Manly Monday!

HAPPY MANLY MONDAY! I am so happy to bring back a fabulous Manly Monday post by one of my fav manly bloggers, Aaron Hartman! So without any further adieu, here is Aaron :

With Valentines day come and past I’ve heard a lot of the same things from girlfriends with significant others of the male variety. “Guys are so hard to buy for.” And compared to girls, of whom, many are happy with the old standards like flowers and jewelry, guys can be difficult to make a gift purchase for. And unless your man is fond of prepackaged meat and non-perishable cheeses, a gift basket delivered to his office are out of the question.

So what is a girl to do. Take advice from your friendly neighborhood Manly Monday writer of course! What I propose to you fashonistas is the Manly Monday Morning Gift Basket, everything your man could need to get ready for the day packed up for him in a nice neat basket. While every man’s basket should be tailored accordingly to their taste I propose you this blueprint...

1) A nice button down and tie combo:

Try to find a color or pattern that your man doesn’t have (just be sure not to stretch him to far out of his comfort zone, not everyone is ready for a pink paisley button down). Choose a color to make his eyes pop. More important than anything though is buy a shirt that fits him correctly. There’s an epidemic out their of baggy billowing button downs, lets put an end to it. John Varvatos has some great patterns, and all of his shirts fit amazingly. As for tie, introduce a knitted one to his rotation, check out Valentine for some great options.

2) An accessory

You can look back at my Accessory Boot Camp post for ideas but I might also suggest getting your man a nice pair of cuff-links. It’s a small detail on a man’s outfit that adds a real nice touch (shop for them at Tiffany’s and have some fun checking out everything else there). Another option is the suspender. I myself am on a personal mission to bring this look back into the mainstream and let me tell you I’ve been getting a lot of support and encouragement. Ben Sherman has some fun suspenders that don’t make you think “is this guy a middle school math teacher?”

3) The undergarments

While a nice new pair of underwear is always appreciated, think lower, all the way down to his feet. There’s nothing like putting on a fresh pair of dress socks. Another great chance to add some color to his wardrobe that he might not add himself. There are also some great undershirts out there made of some truly soft fabrics. Check out Calvin Klein's undershirts and tanks for some quality fabrics.

4) The Travel Item

If your man spends a good part of his morning commuting find something to add a little more style to his subway ride. Perhaps a nice leather travel case for his kindle or iPad? If you have a coffee drinker why not go eco-friendly and get him a nice ceramic travel mug, Crate and Barrel has some classy, clean cut ones to add to the gift basket. 

Well there you have it ladies, a great gift idea for the next time your man deserves something special. Get them all to make one great gift or spread the love out and give your beau a little something nice to brighten up his day. And never forget that a home cooked meal is something that never goes out of style. 

Thanks for the great post, Aaron- Happy Manly Monday, Fashionistas!

Stay Fabulous xoxo

~Miss Glamour Girl 

Manly Monday: Glamorous Gift!

Happy Manly Monday, fashionistas! This week I have the perfect suggestion for an amazing gift for those fabulous men in our lives. Whether this is for your brother, father, husband, boyfriend, friend, or anyone, I promise they will appreciate it!

The Deluxe Fragrance Sampler For Him by Sephora is perfect for that special man in your life! This set features 14 individual samples of various men's bestselling fragrance products. 

The true beauty of this kit, as if all of those wonderful samples weren't enough, is that it includes a voucher that the lucky receiver of this kit can go into Sephora and use on a full-size product- This is perfect because it lets them choose their favorite product out of the 14 samples.

The beautifully presented box opens to reveal a range of 14 of Sephora's bestselling men's products that can be sampled right away. From Gucci to Dolce & Gabbana, even to Jack Black shaving products, this kit has a wide variety so that every man will be sure to find his perfect match. Once he does, all he has to do is take the included voucher to any Sephora store to receive a full-size version. This is the best gift for any guy on your Christmas shopping list- I promise he will appreciate it and love it!


You can purchase this Deluxe Fragrance Sampler For Him Kit at Sephora
Retail Price: $50


Stay Fabulous xoxo
~Miss Glamour Girl

Manly Monday!

Happy Manly Monday, fashionistas! I am so pleased to welcome back Darius Eslami, a seasoned guest blogger on Fab-YOU-lous. So without any further adieu, here is Darius with his take on smelling good...

Hello, ladies, look at your email, now back to this blog post, now back at your email, now back to this blog post. You’re in a room with fabulously scented men. What’s in your hand? It’s a mouse. Now click it. Double click it. Outside your window is a bed of roses being planted by a man that looks Ryan Reynolds. Look again ladies, it’s Manly Monday.

As many of you know, scent is a killer sense – often making or breaking first impressions. Now, I’m not here to talk to you about cologne; I am here to divulge my insights into the great Axe versus Old Spice debate. For purposes of this posting (and aside from the intro paragraph), let’s ignore all marketing efforts from each brand and focus on what matters – the way you smell after application. Also, this isn’t really a debate (by all means – debate in the comments with me!).

My personal opinion is that Old Spice is the way to go. I use the Fresh Scent dry deodorant because it has the perfect mixture of keeping you sweat-free, smelling delightful, and having a touch of mountain man musk. Now, there are clearly different scents you can try – Old Spice is just what I have been using recently. Back in the day, I was an Axe user following mainstream culture. Mentally, I started to feel it was covering up smells instead of block them. If you walk by someone, you might make a comment, “He smells like Axe.” I don’t think that is necessarily a good thing. However, Axe does make more sense if you are dealing with the extremes like biking, shredding asphalt, lifting weights, or wrestling bears. Take that as you will.

I think the ideal situation is to use Old Spice as your main deodorant, but so we don’t neglect Axe – make it your spray. In a quick pinch, bust out your mini-can and mark a typical ‘X’ across your chest to at least make you smell differently than perspiration. In fact, I highly recommend the Axe shower scrub too (Snake Peel is chock of us cactus and opens your pores).

Regardless what you feel, you have plenty of options: High Endurance, Classic, Red Zone – and those are broken down even further. After trying various brands though, I always come back to Old Spice. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s my subconscious desire to be a manly pirate. Pirates need to keep fresh, too.

Thanks for the awesome post, Darius! I hope you all smell fresh and fabulous all day :) 

Stay Fabulous xoxo

~Miss Glamour Giirl

Manly Monday!

Hello, fashionistas, and welcome to yet another fabulous Manly Monday! I am overjoyed to have the amazing duo of BLEUDENIM (lesbluejeans.blogspot.com) Nick and Jordan writing this Manly Monday post. I LOVE having fellow bloggers on here to guest blog! So without any further adieu, here are Nick and Jordan!

Over a 60 year period, Richard Avedon became the most influential as well as recognizable fashion photographer in America. His photos scattered the covers of countless issues of Harpers Bazaar and the visions he created have inspired the way fashion is captured and appreciated today.

Recently we were able to spend a night at the MFA to experience Avedon to the fullest. This is the first time since1978 that his work has been brought into such an extensive as well as comprehensive portrayal. From decade to decade, Avedon’s work is displayed with a sense of elegance and beauty, similar to that of his magnificent photos.

Avedon was at once a fashion photographer and an artist who concerned himself entirely with the beauty of the feminine form. He crafted sculptures from the most glamorous stars of the era and then painted them with light.We admired his work even though the art of photography is not something we actively pursue, as our favored art is style. It was an incredible experience that we would recommend to anyone.


Thanks again to Nick and Jordan for guest blogging. Have a fantastic Manly Monday, fashionistas! 


Stay Fabulous xoxo
~Miss Glamour Giirl

Manly Monday!

Hello fashionistas, both men and women- Welcome to yet another FABULOUS Manly Monday! We have the honor of hearing from one of our favorite guest bloggers today, Aaron Hartman (who previously posted an accessories bootcamp for men that was AMAZING...Click here if you didn't get the chance to read it Fab-YOU-lous: Manly Monday). So without any further adieu, here is Aaron with his advice for all of the men readers....


There as always been a phrase in men’s fashion that has bothered me. “Boxers or Briefs.” It’s so limiting. Not to mention the two options are, in my opinion, the most boring of options. The truth is men have a lot of choices for the cloth downstairs. They run the spectrum of simple and functional, to completely aesthetically based. I like to have my day-to-day run somewhere in the middle.

I look at underwear in particular light. As I towel off from a shower in the morning and open my underwear drawer, I look inside too see a wealth of options. It maybe a random Tuesday, with no prospect of anyone seeing my underwear but me, but damn it, I want to look my best. Most days, I wear underwear just for me; my own little secret outfit choice I wear to give my self-esteem, and internal sex appeal a boost.

 Feel free to use that same mentality, or find your own reason to get away from boxers or briefs (ugh).  Start simple, if you’ve only ever worn boxers since puberty  (cause lets be honest we all know that as kids we only had tighty whities), go ahead and try the hybrid boxer briefs. And do yourself a favor and get a color other then grey, white or black. I think the reason I love underwear so much is because no matter what color I am wearing it always goes with my outfit. I don’t have to think about whether it matches or not. So take that mentality and go out and get a fun color. Express makes some great bright fluorescent colors this season, give them a try.

Once you are comfortable in boxer briefs its time to move on to big boy pants. This next cut is my personal favorite and almost exclusively what I wear. The square cut trunks. Take boxer briefs and cut off the boxer part and you have a pair of trunks. Covering a little more skin then briefs (and providing some much needed breathing room) trunks offer a great balance of sex appeal and functionality. I started my trunks collection at H&M who sells them in variety packs. It’s a great way to get started on having a great underwear collection. I was worried that H&M underwear would wear down fast but they have lasted me a couple of years and still going strong.

Alright now for the advance lesson. I am going to contradict myself now and say that it is in fact okay to wear briefs after the age of 10 with one important rule. Don’t buy Hanes. I don’t care what Michael Jordan says; you need to go with better quality underwear if you are going to pull of this look. Freshpair.com has a great selection for shopping online. C-IN2 is a good go-to brand in particular but there are a lot out there. The important part with briefs (and why I say to avoid Hanes) is the fit. Go out and get a designer pair of briefs that fits, trust me no one will be calling them tighty whities any more. Once you’ve mastered these looks then you can go crazy- Nothing will be too ridiculous for you.

Thanks for reading, fashionistas! And once again, thanks to Aaron for guest blogging!

Stay Fabulous xoxo

~Miss Glamour Giirl & Aaron Hartman  

Manly Monday

Happy Monday, fashionistas- You know what that means, it is time for another amazing Manly Monday post! This week we have a dear friend of mine, Mike Gurevich, here to guest blog for us. So without any further adieu, here is Mike.

To start of my first blog for my dear, dear friend Annie, I will introduce myself. My name is Mike Gurevich and I am well known for being the best person ever to Annie at all times. Today I am going to open your eyes to the amazingness that is Logitech Z2300 Speakers. A good set of speakers is what a man really needs to impress the ladies. Now, it is also imperative that you do NOT over compensate with those gigantic set of speakers “big shots” usually get to make their other shortcomings less noticeable. The 2.1 set of Logitech Z2300 is the perfect way to establish credibility as a music connoisseur without going over the top. This is what they look like.

Their sleek design and fairly small size makes them a perfect fit for any setting, especially a dorm room. Living in a fraternity house, I can tell you that these have carried me through many parties and impressed a great deal of ladies.

Logitech has gone above and beyond with this product. My good friend DJ Arnet has made a great deal of money dj’ing with these speakers. Now of course he does not use them now but when he was starting out Logitech Z2300 was his go-to equipment.

Great for movies as well, just finished watching Saving Private Ryan (the ultimate guy’s movie) with these speakers and I felt as though I was at the movies. The sound was crisp and overall, well..... mind-blowing. I’ll just leave you with this, I have had these speakers up so loud I couldn’t hear myself think, but I have never had them turned all the way up, I’m too scared.

Thanks for reading this week's Manly Monday, and thanks again to Mike for posting about these awesome speakers!

Stay Fabulous xoxo
~Miss Glamour Giirl & Mike Gurevich

Manly Monday

Hello, fashionistas- both male and female! Welcome to yet another fabulous Manly Monday! I have the amazing pleasure and honor of introducing our amazing guest blogger for the week: Aaron Hartman. He is here to give all of you guys an Accessories Boot Camp- So without further adieu, here is Aaron with his take on accessories!

Alright men. Line up. Does a soldier go into battle wearing only his camo pants and jacket? No, a soldier’s outfit isn’t complete without a gun and an arsenal of other tools at his disposal. Similarly, no fashion conscious man should strut down the street in an ‘outfit’ consisting of just jeans and a tee-shirt. Fellow Manly Monday contributor Justin Komins covered how to build a sleek look without the graphic tee earlier this summer; now it’s now time to add to that using the fashion worlds answer to the gun and tool belt. Welcome to Accessories Boot Camp!

Lets start with possibly the most important accessory in a man’s arsenal. An item no outfit should be without: the belt. Functionally speaking an extension cord or giant rubber band would do the trick, but try to go for a belt that adds that little something extra (something you should strive for with all your accessories). As a general rule of thumb, belt color should match shoe color. Wearing brown loafers...find a brown belt. The fashion world makes it easy on you, plenty of nice leather belts come with a reversible buckle so you can have a standard black and brown belt all one. Try this Hugo Boss reversible brown/black belt with silver buckle, great for the business casual office or making those jeans a little more formal on date night.

When going casual, don’t be afraid to stray from the rules- look for fun patterns, designs, and material other then leather to mix up your wardrobe. A nice solid color D-ring belt makes wearing shorts acceptable for a man out of high school and not employed by the US Postal Service.

With autumn around the corner, be prepared to hit society’s icy battlefield ready to fight the cold. Scarves are my favorite accessory and is a vital piece when those leaves start to change. Care-packages from home are nice on the war front but leave grandma’s hand-knitted scarves for family holiday parties. If your closet looks like that of a spy’s, filled with dark solid tones good for sneaking, use a scarf to add a splash of color. Remember to keep material and pattern in mind. If you are already wearing a cable knit sweater, then avoid a heavy thickly woven scarf. On the same note, if you’re brave enough to wear a bold patterned shirt, make sure to pair it with a solid color or toned down scarf. You can never go wrong with a classic, so start your collection out with the always-in-fashion Burberry scarf and I promise you’ll be looking to expand your selection in no time.

If aesthetic appeal isn’t enough for you, remember this- Scarves are great for those transitional fall days where there is a crisp breeze but a full sweater is just a bit too warm.
Lastly, I wouldn't be much of a drill sergeant if i didn’t teach how to use your equipment properly. Above is a helpful YouTube video on a few different ways to tie a scarf.

A soldier may still use a back pack, but if you’ve gone from schlepping algebra books to stock portfolios its time for a new bag. While a Louis Vuitton briefcase is never going to steer you wrong, feel free to keep it a bit younger and look for an over the shoulder messenger bag. If you want to avoid man purse jokes, look for a bag that is large enough to carry a laptop. In this case size matters, the larger the bag, the less jokes about murses you’ll hear, I promise. Steal from Her Royal Army and check out Storm London’s collection of bags. Their Abbey line of men’s flap bags are a great, simple leather bag perfect for carrying your notes from lecture or the laptop you need for that big presentation.

If you’ve had enough leather check out Andrew Christian’s Vintage Paratrooper Canvas Bag, probably not suited for deployment in the office but a great bag for carrying everything you need on a jaunt around town.
Alright men that’s it for Accessories Boot Camp. This is enough to help you survive on the battlefield, but any veteran will tell you this was just the beginning. Stay tune for more Manly Mondays to find out how to become a decorated soldier in the men’s fashion world.

Thanks for reading everyone, hope you enjoyed this week's Manly Monday- Thanks again to Aaron for contributing this week!

Stay Fabulous xoxo

~Miss Glamour Giirl & Aaron Hartman

Manly Monday

Hello, fashionistas! Yes, it is that time of week again- It's MANLY MONDAY! I am so excited to introduce you all to the fabulous Mr. Justin Komins, who will be guest blogging for us this week, and I KNOW you all will adore his words of wisdom! Without any further adieu, here with this week's Manly Monday post is Justin Komins...

With the television and radio being so saturated with fist-pumping morons, egotistic bro's, and other social miscreants, it is hard to find people in good taste now-a-days. People look to what they see on TV to wear, and there is nothing wrong with it. For girls, its rather simple; Watch the Kardashians and you'll know how to dress somewhat presentable. For us men, its a totally different story.

The fashion forward male, (NO NOT A "METROSEXUAL"), has many places to look for today's fashion. You can look at the gold standard GQ magazine has set for men's fashion, or you could go the route of a Hypebeast (Hypebeast.com follower/a person who buys into the hype for ANY fashion release) which is geared towards the youthful streetwear enthusiast, or maybe you can go your own way. For those who do the latter, they still need that influence, that spark of creation that you can gear your wardrobe after.

Sadly, this spark seems to be coming from MTV, and no, it is not Teen Mom. JERSEY SHORE has tainted the world of men's fashion. You watch the show, you know the characters, and you know the fist-pumping. Have you noticed the attire? From Ronnie's walking billboard outfits for Emporio Armani aka Eurotrash's Finest, to Pauly D and Situation's "HEY LOOK IM ITALIAN!" graphic T's and bedazzled jeans, to Vinny's somewhat respectable button ups, Jersey Shore is spoiling the fashion sense of today's American male. Before we delve into the nitty gritty of the Jersey Shore fashion taking of America dilemma, let me just clear the air. A TEE SHIRT AND JEANS IS NOT FASHION. IT IS A SIMPLE OUTFIT.

Some may think of Jersey Shore and immediately relate Ed Hardy, orange tans, and True Religion jeans with gigantic horseshoes on the pockets. Their "club attire" and the rituals they follow on every club night are the epitome of ridiculous. Now, you may think "they only dress like that because they are celebrities. they can get away with anything". WRONG. Take a celebrity that dresses very well, say, KanYe West. Just because he is a rapper means that he can skate with his leather pants. Fashion does not discriminate. If you follow the bedazzled graphic tee shirt and gaudy bootcut jeans with some rips in them, be prepared to be hit on by typical Jersey trash or to be laughed out of the club.

More and more often, and maybe it is just Boston's new thing, but if you are under the age of 30 and go out on the scene, you are most likely wearing Tapout, Christian Audigier, Affliction, or some other Metropark branded gaudy tee with some form of denim that hasn't really been classified by science yet. Not that there is anything wrong with those brands, but the purpose of the club is to actually interact with other people (normally women) and try to make friends. No girl wants to get with a tool who looks like a Jersey Shore extra.

Instead of dressing like a UFC fighter or the Situation, why not look into a more classy direction. H&M, Express, and Gap all carry exceptional menswear, ranging from the scene/hipster style to business casual to clubwear. H&M, the least expensive of the trio, has phenomenal basic button up shirts in an assortment of colors. Gap, with prices in the mid-range area, carries great denim. When I say great, I mean it. Their denim jeans are selvedge, which is truly the best structure for seams of jeans. They are around $90 and come with little to no branding on them. Can't beat a pair of jeans that are under $100 and give you the same style index as a pair of True's or 7's that cost 3x the price.

Express is a little more expensive than the other two, but definitely worth it if you find the right things. Their MK2 shirts, which are a military styled button up, cannot be beat. I own atleast 4 of them, and get compliments every time I wear them. Equipped with straps on the shoulders, collar stays, and chest pockets, these shirts give you a professional and clean cut look with the "hey, I'm here to party" swagger as well. The MK2's are about $65+ and come in a wide variety of colors. The only downside to Express is that there can be an awful lot of trashy and gaudy graphic tee's and denim. Find your way past the nonsense and you are golden. Look at it this way, if you don't think these clothes are fit for the club after you buy them, they are always great for that job interview, date night, or entertaining at your own place.

Let's go over some final things. This is WRONG.

Do not do that. (above)

This is clean, cool, and classy. (above)

Dress like JT = WIN.

All in all, men's fashion isn't a hard thing to master. Fashion differentiates from person to person, and that's where perspective and good taste come into play. All I will say about that is this, if your shirt or pants have more bedazzles, sparkles, silver or gold screen printing, or logos than a fishing lure, it is probably not a good look. You will get noticed if you wear Jersey Shore attire, do not kid yourself. But if you want to be noticed in a positive light, try dressing to impress, not by being an attention whoring, fist pumping sleezball drinking jeigerbombs at the club.

Thanks so much for reading this week's Manly Monday post! We hope you enjoyed it :) Special thanks to Justin for guest blogging this week- Let us know what you think in a comment on this post

Stay Fabulous xoxo

~Miss Glamour Giirl & Justin Komins

Manly Monday

It is Monday, fashionistas, and you know what that means... it's time for another Manly Monday! This week we have Tony Lopez here with us as a guest blogger! So without further adieu, here is Tony :) Thanks everyone!

Look at that. Do you feel inspired? That is a blueprint from the archives of Man Legend Tim Leatherman. A man's purse is his multitool, and my multitool is my Leatherman.

The attractive piece of metal you see above is the Leatherman Wave, my permanent accessory. You make a statement when you wear one of these on your belt. People look up to you. They look to you to open things. And while you will excel at opening things, applications are endless. With this unassuming piece of steel I have replaced my cell phone's capacitive touch screen, fixed a leak in my motorcycle's carburetor, trimmed down the leg of a table, and repaired my girlfriends tangled necklace (I also used dental floss for that one).

For me, and for many men, utility as well as fashion plays a role into what is worn and what is carried. It has happened to me more than once that a group of men gathers and notices the others' Leathermans (Leathermen?), nodding knowingly. And there are many different models, each with timeless advantages and nuances that mirror the individuality of he who chose it. The Leatherman is much more than an accessory, and more than a fashion statement. It is a symbol of ingenuity: a token which through its resource and reliability becomes a friend.

Man picked up stone and shaved it into a knife before he donned his first scrap of clothing. The power of a tool is so deeply rooted in a man's psyche that they continue to be revolutionized today. The outrageous practicality of a multitool often masks its secondary function as a statement of worth. What is the point of fashion, but to enjoy one's own expression? A multitool like a Leatherman is just such an expression, and it will be for millennia to come.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Stay Fabulous xoxo
~Miss Glamour Giirl & Tony Lopez

Manly Monday

Hello, fashionistas, and welcome to yet another 'Manly Monday'! I am so excited that this Monday tradition has been keeping up, and I have quite a few new and exciting guest bloggers lined up for the coming weeks. I am thrilled to have the amazing Darius Eslami back with us this week giving us his ideas about a very fun and manly accessory piece- So without further adieu, here is the fabulous Darius!!

Cowboys got it right- Dusty leather boots, just enough scruff, and bandanas. Bandanas are BIG. For me, it started as a costume piece, but with my hair getting longer, it became necessary to hold it back – thus, the bandana came into the picture. Not only does it keep my hair from flying into my eyes, it pulls together my look and makes me look fly as well. Feel free to refute this.

When piecing together a bohemian style, the bandana adds a flair of retro for a guy while exuding a pinch of rugged edge. For all those Bear Grylls types – you can fold the bandana once and have it triangle style cover your hair; this is what I call the traditional look.

If you want a more subtle, 70s rock’n’roll look, fold it multiple times, then rock it like a headband. Or for a combo effect, fold your bandana, but leave it wide. Then, once it is around your head, swish it to one side and you have a really sick pirate look.

Between running, Jiu Jitsu, and yoga, I work up quite a sweat. Get over it. It’s manly. Whenever possible – wearing a headband is a great way to combine functionality with fashion. If I’m going out to a bar or club, I’ll put one on for two reasons: 1) to reduce the sense of heat in a crowded social area, and 2) for the compliments.

The fun part is that is primarily seen as a costume accessory, so the prints and styles could be viewed as hipster or ironic, depending on the situation. You have your traditional Western prints (blacks and reds), camouflage (desert and greens), and many more styles in between. A bandana is an inexpensive article that doesn’t hurt to have in your closet- Whether you’re backpacking up a mountain, opening your pores with Pilates, or grooving with aviators on, a bandana is not a bad way to go.

Worse comes to worse, your dog will look really cute wearing one, too.

Thanks for reading, everyone!! We hope you have an extra 'manly' Monday!

Stay Fabulous xoxo
~Miss Glamour Giirl & Darius Eslami