After seven days in the beautiful Moroccan weather I find myself back in London soaking in all this cold wet weather. I’ve opened up my suitcase, pulled out all the stuff I bought and its clear to me what the best thing I bought was. I started using it a few days into my trip and the benefits are clear. I paid twenty dirhams which equates to around £1.30 for 100ml of pure argan oil. I don’t have much hair on my head at all but I got a lot on my face.
Argan fruit, seeds and oil, used for cosmetic and alimentary products
I’ve been applying it twice a day and my beard has become darker, thicker, shinier and softer. I must admit, I have no clue how long this will last for but what I do know is I look a lot better with it in my beard than without.
I’ve used beard balms before and I know for a fact they all have argan oil in them but I’ve never thought about actually using pure argan oil by itself. The only negative I have come across so far is that when you initially apply it, it smells kinda funky but that smell goes after 15 minutes or so.
Should I Use Argan Oil?
If your hair is tough, or brittle or even itchy then yeah I suggest using it. I’m usually caught, pulling out my beard because its itchy but in the last week I haven’t pulled out any.
If you have nice soft hair then there isn’t a need for you to use argan oil, just go enjoy life. (I’m jealous of you.)
Price
As you can imagine the price from a Moroccan night market is going to be a lot different to a UK retailers price. It may be worth having a look around but make sure you go for the 100% pure argan oil. I trust Boots and Holland and Barrett with this kind of products but your welcome to have a look around, you’ll probably get a good deal on sites like eBay as well.
[products ids=”3652,3654″]
Good luck on your journey to nice shiny hair, wherever you choose to apply the oil. Apparently its good for massages too (wink wink.)
If reading the title confused you a little then good, it confused me the first time someone said it to me. Thankfully it’s pretty basic and once I explain it, you’ll just do it subconsciously. If you have been wearing suits awhile – you may already be doing it.
The size of your tie’s knot should be in proportion to the size of your collar and vice versa. In layman’s terms; big & thick ties for large collars and skinny/thin ties for small collars.
The style in which you choose to tie your tie matters. I haven’t worn my tie in any other way except a full Windsor for over five years. I find it perfect for me as when I choose to wear a tight fitted shirt with small collars and a tie bar, my skinny tie and Windsor knot looks fantastic. Equally as fantastic are my TM Lewin big wide collar shirts with my thick standard ties in a Windsor knot. However, I have seen some people doing some crazy knots, making patterns out of it all, this is fine if it suits you but make sure that you haven’t wrapped your tie around your knot 15 times on a shirt with small collars.
If you are unsure as to whether your tie’s knot will be big or small then simply look at the width of your tie. The more material in the tie the larger your tie knot will be.
With every company in the world now online and more and more people buying their favourite clothing labels from the comfort of their sofa. I’m definitely one of them, I’ve been buying clothes online myself for around eight years. I first started on eBay, buying g-shock watches and superdry products back in 2006. I remember wearing the first Superdry polo-shirts, they were around £60 at the time but I grabbed all mine for around £25.
Shopping online is amazing, especially if you’re not one of those who shop in the high end retailers. Walking around in Louis Vuitton or D&G is always a pleasure, however Next, H&M & Topman can be extremely annoying. I’d much rather be sitting down on my sofa flicking through my favourite stores than walking around stores crammed with people.
I’m flying out to Morocco in a few days and I needed a camera. After some googling to try and find out which one was most suitable for me, I decided on this nifty little camera called Canon IXUS 160 Digital Camera. Initially I was going to buy it off Amazon for £135, which I figured was a decent price for a good camera. Thankfully I did some googling and found the same camera for £67 from John Lewis. Saved £72 by being patient and having a look first.
Depends how bothered you are about saving money but you never know how cheap you’ll be able to pick up that suit or patent shoes. Obviously if you’re buying a Mark’s & Spencer suit from their site then there’s no point googling it. It may take a few minutes to find the same product you’re interested in, but if you can save £5 you may as well. The only time I pay more for an item is if I’ve had a bad experience with a company, even if they’re cheaper I’d rather have my stuff delivered in one piece.
Marrakech, Morocco September 2015 – Booked! Once I booked my plane ticket there is only one thing left to do, go shopping! Packing the right clothes on holiday is about as important as remembering to book the holiday itself. What you pack will depend completely on where you’re going and what you intend on doing while you’re there. A lot of thought goes into planning a holiday and the same amount should go into planning what you’re taking along the journey.
Travel Guide For Men
Here are some questions you should be asking yourself or google;
– Hot or Cold?
– Rain or Shine?
– Swimming?
– Partying/Raving?
– Fine dining?
– Getting Muddy/Dirty?
If you’re plan is to relax by the pool and check out the markets then shorts and vests will do. However if you’re going to leave the hotel at 10am and get back for midnight, you’ll be out in the cold after sunset so might be worth bringing a jumper and/or trousers.
Going out to eat in nice restaurants? Bring along a dress shirt and some smart trousers. Want to stuff your face with kebabs and burgers on the market stalls – leave the dress shirt in your wardrobe and pack a polo or printed t-shirt in it’s place.
Raving? If you’re one of those that will be going out at night and getting messy, then you probably won’t be able to wear the same outfit again on that holiday so you better make sure you pack a few outfits. Similarly if you plan on going on a camel or quad biking through the desert, you definitely won’t be wearing that outfit again.
What I’m Taking On Holiday
Although this is supposed to be a travel guide for men, I’m going to instead take you through what I’m taking to Morocco. As it’s a hot country and to be honest quite sandy/dusty one, I’m only taking a few things. I have no intention to go to any fancy restaurants or to any events that require a shirt and tie. I don’t plan on going to the beach or going out partying. My plan is to go around the markets, haggle with some Moroccan’s, ride a camel, do some quad biking and eat loads of fresh Moroccan food. With this in mind I plan my outfit around all these things and if you’re going on holiday soon you should be thinking carefully about what you intend on doing.
Jumper/Jacket
No need for a jacket as hopefully the weather will be amazing and if it isn’t then I’ll prob buy a waterproof jacket or something while I’m there. I won’t be packing a jumper, I don’t want to waste suitcase space but I will be wearing one on the way to morocco, you just never know with UK weather.
[products ids=”3496, 3491″]
T shirts
The obvious and easy choice for me here is white t-shirts, I’m going to take two crisp white t-shirts from ASOS. I want people to know I’m around and no better way than blasting the sun’s ray off my t-shirt and into their eyes. There’s a natural love for a fresh white T that exists in all our hearts.
[products ids=”3474,3480″]
As I’m going quad biking and will be getting acquainted with a camel I can’t always wear a white T so my next option are the wonderful printed logo t-shirts. I managed to grab two bad boy t-shirts from Primark for £3 each. I’ll also be taking my favorite UCLA T-shirt with the huge logo on the front. You always need a branded logo t-shirt wherever you go.
[products ids=”3454,3465″]
primark t-shirt for £3
Trousers
Who needs trousers in morocco? Well strangely enough I do. I’m bringing along my Zara trousers and my grey H&M tracksuits. I’m a big track suit fan and I love lounging around in tracksuits and my H&M tracksuits are the just thin enough for me not to burn in my hotel room.
Shorts
Probably the most important part of my luggage is selecting which shorts to take. I’m going to be walking around in the hot markets and I’m not looking to get pick pocketed so 3/4 length shorts with solid pockets (zips and buttons.) Needless to say, I plan on doing a lot of swimming so I need some good shorts. I learnt from my previous experience with swimming to bring quick dry men’s 3/4 length swimming leggings. They’re amazing, you wear them under your shorts and 5 minutes after getting out the pool they’re dry. I’ll also be bringing along 2 cotton shorts to wear just to be comfy and keep my legs cool.
[products ids=”3507,3514″]
3/4 length shorts from eBay for £6
primark shorts for £5
Accessories
Accessories make the outfit so you better have some good ones. Well as a standard I’m bringing my smartwatch with me. However I also need a cheap waterproof watch for the days I know I’m going to be around water.
Hat’s are incredibly useful on holidays, especially when that baking african sun is on your head sucking the life out of you. What better opportunity to pull out a snap back. Funnily enough, I don’t own one so I went a bought a cheap one I wouldn’t mind losing in the desert or leaving by the pool.
Fanny packs, yeah I said it. No I don’t own one. Yes I will be buying one. As much as I don’t want to and I think back to how ugly my dad looked wearing one when I was a kid, they serve a purpose, a very important purpose. As much as I want to go morocco, I don’t want to stay there and likewise I don’t want my phone staying there. I’m going to be grabbing myself a cheap, thin & waterproof one from eBay to hold my passport, hotel key card and cash.
Wash bag! Don’t know what that is? It’s a small bag you keep all your wet products in. I.e your toothbrush, you’re hair gel, toothpaste, sunscreen and anything else you might need on your journey to keep you feeling at home.
[products ids=”3521″]
Pack Nothing
It’s important to make sure you pack a whole bunch of nothingness into your suitcase to make sure that you have space to actually bring some stuff back with you. Great thing about packing nothing, it’s free.
Collar stays (also known as collar stiffeners) should be a part of your life, you should be sliding them into your collars whenever you finish your ironing. They are small in size but very important, without them, even the best of shirts look cheap and battered after a few wears. Cheap shirts have “built-in” collar stays, while decent dress shirts will have removable ones. If you don’t already use them often, you need to start – now.
If however, you are among the few men who take care of their clothes and pay attention to the “silly” things most men ignore, then you probably already wear collar stays. Chances are they’re plastic, am I right? Time to step it up.
Why Should I Upgrade To Metal Collar Stays?
The same way plastic collar stays transform a normal shirt great. Metal collar stays take the shirt to another level again. There is something about a man’s clothes looking rigid and sharp that just make him look the business. Metal collar stays make the collars on your shirt look sharp and when you move around they won’t. You won’t be able to feel the difference when wearing them but take a picture with plastic collar stays vs metal collar stays and you will see the difference clearly.
How Much Are They?
Some companies can go to the extreme with their collar stays and have some £200 silver stays. Other companies are more accommodating for us normal lads with prices around £10/£15. I strongly recommend grabbing yourself a pair, you only need one since you only wear one shirt at a time (I hope.)
I wouldn’t bother getting them engraved with anything, except of course, if you’re buying them as a gift for someone.
I personally prefer the pair from Moss Bros as they are cheap but solid/quality. I’ve added a few more collar stays to my store in order to spoil you for choices. Buy one pair of collar stays that will last a life time, trust me you won’t regret this purchase.
Ask me five years ago why men wear tailored suits and I would laughed saying; “because they’re old and overweight.” Although that may have been true, I now find myself right this moment shopping for a tailored fit suit. So what’s changed?
Well for one, I’m not eighteen anymore. Being twenty-three, my lifestyle is very different to how it was five years ago. All those late night takeaways have taken its toll and my lack of enthusiasm towards playing football has made me a proud owner of a 34 inch waist. Not only that but my desire to bulk up and pump weights in the gym has given me quite broad shoulders as well. It is fair to say, I’d rip a skinny suit easily in a day or two. Unfortunately two suits that are very dear to me are destined to stay in the back of my wardrobe until I am either able to drop a waist size, or pluck up the courage to give them to a charity shop.
Different Suit Sizes & Styles
We all have many different suit sizes and styles to choose from when we’re out shopping and knowing which style best suits you is essential. You have a choice between the school boy/rocker suits – the skinny fit. Then you have the slick and streamlined suit – the slim fit. Going up the ladder and getting old in age brings you to the comfortable and kind-of slim fit – tailored fit. The last and pretty much the least desirable fit – the regular fit.
Skinny Fit
Skinny fitted suits are the perfect suit for the young hairless man who is venturing out into the big bad world. Perfect for the stylish kid who likes to look cool, show off his dapper shoes and wear his Ray-Bans at night. Can you wear these to work? Of course! I did and they worked very well for me. If you are proud of your physique then this suit is perfect for you. Be warned, your movement may be restricted in these so watch out before jumping over that fence or chasing that bus.
Slim Fit
Slim fit is probably by far the best fit and if I hope I can slim down enough to get back into them. Slim fitted suits look and feel amazing. You can breathe and stretch freely in these suits without worrying that lifting your leg too high will cause your trousers to rip at the crotch. Yes that has happened to me, on more than three occasions. I wouldn’t advise running for a bus though. Want a suit fitted for all formal and casual events/days the slim fit looks fantastic and feels equally the same.
Tailored Fit
Want comfort without losing style? Tailored fit my friend. This suit will go in at the waist and your calfs allowing you space in your chest and thighs (the big parts of us real men.) Worrying about your ripping your suit is the thing of the past. You can look at the tailored fit suit as the dad of the family. Old and wise enough to know how to last a long time while still keeping it’s owner comfy and looking sharp. Feel free to run and jump in these as you wish.
Regular Fit
Regular fitted suits are by far my least favourite. This is for the men who want to wear a suit and don’t really care what others think. Style is out the window on this one and comfort was the one who kicked it out. You’ll never have to worry about durability as these suits will last you a lifetime. I have read that many people buy a regular suit from a retail store for cheap and get the suit cut and chopped to fit them perfectly – food for thought maybe?
Everyone talks about having a good suit, a crisp shirt, a pair of well polished shoes etc etc. These things are great and we understand their importance but we also know looking after our hair (all of it) is equally as important. I have already written about “How often should men get a haircut?”. If we exclude the hair on our head, there is still a lot of hair elsewhere, leaving a few unanswered questions.
– How to shave?
– When to shave?
– What to shave?
– Should men shave at all?
Grooming Routine
The answers are different depending on you, some of us men grow hair at crazy speeds and some of us grow an inch every 18 months. Having a routine, no matter the duration, is imperative as there are somethings that as men, we just can not afford to let happen. I can’t afford to let my mustache grow for more than four days without shaving it. I literally look like a homeless bum with my unshaven mustache. Selecting a day and having a set routine that you go through each time will guarantee you constantly look your best. People will notice if you stop grooming yourself and they will be quick to tell you about it.
Unanswered Questions
How to shave?
Shaving is not the easiest thing to do, trust me I cut myself often. However, saying that, I have improved massively over time. The best advice I can give; practice makes perfect and while you are on your way to perfection, I have some tips that will help you out.
1. Wash whatever you are shaving with hot water. Hot water opens up your pours, meaning you will get a closer shave and you are less likely to cut yourself. If you do manage to nick yourself, splash your face with cold water once you are done as this causes your skin’s pores to close and the blood will also move away from the surface of your skin.
2. Get a cutthroat blade. They look scary but they are perfect. Once you get past the first couple times, you will realize that you can now shave everything with ease. The normal razors are really easy to use and not to mention, they are a lot safer. None the less the cutthroat blade trumps them all. You can get one for really cheap on eBay, I added it into my store – click here.
3. Use shaving foam or some sort of soap/oil. There is nothing worse than shaving somewhere on your body or your face and it feeling like its on fire and about to explode. I use shaving foam, I buy mine for around 30 pence from Tesco and it stops me from removing the top layer of my skin when shaving. This means I get a better shave and I don’t get a super red mustache (eww).
What to shave?/Should men shave at all?
Should men shave? Of course, how often? Depends how hairy you are. Me – I’m quite hairy so I shave a lot. Never shave his legs or arms, everything else is open for you. I personally shave all my pubic hair, my underarm hair, my back, the back of my neck and I trim my mustache. I hear you asking, what about my chest? Yes I do grow hair on my chest and stomach and I do get rid of the hair there. How? Hair removal cream my friend. It works wonders and when the hair grows back, it doesn’t itch at all.
Grooming is important and how ever you choose to groom yourself, just make sure that you get into a routine and do it often. My routine is every Friday without fail. Don’t forget to cut your nails as well. Cleanliness is part of being a gent, so get used to it.
Many people used to ask me how I have so many suits and how they all look so new – not a question I’m asked much these days. Unfortunately I have outgrown most of my suits and I need to spend some well needed time in the gym. Shopping was easier when I was slim, I would buy a new suit every three to five months. Finding off the rack suits that fit me perfectly was a piece of apple pie. Nowadays I have to spend a lot more money and look a lot harder to get that perfect fit. I’ve come up with a trick to create the illusion I have more outfits than I actually do and it also saves me a lot of cash as well.
We all love change and wearing different outfits will definitely make you stand out amongst the others. Suits are expensive so we can’t always afford to buy a suit regularly, I simply buy nice trousers and forget all about the blazer. Trousers usually cost a third of the price of the suit, so if you buy two different trousers you’re still in pocket.
Combine your new trousers with a good quality shirt and people won’t notice your suit jacket missing from the back of your chair. Usually when I do this I end up with a enough compliments about my shirt to make my head explode.
Warning: don’t cheap out on badly made trousers. Leaving the suit jacket puts more attention on your trousers so you better make sure they are quality.
Not only does having more options when you get dressed in the morning help you look great, it increases the lifespan of your outfits, since you’re not wearing that suit you love three times a week anymore.
What aftershave is the best? I’ve seen it asked in so many different ways so many times, whether it’s men asking each other what they wear or what their preference is, or if it’s a woman on a forum asking what aftershave she should buy for her husband/dad/brother/boyfriend. Considering there are millions of different fragrances to choose from and so many different types of aftershaves (sprays, roll-ons etc), there is no way I’m going to go through a huge list.
I like brands, I like people knowing that my suit is from their favourite brand or being told that my Louis Vuitton belt looks great. Obviously I also enjoy people asking me where I got something from but when you mention an unknown brand it kind of kills the conversation. When I wear my one million aftershave – no one needs to ask what I’m wearing, they know already and I can see on their face that they like it. Yes to confirm – my favourite aftershave is one million.
Females
Sometimes the easiest thing to do if you’re a woman and want to buy a man in your life perfume – just buy him one he already has. If you want to go one step above that then you could buy him an aftershave that he has recently finished, chances are; if it’s finished the aftershave, he likes it.
What Aftershave Is The Best?
There isn’t one. It’s completely down to the individual and what they prefer. I know that answer sucks but it’s the truth. So to help you out, I found this amazing info-graphic and decided to put it to the test with a couple of my friends. I sent it out to a few friends and it worked wonders.
I try not to be one of those bloggers that just writes about a bunch of stuff that I don’t like just for the sake of “content.” This can result sometimes in me going through websites and just thinking; “blah – I hate all this stuff.” For that I do apologise for not writing as much as I normally do. Thankfully Moss Bros came to the rescue with some really nice suits at a really decent price.
Moss Bros is one of those companies that seem to always have a sale, which can get a little annoying because I usually can not be bothered to flick through the racks in store or search through the online catalog. Especially because most of the time you find the perfect suit colour, style and fabric but then they don’t have it in your size. Thankfully I did manage to find four suits I would definitely own and wear regularly, one I’m actually buying.
I don’t really agree with owning “summer suits” just because in UK, its only really summer a couple days a year. If you don’t believe me it’s rained twice this week and it’s now 8th of July. Although you could certainly wear all four of these suits throughout summer pretty much anywhere in the world, I would not label them as summer suits. They are all season suits which is great for us normal lads that can’t afford to own fifteen different suits.
[products ids=”3234,3228″]
Moss 1851 – Tailored
Each suit is from the Moss 1851 Tailored Fit collection, which probably doesn’t mean much to you but I’ll shed some light on it. Negatives first; each of the suits come with a fixed size trouser waist which is based on the size jacket you select. Generally waist is six inches smaller than our chest and that’s how they work it out. If you are oddly shaped like me then you can get the trousers tailored or it might be best to opt for their mix and match suits.
Please also note that although I normally post slim fit suits, these are tailored fit meaning they will be a bit more loose fitting. I think as I’m getting older, I’m slowly moving away from tight fitted suits and more into a nice tailored cut.
[products ids=”3221,3215″]
Wrong Size – Returns
Moss Bros are quite good in regards to returns, I’ve returned and swapped a few things before and they never have any problems. There are two return policies, one 28 day return period for any non-sale item and you can return it for any reason, even if you don’t like it.
Their second policy is a 14 days return policy on all sale items. This is perfect and something I use often. I buy something even if it’s a bit of a gamble and then if it doesn’t fit, go into the store and get them to order me another one in a size up/down and get that delivered to my house or if they have one in store, even better.
