Michael 84

Herschel Little America Backpack For Autumn

Sunday, 27th September, 2015

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Autumn is here which means for a lot of people back to school, college or Uni, and for those of us who are out of studying it’s a new season to get in style for. Whether you’re back at Uni or at work, the chances are you use a bag of sorts to keep your daily needs with you wherever you go. If you’re looking for a refresh, I have a few recommendations for you.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Little America Backpack by Herschel Supply Co. from UNDSCVRD. Herschel Supply Co. have become one of the most popular and fashionable backpack brands out there in the last few years, and it’s not hard to understand why. Their backpacks are not only stylish, but they’re really good quality, and above all, practical which is a core feature which you should be looking for when selecting a backpack.

The design is inspired from a mountaineering backpack, with leather strapping being the key to the design. The main compartment is accessed with the leather straps, which are kept closed using magnetic clasps, meaning you have easy access to get into the backpack while keeping it secure. It’s made from polyester, meaning it’s easy to keep clean and will stand up well against the elements. The front also features a small pouch pocket, perfect for small gadgets or loose coins. It’s secured by magnetic clasps again which hides the zipper compartment, once again keeping your goods secure.

The insides are the signature Herschel Supply Co. striped fabric, with a padded laptop sleeve which will support up to a 15″ laptop, it’s perfect to keep any device separated including a tablet or even a DSLR camera. One of my favourite features about this bag is the backing and the straps; If you’ve ever had a backpack on your back for long periods you’ll know it’s not always the weight which makes things uncomfortable, it’s the straps. This is addressed with custom Air Mesh straps and and Air Mesh back which gives unbelievable comfort.

You can get this from UNDSCVRD

About UNDSCVRD

As mentioned, I got this backpack from UNDSCVRD, but they do a lot more than this Little America Backpack. If you’re looking for a fashionable bag that packs a lot of style as well as your daily products, they’ll have something for you. From contemporary backpacks to messenger bags, laptop sleeves, wallets and leather goods, you’ll find them all under one roof. They have the labels you’ll already know and love, and are home to The North Face, Eastpak and Herschel Supply Co. as well as some great exclusive, boutique brands.

This includes the high end brand Porter, the main brand of Yoshida & Co. which has been around since 1962, and takes the name from a porter, who carries bags into a hotel. The Japanese brand is famous for it’s high standards, with it’s bags being exclusively being produced in Japan using high quality materials and skilled craftsman.

Crafted Goods are another brand to keep an eye on. With ethics and quality at it’s heart, their bags are designed in Switzerland and Japan while being manufactured in house at their factory in Bogotá, Columbia where they guarantee good working conditions for their workers. There bags are made to last, with their coveted Ballistic using the best quality raw materials and components.

Here’s a couple of other bags which caught my eye.

Backpacks

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Crafted Goods Ballistic Kaminito | Herschel Nylon – Lawson Navy | Eastpak: Floid Black2

Messenger Bags

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Sandqvist: Erik Messenger Blue | Crafted Goods: Carrerita – Black | Eastpak Claster Black

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*This post was written in collaboration with UNDSCVRD

Ferrari Pure Lavender Fragrance Review

Wednesday, 23rd September, 2015

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The third instalment of the Ferrari Essence Collection comes after Noble Fig and Bright Neroli, and is called Pure Lavender. As with the other two bottles in the collection, it comes in the same style, premium clear glass bottle, with the Ferrari wording to the front and the Pure Lavender working underneath. The bottle top comes with the iconic Ferrari prancing horse, and the metal top is wrapped in faux leather for a luxury feel.

The tagline for this scent is contemporary freshness, and once you’ve had a smell you can see why. The lavender is present and you feel this right away, but it’s subtle and sophisticated, with the other notes working well to give off a fresh and aromatic type of smell. This is my favourite from the Essence collection, the hints of lavender make it floral and give it that touch of elegance, with cashmere wood and vanilla giving it a very slight woody edge. The fragrance is modern and quite sensual, and like the others from the collection, is suitable for both men and women. Since it’s so inoffensive it could be worn in the day as well as an evening, and is perfect to wear as a light scent for Spring or Summer.

You can pick this up from Harrods for £75/100ml bottle.

Best season to wear – Spring/Summer
Scent type – Floral, Fresh, Aromatic
Age Recommendation – 21+
Best Worn – Daytime, Evening, Casual, Formal

Top Notes – Bergamot, lemon and cardamom

Middle Notes – Sage, lavandin

Base notes – Vanilla, patchouli and cashmere wood

For more fragrances have a look at my men’s fragrance guide here on Michael 84.

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Other Ferrari Fragrances

Ferrari Bright Neroli Eau De Toilette Review – A Men’s Fragrance Review

Wednesday, 9th September, 2015

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The second Ferrari scent I have got my hands on after Noble Fig is Ferrari Bright Neroli, from the Ferrari Essence Collection of fragrances. As with the other member of the essence family, this comes in a premium clear glass bottle, with minimal branding including the Ferrari logo along with Bright Neroli wording.

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Men’s Hair Products: VO5 Extreme Style Texturizing Gum Review

Wednesday, 2nd September, 2015

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These days when I talk about products I usually do more in depth reviews or as part of a feature or campaign, but I have to mention one of my favourite daily products which I use, VO5 Texturizing Gum. It’s actually sort of an accident that I even have this; I got it as part of a little set last Christmas from my ASOS Secret Santa, Debz.

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Summer 2015 Is Over

Tuesday, 1st September, 2015

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Happy 1st of September!

Summer 2015 is over! We may still be in British Summer Time, but the start of September always signifies the end of summer for me. The days are getting shorter, and the nights are slowly getting longer, which means it will be starting to get dark at 5PM soon which I really hate! 🙁

I can’t quite believe we’re 9 months into the year, the summer has somehow gone, and before you know it we’ll have Christmas and New Year, 2016 will be here and I’ll be taking about the summer again! :mrgreen:

A while back I took these shots, probably the most summery ones I have….White jeans, nautical tee, linen jacket et al. Check out more of my Street Style here too.

I am wearing: H&M White Jeans, H&M T-Shirt, Mango MAN Jacket, Ray Ban Aviators, Ugg Shoes

Roll on Summer 2016 😉

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Page And Cooper Casual Watch Collection

Monday, 31st August, 2015

With a focus on quality timepieces and craftsmanship, Page And Cooper are a watch specialist with a difference. Watches are carefully selected in both brand and style, and fulfil key points of criteria including bring well designed, beautifully made, rare, long lasting and importantly offer value for money.

One thing I like about a quality timepiece is exclusivity, I want luxury along with wearing something on my wrist that others will not be wearing. Page And Cooper find quality watches made by small, independent companies which you’ll not find on the high street, utilize traditional watchmakers workmanship.

I have picked out a few of my favourites from their casual collection, which have caught my eye.

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Throwback Thursday – 90’s Fashion – Kappa

Thursday, 27th August, 2015

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Happy Throwback Thursday! 😀

Back in the mid 90’s fashion was all about sportswear, I was a teenager and lived in the stuff. The brand which was one of the most coveted was Kappa. They made football shirts for huge European teams such as Juventus and Barcelona, and general sportswear too.

Everyone was into Kappa, and it was pretty expensive for clothing when we were teens back in the mid 90’s. I remember owning a few pieces, a tracksuit being one, as well as a zipped sweatshirt being fond memories.

I heard that Kappa were making a comeback, and were selling some of their old retro style tracksuits, as well as bringing back the brand for the new generation. I actually got the tracksuit last year, and did a small feature about it on the blog.

Here I am styling it with some other 90’s and retro greats; Converse Chuck Taylor trainers, and the equally iconic Adidas Originals T Shirt. The tracksuit I previously owned as a teen was almost the same, but had the red background track pattern down the sleeves of the jacket and sides of the trousers. Still, this navy and white version was an absolute classic, and brings back a lot of good memories.

90’s style and trends are back, and I love 90’s nostalgia whether that’s fashion or pop culture, and Kappa was a bit of both. It is of course not for everyone, and probably cringe-worthy for those who think they are into high fashion because they’ve once bought something from [insert designer name here], but it brings back memories of a great era that’s what it’s all about 🙂

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Men’s Grooming Day 2015

Friday, 21st August, 2015

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Happy Men’s Grooming Day! (Yes, it’s a thing)

It’s 21st August 2015, and someone, somewhere has declared this day to be Men’s Grooming Day. Since this day is dedicated to all things male grooming related, I thought it would be the perfect time to write about my favourite products I use. Since I write a lot in the men’s grooming blog, I get to try out lots of new and exciting products for everything from skincare to hair products. It’s also no secret that I love aftershaves and scents, I have lost count of how many I now own. I do, however have a few absolute favourite products which I use all the time, if it’s not daily then it’s weekly or as often as it’s needed!

My daily men’s grooming products

Hair Products

I use a big variation of hair products, I mean big! This probably comes from the fact I used to shave my hair really short since before I was a teen right up until 6 or 7 years ago, so I never grew up with hair product, and I’m still experimenting using different styles and types. At the moment my favourite when my hair is on the shorter side is SachaJuan Hair Wax. It’s a rich creamy wax, and works well into the hair, and smells nice. It’s expensive, so I tend to use it sparingly.

When my hair grows a bit longer, and I want to create a messier look then I will go for VO5 Extreme Gum. I will have a feature on this on the blog soon. It’s a very nice gum, and is really easy to use.

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In The Shower

My shower regime is really simple, although sometimes it can grow and I can add a few other products into it. At the moment it’s very simple, only consisting of three products. Dove Men+Care is my favourite shower gel. It’s unscented, which is good for me because I usually want to wear a bottled fragrance and something you don’t want to have is a clash of scents. My go to shampoo for a number of years has been Head & Shoulders For Men. It has a decent scent and works well, and gets rid of any hair product build up which may exist. Lastly I have a face scrub, and I use Dermalogica Daily Clean Scrub. It’s expensive, but it is good, and although it states it’s a daily scrub, I don’t use it daily as I don’t think you need a scrub for daily use.

Shaving

My favourite shaving products have probably remained the same for the longest time. When I was 16 I tried out an electric shaver and hated it, so had a couple of Gillette Blue Two’s and they were not great but not too bad. Not long after I upgraded to a Mach 3, and never looked back. I have tried and tested a few others down the line, but my favourite and the one I will use time and again is the Mach 3. As for shaving gel, I use King Of Shaves. I really like it, the product is cool and it’s easy to glide the razor through for a clean and close shave.

When I first started shaving I used aftershave, hence the name. I then realised I didn’t want to always smell like I was going on a night out, so tried out a couple of post shave balms. After about 10 years of switching and using various brands and types, my current favourite is again from the Dove Men+Care range, the Men+Care post shave balm. It has a mild clean scent and leaves the skin feeling nice.

Fragrances & Aftershaves

If you read my blog you’ll know all about my men’s fragrance reviews, there’s a whole load of them on the blog, and they’re all genuine reviews of scents I own or have owned. I have a ridiculous amount, and have so many favourites, each one tells it’s own story and it depends on the occasion and my mood to pick out what I want to wear.

The two I have chosen are Floris Santal and Bvlgari MAN, both have a bit of history for me. My all time favourite is Gucci Envy For Men, however even though I still have some left, it’s now been discontinued. In my search for a replacement I came across Floris Santal, which is very similar, so I love it. Before finding it I fell in love with Bvlgari MAN, it’s an amazing scent, it’s elegant and sophisticated so works well for a night out or formal evening. It’s also quite light and fun, so it works in the daytime too. It’s one of my all time favourite scents.

Last but not least…

You need to wear a deodorant, and once again I am going for a product from the Dove Men+Care range. It’s the Clean Comfort variation, and I really like it. I have spoken about scent clashing above, which is where this comes in. It has a very light clean scent, and doesn’t interfere with my main fragrance I wear.

What are your favourite products?

Happy Men’s Grooming Day! 🙂

Dove Men+Care Hydrate+ Review – Here’s How The Skincare Range Stacks Up

Monday, 10th August, 2015

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I am a big fan of some of the Dove Men+Care products, I have featured a few on the blog before, and my favourites are from the clean comfort range including the post shave balm, body wash and deodorant.

Dove have a new range, the Hydrate+ range, and I have been putting a few of them through their paces.

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Boss Bottled Oud Fragrance From Hugo Boss – Here’s What It Smells Like [Review & Unboxing]

Wednesday, 5th August, 2015

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Hugo Boss have added another scent to it’s BOSS Bottled line up, BOSS Bottled Oud which is brand new for 2015. As with tradition within the range, the bottle is the same design as the others, a cylindrical shape with the BOSS wording elegantly etched into the glass, with the branding Hugo Boss Bottled Oud.

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