For this week’s Groomed, up on the judging block is a new three-step hair care system by Swell. Designed for fine, limp and thinning hair, Swell claims to offer immediate volume, improved hair growth by up to 93% and hair loss reduction by up to 50%. The nutrient-rich, minimum 97% natural-sourced complex offers root-to-tip volume and health form Day one when used regularly.

The three steps are
1. The Advanced Volumiszing Shampoo
2. Advanced Volumizing Conditioner
3. Advanced Root Nutrient Complex

Well we put it to the test – and by ‘we’ I mean my good friend, Jack Ratcliffe. Jack is a 26-year-old Creative Analyst (yeah, I don’t know what it means either and I’ve known him 7 years) from London and a before-his-time hair-thinning sufferer. Jack used the three-step system for about three weeks before reviewing the difference. Check out the results below.

JR: Before Swell’s hair-thickening system arrived at my door, my volume-boosting ritual had escalated to animal sacrifices and prayers to pagan Gods. But despite a ridiculous annual goat bill, I wasn’t any closer to luscious, style-able locks.

I wasn’t expecting much from Swell – like most of us thin-hairers, I’d been stung by thickening shampoos before (and not just in the eyes). Could this three-step process (shampoo, condition and spray) actually make a difference?

Rinse, shampoo, rinse, condition, wait, rinse, dry, spray and dry might seem like as much effort as the slaughtering livestock, but it’s honestly easier than it sounds. And more pleasurable, too. The shampoo has a spicy smell, while the conditioner and spray were inoffensive enough.

Oh, and it produced results.

After showering (then drying, spraying and drying) my hair felt full of body. It wasn’t going to support an afro-comb any time soon, but it was easier to manipulate. No longer were my styling options the Luke Skywalker, Jedward or the aftermath of an exploding hay-bail.

It also felt rougher. So if you’re used to people running their hands through your hair and claiming it’s softer than their cat, you’re out of luck. I guess with great texture comes get roughability.

There are limits to its effectiveness, however. For one, it won’t give you support for a whole day without some help from a styling product. I tried going product-less, and by the evening commute my volume had notably dissipated. I also frequently found myself wanting to skip the third step, as towel drying my hair, only to spray it damp again and then blow-dry it, is not practical when you’re in a hurry.

Despite those drawbacks, I really don’t want to give up using Swell. While sometimes volume would last for just a few hours, at other times my bonnet even stayed bouffant overnight. For this trial period, I actually felt like a normal, thicker-haired man. My confidence to not style dramatically improved, and I even saved money on hair styling products, as you need to use a lot less to get a better effect.

If I never work out how to go back in time and convince my mother to hook up with someone with an afro, I’d certainly settle for using Swell to improve my hair situation. Recommended. 

- Jack Ratcliffe

Priced at £79 (£23 for the shampoo, £26 for the conditioner and £30 for the complex) for the full set, Swell is on the pricier side of the scale, but it does do the job and it does it well.

Swell hair care can be found at Swellhair.co.uk

Or get in touch on twitter or Facebook

- Neil Thornton

Check out more of my articles are other awesome things going down at Planetnotion.com

Did you know there’s a new exhibit in town and it’s dedicated to stunning red-headed men? You can’t miss it, and especially not as three of my most gorgeous friends are featured in it! I do love my red heads, what can I say?

Find out more about Thomas Knights Red Hot Exhibition

And check out the video:

Welcome to the Close Shave Society, the latest ‘it’ club that everyone wants to be a part of – and the best part, every can and they can at a great price.

The Close Shave Society is a new subscription-shave initiative offering quality razors at affordable prices. The brainchild of young entrepreneurial duo Dane Straw and Zach Hanauer, the idea is simple – you pay a monthly, bi-monthly or annual fee and get razors delivered to your door, thus negating the need to trek to a store when you need replacements. The costs are kept low by having the product delivered straight to customers, the packaging is simple and clean, no fuss, all quality.

To get you started you have three options of blade to choose from – packs are delivered with four cartridges (razors):

‘The Bullet-Tooth Tony’ – Men’s three-blade razor.

Described as ‘[Oozing] macho and a no nonsense attitude’, the Bullet-Tooth Tony is a classic three-blade style. This razor features a Gothic Arch II design with stainless steel blades, flexible razor head for a smooth, even shave and has an Aloe Vera glide strip to soothe the skin as you shave.

‘The Houdini’ – Men’s five-blade razor.

Made with the to the same high spec as the three but with the addition of extra blades, the Houdini is designed for the closest of shaves. “This bad boy is so up close and personal with your face you may need a restraining order (sold separately).”

The third is a women’s five blade called ‘The Brazilian’. So we will gloss over, but for all intent and purposes it is a girls version of Houdini.

Each pack comes with a free handle with ergonomic grip and 4 cartridges. Postage and packaging included.

So how much does it cost I hear your cry? This is the really good bit:

For the three-blade – a month subscription is only £4. You heard, FOUR POUND!

Otherwise it’s £4.50 for two months – the thieving bastards! OR better yet, £42 for an entire years worth, that’s just £3.50 a month! Didn’t you just spend that on your venti, double-shot, wet, pumpkin spiced latte? Do the math people; invest your funds wisely.

For the five blade it’s £6, £6.50 and £66 respectively.

Better still, for those with commitment issues out there, there is no minimum term, you can sign up for one month if you wish and leave it at that. It’s only the year subscription that ties you down, but as the price is so low, like the Close Shave Society says, “don’t complain.”

I was given the chance to try out the Houdini five-blade this week and it didn’t disappoint. I teamed the experience with the Liz Earle for men shaving cream and the blades slid over my skin, no snagging, not cuts, just smooth skin. It pays to take your time, I had to go over some areas to get closer, so don’t rush. But the handle is light, comfortable to hold and the flexible head and aloe strip adds to the desirability of this great razor and concept as a whole. The value here is clear.

You want to be in this club.

Sign up to the Close Shave Society today

Or what their hilarious promo video:

- Neil Thornton

Check out more of my articles are other awesome things going down at Planetnotion.com

The term ‘Manscaping’ has become an amusing buzzword of late with regards to men’s grooming and all round male upkeep. The term predominantly refers to body hair and recently I paid a visit to The Sugar Shop in Shoreditch, London to try out an alternative form of Waxing known as sugaring.

Sugaring is deemed a less painful form of waxing…

*REALITY KLAXON* It isn’t. Do not be fooled, the first time you go for any wax, or if you return to get one after letting hair grow back for longer than 5 weeks, it will be uncomfortable. There is no way to really eliminate the feeling of hair being ripped out from the follicles and speed, there simply isn’t. So you either need to man up or have someone knock you out by your preferred method.

Now I’ve go that off my chest, back to The Sugar Shop. Sugaring differs form waxing by method – instead of using hot wax to remove the skin, a simple (also edible) sugar-based wax is used. This mixture doesn’t hold to the skin like regular wax and grips the hair only – thus the idea of it being less painful is born. To an extent it is mildly more comfortable – maybe this is because I have been waxed before and new what to expect, or maybe I have a high pain threshold.

The Sugar Shop was founded by Martyn Griffiths and is a male-only facility. Martyn started out in gym spaces in central London and progressed to opening his first stand alone store in Paddington in 1998 and a second one in east London – a salon which would become the new flagship. The Sugar Shop offers a range of treatments, covering all parts of the body, using the traditional sugaring techniques. There are two types of sugaring – Strip sugaring and the traditional Egyptian technique which involves a stronger, putty like substance which is used to remove stray hairs in harder to reach places.

The lobby of The Sugar Shop is fresh, welcoming and warm. It in no way feels feminine and doesn’t make you feel out of place. Magazines offer some pre-treatment distraction from nerves with ample info on treatments and care. Martyn took me into the treatment room, a clean and crisp suite with a bed in the middle. We started with the strip technique, removing the hair in direction of growth by applying the mixture with a spatula then removing with a cloth strip. For the most part the feeling is bearable, but there are certain areas, below he belly button and across the nipples, where a sharp and sudden exhale of breathe was met with a subtle yelp, maybe a finger bite too.

Once the treatment was over, I was dowsed in a tea tree solution for it’s anti-sceptic properties. As I looked at my silky smooth torso in the mirror, the one thing I had noticed was my skin was a lot less red than when I had been waxed, so another point for Sugaring there. Martyn ran me through the standard aftercare – no excessive sweating for 24 hours (that was the evening’s gym and clubbing sessions out the window) and I was to avoid spraying fragrances or putting products on my skin. I was given some dead seas salt to bathe in too to help calm the skin. I did suffer a few red lumps post treatment – it’s from skin trauma and ingrown hairs, but bathing in the salts and a little hydrocortisone cream or Sudocream cleared it up in a few days.

I am still not sure if I prefer my body hair free or not, on one hand my body is more defined without hair but on the other it’s like wet shaving – I am not a massive fan of the feeling of my skin hair free, which I why I haven’t wet shaved in years. But the aesthetic is definitely winning and opinions of friends – and some strangers in the gym – has been positive.

I was interested to find out from Martyn that his clients come from all walks of life, from the busy city centre of bankers and lawyers to people in the arts and people from abroad. There seems to be no stereotype in the type of man who uses these treatments.
I highly recommend chatting to Martyn or visiting The Sugar Shop if you want to find out more. They are only too happy to help.

The Sugar Shop Website

Follow The Sugar Shop on Twitter

-Neil Thornton

Check out more of my articles are other awesome things going down at Planetnotion.com

With movie makers the world over loving all things 3D, it wasn’t going to be long until other industries followed suit. Enter Longchamp’s 3D men’s collection.

Combining a modern sensibility with a love of symmetry, Longchamp’s 3D collection subverts traditional barren minimalism with graphic design: “straight-cut leather, lines in relief for a 3D feel and geometric eyelets”. The collection is designed for the young professional, the ‘urban consumer’ who covets style and a ‘controlled, casual look’.

The men’s lines within the collection include document-holder bags and belts. The beautifully refined bags come in two styles: a classic long-line and a briefcase. The strong, clean lines complement the leather’s natural character, including visible creases and a supple handle.

Internal detailing includes pockets trimmed in leather for a luxe touch as well as a contrasting lining and leather riser to reinforce the collection’s 3D effect and depth.

Here we break down the key pieces…

Longchamp 3D Document Holder

The classic long-line style features a reinforced shoulder strap for effortless wearability and is finished with an ID tag along with three internal pockets and a padded laptop compartment with scratch closure.

It is priced at £620 and available in black, cognac and earth:

Longchamp 3D Briefcase

This briefcase style is perfect for the city slicker, with multi-way carrying, reinforced shoulder strap for comfort, address tag and multiple internal pockets including phone sleeve.

Priced at £595, it is available in black, cognac and earth:

Longchamp 3D Adjustable Belt

The belts reflect the line’s clean and modern aesthetic and are crafted from smooth calfskin leather with contrast lining and metal, geometric buckles. This classic, wear-with-anything style features a double-pin buckle.

Priced at £110 and available in black, cognac and earth colour ways:

Longchamp 3D Adjustable Belt With Aged Buckle

Channelling the younger audience the collection is intended for, this belt features a youthful subversion with a rock-style, aged buckle.

Priced at £105 and available in black, cognac and earth:

Where To Buy

Longchamp’s 3D men’s collection is available now at Longchamp.com.

Check out this article, and other by me over at Fashionbeans.com

burberry

So we are hovering over the halfway mark for this year’s Movember and for this week it’s grow time with the Movember x TOMS collaboration.

This is the fourth consecutive year that TOMS has produced a special Movember line for the cause. I’m a huge fan of TOMS – You will be hard pushed to find me in the summer daytime without a pair on – and to see them adding their weight behind Movember is great – especially when their own brand concept is putting shoes on the feet of disadvantaged kids the world over. Each pair purchased still does this, as well as donating to Movember, so you are practically a saint by buying a pair – double good person points.

There are two men’s styles up for grabs – the Classics and the Paseos.

This year, the Classics – TOMS’ most iconic style – come in soft grey, ribbed suede, accented on the heel with the embroidered MO. £50

The Paseos are the hero style of the collaboration, a sort of espadrille-plimsoll hybrid. They are made from suede with contrast trims on the collar, a reinforced heel, contrasting sole and embroidered MO on the heel. £60

Both styles offer a fun and charming finish to any look, the classic are my personal favourite though with the perennial appeal.

-Neil Thornton

You can shop the collection now over at TOMS.CO.UK

Check out more of my articles are other awesome things going down at Planetnotion.com

Alexander McQueen’s staple skull t-shirts get a Gothic, graphic upgrade for the new season – with 3D illusion prints, stained glass windows, sketches and marbling giving the memento mori-style designs a sense of grandeur typically associated with the runways.

The iconic skull motif of Alexander McQueen is as synonymous with the famed British fashion house as sharp tailoring and fashion-forward design. Their range of t-shirts has long provided the easiest way to work the signature McQueen look into your existing wardrobe.

The tees are all made from 100% cotton in Italy and vary in price – from £120 to upwards of the £300 mark, depending on the printing process. Take a look at some of the hero pieces from the new AW13 range below…

Stained-Glass Skull T-shirt

This stained-glass window printed shirt offers a bold interpretation of the skull motif, blending old and new to great effect with a 3D skull printed on the front.

Priced at £240:

Flower-Print Skull T-shirt

Built from a series of floral arrangements, this flower-skull t-shirt is full of contradictions of life and afterlife.

Priced at £120:

Marble Skull-Print T-shirt

A flowing marble print gives way to a skull motif on this statement t-shirt – offering a modern way to work Alexander McQueen’s graphic moniker.

Priced at £275:

Lady Skull T-shirt

On appearance, this grey t-shirt takes a more subtle approach to the skull’s presentation due to its muted sketch print graphic. But on closer inspection, McQueen’s signature subversive nature shows through in the naked lady sketch that builds the skull’s shape.

Priced at £120:

Where To Buy

Alexander McQueen’s graphic t-shirts are available at Alexander McQueen, Selfridges and Mr Porter.

Check out this article, and other by me, over at Fashionbeans.com