Man In The Mirror

My guest this week is Alex Oprey, who is the Marketing and E-Commerce Director at British fragrance brand Miller Harris. Alex lifts the lid on the creative process once the actual perfume is made. We speak about the task of bringing the product to life and inspiring customers to find out more - and then ultimately purchase! It’s quite a challenge, if the work is too enigmatic and vague it risks saying nothing, if it’s too specific there’s a danger it won’t ’speak’ to a broad enough audience. Alex has been responsible for some of my favourite creative work over the last few years, campaigns like Hydra Figue, shot with an almost ‘reportage’ photo-journalistic style, showing the sedate beauty of Hydra via tantalising moments of real life. It just happens to look like a stunning place and fulfils the job of making me want to find out more. Link below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLeXyMZHOHUHuge thanks to Alex for a fascinating and insightful glimpse behind the curtain of a modern fragrance brand. Alex mentioned the following products from his routine:Baz & Co - Exfoliating Cleanser https://bazandcoskincare.com/products/brightening-2-in-1-exfoliator-cleanserMiller Harris - Body Washhttps://www.millerharris.com/collections/body-washAesop - Eye Creamhttps://www.aesop.com/uk/p/skin/mature-skin-concern/parsley-seed-anti-oxidant-eye-cream/Aesop - Antioxidant Face Treatmenthttps://www.aesop.com/uk/p/skin/parsley-seed-range/parsley-seed-anti-oxidant-facial-treatment/Moosehead - Grubby Puttyhttps://www.krystaldirect.co.uk/MooseHead-Grubby-Putty-100g-p/moom03.htmAmouage - Boundlesshttps://www.harrods.com/en-gb/shopping/amouage-boundless-eau-de-parfum-100ml-18963693Kilian - Fievre Vertehttps://www.bykilian.co.uk/product/19797/124136/perfume/fievre-verte-by-kilian/the-liquors#/sku/181487You can find the Miller Harris range on their website here. Look out for some exciting new products in May:https://www.millerharris.com/You can find Miller Harris on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/millerharris/You can ‘tip’ me via the link below. This really helps me with the podcast running costs: https://ko-fi.com/maninthemirrorYou can follow me on IG:https://www.instagram.com/maninthemirrorpod/

My guest this week on ‘Man in the Mirror’ is Carlos Huber, who is the fragrance developer and founder of fragrance brand Arquiste. I met Carlos earlier this year when he hosted an event with Fiole and I knew I needed to get him on the podcast to find out more about the brand - and the man himself!Arquiste is the result of the inquisitive and thoughtful approach that Carlos takes to fragrance. It is definitely infused with his fascination and knowledge of history, architecture and historic preservation, but not in an overly academic or stuffy way. You may have seen (or even smelled) perfumes such as Architects Club, Sydney Rock Pool or Anima Dulcis, all of which are beautifully composed and possess a real sense of place and time. However, these are not recreations of bygone perfumes or museum pieces - they are energetic, modern and vibrant takes on what fragrance can be in 2024. There are some incredible new launches coming this year and Carlos tells me more about them in the podcast.Carlos mentioned the following products he uses in his morning/evening routines:Mary Allan - Beauty Waterhttps://maryallan.com/collections/mists-essences/products/infused-beautywaterMary Allan - Vit C Cold Pressed Oilhttps://maryallan.com/collections/face-treatment-oils/products/vitamin-c-cold-pressed-oilBeekman - Moisturizerhttps://beekman1802.com/collections/moisturizers/products/bloom-cream-moisturizerArt of Shaving - Sandalwood Creamhttps://www.theartofshaving.com/products/creams-soaps/sandalwood-shaving-cream-5-oz/Harry - Razorhttps://www.harrys.com/en/gb/productsChanel - Platinum Egositehttps://www.chanel.com/gb/fragrance/men/c/7x1x2x33/platinum-egoiste/You can find Arquiste on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/arquiste/You can find the Arquiste range on their website here:https://arquiste.com/Arquiste are also available online here in the UK via Fiole:https://fiole.co.uk/collections/arquisteAlso via Liberty and Bloom Perfumery.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -You can ‘tip’ me via the link below. This really helps me with the podcast running costs (it’s a costly business!): https://ko-fi.com/maninthemirrorYou can also follow me @maninthemirrorpod on IG:https://www.instagram.com/maninthemirrorpod/——————————————————————————————————Special thanks to: Anders Sundberg for sound mixing and production, Andy Goff @goff_andy for the artwork and Andy Gilbert (ATRX) @andygilbert_atrx for the theme music.

My guest this week on ‘Man in the Mirror’ is Tajinder Hayer (Taj), the founder and editor of print & digital luxury mens fashion magazine, ‘The Rakish Gent’. I’ve always loved reading the magazine. Taj has a clear sense of his audience and he super-serves them with beautifully shot fashion, grooming and lifestyle content. Taj has South-Asian heritage and it’s important to him that the brand showcases diverse faces and stories - and that it is representative of contemporary Britain. So for example, in the latest issue of Rakish Paper (issue 6 out now!) you’ll find comedian Mo Gilligan on the cover, a punjabi music star, Raf-Saperra and a refugee from Afghanistan, Karanjee Singh Gaba, who is now a male model working with brands such as Louis Vuitton. I should also declare that my feature on French couturier and fragrance brand owner Marc-Antoine Barrois is in this latest issue! So I may be slightly biased, but there’s lots of great features - and coverage of fascinating people you may not hear about or see in other publications. Taj & I talk about The Rakish Gent brand, fashion, style, grooming and the challenges around being an independent magazine publisher in 2024. He mentioned the following products he uses in his morning/evening routines:Kiehls - Clearly Corrective Cleanserhttps://www.kiehls.co.uk/skin-care/category/cleansers-scrubs/clearly-correctivetm-brightening-exfoliating-daily-cleanser/WW0050KIE.htmlFace Gym - Multi Sculpt https://facegym.com/products/multi-sculptAesop - Facial Oilhttps://www.spacenk.com/uk/skincare/treatment/face-oils/fabulous-face-oil-UK300055864.htmlOliviere Wilson - LED Maskhttps://olivierewilson.com/products/led-glow-mask#Zaza Barbershttps://www.instagram.com/zazabarbers/?hl=en-gbRoads - Harmattanhttps://roads.co/product/harmattan/Side Story - Third Datehttps://www.libertylondon.com/uk/third-date-eau-de-parfum-100ml-000800483.htmlYou can find The Rakish Gent on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/the_rakish_gent/You can buy print copies and check out the website here:https://www.therakishgent.co.uk/paper-6- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -You can ‘tip’ me via the link below. This really helps me with the podcast running costs (it’s a costly business!): https://ko-fi.com/maninthemirrorI'm on IG here @maninthemirrorpod :https://www.instagram.com/maninthemirrorpod/

Thanks for joining me for episode 4 in season 6 of ‘Man in the Mirror.’ My guest this week is Vesa Kalho, the Head of Beauty Buying for UK department store group, Fenwick. Vesa is originally from Finland, but moved to the UK over 20 years ago and had a long career at Harrods, working his way up through various retail & buying roles before his current position at Fenwick.Buying is an area of the industry I don’t know much about and always seems quite mysterious! Who better to lift the lid on how it all works, than one of the most well regarded beauty buyers in the UK. Huge thanks to Vesa for joining me and sharing his passion and knowledge. Vesa mentioned the following products he uses in his morning/evening routines:Dior - On/Off Cleanserhttps://www.fenwick.co.uk/beauty/skincare/cleansers-and-toners/make-up-removers/la-mousse-off%2Fon-foaming-cleanser/2530021691539.htmlBIOEFFECT - EGF Serumhttps://www.fenwick.co.uk/beauty/skincare/serums-and-oils/serums/egf-serum/2500004922240.htmlDaimon Barber - Texture Tonic, Shampoo, Conditionerhttps://www.daimonbarber.com/products/texture-tonicEscentric Molecule - 01 + Irishttps://www.fenwick.co.uk/beauty/fragrance/mens-fragrances/molecule-01-iris-100ml/2530020526092.htmlAtelier Cologne - Silver Irishttps://www.ateliercologne.com/us_en/silver-iris-100-mlGlossier - Youhttps://uk.glossier.com/products/glossier-you?variant=41719194681391Bleu de Chanel - (EDP)https://www.fenwick.co.uk/beauty/fragrance/mens-fragrances/bleu-de-chanel-eau-de-parfum-spray-50ml/2500001364579.htmlYou can find Vesa on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/vesakalho/Fenwick are on Instagram here:https://www.instagram.com/fenwickofficial/You can find their website herehttps://www.fenwick.co.uk/- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -You can ‘tip’ me via the link below. This really helps me with the podcast running costs (it’s a costly business!): https://ko-fi.com/maninthemirrorYou can follow me @maninthemirrorpod on IG:https://www.instagram.com/maninthemirrorpod/

Thanks for joining me for this third episode in season 6 of 'Man In The Mirror.' My guest this week is Nick Gilbert. Nick, along with his colleague Pia Long, is the co-founder of Boujee Bougies, a UK based fine fragrance and candle brand and the pair also run Olfiction - a fragrance consultancy. During the podcast we discussed Nick’s background in perfume retail with Boots, Les Senteurs and Penhaligons and then his move into forming his own company with Pia. Last year their own brand Boujee Bougies launched their first range of fine fragrances after a successful debut in the home fragrance category. Boujee Bougies seems to encapsulate all of Nick’s past experience into one forward looking brand with a story to tell and definite point of view. I absolutely love their fragrance ‘Gilded’, which Nick described as “Light, space, serenity, incense resin dipped in gold.” The whole range is worth checking out via their website, with new physical retail partners coming on board soon. It was a pleasure to spend time in Nick’s company and (as you can tell) he’s extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the job he does.Nick mentioned the following products he uses in his morning/evening routines:The Body Shop - Pink Grapefruit Shower Gelhttps://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/body/shower-gels/pink-grapefruit-shower-gel/p/p083057CeraVe - Hydrating Oil Cleanserhttps://www.cerave.co.uk/skincare/moisturisers/hydrating-foaming-oil-cleanserLa Roche Posay - Hyrda Phase Moisturiserhttps://www.laroche-posay.co.uk/en_GB/hydraphase-uv-spf-25-light-daily-protective-hyaluronic-acid-moisturiser/LRP_172.htmlHada Labo - Eye Creamhttps://www.superdrug.com/skin/face-skin-care/anti-ageing-face-cream/hada-labo-tokyo-smoothing-anti-fatigue-eye-cream-15ml/p/798292Biore - Aqua Rich SPFhttps://www.superdrug.com/skin/sun-care/face-sun-cream/biore-uv-aqua-water-essence-sunscreen-spf30-50ml/p/830899Evening routine - Hyaluronic Acid Toner & Retinol SerumBoujee Bougies - Gildedhttps://boujeebougies.com/products/gildedYou can find Boujee Bougies on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/boujeebougiesYou can find their website herehttps://boujeebougies.com/- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -You can ‘tip’ me via the link below. This really helps me with the podcast running costs (it’s a costly business!): https://ko-fi.com/maninthemirrorYou can follow me @maninthemirrorpod on IG:https://www.instagram.com/maninthemirrorpod/

Welcome back to episode 2 in the new season. It was my huge pleasure to chat to men’s stylist & image consultant Phill Tarling recently. Phill styles celebrities such as Ben Shephard, but he also offers image consultancy, styling and wardrobe edits to anyone who wants to be empowered by the clothes they wear. We all know how feeling good about our exterior appearance can engender a sense of confidence within. This applies to men of any age - and as we discuss on the podcast, men in their 40s and beyond don’t have to ‘give up’ and think that good style is something that has passed them by. Phill is (proudly) in his early 50s and looks super-sharp!Phill was a fun, inspirational interviewee and such good company. He has delightfully strong views on the products and treatments he likes - and also on the coffee he drinks. I have first-hand experience of his machine at home and it’s a beast that makes a damn fine cup of coffee!He mentioned the following products he uses in his morning/evening routines:Clarins For Men - Active Face Washhttps://www.clarins.co.uk/clarinsmen-active-face-wash/80085184.htmlRose Water Toner Sprayhttps://www.boots.com/mario-badescu-facial-spray-with-aloe-herb--rose-water-118ml-1032118547 Skin - Repair Moisturiserhttps://47skin.com/products/anti-blemish-scar-repair-moisturiser47 Skin - Repair Serumhttps://47skin.com/products/anti-blemish-scar-repair-serumPhilips - One Bladehttps://www.philips.co.uk/c-p/QP2734_20/oneblade-faceWahl - Wet/Dry Trimmerhttps://www.wahl.co.uk/product/aqua-blade-wet-dry-stubble-beard-trimmer/Penhaligons - Halfetihttps://www.penhaligons.com/uk/en/product/halfeti-000000000065188931Penhaligons - Halfeti Leather https://www.penhaligons.com/uk/en/categories/fragrances/gents/halfeti-leather-000000000065188927You can find Phill on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/philltarling/You can find his website herehttps://philltarling.com/- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -You can ‘tip’ me via the link below. This really helps me with the podcast running costs (it’s a costly business!):https://ko-fi.com/maninthemirrorYou can follow me @maninthemirrorpod on IG:https://www.instagram.com/maninthemirrorpod/