Michael 84

Ralph Lauren Big Pony Number 2 Review

Wednesday, 4th June, 2014

Ralph Lauren Big Pony 2 Review

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

Spain 2014 Home And Away Shirts For The World Cup

Monday, 2nd June, 2014

spain-2014-shirts-home-away-1

Yes, I have taken a while, but I have finally bought the Spain home and away shirts for the World Cup 😀

I got the blue 2014 home Spain goalkeeper shirt a long while ago, and even got the Spain 2014 away goalkeeper shirt which is fluorescent yellow in colour, and hard to come by. I usually get the home/away outfield shirts first, but this year I left it a bit late because they are relatively easy to get a hold of as most shops in the UK stock them.

Here they are. The home shirt is red but is darker in colour, and has thin and slightly thicker pin stripes, it’s trimmed with gold and the badge is toned in gold too, all one colour.

The away shirt is black which is unusual, and trimmed in fluorescent yellow, with a horizontal stripe going through the whole front of the shirt. it’s an interesting design, and something never seen in a Spain shirt. Usually the away shirts have been navy, white or yellow in the past, I can’t remember a black shirt other than for a goalkeeper.

As you may or may not have read on my blog, Spain may play Netherlands in a white shirt, which is actually non-existent at the moment.

Read More

Armani Mania By Giorgio Armani Review

Thursday, 29th May, 2014

Armani Mania Men's Fragrance Review

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.

Other Fragrances From Armani

Spain To Play Netherlands In White Kit? – FIFA Ban Black Away Kit For 2014 World Cup

Tuesday, 27th May, 2014

FIFA ban Black Spain Away Shirt For 2014 World Cup

The boys over at FIFA have turned style gurus for this World Cup. First they declared that teams must play in all one colour, undermining the history of teams such as Germany who traditionally play with black shorts, England, Spain and Argentina who play in blue shorts to wear all one colour kit. This has angered most fans who say FIFA are disrespecting the tradition, culture and history of these great nations. Now FIFA have taken it a step further, and have deemed Spain’s away kit which was launched earlier this year as illegal under their rules, specifically rule 35.2, which states:

“Each team shall inform FIFA of two different and contrasting colours (one predominantly dark and one predominantly light kit) for its official and reserve team kit (shirt, shorts and socks)”.

Spain’s home shirt is red, with the away shirt being black. It appears Spain will have to play in a white kit, which could be the white shirt which was used in 2011, or Adidas may release a completely new shirt if they can get one ready in time, which will anger fans who have already gone out and bought the current away shirt, advertised as the “Spain 2014 World Cup Away Shirt”.

We will have to see what happens and if FIFA will force Spain to play in an “unofficial” kit, whether the RFEF (Spanish FA) will object or whether Adidas will have any influence. It could also cause problems for some others, with teams such as Mexico wearing a dark green home shirt and dark red away shirt, and Cameroon were spotted wearing an unknown white (possibly third) kit recently, their official home and away kits are green and yellow respectively.

Spain are drawn as the home team, so the usual protocol would be for them to wear red and The Netherlands to wear their away kit, which is dark blue. This makes perfect sense to everyone in Football including the Spanish FA but not FIFA. It could mean Spain wearing white against The Netherlands, Black against Chile and finally red against Australia in their three group games.

Adidas still have the black away kit on sale (It’s also being sold on the Official FIFA store).

Label Bar Newcastle Review

Friday, 16th May, 2014

label bar review

Music, Cocktails and great deals, Label offers a great selection of drinks on Newgate Street in Newcastle.

The Venue

Formerly Babylon and Boom which were 90s bars and firm favourites of it’s crowd, it’s now gone upscale and goes by the name Label. With the new name came new décor and style, A swanky looking refurbishment came and the 90s music has been replaced with more current chart vibes. The layout of the bar has not changed, with a main room and separate room to the left of the place which can be used as a private area, plenty of tables and seating, and the dance floor to the back of the bar.

The Drinks

Label offers a large selection of drinks, bottles, alcopops and cocktails. There are usually plenty offers going on weekends, with 2 for 1 on cocktails every night. The 2-4-1 offer is however expensive, with the cocktails being £7.95, around £2 more than most places. One of the most original things in Newcastle have came from Label which are the teapot cocktails. Yes, cocktails in served in teapots.

The Crowd & Music

The crowd is usually a fun loving crowd of the younger generation, age 18-25 in the main however there is a mix of people of all ages. The music is a great mix of pop classics, house and modern RnB. An all round friendly bar, if you’re with a group of friends it’s a good place to have some fun.

Essential Info

Opening Hours: 7 Nights A Week, ‘Till 2AM (Weekends)
Weekend Entry Cost: £FREE!
Music: House, Chart, Hip Hop, RnB
Recommended Age: 18-25
Guestlist/VIP: YES
Bottle Service:YES
Stag & Hens: YES

Address / Directions

Label, 14-16 Newgate Street, Newcastle, NE1
Closest Metro Station: Central Station
Other Nearby Bars: Sinners, Tiger Tiger, Mushroom
Official Website: Label Newcastle

Luxury Swimwear From M A C K E E N E

Tuesday, 13th May, 2014

mackeene swimshorts premium swim wear

The summer season is on the way, and you’re probably thinking of booking yourself a holiday if you haven’t already. One thing you have to get right is your wardrobe, and an essential part of your summer holiday wardrobe are a pair of shorts. M A C K E E N E have a range of premium swimwear ready for you to take them to the beach into the ocean.

Read More

Nectar Bar Newcastle Review

Friday, 9th May, 2014

nectar-bar-review

Nectar cocktail bar is a relatively new establishment in Newcastle, located in Pilgrim street in-between Alvino and where Popolo used to be. It’s on the top floor, the 3rd floor in fact, so be prepared to walk up a few stairs. I have only been in as a bar on a weekend night, however this place is also open through the day and is a restaurant as well as a bar.

The Place

It’s quite a small venue, which is fairly cosy with the set up being with comfortable seating and tables, and two areas for drinking or eating. As you walk in you have the bar immediately at the front, with the seating or standing areas either side. A cool kind of set up if you’re going with a girl or a couple of friends. It’s open late night which is a great, having been there quite late on in the night it’s a cool chill out kind of vibe with not too many people there and you can wind down and enjoy the rest of your night.

The crowd is a mix of 20-somethings and early 30s, with contemporary styles of music.

Drinks

This is a cocktail kind of venue, with a big cocktail menu for you to peruse. If they aren’t your thing, traditional drinks such as lager is always an option. Prices are quite average for this end of the town, expect to pay £3-4 for beers, and £6- for cocktails.

Essential Info

NECTAR BAR IS NOW CLOSED

Opening Hours: 7 Nights A Week, ‘Till 2AM (Weekends)
Weekend Entry Cost: £FREE!
Music: House, Chart, Hip Hop, RnB
Recommended Age: 25-35
Guestlist/VIP: NO
Bottle Service:NO
Stag & Hens: NO

Address / Directions

Nectar Bar, 86 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, NE1 6SG
Closest Metro Station: Central Station
Other Nearby Bars: Alvino, Bacchus
Official Website:

How Fast Can You Run A Mile?

Monday, 28th April, 2014

How Fast Can You Run A Mile?

I will start this off by saying the following: I cannot run far. I cannot run fast. I am not a professional runner, or in fact a keen amateur, I am actually pretty bad at running and always have been. I remember back in the days of being a kid, we did athletics quite a bit at middle school, I particularly remember the 1500M around the school field many times, it was so hard and felt like running miles! :mrgreen: We used to do P.E. with 2 classes together (split boys and girls) so there would be around 30 of us running round the field. I always remember the good runners finishing so far ahead of everyone, they’d be sitting on the field watching the rest of us finish. I was not the best, probably in the last 10 or so most of the time. Needless to say I was never going to be a runner, and did not really enjoy it.

Fast forward to now and I still don’t like it, not the running aspect anyway. The good things about it is the peace, you can be out and run and it really does clear your mind, it’s a great escape from the world. It also keeps you fit, or it will at least feel that way since you are doing something, and gives a sense of achievement of doing something. It’s actually addictive, even though I don’t like it I have been running for about 6 years and when I don’t run for whatever reason I feel like I miss it, or feel like I really need to exercise.

When I run I do not run too far, like I said I can not handle it. I heard that some people are just not made to run, even if they are fitness freaks some people can simply not run very far…If that is true I am one of those people 😉 Since I got the Nike App I have been able to see how far I run, and how fast, and have been able to set goals etc. which has been great, but I don’t take it too seriously. I usually run 3km which is far enough for me, sometimes I take it a bit further to 4 or 5, or shorter to 2.5km, depending on the routes I go on.

I don’t really know what is considered fast/average/slow…I read a couple of forums online and I found people which were a lot slower than me and people who were so much faster, so it does not really give much insight. This is me anyhow, and my times. It was over 2 or 3 weeks, and I really pushed the first mile to see how quick I could do it. The fastest I have ran a mile has been 7 minutes 42 seconds, which I think is really quick, considering my fastest was 8 minutes 24 seconds weeks before, shaving off 42 seconds is a lot! It’s all about competing with myself, rather than someone who is actually a great runner :p

I think I have hit the wall with that though, my fastest time is 07:42 and I think that will be the fastest I can do, but you never know 😉

How fast can you run a mile?

Fastest Mile – UPDATE – December 2014

So I have been running all year, and I thought I would never beat my 7:42 mile time, but by some kind of miracle I did! 😮 I ran a mile in under 7 minutes…In fact, UNDER 6 MINUTES! My fastest mile is now 05:40!!! I know I’ve said it before, but there is no way I will ever beat this!

Fashion Advice – Spring Knitwear For Men

Wednesday, 23rd April, 2014

One thing I love about the spring fashion is spring knitwear. It’s not warm enough to walk around in just a t-shirt, and not cold enough for a winter coat and layers of clothing, it’s perfect weather for spring knitwear.

It’s important to remember that knitwear such as jumpers and cardigans should not be put away when the first glimpse of sunshine comes, and that they are great pieces to build up your wardrobe and look with.

You can keep it simple and toned down with darker colours such as dark greys, blues and black, or a great thing to do is to add some subtle colour to your look with a pastel colour knit.

Read More

Revolution Bar Newcastle Review

Thursday, 10th April, 2014

Traditionally a vodka bar, Revolution is one of the finest bars in Newcastle. Located on the corner of Collingwood Street, It’s in a prime location situated close to the Central Station with plenty of nearby bars.

Recently refurbished you can enjoy the décor including the huge pillars and amazing ceiling of this building, which is a former bank.

Read More