We all know that beer is good for your mind and soul (right?), but we’d never before considered the possibility that it’s also good for your face. Luckily, there are people in the world more naturally curious than we. For instance, Mary Kearns, the mind behind Herban Lifestyle (we do love us some puns). Using a clever mix of guy-friendly ingredients (read: beer), she’s developed a line of soaps, pomades, and moisturizers aptly entitled MAN that promise to improve the face you show to the world without making you feel like a self-pampering sellout. We’re not saying beer is a magical cure-all handed down to us from the gods…but until we find evidence to the contrary, we’ll be in the back room, drinking. Get it here.
Seems like every time we turn around, there’s someone else telling us what we can or can’t or absolutely must never do with our raw denim. First, rule of thumb was “one wash in a bucket of water after a year of constant wear”; then, the rule became “after two years of constant wear and little more than a moment of silence for the water”; these days, everyone seems to agree that “never wash, wear always” is the best method. Well. We’re not sure how you feel—which is exactly why we’re not telling you what to do. We’re just going to let you know about this specially formulated new denim wash by the gurus at 3x1. We’re not saying you have to use it, or even that you should. We’re not saying anything. We’re just gonna…leave this…here…and slowly back away. Get it here.
We were all geared up to write about Ursa Major’s new Fortifying Face Balm—it’s got a light, clean texture that makes your skin feel incredible, it smells amazing, and it’s an effortless, super-speedy way to take better care of your skin—but then, something happened: we tried all of Ursa Major’s products. And that’s when it hit us: skincare, even skincare as refreshingly simple as it is with Ursa Major, doesn’t happen with just one product. It’s all about the big picture, from the moment you shave to the moment you walk out the door. And it’s clear that Oliver and Emily from Ursa Major really understand this— they’ve designed their products to work together, right down to the citrus-y, spearmint-y scents that each are unique, yet compliment one another. So, don’t try their new face balm— try everything. Get it here.
The scent of lavender will always remind you of one specific afternoon in the summertime of your youth, playing tag with your older cousins in the fields behind your aunt’s home in the country. Sage conjures up dusk in November, shrugging your wool sweater off of your child-sized shoulders and finding your mother in the kitchen. It’s incredible the way we humans experience scent— the way that a disconnected fragrance can somehow evoke not simply a memory but a feeling of an exact moment, long gone. No one knows this better than DS & Durga— these cologne artisans use incredible backstories as a jumping-off point for even more incredible fragrances. Take Burning Barbershop, for instance. The scent is a remarkable combination of smoke and 1890s barbershop tonics. But to get the whole story, you’ll just have to smell it for yourself. Get it here.
These days, being an A-list actor means paying a stylist a lot of money to help you dress like you just rolled in from a one-night stand by way of a mugging and a dumpster party. Because of this, it’s easy to forget that, back in the golden age of the silver screen, leading men looked like leading men. Sharp suits, shined shoes and, of course, the signature slicked-back hair. Sure, it took some effort— but hey, that’s the occupational hazard of wooing starlets and sipping martinis. Being a leading man is about being something a little…extra. Which is why it’s no surprise that Jean Dujardin, everyone’s favorite hey-where’s-my-time-machine-actor, swears by this little “extra” measure by Leonor Greyl. A ten minute rendez-vous between this stuff and your hair gives you style that’s more Rat Pack, less rat’s nest. Because, if you’re really leading-man-material, you’ve got to look the part. Get it here.
You’ve made a lot of hair-based mistakes in your life: there was the infamous Gel Stage, when you never left the house without dousing your head to the point where the “wet look” was the only one in your style vocabulary; the Rotten Rat Tale Dilemma of your middle-school years (really, who ever thought that looked good?); and finally, the Undergrad Over-The-Ears hippie ‘do you sported until you had to go get a job. But now you’re older, and wiser, and you know that subtlety is key. But that doesn’t mean ignoring your hair, either. For the perfect balance of nonchalance and propriety, try SHARPS’ Guck-In-A-Puck. Perfectly named, deliciously scented (lemon-lime basil, anyone?) and, we’ve just go to say: have you checked out that packaging? Killer. Or, y’know, whatever the kids are saying these days. Get it here.
When the lovely folks at Hickoree’s decided to give away samples of Ursa Major’s Stellar Shave Cream (what luck!), we were among the first to snap it up— and thank heavens we did. With its all-natural ingredients and post-consumer packaging, we can feel good about being customers for life. But they don’t call it “Stellar” for nothing. Superior softness and a light but compelling fragrance make this a solid buy. Thank your lucky stars? Nah— luck has nothing to do with it. Get it here.
In your childhood, you spent summers up by the creek, searching for arrowheads and digging your heels into the mud. Your teenage years were spent on the baseball diamond, praying for the moment the sky would open up and turn the pitcher’s mound into the greatest mess of sludge you’d ever seen, cooling off your sweating forehead along the way. These days, you don’t have much time for mud— there are meetings arrange, classes to attend, paychecks to cash. But that doesn’t mean you don’t miss the earthy smell of it. Enter Baxter Of California’s Clay Pomade. While we wouldn’t advise putting real mud in your hair, this soft, natural substance is just what the doctor ordered for your down-home soul while it’s stuck in an uptown routine. Just the right amount of control and hold to keep you pulled-together, but with the damp scent and feel you’ve always known. Forget where you came from? You? Never. Get it here.
Guest submission by Philip Knapp
Old age has its pleasures - especially if you’re a bottle of scotch, a wooden sailing ship, or an exceptional cologne. L’eau du Navigateur was introduced into the L’Artisan Parfumeur catalogue in 1979, and it has aged as gracefully as a good pair of boots. It hits ancient notes - leather and wood, cinnamon and bergamot, resin and sweet rum - as well as traces of things that are better enjoyed fresh, like coffee and tobacco. It’s a distinctive blend that has decorated the necks and wrists of the sharpest Parisians for 32 years, and it’s only been getting better in its old age. After all, it’s not enough to look your best - you’ve got to smell your best. Get it here.
