Michael 84
Thursday, 6th July, 2017

John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider Fragrance [Review]

John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider Fragrance Review

You may remember that one of the fragrances I got for my last birthday was John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider, so this week I’ve tried it out to add to my fragrance reviews, and this is what I think of this one.

It was first released in 2016, so it is a fairly new fragrance. When you check out the box, bottle and even the name, you’ll know what type of scent you’re in for. Dark Rebel Rider is how it sounds, and the image on the box is that of a leather biker jacket, so it’s not a surprise that it’s a dark leathery fragrance.

But as always I will start with the bottle. It’s wrapped in a faux leather pouch type of cover, which comes with two chunky zips to the side. You can keep the bottle in it’s pouch while using it, or take it out, as the bottle top and sprayer is exposed so you’re able to use it. The spray is nice and wide, so you don’t need to have too many sprays of this to get good coverage.

As for the fragrance itself, it’s a dark, musky and leather type of smell as mentioned above. It is quite smokey and woody, it reminds me of Hugo Boss Bottled Oud, which also has a dry woody kind of smell to it, however this smells more like incense as it’s more smokey.

I would think that this scent is more for an Autumn evening, when the dark nights are closing in, it makes me think of a night by the fire in the countryside with a glass of whisky in your hand wearing a heavy jumper for the chilly nights. It’s a masculine gentleman style of fragrance.

The longevity is quite good, and it has a good range too, you don’t need to use a lot of this for it to be noticed. If you’re looking for a smokey woody type of scent, you should give this one a look.

Best season to wear – Autumn/Winter
Scent type – Woody and smokey
Age Recommendation – 25+
Best Worn – Evening, Casual, Formal

Top notes: Lemon, Bitter orange, Aldehydes, Saffron, Marjoram, Hyssop
Middle notes: Iris, Osmanthus, Black violet, Labdanum, Somalian incense, Benzoin, Tolu balsam
Base notes: Russian leather, Cocoa, Vanilla, Atlas cedarwood, Patchouli

Monday, 3rd July, 2017

The Best Minimalist Watches For Men

The Best Men's Minimalist Watches - Affordable & Expensive List

Minimal style and minimalist fashion has become increasingly popular over the past several years, and it’s something I do love too. Clean lines, clutter free and monochromatic aesthetics are the foundations to most things minimal, it’s all about the simplicity but brilliance of design. Minimalist watches has taken on a whole new market, with some start up brands moving into this market, and other’s capitalising on it’s popularity. What are the best minimalist watches in 2017? Here’s my guide to what you should be looking for.

What Is A Minimalist Watch

First of all you should understand what this watch type is. For the most part they’re usually inexpensive and affordable, and the style is all about the face of the watch. It’s plain, with only markers or numbers, simple pointers and sometimes a date window. Essentially, only the basics you need, definitely nothing technical looking, no chronograph or special divers markings on the bezel. Of course this means they’re always analogue, and usually use a quartz movement, as that’s the cheapest option (but there’s different qualities of quartz movements). It is definitely style over substance, for the non-watch-snobs at least, movement and build is second or even not considered, it’s all about the design. They are versatile, you can wear these on formal occasions, but usually you’ll find these who love a bit of Scandi-Style and a smart-casual fashion sense.

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Saturday, 1st July, 2017

Saturday Style – July Has Brought The Sun Back

Saturday Style - White trainers & Black jeans

Happy Saturday!

It’s 1st July, and it’s brought the sun back! For the past week or so it’s been more like Winter than Summer, day after day of miserable weather and rain; We’ve gone from wearing shorts and T-shirts to wearing Winter coats. But at least the sun has come back out to play (for now!)

For my Saturday Style this week I finally got to wear my white Air Max Ultra 2.0! Since the weather has been so terrible I’ve not wanted to wear these outside because I’d ruin them straight away and I’ve only just got them.

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Thursday, 29th June, 2017

Holiday Plans For 2017?

I went to Madrid! The Royal Palacio

Hey guys!

So we’re well into June, and I have been thinking about going abroad for a little while, but I actually have no idea of where I want to go! If you read my travel blog then you’ll know that for the past several years I have gone away once a year for the past 5 years; Not very adventurous if you’re the kind of person who has multiple holidays or foreign adventures! :mrgreen: I have always wanted to go to Madrid, and last year I finally made it, and it was brilliant! It lived up to expectations and more, but now I am wondering where I should go next.

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Wednesday, 28th June, 2017

The Super Nintendo Classic Mini Is Announced!

Super Nintendo Classic Mini Is Coming

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or you just don’t care, you’ll know that the Super Nintendo Classic Mini was announced a few days ago, and once again Nintendo has got people excited!

It has only just been officially announced by Nintendo and not released, and it’s immediately sold out. Nintendo had it up on their site which lasted a few minutes before it sold out, it sold out at Amazon, and Game has some pre orders available, and now they’re gone too.

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Monday, 26th June, 2017

Men’s Summer Fashion Tips – Sweat Shorts [UPDATED 2017]

mens-sweat-shorts-1

UPDATED FOR 2017

Sweatpants have been thought of for a long time as super casual, and of course they can be worn for a laid back and chilled out style. However more recently we’ve seen a resurgence in sport luxe fashion, with higher end menswear brands showcasing their take on the trends, with casual tops and bottoms including more stylish, better cut sweat pants and joggers. From that comes the summer trend of sweat shorts, and it’s something I really like and have embraced.

You may remember I got a few pair of sweat shorts from H&M a short while ago, and I really like them. At only £8 a pair you can’t go wrong, and they are good quality with a really nice fit. The summer season is here, and other fashion labels and brands have an array of sweat shorts ready for you to buy, in a range of colours and styles.

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Sunday, 25th June, 2017

A Few Things From My 33rd Birthday

33rd birthday presents

I got a couple of nice things for my birthday, so I thought I would do a bit of a round up post right here and include some of the things. I got a few other things too, including some John Varvatos aftershave and a brand new bottle of vodka I’ve never even seen before, but I think they deserve blog posts on their own 🙂 Anyway, here’s what I have.

Boxer Shorts! – Boxers, briefs, trunks…Whatever style you get, birthdays and Christmas is the time of boxer shorts for all men. It’s the one thing which pretty much every guy gets, and I am no different. I got a few pairs from Thomas PINK and Bjorn Borg which I’ve had before, as well as Ellesse and Duchamp too. I have way too many pairs of underwear, I really need to throw some away but because I’ve got so many they’re all in good condition! So I hate throwing them away. The socks are from Duchamp too.

Next up I got a polo shirt from Lyle and Scott. I do like a polo shirt, whenever you want to wear something more dressy than a usual tee but it feels too stuffy for a shirt, a polo top is a great compromise.

My favourite and go to shaving gel, King Of Shaves is next up. I use this so much, and have done for more years than I remember. Since I do this blog I do experiment with others, but KoS is my go to brand, I’ve always loved the gel.

Lastly I got another mini bottle of Bottega Gold prosecco, and some Walker et Charbonnel Marc de Champagne chocolate truffles. The truffles are so good and I usually only get them once a year, and the Bottega Gold is something which I seem to have drank so much this year, I’ve had loads of it! I think it’s the best prosecco you can get, and obviously the bottle is pretty much the best.

That’s it! I hope you had a good weekend and drank plenty for midsummer this year! 🙂

Saturday, 24th June, 2017

Happy Midsummer 2017 🇸🇪

Glad Midsommar 2017

Happy Midsummer! Or should that be Glad Midsommar! 😃 🇸🇪

In England we don’t really do midsummer, it’s not a special day or weekend, it’s just a normal one, but it’s a big thing in Scandinavia, especially Sweden. It’s a celebration of food and drink, particularly alcohol, so it’s something I am on board with 😃

I love this time of year, it’s just been my birthday, it’s Summer and so if there’s a celebration to get on board with then it’s Midsummer. I will not be dancing around the maypole, but I will be able to enjoy my favourite cider which is Rekorderlig. I have a new favourite flavour, Mango-Raspberry, it just tastes so good! I used to love the passion fruit which was my favourite, I still do like it, but the Mango-Raspberry is something else.

So tonight we drink! 😀 I have a lot of beer, Rekorderlig and some Kopparberg too. Summer nights are the best! Have a good Saturday night everyone.

Happy Midsummer

Friday, 23rd June, 2017

Nike Air Max 1 Ultra 2.0 All White Trainers

Air Max 1 Ultra 2.0 all white

I finally got some white trainers for Summer!

Yes, I went ahead and got a pair of white trainers! With so many options available I picked out the limited edition Air Max Jewel, bought them, and then cancelled them! 😀 Then I found a pair of Air Max 1 Ultra 2.0 which were in the sales, and thought I better get these quick! Then Nike reduced them further so I ended up paying more than I should have! 😂

My story of white trainers for Summer… I haven’t really had any. I did buy some Adidas Superstar trainers several years ago, and I never really wore them. I still have them, and they look to have become faulty, with the toecap going a creamy-yellow colour, so I don’t really wear them. I’m going to create a white trainer guide for the blog as I do like white trainers, I was going to buy a pair last Summer but couldn’t decide which pair to get, and ended up getting none. Now I have taken the plunge and opted for a pair of Air Max, the Air Max 1 Ultra which I really like.

First of all I have to talk about the trainers I didn’t buy. The Air Max 1 Jewel Black Diamond…I think these look so good and I did actually go through and buy them, and after thinking about it, decided to cancel the order. Why? Well because they’re made of hard leather. I’ve never tried them, but I think that the hard leather may not be too comfortable, especially in the heat of the Summer, and are undoubtedly heavier than the Ultras. The second pair of trainers I considered, and may also end up getting as a secondary pair, are a pair of Adidas Stan Smith’s. Yes, I know they’re a similar hard leather, but if I get a pair I’ll only be wearing them now and again, so for that comfort can take a back seat.

So let’s me tell you about the pair I did end up getting, the Air Max 1 Ultra 2.0. They’re light and breathable, bright white and all white, including the Iconic swoosh, which is something I was looking for. I got a pair of the Ultra Moire trainers a couple of years back and love how light and comfortable they are, so picking out this pair as a white pair was a really easy decision. The mesh is really lightweight and works well with a textile upper, the fit is quite snug around the sides and the width of the trainers, but I’m used to that from the Ultra Moire.

So I’ve finally joined the white trainer club 😀 I may also get a pair of Adidas Original Stan Smith in the near future too, or another ‘smarter’ pair of white trainers. But for now, I will enjoy these 🙂

Let me know what you think of these, or if you have any other recommendations for all white trainers for this season let me know.

close up of the nike all white air max 1 ultras

Wednesday, 21st June, 2017

33rd Birthday

Happy birthday to me! 😀

Today I turned 33, it sounds so old! 😀 When I started this blog I thought that using 84 would be cool so everyone would know I was in my 20s…Of course I forgot I would get older, and I entered my 30’s what feels like a while ago now! 😂

I got some pretty cool things, including a new pair of Air Max I got myself yesterday which you may have seen if you follow me on Instagram and look at my stories (you can follow me at Michael84Blog) I will be doing reviews of most things separately over the coming days.

I feel so tired right now, so I will say good night 🙂


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