With each shave, each day, you get an opportunity for reinvention. Looking to rock that soul patch? You have the transformative power and the decision at your fingertips to make it happen. Want to rock that chinstrap beard that was so prevalent in the last decade? Well, do it dude.

What makes this transformation possible to undertake? The will, vision, guts and tools to initiate the new path, the new direction.

Speaking of tools, the new Edge Ultimate 6-in-1 Shave Gel can aid your transformation. Think of it as your Sherpa on a journey to a new you.

How we look determines a lot of the experiences we undertake, and in large part, the level of success we enjoy. Whether you know it or not, Edge is the world’s first ever shave gel and was created around the axiom, “We know guys want to look their best and take care of their skin without spending extra time in front of the mirror.”

So what are the six benefits combined to form this unique shave gel that forms like Voltron when it’s time to get busy? It smooths, protects, moisturizes, cleanses, softens and then leaves the skin smelling great.

Six things at once, which is what the average man is doing at once anyway in his personal life. Edge takes care of the six most important components for you, so you don’t have to worry about it. Edge has got your back so you can reach the Edge of Greatness. Once you’re on the precipice, the outcome is solely up to you and your application of will.

The first thing I noticed (and liked) when I sprayed the gel in my hand was that it didn’t foam up to a ridiculous level, but did somewhat while maintaining its function as a gel simultaneously.

When I applied it to my face, it was entirely soothing and smooth. It didn’t glop on but covered the surface of my face easily. Having the gel on my skin felt good; it made my skin come to life with a feeling similar to an exfoliating agent. So, I let the gel sit on my face for a moment and just relaxed.

The more I worked the gel into my skin, the more it came to a lather. So if you want a very lathery shave, you have that option. Or you can just apply it in its natural form and proceed to shave that way.

When it was time to shave, the gel stayed moist and came off with ease.

The new Edge Ultimate 6-in-1 Shave Gel is as versatile, flexible and well-rounded as you and your ever-changing journey of self-presentation. And at just $2.99 a can, the value far exceeds the retail cost.

So, what new direction will you choose to head today?

For more information, click here.

We checked out the new Asia belt from MAONO.com, a company that is on a mission to create beautiful, high-quality clothing and then selling online to remove the middle man and make their products more affordable. You’ll see from the photo above that this black leather belt featuring a rectangular pin buckle offers a classic and elegant design that’s perfect for every day use. The belt is made in Italy with impeccable craftsmanship, and it offers a great example of the quality and design of this brand.

Fashion maven and style expert Syga Thomas launched this ready-to-wear line at MAONO.com, featuring sleek, sophisticated men’s blazers, silk ties, button down shirts and other accessories. Here you’ll find many of the staples you need for your wardrobe that will serve your needs at the office or on a night on the town. They also feature high-quality travel bags as well. Just browse through the clean and well-organized website and you’ll probably find a number of items that catch your eye, and then you’ll notice the reasonable prices.

If you’re looking for clothing that’s classic but stylish, and if you want to stay within your budget, then you should definitely check out MAONO.com.

Dr. Allan Peterkin is a physician, author and professor. He has published 14 books, most recently The Bearded Gentlemen: A Style Guide To Shaving Face, and is currently working with Dove and their new Men+Care Face Range, a full line to help dudes care for their faces.

Recently, I sat very close to Dr. Peterkin as we stroked our beards in a sexually suggestive manner in unison, and asked him the following questions.

BE: “Beardsmith” that you are, what’s the best way to kiss my old lady with passion, yet not drag my stubble or goatee across her skin, to the point where she says it feels “exfoliated” after we’re done?

DR. PETERKIN: Some call that a “snog burn,” snog being the English word for kiss. The best advice I can give you is work on your angle and your approach, and moisturize your face often to keep it as soft as possible!

Your book is called The Bearded Gentleman: A Style Guide to Shaving Face and One Thousand Beards. What is the number one mistake most aspiring “beardsmen” make?

DR. PETERKIN: The number one mistake men make is that they think their grooming work is finished once they’ve grown a beard. Facial hair requires a lot of maintenance; men have to make a commitment to their beards! They need to be trimmed properly and their margins kept clean. Washing and moisturizing also helps to keep the facial hair clean, and to condition it, which is crucial. I like the new Dove Men+Care Face Range, which provides products specifically designed for men and offers a three step solution: cleanse shave, and finish. You can use the Dove Men+Care Face Wash to clean your beard and the Face Lotion to condition or soften it.

BE: What is the professional opinion regarding the soul patch? I’ve been known to sport one, a blonde one. Should blonde dudes just not wear facial hair? Why do blonde mustaches look so weird, a la Larry Bird in the ’80s?

DR. PETERKIN: I often think of the term “flavor saver” in relation to the soul patch. I think the soul patch is a fun form of expression, probably most appropriate for younger guys. Facial hair has become more mainstream and acceptable, but I’m not so sure we’re there yet with the soul patch.

An issue some guys have with their blonde hair is that it doesn’t tend to grow in fully. Blonde facial hair can have uneven or patchy growth. Being a blonde myself, I suggest choosing a style after seeing what grows in most, and where, but don’t be too concerned about the color of your hair. Just play to your strengths!

BE: How can I pick up chicks using just my “beardsmanship”?

DR. PETERKIN: That is a tough one and it’s a matter of taste. Women seem to be split – some really like facial hair, others do not like it at all. Toss a coin, and if you’re going to have facial hair, wear it proudly.

BE: What is your stance on guys who have so much chest hair that it naturally flows into the beard area? Should there be a distinct line of demarcation?

DR. PETERKIN: I think it would look better to have a distinct line of demarcation, somewhere between the chin and the Adam’s apple. Men should shave the neck and lower edge of the beard, and leave their chest natural.

BE: In your opinion, either living or dead, who had the most badass facial hair in history?

DR. PETERKIN: I think I would have to say either Santa or Satan. Kidding. By category, I’d choose Salvador Dali’s mustache and Elvis’ sideburns. My favorite religious beard is Moses. I’d say one of my all-time favorites is romantic Composer Giuseppi Verdi’s beard.

For more information on the new Dove Men+Care Face Range, click here. For more information on Dr. Peterkin’s book, click here.

I had the opportunity to try out several new polo shirts from Golf by James Warren, a clothing collection that utilizes Europe’s best fabrics with a distinctive American style. The Par for the Office polo is pictured above in navy blue and the Wall Street Golf Polo is pictured below in bright red.

Right away I noticed the quality of these Italian-made shirts, both using 100% cotton, along with the distinctive designs. The Par for the Office is their signature short sleeve luxury men’s polo using double mercerized cotton. The fabric is very soft and smooth giving it a clean a crisp look, and it would work nicely in a number of settings both day and night, including with a blazer.

The Wall Street Golf Polo is a notched short sleeve button down polo in an exclusive Italian cotton pique, so the woven style gives it a more textured feel. The look and feel of this polo is more casual and probably works best for a round of golf and daytime settings.

Both polos feature the company’s signature snap “lifestyle” pocket with self embroidered logo located at the bottom left of the shirt in the front. If you tuck in the shirt this pocket will remain hidden, and it’s very convenient for holding keys, cash or a credit card. Both shirts also feature a vented hem and are machine washable.

While you’ll be sporting a very traditional look with these polo shirts, you can see that they both have very distinctive features that set them apart from your traditional polo shirt. If you’re looking for excellent quality and a unique twist to your golf and causal attire, you should definitely check out these shirts and other products from Golf by James Warren. Check out the website for more shirts, sweaters, and jackets that “defy traditional boundaries.”

Imagine how hard it would be to shave with one eye.

I had never thought of this before, until I was at the grocery store this weekend, trying to procure some Spaghetti Os in the pasta aisle.

So there I was, weighing the pros and cons of the Mini Ravioli versus the standard, old school Spaghetti Os. Caloric intake was a dead heat, as was cost.

Then, out of nowhere, I heard a gruff voice say, “Get the ravioli, trust me.” I turned around to see where the voice had come from, and before me stood a short, scruffy old man wearing an eyepatch. It sort of caught me off guard, his voice more than the eyepatch, and all I could think to say was, “Why?”

“Because, spaghetti is really hard to maintain enough to eat when you only have one eye.”

“But I have two eyes, does that really apply?”

“Nobody likes a braggart, son.”

Then I noticed the side of his face that contained the blind eye (i.e. the “blind side” if you will) was almost completely unshaven, while the other side, the seeing eye side, was crisply maintained. Applying this logic, the situation became obvious — he couldn’t shave that side because he lacked the depth perception.

My theory was confirmed a moment later when he picked up a can of Beefaroni and held it up to the sky, attempting to read the nutritional value (isn’t that an oxymoron?) but couldn’t, because he was evidently farsighted as well, in his single, gleaming, pearl of an eye.

I tried not to stare, but the eyepatch was so badass that I couldn’t help myself. It reminded me of that “Seinfeld” episode where Kramer wore an eyepatch for purely aesthetic purposes.

“A little help here son, how many calories from fat are in this?”

“220, matey. Uh, I mean sir.”

He put the Beefaroni in his hand cart and suddenly said, “Do you have any idea how hard it is to shave with one eye?” Which was weird because we were still in the Beefaroni aisle.

“No, I don’t. I assume it would be difficult. How do you do it?”

“Slowly, to be sure,” he said. “But I also use this badass shit that you should try out. I helped you out with the Mini Ravioli, let me help you with this.”

I didn’t have anywhere to be, so I followed him to another aisle. Plus, it felt cool to be associated with a guy wearing an eyepatch in public.

We got to the aisle that contained men’s shaving products. He quickly grabbed and then proffered a tube of shaving cream towards me.

“It’s shaving cream, boy-o. When ye balls drop, you’ll need it. Ha ha ha, just kidding.”

I looked down and it was a tube of Edge Body Renew Face & Body Cream.

“It’s also non-foaming, which is important for me so I can see where I’m shaving. Wouldn’t want to nip my nose and have a prosthetic one of those as well!

“What’s so great about this particular shaving cream?” I asked.

“Well, it offers advanced skin protection and hydration for a close, comfortable shave. This non-foaming, moisture-enriched formula with antioxidants and vitamins, helps renew skin’s natural moisture and keep skin feeling smooth and comfortable long after the shave. And, it’s less than $5, which is essentially two cans of Beefaroni.”

It had never occurred to me to use Beefaroni as the new standard in currency. But once it did, I loved it.

“How many cans of Beefaroni is this worth?” I asked, as I collected a nearby can of Edge Clean & Refreshing Shave Gel.

“About three,” he said.

“How about this four-pound brisket?”

“About 11.”

“And this bottle of Canadian Club whiskey?”

“Eight, and worth every damn noodle, to be sure.”

My mind was blown. I thanked the man for his time, insight and general wherewithal, collected a tube of Edge Body Renew Face & Body Shave Cream and proceeded to check out.

As I sit here, my skin feels awesome, thanks to the clean shave and smooth moves of the Edge Body Renew Face & Body Shave Cream. I wouldn’t lie to you.

For more information, click here.

Going retro is cool and the straight razor is no different. Thanks to the most recent movie installment in the James Bond series, “Skyfall,” straight razors are popular again.

Online UK retailer The Shaving Shack saw a 123% increase in web traffic since the film was released in the UK. Traffic from Internet searches for “cut throat razor” and “straight razor” soared by a staggering 735% over the five days after the film was released.

What I really liked about this razor was the weight. Having never used a straight razor/shavette (the difference being with a shavette you can replace the blades), I had always seen them as being rather bulky and hard to control.

The other important factor was the way the weight was balanced from one end of the razor to the other. Initially, I had my reservations about the plastic handle, thinking it would affect the quality of my shave somehow, but it didn’t. The head of the blade was solid and just heavy enough to not have to apply too much pressure to my face when dragging the razor across my skin. It also wasn’t so large that it was hard to control, coming in at 24 cm fully open.

There really is no better feeling than a shave from a straight razor. When I was younger, my favorite part of getting a haircut was the straight razor across the bottom of my neck to eliminate any neck hairs, but the state where I live made them illegal due to health concerns. I would seriously sign a waiver to get that feeling after a cut these days. But what’s even better than that is buying my own and doing it myself.

That was another issue I faced: price. My assumption was that any straight razor would have to be expensive to be effective as most luxury razors retail for anything from $60 to $300. But at just $9.99, the Bluebeards Revenge Cutthroat Shavette/Straight Razor disproved my assumption. You could spend more, but why? You certainly don’t need to.

Another thing worth noting is that switching the blades was a snap… literally. It was easy to open the head of the razor and insert a new one. There really is no reason to not add a straight razor to your shaving repertoire.

The Cutthroat Shavette from Bluebeards Revenge is available here and is a steal at just $9.99.

Most chukkas you see out on the street today look pretty smooth, but for those who desire the best, don’t waste any more time and check out the sleek UGG Kaldwell Chukkas from www.UGGAustralia.com. Out of the UGG casual wing, the Kaldwell Chukkas are the quintessential spring chukka boasting a burnished nubuck upper and seersucker-inspired, cotton-striped lining. Providing the pinnacle of whisperweight traction, a custom-created Vibram outsole lends signature UGG luxury. As spring and summer approach, you’ll see friends and strangers enjoying their days in the fresh UGG Kaldwell Chukkas.

There is nothing more polarizing on earth than a Fedora hat. You could wear a sign that proclaimed your stance on the death penalty, abortion and the afterlife all at once and you still wouldn’t be judged as harshly.

For every piece of positive feedback I received, I garnered five negative comments. It reminded me of the usual treatment I receive at the hands of my fully developed, blonde soul patch that I rock unabashedly in general, but in this particular instance, concurrently with the Fedora hat — double trouble, baby.

Why does the Fedora generate such angst? Because it’s an affront to weak dudes. And weak dudes are currently perpetuating their gutless shtick at record levels, passing themselves off as “real dudes” to chicks who are desperate for the genuine article but are forced to settle for a POS facsimile; like buying movies from the bootleg DVD guy in your neighborhood rather than spending a little more time and money to purchase the real deal. Do perceived needs motivate your actions? You’re already missing the point.

But what’s cool about the Fedora from D&Y is how it makes you feel. And how you feel on the inside has a large hand in generating the situations you attract on the outside.

To game test my Fedora, I took it with me while I covered this BMX session in Orlando, Florida. If any place on earth was going to be appreciative of the Fedora, the last bastion had to be by the pool at the Universal Studios hotel in Orlando. And it was, by two smoking hot babes who happened to be lounging nearby.

Both ladies were quick to complement not only the hat, but the man wearing it. They said the hat “spoke to them,” and that any guy who had the balls to wear it, and effectively pull it off, was a guy they wanted to be around. A guy they wouldn’t regret sleeping with. In short, a fucking man.

So what if a couple farmers from Dubuque, IA didn’t think much of my Fedora; I thought their Dekalb logo-emblazoned t-shirts were as preposterous as the way they interspersed the word “ain’t” throughout their cheap, low-level casual conversation.

If you want to look like a garden variety dumbass with nothing to offer the world, particularly the fairer sex, the new line of hats from D&Y isn’t for you. But if you’re a man who looks good,\ because he takes the time to look good, cares about his appearance, and has the intellectual wit to match the exterior, a hat from D&Y is the perfect accessory for a well-maintained, coordinated wardrobe.

You may have to wade through some negativity, but it’s only because you look good and that makes weak dudes nervous. And they should be.

Check out the full line of D&Y Spring/Summer 2013 hats for men here.

If you or someone you know is shopping for shoes that can look great in both business casual and straight-up casual looks, check out the new Ledge Hill Wingtips from Rockport. We recently tested these fresh offerings from Rockport and the comfort level is really high. The Rockport Ledge Hill Wingtip men’s dress shoe takes the classic, dressy wingtip and makes it work for everyday casual occasions, with handsomely good looks and a wide array of colors and materials. The Ledge Hill Collection is the perfect embodiment of casual attitude that looks as good dressed up as it does dressed down. Full-grain leather is soft and supple with beautiful details that punctuate this lightweight shoe, which combines coziness with chic style.

You might know from checking out these shoes, but top of the line technology is involved here with:

· ADIPRENE that provides shock absorbing heel cushioning
· Full-grain leather that is easy to clean and maintain to extend product life, as well as suede leather which provides a casual look and great comfort
· EVA cushioning that conforms to the shape of the foot for a personalized fit

The bottom line is that the Rockport Ledge Hill wingtip has classic looks with modern technology that your feet will thank you for wearing every time!

Image Credit: Rob Dolecki/DigBMX.com

When Mountain Dew gave me the opportunity to head down to Orlando, Florida for two days to learn how to ride bikes with professional BMX riders Chad DeGroot and Mark Mulville, I couldn’t shirk off the responsibilities of fatherhood, home ownership and general employment fast enough.

Kickstart by Mountain Dew is a sparkling juice beverage made to kick-start your day and get your rear into gear. With just 80 calories per 16 oz serving and 92 milligrams of caffeine (roughly as much as one cup of coffee), Kickstart gets you moving without the bloated, heavy feeling supplied by most “energy drinks” on the market. Don’t think of this as an energy drink — think of it as Mountain Dew for breakfast! Didn’t we all go to school with someone who drank Mountain Dew for breakfast, anyway? My buddy Eric Hoffman drank so much in the ’90s he pisses Yellow #5 to this day, exclusively.

Loaded with Vitamins B and C, plus 5% fruit juice, it’s a morning drink (not an energy drink) that gets your body and your mind higher than BMX pro/stunt cock Mark Mulville off a 10-foot wall at Orlando Skate Park!

Speaking of OSP, (which is what you call it, Brojam), getting there at roughly 7 AM was a serious thing of beauty. The sun had just began to rise, which gave everything a cherubic, surreal glow, and was accompanied by an endless chorus of early morning bird chirping action. It was like a bird mixtape that you made to impress a chick (when you used to do shit like that), except this was played against the backdrop of crisp morning air and the excitement of doing something you had never done before: riding a BMX bike.

When I first attempted to straddle the BMX, my first concern was for my nutsac. I’m all vasectomied up, so I wasn’t worried about reproductive function being compromised (spray and pray, baby); I was literally worried about crushing my nutsac on the pointy plastic seat. When I asked pro rider Chad DeGroot about the protruding seat, which could tear anal membrane or ball sac-age with equal ease, he said, “Well, you really don’t have to worry because you’re usually standing when you’re on the bike, anyway.”

And with that, I mounted the bike from behind, and rode it, in a rather wobbly way for about 10-15 feet. The bike was really small, my legs felt super long, and the safety of my ballsac was still floating through my mind. Maybe it’s because when I was 13 and playing little league I watched a kid in the on-deck circle take a well hit, yet foul, line drive directly to the nuts which resulted in one of his balls deflating, right there on the field. What a sound!