I am glad I still have a bottle. It was never going to be a firm favourite, but it’s still quite a nice scent.
I like the bottle, the infamous Kenzo looks like it’s going to fall over bottle, a similar style to other Kenzo fragrances. The design on the bottle represents a night city sky such as Tokyo, with the bright lights of the city emphasised on the bottle.
The fragrance itself is a very intriguing one, and almost unique in it’s style. It’s a spicy and oriental type of scent, warm and inviting, so as you can imagine, it works it’s magic best on an evening. Once the initial spicy notes settle, you get a real sense of the woods which are pleasant to smell.
As this one is quite spicy and woody, I would say that it’s best worn on an evening, while out. Due to it’s unique characteristics and the fact that not many people have owned it, if you can still find a bottle, you’ll be the only person in the room wearing it.
This is a nice scent, but for me, the evening and night time fragrances have to have that little bit extra, something that bit special, and I don’t think this has it. That’s probably why I don’t wear it so often. During the day it’s a good time to experiment and try out different scents, but for an evening, I want the killer cologne, and although this is nice, it’s just not that.
Perhaps I’d wear this on a casual night when I want to smell good but not going on a big night out, it will do well.
For the longevity, as it’s a woody and spicy scent it will linger that little bit longer, and you can get 6-7 hours out of this one. It’s moderately strong, so it will have a nice projection, so there’s no need to over-spray.
Best season to wear – Autumn Scent type – Spicy/Fruity/Fresh Age Recommendation – 25+ Best Worn – Nightwear, Office, Date Night, Casual
Male grooming should be an important aspect of your life, and you should incorporate it into your daily routine as much as possible. This does not mean using 4 or 5 products every single day, but you should put some effort into keeping your skin looking fresh and healthy. Two good products to get you on your way are a facial scrub, and a moisturiser. I have these two from Scaramouche and Fandango.
The bottles are branded and marked with large colour coded initials, which is a nice touch. A facial scrub should only be used a few times a week, as it’s quite harsh, and removes dead skin cells and exfoliates your skin. The FS is a really nice scrub, smells good and does a nice job, not foaming up too much.
The HY hydrator keeps the skin soft and hydrated, hence the name, which is something you will benefit from. Both of these products will keep your skin smooth and soft, which will make shaving an overall nicer task.
If you are looking for a moisturiser/hydrator or a facial scrub, I can recommend giving these a try from Scaramouche And Fandango, which will set you back £10 and £8 respectively.
