Tried & Tested Michael Kors Extreme Night
Mr rose gold himself, Michael Kors, has been the billion dollar unicorn of the fashion industry with his ubiquitous bags and watches. His menswear has never really gained much traction, but his fragrances have always been pretty reliable. This is packaged as before, but in a blue colourway.
It opens with black pepper and nutmeg, then a middle of cypress and clary sage and, finally, a base of orris and tonka bean.
TheChicGeek says, “I must be getting old because I can’t remember the last time I had an ‘Extreme Night’. I think Michael Kors' idea of an extreme night out might be a bit more glamorous than ours.
The first thought I had when I smelt this was tonka bean. It does revolve around this, but has a soft aromatic quality which is fresh and green and smells cooling. Fans of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male will like this”.
Left - Michael Kors Extreme Night For Men - 120ml - £70
Tried & Tested Liquid Collagen Skinade
Collagen accounts for 75% of youthful skin, forming the main structural element of the skin in the collagen matrix in the dermis. It provides the structure supporting the epidermis and gives your skin its youthful fullness. When collagen molecules are damaged, skin loses its elasticity and begins to sag, wrinkle and age.
Skinade says their research shows that 1 bottle of the liquid collagen drink ‘Skinade' could equate to taking up to 20 collagen pills, due to the way that the body absorbs it.
When it comes to collagen, the two most common delivery methods are either tablets or liquids - each working very differently to deliver collagen to the body. The main difference that separates liquids and tablets is the absorption rate of ingredients. The Physicians Desk Reference puts the absorption rate of tablets at between 10-20% as opposed to liquids, which are listed at a much higher absorption rate of over 95%. The reason for this huge discrepancy is that, while nutrition drinks in solution can pass through the lining of the stomach and enter the bloodstream directly, pills and tablets must pass through the digestive system where a great deal of the ingredients are simply passed through the body without being properly absorbed.
Another key difference is the mode of absorption and how this affects the collagen you are trying to absorb. While collagen tablets are broken down into their base amino acids by the digestive system, in a drink like Skinade, the collagen avoids this fate by being directly absorbed into the bloodstream.
Drinking Skinade has a three-fold effect: increasing collagen in the bloodstream by adding the 7000mg of hydrolysed marine collagen in each bottle (daily dose) of Skinade as well as triggering the body’s own collagen production by firing up the fibroblasts (our own collagen factories). Increasing collagen in the bloodstream also triggers the body’s production of hyaluronic acid which is responsible the optimising skin hydration. To optimise skin health, we must work from the inside out, as well as the outside in.
To see the benefits of Skinade, the drink must be drunk daily for a 30 day period. It tastes of Mangosteen and peach and is packed full of vitamins, with just 1.5 grams of fructose sugar, no artificial colours and fewer than 38 calories per 150ml bottle.
TheChicGeek says, “When the Skinade arrived, it was couriered in a large cardboard box containing 6 smaller white boxes each containing 5 thin white bottles each. You can buy sachets, which you mix yourself, but they are the same price.
On first tasting, it feels like it is masking something, and while not majorly pleasant to drink, you quickly get used to it and 150ml isn’t a huge amount. It’s neon yellow like a Berocca and comes out the same colour!
The 150ml is best drunk with or before breakfast, they say, and, apart from a couple of days, I took it religiously at this time.
Did I notice any difference? The basic answer is no. In its defence I think this is something you need to do long term to see any effect or lessen the loss of collagen, but at over £100 a month it is quite a financial commitment. I understand the science behind drinking it rather than tablets, but, even at this high dosage, it didn’t have any positive visible effects on my skin".
Above - Skinade - 30 Day Supply - 30 X 150ml - £105
Tried & Tested Perricone MD Refreshing Shower Mask
Perricone MD has launched this new face mask that is designed to be used in the shower. How is a mask meant to be used in the shower you ask? Well, while you're shampooing, shaving, lathering up, the heat and steam of the shower activates the ‘Refreshing Shower Mask’ gel formula. And as an added bonus, it’s designed to protect your face from hot water, and the gel consistency clings to your face, so it doesn't wash away.
The purpose of the mask, which has a cooling factor, is to revitalise leaving skin feeling smoother and softer, while using Dr Perricone’s Nrf2 Antioxidant Support Complex to support your skin when fighting off environmental and oxidative stress. Ingredients such as squalene and jojoba are included to moisturise and increase skin elasticity.
TheChicGeek says, “Now this is a mask idea I can get on board with. Anything that is easy to use and effective will make it into a man’s regime. Men like to try and multitask, even if they are bad at it. Move over sheet mask, we’re going ‘in-shower’!
Firstly, it doesn’t suggest how often you should use this, but it seems quite gentle, so I’d say maybe twice a week. It’s a green gel, not too thick, and goes on easily. It’s tempting to just wash it off, like you would normally a face wash, but you resist. Resist I say! It does also depend on how long your showers are, but by the time you’ve washed your hair and body it should be pushing 5 mins. *checks hot water bill* It does warn it may tingle in a cooling way, but I didn’t feel any reaction.
It didn’t ‘set’, or change and washed off easily, which is usually quite satisfying with a mask. The end result: my face felt extra clean and well prepped afterwards”.
Left - Perricone MD - Refreshing Shower Mask - 74ml - £32
Tried & Tested Frédéric Malle Outrageous
Frédéric Malle relaunches Outrageous perfume - it was originally released in 2007 as an exclusive to Barney's - a stunning blend inspired by the exotic scene of Brazil - a colourful explosion of bergamot, tangerine, green apple against cinnamon, musk and ambroxan. Created by Sophia Grojsman, the idea for Outrageous poured out of a Caipirinha cocktail in Brazil: samba on the beach, bursts of orange and blue in low light, crashing waves and the ecstatic laughs of the young and sexy. It’s dramatic, festive and colourful, what Frédéric likes to call “clean sex appeal”.
TheChicGeek says, “Frédéric Malle works a curator of fragrance, commissioning various perfumers to create scents for his house, which is now owned by Estée Lauder.
While the list of ingredients in Outrageous is very fresh and natural it is difficult to pick out one specific note. What I’m getting here, at first, are rubber car mats. So, very Balenciaga AW17 and not, entirely, a bad thing. This dries down to something more natural and soapy and then ends up smelling like ‘Cologne Indélébile’, another of Malle’s fragrances. There’s nothing wrong with this scent, but Outrageous it is not”.
Left - Frédéric Malle - Outrageous - 100ml - £130
Tried & Tested Le Cèdre - Miller Harris
Part of Miller Harris’ premium ‘Perfumer’s Library’ collection, Le Cèdre is the latest unisex addition. For the adventurer, it is a spicy tale of cedarwood and black orchid. It features top notes of pink and black pepper, a heart of black orchid and mimosa and, of course, the base of Texas cedarwood and musk.
TheChicGeek says, “I really like the top of this. The black pepper is raw yet clean. The black orchid isn’t the Tom Ford type, but something softer and more subtle all on the warm foundation of the cedar wood. The only issue is that the pepper quickly disappears and it would be nice for it resonate longer. I would say this is on the masculine side of the unisex fragrance spectrum”.
Left - Miller Harris - Le Cèdre - 100ml - £155
Available May 2017
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Sugar Free Geek
I’ve decided to give up processed or refined sugar for Lent. Not because I’m particularly religious, but I feel it is a nice length of time, around 40 days, and other people are giving up things at the same time - so, hopefully, some moral support.
Left - TheChicGeek is smiling at the moment, but will he be smiling in 40 days time?
Henry Tate will be spinning in his grave, but traditional white cane sugar has become enemy number one, lately. But, even without too much nutritional knowledge, it’s easy to understand that sugar is usually a cheap ingredient or substitute in unhealthy foods, drinks and snacks.
As for the health penalties of free sugar, meaning sugar that isn’t bound to fiber in fruit, it can lead to inflammation, blood sugar instability, and, over a period of time, type 2 diabetes. Sugar causes altered internal pH levels resulting in a more acidic body. It is believed that an acidic environment is a breeding ground for disease, whereas an alkaline body promotes good health.
French scientists in Bordeaux reported that in animal trials, rats chose sugar over cocaine (even when they were addicted to cocaine), and speculated that no mammals’ sweet receptors are naturally adapted to the high concentrations of sweet tastes on offer in modern times.
At a dinner, a few months ago, a lady was waxing lyrical about giving up sugar. She said how much better she felt and how much better her skin looked. Ironically, we were probably talking about this over dessert. But, I knew I wanted to try it when I was ready to.
I don't really drink sugary drinks, but my Achilles Heel is chocolate. I understand you can eat sugar free chocolate, but I’m going to try the first week without anything. I’m not going to be militant, like sugar in ketchup and bread, but I’m taking out fizzy drinks, ice cream, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, sweets and any other obvious sugar heavy products.
I want to see whether I’m addicted, whether I can go without and how will I look and feel at the end of the experiment. As we all these things, you learn as you go and more often then not you take some good habits into your everyday life.
The first few days were a breeze, but the mid-to-end of the first week, I feel like I’d run out of things to eat, plus I don’t really feel like I know how much I’m eating, lots of crisps, probably, and there is no full stop on a meal, so the satisfaction is gone. It feels open waiting for that satisfying sweetness a chocolate bar or handful of Haribo may bring. I’m getting bored with fresh and dried fruit and I’ve been googling ‘sugar free brownie recipes’, which I may make this week.
I don't feel tired, but, I feel less energetic and I feel like I’m going to run out of energy quickly. I’m not sure if I’ve lost weight, but I don’t think I’ve gained any and if a six-pack appears at Easter, I’d be more than happy. I’m going to the gym as normal and eating everything else as normal.
On the positive, my gums feel much better and less ‘active’. I feel calmer and less prone to ups and downs.
That first half an hour after each meal is the difficult part, I need to distract myself and push through and ignore old habits. The word ‘Lent’ may derive from the old German word translating as ‘long’. Let’s see.
Tried & Tested The Mole Clinic
The Mole Clinic has opened their third outpost in Moorgate in the City of London. Skin cancer is one of our most common cancers. Detected early, it is easily removed. Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is extremely difficult to treat, but if caught early it is 100% survivable.
The MOLE Clinic is the UK’s leading independent and award-winning centre for screening and diagnosis of skin cancer which identifies any abnormal moles which may be at risk. There are two types of moles we should be keeping an eye on as a precaution against skin cancer and these are ‘visually abnormal’ and ‘new or changing moles’.
Left - The price for the MOLECheck is £135. For more information visit www.themoleclinic.co.uk
The Mole Clinic offers Skin Cancer Screening, Digital Mole Mapping and Cosmetic Mole Removal.
The MOLECheck normally takes around 45 minutes, although it can vary depending on the number of moles the patient has. It starts with a specialist nurse recording any risk factors that the client may have for skin cancer. Then she will be checking all of the visible moles and freckles on your body from ‘head to toe’. If any abnormal moles are identified then you will have the option to have the mole quickly diagnosed for skin cancer with their TELEDerm service, a non-invasive technique which captures highly magnified images of moles and offers previously unseen views beneath the moles surface to identify cancerous changes.
The nurse will also advise the patient on appropriate preventative steps that should be taken and how the main signs of skin cancer be spotted. The MOLECheck is recommended annually for most adults, however those in a high risk group for skin cancer may wish to consider to have a check every six months.
TheChicGeek says, “I’ve wanted to try The Mole Clinic for ages. I have skin cancer in my family and being a ginger I only have to look out of the window to get sunburnt. I’m careful, but I was burnt as a child. I’m not particularly moley, more freckles, but I think it’s important to learn what to look out for.
While improving, dermatology in the UK has been patchy at best and it’s good to speak to those who know what to look for.
During the MOLEcheck you meet a nurse, she asks a few questions about family history and also lifestyle, like whether you use sun beds or have been sunburnt before. You then strip off - wear your best underpants - and the nurse examines you from top to toe and even between your toes. It wasn't as hi-tech as I thought it was going to be, but it doesn't need to be if you're in the hands of somebody who knows what they are looking for. She’ll ask you about anything that stands out. Looking at moles is a bit like picking mushrooms: most look harmless enough, but only a trained eye can spot a deadly one or spot the difference. If unsure, ask the advice of an expert, hence the USP of the MOLECheck.
Anything unusual the nurse will take a picture of and send to a doctor at the clinic for a second opinion. I received the full, confidential report the next day and the doctor recommended I seek 'Urgent Referral’ for a mole that I hadn’t noticed on my lower back. Looking a bit like Halley’s Comet, it is irregular in shape and colour which are the signs to be aware of. You can choose to continue the private healthcare with The Mole Clinic, or, like I did, take the report to your GP who can refer you to a specialist. As a suspected cancer you receive an appointment within 2 weeks. Hopefully, it’s nothing, but without this check I wouldn’t have been aware of it.
Update - I had a check up with the hospital and the doctor said there was nothing to worry about. He said if you suspect something ask your GP for a 2 week cancer referral.
It’s also worth noting that not all skin cancer is connected to moles. Non melanoma cancer is usually a scab that doesn’t heal within 3 months. With my family history and skin type I think I’m more vulnerable to this type of cancer, but always check yourself and monitor anything changing shape or colour. If unsure speak to your doctor or, if you can afford to, use a service like this one.
With summer coming up, while checking yourself please think about protecting yourself too: no sunbeds, avoid blistering and use a high SPF.
The Mole Clinic was a very professional service which I would recommend and I hope checking your moles and skin will become as common and routine as going to the dentist".
Moorgate/Bank: Mon, Wed: 8am – 7pm; Tues,Thurs, Fri: 8am – 5pm, Oxford Circus: Mon, Wed, Fri: 8am – 5pm; Tues,Thurs, Fri: 8am – 7pm, Harrods Pharmacy: Wed: 10am – 7pm