Ciroc - Luck be a lady

Mes amis,
I present to you one of my favourite drinks. Ciroc.
Now for those who has no knowledge of this drink, Ciroc is a vodka. 
What makes Ciroc different from other vodkas such as Grey Goose or Belvedere is its firm, dry but at the same time smooth taste. 
A totally new experience that can take you by surprise when the sweet after taste sneak behind your tongue.


Now what makes this taste is the preparation of the drink. 
Ciroc, unlike regular vodkas who uses distilled potatoes or grains, is made using distilled French grapes, the Mauzac Blanc and the Ugni Blanc. 
The drink is distilled five times in order to get that smooth taste. 
Ciroc comes in different flavours, the regular Ciroc, Red Berry, Coconut, and Peach.

Diddy became in 2007 the brand ambassador for the product which is also how I got to learn of the drink.
I admire Diddy and his style as well as his entrepreneur mind. Ciroc goes well with his image.

Video: Luck be a Lady featuring Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Eva Pigford, Michael K. Williams, Aaron Paul, Dania Ramirez, and Jesse Williams.

Grooming is easy. Do it.

Being the classy man you inspire to be isn't just about clothing. It's not just about walking around in a £2,100 "Gieves and hawkes" Navy suit. Far from it my friends.

Every little details must be perfected the best way you can, sometimes it's not your fault if you can't do it, we'll understand.

Grooming as in "human grooming" is considered to be an art by many and just shaving by some.

Now why is grooming important? I mean we could just go about and leave everything to grow and be merry, right? Wrong. Why? Because that's not what you want. You don't want to be Chubaka. 

Don't go around looking like Hagrid from "Harry Potter".

It's just insulting to good looking men and women who puts effort in their styling. 

I'm completely fine with a good shave and a neat hair cut if you like it simple but for God's sake cut it.

From the age of 16 to 18-19 I looked like a younger and worse version of Al Sharpton (thank you coach Sloane for the comparison). 

I'm not even joking. It was that bad. It was horrendous. Appalling I tell you. I don't want to go back.

Now let's first define what "grooming" is. 

Grooming is the action of cleaning and maintaining part of the body. In human terms it indicates the act of cutting, trimming and styling the hair; which also includes the shaving of the facial hair and removal of more private hairy area. 
Which means it also include the cleanliness of the skin as well as the hairs.
For this article I will concentrate on hair and do a second one for skin at a later date.


Grooming doesn't necessarily mean to shave or cut your hair. You might decide to keep your hair long or your beard bushy. Certain people that I know likes to keep their hair messy, it's part of their style but they keep it clean. Shampoo your hair, moisturise them and trim the beard.
I like to keep a Rick Ross beard myself once in a while (out of laziness, sometimes I just don't want to shave it's too much effort) but I trim it.

Now in human societies and history "hairs" have been important for some time now for more than a heat insulator and cooling; they've had a special significances in terms of social statuses indicators, natural beauty accessories and also as symbols of strength, faith and religion.

In the 8th century BC, the Celts wore there hair long, braided or in locks and were binding the end of their hair together with the use of jewellery. For a man it was the expression of his strength and for a woman her fertility. 

So basically no matter how big you were and even if you were the best fighter or warrior in the entire village, if you were bald, you were the "village bitch". Not cool.

The 18th century marks the time when, in European cultures especially, men and women were so elaborately artificial, wigs, powder, perfume, nail polish, lipstick, colour, no colour, pink, pale, you name it.

Anyway I'm drifting away from our initial point, "Grooming". 

For hygienic reasons wash your hair and style them in a way that enables you to take care of them. 

Do not shampoo often. 

I get people telling me that they have dull looking hair even though they use "Head and shoulders" at least twice a day. Oh really?

Shampooing too much strips your hair of its natural oils and dry them up.

Wash them less and they'll look shinier and healthier. 

Don't overdo on the hair product either. It only makes your hair look greasy and that is definitely not attractive. Keep the amount small and sufficient. 

Are you familiar with the fact that hot steam actually opens your pores and make you hair softer? Shaving after a nice shower will prevent having ingrown hair and a better shave. Hot towel on your face works too if you don't have time to shower before you shave. Gentlemen, please. Stop dry shaving, it only causes you to have razor-burn rashes and develop ingrown hair. 

And don't be afraid to go to the barbershop on a regular basis. Having your hair and beard done by a professional is a sure way to have a "pull-together" look about yourself all the time.

Where my hairy people at? Three words! Trim, trim and trim. 

I'm on the hairy side kind of guy myself. One thing I do, I keep it trimmed. Women don't want to take your clothes off and find a jungle under the hood especially after they take care to groom for you.

Excess of hair? Get rid of it.

Like my friend David would say "I trim my pubes like I trim my afro, neat and tight".

So ,Gentlemen. Why is it important to groom? 

Well for one fundamentally important reason. 

To look good. What else?

Helpful Link (Esquire Magazine): http://www.esquire.co.uk/category/style-grooming/ 

Pitcures: Jon Hamm (Mad Men) from GQ.com
              Will Smith

Summer outfitting

Shoes: H&M Turquoise Canvas Sneakers with Rubber Soles

Shorts: H&M Brown Shorts Chinos

Hat: Kangol Black Bamboo Mowbray Trilby

Photos taken by: Marine Mignot aka My Sista

Location: South of France, Valmorel, Club Med

Summer time weight loss

Hello my readers. Sorry I've been away. It's been a month since I posted last. Too long for a blog. But I'll be putting more stuff from now on.
I've just thought about what I wanted to write and since it's summer and it's a time where appearance is probably more important to us at that time than any of the year.

We're more self concious since we dress down because of the heat. Even in England it's sunny (I know who knew).

And when summer gets here a lot of people are losing more and more layer of clothing and to be honest when I see all those girls in the street I'm not complaining.

Well they are exceptions.

I mean we all seen that one girl that should be wearing a hoodie instead of a skirt if you catch my drift. Or those guys that take their shirt off in the middle of the city, I mean seriously do us a favour and jump off a bridge because this is not acceptable especially when you look more like Zach Galifianakis than Zac Efron.

So like I said we're dressing lighter and a lot of us will be going on holiday whether it's for a couple of days or weeks or even months and some of us have been working on their body to impress the other sex (or the same sex depending on what you like). 

Well I haven't. I know I've been lazy, very lazy and I've ate crap. I'm talking cheeseburgers, pizzas, kebabs. Ugh so much nasty, greasy stuff.

As a result I've put on weight. I'm starting to look like a burned meat ball. Yeah not pretty.

So I've started my special summer diet. 

I'd rather just eat healthy all the time so I wouldn't need to do that.

So that's what I'm doing. I've removed my main sources of sugars. Basically all the fizzy drinks I usually drink such as Coke, Pepsi, orange sodas (and god knows how much I love orange soda), even fruit juices like orange juice and apple juice and such.

I'm sticking to the water and keeping hydrated. 

No chocolate bar because I'm not that much of a fan anyway and no sweets or things like that.

A little bit of honey in my porridge with sultanas is all I need and some fresh clementine. 

I'm having fresh vegetables, tomatos and olives and such fresh veggies. I like vegetables. Salads.

That's my thing any way. I'm keeping the fat out of my food and eating light, fresh, and healthy.

I've cut the carbs to almost 0 but not quite. Listen, me and bread it's a love story. But nonetheless I'm only allowing myself bread every 4 days. 

That's how I've started anyway for the next 2 weeks and then I'll start adding meat to my diet. 

And I'm going to start exercising as well. I haven't come to that yet but it will happen. At least I'm not eating for 2 any more. 

Does this seem like a good diet to you?

I haven't really cut down any major nutrients from my diets.  I guess I'll need to add proteins soon but this looks like a good and balanced diet so far and I think I'll be able to lose weight with that. Well I have but not much. 

Is summer the time where you put on weight too? That's why I start my diet now because if I don't. When I come back for fresher's week I'll probably put 2 stone on or something ridiculous like that.

Soooo by the time I'm done with this rather drastic change in my food intake I should lose 3 stone this summer, at least. That's my aim. I'm aiming high I know. But I need to push myself.

We all have different bodies and we all work in different ways. I see that by eating lighter I tend to lose more weight. Most of the "diet" plans you see in magazines and such are crap but I'll say that having a light and balanced diet can help you lose weight. Add in a few hours of exercising per week and you should lose weight quite quickly. Don't rush it and take it slow and your body will do the rest.

I want orange soda so baaaaad I'm gonna die.

Picture: "It's summer Nigga" by http://randomswaggbitch.tumblr.com/ (Thanks again)

Esquire Magazine

I did not think I'd talk about any Men's magazine to be quite frank. Well not for a while at least.
To be honest I did not know when it'll come up at all.

So here we are.

Esquire - Style and Substance. Damn, it sounds good already.

I feel that now days many men lack the decency to enquire about certain things that a distinguished gentleman should know.
Simple things that are part of our modern life and society.

Clothing for example. How many times have I walked down a street and seen a man wearing the wrong pieces of clothing together. To be honest, I do not think that there is a right or wrong way to dress, but there is definitely a stupid one. Socks with flip-flops? Know what I mean?

But even without going to such extremism I think that certain people could look so much better.
It is our duty to show that we look good.

Do not make the mistake to believe that because you belong to the masculine race that you are exempted  from dressing distinguishably and gracefully nice because you shall not even remotely be pardoned from having such foolish thoughts. And it is not as easy as it looks as our "gentler" counterpart could tell you.

Colours, patterns, fabrics, fitting and many more criteria may define what goes with what and what does not.
My friends. There is no shame in not knowing but only in continuing in our perverted and stubborn descent shall we find chaos.

Esquire Magazine is a Men's Magazine founded in 1932.
It is published in other 20 countries (so you do not have a good reason for not buying it).

Esquire Magazine is...oh they say it so well I'd hate to ruin it.

"Esquire is special because it's a magazine for men. Not a fashion magazine for men, not a health magazine for men, not a money magazine for men. It is not any of these things; it is all of them. It is, and has been for nearly seventy years, a magazine about the interests, the curiosity, the passions, of men."
David Granger, Editor in Chief

This month cover is the picture of Robert Downey Junior (Ironman).

By the way the picture above is not the picture of the cover. I just thought this looked better. 

I'm not going lie I have a bit of a man crush on Robert. 

So here it is.

The magazine also has a website (http://www.esquire.co.uk/).

And a lot of interesting videos. Enjoy: