Next week sees the launch of The Grooming Station pop-up at St Pancras International Station. Showcasing the crème de la crème in men’s skincare and hair-styling, this eight week residency at London’s landmark commuter and retail hub will offer products and services by some of the leading names in male grooming, the likes of Bumble and bumble, Clinique For Men, LAB SERIES Skincare For Men and Origins For Men.

In its very first incarnation, this dedicated men’s space invites weary commuters to troubleshoot their skin and hair-care woes with the help of expert groomers and stylists who will be on hand seven, yes seven, days a week offering a 5-10 minute Consultations in  “Freshen-Up” Skincare and a 5-10 minute “Tidy Up” Haircare.

For commuters with no time to cleanse and treat tired skin, Clinique For Men, with their customised approach to men’s skincare will demonstrate the very best in grooming tools and know-how with their innovative Clinique for Men Sonic Brush and Skin Diagnostic tool.

Plus, for those seeking a re-energising boost with instant benefits, the technology-packed LAB SERIES AGE RESCUE+ Water-Charged Gel Cream is the ultimate quencher for thirsty skin and part of a high-tech product suite designed to transform your skin’s appearance.

Now if you Detoxed for Jan but forgotten to detox skin? Origins will be offering detoxifying skin consultations featuring the brand’s bestselling Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. Powered by Active Charcoal (the season’s hottest skincare ingredient), the detoxifying mask acts like a magnet to draw out pore-cloggers clearing the way for skin to act its best. Plus, as an added bonus, Origins will be giving away a free charcoal juice from Maple and Fitz with every consultation! Mmmmmmmm.

If that wasn’t enough, Über cool, New York hair brand Bumble and bumble will treat you to a “Tidy Up” hair consultation, a quick fix dry style that will make sure that you. Don’t like wax, pastes or hair creme? Let the Bumble and bumble stylists introduce you to Sumotech – a moulding compound that’s a combination of all three (and a marvel of modern technology). So if your thinking of a promotion, once these guys have finished with you, wouldn’t be a bad time to go for it !

Not only a one-stop-shop for services and your favourite grooming products, The Grooming Station will be partnering with some of London’s finest tradesmen, offering guest services in shoe shining and barbering from Oliver Sweeney and Manifesto as well as revitalising and invigorating pick me ups from OHAYO and Sipsmith.

A recent study carried out by Gillette‘s own in house Research and Development department found we are doing our skin not only a disservice but damage in the way we are shaving. And why should we pay particularly any attention to this research ? Well, for over 110 years, Gillette has delivered precision technology and improved the lives of over 800 million men around the world while assisting them with products for their skin and grooming routines. It found most guys take on average 170 strokes every time they shave, now of them 170 strokes, up to 120 of them are re-strokes over the same area of the face. The problem being, after the initial strokes have wiped away most of the protective shave gel, which acts as a buffer between our skin and the cold metal of the blade.

Despite all of the advances in blade technology, many guys still experience some irritation, largely due to these re-strokes. Instead of expecting guys to change how they shave, Gillette decided it had to  make its best razor blades even better to shield guys from irritation. Their new Fusion ProShield razor with lubrication before and after the blades shields against irritation during every shave – no matter how many strokes he takes.

Fellas have many grooming habits which ensure they are looking their best. But guys are often in auto-pilot mode doing these and other typical activities throughout the day, I means most of us are normally still fast asleep when we shave, the vast majority of the time. Some guy auto-pilot behaviours may include stroking their facial hair when thinking, sucking in their gut when seeing someone they are attracted to and taking a surprising number of strokes every time they shave. When it comes to shaving on auto-pilot, guys re-stroke over the same area, wiping away the shave gel. Shaving over the same spot without lubrication can cause skin irritation, redness and bumps that keep men from looking and feeling their best. That’s why the Gillette boffins dreamt up the Fusion ProShield, engineered to proactively shield against irritation, with new lubrication before the blades in addition to the Lubrastrip after the blades, while still delivering the closeness we desire and demand.

Such new features of this razor include, the thinnest, finest blade edges with less tug and pull on the skin, Blade Stability Bar maintains optimal blade spacing for exceptional comfort,  MicroComb to help guide stubble to the blades and two Lubrication Bar and stripe varieties in standard Yellow and a Blue chill with cooling technology.

Surely an offer to good too be true, well unfortunately, yes it is. I know, I know and particularly when the weather gauge seems to have been slammed to Arctic conditions, I shouldn’t tease you. But what you can do is metaphorically slip away to the relaxing and Sareen oasis that is Tuscan countryside, with the new Cologne Intense by Jo Malone London, Orris & Sandalwood. A wonderful new scent which has the surprising duality of orris. Woody and floral. Powdery and deep. The scent of Tuscan hillsides with irises in bloom. Orris’ woody intensity wrapped in creamy sandalwood and sensual amber. Steeped in sunshine. Captivating and compelling, see you could almost be there.

Master Perfumer of the new fragrance, Pierre Négrin, who has in the past been responsible for iconic fragrances from such houses as Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren, says of his creation, “We wanted to work with orris because it’s an extremely precious ingredient in perfumery. Orris is the root of the iris plant and it has been harvested in Tuscany for centuries, originally by monks.This scent was about framing the orris to bring out its unique duality; it is both woody and powdery, floral and deep. We achieved this by using other woods as well as painting a picture of the iris flower itself.”

Graham Fish isn’t a name that you automatically associate with the Glamourous  world of Beauty and Grooming, nonetheless you will have definately heard of the brands he has worked with the and the accomplishments he has achieved with these brands.

Over the last three decades Graham’s CV includes, Alberto Culver for 20 years with the VO5, Tresemme, Alberto andIndola ranges. He has turning around the loss making UK division taking VO5 styling to Number 1 styling brand. He was also responsible for developing Tresemme professionally and building overall sales to exceed £90 million.

With men-ü, Fish’s is passionate about the fundamental objective of the brand, to introduce more men to quality grooming whilst educating them on the modern brand and modern benefits, incorporating products that are different and make a difference.

Men-ü is a contemporary grooming range of men’s hair and skincare products. All products are ultra – concentrate formulae which facilitates use of a high percentage of active ingredients and the secret is to get them to where they are needed without waste meaning a longer lasting experience. The products fit neatly in the hand and into a man’s lifestyle, bathroom, sports or travel bag.

The range is also complemented with Italian PRO BLACK shaving brushes which use up to 40% less shave crème than animal bristles and are easier to keep clean and therefore more hygienic with no bristle loss. The black bristles which are exclusive to the brand are manufactured to be smooth, solid and non-absorbent.

However, the brand have another very significant string to their bow through the men-ü salon academy, based in Southampton. This is the centre for men-ü professional training and the product range, inviting salons and barbers to learn more about male grooming needs whilst highlighting the product benefits.

OK hands up who’s let the old shaving rituals fall be the wayside over the festive season ? Yep, thought so, me too, as much as the hipster facial hair growth is perfectly acceptable and offers a different look when the mood so takes us, a fresh clean shaven you is equally as appealing. So as the New Year is fresh and our resolutions are as yet, relatively, unbroken, let’s get back to the grindstone, off that sofa and look at the ancient art of shaving.

Stelios Nicolaou is Aveda’s Master Barber, leading the Aveda Men grooming destination with over 20 years of experience, offers us his three essential steps to remember when shaving;

1. Prep the Skin
2. Don’t shave against the grain
3. Invest in good blades

With this mantra fresh in our heads let’s look at some tools which can ensure each shave is the best a man can get !!!

So as Stel advises us, invest in good blades, well as the leading Market brand the Gillette Fusion ProGlide with FlexBall Technology responds to contours for maximum contact and gets virtually every hair. The razor is specifically designed with a 4-way flex for superior contact to respond to the contours of a man’s face, allowing for maximum contact on the curves.

If your after a little more luxury, then look no further than Acqua Di Parma’s Barbiere Collection which presents a well-balanced synthesis of elegant design, refined textures and stylish packaging designed with the modern man in mind.

For those not so keen on the more traditional of shaving rituals, the Braun Series 7 is a high performance shaver, designed to deliver greater comfort and efficiency due to its three-stage cutting system and fully flexible head that adapts to the individual contours of your face. The Series 7 does in one stroke what others shavers need to do in two. It delivers precision and a close shave, Braun was inspired by the quality results usually associated with wet shaving when creating the Braun Series 7. The foil shaver travels in straight lines, in keeping with the shaving habits of 80% of the world, which is not possible when using rotary shavers. The result is maximum control, precision, and less irritation.

Lab Series Electric Shave Solution Optimised for gents who prefer electric razors, this fragrance-free liquid preps skin and lifts facial hair for a clean, burn-free shave. It builds a protective layer that lessens the likelihood of nicks and is formulated with vitamin E to cool and refresh your complexion.

From personal experience Clinique for Men Post Shave Soother is a product which should be in EVERY man’s bathroom cabinet, no matter your skin type. It’s Aloe-rich formula helps soothe dryness, comforts just-shaven skin and leaves a pleasant calming feeling to the skin.

An all important and all to often forgotten step when it comes to shaving is prepping the skin before a shave to loosen up dead skin cells and soften beard hair, but also proper skin preparation will assist in preventing you from everything from razor burn to irritation, bleeding, sensitivity and ingrown hairs. NIVEA MEN Sensitive Face Wash is a specially developed, mild cleansing gel with Vitamin E. It cleans skin, removing dirt and excess oil, reduces impurities and doesn’t dry out skin or leave it feeling taut.

Never tried a scrum and alway use a foam or cream, well think again, a large number of foams and cream can be soap based which can result in drying out of your skin. Plus, a face full of lather may look great, but is it really helping, or is it just hiding your stubble ? Aesop’s neroli-infused serum has a low-foaming texture that facilitates the perfect shave. Formulated with a blend of gentle hydrating botanicals, this product allows razor-close precision without assaulting or aggravating skin.

Lastly, if this is something you want to take a little more seriously, this makes a perfect gift either for someone or yourself even. This is a comprehensive kit from specialist grooming company Pankhurst London who has your whole routine covered. After cleansing, use the perfectly weighted brush to apply the shaving cream and finish with the soothing Ice Gel for a confident start to the day.