Michael 84

Grooming & Fragrances From Christmas 2015

Tuesday, 5th January, 2016

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Here’s a brief look at some of the grooming and fragrances I got for Christmas just gone 🙂

In terms of fragrances I got Dior Sauvage, Molton Brown Tobacco Absolute and Michaek Kors For Men set with the body wash. I really like Rituals, and I bought (and reviewed here) the Samurai Cool Deo, and got a little box set with a few goodies inside, as well as a bigger shower foam. The Reiss smelly set contains a body wash and body spray. The No.7 is a hair and body wash along with a face scrub.

As always, I will review each scent in my men’s scent reviews, which will be on the blog in a few weeks 🙂

Did you get any scents over Christmas?

Michael 84 – Lifestyle Blog Yearly Review

Thursday, 31st December, 2015

2015 has been a cool year for my lifestyle blog at Michael 84. There’s been a few cool things which has happened in 2015 which I have covered on the blog.

From natural phenomenon to a plain old great night out, I have covered quite a bit over the past 12 months on the blog. Here’s a look back at just a couple of things in Lifestyle which I’ve loved.

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Take Me Out 2016 Girls – Series 8

Wednesday, 23rd December, 2015

Take Me Out Series 8 Girls - Photos From 2016

Take Me Out is back, so in the words of Paddy McGuiness: Bring on the girls!

Series 8 will start in January 2016 to kick start the new year with the flirty thirty being beamed into your living room for you usual Saturday night viewing. Saturday nights aren’t the same without Paddy, the girls and the love lift, and ITV2’s Take Me Out: The Gossip also returns with Mark Wright and Laura Jackson. Michael 84 wouldn’t be a men’s blog if it didn’t cover this, so you’ll find more right here.

Enough of that, you want to meet the girls right? Here you go!

UPDATE

Check out the Take Me Out 2019 Girls Photos for Series 11.

You can find the 2018 girls on the Take Me Out Series 10 page here

Check out Take Me Out Series 9 photos for 2017 here!

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Copenhagen – Advice And Tips For Travellers

Sunday, 20th December, 2015

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Copenhagen was amazing, it really is such a great city with so much to offer, even more than I imagined before I went. If you’re looking to see what I got up to you can check out my Copenhagen page here, as well as checking out my posts on Copenhagen Day 1, Copenhagen Night, Nyhavn Day & Night, and Tivoli.

I stayed at The Square Copenhagen hotel which was really nice.

Here’s what I found out about Denmark’s capital, my tips and advice and what I’ve learned from when I got there.

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Copenhagen – A Tivoli Christmas

Thursday, 17th December, 2015

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I went to Tivoli when I was in Copenhagen….Actually I went twice!

On my first night I went, and after an hour or so it started to rain, my camera battery actually died because I was taking photos all day, I do have a spare but did not take it out with me since I’ve never ran a battery out in only one day!

Anyway I went back the next night because it’s such a great place.

At Christmas it truly is a Winter Wonderland, and it’s definitely a good way to spend an evening or two (or more!). There’s so much to do; If you just want to walk around and take it all in you can, there’s plenty to see and lots of places to eat and drink.

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Copenhagen – Nyhavn Day And Night

Wednesday, 16th December, 2015

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I spent a bit of time in Nyhavn, it’s a really nice part of Copenhagen. If you’ve ever seen Copenhagen in pictures, on TV or online, then you’ll have probably seen the buildings with the colourful fronts which look so cool!

It’s a harbour with plenty of restaurants and bars, and is a must see place. At one end of the canal there’s a bridge where people have put love locks on, not as many as other bridges but it looks nice 😛

Here’s some of my pics 🙂

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Copenhagen City – By Night

Wednesday, 16th December, 2015

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Copenhagen is a cool city in the day time, but at night it always looked beautiful. Since it’s Christmas there’s plenty of Christmas trees around, all lit up, which look nice and festive. One of the Christmas markets had a big wheel which really stood out on the evening and was all lit up. The building near my hotel has the entire outside lit up too, in really cool LED lights which change colour and also create patterns like heart shapes. It looks amazing in real life, I think the pictures do it justice 🙂

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Copenhagen City – By Day

Wednesday, 16th December, 2015

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I am back from Copenhagen!

Actually, I did come back Sunday, but I have been busy with work, resting and of course having to edit a huge number of photos for the blog! 😛 I was unsure how to organise these blog posts so I am just going to dive in and separate them by day, night and the odd place I loved 🙂

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Christmas Gift Guide 2015 – Men’s Must Have Tech & Gadgets

Monday, 14th December, 2015

If you’re getting presents for a man, or buying yourself something, you can’t go wrong with a bit of tech. Tech can be cheap, but it’s usually expensive, and with everything, you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for some brand new tech, or looking to upgrade something you have, here’s a couple of ideas to get you started.

JXD S7800

I have to recommend the JXD S7800 tablet. It’s a gaming tablet, so it has hardware buttons and controls which is essential for gaming. I bought myself one of these and reviewed it here. It’s a brilliant device for playing old retro games, so if you’re 25+ and remember the good old days of arcades, Megadrives, NES, SNES, Dreamcast, Saturn, PS1 and more, you’ll love this and spend countless hours on it. Better still it’s only around £130.

iPad Mini 2

I have to recommend an iPad Mini 2, because a few months back I took the plunge and got one. I decided that I actually did not need the bigger screen of the iPad Pro, and replaced my original iPad 2 with one of these. Sure, it is smaller, but after months of using it I can honestly say the size has not made too much difference, and I really enjoy using it. The biggest selling point is the price, £259 for a 32GB model is such a good price for this device, which will last for a couple of years, no less than a bigger iPad Air.

XBOX One / PlayStation 4

If you’re into gaming and have still not got one of the latest generations of consoles, now is the time. There’s great deals on both the XBOX One and PS4, you just have to decide which one is for you (or be greedy and get both).

Bang & Olufsen H6 Headphones

If you want premium sound, the H6 headphones from Bang & Olufsen is definitely one way to get that. They’ve been around for a while, and now do the H8 which are Bluetooth, but I prefer a hard wired connection which will never compromise the quality. They are expensive at around £280, but are worth the purchase for those looking for a serious sound with style.

DJI Phantom 3 Drone

If money is not an object, and you want to buy a high end piece of tech which most will not have, the DJI Phanton 3 drone will fit the bill. It will cost you upwards of £600, but this is very much the Rolls Royce of drones. With features like an intelligent flight system, GPS which you can map out a route and it will fly to that and return home, it’s easy to use. The camera records upto 2.7K video, half 4K, and can snap 12MP photos in it’s journey which can be anything up to 25 minutes on a full charge.

Marshall Bluetooth Speaker

The Marshall Amps are an iconic design, anyone who likes rock or guitar music or has any kind of music knowledge will instantly recognise the design of this Bluetooth speaker. Coming in at around £170 it’s reasonably priced, and for that you do get this really nice design, which will look great in any bedroom, lounge, dining room or kitchen.

Surface Pro 4

It was launched a few months ago on the back of the successful Surface Pro 3, the Surface Pro 4 looks to build upon that and goes from strength to strength. If you want a laptop replacement this should be worth considering, and if you travel a lot it could save you lots of space as well as being powerful. These start at £749, for power I’d recommend starting at the 256GB/i5/8GB Ram option, which is £1079.

Dell XPS 13

If a new laptop or an upgrade is something you’re looking at, Dell has the one for you. If I was going to get a new laptop I’d have to seriously consider the Dell XPS 13 with the brand new 6th Generation Processor. The XPS 13 (9350) comes with a touchscreen and an infinity display, with an i7, Windows 10, 8GB Ram and a 256GB SSD Drive. All that comes in at just over a grand, £1149 in fact. High end ultrabooks don’t look better than this, and if you want to spend even more you can max this thing out for £1649 and get a 1TB SSD Drive and 16GB Ra. Did I mention it was only 1.29KG.

So that’s the top gadgets this year for Christmas, hopefully you’ll get something here, buy one for someone or buy yourself something 😉

Top Men’s Fragrances For Christmas 2015

Wednesday, 9th December, 2015

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Christmas is rolling around again, and if there’s one thing which (almost) all men like, it’s a good scent. As you’ll know, I own a lot, in fact too many, and I’ve written about a great deal in my men’s scent reviews on the blog over the years, and still have plenty more to do. I’ve tried, tested and loved so many scents, with only a handful I’ve got to admit I was not much of a fan of. If you’re looking to get someone a scent this year, or just want recommendations for yourself and a new fragrance, here’s my little guide of what fragrances I’ll be recommending this year.

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Creed Aventus

If you want to treat yourself or someone else and money is not something you’ll be thinking about too much, Creed Aventus is worth considering. It’s a strong EDP, and a masculine scent which is adored by both men and women. It’s a woody but sophisticated scent, and very inviting. Small 30ml bottles start at around £99, you can find it at high end perfume shops such as House of Fraser here.

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Floris Santal

I cannot write a top fragrance guide without mentioning my favourite, Floris Santal. My journey with this scent started because I was looking for a Gucci Envy replacement, since it got discontinued. This is very similar, and as such it’s brilliant. It’s a floral style of scent, but still masculine, and works as a perfect all rounder. At £75 it’s one of the more expensive scents, but worth it. You can get it at Floris here.

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Tom Ford Grey Vetiver

I describe this as an older gentlemen style of scent. Tom Ford Grey Vetiver is earthy, slightly powdery and really hits home in the way of sophistication. It’s for grown ups, gentlemen, and will have you smelling like nobody else. You can treat yourself to a 50ml bottle from Harrods, it will set you back £50.

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Tom Ford Noir

To stay on the path of Tom Ford, I have to talk about Tom Ford Noir. Warm and inviting, it’s another quintessentially fragrance for the modern man. A great one for a night, if you’re planning on getting something before Christmas for a party of night out, try this one. Get it for around £57.

Dior Sauvage

I tried Dior Sauvage and love the way it smells. It’s another masculine style of scent, great for evenings. It smells really elegant, the woody notes are slightly toned down with a warmer spicy affair. It’s is a brand new scent for 2015, taking the name from Dior Eau Sauvage which was released way back in 1966.

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Gruhme No.14

I reviewed Gruhme No.14 a few months back and was very impressed. It’s not your household name, but it is an independent British brand which makes quite an impact when you wear it. The number 14 indicates the concentration percentage, and once you wear it you’ll understand what it means. I tested it with two small sprays, and it lasted the entire day, and manages to achieve the longevity without overpowering. It’s a masculine style of smell, perfect for the Winter nights. You can find it direct at Gruhme, at £45 for 100ml.

Issey Miyake Pour Homme Review

Issey Miyake Pour Homme

If you’re looking for something manly but want something lighter, Issey Miyake Pour Homme has to be worth considering. It still oozes masculinity but in a fresher, more citrus style. It’s only £42 at Boots for a 75ml bottle, which should last a while, and you can make this your everyday scent.

Acqua Di Gio By Giorgio Armani & BOSS Bottled

Two classic scents which are already favourites amongst men, Acqua Di Gio BOSS Bottled should be in your life, if they aren’t already. Both are fragrance staples which can be worn all year round both night and day, and are completely inoffensive. They are strong enough to be worn in all situations without overpowering, but will make a subtle impression when you’re wearing either of these. Sold in most shops, search for the best deal.

Verdict

Remember to shop around for the best deals. There’s so many people buying scents for others each Christmas, and many shops have fantastic deals on them. Christmas time brings out box sets, which can be the same price as a solo bottle so are well worth the buy, and you get it in a nice box too! 😛 Buying from Amazon is great, but make sure you read my guide on not buying fake fragrances online, you should always shop from authorised dealers to get a genuine product. Forget about a dog, a scent is a man’s best friend. If you’re getting one for someone else or yourself, make sure you have at least one of these in your repertoire.