CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

Now if your anything like me and not particularly fond of shaving, but have to in their grown up by day career, obvs by night, I’m an international playboy/crime fighting superhero, but by day I have have to be semi sensible and as responsible as I can humanly muster. One of the few benefits of Covid19 have been not have to endure the daily grind of shaving. If I’m completely honest, since lockdown has begun, I’ve had a trim once.

Nearly a third of all UK men are growing a beard during the coronavirus lockdown, according to a new survey conducted.

The astonishing fact (30.4%) shows that the lockdown is allowing men to experiment with facial hair in the way they’ve always wanted. From the survey conducted that means that over seven million men are currently growing a beard. 

Before the Coronavirus lockdown there were approximately 5.3m men who had a beard. But it seems that we’ve now fallen back in love with facial hair.

The survey also shows that nearly a half (47.5%) of the British public believe that men with beards look sexier, more masculine and more powerful than others.

The survey was conducted on 1,000 British people by Danish beard grooming company, Copenhagen Grooming, who’ve seen the demand for their products increase by 278% during the coronavirus lockdown from February 21st – April 21st 2020. 

And it’s no surprise that the top three most handsome celebrities with beards are David Beckham (43.2%), Idris Elba (35.8%) and Tom Hardy (31.3%) according to the survey.

The survey also showed the three celebrities with the worst beards were Joe Sugg (2.4%) Wayne Rooney (4.2%) and Steven Gerrard (4.5%). 

Surprisingly, male supermodel David Gandy (6.1%) and comedian come philosopher and sometimes actor, Russell Brand (7.7%) both received a very low percentage from the British public.  

Simon Bang, Co-founder of Copenhagen Grooming (CG) said: “Now is the perfect time to let your luscious beards grow and it’s amazing to see that nearly a third of men in the UK are currently growing a beard, so don’t stop guys.

“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in traffic to our website and social channels from the UK since the Coronavirus lockdown began and we have just launched a new social media campaign called #StayInGrowOut, encouraging men to grow out their beards in isolation whilst they freely can. We’ve already seen some incredible beards. Let’s hope everyone keeps going with growing.”

Traditionally, there are some men who aren’t able to grow their beard out due to work, or others who have just been too scared to take the plunge. With the current lockdown, British men have the opportunity to get through the awkward patchy phase without relentless teasing and decide whether they love their beard gains.

Surprisingly, almost one fifth (19.5%) of Brits believe that beards should be washed multiple times throughout the day. Simon Bang commented: “We were surprised to see many people believing that beards need to be washed this often. To ensure your beard and the skin underneath is hydrated and looked after correctly, our recommendation is to wash your beard as often as you deem necessary, however, usually 2-3 times a week will suffice, using a beard wash designed to remove filth and dirt while leaving your beard’s natural oils intact.

“We originally started CG as a core team of three people in Barcelona and one person in Denmark, built on the belief that we’re stronger together. Our mission is to design products that help men grow and groom awesome beards, so with this in mind, we have just launched 8AM Splash, a new mild beard wash with natural active ingredients that will leave your facial fuzz in perfect balance.” 

This research was conducted by Copenhagen Grooming.

Now, if this has stoked your interesting in either growing some facial furniture or to promote your growth, then maybe this is the brand for you.

Copenhagen Grooming was built on the belief that we’re stronger together. Their mission is to design products that help men grow and groom awesome beards, and they want you to be part of the process!

In the Copenhagen Grooming universe, you’ll find radical products that will boost your beard growth and maintain your banger beard.

In a 150-days clinical study, their products have proven impressive results for improving beard growth.

A man’s home is his castle and that phrase has never been more appropriate than at this current time. In this age of self isolation and social distancing, nesting and staying home, is essential, I mean basically it can save lives!

Over the years I’ve always been attracted to quirky and unusual accessories that your wouldn’t necessarily exact for them to create. Some of the stand out items I have in my collection include a Chanel Basketball, Gucci, under Tom Ford’s reign ice cube tray, Versace ashtrays( Now’s there’s a good story), A Paul Smith signature stripe football, Prada Skis (yes you’re read that right), I know I am a bit of a magpie, I just can’t help myself and more recently I’ve been attracted to usual items from a whole new age of aspirational brands. Check these bad boys out, and the great thing is, they are all available from KLEKT website !

Supreme ENO DoubleNest Hammock Woodland Camo (SS19)

Supreme never fails to surprise when it comes to random home accessories. The SS19 collaboration with famed outdoors manufacturer maker ENO saw the introduction of DoubleNest Hammock. Dropping in two colourways, the DoubleNest is complete with a large Supreme logo on the inside and a box logo on the outside. Given how much time you’ll be spending in the garden this year, now’s the time to invest in a hammock.

adidas x A Bathing Ape Gold Camo BAPE Football (2019)

adidas and BAPE have one of the strongest relationships in streetwear. Since first collaborating in 2003, the two have cooked up some of the hottest sneakers and apparel in existence. 2019’s celebrated the Super Bowl, with an exclusive collection that featured BAPE’s APE motif across sneakers, apparel and accessories. Whether you plan on throwing it in the garden or in the house (not recommended), this American football will definitely keep you occupied during the lockdown.

Off-White x IKEA Markerad Wooden “CHAIR” Virgil Abloh (2019)

In 2019, Virgil Abloh joined forces with IKEA to create a range of affordable furniture, made specifically for those looking to kit out their home on a budget. This Off-White x IKEA Wooden Chair will make the perfect addition to any home, showcasing your fine taste and penchant for a bargain. Now is the perfect time to start elevating your home with carefully curated items, and what better way to start than with this?

Supreme Diamond Plate Tool Box (FW18)

Supreme has the perfect addition to any hypebeast home in the form of this diamond plate toolbox. The design comes complete with a removable tray and has large capacity storage that means you can store all your tools without stress. Now you can flex around the house whilst you repair. Win-win right?

Off-White x IKEA “TEMPORARY” Wall Clock Markerad Virgil Abloh (2019) 

Probably the most fitting home accessory to have at the moment is this Off-White™ x IKEA clock. Virgil Abloh’s design takes the classic clock and adorns the word “TEMPORARY” across the middle; a friendly reminder that the current situation won’t last forever. If you’re gonna watch a clock at home, you may as well make it this one.

Understandably, it’s a challenging and uncertain time at the moment with the outbreak of Coronavirus (Covid-19),  Tamara Willner, a registered nutritionist  with Second Nature, an NHS-backed ‘smart diet’ which allows people to diet at home through an app, has qualified dietitians who can comment on topics ranging from what to eat to boost your immune system, to eating healthily while at home. The digital programme is more relevant now than ever, particularly with practising healthy habits to keep our bodies as healthy as possible.

The recent government advice regarding the outbreak of the Coronavirus means that the majority of us will either be in social isolation or socially distancing ourselves from public places. Isolation of any kind can be extremely frustrating and negatively impact our mental health as well as our physical health.  

The goal of this post is to support us, who are currently well and in isolation or social distancing to remain feeling positive and healthy.

Between stress around uncertainty, working from home, and reduced social interaction, emotional eating might be particularly prevalent in the coming weeks.

Emotional eating occurs when food is used to soothe or suppress negative emotions such as isolation, anger, boredom, or stress. Often comfort or emotional eating ignore feelings of physical hunger that come from an empty stomach. The most common foods craved are usually ultra-processed, such as biscuits, crisps, chocolate, and ice cream. These foods are scientifically engineered to quickly target the pleasure receptors in our brains (https://www.secondnature.io/guides/nutrition/cant-stop-eating-junk-food).

Most of us experience emotional eating at one time or another. However, when emotional eating happens frequently, and food becomes the primary coping mechanism for a stressful situation, it can affect our health and mental wellbeing.

As emotional eating can be more likely when we’re isolating ourselves, these practical steps can help us navigate away from emotional eating episodes:

1) Know your trigger

Keeping a food diary of what we eat, how much we eat, and what we’re feeling when we eat can help us identify what triggers comfort eating. For some people, it’s boredom, whereas for others it’s stress, anxiety, or sadness.

2) Find a new outlet for emotion

Once we know what triggers our emotional eating, we can find other simple activities at home to manage these without food.

The best tasks to do to take our mind off food are cognitively challenging ones. This means going for a walk, meditation, or taking a bath may not be effective ways to distract ourselves. However, something that engages your brain can be a better distractor, such as sudoku puzzles, crosswords, brain training apps, chess or scrabble, calling a friend, playing a board game, listening to a podcast.

3) Be prepared

We can prepare for when we feel compelled to emotionally eat by noting down some ‘if/then’ scenarios. For example:

– ‘If I’m bored and feel the urge to buy unhealthy snacks, then I will do a crossword puzzle for 10 minutes’

– ‘If I feel lonely and start craving crisps or chocolate, then I will call my friend for a quick chat’

– ‘If I feel anxious and overwhelmed, then I will pause and read my book for 10 minutes.’

We can also prepare our environment, by avoiding having large amounts of ultra-processed foods (e.g. crisps, biscuits, ice cream, chocolate) in the house.

Instead, buying healthier wholefoods to snack on will mean we’re less likely to overeat and they’ll keep us feeling more satisfied. Stock up on things like:

– Unsweetened peanut butter

– High-quality dark chocolate (85%+)

– Frozen berries

– Natural yoghurt

– Plain Ryvita crackers

– Olives

– Mixed nuts

– Seeds

– Hummus

– Carrots

– Eggs

– Hard cheeses

4) Take away the guilt

It’s important that we don’t harbour feelings of guilt when we do experience an episode of emotional eating. One way to do this is to avoid labelling foods as ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘treat’ or ‘syn’.

This can foster a negative relationship with food and create an ongoing cycle of comfort eating. Instead, we can class foods as foods that we enjoy every day and foods that we enjoy less often

Your face is your identity and an important aspect of your personality. You may workout, eat healthy, and get all the necessary supplements to maintain a fit body, so why neglect the largest organ of your body, i.e. your skin. It is time to break the stereotypical beliefs and acknowledge the fact that skincare routines are not strictly for women. Men should look their best too and age like fine wine. Have you ever wondered why celebrities like Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp look so young and radiant at their age? Yes, you guessed right! Taking care of the skin is a priority in their daily regime, because it’s that handsome face that makes the money. If someone tells you that skincare products are only for girls, file a lawsuit for ‘discrimination’ against them.

You don’t have to spend hours catering to your skin and neither will it cost a fortune. A few minutes each day and a handful of bucks per month is all you need to get that ravishing look. Upgrade yourself from the shower gel you purchased on sale, your roommate’s hand-wash, and the shaving cream a colleague gifted on your last birthday. The skincare routine I am going to narrate is a simple one; I will not be including any serums or masks in it. Get started with this easy regimen and you may advance later as you become a pro or are prepared to take things up a notch.

Step 1: Cleanse

The first thing to do when you wake up in the morning is to apply a facial cleanser. The cleanser will help get rid of all the oil, microbes and grime that accumulated in your pores during the night. Take a small amount in the palm of your hand and massage it over the face for thirty to sixty seconds. It will unclog your pores, remove the oily shine, and prevent skin breakouts. Wash the face afterwards with your regular soap or buy a men’s face wash for greater commitment.  

Step 2: Exfoliate

Exfoliation helps eradicate dead cells and impurities that embed deeper into the skin. These contaminants block pores and give rise to a variety of issues, including acne, blackheads, and skin blemishes. A chemical exfoliate or face scrub must be applied once or twice per week; let it be extra treatment for your skin on the weekend. If your skin is excessively oily, you may increase usage to three times a week. Chemical exfoliates are suited for sensitive skin, whereas scrubs have grainy particles that work well on tough skin.

Step 3: Moisturize

Soaps, aftershaves, cleansers, and scrubs tend to remove the skin’s natural oils, leaving it dry and squeaky clean. A layer of moisturizer will keep your skin hydrated throughout the day, preventing a coarse or patchy surface. It also provides a protective film that obstructs invasive bacteria and dirt from entering the pores. Many people do not like the feel of moisturizers, especially those with sensitive or oily skin. The trick is to go for a light and unscented moisturizing lotion instead of a heavy moisturizing cream having a strong fragrance. Your skin will quickly absorb it and you won’t experience any stickiness.

Step 4: Sun Protection

Harmful UV rays from the sun can cause burns, darkening, dry patches/spots, and even accelerate the process of skin aging. People who have to work outdoors all day long, such as construction workers and lifeguards on a beach, are constantly exposed to the scorching sun; if you can relate, invest in a sunblock or sunscreen lotion with SPF 30 or above. People who mostly work indoors and only see the sunlight for brief periods can settle for a moisturizer having sun protective properties (about SPF 15 is sufficient).

Words by Peter Minkoff

Having a traditional nine-to-five job might be a template we’ve stretched too thin, and it’s time for something more flexible and exciting, something that will actually help you accomplish your financial and creative goals at one go. Men in this day and age have so many different options to choose from, and thankfully, you can even try out a few of them before you discover your true calling. However, instead of going into trial and error as your system of elimination, perhaps this is a better way to do your research and look into the options that appeal to you the most.

We’ve listed a few that might ring true with your entrepreneurial nature, so that you can evaluate your skills and expertise and try your hand at something that has potential to bring you joy as well as profit. Here are a few opportunities for a business that every man in his 30s will love!

Express yourself through photography

Artistic jobs are everywhere, but an adventurous man should look for a business that grants him the freedom to get creative and the chance to earn a solid, stable living. Enter: photography! If you have the expressive authenticity, you can put your skills to use at parties, gallery openings, weddings, corporate events, you name it.

You can, of course, specialize in a wide range of photography styles, and you should always invest in high-quality equipment that will ensure the end product is superb.

Start your own artisan cafe

Foodies are everywhere, and with more travelers and digital nomads traversing the globe, you’re looking at an extraordinary expansion of your target demographic if you try your hand at managing a cafe or an eatery – or a mix of both!

To run a coffee shop successfully, in addition to the right managerial skills, you should invest in the right cafe POS system that will help you automate a wide array of processes and eliminate human error. Plus, it will make it much simpler for your customers to enjoy the experience without any hassle and various payment options at hand. Give your cafe the edge it needs, and you’ll be able to run a business that will attract locals as well as globetrotters.

How about a career in fitness?

In recent years, and considering the current pandemic, more people are turning to a career in health and wellness one way or another. For men who are passionate about nutrition, regular exercise, and other healthy habits, you can actually use this momentum to help people get back on their feet health-wise, and establish yourself as an expert in the industry.

Luckily, this expansive industry boasts quite a wide array of categories you can try to fit into, pardon the pun, from offering customized nutrition programs, training plans, all the way to online guided classes, a men’s skincare selection, etc.

Teaching and tutoring

Another career opportunity on the rise for men is online teaching, especially for native English speakers, since more people are looking for classes they can take online and tailor to their own schedule. This is a brilliant chance to build your own website, showcase your teaching credentials, and build a unique program for passing on your knowledge to interested students.

Of course, languages aren’t the only subject matter that your global audience will find alluring, so you can adjust your curriculum based on your own expertise and create workshops and seminars to share your skills.

Become a life coach

Are you good at listening to people, recognizing their problems, and helping them find effective solutions? Becoming a life coach means that you’ll get a chance to give people wings and to help them accomplish their own unique goals in life. However, instead of a generalized approach, it’s best to select a specific niche, much like in all other business sectors.

Perhaps your business ventures are a great learning source for future entrepreneurs? Or maybe your degree in psychology can help you guide people to find true happiness and fulfillment. Maybe your exceptional organizational skills can help people strike that fine work-life balance? In any scenario, it’s best to narrow down and cater to a specific, targeted audience. Just make sure you invest in the right credentials and accreditations to inspire trust in your future clients.

Although there are dozens of other options that can turn into quite profitable businesses for a modern man, these opportunities are considered to be on the rise, especially once the global health crisis settles. Instead of taking a few chances, this is a brilliant way to do your research and discover a business model that will bring out the best in you and help you grow as an entrepreneur in the years to come