A couple of months ago the lovely guys over at Mens Health Magazine gave me a call and asked if I be interested on seating on their style council, OF COURSE ! was my response so please see below the first of our consultive ventures, this time on five ways to wear a polo shirt. Enjoy. Ohh and remember to log onto menshealth.co.uk/style/essentials/how-to-wear-a-polo
We men and I do mean to generalise here are pretty damn awful when it comes to safe tanning, laying in the sun and most importantly putting on suncream and when we do, that it’s a high enough SPF (Sun Protection Factor). Now as a result of this and without sounding like some Harbinger, I know where my strength lie and talking about suncream, the importance of it and what to do with it, is not one of them. I’m the person who has burnt in an outdoor meeting in LA at 7am in the morning, I’ve burnt in April in Galway and I’ve had local residents in Greece laugh at how I would burn if I didn’t get out of the sun at 10am. Due to this fact, I’ve called upon the services of the very capable, knowledgable and general good egg, Mrs Mc to help me on today’s post and so we carried out a comprehensive and concise tried and testing on the nation’s best suncream brands and their products, which covered the entire price spectrum. Over to you my lil ray of sunshine ;
Now the weathers hottin’ up and the summer holidays are officially here, you may want to chuck out the out of date sun cream and invest in some derma protection for face and body. As always Clothes-make-the-man have done the hard work and tried and tested a range of products on your behalf, so you enjoy the sun and avoid looking like our friend to the left.
We tried out these creams in 40 degree blazing sun and focused on protection, ease of application, appearance, price and smell.
For the body BODY
Piz Buin -Tan and protect
Tan accelerating spray
SPF 30
Piz Buin -Tan and protect
Tan intensifying sun spray
SPF 30
Both these products performed well overall as they go on easily and gave a good gleam to skin, were reasonably waterproof, smelt good and protected well. In 40 degree heat probably needed factor 50…..and to remember to reapply after swimming! Don’t be like my husband.
NIVEA SUN
Moisturising Sun spray 50+
NIVEA SUN
Pure and sensitive sun lotion SPF 50
Again these are strong scoring products, well priced and easy to apply though the sensitive took a while to “disappear” always best to apply when inside your apartment, fresh from a shower to avoid white streaky bits, sand sticking and missing bits…
SOLTAN
(Boots own brand)
Invisible, Dry touch transparent sun care spray SPF 50
This worked well, very reasonably priced and easy to apply and stayed on well after swimming. Good all round option
Clarins
Sun care Milk lotion spray 50+
Clarins have produced a protective sun care range for both body and face. We trialled this milk lotion , one of 8 sun products for the body that deliver deep down UV protection and offered efficient sun protection.
Garnier – Ambre Solaire
Clear protect + SPF 50
This product is clear, so leaves no white marks, and is in a spray so easier to apply to those harder to reach areas. Pleasant in smell and well priced is a good all round option.
FACE
Clarins
Sun wrinkle control cream for face 50+
Our personal favourite product for the face, this cream offered great protection, didn’t sting if it went in yours eyes and kept face moisturised in very hot/dry conditions. Smelt fantastic and reminded you of holidays straight away. A tad pricy but a little went a long way and it is for your face…
SOLAIT
(Superdrug own brand)
Mattifying face Sun Fluid SPF 50
This scored well and compared well with the more expensive products, its mattifying fromula meant less shiny face, and though slightly tinted (don’t be scared) it looked very natural on, one the girlfriend will be pinching.
SkinCeuticals
Brightening UV Defense. SPF 30
This is serious stuff! It offered as good protection as the 50SPF and is loaded with all sorts of botanicals to ensure it’s an effective moisturising sunscreen that evens out skin tone. It’s also the most expensive product tested but worth it for those of you who want to seriously protect your face whilst indulging in some sun worship and why wouldn’t you …
Useful link to Cancer Research UK being safe in the sun!
http://www.sunsmart.org.uk/advice-and-prevention/shade/
After the success of the Opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympic games on Friday we thought we’d give you another chance to sample the delights of our guide to the host city. We decided to give you a insight to the not only the home of London Collections, but also the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the capital of Great Britain, yeah you guessed it, LONDON. Now to spice thing up we’ve only gone and asked a couple of the key designers who have shown their SS13 collection last week, for their favourite London tips, destinations and hang outs, with the help of our friends at the British Fashion Council. So whether you reside in Londonium, are planning a visit or just wanna know a little more about the place, relax and read through your essential guide ;
Top 5 Things to do
5) Head down to Borough Market, go hungry and take advantage of all the free samples.
4) Let yourself go, do something touristy – we recommend the London Eye, the Olympic Stadium or an open top Bus tour.
3) Head east and see what everyone is talking about, avoid the Nathan Barley’s (the reality is worse then the show, the show was tame), have a look round the Box Park pop up Mall. See where your taxes are being spent.
2) Use the Boris Bikes, obviously not a after a drink or two and take a ride down to the Serpentine.
1) Get a Time Out and see what’s on, it sound corny but, there is always so much going on in London. So, take advantage of being in one of the best cities in the WORLD.
Eat – Tayyabs – Probably the best curry this side of Mumbai (www.tayyabs.co.uk)
Sleep – Dean St Town house, you couldn’t get much more central (www.deanstreettownhouse.com)
Drink – The Cat & Mutton Broadway Market, a great pub in the one of the globe’s trendiest areas (www.catandmutton.com)
Ask a Designer –
Christpher Raeburn – “The Chiswick Boot Fair has always been a personal favourite. I also recommend The Wapping Project and a walk around the surrounding area, as well as escaping the city (sort of) to Epping Forest.”
Lou Dalton – “The Charles Lamb pub in Islington, St. John in St. John Street and the Hunterian Museum.”
Oliver Spencer – “The Barbican for Bauhaus, followed by the James Bond Exhibition. Primrose Hill for the weather and Lambs Conduit Street because we love it.”
Patrick Grant – “Drink a Vesper at the bar at Dukes Hotel. Go for oysters at Wilton’s or Bentley’s.”
Christopher Shannon – “Shrimpy’s at the Filling Station in Kings Cross, Mishkins in Covent Garden and a walk along the Thames as long as your legs can take it.”
Matthew Miller – “Stour Space café in Hackney Wick for breakfast. You can sit next to the canals and the Olympic stadium and watch the rowers row by while enjoying the wares of the local artists, and the best Eggs Benedict in East London! Vietnamese from the Green Papaya, Hackney, is the best I have tasted anywhere.
Just spend a day walking around the streets of London, you never know what you’ll find.”
Richard Nicoll – “Sunday at Herald Street Gallery and shopping at LNCC, dinner at La Bodega Negra Mexican in Soho (book ahead) and then on to Horse Meat Disco for an evening jig.”
London skyline by night
www.britishfashioncouncil.com/
www.londoncollections.co.uk/men
It’s warming up, slightly, it’s looking like summer’s, hopefully, on its way and the thought of holidays are creeping into our heads. Whether that be on a long deserted beach in some far flung destination or something a little nearer to home and a trip to some of blighty’s incredible coastlines. One thing you will definitely have to pack is swimwear, now before we move on any further, as you all know, here at Clothes-make-the-man.com we pride ourselves on being a no nonsense platform that cater for the requirements of the regular guy. So please this is a non swimming trunk shoot, strictly shorts and some of the best that are currently on the market.
STOCKISTS
www.medwinds.com
www.mrporter.com/Shop/Designers/Vilebrequin/Clothing
www.bjornborg.com
www.paulsmith.co.uk
www.jdsports.co.uk
www.starblu.com
www.nikestore.com
Morning good readers, I’m not going to beat about the bush today, it’s straight to business as there are good man folk out there in need of helpful, wholesome styling advice. So without further ado lets tackle the issue of the day;
Ahhh, the problems of the Great British Summer weather, totally unpredictable and can cause no end of problems for the well dressed chap about town and what to wear ????? OK Nicholas, as soon as I received your enquiry I turned to my infinite contacts books and sort the advice of some footwear aficionados. Firstly, I turned to the creator of your very own suave brogues, Mr Oliver Sweeney himself. They advised ;
“That will be our Bannister brogue, produced in a very soft leather with an antiqued patina. As he suggests the best way to protect them is to avoid the rain but we live in the UK, so a good care routine for them is the best way to avoid significant damage. To retain the same coloration, always use a neutral cream or polish, we’d recommend a beeswax variety, as opposed to synthetic polishes that don’t nourish the leather in the same way (you can play around with other colour polishes to slightly alter the colour of your shoes, but be aware that, if you don’t like the change it can be hard to reverse).
Exhibit number 1 me lord, The Bannister Brogues, from Mr Oliver Sweeney, no less.
Wonderful advice as always, from the Shoemeister, but then the wonderful people over at Pierre Corthay, a true French master of footwear, offering me his top tips for shoe care;
– Once you start to feel the bumps on the ground (small stones etc), then it is time to resole your shoes. Once there is hole it is too late !
– The only secret one must alternate one’s shoes. We recommend that one wears a pair of shoes for no more then three consecutive days. This will ensure their longevity, prevent humidity and help keep their original shape. Once a week is even better.
– Leave your wet shoes to dry without shoe trees.
– At least once a week, clean leather shoes with a damp cloth (for smooth leather) or a dry brush (for velvet). Apply an adapted cleaning product for smooth leathers (polish, cream…), then glazing with dry and soft cloth. Polishing will be effective after the shoes are dry.
– When it comes to waterproofing, Pierre Corthay shoes made of leather with smooth aspect are already protected by the finish of the surface. On the other hand, the nubuck and velvet leathers need to be protected by the application of a waterproofing product.
– To maintain a pair of shoes, it is best to remove dirt with a brush or a damp cloth, then apply the appropriate cleaning products.
– Wet leather shoes should never be dried next to a heater. They may harden and become brittle. It is preferable to let them dry naturally and to insert newspaper to absorb the moisture.
So Nicholas, all that is left for me to do is to tell you, the choice is yours ??? Do let us know if you found this advice helpful and join us again soon for another style clinic.