JOHN LEWIS - LEEDS VICTORIA GATE

June 05, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

I recently had the pleasure of being invited along to visit John Lewis in Victoria Gate: Leeds! I have visited the John Lewis store there many times before, but this was more of an in-depth tour around the store and to get a better understanding of John Lewis the brand, and the many services that they had to offer such as, The Beauty Studio.

The Beauty Studio is found on the ground-floor of John Lewis and is your ultimate go-to when it comes to all things beauty/male grooming! If you need some help, advice or guidance on where to start when it comes to skincare/beauty, then The Beauty Studio is there to walk you through various brands, listen to your needs and suggest products and treatment that they feel will suit you best.

The first stop I made on the tour was a facial from Clarins. Found on the ground floor, I had a brief consultation beforehand and told the beauty therapist, what my skin-type was, if I had any issues and ultimately, how I wanted my skin to appear and feel after the treatment. The treatment I opted for was the ‘Mens Energiser Facial’ to give my skin a much needed boost. The facial itself was incredibly relaxing and at one point, I think I genuinely started to nod off! After using various products on my skin such as the Active Face Wash, Exfoliating Cleanser, Toning Lotion and Super Moisture Balm, my skin immediately felt cleaner, soft to the touch and had a fresh, healthy glow! My facial at Clarins lasted for around 10-15 minutes and afterwards, I then met up with a personal men’s shopper and stylist at John Lewis.

I was taken into the mens private personal shopping room found at the back of Menswear on the ground floor and I admitted that not only did I not notice this area before, but I wasn’t even aware they did personal shopping! He explained to me that the room was in fact quite new to the store and that John Lewis want to offer the customer a whole experience, as opposed to just going into store and rushing back out again, (something of which I am guilty of!) With the mens personal shopping service, this allows the customer to be able to tell the stylist/shopper what their style is, what it is that they’re looking for, if it’s for an event, or if it’s just to refresh their wardrobe. John Lewis offer two services when it comes to Personal Styling - the 1 hour Style Refresh, or the 2 hour Wardrobe Review and the best part? It’s completely free! We then took a quick tour around Menswear and I came across a few brands that I liked such as Maison Labiche, Reiss, HUGO BOSS and Tommy Hilfiger.

After learning more about Menswear and the Personal Styling services that they offer, I then had a consultation with Tom Ford and being a fan of Tom Ford, this was something I was rather excited for! I’m quite stubborn in the sense that when it comes to fragrances, I know what I like. End of. So it was rather nice being introduced to different fragrances from the Tom Ford brand that I may not necessarily have gone out of my way to sample beforehand! I met with Sophia who took me through each fragrance group and after about 7 sample cards, I then ended up selecting Soleil Blanc which Sophia mixed with Oud Mineralé and wow, what a stunning blend! I was then shown the full range of the Mens Grooming products, the women’s beauty range and Tom Ford’s candle line. I wanted it all! I was then gifted a lovely Tom Ford goody bag which had samples of Soleil Blanc, Oud Minerale and the new Fougere d’Argent alongside a sample of Perfect Illuminator.

I then had a brief introduction to Elemis where I got to learn a little more about the mens range before being taken up to the very top floor of John Lewis to learn more about the Beauty Salon… Similar to the mens personal shopping room, I had no idea this Beauty Salon was even up there, nor did I know it even existed! Hidden away in the corner of Childrenswear, this is truly a secret little haven. Upon first glance, you could easily just assume that this was just a hair salon, but behind a certain mirror, is a whole different world, quite literally! Behind this mirror, it takes you into a private beauty salon with different treatment rooms behind each door. As we were walking through, we had to be incredibly quiet as there were currently treatments taking place. The whole private beauty salon is set up almost exactly the same as a spa, the only difference being is that there is no steam room… (I still think it’s a spa regardless!) The sort of treatments you can expect to find here for men are the Manicure 20 which includes - Hand soak, nail shaping, cuticle maintenance and nail buff for 20 minutes. Manicure 40, the same treatment as the Manicure 20, just for 40 minutes!

My tour around John Lewis had come to an end and it was a lovely experience! I feel that I got to learn a lot more about John Lewis as a whole and how as a company they are now wanting to give their customer an experience, from start to finish, perhaps the way forward now with the way things are changing on the high street? Thank you to everybody who I met on the day and for making me feel so welcome!

Have you been in John Lewis: Leeds before? Which department do you tend to visit the most? Are you someone who wants to be in and out of a shop? Or do you like to take your time with shopping? Did you know about the services that John Lewis have to offer? Do let me know below as I’d love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!

SUMMER SHIRTS '19

June 02, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

I have always said that when the Sun is shining and it’s hot here in England, (yes this can happen every now and again!) that there is nowhere I’d rather be! This was the case for one of my recent shoots, where myself and Matt McCormick stumbled across a field of beautiful yellow flowers. For this LookBook I wanted to create a rather dreamy setting with a few of my favourite shirt purchases I made recently from ASOS. I hope you like this LookBook as much as me and Matt do!

What do you think to this LookBook? Are you a fan of the photographs? Have you started building your Summer wardrobe yet? Are there any you think I should check out? Let me know down below and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

WHAT I WORE:

LOOK 1: ASOS DESIGN relaxed viscose shirt with low revere collar in blue

LOOK 2: Another Influence neon revere shirt

LOOK 3: Sacred Hawk revere shirt in black star print reg fit

Shorts worn in all outfits can be found here, alongside the Calvin Klein Marvin trainers here too!

ATELIER COLOGNE - CEDRE ATLAS

May 27, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

With Father’s Day creeping up on us here in the United Kingdom, I had kindly been gifted a fragrance which would make for the ideal gift by Atelier Cologne; Cedre Atlas! A fragrance part of the Collection Azur which includes other fragrances such as: Figuier Ardent, Mandarine Glaciale and Sud Magnolia.

Atelier Cologne was created to be one of the first fragrance houses dedicating a whole fragrance collection entirely to colognes, allowing these fragrances to be worn as Pure Perfumes! Each fragrance has a different story and meaning behind it, which I find adds a level of intimacy and really allows you to understand how the fragrance is supposed to feel when sprayed upon your skin.

CEDRE ATLAS

Top Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Blackcurrant
Middle Notes: Cedar, Jasmine, Apricot
Base Notes: Amber, Papyrus, Vetiver

‘On a cold winter day, you are taking a walk on a snowy forest path. The sky is clear and the sun shines through the bare trees. You take a deep breath, inhaling a fresh, woody scent that makes you feel warm inside.’

A fresh, woody fragrance that has a fine balance between the two! The opening is rather sharp with a fruity punch with the Bergamot and Blackcurrant notes coming through to start with, but shortly afterwards during the dry-down, Cedre Atlas then takes an interesting turn and becomes a much more colder, woodier fragrance. A complete contrast to its original opening!

In terms of the longevity, I must admit, I was slightly disappointed. I could only smell Cedre Atlas for around 3-4 hours on my skin however, I did gain a lot of compliments from wearing this! The projection I’d say is light to medium and given that the fragrance overall was quite light, I would recommend wearing this during the day.

A little tip: When you purchase the 30ml size, you also get a free leather case to go alongside it which can be personalised! To purchase Cedre Atlas click here, and to find out more about Atelier Cologne, click here!

Have you smelt any fragrances by Atelier Cologne before? If so, which one? Have you smelt Cedre Atlas before? What were your thoughts? Did you enjoy the fragrance? Let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

ACQUA DI PARMA BARBIERE COLLECTION

May 23, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

Acqua Di Parma have recently launched a grooming collection; Barbiere, which has everything you could possibly need and expect from the classic Italian brand! Ranging from shaving gels to creams, face masks and moisturisers, fragrance and more, I have recently had the pleasure of being able to trial these out over the past couple of months which had kindly been gifted to me to review.

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ACQUA DI PARMA BARBIERE COLLECTION

Face Clay Mask

Containing clay, Sambucus nigra flower extract and flower oil, I applied a thin layer of this onto my skin after having cleansed it, and to start with, the Clay Mask is rather gloopy and dense, but after leaving this on my skin for around 8 minutes or so, the Clay Mask began to feel tight and dry which I then rinsed off.

My skin felt incredibly smooth and I loved how my skin felt soft to the touch! I would recommend only using this Clay Mask once or twice a week, just to allow your skin to breathe a little in between uses.

For more information, click here!

Moisturising Face Cream

I applied this Moisturising Face Cream first thing of a morning after my face had been cleansed.

The texture of the Face Cream was rather light and when applied onto my skin, this absorbed quickly and easily leaving my skin feeling hydrated with a healthy, dewy glow!

Available in 50ml, learn more here.

Shaving Gel

Formulated using a blend of vegetal oils, this Shaving Gel aims to stop irritation and is better suited for those who need a quick shaving solution!

Once I applied this to the areas which I needed, the gel quickly turns into foam and made the razor glide across my skin rather easily.

This Shaving Gel comes in 150ml and you can learn more about this here.

Moisturising Eye Cream

This Moisturising Eye Cream has been formulated with hyaluronic acid and African birch tree bark extract which aims to reduce fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area.

The applicator was a little tricky to understand at first, but in order for this to work, you need to push down the metal ball to allow the Eye Cream to come through, and then you can roll this along your orbital bone!

I’ll be honest, I didn’t notice a big difference with this one and I’m not sure if it was either the way the applicator worked as it only let out a small amount of cream at a time…

For more information, click here.

Refreshing Aftershave Emulsion

Containing Hyaluronic Acid, this Aftershave Emulsion helps to hydrate the skin after a shave which restores and revitalises the skin which leaves it feeling soft due to the vegetal oils within it too!

Click here to read more details.

Soft Shaving Cream

Out of the shaving products, this Soft Shaving Cream was my favourite! This Soft Shaving Cream contains pomegranate seed oil, lemon oil, basil extract and hyaluronic acid.

Living up to its name, the texture of the cream was incredibly soft and I loved how easily this allowed my razor to glide across making for a quick and easy shave. I also liked how my skin felt afterwards and there was virtually no hair left!

For more, click here.

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Being a fan of the Acqua Di Parma brand already, be sure to read my other reviews such as;

Cedro di Taormina / Ebano / Aranci Di Capri trio / Christmas Collection 2018

Have you tried anything from the Barbiere Collection before? If so, what did you try? Is there anything you like the sound of? Let me know below as I’d love to hear from you and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE WITH OPEN COUNTRY

May 15, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

*Advertisement feature with the Aviva Community Fund.

I recently had the pleasure of spending the day with a local charity, Open Country, as part of my work with the Aviva Community Fund.

Based in Harrogate, Open Country is a local group that helps those who are disabled or vulnerable access the countryside around Yorkshire. I was able to join their Friday group tending to Askham Bog, a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust site situated just outside of York.

Prior to attending, I was told to bring along some waterproof boots/wellies and, by my own admission, I am not that accustomed to the great outdoors! The day arrived and as I waited for the members of Open Country to arrive, I was introduced to some volunteers who attend each week alongside a member of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. They told me a little about what they do, and how not only do the members of Open Country love attending these sessions, but how the volunteers do too. A brightly coloured blue minibus pulled up, which I was told had been named ‘The Blue Calypso’, allowing Open Country to transport both members and volunteers around the countryside easily.

In total, there were 13 of us including myself, 4 volunteers, 6 members of Open Country, Kate (Countryside Activities Coordinator) and Joe from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. The day was to be split into two parts; the first part of the morning involved resurfacing and covering up potholes within the Askham Bog car park, and the second part in the afternoon involved heading into Askham Bog to see the growth of previously planted wildlife and plants!

As we were resurfacing the potholes, I could see the members around me getting stuck in and looking as though they were enjoying themselves and getting a real sense of achievement by admiring their own handiwork! I myself was enjoying it too, although it did make me think I needed to rejoin the gym as it highlighted how unfit I was! Anyway… I got to talking to Kate, the Activities Coordinator, who was overlooking the day and asked her how winning the Aviva Community Fund Award earlier this year had benefitted the charity. She began by telling me that it allowed them to gain more resources for their projects with Churchyards such as tools, building materials and extra members to join the charity.

Alongside looking after Wildlife Trust areas, Open Country are currently involved in a project that looks after churchyards around Yorkshire which helps to either improve the wildflower meadows or maintain their current state. Having this ongoing project allows the members of Open Country to reap the rewards of being outside in the fresh air and getting stuck into the work. By being a part of Open Country, this allows them to access the countryside which they may not have managed to do, had it not been for Open Country’s help. Through securing funding from the Aviva Community Fund, both the members of Open Country and the local church communities’ benefit, helping to build stronger and more future-proof communities in York. Open Country’s win provided them with the much-needed resources to assist their work in keeping churchyards wildlife-rich and wildlife-friendly!

Once all the potholes had been filled and resurfaced, we then took a short break further into Askham Bog - as we walked through, I hadn’t realised we were surrounding a golf course! There were many different paths within Askham Bog and we eventually came to a mini pond and had our lunch. During the lunch, it was interesting to hear how long the volunteers had been attending and the police check and background checks they must undergo in order to qualify as a volunteer. Of course, this seems like common sense to be able to work with the disabled and vulnerable, but I hadn’t appreciated the process prior to becoming a volunteer for Open Country. This only reiterates the fact that the charity members are in the best hands!

We then made our way deep into a vast wetland which honestly seemed as though it was in a whole different world, despite being near a motorway. The members love the serene, peacefulness of the surroundings and they showed me some of the plants that had begun to grow; some of the areas within the wetland had been scaled back in order to maintain grow and allow new trees and plants to flourish. Upon finishing our walk through the wetland, I made a move home feeling a real sense of calmness.

The whole day was lovely, and I felt very privileged to have been able to spend the day with Open Country, getting a better understanding of their charity and how their Aviva Community Fund funding and support has benefited them. For more information on Open Country, click here.

The Aviva Community Fund enables local groups to enter for the chance to secure funding which ranges from up to £1,000 to £25,000 in one of three categories; Health & Wellbeing, Environment or Skills for Life. You can then have your say by voting for the groups you feel really deserve this great boost towards their projects!

The fund also offers ‘more than money’ support consisting of a range of toolkits, encouraging groups to shout about what they are doing on social media and in the press! Through offering extensive grass roots support, Aviva help to build stronger communities together – championing the local groups we all know and love!

Why not check out the 2018 Winners!? The winners of the 2018 Aviva Community Fund have been announced –why not pop over to the Aviva website to see which great groups near you secured funding this year! Visit https://at.aviva.uk/celebrate

#StrongerCommunities

DRUNK ELEPHANT

May 14, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

‘I wanted something that didn’t exist, so I made it myself.’ - Drunk Elephant founder, Tiffany Masterson.

For the past couple of months I couldn’t log onto Instagram without seeing a skincare product of Drunk Elephant being featured somewhere on my feed! It seems to have become an instant cult beauty favourite with us skincare bloggers and after trialling out a few for myself, it wasn’t hard to see why…

I had kindly been gifted 3 products from the brand;

Protini - Polypeptide Cream

A protein moisturiser which combines an unprecedented array and concentration of signal peptides, growth factors, supportive amino acids and pygmy waterlily for visible and immediate improvement in the appearance of the skin’s tone, texture and firmness.

I applied the Protini first thing of a morning on clean skin to allow the cream to really absorb well and again last thing at night. The texture of the cream was incredibly lightweight and almost ‘melted’ into my skin! My skin immediately felt hydrated and appeared to look healthier with an overall more balanced look. I also liked how versatile this cream was with it being just as effective in the morning, as well as night. The packaging is rather sweet albeit a little confusing at first to know how to apply this, but once I figured it out (good ol’ YouTube), I applied this sparingly and found only a little amount was needed!

A fun little tip as well with Protini is that you can add a ‘shot’ of this to any other Drunk Elephant product! To purchase, click here.

C-Tango - Multivitamin Eye Cream

C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream is rich and restorative, featuring a brightening combination of eight peptides, five forms of Vitamin C and cucumber extract for firmer, stronger looking skin around the eye area. A mixture of potent anti-oxidants, replenishing ceramides, plant oils and soothing actives all designed to refresh and restore a radiant appearance.

Similar to the Protini, this C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream can be applied both in the morning and at night, but I found that for me, it was easier to add into my nighttime routine to work overnight as I found that during the day it dried up my eyes a little and irritated them. When I applied this at nighttime however, I noticed that after a couple of days, the eye area seemed a little brighter and less dark.

Tip: Leave in the fridge for a cooling, soothing treatment! To purchase, click here.

Pekee Bar

An ultra gentle 3-in-1 bar that clarifies, balances and moisturises whilst rinsing away pore-clogging surface debris, impurities and excess oil. Infused with a blend of blueberry extract, marula oil and honey, the Pekee Bar tones and promotes retention.

By my own admission, I am used to cleansers coming in liquid form and at first, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this. After having used this for about a week or so, I became more used to the idea of using this and found it to be a really gentle yet effective way of cleansing my skin! My skin felt softer afterwards and much cleaner. I am also trying to reduce my plastic use and using this little soap bar has been a great alternative. To purchase, click here.

Overall, I have to admit I have fallen onto the Drunk Elephant bandwagon and from what I have tried so far, I am impressed!

I also love the packaging for the products in the sense that it is mainly made from card which is all recyclable and the chic, minimalistic branding is simple and clean which ties in perfectly with the brands message and the ingredients used within each product.

To learn more about Drunk Elephant, click here!

Have you tried anything by Drunk Elephant before? What did you try? Are you new to the brand? Or am I just late to the game!? Do let me know if you’d like me to review any other products by Drunk Elephant and if so, which product? Let me know your thoughts below and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

DEAF AWARENESS WEEK 2019

May 07, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

I can’t believe a whole year has passed, and it’s already Deaf Awareness Week 2019! (In fairness, I have tried to raise Deaf Awareness throughout the year since!)

It’s still as important to me now as it was a year ago to try and show that being deaf doesn’t necessarily mean you have to act in a certain way or be how people expect us to be. I find the word ‘deaf’ so broad with many different connotations and views on the word, that it’s difficult to know where to begin. The biggest misconception I get is,

‘Well you can talk and hear me fine so you can’t be that deaf!’

Okay first of all, WOW THAT’S RUDE. Second of all, there is no right or wrong way of being deaf and if there is, then I clearly missed out on receiving a copy of that book. I don’t want to sound all ‘woe is me’ and as if I’m wallowing in self pity, far from it, but growing up I never felt as though I fitted in either the hearing world, or the deaf world.

Deaf enough to not be a part of the hearing world. Not deaf enough to be a part of the deaf world.

I think that’s changed now though (or so I’d like to think) and believe it or not, social media has helped. Massively. Yes, social media has a lot to answer for in terms of ruining peoples self esteem by constant comparison to others, but it also has many positives which luckily for me, hugely outweigh the negatives! Since becoming a Phonak #hEARo Ambassador, I have spoken with so many deaf people around the world who can relate to feeling as though they don’t fit in in either world which ironically has created a little world in itself!

Despite getting into blogging for Male Grooming and Lifestyle, I now feel that it is important to use my platform that I have built up to carry on raising awareness for the deaf community and I hope you will follow me on this journey.

Remember, always make sure you are facing a deaf person, and make an effort to move your mouth in a more expressive way, without going too OTT, as you could look incredibly patronising leaving a deaf person feeling embarrassed, and as though it is drawing attention onto them!

Be sure to follow my social media channels this week as I am currently doing a ‘Sign of the day’ in which I am encouraging you to guess what BSL Sign I will be signing!

Instagram // Twitter