Sorbet launches male grooming bar

Well, I for one am super excited about this – even though I’m really not the target market. Sorbet is one of my favourite salon chains.

I often pop in for a quick mani (especially when it comes to my birthday month – thank you, Sorbet loyalty programme) or even to stock up on my favourite skin care brands. When they launched their own range through Clicks, it quickly became a go-to treat for myself or even just a little “thinking of you” spoil for friends. If I’m heading to a pamper party or birthday, there’s no greater treat than a voucher for a massage or one of the other treatments Sorbet has to offer.

When they opened the first dry bar in South Africa, I was first in line to “get my hair did” and I still think it’s one of the best service offerings of any brand. It’s perfect for a quick style before an event or a nice way to spend the morning with your friends.

But Sorbet Man? Like my sister said when I first heard about this – Sorbet are nailing it. Pun intended. I have loads of guy friends and from the conversations I’ve had with them, most of them are interested in male grooming but haven’t the foggiest idea about how to get started. If a girl asks me about skin care, I send her to Sorbet for the Dermalogica face mapping. But guys are a little more hesitant to go into such a “girly space” and the idea of entering the sacred space of a spa or salon requires a little more convincing.

Sorbet Man is going to be offering all the typical male grooming treatments: “manlys” and pedis, waxing, facials and even hair cuts and colours. It’s basically a one-stop shop for guys to get in, get groomed, get out. I love the idea that they’ll be offering men’s shaves as well, which I think is a dying art. Going to the barber for a shave is one of those little luxuries I think guys don’t get enough of. There’s a lot of talk about how women run around and never take time out for themselves, but when it comes to grooming, I think men have the same problem. Guys will also have the chance to enjoy an espresso or whiskey while they’re sitting at Sorbet Man getting their grooming on.

The first store opens in Sandton this month, although I’m pretty sure the concept will be so popular that national branches will have to pop up everywhere. I’m dragging the boyfriend for a visit the first chance I get so I’ll let you know what the response was from him. If you’ve nipped past Sorbet Man or try out one of the treatments, please let me know. I’d love to get some guy feedback on the place.

For more info, email info@sorbet.co.za or visit www.sorbet.co.za

Friday! It’s finally here!

So this has been me all week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And today, for the first time in forever, it’s finally here 😀

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I suggest you…

 

And make like a Snoopy and dance. I know that’s what I’ll be doing!

Meridian Spa competition winners!

And the winner for the half spa day is:

*drum roll…

Michelle Robinson

Winner number two for the product hamper is:

*drum roll…

Kate Ferreira

Ladies, I’ll be in touch shortly to organise your prizes. Congrats and thanks for entering!

Xx

Winners were chosen at random using www.random.org

Viktor & Rolf’s new fragrance – Bonbon

Every time I actually manage to get to a product launch, people are surprised to see me. Since starting full time work again and in between keeping up with my freelancing (and trying to maintain some semblance of a social life), I’ve been a little absent on the beauty radar. Which is why when I actually find the time to get to a product launch or, heaven forbid, someone organises a launch AFTER work hours, I’m ecstatic and extremely grateful. So when I got the invite to attend the local launch of Viktor & Rolf’s Bonbon, I was there in a second!

I’ve been a fan of Viktor & Rolf fragrances for a few years now. I adored and still use Flowerbomb when I need a nice, pretty day scent and the award-winning Spicebomb is still in my top 3 male fragrances. It’s also my number one fragrance for packaging, FYI 😉 Bonbon is the third launch for the designers who seem to just “get” me. Their ethos and design aesthetic is just so me that I find it difficult to fault them on anything. And Bonbon is no different.

Originally from the Netherlands (which is why they hold another soft spot in my heart), the pair are relatively new on the fashion scene. They’ve only been around since the early Ninties so it’s not surprising that they are still kind of unknown in SA. While I haven’t had much experience with the fashion side of the brand, their success in fragrance leads to me think I’d probably want to sell my soul for just one of their creations.

The new fragrance is inspired by and celebrates the pure pursuit of pleasures. It’s delicious and indulgent, luxurious yet simple. With top notes of mandarin, orange and peach, it has the the subtlest citrusy scent that you would hardly recognise as citrus when paired with the other notes. The heart notes are caramel and jasmine: two of my favourite scents. Most people pick up the caramel note first but struggle to identify exactly what it is. I love wearing Bonbon around friends because I always get compliments that I “smell good enough to eat”. I know many people aren’t a huge fan of gourmand fragrances (sweet, candy-scented with notes of edible origin – chocolate, vanilla, coffee bean etc) because they can be overwhelming and this is where you really get to experience why Viktor & Rolf are so good at what they do.

This fragrance is one of the most perfectly balanced perfumes I’ve come across. As much as I love being able to identify different fragrance notes, it’s a sign of an expert perfumer when someone smells something and tells you they like it but can’t quite identify why. It means the notes are in harmony with each other so you don’t end up with one sticking out more than the others. It gives you a well-rounded perfume that makes the perfect signature scent. I enjoy trying different fragrances (and quite frankly will wear anything with jasmine notes in it), but this is ultimately my new favourite – plus The Boyfriend loves it 😀

Something else that’s notable about Bonbon is the packaging. For girly girls, it’s a clear winner. With the dark pink bottle bow-shaped bottle, it’s expressly feminine. But I also love the detailing that’s gone into it and the thought behind it. Bonbon, like most confectionaries, is about a gift. A gift to yourself or to others. So that’s where the bow-motif comes in. The ad campaign is literally a woman wrapped in a bow – by the way, that’s body art you’re looking at. It wasn’t digitally added or photoshopped in.

Viktor & Rolf is available at Red Square and selected stores nationwide.

 

Movie review: The Guardians of the Galaxy

I’m a huge fan of the Marvel movies. When I heard Joss Whedon was on board for The Avengers, I pretty much died of excitement – and I have yet to be disappointed by a single one.

The latest instalment is the new Guardians of the Galaxy and if you haven’t been yet, do yourself a favour and make a movie date asap! It’s directed by James Gunn who I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of and had to IMDB his bio where I discovered he’s relatively new to the directing scene although he has a more extensive history as a writer and was involved in the screenplay for Dawn of the Dead and that Scooby-Doo movie with SMG and Freddie Prinze Jr. Random, I know. Luckily, I believe we’re going to be seeing a lot more of him and he’s already signed on for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – whoot!

But back to the movie. It’s your typical Marvel movie – fabulous costumes, brilliant special effects, a fast-paced and witty dialog and a star-studded cast. If you self-identify as a geek or nerd in any way, you’ll love this. If you’re not, you’ll love it too. We’ve got Chris Pratt as Peter Quill (aka Star Lord), who’s been around since Everwood days and finally gets a role in which we actually get to see what he’s made of – awesome, he’s made of awesome. He’s like a younger Nathan Fillion which is the highest praise I can give. Then there’s the beautiful Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket and Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot. And then it gets even better! Whovians have been waiting MONTHS for Karen Gillan’s performance as Nebula (you almost forget it’s our beloved fiery but funny Amy) and Lee Pace as Ronan makes me want to forgive him for Twilight. Read through the cast list and we’ve got supporting roles from Actors of Note Glen Close, John C Reilly and Benecio del Toro. There are even appearances by Brendan Fehr (remember Roswell?), the voice of Nathan Fillion (*swoon*) and Alexis Denisof! James Gunn pulls a Stan Lee (who also does his typical drive-by appearance) and plays a Maskless Sakaaran. So, really, when I said star-studded, I wasn’t being cliched. 

For that reason alone you should go see it. But then there are the costumes and make-up, a soundtrack I wish was the soundtrack to my life and the brilliant one liners and writing quips thrown in for good measure. It’s a pop culture reference frenzy and eagle-eyed Marvel fans will love the way it brings in and ties up previous Marvel easter egg endings. I’m heading off to see it again as soon as I can and this is one I will actually add to the DVD collection (old fashioned, I know, but I’m a hoarder like that).

Fun facts

• Finding the perfect cassette player to use in the film was a challenge. Despite searching all over the Internet for four months, prop master Barry Gibbs’ team was able to find only 16 cassette players in various states of repair that were suitable to use in the film.
• James Gunn had composer Tyler Bates complete some of the tracks before filming began and played them to add to the congenial atmosphere on set, as well as to set the tone for the scenes. Along with tracks from the film’s original score, Gunn also had the sound department pump out the ’70s tunes that Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt, plays on his old cassette player.
• The design of the Milano, Peter Quill’s spaceship, was named The Milano after Alyssa Milano, Peter Quill’s childhood crush, James Gunn confirmed via Twitter. Constructed as a double-level composite set, with an upper flight deck and lower living quarters, it was a 14-week build. Charles Wood and his team followed James Gunn’s instructions that Quill’s environment be reminiscent of Earth and have a tangible quality – mechanical with chrome and leather and a muscle-car look.
• David White, special effects make-up designer, was charged with making 3D life-sized versions of Rocket and a bust of Groot, which were used on set not only to give the filmmakers references for visual effects and lighting, but also to see how the characters could actually function.
• Karen Gillan had her long hair cut off and head shaved for the role of Nebula and Benicio Del Toro allowed his dark hair and eyebrows to be bleached white for his role as The Collector.
• Vin Diesel recorded all of his “I am Groot” lines in several different languages, including Russian, Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, and French so that they could use his real voice in the film around the world. He said he has recorded the line in English over 1 000 times.
• Three of the creatures seen in the cages of the Collector’s base are a Dark Elf from Thor: The Dark World, a Chitauri from “The Avengers”, and a slug creature from James Gunn’s previous movie he had directed, “Slither.”
• James Gunn compared the Avengers and the Guardians to music bands: “The Avengers are like the Beatles, but the Guardians are like the Rolling Stones!”