Manly Mondays - L'Occitane Voyage

Hello everyone, 

Let’s do a change from the double Ted Baker streak for Manly Mondays, just so y’all don’t get bored of us! This time we have trialled the L’Occitane Voyage set for men, so going a bit more up market this week. For those of you who may not know L’Occitane is a gorgeous brand based in Provence, France. All their products are made in France, frequently featuring typical french plants and herbs. 

First off, we didn’t even have to open the box to know this set smelt so good! Aaah I’m going to have to go away and sniff it before I keep writing…right I’m back. The Voyage box is a set aimed for facial grooming on the go. There is a body wash, shaving gel, after-shave balm and soap all in cute travel sizes. The packaging is a very neutral silver, bronze and navy blue, perfect for a classy man! 

All the products have the light, signature scent for men from this brand, it really is quite distinctive! The fragrance is fresh and masculine, bringing to mind vanilla and shea butter with a much spicier undertone. The shaving gel seems to have the lightest scent and doesn’t really linger on the skin, which is fabulous if you are an after-shave loving guy! Mr.Gingersnap reported that he noticed a real difference in how irritated his skin was post-shave, after using the shaving gel he said his skin felt smooth and nourished. Happily, there was no stinging when he applied his favourite Diesel after-shave. 

The after-shave balm has a stronger scent and could be used as an after-shave itself if you fancy a more subtle fragrance. It really soothes the skin and seems to provide a decent degree of protection from the harsh wind if you have to rush straight out of the house. I’m sure you all sympathise with post-shave hyper-sensitised skin! 

He found the scent of the soap balances really nicely, however, he wasn’t such a fan of the body wash. The scents seem to have been blended differently, it’s a much tangier, more chemical aroma. Overall Mr.Gingersnap enjoyed this set and would like to give this 3/5 stars. He thinks he would buy the shaving gel and balm again, but not the body wash. 

What is your favourite L’Occitane product? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

Manly Monday - Ted Baker Clerkenwell

Hello everyone, 

I’m back again for another Manly Monday! Maybe I should slow down on the posts so I don’t run out of content? Anyway, this week we trialled another Ted Baker gift set. This time the Clerkenwell Core Collection. 

Well, this lot certainly went down better than the last lot. Of the Ted Bakers this is the favourite as the fragrance has more a tangy tone to it. The anti-perspirant seems to be more effective at keeping a fresh scent throughout the day, although it does fade considerably, lasting a similar amount of time to the Redbridge range. The scent may be lighter, but a lovely aura persists and keeps away any sweaty stink. However, it still doesn't last the claimed 48 hours, but what product really does? 

The body wash was again the favourite, Mr.Gingersnap reported that it made him feel refreshed and energised every time he used it. The scent would make a lovely aftershave and he felt the matching anti-perspirant could just be used as a body spray as well. He much prefers this scent, with it being his favourite so far of all the products trialled. It's a pleasant day to day smell, but of all the brands Champney's is still the winner. He liked the completeness of the set and found the addition of a soap and flannel a nice change. The body spray and anti-perspirant could be considered a bit samey as they are very interchangeable, but this would be a positive if you really loved the scent. 

The packaging is less obviously masculine than the previous set, this time with a white, purple and orange theme running throughout. There are actually more products in this set: an anti-perspirant, a body spray, a body wash, a moisturising soap and a flannel. It really is the ultimate starter kit for male grooming. Mr.Gingersnap stated that he would go out and spend his own money on this, which really says something. 

I think this would make a really lovely gift set for that special someone, be that partner, son, friend or brother! We gave this 4/5 stars as you get a lot in the set and it serves many purposes. 

What is your favourite Ted Baker product? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

Manly Mondays - Ted Baker Redbridge Review

Hello everyone, 

It’s time for another Manly Monday! This week we have been trying out the Ted Baker Redbridge gift set of an antiperspirant and body wash. Yet again a gift from Christmas, the packaging is gorgeous with a copper and grey theme, making it a definite winner with me. Mr.Gingersnap tried these out over the course of a week so we have combined all his daily thoughts into one big post. Now onto the products themselves :-) 

He thought that the deodorant, while nice was more aimed at an office worker, he said he “felt he should be wearing a suit with it”. I suppose that is the target market of Ted Baker, it is a more high end product, being considered a luxury brand. He felt that it was good, but not as good as the previous Champneys Sport deodorant at keeping him smelling fresh at the end of the day. It is less of a functional product, acting more as a post-shower fragrance. The scent is very sweet, smelling almost edible, but becomes cloying when combined with physical work. Mr.Gingersnap wanted to give this product 2/5 stars for functionality, but 4.5/5 stars as a scent. 

As a body wash the scent is more appropriate as it is lighter and works better with water. It lathers up well and is quite refreshing. The scent lingers long after the shower. Whilst he originally thought it reminded him of cinnamon, he has since changed his mind to vanilla…men never read the labels. The label states that it is infused with pink pepper, cardamon, tobacco and vanilla. It is less of a distinctly manly scent and he found it slightly too sweet and spicy for his usual tastes, giving it 3.5/5 stars. 

Overall he found the spray didn’t live up to it’s claim of 48hour activity, but would be nice for someone in a less physical job. The shower gel was more of a hit and he went so far as to say that he would consider re-purchasing it for himself as a treat. The duo goes well together and would make a lovely gift, but he would prefer a slightly more refreshing smell. 

Have you guys tried this? Let me know what you think in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

Manly Mondays - Champneys

Hello everyone, 

I thought that I might start doing a weekly or fortnightly post about products for men, this blog is very heavily weighted with products aimed at the female market! How accidentally exclusive of me, I am determined to change that! This type of post is designed to give you ideas for treats for yourself, a partner, a friend or family member. Everyone deserves a treat every now and again. Thank you to my wonderful partner for being the guinea pig of these products…no boyfriends were harmed in the writing of this post :-) 

Lets kick it off with the Champneys' sports range, obviously for men. The packaging is similar to Clarins' ranges for men, block colours of red and blue with gold font seem to be a favourite and I have to agree that they definitely look very smart. They make lovely looking gifts. 

Onto the products themselves, the set we have trialled is composed of a deodorant and a hair/body wash. Aimed at post-exercise showers and grooming they have a very refreshing citrus scent to them. The body wash was a particular hit, the scent is very masculine without being overpowering and lathers up like a dream. A small amount lathers up hugely, unlike some products where a lot is needed in one go. I definitely enjoyed the change in scent from farm animal to fresh lemons! 

The battered state of the bottle is testament to it's popularity! 

The deodorant was put through quite rigorous testing, being a farmer my partner’s job is very physical and he can sometimes be a bit smelly (I still love him regardless). For him it is important to find a deodorant that keeps him smelling fresh all day, through all the heavy lifting and long hours. He tested this product on quiet days first and it withstood the test, for the heavier work he found that it was better than a lot of others and definitely helped him feel fresher at the end of the day. Although the work did get the better of it towards the end! The scent is again very masculine and reminds me of a spring or brook, it has that outdoorsy lemongrass and fresh, clean water smell to it, mmmm lovely! 

Don’t be put off by it not lasting the whole day, when you work with cows there is little that can keep the smell away for ever! Mr.Gingersnap recommends these two products wholeheartedly and gave them 4/5 stars overall. 

If you have tried this brand or would like us to review another one let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo