Grooming Kit For Men.

Long gone is the era where grooming was thought to be a lady's thing. For a modern stylish man, grooming himself is a crucial aspect of his life.

It is a key factor in his overall personality and has the power to make his impression on others. Just like man with clean hands and feet will give out his sense of cleanliness, there are other parts of your body that say a lot about you. Here are 10 products that you must have in your grooming kit so as to be called a well-groomed man.

1. Hair Styling Product

Every man is a sucker of trendy hairstyles. To style your hair, you might be ruining it by not opting for the right hairstyling product. Paul Mitchell, Toni & Guy, Macadamia etc. have great hair products and are must-have in your grooming kit.

2. Shower Gel

You need a shower gel to take your showering experience to an all new high. The good old bathing bar can never give you the luxurious feeling like a shower gel. Forest Essentials, The Nature’s Co, L’Oreal Paris for men, Molton Brown are some brands which produces great and must have products in your grooming kit.

3. Trimmer

You need a trimmer not only to keep your moustache or beard well trimmed, but to keep your body hair in check too. We're not in the Anil Kapoor era anymore, remember? Get a sturdy hair trimmer in your grooming kit by Philips or Nova and ease yourself out of your hairy zones.

4. Shaving Kit

This doesn't even need a justification. Having your own shaving kit will save you a lot of time that you waste in frequenting the salon. Park Avenue, Pearl, Nivea, Nova, Gillette etc. provides shaving kit which makes sure you get a salon like experience at home. Some Brands like Ustraa, Beardo etc. provides oil for hair, beard and mustache.

Photo credit: Google images.

5. Bathing Bar

Of course, you use a bathing bar, and every day we hope. However, an ordinary bathing bar will never make you feel fresh and rejuvenated. A good bathing bar will not strip your skin of its moisture and will replenish it with essential nutrients instead. The Fiama Di Wills Men's bathing bar and Wild Stone Bathing bar are best recommendation by personal experience.

6. Face Wash

It is high time you stopped subjecting your face to the harshness of soap. Your face is more precious and sensitive than your body which is why it needs more sensitive products. Garnier, Nivea, Fair & Handsome etc can be used.

7. Deodorant/ Perfume

 

Yes, we all know that everyone has their own body-scent and is often a turn on for the opposite sex and so on. However, the scent often gets overpowered by that thing called perspiration. Especially during the summers, batting for your own scent would be fatal to others. Get a good deodorant like Wild Stone, Mont Blanc, Azzaro, Bogart, Giorgio Armani, Ferrari etc can be in your grooming kit and be prepared to be complimented on how wonderful you smell.

8. Scrub

Scrubbing, yet again, is not a girl thing. It not only removes dead cells but also helps prevent ingrown hairs. Using it every night will change how the texture of your face feels to you and your special someone. Valmont face scrub, Billy jealousy, Mario Badescu, Dermalogica, Aramis, Bioelements etc. are trusted brands for your grooming kit.

9. Moisturizer

A moisturizer is a must for everyone. Not only does it give your face and body its much needed moisture but it also helps in softening your face stubble. After all, you wouldn't want your stubble to cause pain or discomfort to the girl while cozying up. Nivea has some good products up its sleeve and will leave you with an enviably smooth skin.

10. Lip Balm

You possibly wouldn't want to lose out on an sharing a great kiss because of your chapped lips, right? Have a lip balm with you at all times because they are in need of hydration almost all the time. Try products by Himalaya, Nivea or Jovees since they are known to give good results.

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Wallet : First Weapon Of A Stylish Man!

Imagine this: you are talking to a small group of people.  Things are going great–in fact you feel this could really lead to something big.  Then someone asks for your business card.

You reach into your pocket and pull out……a huge lump of nylon and duct tape with tattered receipts and dozens of rupees, bills sticking out from the corners.  Fumbling through the tightly wound ball of “important” items carried “just in case,” you finally manage to find a card after 5 minutes of searching. It’s marked up and bent, but hey–it’s a card, right?

Not a great impression, eh?

If you have had the same wallet since seventh grade, perhaps it is time to invest in something a little more mature and appropriate.

A gentleman’s wallet needs to be two things:

1) Functional

2) Presentable

Both of these have a lot to do with what you are carrying, so get ready to clean house.

Functional:  What Your Wallet Needs

If you are guilty of carrying around a torn wallet, one that is stuffed to the brim, waiting to explode and blow all your “important” papers to the wind, then you really should consider going through your wallet and stripping it down to its bare essentials. Because not only does an overstuffed wallet look kind of silly when you pull it out in public, it also does a count on your clothing and appearance when it’s being carried around in your pocket. A giant wallet in the back pocket of your pants makes sitting down uncomfortable and your backside look like it’s growing an unsightly tumor. Carrying an overstuffed wallet in your coat pocket weighs you down on one side, making the jacket’s shoulders a little lopsided. And regardless of the pocket you put it in, a heavy wallet will create creases that shorten the lifespan of the garment.

So if you want to streamline your wallet, how do you figure out what should stay and what should go? Here are some suggested guidelines:

Must have Items in Gentleman’s Wallet

Cash 

Although credit cards and other forms of electronic payment have become dominant in how we exchange money, cold hard cash is still widely accepted and in some instances preferred.  It’s fast, convenient, and from a vendor’s perspective has no processing fee (which is why you see discounts occasionally).   Cash is king when it comes to tips and paying for quick services where electronic payment forms require extra time and you would rather just pay and be on your way.

Identification

Stick to the bare minimum here.  A driver’s license/state identification card should be your default.  You may need a second ID for your job or school, but try to stop there.  No need to carry your international driver’s licenses or passport unless you’re in a foreign country.  And even then I prefer to keep a photocopy and leave my original in a hotel safe or other secure area.

Photographs

Carry your and your family's passport size photographs in your wallet. It gives you strength and positive energy in bad times.

Credit Cards 

 

Carry 1-2 credit or debit cards.  Here is where a lot of people go overboard–in fact the average American has 7 cards!  You do not need to carry your Visa, Mastercard,  American Express, Discover, and 3 fuels cards with you at all times. 

However, I do like to carry both a debit and credit card.  Although my debit card can be used as a credit card, certain companies will not allow you to use it as a deposit card (car rental services when you are out of state–my experience).  Also the better credit cards offer a wide variety of protections not offered to debit card purchases.

Visiting Cards 

I suggest carry 2-3 your own visiting cards in your wallet and not to carry a visiting card holder, since it never comes a situation where you have to give 40-50 visiting cards in a day, but yes if you are going for meeting or business tour, please carry a card holder instead of putting cards in your wallet.

Presentable: What Your Wallet Needs

Choose your wallet wisely.

Prefer the brand according your budget.

Always choose a good quality leather if you are going for leather wallet.

Don't ever carry a worn and torn wallet.

Don't every carry above items in your shirt's pocket.

Don't carry to much documents and cards in your wallet which make it heavy.

Totally NO-NO situation.

 

Thank You.

Email : raval_rachit@yahoo.in

Wallet: The First Thing A Man Should Know About!

It is that time of year again where the nights are long, the temperature is dropped and the high streets are packed with shoppers. As the festive season begins a lot of people will be buying wallets and purses as presents. So, I thought this would be a good time to pass on a few tips on what to look for. There are five things to look for when choosing a new wallet:

Quality of Leather

The first thing to check is the quality of the leather. A lot of leather these days is processed to remove imperfections, which makes it feel plastic. This is called top-grain and should be avoided. Instead, look for wallets made of full-grain leather. Full-grain has not been “corrected” making it stronger and more durable. Most important of all, it has more character because you can see each pore and crease that makes the leather unique.

Build-up

Next you should look at how the wallet is made. There are two main types of wallet construction: Turned or Cut edge. Cut Edge is where the leather is cut and stitched together leaving the raw edge visible. The edge is usually coated in black resin but will eventually degrade and deteriorate. Turned Edge is where the edge of the leather is thinned and then turned before being stitched in place. It takes longer to make a wallet like this and when made by expert craftsmen will last for many years. In short, always buy a quality Turned Edge wallet.

The Turnover

It is very important to check the craftsmanship that’s gone in to making a wallet. A good test is the width of the turnover and position of the stitching. A well-crafted wallet should have a narrow turnover with the stitching positioned centrally. A poorly crafted wallet will have a wider turnover, allowing a greater margin of error, and often crooked stitching. In addition, the leather should have been thinned before being turned, meaning there shouldn’t be a lip when you run your thumb across the turned edge.

Blue Print Of Wallet as per Discussed Tips.

Corners

The corners are another key test of craftsmanship. Properly crafted corners are thinned down, pleated in to a rounded corner and then stitched in place. No cuts are made to the leather as it weakens the wallet as a whole. Any wallet with right-angled corners is a sure sign of poor craftsmanship. If you can see a diagonal cut then the wallet has been made on the cheap.

Creasing

Last but not the least, any quality wallet should have creases made by a hot iron alongside the turned edge stitching, on the credit card slots and the note dividers. It is purely accentuates the clean lines of the wallet, but it’s a kind of attention to detail usually missed or poorly executed on a badly crafted wallet.

As you can see, there’s more to choosing a quality wallet than meets the eye. I hope, after getting equipped with above tips you’ll be able to shop with confidence. So, brace yourself up for the crowded high street, safe in the knowledge that this will be a present they’ll enjoy for years to come.

Thank you.

Email : raval_rachit@yahoo.in

Cracking the Code: Monsoon Styling Tips for Men!

Rain keeps surprising people all over the world. If we talk about India, It’s very easy to be surprised by rain, especially in places like Delhi, Gujarat and Rajasthan where you just don’t get enough of it.

We are rarely seen using umbrellas to shield ourselves from these eagerly awaited downpours. Umbrellas and raincoats be damned! However, if you are one of those guys who likes to get drenched in style, here are a few tips that will help you look like a player even when you are soaked to the bone!

Clothes

Jeans!

I think that it is NOT the ideal fabric for getting wet. It refuses to dry quickly and for those who have sensitive skin it leaves them with butt rashes. But given the fact that it is such a practical option (especially the darker shades of blue and black) most guys (IDIOTS) will brave the soaking and the rashes (talcum powder, anyone) rather than going for a water friendly fabric.

If we have to wear jeans in rain why not go for something more comfortable? Stretch denim has a small percentage of Spandex, which dries faster and its stretchable character doesn’t allow it to stick to your body even when wet. Moreover stretch denim has the advantage of resembling true denim more than any other blend.

Brands Recommendation: Killer Jeans, Levi’s and Of course Zara.

If you are in a mood to experiment further with your denim fabrics, bull denim is highly recommended. It is made up of cotton wool fabric which is un-dyed and really soft to touch. But its softness doesn’t translate into reduced lifespan. It is in fact more durable and long lasting than traditional jeans. Like Spandex, jeans made from bull denim, due to its high percentage of cotton tends to dry quickly. The softness of the fabric also helps in avoiding rashes and itchiness. 

Shirts and T-shirts!

Make room in your wardrobe for some light colorful fabrics and exotic prints. Printed tees and light cotton shirts are monsoon must haves.

You can also go for casual shirts and casual field jackets which would give you a fun yet sophisticated look. Men this year have a number of exciting colors to choose from. The color scale plays with earthly (brownish) greens coupled with new shades of purple, orange and pink. Beige is another new color which would uplift your mood and give you a Tucson monsoon experience.

Brands Recommendation: Polo, Liverpool, Peter England, Caricature, Puma, Caribbean Joe, Fizzaro, Caris Cuff, Mark Williams  

Footwear

What I don’t like about monsoon is mud and dirty roads which ultimately make your shoes wet and dirty. Canvas should obviously be avoided but given the stylish new range from Corverse, guys would be hard pressed to leave their trendy converse shoes at home. After all who wants to be sensible when you have fashion in your mind. Go for washable Flip fops. Obviously you can’t wear them to work but they work fine for walks or casual hangouts.

Brands Recommendation: Bata, Khadim’s, Action, Ajanta, Elite, Davinchi 

Watches

Don’t flaunt your Rolex or Tag Heuer in this season, if it isn’t waterproof. It would cost your happiness if your expensive watch stop working after getting wet in the rain. (You may lose your Girlfriend if it’s gifted by her. :P ) 

Hair Style

I suggest short, cool and fuss-free hairstyle during monsoon. Trust me, it will save you a hell lot time. Washing and grooming hair in this season could be a tedious task.

My Formal look as per above Recommendations.

This post is brought to you by Rachit Raval.

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