Hailing from the chic Chelsea neighbourhood of New York, Malin + Goetz has built its brand on a no-frills, natural ingredients and gentle performance approach that’s proved to be immensely popular with the stylish grooming set.

As well as a core range of skin-care essentials, targeted treatments and a perfumery that provides modern interpretations of traditional fragrance concepts, Malin + Goetz have an all-natural range of hair products that we’ve got our eyes on.

For a really refreshing hair wash we love their Peppermint Shampoo £15 which has amino acid hydration technology for healthy and shiny hair, as well as effectively purifying, clarifying and balancing all hair and scalp types – and it smells divine too.

After using the shampoo you can finish off your newly shiny hair with their Sage Styling Cream £15 that boasts fatty acid absorption technology – the kind of technology we like the sound of – but rather than being an alternative to going to the gym, the absorbent fatty acids in the cream provide shine, definition and texture. The styling cream is really lightweight so you don’t get left with a heavy residue on your hair, and it’s natural hold is still strong enough to hold your style all day. The sage extract smells amazing and gives the cream a great fragrance that’s really distinctive without being overpowering.

Malin + Goetz is available at Liberty and you can visit the site for a full range of products.

You may already be familiar with the women’s beauty range Soap and Glory – the candy pink packaging, the retro black and white images and the kitsch taglines such as ‘Sexy Mother Pucker’ lipgloss and ‘Glow Job’ moisturiser. Well guess what? There’s a men’s range too, in the form of a not so pink, not so retro, but just as kitsch, Men’s Soap and Glory.

If you prefer a more of a basic approach to grooming, or you just haven’t quite got round to braving the Clinique shelves in Boots yet, Men’s Soap and Glory is a great no-frills range that does what it says on the (very explanatory) packaging. From their ‘Al Fresco’ deodorant with ‘odour armour’ to the ‘Soap’er Man’ shower gel that promises to make you ‘tingle all over’, the Soap and Glory Men’s range is packed with bold, fresh scents and all the grooming basics you’ll need.

We especially like the ‘A Shave to Love’ shave gel which has, what the Soap and Glory people call, ‘lubrajel oil’ for a stress-free razor slip, conditioning Babassu oil and Bisabolol and cooling aloe, and we also quite like the very handy ‘Knock Your Spots Off’ – a spot fighting gel that literally does knock your spots off – great for the occasional killer pimple.

So if you’re thinking about braving the world of grooming then get yourself some of these basics, because as the Soap and Glory gang would say it’s good to be gorgeous even if you’re a guy.

Men’s Soap and Glory is available from Boots and Harvey Nichols.

For those shaving aficionados among you we’ve found eShave, a luxury men’s grooming brand that has a range of shaving accessories that’s impressive enough to sit proudly atop your bathroom cabinet looking shiny yet manly. Yes, we present to you the T Razor and Brush Stand, an elegant and simple solution for storing your shaving tools. And if the shiny silver-coloured stand will put your disposable razor to shame then eShave have a range of chic razors and brushes that will complement your new stand perfectly.

Of course, your brand-spanking new shaving set wouldn’t be complete without matching shave cream just like this rich lathering cucumber shave cream £17, which promises to cool, soothe and energise skin.

Who knew that shaving could be so indulgent?

eShave T Stand and Shaving cream available at Niven and Joshua.

We all know that the secret behind a well groomed man is, surprise surprise – good grooming products, and whether you want the low-down on the best moisturiser, post-shave balm or anti-ageing cream the GQ grooming awards have got the pick of the best. With advice from an expert panel including Mankind’s Paul Jameson and the impeccably presented Mr. George Lamb, the people in the know at GQ have presented their run down of the top grooming products out there for men.

We’ve had a look through the winners, and trust us, there’s quite a few to choose from – so there’s absolutely no excuse for being anything less than perfectly groomed this summer.

Our own favourites from the winners include Biotherm Homme’s Aqua Power Absolute Gel for Best Moisturiser, Clinique for Men for Best Range, and Tom Ford’s Italian Cypress which was awarded Best New Fragrance.

If you want to check out the rest of the winners along with the verdict from the expert panel members visit the GQ site, and start making your shopping list now.

There’s a new grooming brand on the block – Osmium for Men.

Made from natural ingredients, the range consists of a fantastic Detoxify & Polish Two Clay Mask & Walnut Exfoliant, and specializes in reducing ingrowing hairs and bumps, £18.95 available at Osmiumformen.com.

Other products worth checking out from the range include a Peak Performance Energise & Renew Moisturiser, Cellular Renew Anti-Ageing Crème, Age Defend Shave, Soothing & Moisturising Cooling Protective Cream and a Clean & Refresh Cleanser.

Fact: men crave flawless skin. I know this because a male friend of mine is constantly asking for skincare tips. No he’s not gay. There seems to be a pervading stereotype that only gay men care about their looks. Not true!

If you’re wondering, I have just two pieces of advice…drink lots of water and find a good moisturizer. If that’s not enough, check out the book Top to Toe – The Modern Man’s Guide to Grooming..

A collaboration between Lab Series Skincare for Men and Tony Glenville, Top to Toe is packed with essential grooming techniques including fashion and style advice. Best of all the book is free with any purchase over £35 from Lab Series.

Justin Timberlake…you may or may not like him but one thing is for sure: you must respect him

Even if you’re not a fan of the singer you have got to take your hat off to him.

He’s transformed from a boy forming one fifth of a successful boy band, N*Sync to a real man.  He has managed to not only turn himself into a worldwide solo artist, he has also sold millions of records, dueted with many famous music names, had film roles, saved himself from the troubled Britney and into the arms of extremely attractive model, Jessica Biel and is now the face of the new Givenchy Play fragrance.

The new scent promises a masculine aroma through a fusion of black pepper, coffee flower, orange and vetiver which makes it a fragrence that you do not want to be without this winter.

And to make it even more desirable, the bottle is based on the famous ipod shape with play, rewind and forward buttons and will be available in 50ml and 100ml bottles in all pharmacies.

Stuart Pilkington, Launch of the 'Touche Eclat For Men' by YSL at Selfridges London

From murses to man−girdles, manties to man leggings, the feminization of all things men is reaching fever pitch in the fashion world. Nothing, literally, is safe from being stripped of its gender exclusivity so it doesn’t surprise us in the least that Yves Saint Laurent has released Touche Éclat for Men or guyliner as it is being dubbed.

With all the hype over YSL’s newfound guyliner or “man−scara,” it begs the question: who is going to be the face of Touche Éclat for Men? YSL have tapped none other than Big Brother UK star, Stuart Pilkington and he’s already promoting—topless and guyliner clad—at Selfridges, where the Touche Éclat for Men will be exclusively sold for £22.50.

David Walker-Smith, the beauty director at Selfridges had this to add concerning the impetus behind Touche Éclat for Men:

Men are increasingly becoming more conscious of their appearance and have gone from stealing products from their wives and girlfriends to stocking up on their own…They see the benefit of beauty products enhancing their natural complexions and no longer consider them to decrease their male bravado.

Hear, hear…I guess?! We’re still on the fence…

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Settle for nothing but perfection when choosing products to use on your hair this month.

As the hairdressing market continues to grow be sure to treat your hair with Tigi B, the first male range from Tigi that offers innovative products created especially for men. Not only does the range offer a Clean-up Daily Shampoo with sunflower extracts and a menthol fragrance it also includes a Clean-Up Daily Conditioner that guarantees to strengthen hair and invigorate the scalp.

Tigi have also created a texture and moulding paste that will ensure that hair looks its best in the style that you choose all day. To make sure you’re getting the most for your money and not missing out on any of the ranges products, be sure to get your hands on a test drive kit which includes all three new products in a practical wash bag which comes free.

So make sure you treat your hair with the respect it deserves and relax in the fact that Tigi promise that you will feel energised and refreshed. And even better further products are to be launched later this year…

We promised you voluminous scarves, we promised you top-notch tailoring, and we promised you dainty knitwear and H&M aptly delivered. Several looks from the H&M Men’s Fall/Winter 2008 collection have become available and the ideas are refreshing. The lines are very clean, the colors muted and the jackets provide a more structured fit making the collection fit for the boardroom and beyond.

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