Men’s hair styling products are a lot like that hot girl you’ve been hooking up with. At first, you’re pretty sure she’s the hottest girl you’ve ever met or been with, and you really can’t wait for the next time to use her.

You feel confident, refreshed, renewed. Every time you’re with her is like the first time, all over again. You’re used to her, love her, have grown comfortable with her — so why would you even consider anything else?

But then you get distracted. “Wait, what’s this? A new men’s styling gel?”

Suddenly, conversation lags. Her jokes aren’t funny. Her laugh sucks. She smells like cheese. She’s a Yankees fan.

Are any of these new observations remotely true? Or are you just looking for an escape? Either way, you continue to spend time with her, begrudgingly, and you’re just not that into it.

Hairbond UK is like that hot girl you just met who makes you realize how substandard your current hair styling product is. I received a canister each of Distorter and Shaper — two distinctly different products for distinctly different hairstyles.

Distorter was filled to the brim with bad assery. If Distorter were to lower itself to take human form for a night, it would be Reggie Miller against the Knicks in 1994, scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter.

Shaper smelled “Just like butterscotch, yo”. It literally has a candy-like scent — but an adult candy, the kind that only appeals to a refined taste, not a child, sort of like black licorice. Yeah, that’s a good one; I’m going to use that one. It’s like the black licorice of styling products.

>More than that, it was absolutely perfect as a shaping product. I spiked my bangs as high as they could go and my hair stayed just as I had styled it even 8-10 hours later. Even though they retained their hold, I was able to adjust my look mid-day.

I put a dab of Distorter in my hair roughly 13 hours ago. While writing this, I stopped, went to the bathroom and adjusted my hair. The hold was still as effective as it was earlier in the day. But I also never felt like my hair had any product in it, so it wasn’t like I was rocking some Clark Gable-esqe slick back look that’s heavily dependent on an overuse of styling products.

How is this possible? I know it sounds like total bullshit, but it isn’t. Even though Hairbond was that effective, my hair never felt like it was glued up or had the lacquer-type feel. My hair was still relaxed, yet performed the way I wanted it to.

So move on from your current styling products and don’t feel bad about it — you don’t owe her a thing. And it wasn’t a total waste, either. If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have evolved to the point where you were ready for something better.

If you’re ready for more at a fantastic price, check out the Hairbond UK website: www.hairbond.co.uk

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

An engagement happens when two people are so in love, they want to make a formal commitment to one another. You’re a guy, so thinking about proposing to a girl immediately triggers visions of rings. Not the Lord of the Rings–though that would be cool if we could make that work somehow–engagement rings!

The engagement ring is the symbolic sign of your impending nuptials. It’s the beautiful token of your love that her friends, family, and co-workers will spend the new few months gushing over.

Make no mistake, choosing a ring is THE most important pre-engagement step.

Price

When it comes to the perfect ring, cost really has nothing to do with it. You hear that, dudes with low-paying jobs who are dead set on spending their life savings on a ring? Some jewelers would like you to think that you need to save three months’ salary, but that’s not entirely true. Money Under 30 founder, David E. Weliver, suggests, “your engagement ring should be meaningful more than expensive.” In fact, you may not have to spend a dime if you have a family heirloom to propose with.

When choosing an engagement ring, price should be one of your first considerations. It’s therefore essential that you know what you can afford before you walk into a jewelry store. Create a budget, allowing yourself enough time to save up for the perfect ring. Set a date for when you’d like to propose and try to have the ring at least a week prior.

Choosing a Gemstone

Most men choose diamonds when selecting an engagement ring. Modern engagement rings can really be any gemstone, but it’s important you select something she wants. Without giving yourself away, see if you can’t find out what kind of ring she would prefer. Knowing exactly what she wants takes a lot of the guesswork out of jewelry shopping.

If she’s non-traditional, you may be able to save some money by choosing a ring that’s her birthstone, or a mix of both of your stones. You could get her something truly romantic and memorable, like pink sapphire engagement rings. Though many girls dream their whole lives about the diamond ring that will someday sit on their left hands, more and more women are adoring non-traditional engagement rings.

If you do decide to go diamond, you may want to do some research first. Diamonds come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes jewelers will have the wrong price on a diamond, so you need to be able to determine if the cut and clarity match the diamonds cost. Diamonds are rated on the four C’s – cut, color, clarity, and carat. Diamonds are also graded, where pure diamonds are flawless and I-3 diamonds are far from perfect.

Metal, Setting, and Checkout

Once you’ve selected a gemstone, you’ll be ready to have it fitted in the perfect band. Keep in mind what kind of metal you’d like to wear. Her engagement ring should match her wedding ring. So, if you’re partial to white gold, then select this metal.

There are so many setting options when it comes to engagement rings. You can choose a setting that has a prong, or one that comes with a flush. Ask your jeweler to show you examples of settings and select the one that’s most appropriate for the stone you selected.

Finally, it’s time to check on out. You want to ensure that your purchase comes with a certificate of appraisal. This appraisal certificate proves the ring’s value. It’s your insurance against being taken advantage of. Once you’ve garnered this and paid, you’ll be ready to propose. Pick a nice venue, sweep her off her feet, and present her with her beautiful engagement ring. How can she say no?

No one hungers for victory more than Ruff McThickridge. Driving Honey Mustard with his pal Bo Dato, Ruff seeks the new Tangy Honey Mustard Ruffles. Deeper Ridges Bigger Flavor.

What are you willing to give up for a cocktail? If you live in Los Angeles, the answer for the casual fancier of serious mixed beverages might be as high as $17.00 in some joints. If you’re one of the people who actually makes his living trying to make really good cocktails, however, the price might be a little higher still.

As I’m learning from an upcoming film I’m probably embargoed from discussing in any detail, the documentary “Hey Bartender,” the business of dispensing booze can take from a person’s life, but it can also give. However, the price I’m thinking about right now has mostly to do with the garnish — yes, the garnish — of today’s drink.

Fire is involved, and so is my right hand. I like my right hand. It’s helping me type this blog post and it does other nice things for me from time to time. But more about that later. (The garnish, I mean.)

The Ritz Cocktail was created by a cocktail legend I’m not sure I’ve even mentioned here before, and that’s largely due to the fact that I’m still a relative newbie to serious boozing. Although he’s not quite a household name — even his Wikipedia page is a still a stub — Dale DeGroff is credited by lots of folks as spearheading the revival of the lost art of the American cocktail. This started back in the 1980s, when he was at the Rainbow Rock at Manhattan’s 30 Rock, I was still in school, and most of the oldest of you all were lucky to be past the zygote stage….and DeGroff is still a relatively young man for a living legend. Well, his Wiki doesn’t give his age, so it’s hard to be sure.

Today’s drink is contained in DeGroff’s epochal 2002 tome, The Craft of the Cocktail. It’s named in honor of the several legendary bars of the famed Ritz hotel chain founded by César Ritz. Much as Mr. DeGroff has been dubbed “King Cocktail,” Mr. Ritz was dubbed “king of hoteliers, and hotelier to kings.” So far as I know, however, he had nothing to do with the cracker.

The Ritz Cocktail (the slightly heretical and debased version)

3/4-1 ounce cognac, or brandy alternative
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
Champagne or sparkling white wine alternative
Flamed orange peel (garnish, to be explained!)

Read the rest of this entry »

Eric Raskin has put together an excellent oral history of the 2003 World Series of Poker in Grantland, one of the seminal events in the poker phenomenon that has grown over the years in the US and around the world.

In 1970, Benny Binion put together a publicity stunt to promote his casino in downtown Las Vegas. He sent out invitations to Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim Preston, and the rest of the world’s greatest card players and called it the World Series of Poker. Seven of them played cash games at Binion’s Horseshoe for three straight days, and when it was over, Moss was named “champion” in a vote of his peers. The next year, six entrants paid $5,000 apiece for the right to play in a no-limit Texas Hold ‘em “freezeout” tournament, in which everyone started with the same number of chips and they played until one man had all the money. A year later, the buy-in doubled to $10,000. In the four decades since, the basic rules of the tournament and the amount of money required to enter have remained constant.

But the number of participants has not. The World Series of Poker main event surpassed 100 players for the first time in 1982. It cracked 200 in ’91, the first year in which the winner claimed a seven-figure cash prize. In 2002, 631 players entered, and the payout was $2 million.

Then came 2003. The 34th-annual World Series of Poker transformed the event into a pop-culture phenomenon. The numbers — by 2006, 8,773 players vied for a first-place prize of $12 million — illustrate how exponential the growth was. Poker went from a game understood by few and played in smoky backrooms to a television staple. In this 10th-anniversary oral history, more than 30 people who were part of the event explain what happened and what it meant for the poker business.

Check out the entire article for a very informative and entertaining read.

You can see the final hand above where Chris Moneymaker wins the tournament. Movies like “Rounders” from 1998 also helped fuel that game’s popularity, but that 2003 tournament helped fans the flames.

There are so many ways to enjoy gambling and poker these days at casinos around the country and online at Metro Play Casino and other great sites that it’s hard to think back to the days when most of the action was in Las Vegas and in back room poker games. Fortunately most people can now drive to a poker room or hone their skills online, and now the World Series of Poker is dominated by guys inspired by Chris Moneymaker. If you’re heading to Vegas and want to test your poker skills, you have to try your hand at this tournament.