CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

For over 110 years, Gillette has delivered precision technology through its product performance – impacting the lives of over 750 million men around the world. From shaving and body grooming, to skin care and sweat protection, Gillette offers a wide variety of products including razors, shave gel, skin care, after shaves, antiperspirants, deodorants and body wash. Phew and ensuring it’s not Ph-eew. 

Gillette SkinGuard Sensitive, its latest product innovation specifically designed to stop the irritation many men with sensitive skin experience. The innovative razor places a breakthrough SkinGuard bar positioned between two of Gillette’s best blades to gently smooth and flatten the skin away, taking the pressure off the blades during the shave. This gives guys with sensitive skin a comfortable shave without the irritation. With research certified by the British Skin Foundation (BSF), Gillette SkinGuard Sensitive is clinically proven to stop shaving irritation, allowing all men to have a comfortable shave, taking the pressure off to help them look and feel their best.

A survey commissioned by Gillette through an independent market research firm found that one in three (33%) British men consider themselves to have sensitive facial skin, with almost half of men (49%) saying dryness and redness (46%) were the biggest indicators of sensitive skin.

Gillette’s new range addresses the problem of shaving irritation through revolutionary design innovation. Of the UK men with sensitive skin surveyed, half (50%) reported using hot water to shave, but only 12% found this method effective at reducing the effects of sensitive skin while shaving. Similarly, two in five (44%) of these men have tried shaving less often to try and reduce the irritation they suffer due to their sensitive skin, with just under one quarter (23%) finding this practice most effective.

“Irritation, stinging, redness and burning are commonly encountered by some male patients during and after they’ve shaved. Often referred to as ‘sensitive skin’, this problem can have a significant negative impact both physically and emotionally. Self-confidence is affected with some men thinking there is no solution” says Dr Walayat Hussain, Consultant Dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson. 

“It’s great that Gillette has addressed this important issue by introducing the SkinGuard Sensitive razor and that the research behind the product has been recognised by the British Skin Foundation.”

The SkinGuard comb is positioned between Gillette’s sharpest blades with Gillette’s most advanced coatings for low cutting force. Due to the blades’ position, hair is only pulled and cut up to 2x in each stroke, which reduces tug and pull. Many multi-blade razors use each blade to gently tug the hair outside the follicle, trimming each hair in rapid succession while they remain extended. Once the blades pass and the hair retracts, it has been trimmed below the surface of the skin. This kind of close shave is optimal for many men, but for others can contribute to skin irritation or a propensity for ingrown hairs. Traditional single-blade razors tug and pull at the hair and can put substantial pressure on the skin. Furthermore, while single-blade razors trim hair at the surface of the skin, they can still cause excess friction with the skin as the blade passes at a sharp angle. Gillette SkinGuard Sensitive works differently. 

The Great British Heritage and Lifestyle Fashion Brand, Barbour celebrates it’s 125th anniversary in 2019, a significant milestone in the company’s history. A fifth generation family owned brand the 125th anniversary celebrates the Barbour family who have nurtured guided And lead the company from small beginnings in 1894 when John Barbour set up his first store in South Shields in the North-East of England supplying Mariners with oilskins to the global lifestyle brand it is today.

To mark the start of this milestone and great achievement year, the brand has launched the Icons Re-engineered collection, a limited edition range of iconic jackets for both men and women that have featured large in the history of Barbour. The collection was displayed for the first time at Barbour’s presentation during London Fashion Week Mens in the incredible setting of Lancaster House. Each Icons Re-engineered piece is inspired by a legendary jacket from the archive that reflects a significant period in the company’s history, updated into a contemporary style steeped in Barbour heritage, relevant for today. All of the jackets take the distinctive Dress Gordon lining popular in Barbour jackets in the 1980s and each comes with a collectable 125th anniversary pin. 

In support of Barbour’s 125th anniversary, a five minute brand film has been created by the Ridley-Scott creative group and previewed at this seasonal presentation. To coincide with the brand film and the 125th anniversary, Barbour has also collaborated with South Shields born legendary film director and producer on a directors jacket for both men and women.

Featuring detailed finishes requested by Sir Ridley,  himself, together with input from his son, Luke Scott, CEO of the Ridley-Scott creative group the Director’s jacket has a military style collar and roll away hood. In true Barbour style this jacket has hand warmer pockets with additional features such as offside pockets to hold keys and a signature script lower pocket to accommodate an A4 script. Key details on the jacket include, anti-glare zips and studs designed to avoid attracting attention on film sets. An inner detachable quilt for extra warmth gives the option for the jacket to be worn across all seasons. The back label on all of the jackets features a bird illustration drawn personally by by Sir Ridley himself and two of the studs on the jacket features this unique design. 

Paul Wilkinson, Global Marketing and Commercial Director,  Barber said, “2019 is a very important year for us, as we celebrate our 125th and five generations of the Barbour family. We are proud to launch the Icons Re-engineered collection at LFWM- it offers an authentic contemporary take on design classics from the archives. We are thrilled to be working with Sir Ridley-Scott on this exciting brand film and the directors jackets to mark our anniversary. Barbour and Sir Ridley are probably two of the most well-known names to come out of South Shields and in our 125th year, we are delighted that we have been able to collaborate together and celebrate our shared birthplace “.

To be a successful in business, you need to be able to separate your work life from your personal life. While this is easier said than done, bringing personal issues into the office can have a major impact on how you handle your business and can be detrimental to your company.

Known as ‘The Man Whisperer’, Kenny Mammarella-D’Cruz is a personal development consultant who employs a wide variety of unique techniques, which aims to get to the heart of any man’s issues, whether it be with wealth embarrassment or the inevitable mid-life crisis. Kenny employs unique tools to empower men, allowing them to transform their lives. With that in mind, Kenny offers us his top 5 tips to stop your personal issues impacting your business.

1. Get aware – if you suspect that your personal issues may be impacting your business acumen, it’s important that you pinpoint the issues in order to address them. Ask for trusted feedback and gain clarity on how to shift such issues. They say a business is an extension of its owner’s issues, so dig in and turn both around.

2. Look for repetitive scripts – are there relationships within your business that are mirroring the issues you have at home? Are you used to being walked all over and taken advantage of? Does the blame always land at your door? Does everyone hand their power over to you and avoid responsibility? Get to know the bigger picture, repetitive patterns and distracting dramas and break the spell.

3. Look for the source – once you have identified what your issues are, you’d be wise to trace them back and find the root of the problem. Were you betrayed in the past feel you still can’t trust anyone? Do you fear abandonment? Follow current feelings back to their source and tackle issues at their root.

4. Get present – leave the past in the past and respond to situations in hand with current calm, rather than past trauma, pressure and panic. List the sources of these scripts and burn them on a fire, making space for new communications, collaboration and more favorable outcomes.

5. Give yourself space – as you treat yourself differently, your core beliefs will change, and life will bring new opportunities. Give yourself space for growth in both your personal and professional life and don’t suppress your feelings and beliefs. Don’t sell out on yourself. As always, never be afraid of seeking professional help that will empower you to sustainably walk your own path.

Today, a new survey conducted by barber-grade grooming brand The Bluebeards Revenge has found that 73% of men are planning to make grooming resolutions in 2019. But what’s the underlying purpose for all this grooming? According to 67% of the 2,018 surveyed men, it’s about improving their chances of finding a new partner, or impressing a current one.

The survey also revealed that 48% are fixed on finding a fresh new hairstyle, with celebrity influencers such as David Beckham being the driving force. Meanwhile, 33% want to grow designer stubble or a beard.

“We currently live in a very social-media savvy world,” says Bradley Wicks – Head of Content and Social Media at The Bluebeards Revenge. “As a result, men are finally starting to learn the benefits of self-grooming – whether that’s looking after their skin, the hair on the heads, their beards, or even hair in other, more private, regions! We’re always advertising ourselves in today’s society and we work hard at branding ourselves; creating an image that we want to portray to friends, family and fancies.

With the above in mind, it comes as no great surprise to hear that barbers find themselves inundated with new style requests from their regulars in the early weeks of January. “A new hairstyle is one of the quickest and easiest resolutions to tick off the list,” says Barbershop Manager Callum Marks. “Unlike eight months of hard work in the gym, a haircut can drastically change the look and feel of a man in 45 minutes.

“At Luka’s Barbers in Plymouth, Devon, we definitely see an influx of men more willing to switch up their style in January. It’s funny; because just weeks before they wouldn’t have dared to consider a restyle. But the start of a new year seems to change their mentality. It’s refreshing too as it often gives me a chance to show them what else is out there for their face shape and personality.”
Current trends are seeing men adopt slightly longer hairstyles in 2019. In fact, 60% of the men that answered yes to changing their haircut in The Bluebeards Revenge’s survey suggested that their new look would be of medium to medium-long length.

“Longer hairstyles are now associated with ‘rebellious cool’ and are the results of celebrity influences,” says Wicks. “Great examples include the long locks of Jason Momoa in Aquaman, the disconnected lengths of Chris Hemsworth’s hair and the always-trendy styles of David Beckham.

The improved standards and skills of barbers are also making them the go-to stylists for men. 47% of men say that they will regularly visit a barbershop in 2019 over a hairdressing salon, a mobile appointment, or cutting their hair themselves.

Aside from the hair on their heads, 33% of men are planning to embrace more rugged designer stubbles or fully-fledged beards in 2019. This continues the current trends that have seen the shaving market slashed by millions in recent years.

“Designer stubbles, in particular, are decorating the faces of men, helping to enhance stronger jaw lines and creating a new smart-casual vibe that’s been accepted as office etiquette,” says Marks. These kinds of style require regular maintenance, making electric beard trimmers and beard oils two of the bestselling facial hair accessories in 2019.

Wicks added: “The dawn of a New Year comes with a million self-set challenges. All over the world people are desperately trying to cut down on their bad habits: booze, food, and spending being among the most popular.

“But, ultimately, these aspirations are about improving a person’s physical appearance and mental wellbeing – making grooming and styling resolutions one of the fastest growing trends. This, combined with the incentives advertised to us by influencers and product brands, is creating an exciting landscape for men’s grooming in 2019.

Unless you’re doing something very wrong with your wardrobe, your head and your face is likely to be the part of your body that people first notice when they’re interacting with you.

The good news is, making your hair into a solid fashion statement is one of the most cost-effective and noticeable ways you can make a good impression. That said, if you’re rocking a look that’s decidedly ’10 years ago’ – then that might not be the impression you’re hoping for.

We’ll walk you through 5 of the best cuts that’ll keep on looking good into 2019 – and if you’re keen to keep your spending to a minimum, keep an eye on sites like myvouchercodes for great deals from local barbers and hairdressers.

Long and swept back

It’s not a look you can just walk into a barber’s and ask for – as shoulder length takes some time to grow, but if you’d like a longer style that’s certain to be popular in 2019 then going long and swept back, behind your ears, is a strong look.

Make sure your barber doesn’t cut into your hair, the longer and more-sleek your hair looks, the better it responds when you get a reasonably shiny product on it that’ll hold it into place.

The good news is, this long and swept back style is about as low maintenance as it gets too. Towel dry, work some cream or pomade through slightly damp hair – then comb back. Bingo.

A bleached crop

Admittedly, the bleached look might be one that’s best reserved for readers under 30 – but if you’re ready to commit to stripping the colour from your hair, you can really make it work for you.

The current bleached look carries on the theme of 90s Britpop and grunge style that’s showing no signs of letting up into 2019. The results are better (and safer) if a hairdresser or barber does the bleaching – and you’ll want to make sure you use a good purple toned shampoo to stop any brassy tones coming through.

Whether you go for bleached streaks or a solid all-over colour, a simple tussle-up with a light clay-based styling product will give you the carefree style you should be aiming for.

Classic crew cut

While less structured styles are going to be popular in 2019, the exception to that rule is the classic short-back-and-sides crew cut.

It’s a simple style to ask for; you’ll want to go for something between a grade 0-2 on the back and sides, with the top scissored down to the equivalent of a grade 5-6. The result is a classic shape that looks as good now as it did in the 50s – but be warned, it’s not a style you can forget about – book back into your barbers within a couple of weeks if you want to keep it looking sharp.

A quick soft parting

While sharp partings and fixed styles were the way to go into 2017 and early 2018, there’s an increasing move toward softer edges and looser partings into 2019.

Scissored around the back and sides gives a less sharp look to the overall cut – and 2-3+ inches on top gives your hair enough weight to fall naturally to one side or the other. Don’t try to fight with the parting – there’s no need for it to be a solid line, instead, part with your fingers when you’re out of the shower and let your hair dry with nothing more than this loose shaking into the right direction.

Simple, quick and stylish. Ideal.

Grunge punk

If you’re keen on a heavily textured look that’s got non-conformity written all-over it, an 80s style punk mixed with early-90s grunge feel is going to fit the bill in 2019.

If you’ve got 3+ inches of growth, you’ll want to get your barber to really cut into your hair, bringing a lot of texture – and don’t worry about a sharp neckline or cut around your ears, the more consistent the apparent length, the better, as it really adds to the carefree look this haircut suggests.

The beauty of this cut is that the length allows for a swept back feel if you’ve got to consider how you look at work – but when the weekend comes, you can hit the product and hairspray to make a bold statement.

Healthy hair

No matter which of these haircuts you choose as being right for you in 2019, there are some hair essentials you should be mindful of. Hydration is absolutely vital for healthy hair – so aiming to drink 6-8 glasses of water each day will keep your locks shiny and full of life.

Consider taking a multi-vitamin too – this guide will help you choose one that’s right for you. While vitamins in pill form are good, make sure you get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet, including spinach, carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes – all rich in hair enhancing Vitamin A.