Category: Grooming (Page 28 of 29)

Axe “Guys and Girls” study shows the importance of good grooming

July 26, 2010 /

Most of us guys think we know it all when it comes to grooming and women. Wrong! There is no better way to learn about both subjects than a real live study. Good thing our friends at AXE are on the ball and these results are worth noting.

This AXE study was conducted with Guys and Girls at six major U.S. colleges and universities to learn what they thought about male grooming. In this study 261 guys were asked to shower with bar soap for one week and with AXE shower gel and the AXE detailer shower tool for one week (for all of you guys out there that don’t use AXE don’t get too nervous as no permanent damage is done just yet!).

Here are some of the results for all of the inquiring minds out there:

* 66% of girls surveyed felt that a guy who put more effort into their personal hygiene was sexy.

* A shower a day makes the girls want to play! 75% of the girls said they would only date a guy who showered daily.

* 81% of the girls said they’d be more willing to shower at a guys apartment if he had AXE Shower Gel in his shower (and not bar soap only). I can just see sales of AXE going gangbusters right now…..

* 90% of guys said they smelled better after using AXE Shower Gel.

* 88% of guys felt more confident in high pressure situations including presentations after showering with AXE.

* (This is the big one) While using AXE Shower Gel and the AXE Detailer Shower tool, guys were seven times more likely to hook up than guys who used bar soap alone.

Dating, Grooming, The Opposite Sex

Get a natural shave with Everblade

July 26, 2010 /

Everblade logo.We received some samples of pre shave gel, shave lather and after shave moisturizer from the folks at EverBlade. After using these products several times a few things stood out. 1) These products are really made from a natural preservative system without dyes, or alcohol and is chemical free. 2) You can tell all three products are of high quality and smell really good.

Knowing that this set is about as natural as you will find out there in shaving products combined with the fresh clean feeling you get your day off to a smart start! I really noticed how smooth and moisturized my face felt after finishing off my shave with the EverBlade after shave product.

Granted you will pay more for EverBlade than off the shelf shaving products at your drug store but if you are going for the natural shaving products and want to do your own thing you will probably be happy with your purchases.

Grooming, Lifestyle

Brother, Can You Spare Some Style?

July 20, 2010 /

Disclosure: Sponsored Post

Click to see all of the posts in my Gillette Pro series.

There’s an ad campaign out there – we’re not naming any names, but you’ve almost certainly seen it – which asks the question, “What’s in your wallet?” In these trying economic times, the answer for all too many of us is, “Not nearly as much as there used to be,” and if you’re one of the folks who currently finds themselves in the midst of a search for employment, then you’re probably really feeling some lightness in your back pocket.

It can be rather disheartening when you’re trying to balance your budget, and we know that you need to find places to cut down on expenses, but be sensible, man, and keep yourself looking stylish at all costs. After all, did not the great philosopher Fernando once say, “It is better to look good than to feel good”?

Indeed, he did, and you must heed his words, for he is far more marvelous than you or I.

So how do you go about maintaining your outer awesomeness for future job interviews without having to break the bank? No, it’s not just about closing your eyes while you’re eating Ramen noodles and pretending it’s a sirloin steak…although, come to think of it, that actually worked pretty well for me when I was in college. If you put a bit of thought, care, and concern into your efforts, you can still come out with the right clothes, the right shoes, and, of course, the right shave.

Job Interview

As to the latter category…wait, hang on, let me just walk over to the CD player and cue up “Hymn for a Contractual Obligation”…we’ve already discussed in a previous column about how guys tend to buy a razor and stick with it for the long haul, so just go ahead and invest in Gillette’s new Fusion ProGlide and get it over with. First and foremost, it proves an awesome shave, but more importantly in this instance, odds are that you won’t feel the urge to replace it until well after you’ve found gainful employment again. As for your shaving gel and any of the other products with which you prefer to pamper your face, start scouring the Sunday papers for coupons as well as fliers for sales at your neighborhood drug store or pharmacy. If you keep your eyes open, the odds of you having to pay full price for these amenities drop significantly.

But what of the right clothes? Or, more importantly (as far as women are concerned, anyway), the right shoes?

Don’t freak out on me here, but…have you considered going the secondhand-store route? Kids, thrift stores aren’t just for hipsters anymore. They’re a great place to get near-new clothes, and if you investigate the scene and scout out the locations nearest to your area’s highest-priced homes, you’ll be astonished at the quality of clothing you can find…and, more importantly, the breadth of the big-name brands amongst their selection. How do you find the secondhand and thrift stores in your area? Well, first and foremost, there’s The Thrift Shopper, a one-stop web destination for all your thrift shopping needs. Per the site, “Search for thrift stores in our national thrift store directory, join our online thrifting community, and learn more about thrift shopping!” Beyond that, though, here are some of the more prominent names in the business that are likely to have locations in your neck of the woods:

• CHKD Thrift Stores
• The Salvation Army
• Goodwill

But, okay, maybe you just can’t get past seeing secondhand stores as a step down. If that’s the case, then try their upscale cousins: consignment shops. Or you can let the crappy economy work for you and keep an ear to the ground for word on going-out-of-business sales. Or, heck, you could even consider checking out the occasional estate sale. Yeah, it’s a little grim, but just imagine the possibilities for retro fashion!

Guys, how do you manage to save money but still look your best?

Look, no one ever said it was going to be easy to look good, but with a little effort, at least it doesn’t have to be expensive. So get out there, beat the street, and turn that reasonably-priced look of class into a new job that kicks ass!

Grooming, Lifestyle

Facial Hair—As Seen on TV

June 22, 2010 /

Disclosure: Sponsored Post

Click to see all of the posts in my Gillette Pro series.

As someone who was facial-hair free for the first two decades of his life and has occasionally re-embraced that appearance (often without intending to do so, but that’s a story for another time), I certainly wouldn’t dismiss anyone from going after a nice, clean-shaven look. All it takes is the press of a button on your remote control, however, to see that many of today’s TV stars are quite happy to sport a ‘stache, grow a goatee, or cultivate a beard.

Given that my livelihood involves praising and, as often as not, criticizing small-screen programming, this can sometimes prove to be a problem for me, and depending on your viewing habits, it’s possible you’ve experienced this same situation: you watch a show, you see an actor who’s carefully farming his facial hair, and you find yourself thinking, “Say I wonder if *I* could pull that off…”

Unless you’ve got a professional stylist in your corner, the probable answer is, “No, you can’t,” but there are certain styles that still continue to breed amongst the general public as a result of having gotten significant television exposure.

Here are just a few:

· The Obsequious Interviewer’s Beard. It’s a given that you should be well-versed in movie trivia if you decide to adopt this look, but the most important procedure surrounding this beard is regular conditioning, as you will find yourself stroking it in a contemplative manner whenever anyone is speaking to you. Nobody likes beardruff. (You know, dandruff of the beard…?)

· The Reality-Show Beard. Yes, it’s scraggly. If you’re trying to survive for some reason or find yourself in a race that one might choose to describe as amazing, then you’re not going to have time to keep it neat and trim. Still, it has a certain rugged charm to it. NOTE: This beard is only included under the presumption that, at some point, you’ll want to tighten it up a bit…and when you do, might I suggest – particularly as a result of contractual obligation – that you might consider using Gillette products? I hear good things about the Gillette Fusion ProGlide…

Gillette TV· The Alternate-Universe Goatee. It’s a longstanding staple of science fiction television that, should a show’s characters ever find themselves in an alternate universe where everyone has a counterpart; the counterpart of one of the clean-shaven male characters will sport a goatee. Growing one of these is an instant opportunity to do things different from the way you ordinarily would, and it also provides you with an instant out: just shave and say, “That wasn’t me! It must have been my counterpart from that other universe!” Works every time.

· The Bad-Ass Cop Scruff. You have to walk a very fine line to be able to get this just right, because if you’re not careful, you might find yourself with the better part of a beard before you know it. In addition, a nice-looking wardrobe goes a long way, as raggedy clothes will transform a bad-ass into a bum in most people’s eyes. Lastly, those who aren’t fond of sunglasses will need to practice their steely stare to accomplish maximum bad-assery.

· The Hawaiian Private Investigator ‘Stache. When it comes to TV-inspired facial hair, this is the trickiest of all looks, not to mention the most expensive, as you not only have to be able to look good wearing Hawaiian shirts, but you also have to be able to afford to drive a Ferrari 308 GTS. To date, only one man has ever successfully pulled this off. I can’t quite recall his name, though. I want to say it might be Thomas something…

As noted, these are just a few of the facial-hair looks that you can find up and down your TV dial…if, y’know, your TV happens to be thirty years old and still has a dial…but whether you choose one of these looks or go for something from a different realm altogether, be aware that your results will vary wildly. Just because you can reproduce the beard, goatee, or ‘stache down to the last whisker doesn’t mean that it’s going to look the same on you as it does on them, so once you’ve shaved it into what you perceive to be perfection, examine your new look and treat it like a network executive looking at a TV pilot. Ask yourself, “Do I deserve to be picked up or passed over?” If it’s the latter, then you know what you need to do: wipe the slate clean and start again from scratch.

Hey, that’s show biz!

Grooming, Lifestyle, Television

Take My Wife, Please (Just Leave My Razor)

June 8, 2010 /

Disclosure: Sponsored Post

Click to see all of the posts in my Gillette Pro series.

Let’s talk about the battle of the sexes, shall we? Not in the traditional sense, as in “men are better than women” or “women are better than men,” because that’s just not a road I’m willing to go down. I mean, I’m married: by definition, that means that any answer I give is the wrong one unless it matches the one given by my wife. No, in this case, I’m talking about the way men and women battle against body hair and how differently they tend to spend their money.

For instance, when was the last time you bought a new razor? And when you bought it, how much did you spend on it? I asked my wife how long ago she suspected it was that I bought my last razor, and while she didn’t know specifically, she was at least confident that it wasn’t in 2010.

“I’m sure it’s been at least a year,” she said. “All I know is that the last one got so gross-looking that I thought it was going to fall apart. I’ve had four or five since then! Guys tend to get a good razor and keep it for years. Women don’t have that. There are very few razors for women that aren’t disposable, but guys get a razor, and they stick with it for the long haul.”

She’s right…well, except for the bit about non-disposable razors for women. (What, like you didn’t think I’d throw in a plug for the Gillette Venus?) But when I buy a razor, I’ve always stuck to the basics, and when I buy a razor, I use it ‘til it falls apart. I’ve never had any problems with these tendencies…or, at least, I hadn’t until I invited my wife into this discussion.

I knew that bringing her into the conversation was going to be like traversing a minefield…and it was: when I first brought up the topic of shaving, she cut me a look that said, “If you’re suggesting that my legs aren’t smooth enough, I’m going to slug you.” Once we got over that hump, though, she made some very interesting observations about how men are beginning to reevaluate the importance of shaving. By her theory, it may have something to do with a certain television show about 1950s ad men…not that we’re naming any names.

“You know how those guys go to the barber shop and get a straight-razor shave, get lathered up, have a hot towel placed on their face, and all that stuff?” she asked me. “I’m sorry, but that is a man facial! Men used to place a lot of importance in a good, clean shave. But, sweetie, grunge is over, and now’s your chance to get some of the same feelings that guys in the ‘50s used to get, but in the privacy of your own home.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I look back at that comment, it translates into, “Sweetie, you have my permission to spend as much money as you want on a quality razor, shaving gel, and anything else you think will make your face look good and feel good.” (Thanks, honey.)

When you think about it, it does make sense: given how rarely I replace my razors, there’s no real reason why I shouldn’t take some of the money I’ve saved and buy a really, really good one…possibly a Gillette Fusion ProGlide, he remarked, as casually as his contractual obligations would allow. You should, however, plan on me keeping that razor for at least a year, maybe longer. I’m resigned to some change, but, damn, I can’t change everything.

I don’t think that men will ever place quite the same importance on shaving as women do. I mean, even my wife admits, “Women are more high maintenance than men to begin with, so it stands to reason that they’d be that way about their shaving!” Try to imagine a guy walking into a grocery store or pharmacy, looking through the dozens of shaving creams and gel and selecting one based on color, scent, and other chemical attributes, then looking at the specific properties of the razors, then contemplating the type of moisturizer to use afterwards. I’m not saying that guys don’t do all of those things – a lot of us certainly do – but if you checked the average amount of time each gender spends on the selection process, the time spent by women is a heck of a lot longer.

With that said, though, if I’m going to spend a bit more money to look and feel my best during and after my shave, the least I can do is take the time to make sure I’m getting a product that’ll leave me feeling that I’ve gotten my money’s worth, right?

Ah, forget it. I’ll just let my wife pick something out for me.

Grooming, Lifestyle

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