When Undressed, Look Your Best

The looks of your boxers typically doesn’t matter. That is, until the weekend comes around. Like the granny-panty effect on Men, women don’t appreciate ratty old underwear. Especially when they’ve actually gone far enough with you to see them in plain view.

So, upgrade the contents of that dingy top drawer in style with these multi striped Paul Smith boxers. Available in a variety of Smith’s signature patterns, each pair features a high quality cream button front and is made of 100% woven cotton. Plus if someone’s really paying attention down there, they’ll notice the subtle PS embossed on each button front. You should be so lucky.

Cost: $80 @ Paul Smith

For more advice on dressing to impress check out these posts:
Bonobos Pants | Indochino Tailor Made Suit | 5 Easy Inexpesive ensembles for the workplace

That, And An Interview With The Men Behind Them

A sampling of the pants Bonobos has to offer.

Fall is here and if you don’t live in a place where the hottest drink they serve is a rum runner, then pants are now wardrobe de rigueur. Unfortunately though, if you’re like me and don’t want the hassle and cost of tailoring every pair you buy then you were relegated to ill-fitted off the rack choices.

That is until now.

Unlike many sartorially-lazy men; the founders of Bonobos, Andy Dunn and Brian Spaly, saw the problem and decided to fix it by starting a company with one purpose in mind: make quality pants that look good and fit great on everyday guys. No wonder they graduated from Stanford Business School, but more on that later.

Bonobos pants can only be purchased online and that’s part of their genius. By avoiding the costs associated with maintaining a brick & mortar store and hiring sales clerks, Bonobos channels the funds towards high quality fabrics and a customer service department second to none. In other words every dollar of your purchase goes to what matters most to you as a customer, the pants. Furthermore, there’s no need to worry about paying for clothes you can’t try on first, because Bonobo’s return policy is unconditional (literally, read it) and covers all shipping costs.

Experiencing the product spurred my desire to know more about the men behind them, and any advice they might have about starting a business from the ground up. After all, we’re all about advancing mankind.

Luckily the founders were nice enough to sit down with me for an interview (the perks of writing for GP), which we’ve got right after the jump.

So read what they have to say. Prosper from it (sartorially or otherwise).

Read the rest of this entry »

Trim The Cost of Shaving

Normally Brian would be the one reviewing grooming products. However, he shaved last week and isn’t due for another this quarter. So I was more than happy to add Men-Ü’s Ultra Concentrate Shave Creme and Facial Moisturizer Lift to my daily regimen.

In each small travel-sized bottle you’ll be equipped with enough product to cover your shaving needs for the next six months (or the rest of Brian’s life). That’s 22¢ a shave. More importantly, we like saving money as much as you, but we only endorse doing so when there’s no sacrifice of performance. Make that twice as important for anything that comes into contact with your face.

The Ultra Concentrate Shave Creme produces a rich lather in just two pumps proving that more is not necessarily better. Shaving products work by lubricating your face directly. It’s what stays in close contact with your skin and beard that matters. Everything else is a waste.

Editor’s Tip: The best shave starts with a light exfoliation and a pre-shave oil.

The Ultra Concentrate Facial Moisturizer Lift contains glycerin and silicones to transfer and bind moisture to your skin. Refreshing mint and menthol provide a great pick-me up in the morning or a wake-up call for your nocturnal endeavors.

Cost: Ultra Concentrate Shave Creme ($17) | Ultra Concentrate Facial Moisturizer Lift ($19)

Double Certified True European Goose Down. Sounds Nice.

If there’s a clothing outfitter I’d like to see make a decent comeback it’s Eddie Bauer. Call me old school, but the brand had the right roots, but somewhere, somehow a bunch of penny pinchers and incompetent marketers decided to take the brand towards a world of ill-fitted flannel and pleated khaki.

Looks like they’re getting back on the path to resurrection.

The EB800 down vest uses double-certified true European Goose down imported from Hungary. The high-loft qualities of the goose-down give it higher compression qualities and it’s incredibly soft and warm.

Better yet, it’s priced incredibly well for a down vest.

Editor’s Note: Sure, this is what you want on your next ski trip, but it’s also perfect over a well-weighted blazer. We’re American, we invented the concept of mixing & matching sports/formal wear.

Cost: $99 @ Eddie Bauer

Also See: Lands’ End Canvas Field Coat | Merrell Gatherer Jacket | J.Crew Premium Officer’s Chino

Icy-Hot For The Well-Upgraded Man

Post-gym regimen.

You workout hard. Problem is, your body doesn’t respond or heal like it did in high school or college. You can’t pound on your muscles like you did during two-a-days and limping around at this age rarely comes with a funny story involving 2×4’s and Miller High Life.

Jack Black’s got a new solution for men over the legal drinking age with their Body Rehab Scrub & Muscle Soak. I tried it out.

Two weeks into using the Body Rehab Scrub & Muscle Soak my body feels immensely better. The icy-hot-sensation scrub (it’s leaps and bounds better than my old Icy-Hot) has soothed my worn muscles which are addled with knots and aches. Addled may be far reaching, but the soreness is painfully apparent. Jack Black has infused the scrub with ingredients like Arnica, Epsom Salt, Eucalyptus & Rosemary, and Shea Butter & Glycerin. Ingredients that may not mean much to you as you read this article, but just know the combination works wonders.

Keep it in your bag after league games, gym visits and high-impact outings.

Editor’s Note: Follow-up the scrub with a hydrating lotion like Jack Black’s Cool Moisture Body Lotion ($22) and tackle skin blemishes and skin impurifications with the Deep Detox Clay Mask/Spot Treatment ($25). Remember, your face is the first thing ladies notice. Don’t skimp.

Cost: $35 @ Jack Black

So Good You’ll Want To Drink It

If you’ve read any of the major men’s magazines as of late, you might remember that many of them have been turned onto Tom’s of Maine. A company specializing in all-natural oral hygeine products. I know, exciting.

We decided to check out what all the seemingly insider hype was about and procured a few bottles of Tom’s Of Maine Natural Cleansing Mouthwash. It comes in Cinnamint, Peppermint Baking Soda and Spearming - the latter of which I tried.

Wow. It was like an oral hygeine orchestra performing the Midnight Sonata. In my mouth. And like Beethoven’s first movement, it was refreshing without being overpowering - like the Crest Pro Health I currently use.

The alcohol and saccharin-free mouthwash has Vitamin C and infused with aloe vera, witch hazel as an astrigent and pure essential oils to give it a refreshing flavor. All I know is I was smiling while gargling.

Cost: $5