I started my own “Art of Shave” series with Part 1 a few weeks ago.  This Part of the series will now go into the good ol’ long lost tradition of “The Wet Shave”.  In Part 1, I talked about an amazing article I had read which talked about the Wet Shave but I had lost the link to.  In short, the author went into great detail about how we are a society that has grown accustomed to wanting things now now now and quick quick quick.  You can see this in other areas of our lives such as fast food, diets etc.  This mentality was what boosted the popularity of the disposable razor and the tradition of the Wet Shave was lost.  Even the corporations make sure we stick to using these silly disposable razors. You can’t walk into a store and easily find any of the traditional stuff for sale.  I get all my stuff online from Lee’s Safety Razors.

The Pre-Shave

The pre-shave is a very important part of the Wet Shave process.  Unfortunately, this very first process is one thing that is already missing from the way Men shave today.  If you are going to get into the Wet Shave, you cannot skip this step.  You will really need to prep your face before you start sliding a razor and blade on it.  I started off with the Musgo Real Pre-Shave Oil when I got into the Wet Shave.  I used it for while and then decided to move on to something else.  Now I have a primary and secondary.  My primary pre-shave care is the Art of Shaving Lavender Pre-Shave Oil for sensitive skin.  I especially like this because as the name implies, it works great for my sensitive skin.  The fragrance is also nice, and not too overwhelming.  It really helps soften the hair and protect the skin for the shave process.  My secondary is The Body Shop for Men Maca Root Wash Off Shave Oil.  I call this my secondary because I only take it on trips.  I do a lot of travel and carrying all this stuff around is not exactly practical.  So having a nice small 0.5 oz spray bottle works better in this case.

The Shave Brush

The shave brush is another important element lost in todays go-go world.  I use a Vulfix 660 Super Badger Shaving Brush.  The brush is made from Badger hair as it implies.  This is important because it actually retains heat and water when you use it on your face.  That warmth is necessary to soften the hair as you apply the shave cream.

The Shave Cream

The shaving cream is used to create a nice rich lather in which will be applied on your face before shaving.  Today, most Men use the crappy foamy stuff in the cans.  This on the other hand is some good ‘ol traditional cream.  The feeling of this on your face will not even make you look at those canned foams again.  I use the Geo F. Trumpers Soft Shaving Cream Pot of Rose.  I’ve tried the other pots like Extract of Limes.  But this one seems to work best for me.  This is quality English stuff, you can’t go wrong.  Shaving creams also come in the form of Shaving soaps.  It’s all a preference thing at this point if you want a Shave cream or soap.  But they both do the same thing, which is to create a rich lather.

The Shave Mug

The Shave Mug is also sometimes called the Shave Cup or Bowl or even Pot.  It is in essence where the lather will be created using the shave brush and the shave cream.  It is very important to have a nice warm/hot lather, and that is why wet shavers use mugs.  I use a simple one called the Sante Fe Shave Cup.  Lately though, I’ve been reading up on Scuttles and considered giving it a try too.  Because of how scuttles work, it keeps the lather warm all the way through.

The Razor

The Razor is one of the most important pieces to the wet shave process.  I use a Merkur Heavy Duty Double-Edge Safety Razor.   This is made in Germany, and if you’ve used anything German, you know how anal they are about perfection.   It’s a weighted razor, so it allows you to move almost effortlessly.  If it’s your first time with these Razors you have to be extra careful, this is not child’s play.  Focus and steady hands will save your face here.  If you really want to go all out traditional you can opt for a Straight Razor, and say a prayer that you do not chop your face off before you begin.  Unless you really know what the hell you are doing, I would not even touch this.  The double-edge (DE) razor is called that since you can use both edges of a single blade.  Most of the DE razors come with Safety Bars on the edge just so you don’t chop your face off.  But there is only so much the bar can do, you still have to be seriously careful using this stuff.

The Blade

The blade is what goes into the razor and does the cutting, duh!  Well, it might sound simple enough, but it could be very complex finding the right blade for your face.  When I started wet shaving, I started off with the Merkur Double-Edge Supler Platinum Blades.  Another German product at its best.  I was lucky, because these blades were just the right fit for my face.  I stuck with it for years until a few months ago, when I decided to venture out to see what other blades felt like.  You see, I’m the kinda guy that likes to try things at least once and judge for myself.  So I ordered the Japanese blades instead, the Feather Hi-Stainless Platinum Coated Blades.  Let’s just say I cut myself so many times, I almost busted a tear the first time I used it.  These blades are so damn sharp.  I cannot even begin to describe how sharp the Feather blades are.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the fact that they are death-wish sharp, but there is no room for error with the Feathers.  The Merkur was more forgiving.  So this is a little heads up for anyone who orders the Feathers.  For now, I went back to the Merkur.  On the same note, I recently just ordered a set of Israeli blades, the Crystal Double-Edge blades.  I have yet to use them since I ordered them, so maybe I’ll provide a later update down the road.

The After Shave

The after shave is often an after thought for most people.  But it is just as important as the pre-shave.  They complement each other and a good after shave will leave you feeling like a million bucks.  Most Men today get those counter after shaves which are just terrible. After Shave is not supposed to sting people!! They are not supposed to smell excessively strong either, this is what cologne is for.  I’ve always had a problem with how people use them.  When I used to put those on, not only did my skin sting, but it dried up so bad it felt like my skin was being damaged.  For the wet shave, I use Geo. F. Trumpers Coral Skin Food.  This is in my opinion the best After Shave ever.  It does not sting, it is not greasy, it cools down and cures my skin right away after the shave.  This thing is just great, it literally just evaporates into your skin.  It doesn’t even leave any weird overwhelming scent.  It just feels so natural.

So there you have it.  Step your game up guys.  If you haven’t tried a Wet Shace, give it a shot.  This is honestly the best and healthiest way to go when it comes to Shaving.

Stay tuned for Part 3, the Art of Shave continued….

The Photography section for ReelModels.com is something I am still working on and just haven’t gotten to it yet.  One of the goals I have for RM is to showcase some really talented photographers and use it as a chance for them to connect with Models.  One of the ways I wanted to showcase photographers is by having a quick interview.  I like to recognize and share great talent when I see it, especially for my friends and this is no exception.   I figured, why not have the first RM Talk with someone I actually know.

Pia Hogue

Website: Fetus Productions

Email: Starpia@aol.com

Facebook: Pia Hogue

Location: Mount Dora, FL USA

Toolbox: Canon 5D Mark II w/28mm to 135mm Lens, 70mm to 300mm lens, Mamyia RZ67 Medium Format camera, w/110 Lens and 120 film back, Canon XL2 and wireless mics.

I decided to write my own piece on the Art of Shave, as I have been shaving with a Double Edge (DE) Razor for a few years now.  There are many articles out there about this style of shaving.  Before I even knew about this option, it was difficult trying to find out what will work for me.  I feel others who have/still are contemplating making the move from those silly disposable razors to good ol’ traditional shaving could find this article useful.

Every guy remembers that period in their life when puberty hits, you start seeing some serious facial hair and then you realize, oh snap, time to learn how to shave.  Most men today would consider only 2 options: (1)An Electric trimmer or (2)The Plastic disposable Razors with multiple blades.  When this period in my life hit, I remember picking up a Gillette Mach 3 and trying to shave.  I was not even able to get half way through, my skin was so irritated that it blistered a little.  I thought to myself, I might not know jack about shaving, but this can’t be right.  I gave my face a week or two to cool down and gave it another try…the exact same thing happened.  My skin was highly irritated, it blistered and my face was in serious pain.  To make matters worse, I put after shave on it and I thought I was going to die…the pain was unbearable.  This was the first time I realized I probably have sensitive skin, but also, this style of shaving just isn’t working out.

I decided to try out option 2, an electric trimmer.  I purchased an Andis T-Outliner II, recommended to me by my barber as it gives a close shave.  I tried the Andis, and it was a good trimmer.  It cleaned my face with no irritation, and was quick to use & easy to clean.  I actually stuck with this way of shaving for 7+ yrs.  During this time though, I felt like something was still missing: (1) The trimmer just did not give a close enough shave, no matter how close it was. (2) The thing gets way too hot. (3) When I use after shave, it stings A LOT, and its use caused my skin to dry up so fast I could see cracks appearing (4) The movement and cut pattern of the electric was just so rough on my skin, you could see like a dark burn shadow sometimes after using it. I thought to myself again, I might not know jack, but this is not right.  If this is really what every guy goes through, this is messed up.  I ventured out to do some research, and this is where my friend Google came into play.

Believe it or not, this research actually took weeks.  I read so many articles, magazines and watched so many videos that a good friend of mine thought I was losing it for a second.  This is how much I wanted a damn answer…there had to be a way to achieve that spotless and smooth shave of perfection.  This is how I came to learn about the “Wet Shave“.

I remember reading this amazing article about the Wet Shave, which was actually the article which sold me on this idea.  Sadly, I have lost the link to this article and it kills me, because it was a well written piece.  The author went into some great details about the Wet Shave, but more importantly about the history behind how the disposable Razor came into the market and then the good ol’ Wet Shave tradition was lost.

Stay tuned Part 2, The Art of Shave continued…

Recently, I wrote about how important a Portfolio is to have.  It is not just to showcase a bunch of random photos, but rather to show you at your best.  In order to take your portfolio to the next level, I have started to notice a new trend in how some models are showcasing themselves in order to stand out.  Enter the world of Video Reels.

Video reels are not yet overly common right now, but they are definitely being used more and more to enhance a portfolio.  One of the best video reels I have seen so far is the reel for Anna Knight, which was created by Indesign Creative.  Not only is it a video reel, but it was shot in HD.   I liked it so much that I had to include it into the RM Video Stream on the home page.  You can also see the video below:

A video reel is also quite nice because it gives the audience a more intimate idea about your personality, attitude and maybe even confidence.  I find them interesting because one of the features I was planning to implement on the RM profiles are video reels.  I haven’t gotten to them yet, and not sure when I will, but I think it is something that we will start to see more of in the coming future.  I’d like to hear your thoughts…!

It’s been a couple of weeks now with very little RM updates.  I have been quite busy with various other Gnetic Media related projects such as the launch of Edge88.com and MapleLeafLax.com sites, among other things.  So many tasks have been occupying my time.  On the other hand, the time away has helped me dwell on various things to put out as a priority for the RM portal in order to hopefully start spurring more activity on the site.  On that priority is RM Gigs.

The latest news is that I have been developing and testing the soon to be new section “RM Gigs” for the site.  Gigs will be a simple page where anyone can easily post a gig.  I think of it as a simplified listings page for gigs/casting calls etc…à la Craigslist.

Below is a screenshot of what it is looking like so far:

A lot of new models trying to get a foot in the door (and even some experienced) underestimate the power of a portfolio.  To put things into perspective, I’ll use a real life example that most people can relate to.  If you owned a large successful corporation and wanted to hire a new employee, would you hire them without a resume or an interview?  I would hope the answer is NO, if you truly value your business.  The same goes for the modeling industry, a comp card and portfolio give a snapshot of what you are about.

One of the reasons for a strong portfolio isn’t just for experience, but it is a way to show yourself in different looks and environments.  When an Agency is able to see you in many different angles, looks, environments and expressions; it gives them a better idea of what you are capable of and what kind of work will best fit you.  People wonder why they never hear a response when they send out random emails, letters and photos to agencies.  In order to grab the attention of a scouter, you better have something to show for it.  Once you have your act together, they will find you.

I had a Video of Camilla Thorsson of Ford Models on the homepage Video Stream for a while to share with people some of the very important points she had about a portfolio.  Below are some really neat portfolios by even the professionals:

Damaris Lewis of Elite+ Models

Angela Dunn of Models 1 UK

What are you waiting for, find a photographer to have professional photos taken and start building your own portfolio so that you can get noticed.  Create your very own simple starter profile here on ReelModels.com and share with the world.

This is one of those posts I file under random thoughts, because it’s one of those randoms that I come across and I just want to share with people.  Yesterday I was jotting down a couple of entertainers that have great style and it came to mind: what in the world were 50 Cent and Kanye West up to.  They seem to have just gone MIA for some time now.  I decided to do some googling of course and some interesting things came up.

I found this article on the NY Daily News which talks about a new film 50 worked on where he had to drop a significant amount of weight:

The Queens rapper shed nearly 60 pounds to play a football player who has been diagnosed with cancer in the upcoming Mario Van Peebles film, “Things Fall Apart.”

Reading it was easy to overlook, but looking at the images freaked the crap out of me, just have a look at what he looked like:

Kanye West on the other hand has been hard at work in the studio working on his new album.  There has been a leak online for his song “Power”.  I got a peak of it.  I personally don’t think this is Kanye’s strongest track, but it definitely reminds me of the old Kanye.  The flow, the lyrics, brings back the spirit of his first album I think.  I actually enjoyed this song a lot more starting at 3:30.  I think that part alone sounds like it should be a different song on it’s own.  Listen below!

This week, I noticed all of a sudden that I started getting emails from Gilt Groupe everyday.  To be honest, I almost forgot that I still had a Gilt Groupe account.  The email was a good reminder.  But here’s the funny part, when I opened up the email, the layout and content was just like that of Rue La La which showed what sales were going on.

Last month, I wrote about Rue La La and the new trend of online private sales.  In that post I noted that:

I also really like how Rue La La sends a daily email with a well rounded snapshot of the running boutiques for the day. That way, you can get a preview of the sales without having to log in to the site. Only if I see something interesting, then I login to purchase.

I wonder if someone at Gilt was paying attention, because I was quite surprised to start getting those emails from Gilt.  Now it actually makes me want to look at what sales Gilt is having.  I didn’t care before since I got most of what I wanted from Rue La La anyway.  It is not every time I want can/want to  login to these sites, but email is something I check everyday.  So having a summary/preview of what is going on in my email, though such a small effort can make a huge difference.

It’s good to see them making some simple changes.  Considering all the money they have raised, up to $83 million according to TechCrunch, it’s about time they use the money on the service front also.  Looking forward to tracking how these daily snapshots compare.

Last night, I stumbled upon X Models Zambia.  I thought they had quite the impressive list of models as well as famous faces.  A quick snippet from the about section says “FOUNDED MODELS X ZAMBIA IN 2008 WITH THE AIM OF BEING RECOGNISED AS THE COMPANY IN THE FOREFRONT OF PROMOTING PROMINENT ZAMBIAN TALENT AT BOTH THE LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL.”

Short and simple, it is obvious this is an agency with ambition.  Founded by Enoch Kavindele Jr, it is very refreshing to see such moves and headway coming out of Zambia and more importantly, Africa.  This got me thinking and curious about the modeling scene is various parts of the world.  A lot of times we only focus on US and Europe, even Canada doesn’t get much attention.  I just thought it would be pretty cool to compare trends from various places around the world like South America, Australia, Asia…or even more target areas such as the Middle East.

Beauty comes in many different forms and it’s nice to see such faces showcased from all over the map.

Still going strong and cranking up some of the changes as often as I can.  Some more additional updates have just been made to the site.  One of the more interesting updates is the Share button for the site.  Even though this is a new feature I added, I’m still sort of testing it in various ways.  You can identify the Share icon by the little blue plus icon below the head shots on user profiles.  For now I will leave it in and monitor the usage.  See more details below:

New

• Share button for RM Profiles.
• Guest homepage now Synced with Internal User homepage

Enhancements

• CSS/UI fixes.
• Removed floating footer.
• Tweaked navigation