Moustache Monday: Week 4

It is the very final week of Movember and whodathunk that I’d have made it this far? Not me, that’s for sure! I had visions of me finding my Mo so utterly monstrous and/or frustrating that I would have taken a pair of scissors to it in a fit of a rage by now. But the truth is that the month of Movember has been relatively easy and dare I say rather fun indeed.

On Thursday last week I took a trip up to London to the Official Movember Barbers for a free Mo trim. This was my first true barbershop encounter (I wore Petit Fracas btw, an entirely un-barbershoppy fragrance for what it’s worth) and it was rather enjoyable; not only was it quite relaxing but the barbers hired by Movember were pretty damn handsome too. So yes, I would recommend a true old-fashioned barbershop shave, the results of which you can view below the jump…

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The Infinite Man – Divine L’Homme Infini Perfume Review + Sample Giveaway

Yesterday, in honour of Movember, I took a look at some of my favourite barbershop scents in The Candy Perfume Boy’s Movember Barbershop Quartet. Alongside some of the old favourites and classics I included a brand new fragrance launching this month that is as barbershop and gentlemanly as the best of them, albeit in an atypical way; L’Homme Infini by Divine.

Divine is not a fragrance house that I have had a huge amount of exposure to in the past. I do know that two of their masculines (L’Homme Sage and L’Homme de Coeur) are cult favourites amongst male fumeheads, and smelling the samples I have it’s easy to see why; each is a contemporary and confident take on classic masculine styles of perfumery.

L’Homme Infini (The Infinite Man) is the latest fragrance to join Divine’s stable of masculines. Created by Yann Vasnier (Bang, L’Homme de Coeur, L’Homme Sage, Anima Dulcis and Santal Blush) and is described using words such as “serene” and “tender”. To me it feels like a fragrance of balance, with just the right proportions of rugged manly things and soft gentleness to create something that plays to the many contrasts of the modern man.

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The Candy Perfume Boy’s Movember Barbershop Quartet

Loving the Stripes... — The Candy Perfume Boy’s Movember Barbershop Quartet

Movember Madness has struck me this month and as well as attempting to cultivate a handsome portion of facial hair upon my top lip things have been a bit more man-focused on The Candy Perfume Boy. Sometimes one must remember that it’s important not to forget the boys and this month I am honouring my fellow Mobros in true Candy Perfume Boy style.

Those of you who read The Candy Perfume Boy regularly will know that I wear a mixture of feminine and masculine scents, with the ratio skewed much more to the former rather than the latter. That’s not to say I don’t like masculine fragrances at all, quite the opposite in fact, it just so happens that my favourite style of fragrances (earth shattering florals) tend to lurk on the feminine side of the perfume shelves.

When I wear a masculine fragrance I tend to go for something classic with a modern twist. I often find myself drawn to the floral-sweet yet dandified style of fragrances that can be classified as barbershop. For me there’s just something attractive about smelling well-groomed and well-oiled.

In this post I would like to showcase my top four barbershop scents, presented in the form of my Movember Barbershop Quartet. So without further adieu I present you The Lead, The Tenor, The Bass and The Baritone.

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Moustache Monday: Week 3

It is day 19 and week three of the month of Movember and Mo growing is Mo-st definitely in full swing. I am constantly surprised by how surprisingly decent it looks. I expected it to look entirely laughable but I am getting lots of comments from people who know me that think that it looks suits me and that, here’s the kicker, I should think about keeping it. Now that is something I am not sure about….

Although the Mo is looking good I must admit that it is getting to the point where it is starting to feel weird. I guess I just cannot get used to having some growth on my top lip! The good news is that I will be paying a visit to the Official Movember Barbershop on Thursday to have a bit of a Mo trim and tidy-up. Here’s hoping that the professionals will be able to style it up a bit.

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A Handsome Man – Tom Ford Noir Perfume Review

Traipse through your local department store and you will find a barren landscape virtually void of decent masculine fragrances. Alright I’m being dramatic, of course there are a few noteworthy ones (mainly older releases), but on the whole the majority; your Calvins, Hugos and your Pacos, are definitely essays in quantity over quality. A good masculine is hard to find, it’s true, but it’s not entirely impossible.

Tom Ford is a man that cares about quality. His fragrance line, especially his signature collection, is a cut above most designer offerings (and is priced accordingly) and he has most definitely crafted out his own style, that off opulent, classy and smart fragrances with a tiny touch of the shock factor for which he is infamous.

Noir (pronounced “Noo-ahr” if you are Tom Ford) is the latest masculine addition to Tom Ford’s signature stable and it is in good company, joining such esteemed fragrances as Tom Ford for Men, Tom Ford Extreme and Grey Vetiver. But where the other TF masculines are elegant examples of citrus, woods and/or vetiver, Noir is a essay on resins and powders that, dare I say it, almost feels like a masculine rendition of the Oriental Queen that is Guerlain’s Shalimar.

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Moustache Monday: Week 2

So it’s day 11 of Movember and Week 2 of Moustache Mondays which means it is time for my weekly Mo update! That’s right, you may be sick to the back teeth of me banging on about Movember, but as promised I am here to keep you up to date with all that relates to my facial hair, and it seems that we’ve had quite a bit of progress since week 1….

As you can see by the picture above, which was taken yesterday on day 10, the Mo is in full fuzz mode. I have to admit that it really doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would, although since having my hair did I do look a tad Hitler-esque without my glasses on, but on the whole I am growing rather attached to it.

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From The Candy Perfume Boy Archives: The Scent of The Modern Gent – Penhaligon’s Sartorial Perfume Review

Gentleman — A Scent for The Modern Gent (Mo Not Included)

“Sartorial – sar-tor-ial adj. [attrib] of or relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress: sartorial elegance”

[Seeing as I’ve gone a bit mad for Movember I thought I would share a review of one of my favourite modern masculines from The Candy Perfume Boy Archives. Sartorial is a scent that not only evokes the smell of a tailor’s workroom, but also conjures up the image of a well groomed, modern gent with an incredibly stylish mo. Enjoy.]

I chose not to write a post on my fragrant new years resolutions simply because I have only made three. They are; to keep producing interesting and informative content for The Candy Perfume Boy, to review more fragrances from as many brands as possible and finally, to review more masculine fragrances.

Those who read this blog on a regular basis will know that I wear a lot of feminine fragrances and my reviews reflect this. I don’t have anything against masculines at all, they just tend not to be within my bracket of taste, whereas as feminine and niche ‘unisex’ (or sexless) fragrances tend to be right up my street. So, in the interest of balance I will ensure that I review more masculine fragrances and I will start with one of my recent favourites.

Sartorial (2010) is the latest masculine release from the über-British perfume house Penhaligon’s and is inspired by the workroom of a Saville Row Tailor. Created by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour (who is also responsible for other Penhaligon’s fragrances such as Amaranthine and their Anthology Series) Sartorial is described as “a contemporary interpretation of a classic Fougère” [1]

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Moustache Monday: Week 1

Gadzooks that is some serious growth! (Disclaimer: This image may have been photoshopped…)

Today is the first of my Moustache Mondays, a series of weekly posts in which I shall keep you abreast of my Mo growing escapades in aid of raising money (and awareness) for men’s health charity Movember. So, how has it all gone so far? Would my facial-hair growing skills shame a Sasquatch? Short answer: no.

It’s day 5, and no, it hasn’t grown as quickly as the above picture will lead you to believe! Instead that is a rather good representation of what I would look like should I decide to rock the Handlebar (or Connoisseur) style of Mo. Pretty nifty, huh? I shall attempt to mock up a pic with the Trucker style Mo, as that appeared to be the most popular in this week’s Saturday Poll.

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The Return of the Saturday Poll: Musing Over My Mo

It seems like a million years since the last Saturday Poll and I’m pleased to announce the long overdue return of my favourite (and only) weekly feature. If you are unfamiliar with The Saturday Poll, then I can sum it up by saying that it is my way of being nosy (I pride myself on my nosiness) and finding the answers to those fragrant questions that we all like to ask.

Seeing as Movember kicked off this week today’s Saturday Poll is Mo themed, and the question is simple; Which style of Mo should I go for? Or more imporantly; Which style of Mo would look the least ridiculous on my face? I’m leaning towards The Undercover Brother myself but have to admit that The Connoisseur would look pretty spiffy If I could manage it.

So which Mo should I go for? Cast your votes below the jump, and if you want to make a Movember donation you can do so by visiting my Mo Space.

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The Candy Perfume Boy Goes Mad for Movember

That’s right I have decided to make the incredibly wise decision of subjecting my face to the trauma of growing a moustache for Movember. Now, my history with facial hair is a colourful one, literally, my face seems to sprout a distinct tortoiseshell fluff that many a Tom Cat would be proud of, but also because my past attempts at growing anything remotely stylish have failed miserably.

As you may have guessed I am looking forward to and dreading Movember in equal measure, which may lead you to ask why bother. Here’s why:

“During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer”

But I’m not alone! Far from it in fact! I shall be joining a number of other awesome Mo Bros and Mo Sistas as part of Team Penhaligon’s (who have also created a Sartorial scented Moustache Wax in honour of Movember) in order to raise as much money and awareness as possible for men’s health charities. May all of our Mos be awesome and only a little bit ridiculous.

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