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Forget chocolates and flowers for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day - instead, YOU be the gift. Show how much you care by turning yourself into a sexy package with a bit of male grooming.
Valentine’s Day can be a source of intense pressure – when it should mean, pleasure? We tend to get overwhelmed with questions about what to do. Should I buy an expensive gift? Should I book a different restaurant? However, as with most things, keeping it simple is most definitely the way to go. So, skip over the clichéd red roses and box of heart-shaped chocolates and instead invest some money on a gift that will really make your favoured one smile…you!
So, follow my easy pre-date 10 point checklist, avoid bad grooming pitfalls and learn how to curb your errant ways and get in there stylishly my son.
1.Smooth Mouth
If there's one night of the year that you should be clean shaven - and stubble rash free - Valentine's Day is it. Pre-shave oil helps prevent razor burn, and is especially good for those with heavy beards or those prone to razor bumps and ingrown hairs. Apply the oil a few minutes before shaving, but do it gently and don't rub it on. This will soften your hair, make shaving easier and help prevent the razor burn in the first place. I retail the Shave Doctor Range and Neals Yard Remedies Organic Skincare Shaving Oil, available online for home delivery or in the suite.
Using a clean, multi-bladed razor - and an aloe-rich gel or cream - begin shaving with the grain of hair growth (usually downward). Use short strokes, rinsing the blade often. Shave the ‘easy’ areas first (cheeks), while leaving the neck, chin and upper lip for last. This will allow these areas more time to soften up. Aloe Vera gel is available at the suite. Alternatively, come in for a Facial, or a Wet Shave treatment.
2. Be Handy
Check your fingernails! Women may let certain things slide, but when it comes to nails, the state of a man's mits definitely count - they're either clean and trimmed or it's a deal breaker. One of the first things people will notice about your appearance is your hands. Your hands are constantly on show, especially when you're eating and drinking.
Make sure your grubby claws don't damage your chances. Scrub with a nailbrush and trim squarely across the top with a pair of small clippers. Tweezerman's Deluxe Nail Clipper Set is great for this, available at the suite.
File nails into a square shape with rounded corners, for a natural look - if your nail beds are quite short, go for a rounder oval shape as it elongates the nail. Opt for a good quality nail file such as the Pedro Ceramic Pocket Nail File by Tweezerman, available at the suite. Always remember to file nails in one direction only because sawing back and forth weakens the nail. Make the process easier by cutting nails after your shower when they are softer. Alternatively, I offer a Manicure service, so don’t fret if you’re all out of ideas or equipment!
3. Cover Up
Late night? Skin re-living its teenage years? Concealers are the perfect way to hide nasty skin imperfections. The mistake men make, though, is applying too much, which makes concealers look obvious.
Dab a tiny amount on the offending blemish or dark patch and blend it in with your middle finger, gently. Irrespective of whether you go au natural or pile on the slap, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of subtle ‘enhancement’, after all if it’s good enough for Beckham, it's good enough for the rest of us.
4. Rinse Off
This is not the time for a quick splash of water under your armpits - a full-on shower is the only way to go pre- Valentines date, so budget some time for one. Take note - if you need to manscape, now's the time for it.
Warm - not hot - baths or showers are better for your skin, especially during the winter season. Yes, it may be tempting to linger in a scalding shower but hot water doesn't get you any cleaner and more importantly, it strips the natural lubricating oils from your skin. After washing always apply a moisturising lotion while your skin is still damp and gently pat skin dry with a soft towel. I offer a great range of body washes and lotions, or come in for a full body scrub and shower.
5. Trim It
Rapidly sprouting ear and nose hair is no conducive to romance - not unless your date has a thing for OAPs. Mercifully, getting rid of ear and nose hairs is a relatively fast procedure. For excessively long nose hair, use small scissors to trim them so they stay inside your nose - the hair in your nose does actually serve several useful, biological purposes, so don't remove it completely. Ear hair, however, is a different story, so use tweezers to pluck every last strand out. Or come in and I will wax them for you! I can wax, or trim or shave any part of your body. Do not fret, your male waxing and male grooming needs are met here!
6. Slim It
Book in for a body wrap for instant inch loss (around the belly is where most guys gain those love handles). Alternatively, if you're up for it for the long haul, try my weight management programmes, versatile nd adaptable for every guy, whether they are driving around the country, hanlding heavy machinery at the docks, waiting at a restaurant, or training for a marathon.
7. Feel Alive
Build up stamina for your date! Aerobic exercise programmes help you last the distance, stretching will build up your versatility, and strengthening programmes will build up your body. Pump it! I can put together a programme involving all 3 core exercise elements. Love you body and everyone else will too.
8. Invest in Scent
Use aromatherapy to help seduce and add romance, peace and heaven. Use candles, reed diffusers, essential oils and mists to create your triumphant ambience. Come in for some aromatherapy training or purchase essential oils to create a scent for yourself and your room.
9. Give the gift of massage
Learn how to massage each other. This wonderfully bonding way to spend time is pleasurable, interactive, seductive, and healthy! Choose a 2 hour or 6 hour massage training course for the back neck and shoulders, feet or full body massage. Learn with me in a 1-on-1 session here at the suite. Purchase a gift voucher, and away you go.
10. Relax and enjoy. Have a massage yourself. Choose one of my 15 massage treatment specialities such as Hot Stone Massage, Hot Thai Herbal Massage relax the mind and let it all happen to you!
Get out there and be seductive.