A BRAND INTRODUCTION TO HAMILTON

About a month or so ago I met up with one half of the Male Grooming brand: Hamilton. 

Based in Leeds, perhaps it was always inevitable our paths would cross as I love all things Male Grooming as that is what I am trained in, and Hamilton being a Male Grooming brand of course meant that we go hand in hand together at some point!

Hamilton are strong believers in creating 'no nonsense' yet effective products that fit right into your Grooming routine and what matters to them are;

  • Functionality - Focusing on products that deliver on targeted solutions, functionality and results.
  • Free From - All products are SLS, Paraben and microbeads free.
  • Never Tested On Animals - None of their products have ever, nor will they ever, be tested on animals.
  • British Made - As Hamilton continues to grow, they strive to help support British businesses where needed.
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For this post I had kindly been gifted:

Hyper-Strength Hydrator -

This moisturiser contains Vitamin A and E alongside Shea Butter to help nourish and hydrate the skin whilst working with added collagen to reduce any fine lines and visible signs of ageing. 

I applied the Hydrator first thing in the morning and prior to application, I cleansed my face to ensure it was clean and to allow the product to absorb into my skin. I found that the Hydrator absorbed incredibly well into my skin and the overall appearance was dewy, soft to touch and my skin had a healthy glow! The texture of the moisturiser had a good consistency and didn't feel too heavy or gloopy when applied onto my skin. I also really enjoyed the scent of the Vanilla and Lime and it felt fresh and citrusey without being too overbearing!

Beard Oil (Vanilla & Lime scented) - 

This Beard Oil contains Apricot Oil to help hydrate, Argan Oil to soften the beard/facial hair and Vanilla to act as an antioxidant. I only have slight facial hair now compared to a year ago where my beard was a lot thicker and longer! However, Beard Oil is designed to work whatever the length of your beard/facial hair is so luckily this wasn't a problem for me. Like the moisturiser, I applied the Beard Oil in the morning after the Hydrator and could notice that my facial hair didn't feel as rough or as 'stubbled' as it had done prior to application. Again, the scent was delightful! Incredibly fresh and I only needed a small amount of the Beard Oil for the full effect.

I really enjoyed trying these two products out, and it was a great introduction to the Hamilton brand! For more details and to view more of their products, click here and to follow them on their Instagram, click here!

Have you tried any of the products by Hamilton before? If so, which ones? Will you be trying either of these products out? Do you enjoy using beard oils if you have a beard or facial hair? Do let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to give this post a 'like' below!

PRETTY GREEN LOOKBOOK

I had first heard of Pretty Green by Liam Gallagher as the brand was founded by him in 2009. Pretty Green is very much a nod to the 90's with clothes that strongly represent both the mod and Rock'N'Roll era. When I had been approached to create a LookBook for the brand I was both honoured and chuffed, especially to represent Leeds!

I love the Rock'N'Roll look/vibes so when I was given the opportunity to choose some key items, I chose those that stayed true to my style and I also wanted to choose some pieces that I wouldn't necessarily have thought of wearing before such as the crisp white jeans alongside the Baker Boy cap!

Myself and Matt McCormick found a field adorned in yellow flowers and I felt this was the perfect location to tie in the Summer theme with the brand. I also selected a few pieces from the Katie Eary x Pretty Green Collection and had a lot of fun shooting this LookBook! I do hope you like the images and I would love to hear your thoughts on what you think to them. 

Have you shopped with Pretty Green before? If so, what have you bought? Have you viewed their latest collections? Have you been into their Leeds Boutique? Do let me know your thoughts below and don't forget to click the 'like' button!

© Photography: Matt McCormick

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WHAT I WORE:

PRETTY GREEN | Short Sleeve Floral Print Shirt

PRETTY GREEN | White Selvedge Jeans

PRETTY GREEN | Striped Denim Hat

PRETTY GREEN | Round Frame Metal Sunglasses in grey

KATIE EARY X PRETTY GREEN | Papilio Embroidered T-Shirt

KATIE EARY X PRETTY GREEN | Toria Print Swim Shorts

ST. TROPEZ: SELF TAN PURITY BRONZING WATERS

When I had sat down to start this post, at the time it had been scorching up here in Leeds over the Bank Holiday weekend, but as I sit here now in realtime four days afterwards, it is drizzly, cold and the Sun is nowhere to be seen. That is where the new St. Tropez - Self Tan Purity Bronzing Waters comes in!

I have always championed fake tan over the use of sun-beds, so much so that I could do a whole blog post based around how damaging and the long lasting effects of using a sun-bed are, but I'll save that for another time... Fake tan is gentle on the skin, the results can be instant depending on the tan that you use and furthermore, it's safe!

Mr Luke Christian St Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Waters

The first fake tan I had ever bought was indeed St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mist and the reason for doing so was because at the time the Bronzing Mist had been launched, my icon Kate Moss was the model for their campaign and anything she puts her name to, I buy into. It's as simple as that! Fickle? Perhaps, but with very good reason as ever since then, St. Tropez have become one of my favourites when it comes to tanning! Last week I had entered their Twitter competition and was selected as one of their few bloggers to be able to try out their latest Tanning creations; Self Tan Purity Bronzing Waters!

ST. TROPEZ SELF TAN PURITY BRONZING WATERS

Prior to application, I exfoliated my skin in the shower with an exfoliator and some 'hand scrubbing mitts' to ensure that my skin was product free and to allow the tan to work and absorb into my skin. The first thing that I noticed about the Water Mousse was the scent. It smelt so fresh, fruity, tropical and had a real beach/Summer vibe to it!

I applied a few squirts of the Mousse onto my tanning mitt and began to massage onto my skin. Now, this Water Mousse isn't an instant tan and because I'm used to using instant tans previously, it was a little bit of a challenge trying to work out where I had applied the tan in case I had missed any areas resulting in looking streaky and patchy, which of course nobody wants... I enjoyed the fact that the Mousse felt incredibly light, my skin felt refreshed and there was no stickiness to the product either! 

Before application

Before application

After application

After application

After about an hour or so, I then began to notice a colour change and it was only when my Mother came into my room and said "Ooo you can tell you've been out in the Sun today!" when little did she know, this was indeed St. Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Water Mousse! This was just an example of how incredibly natural looking this tan was and there was certainly no fear of looking 'orange' with this. I liked that the overall colour appeared a cooler, natural tan as opposed to a warm, 'oh wow you've definitely fake tanned' look. 

After 6-7 hours, the tan had fully absorbed into my skin and by the point, my tan was completely dry. My appearance looked a lot healthier, I had a fresh glow about me and I have to say, it is honestly one of the most natural looking tans I have ever come across! Trust me, I have been through a lot of fake tans... Once the tan had settled, I then sprayed the Bronzing Water Face Mist over my skin and it gave my overall appearance a healthy boost and my face looked dewier!

Before application

Before application

After application

After application

Overall the St. Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Waters definitely lives up to its name in the sense that it is incredibly light on the skin, easy to apply, it is hydrating and again, incredibly natural looking! Even now after 4 days of the tan being on my skin, it is still clear to see! To view the two products and to know a little more about them, click here.

You can purchase both the St. Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Water Mousse and the Self Tan Purity Bronzing Water Face Mist online now or in your local drugstore. 

I'm up against some other fabulous bloggers in terms of whoever creates the best blog post, gets their review onto the official St. Tropez website! So please, help support me and share this post with your friends and make some noise about it on social media! Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and don't forget to tag St.Tropez too!

Have you used any of the Fake Tans by St. Tropez before? Have you tried their newest Purity Bronzing Waters range yet? If so, how did you find it? Will you be trying these out? Do you like instant tan, or gradual tan? Do let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to click the 'like' button below!

ZIRH PRODUCTS

Having worked with MaleSkin on many blog posts before, I always get excited to receive a bundle from them as they work with such a vast range of brands and for this post I was kindly gifted some products by Zirh!

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I received;

Now, as I sport a bit of facial hair, I was unable to review the Post-Shave Solution and the Shave Cream but I wanted to include these in this post as it could make for a great gift this Father's Day in a couple of weeks time? Both the Post-Shave Solution and the Shave Cream are soothing with ingredients such as Aloe, Ginseng and anti-oxidants all of which help to hydrate, comfort and relieve any skin irritation!

DAILY FACIAL CONDITIONER

I applied the Daily Facial Conditioner both first thing in the morning, and last thing at night before heading to bed. I cleansed my face prior to using this and found that my skin felt hydrated, felt softer to touch and appeared dewier! The consistency of the Daily Facial Conditioner felt light on my skin and didn't feel too dense or heavy. I also liked that it had a matte effect to it, as opposed to making my skin look shiny and greasy!

To purchase the Daily Facial Conditioner, click here and to view more Zirh products, click here.

Have you tried any of the Zirh products before? Have you tried any of these mentioned? If so, how did you find them? Have you shopped with MaleSkin before? What products have you tried from there? Do let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to click that 'like' button below!

*Please note, this post has been sponsored.

TOM FORD - COSTA AZZURRA

After a widespread of disappointment when Tom Ford announced Costa Azzurra had been discontinued late last year, Costa Azzurra is officially back, and I for one couldn't be happier!

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I remember when Tom Ford released three blue fragrances from a sub-collection of which there were:

  1. Costa Azzurra
  2. Mandarino Di Amalfi
  3. Fleur De Portofino

COSTA AZZURRA

  • Top Notes: Seaweed, Driftwood, Agarwood, Celery Seeds, Ambrette, Cardamom
  • Middle Notes: Juniper, Myrtle, Lavender, Lemon, Yellow Mandarin, Artemisia
  • Base Notes: Mastic/Lentisque, Olibanum, Incense, Vanilla, Vetiver, Oak

Out of the three, Costa Azzurra was my immediate favourite because it was unlike any other Spring/Summer fragrance I had previously smelt. I had always been accustomed to the idea of a Spring/Summer scent being quite light, citrusy and sweet! For me, Costa Azzurra was the total opposite, an aquatic, woody scent that transported me along a coastline where the sea breeze meets the saltiness of the ocean.

The opening of Costa Azzurra began with a burst of the citrus notes that quickly dried down into a more aquatic, dense scent with the woody notes soon coming into play. Admittedly, Costa Azzurra didn't last too long on my skin and slowly began to fade between 3-4 hours which was disappointing, but allowed me to use that as an excuse to spray some more head to toe... In terms of the sillage, I found it to be soft to medium and I had been complimented several times from having worn this!

To purchase Tom Ford - Costa Azzurra, click here.

Be sure to check out my other Tom Ford fragrance reviews on Oud Minerale, Sole Di Positano, Soleil Blanc, Neroli Portofino Acqua, Noir De Noir, Tobacco Oud and Tobacco Vanille!

GIFFGAFF - SPEND OR SAVE EVENT

A few weeks ago I attended GiffGaff's #SpendOrSave event which was held at the quirky, circus themed bar; Cuckoo in Leeds!

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As I walked into the venue, I was taking in all of the bold colours and the bright lights and reminisced with my good friend Sarah. Once the drinks started to flow, we were then sat down and the reason as to why we were there was soon explained to us. We had a brief introduction to the brand whilst they shared a few tips on how to be wise when it comes to spending as well as saving. Admittedly this is something which I need help with, (especially the saving part!) 

Photography by Matt Chappell

Photography by Matt Chappell

Photography by Matt Chappell

Photography by Matt Chappell

GiffGaff had created a fun board game designed to test our spending and saving skills where each player gets £1,000 as they pass PayDay! and depending on where they land, a player could earn a fair amount of money such as Freelance Job which of course ties in nicely with us bloggers, or equally, a player could lose out on quite a lot of money such as landing on an Electric Bill. There were also opportunities for the players to invest their money in big 'life goals' such as marriage and mortgages in the hope of doubling their chances of winning.

However, once these large sums of money towards a life goal had been paid, this would then mean that if a player lands on a nasty smaller bill, but didn't have the correct funds for it, then they would have to skip a turn! As each round had passed, the player ages by 5 years and at the end of the game, the player with the most amount of money before hitting retirement, wins! 

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For me personally, I swear the game had been rigged because I was losing out on more money far quicker than everyone else around me... Having said that, I could just be a sore loser with terrible dice rolls? Yeah, probably the latter... Overall, I learnt a few tips on how to save and have since found myself questioning on whether or not that bottle of fragrance worth over £100 is worth it, or would it be better saved towards a deposit for a flat! I also had a wonderful time meeting new bloggers and making new connections, and the 3 winners of this game also donated their winning prize money to their chosen charities. A good cause all round!

Photography by Matt Chappell

Photography by Matt Chappell

If you are a blogger from Birmingham and would like the chance to play this fun game in July, then get in touch with them via their Twitter or Facebook. Enjoy! Also, why not take a free credit check here!

Have you heard of this Game by GiffGaff? Would you want the chance to play it? Does it sound like something you'd like to know more about? Do you need help when it comes to spending or saving your money? Do let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to click that 'like' button below!