As We Like It : Volume I - #GentlemanSays
Written by: Swati on:
There was a time, long ago, the late 80s the early 90s, when family vacations were once a year events. You went wherever your parents took you and it was great! A new place, new people, a whole new world was added to the globe in your mind.
Also, your dad and the male members of the family came back battle hardened, 3-4 shades darker, with a sloppy head of hair, sloppier, drier and knottier than usual, something which required probably a month of generous hair oil rationing to return to its before vacation sloppy. That’s how we rolled!
The female section was another story altogether! They looked (and still do), it was as if they had never moved an inch from home, never saw the same sun nor the same dust and grime and sand that we males did.
But with the advent of Metrosexuality, not just in our vocabularies but also in our lifestyle choices, there came a new chapter in the book of Men grooming! (Which, by the way, STILL reads like a novel with a 140 character limit.) So when I saw a friend’s (conveniently happens to be the co-founder of this blog) post on instagram of her travel kit post I was suitably aghast and I pinged her to share my humour and horror with her :
Me: “LOL, LOL, LMAO, LMAO, HEEHEE……LOL”
Her: “What now?”
Me: “You are travelling for work, for 2 days and STILL you have enough, in your bag, to open a Wealth n Slow!!” *followed by juvenile laughter on my end*
Her: “Okay, REALLY! Good for me, I guess. TTYL, I’m busy”
*Two hours later*
Her: “I’ve got an idea!”
Me: “Uh-Oh!, Listen I’m sorry about earlier…”
Her: “Never mind all that, you travel too, for work, why don’t you and Me compare our travel
kits and I am willing to bet 500 bucks that you carry more stuff! Barring makeup of course, which
if you did, would be mighty weird? What say you O’ Metrosexual One?”
Me: “hmmmm….”
Needless to say I am 500 short as of today and have been enlisted to write this “guide” to the
Modern Male Traveler!
So, travelling for work means you need to look sharp and that entails enduring a razor sharp
stainless steel strip on your face in the morning! Everyone loves a comfortable shave and off late
the spectacular 6 blade razor from Letshave.com has been my constant companion. What I
really love about the razor is its handle and how it really gives it up for a better grip leading to a
much better shaving experience, couple that with Ustraa’s (by Happily Unmaried) flagship range
of shaving creams and you are ready to take on the World. I love aftershaves and the original Old Spice in its iconic bottle is always present in my wardrobe and my travel kit. When travelling to colder climes or in winters, I trade in for this beautiful face cream from Kama Ayurveda which has served me well!
Hotel bathrooms and the grooming kit on offer are handy but often leave me asking for more. So I tend to carry my own body wash (saves the hassle of handling a mushy melting soap bar) and my current favourite has to be the Fiama Di Will’s range just because they don’t leave you feeling covered in soap. I am a sucker for mint/lemon/lemongrass flavours and aromas so this one with lemongrass and jojoba is the one which travels with me. A shampoo and conditioner is important to me if I’ve got to save whatever little foliage I do have on my head, so these are travel essentials as well.
Having moved on from hair gels long time ago, I still do use a hair cream post shower to keep my
dry frizzy hair under control and this beauty from Garnier is a winner, it doesn’t make it too oily nor does it stiffen up my hair, so yes, that comes along with me as well. I have dry skin and I can’t stand it so I need a body butter/lotion/moisturizer to come along as nobody likes seeing dry flaky pale patches on your hands and fingers, that’s got to be Grooming 101 according to me. That being said, most moisturizers leave an oily layer on the body and Indian weather does not take too kindly to that sort of transgression and leaves you looking sweaty all the time. This body butter from Palmer’s, is a good bet for the winters and takes care of most of my concerns.
Rounding out my travel kit is the perfumery department, A Metrosexual man has to smell good
and for me this great deodorant spray from Park Avenue has been an evergreen favourite, it has
the right balance of a work time fragrance and lasts you through the day and finally, perhaps my
favourite travel companion has to be this Eau de toilette from Marks n Spencer. This one
definitely adds that extra zing to your work day. Be warned, you will have people inquiring you
about the perfume you are wearing while surreptitiously sniffing you. That’s how good this one
is.
Blotting Paper and Lip Balm :
Admittedly, this one was brought to my attention by my female friends only very recently and I am
grateful that they did as I tend to have a very oily nose as soon as I step out of the house.
Presently using this Forever 21 Blotting paper which works perfectly fine to blot out the oil from my
nose before I step into a meeting and this one should be in your back pocket IF you too have an oily skin like me.
Dry, chapped lips also something that one shouldn’t have to deal with and can be a concern and a
transparent, mild one should always be close by to pull you through a long day of meetings or a long
evening of reverie with friends. This Lip Balm for men by Garnier is great as you don’t need to apply
copious amounts of it for it to be effective and relieves me of my chapped lips for 5-6 hours straight
without it leaving a bad taste in my mouth, literally.
That’s my travel kits Gents, go forth and conquer the world in style and do drop us a line as to
whats in your travel kit.
Also, your dad and the male members of the family came back battle hardened, 3-4 shades darker, with a sloppy head of hair, sloppier, drier and knottier than usual, something which required probably a month of generous hair oil rationing to return to its before vacation sloppy. That’s how we rolled!
The female section was another story altogether! They looked (and still do), it was as if they had never moved an inch from home, never saw the same sun nor the same dust and grime and sand that we males did.
But with the advent of Metrosexuality, not just in our vocabularies but also in our lifestyle choices, there came a new chapter in the book of Men grooming! (Which, by the way, STILL reads like a novel with a 140 character limit.) So when I saw a friend’s (conveniently happens to be the co-founder of this blog) post on instagram of her travel kit post I was suitably aghast and I pinged her to share my humour and horror with her :
Me: “LOL, LOL, LMAO, LMAO, HEEHEE……LOL”
Her: “What now?”
Me: “You are travelling for work, for 2 days and STILL you have enough, in your bag, to open a Wealth n Slow!!” *followed by juvenile laughter on my end*
Her: “Okay, REALLY! Good for me, I guess. TTYL, I’m busy”
*Two hours later*
Her: “I’ve got an idea!”
Me: “Uh-Oh!, Listen I’m sorry about earlier…”
Her: “Never mind all that, you travel too, for work, why don’t you and Me compare our travel
kits and I am willing to bet 500 bucks that you carry more stuff! Barring makeup of course, which
if you did, would be mighty weird? What say you O’ Metrosexual One?”
Me: “hmmmm….”
Needless to say I am 500 short as of today and have been enlisted to write this “guide” to the
Modern Male Traveler!
So, travelling for work means you need to look sharp and that entails enduring a razor sharp
stainless steel strip on your face in the morning! Everyone loves a comfortable shave and off late
the spectacular 6 blade razor from Letshave.com has been my constant companion. What I
really love about the razor is its handle and how it really gives it up for a better grip leading to a
much better shaving experience, couple that with Ustraa’s (by Happily Unmaried) flagship range
of shaving creams and you are ready to take on the World. I love aftershaves and the original Old Spice in its iconic bottle is always present in my wardrobe and my travel kit. When travelling to colder climes or in winters, I trade in for this beautiful face cream from Kama Ayurveda which has served me well!
Hotel bathrooms and the grooming kit on offer are handy but often leave me asking for more. So I tend to carry my own body wash (saves the hassle of handling a mushy melting soap bar) and my current favourite has to be the Fiama Di Will’s range just because they don’t leave you feeling covered in soap. I am a sucker for mint/lemon/lemongrass flavours and aromas so this one with lemongrass and jojoba is the one which travels with me. A shampoo and conditioner is important to me if I’ve got to save whatever little foliage I do have on my head, so these are travel essentials as well.
Having moved on from hair gels long time ago, I still do use a hair cream post shower to keep my
dry frizzy hair under control and this beauty from Garnier is a winner, it doesn’t make it too oily nor does it stiffen up my hair, so yes, that comes along with me as well. I have dry skin and I can’t stand it so I need a body butter/lotion/moisturizer to come along as nobody likes seeing dry flaky pale patches on your hands and fingers, that’s got to be Grooming 101 according to me. That being said, most moisturizers leave an oily layer on the body and Indian weather does not take too kindly to that sort of transgression and leaves you looking sweaty all the time. This body butter from Palmer’s, is a good bet for the winters and takes care of most of my concerns.
Rounding out my travel kit is the perfumery department, A Metrosexual man has to smell good
and for me this great deodorant spray from Park Avenue has been an evergreen favourite, it has
the right balance of a work time fragrance and lasts you through the day and finally, perhaps my
favourite travel companion has to be this Eau de toilette from Marks n Spencer. This one
definitely adds that extra zing to your work day. Be warned, you will have people inquiring you
about the perfume you are wearing while surreptitiously sniffing you. That’s how good this one
is.
Blotting Paper and Lip Balm :
Admittedly, this one was brought to my attention by my female friends only very recently and I am
grateful that they did as I tend to have a very oily nose as soon as I step out of the house.
Presently using this Forever 21 Blotting paper which works perfectly fine to blot out the oil from my
nose before I step into a meeting and this one should be in your back pocket IF you too have an oily skin like me.
Dry, chapped lips also something that one shouldn’t have to deal with and can be a concern and a
transparent, mild one should always be close by to pull you through a long day of meetings or a long
evening of reverie with friends. This Lip Balm for men by Garnier is great as you don’t need to apply
copious amounts of it for it to be effective and relieves me of my chapped lips for 5-6 hours straight
without it leaving a bad taste in my mouth, literally.
That’s my travel kits Gents, go forth and conquer the world in style and do drop us a line as to
whats in your travel kit.
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