A recent poll by Trevor Sorbie’s MG Grooming range revealed that while the fairer sex admitted to sneaking a peek at themselves up to 9 times a day, the average guy gazes at themselves more then 10 times each day,enjoying an extra 343 admiring glances each and every year.
It also found, one in four men in London admits that Mr Beckham is number one when it comes to hair idols! And fellas in Northern Ireland: (26.30%) spent the longest on their hair, followed by Wales (23.40%) then London (20.30%). So the big question is from all this research what exactly are the vainest cities (well by by mirror glances, anyway) Edinburgh: 13 times per day London: 12 times per day Cardiff: 12 times per day Birmingham: 10 times per day Liverpool: 9 times per day.
Surprisingly a whopping 18% of those questioned confessed they devote the most time preening their hair to perfection, with hair styling taking priority over shaving and even choosing their clothes. You might think looking perfectly coiffed was primarily the concern of the much maligned Southern male, traditionally considered to be vainer and more effeminate than their Northern and Western counterparts, but nearly a third of men in Cardiff admitted to spending longest on their hair, closely followed by those in Northern Ireland at 26%, compared to only 20% of Londoners. Whilst many men are happy to admit to using and buying their own grooming products, 5% of men admit to pinching their partner’s hair products to make sure they look their best. It’s the northern lads who top the poll as hair product pinchers with 11% of Geordies most guilty of cosmetic theft! For the Scots, fashion comes tops! When it comes to grooming they take the most time perusing their wardrobe, with over a quarter of those from Edinburgh spending longest on their sartorial choices, pipping fashion conscious Londoners to the post, with a more modest 18% claiming fashion as their priority.
Despite the increased vanity and focus on hair styling, the nation’s men are still choosing to play it safe with classic cuts like the short back and sides, and the crew cut proving most popular. While the influence of flamboyant footballers like Ronaldo was most pertinent in the early noughties, the matinée idol look is back in favour with all age groups. Shockingly, more than 5% of so called stylish Londoners admit to rocking a less than fashionable bowl cut, while more than 20% of those from Norwich are sporting luscious long locks!
Style 1: Short Back and Sides The classic short back and sides style clearly still resonates with modern men, emerging as the clear winner with a whopping 29% voting it their favourite look. Groomed but casual looking men such as model and actor Jamie Dornan (above) have been championing this look for some time, proving that classic doesn’t have to mean boring, with the right cut and styling products of course! Hailing from Northern Ireland, Jamie clearly represents his region with nearly 50% of those asked citing it as their favourite hairstyle. Interestingly Mancunians, long famous for their love affair with the mullet back in the 90’s, also chose this as one of their favourite looks. TOP TIP: Use MG Moulding Mud (below)to impart your own personality and stop this ‘do from looking too ‘done’.
Style 2: Crew Cut The classic crew is popular with British males, with 14.10% of men in the nation currently sporting the style. Crew cut celebs such as Jason Statham and Channing Tatum(above) proved equally popular in the celeb poll, voted the 6th most influential male celebrity hairstyle. TOP TIP: Use the MG Deep Clean Shampoo (below) to keep your scalp in tip top condition and prevent grease and product build up.
Style 3: The Combover Once the territory of older gents, the combover has clearly made a comeback with the younger generation in recent years proving most popular with 16-24 year olds, with 15% of those asked choosing this style. Tom Connell from the Trevor Sorbie Covent Garden salon, says the number of clients requesting this look has increased drastically in the last few years. “It used to be that we would get much older gents asking for this, although they do favour it flatter on the top than this latest incarnation. But now the ‘short on the sides, long on the top’ take on the combover is frequently requested from our younger client base, who often cite David Beckham as inspiration at consultation.” TOP TIP: Use MG Fibre Wax (below) to make sure your combover is kept in place, with minimum touch ups required pre-selfie.
Recognising a void in the market for men’s luxury grooming Barry Alford and Jefferson Hoffman set out to create a lifestyle brand directed at the “New Generation of Men”. Parlaying Jefferson’s business savvy and Barry’s medical industry experience. The duo are bringing a new level of luxury performance to men’s fragrance, with distinctive qualities that define the lifestyle of the next generation of men. Being both gifted athletes, the academic duo recognised the importance of performance, excellence and success to today’s “New Generation of Men” and set out to create a lifestyle brand that was distinctive, approachable and could successfully extend beyond its original product category. Combining entrepreneurial spirit, a passion for promoting confidence and sophistication for the contempory man.
