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For those who are unaware, the month of November has been renamed “Movember” in many areas. The new name is in honor of a moustache growing charity event held each year during that month. All around the world, men grow their moustaches during Movember to raise money and awareness for men’s health. The charities benefitting from the Movember events include those that raise money to fund research and finding a cure for prostate cancer.

While participating in this worthy event, men can enhance their upper lip hair by growing and shaping it into a handlebar moustache. This style of moustache got its name due to its resemblance to motorcycle and bicycle handlebars. There are several steps that should be followed in order to groom facial hair into a handlebar moustache.

Start off by applying wax to the hair on the upper lip. Use just enough wax for it to be effective, but do not glob it on. Soft waxes will keep the moustache neat and in place. A wax like Pinaud Clubman, used in conjunction with a moustache brush, will help to shape the hair when it grows.

The moustache should be combed once daily in order to keep it tidy. Part the moustache in the middle, then comb the hair from under the nose to the right and left, respectively. Once the hair has grown long enough, curl the hair at the end. Use a pen and wind the hair around it very tightly. When the pen is removed, the ends should curl into the perfect handlebar shape.

This type of moustache lends an air of English sophistication to any man’s appearance. The moustache wax helps to hold this style in place, making it last all day. When a man styles his moustache in this way, he may be so pleased that he will want to join the International Handlebar Club for Men with Handlebar Moustaches.

After 20 years in fashion design, Belgium’s Maison Martin Margiela has released its first fragrance. The name of the fragrance is ironically titled “Untitled” and it was developed through a partnership with L’Oreal. The scent is characterized by cedar and jasmine base notes and top notes of a plant resin called Galbanum, lending it a unisex floral scent that reminds one of the Seventies-style green fragrances.

Danliela Andrier, the fragrance’s designer, explained that Maison Martin Margiela’s forey into fragrance was a significant move. Andrier believes that perfume has the power to stimulate memories of childhood or significant events. She states that perfume is both a sign of one’s presence and memory, making it almost part of a person’s DNA. The scent associated with that person remains long after the person is gone.

Fabien Baron, founder and creative director of the legendary Baron and Baron, developed the packaging for Untitled. Many will remember Baron’s role in Madonna’s Sex book. The bottle is simple, yet sleek, in appearance and is represented by clean lines and metal accenting. Baron stated that the design project was a challenge because he wanted to reach into the depths of new design while at the same time remain faithful to the product.

The strand around the neck of the bottle is a reference to Margiela himself. Margiela’s labels were sewn with four pick stitches that could be cut by the customer and this strand resembles those. Even the Olivetti font used on the bottle is an ode to Margiela. Olivetti is the font that Margiela used in his internal written communications.

Untitled was released in April and the 30 ml bottle retails for £45. The scent is classic, yet new, and sure to appeal to a wide variety of men. The features of the bottle’s design represent all that is Margiela…elegant, exacting, and exclusive. Consumers are already eager to see the release of another fragrance from Maison Martin Margiela, and they are hoping that they will not need to wait another 20 years.

Men’s moisturisers have become very popular over the last few years, but the way in which most of them do business has not. There is a huge movement for cosmetic companies to go green and to be cruelty free. It is almost ironic that the first company to be recognized by the BUAV, British Union for Abolition of Vivisection, is called Bull Dog.

In addition to not using this archaic methods to test their products, Bull Dog also has none of the chemicals that we are used to seeing in our moisturising products. When you look down at a normal label, you will generally see things such as synthetic fragrances, sodium laureth sulfate, parabens and artificial colours. Bull Dog refuses to put such things in their product and offers a natural version of a men’s mousturiser.

Bull Dog offers several different varieties of their moisture, so I checked the one that matched my skin type and I have to say, I was pretty impressed. The moment that you first put this to use, it just feels different on your skin. It is a hard feeling to describe, but it makes you believe that it is at least doing something. Because of this, it was time to do some investigating as to what was actually in this new moisturiser.

The label reads like a novel, but once looking at the ingredients, it became quite apparent why it felt like it was working, because it was. The product is rich in green tea extract and anti-oxidants, which are both miracle workers in the world of natural health products. It also contains essential oils and green algae. The algae works to rehydrate the skin and while this is an ingredient that is fairly new to me, I am impressed so far. This is definitely a product worthy of a trial run in any mans medicine cabinet.

Go back about ten years ago and even suggesting that a man use a face scrub would have caused quite a few eyebrows to go up. Today, it more commonplace, but most men are not using them properly and this may be worse than not using one at all. Face scrubs can serve a great purpose, as long as they are used in the right way.

Watch a man use a face scrub for the first time and you can almost feel the pain. Odds are that the water is scorching hot and they are applying the scrub to their face as though they are sanding down a spot on their car. Needless to say, this is not the right way to do this.

First and foremost, NEVER use hot water when washing any part of your body, especially your face. Scolding hot water is one of the worst things for your skin and should be avoided at all costs. Lukewarm water will work best and provide the most benefits. Just splash your face a few times to make sure the entire area is wet and facial hair is softened.

Disperse the scrub into your hand in the size of small bead. Gently rub the scrub on your face and be sure to cover the infamous “T” zone. There is no need to apply a great deal of pressure as the scrub has enough friction to exfoliate the skin. When you are finished, rinse your face once with the lukewarm water to remove the scrub and then rinse it again with cold water.

Ideally, this process should be done about twice a week and improvements will show after just a few weeks. Using the scrub more than that can also cause damage to the skin. Make it part of your routine on specific nights where you know you will have the time and the ladies will be itching to get up close and personal to your new baby face.