| Archives
October - December 2006
Cosmetics for Bald Guys
Howard Brauner made an interesting discovery - cosmetics for bald men
generally are all about hair regrowth. He spotted a market niche - cosmetics
for men who are proud to be bald. His company, Bald Guyz, is now close to
break-even, and he is looking to expand. The Charlotte Observer
has
the story.
December 28th, 2006
Do We Need This?
I agree with
SciFi.com - the
USB shaver is just dumb.
December 21st, 2006
Beyond Need to Being Something You Just Want
The boss of Procter & Gamble visits London. The Sunday Times asks
him about the
Gillette Fusion razor:
AT last I get to meet the man who brought us the five-bladed razor. Just
what the modern world needed.
“Well, it does give you a fantastic shave,” says Alan Lafley, global chief
executive of Procter & Gamble (P&G) and manufacturer of the Gillette Fusion
razor — the best a man can get. Oh, come on. Most of us, back in the mists
of time, were happy with two blades. Lafley, pin-neat, affable and very
well-shaven, just smiles.
“Okay, sometimes it goes beyond ‘need’ to being something you just want,” he
drawls. Then he laughs as he picks another sandwich from the platter in
front of us.
December 7th, 2006
The Perfect Shave
Fun (and lengthy) article in the San Francisco Chronicle headlined "Searching
for the perfect shave". It begins:
Years before there was such a thing as a "metrosexual," manly men went
about their manly business -- taming the land, cornering markets, winning
the game ... and getting facials.
Only back then, they were called "shaves."
Read it all.
December 4th, 2006
Don't Let Your Hockey Buddies See It
The Toronto Star presents a list of
Christmas gifts for the modern metrosexual:
Traditional male minimalism in the bathroom — consisting of Irish Spring
and Old Spice — is being replaced by designer skin care lines and gadgets
that scrub and polish, analyze and trim.
They are the tools of new age masculinity — from electric facial brushes and
self-cleaning shavers to computerized toothbrushes and testosterone-targeted
skin care products.
The technologically induced transformation from regular Joe to Brad Pitt is
upon us.
The gifts are: Tanita Innerscan body composition monitor, PCA skincare
products, Gillette Fusion razor, Touch-Up hair groomer, Clarisonic skincare
brush ("Caution: if you're having buddies over to watch hockey, you might
want to tuck it well out of sight"), Braun 360 Complete electric shaver and
the Oral-B Triumph Professional Care 9000 toothbrush.
November 24th, 2006
New Bollywood Trend - the Metrosexual
The hot new market for men's grooming products? It's
India,
according to Bloomberg News. Here's how the report begins:
When Harkanwaljit Singh's turban left an unsightly suntan line on his
forehead, he turned to Hindustan Lever's Fair & Lovely, a skin- whitening
cream for women.
"It was quite effective," said Singh, 26, a hotelier from Jamshedpur, in the
Indian state of Jharkhand. Now, he can choose from products made for men,
including Fair & Lovely Menz Active and Emami's Fair and Handsome.
Personal care companies are targeting Indian men as rising incomes allow
them to buy more deodorants and shaving gels, adopting the metrosexual look
popularized by Bollywood actors. Spending on men's grooming products is
expected to rise 24 percent to 14.5 billion rupees, or $320 million, in the
next five years, Euromonitor International forecasts.
November 18th, 2006
Gillette Fusion - a Fleeting Distraction from
the Misery of Life
Months slower than any other newspaper, The Guardian at last
pokes fun at the Gillette Fusion:
Need a shave? Toss out your Bics and grab the Gillette Fusion, which
single-handedly represents Consumer Product Event Horizon by combining "the
comfort of five blades" (on the front) with "the precision of one" (on the
back). The main cutting surface is about the size of a sheet of A4; so large
you can't get it under your nose without shearing off your top lip, which is
why you need the blade on the back - it's the only bit you can enjoy a
reasonable shave with.
There's also a battery-operated "Power Handle" option that makes the whole
thing buzz like a wasp in an envelope - not to help you shave, but to offer
yet more fleeting distraction from the UNREMITTING MISERY OF LIFE.
The Fusion Mk2, out next year, features 190 blades, a 30GB hard drive, a
pine nut dispenser and a synthesized voice telling you everything's OK, even
though the mere existence of such a razor proves otherwise. I've pre-ordered
mine already.
October 31st, 2006
Shaving Cut
I thought it was Americans who were litigious. In Scotland a man is suing a
razor manufacturer after he
cut himself shaving.
October 10th, 2006
An Article about Men's Eyebrows
British newspapers continue their enjoyable onslaught on the whole men's
grooming movement. The Guardian gives
advice to Conservative Party leader David Cameron as he turns 40:
Believe me, David, after 40, recalcitrant cables of lush brow hair the
thickness of wiry cat-gut will begin to grow from your upper ocular area
like renegade triffids. Your eyes, once your best feature, will resemble
abandoned window boxes, and when you pluck up the courage to weed out one of
these rancorous medusas, you will discover that it is an entirely different
species from every other hair on your body: liquorice black or albino blond,
perhaps, and so thick you could use it to earth a domestic appliance.
October 10th, 2006
Grooming Tips for Scottish Men
The Edinburgh Evening News presents
advice for men
(only a portion is online):
Welcome to the Edinburgh Evening News Men's Grooming Supplement. Don't
wear socks and sandals. The End.
That really should be all you need to know, but bizarrely some people seem
to want more. How else can you explain all the magazines and pull-out
sections now devoted to the way men look?
Last weekend a Sunday newspaper added to the output with a special 106-page
supplement for men. It featured essential information for blokes including
how to spend £90 on a haircut, where to buy a pair of £870 lace-up shoes and
how to tell the difference between Hydra Detox cleanser and Revitalising Eye
Relief Q10.
It could be that this is a conspiracy between manufacturers and magazine
staff to change chaps and force them to take an interest in such frippery.
Having persuaded women that looking good costs the earth, now they are
turning their attention to men.
October 6th, 2006
Fusion - Looking Good
Procter & Gamble expects its Gillette Fusion razor, introduced only this
year, to become a
$1 billion product within five years.
October 4th, 2006
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