Tips for Being a Modern Gentleman PART TWO

Last week Thursday I promised I would deliver five more tips on how to keep it classy and modern for the gents. So without further ado here they are:

   6. Cologne 

A gorgeous, rich manly smell can make any woman swoon and immediately yearn to be closer to a man. This is the reason why we like sleeping in our men's shirts, there are very few things that are as comforting yet arousing as a man with a great scent. Now preferences vary from woman to woman but typically richer aromas like musk and woodsy scents tend to be popular. You want to make sure it's subtle but that when she gets close enough she will get a whiff. Spots to hit with a dab (not a swig!) of cologne are the back of your neck, right under your ears, and your sides. I know someone who even lightly mists the tail of his shirt so that when it moves a subtle scent can be smelled. Lovely. (Also note that if you want the scent of your cologne to stand out stay away from highly scented deodorants or get a complementary scent to your deodorant).


   7. Socks

This stresses me out so much. White athletic socks are for athletic activities. White socks are not appropriate for every occasion. Please stock your sock drawwith the following:

- black socks - wool/cotton/silk whatever your budget can afford

- brown socks - any material your budget can afford

- dark blue/grey socks - for when black or brown does not work

- white socks - for when you are wearing sneakers or kicks or boots in the snow

- fun coloured socks for the appropriate occasion

Loafers can be worn with or without socks. If you are wearing shorts or short pants the rule typically is to go without socks but remember to lotion those ankles! If you are wearing pants then its a pretty safe bet to match the colour of the sock with the shirt you are wearing or the loafer colour.

Clarks - the same rule applies as with loafers.

Dress shoes including oxfords, wingtips,etc-these require dress socks. Please don't ever wear white socks with dress shoes.

Slippers/ Sandals - go sock-less. Twinkle your toes for the world to see.

   8. Jumper cables/tool kit/ swiss army knife/manly fix-it ability

source

Despite the many leaps and bounds women have made in demonstrating our independence, we still expect men to be able to fix things from time to time.  My mother has been driving for many years and though she knows how to change a flat tyre, she's never actually had to do  it. Pretty much as soon as she pulls over, there is always a gentleman willing to help, the same with any engine trouble. You would imagine my surprise then, when as a teenager my car overheated and I asked a male passenger to pull off the radiator cap and his response was to ask me what a radiator was.

Maybe it's just me but he was a driver himself and it just baffled me that he had no idea what was going on inside a machine that he was using on a daily basis. I asked around among my other male friends and though most knew how to change a tyre, and the names of tools in a tool kit, or the major parts of a car engine, quite a few literally had no clue. 

So what I'm trying to say is brush up on your skills fellas, though we may not need a man to rescue us, we still like knowing that he can...

     9. Nails

Looks good on Wolverine...but not on anyone else
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 Dos:      Cut them! File them! Clean them! 

Donts:    Bite them; Polish them; Grow them

     10.Handkerchief

An actual handkerchief is alot better looking, smelling and functioning than a bandana. And no, they aren't the same thing. Keep it in a different pocket than your wallet, and spritz it with your cologne so that if you dab away any sweat or hand it to a lady for her to use it will have a nice scent.

That's it gentlemen!

If you have any questions, you can always leave me a comment or hit me up on instagram

Next week we'll look at a fall style guide for those of you who want to keep it trendy and then in our final week we'll look at men's skin care issues- how to prevent ingrown hairs when shaving, as well as preventing breakouts and scarring.

Till next time fellas,
**Jane

Declaration : I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, and myhabit.com.

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Pretty Feet - The Lazy Way

I will preface this by saying that talking about  feet makes me uncomfortable. I think they're gross. BUT that said, they still need to be presentable right? Especially since living on an island means you'll be seeing feet at least once a day. The title 'pretty feet' might be a bit of an oxymoron but nevertheless let's proceed.

Dry feet get cracked and crusty and flaky and just icky but if you don't walk around in socks all day your feet are bound to get dry. I was told once that your feet are the only place on your body that does not produce natural oils, meaning it doesn't moisturize itself. So if you don't add moisture to your feet then they will basically dry up and flake off, one step at a time. (I'm joking - kinda).

So, how do you keep your feet soft and smooth? This is a routine that works for me.

Coconut Oil ; Cocoa Butter Foot Magic 

Pumice/ Foot Files

Once a week, get rid of dead skin on your heel and the soles of your feet by gently filing the rough skin down with a foot file. Soak your feet in warm water for about fifteen minutes afterwards - make sure to rub extra oil into the cuticles of your toenails. Add coconut oil and something with antibacterial properties like tea tree oil. Then file again with a file that has a bigger grain like a hand held pumice stone file. Dry your feet and enjoy the smoothness!

For daily maintenance, keep a foot cream like Palmer's Cocoa butter formula Foot Magic by your night stand and moisturize your (clean) feet with this and slip on thick wool or silk socks to sleep in. Cotton socks tend to dry out moisture so stay away from those.

After about day 10 you should see a noticeable difference. Remember you don't need to fork out over $1000 weekly for a pedicure at the salon to have presentable feet. You can buy foot files pretty much off the street in Half Way Tree for $300 and coconut oil can be substituted with Olive Oil for $400 and these can be used several times.

Let me know how it works out for you and hopefully this will be the last foot post lol.

Till later

*Jane

                                        

  

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