Product Review: Gentlemen's Tonic, Traditional Shave Cream (£19.00, 125g)

You expect a barbershop to look, feel and smell a certain way. You expect a barbershop in Mayfair to look, feel and smell somehow, well, classier than your average barbershop. Especially when that barbershop is also a centre for luxury (and manly) grooming treatments, massage and therapies such as reflexology. 

This is Gentlemen's Tonic. Located in Hong Kong and Dubai as well as London, this upmarket establishment sells a range of grooming products to tempt any man to part with his hard earned cash.

And I have been testing out the traditional shave cream for the past couple of weeks. 

Infused with babassu oil, to stop the skin drying out during your shave, and manuka honey, to moisturise and dampen any shaving irritation, this is a product aimed at the high-end of the market. (It's also paraben free, which I generally look for.)

Although better applied with a badger hair brush, this cream easily worked into my skin when I've attempted using my fingers. As shaving rash can be both unsightly and uncomfortable, I always tend to be on the liberal side with shaving gels, creams and foams. It's no different for me here. Though as this cream is on the viscous side, liberalism does tend to entail a serious wash-off afterwards to remove the product from the skin post-shave.

If you like to have a squeaky clean finish at the end of your shave, you would do well to check Gentlemen's Tonic out. This product leaves my shaven area feeling toned and fresh (and ready to be balmed). That said, I do find it's almost a shame to apply extra products, as I then lose the delicious bergamot fragrance from this cream as I progress through my morning routine. 

If you wanted to keep that fragrance going there is a babassu and bergamot scented candle for £35.00. I'd certainly be interested. And I'm also waiting for the eau de toilette, which I'm sure must be in the pipeline. (If not then I would of course like to be credited with the concept...)

On this basis I can see Gentlemen's Tonic establishing its name amongst the upper echelons of the "traditional" London men's grooming brands (think D. R. Harris and others). Now I'm just holding out for an invite to test the facilities in store!

Diptyque, "Un Air De Diptyque"

Slipping through my letterbox this morning was this beautiful card from French fragrance-experts Diptyque. What it tells me, on suitably embossed card, is that there is a new member of the Diptyque family: "Un Air de diptyque". 

Un Air de diptyque is a home fragrance diffusion system. Though not your average one, naturally. The electric diffuser is designed to discreetly emit your favourite Diptyque fragrance. There are currently five fragrances to choose from: amber; fig; baies; feu de bois; and the signature 34 boulevard St Germain. Each comes in its own capsule.

Un Air de diptyque is available in stores now - yours for just *gulp* £240.00. The capsules, sold separately, are £25.00 each.

How might you use yours!?

I'm Wearing: Sunday 6 October 2013

Highbury Fields provided the location for this week. All I'm missing is a Long Black and a puppy. Or a tennis racket and sweat patches. 

Ankle Boots: Reiss

Jeans: Cheap Monday

Belt: Acne Studios

Statement Sweatshirt: Veronica Maggio Merchandise

Wax Jacket: Rag & Bone

Pocket Square: Etro

Tote Bag: Acne Studios

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Product Review: Korres, Saffron, Amber and Cardamom Eau de Toilette (£30.00, 50ml)

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was first approached with a saffron, amber and cardamom eau de toilette by Greek brand Korres.

Scents of India and the orient normally please me greatly (think about the sandalwood body lotion by Ishana and Penhaligon’s Zizonia, which have both previously made it onto this blog), but it seemed so out of character for Korres that I was somewhat worried. However, doing a bit of research I found that this spicy fragrance made it neatly into the Independent’s list of the fifty best fragrances, so my reservations didn’t last long.

First, the packaging. The bottle itself is extremely simple (I would perhaps have preferred a black cap, but I’m being picky). The sharp edges remind me of a medicine bottle or a product in a cool Scandinavian apothecary, which I like. This simplicity is also demonstrative of the price, which is extremely reasonable at £30.00 for 50ml.

More importantly, the fragrance itself. I found it quite intense upon application. You get an immediate honey-fied whiff of saffron, though it is the amber and agarwood base notes that last longer for me. There’s cedar and sandalwood in the heart of this fragrance too, so it really does capture the "scents of the East" well.

For those who like something warm and woody, with a little spice on top, I think you will enjoy this one.

My main criticism, however, is that the longevity is pretty average. My advice would therefore be to carry the bottle (or a handy atomiser) around with you for reapplication post-lunch and/or pre-drinks. The lack of longevity is perhaps due to the almost exclusively “natural” content of this fragrance. Chemicals do make things last longer…

Also, there is alcohol in this product, so if you generally stay clear of eau de toilette's with alcohol content then keep this in mind!

Available at www.TheFragranceShop.co.uk. 

In Rotation: October 2013

I've got some excellent products to test out this month, including a couple of face masks to give my skin that extra love and care as the weather gets colder. I've already given my humble opinion on the Kiehl's cleanser and the Clarins Men Fatigue Fighter. But I'll be bringing you views and reviews on the rest of these products in good time, so keep an eye out!

Clockwise from centre top:

Korres: Saffron, Amber & Cardamom Eau de Toilette

Aesop: Bitter Orange Astringent Toner

Clarins: Foot Beauty Treatment Cream

Gentlemen's Tonic: Traditional Shave Cream

Clarins Men: Fatigue Fighter

Elemis: Post Shave Recovery Mask

Kiehl's: Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser

REN Skincare: Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

My New: Clarins Men, Fatigue Fighter (£30.00, 50ml)

It works. That's my review in a nutshell.

The masculine equivalent of the much lauded Beauty Flash Balm, this energising gel is possibly the best product in the Clarins Men range. And that means a lot, given that the hand cream is one of my essential products!

An absolute must-have and a lifesaver for the gent who travels for work and needs to go straight to that meeting post-flight, or the guy who parties too hard on a school night and has to face his colleagues the next day. The skin looks immediately fresher, brighter and re-vitalised.

This is a non-oily gel, which is great. Otherwise, I'll admit, it's a bit of a weird aquamarine colour and smells ever so slightly of chemicals. Don't let that put you off! In terms of ingredients, the blue alpine thistle combats redness and soothes, while centella is known as "the fountain of youth" in Chinese medicine due to its restorative and healing qualities. There is definitely a mental as well as physical side to the fatigue fighter! Centella also stimulates collagen production, so has great anti-ageing benefits too.

As a result, you could use a very thin layer of this every day as your moisturiser, but if I'm being honest that's a massive waste. You only get 50ml a bottle, so preserve! Instead, just use a little on key areas over your daily moisturiser, balm or gel.

If you are using it like I do, as bonus brightener on days the skin feels dehydrated or tired, you only need to squeeze a small amount of gel straight from the tube along the lower edge of your cheekbone. Then dab in with a couple of light finger taps, moving outwards and upwards along your face. Et voilà. 

I do have one major problem with this product. It's a whole £1 more expensive than Beauty Flash Balm! Now, £1 may not seem a big deal, but it's the principle of the thing and plays out again how brands think they can charge men more for grooming products simply because, well, I don't even know! It makes me so angry I sometimes fear my appendix might burst.

But forget that, take the plunge, and invest. And let me know how it works for you!

MR PORTER Gets Groomed. Finally!

MR PORTER has been bringing us high fashion via its delightfully-packaged deliveries for the last three years. But from today the site is branching out into my favourite field...grooming! And about time, quite frankly.

Imagine all the chic "modern apothecary" brands in one place, from my personal go-to Aesop to Le Labo and Perricone MD, and you've got the vibe they're going for. Perhaps most interestingly, the site will be stocking products from Santa Maria Novella, one of the oldest pharmacies in the world and founded in 1612. This will be the first time these world-famous treats have been available online.

Only eight brands are going on sale, so there's been a definite internal decision to keep this quality over quantity. And luckily, for people outside London, MR PORTER has selected some great lines that are not widely available in the regions.

Go and check it out at www.mrporter.com!