Category: For Men

The world's oldest perfumes can be traced back over 4000 years ago. Archaeologists in the Pyrgos region of Cyprus discovered scent bottles containing extracts of lavender, bay, rosemary and pine. It was in fact Islamic cultures in the East that perfected the extraction of fragrances through steam distillation and introduced new raw materials to the industry. The eventual adoption of perfume in Europe came in the 14th century. The modern-day cologne was created just over 500 hundred years ago in Hungary. That combination of scented oils and alcohol solution that we are familiar with today as cologne, eau de toilette and eau de parfum was invented at the command of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary and was famous throughout Europe and named Hungary Water. The wealthy Medici families of Italy and subsequently the royalty of France were the ones to really push perfume into the everyday life with stories that Napoleon himself would dab perfume on his wrists before going in to battle. There were no real distinctions between fragrances for men and women at this stage and the development of men’s colognes came later in 1709 in Cologne when Italian expat Giovanni Maria Farina invented a perfume to celebrate his new hometown. With notes of flowers, herbs and citrus, the fragrance was a fresh and welcome contrast to the heavy scents favoured at the time. The eau de cologne was adopted by men as the scent of choice. The eight generation Farina family still produce the original eau de cologne today. In the last century the male fragrance came into being when in 1934, Caron founder Ernest Daltroff, created the very first fragrance for men. Parfums Caron is a legendary French perfume house founded by Ernest Daltroff in 1904. Daltroff called his new fragrance “Pour Un Homme” (For A Man) and it featured notes of lavender and vanilla with a musky amber and cedar wood base. Legendary perfume house, Creed also produced masculine fragrances but they were usually exclusive commissions from royalty. Since then Acqua di Parma Colonia and Guerlain’s Pour Monsieur were fragrances devised for scenting men’s handkerchiefs rather than skin. Cologne for men has come a long way since its origins and is now a staple of the modern man’s grooming routine. In 1994 it was reported that 20 bottles of CK One were sold every minute. For many men now the cologne is a staple part of their grooming routine. In more recent times the development of unisex fragrances like CK One has blurred the lines between what we believe is a masculine or feminine scent and a new range of floral scents for men and women have been born. Tom Ford Black Orchid is a classical example as too is the entire Private Collection from Tom Ford which is deliberately androgynous with its mix of floral, woody and citrus notes. Where we see fragrance come full circle is in the Middle-Eastern market where heady oud’s laced with the sweetest roses, vibrant jasmine and delicate violets reign supreme. The place where perfume started is now leading the way in a new approach to men’s fragrance.

Hairstyling products go back as far as the ancient Egyptians where men would style their hair with a fatty type of hair gel. In recent times more refined products have been invented which create different styling effects dependant on the hairstyle or look. Mass produced hair products came about in the 1920’s with the invention of Brylcream which became the market leader among hair styling products in both the U.K. and the U.S. In 1948, Chase Products became the first company to package hair spray. Hair spray became very popular in the 1950s due to its ability to keep hair in place and prevent hair from falling out of a styled look. These days the range of products is vast from pomades and putties to salt sprays and serums. Here we take a look at some of the main options available these days and how best they will work for you and your style. Fibre Fibre gives you high hold with a matte finish, and should be applied to clean, dry hair. It's ideal for textured, messy styles on guys with short and medium hair. Serums The most popular serums are on-greasy and help to control your hair without weighing it down. This formulation uses a blend of different oils to protect your hair from humidity while smoothing dry ends.  If you've got curly hair, this could be your new go-to. Hair Cream Hair creams are great for dry, curly, longer, or thinning hair and for ensuring you can still run your fingers through your hair. They help to moisturise and sometimes even nourish the hair and scalp. If you tend to wash your hair a lot then hair creams will help lock in moisture and nutrients a bit like wearing a conditioner all day. Pomade Pomades can be dated back as far as the 18th century and were originally used as an ointment. Derived from the French word pomade meaning ‘ointment’ they later became a hair product. Pomade is a male hair styling product that creates a shiny, firm, long lasting hold. Pomades usually have a high amount of shine and are best to use with a comb (to avoid the clumpy-hair look!). The work well with the pompadour look and give flexibility to change styles easily by combing through. Clay Clay works well on all hair textures and lengths but particularly well on messy choppy looks that require more texture. Clay tends to be more matt and less greasy and is great for absorbing excess oil for a voluminous, textured look with zero shine. Wax Wax is similar to a pomade but its main ingredient is beeswax and combines the shine of the pomade with the hold and flexibility of the clay. Shorter to medium-length hair and all hair types. The results are a medium hold, shine, and flexibility with either slight shine or a semi-matte finish and is perfect for shorter to medium length hairstyles.

Most of us are happy to see the sun arriving and revel in the possibility of soaking up the sun’s rays. Those of us living in hot countries are aware of the potential for tanning and getting a healthy glow. But it’s not all good news. Getting burnt can be an unpleasant side effect. We all need to be aware of the effect on our skin too much sun can have and protect ourselves. The suns rays are made up of two types, Ultra Violet A (UVA) and Ultra Violet B(UVB) These rays effect the Epidermis, or outer layer and the Dermis or under layer. UVB light is the most harmful causing redness and burning in the early stages but can have ageing effects over years of exposure. They can also be responsible for melanomas and the least dangerous but most common forms of skin cancer. Anyone who purchases cosmetics will be familiar with the letter’s SPF on those products. SPF stands for Sun Protection factor, a rating scale, indicating the strength of the protection afforded from using the product. The rating is usually from 15 to 50. No sun protection factor can give a hundred per cent protection from harmful rays but generally speaking the number given indicates the amount of time one can stay in the sun without these harmful side effects. If skin burns or reddens after being in the sun for 10 minutes, an SPF factor 15 like Alpha H Absolute Eye Cream SPF 15 20ml, can allow one to be in the sun for 150 minutes, an SPF factor of 50 can afford protection for 500 minutes. Our skin is the largest organ in our body and It is very important if we want to keep our skin looking and feeling healthy and young to properly protect it. Of course, the sun provides us with more than just Ultra Violet light and is a source of Vitamin D, a vitamin very important for health and wellbeing. However, many doctors are advocating taking vitamin D as an additional supplement and protecting our skin with Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of the strength suitable for our individual skin types. Look out for products mentioning SPF on the packaging like Decleor Protective Hydratin Milk 150ml Aroma Sun Expert SPF 30 and Uriage Depiderm Anti Brown Spot Hand Cream 50ml SPF 15 try to use at least one in your daily routine either as a moisturiser or as a sun block. The rewards will be younger looking skin over time and less chance of developing any skin related diseases.