Blue is the colour of the sky and the seas; the colour of ice-covered mountain peaks and expansive lakes and the inspiration for Montblanc’s fragrance Explorer Ultra Blue.

Three noses, Givaudan’s Jordi Fernandez, Olivier Pescheux, and Antoine Maisondieu have come together. The top notes are a zesty fusion of Italian bergamot and citrus of the finest quality, with the addition of a touch of pink peppercorn to deliver a fresh spicy note with woody facets.

A marine accord is the beating heart of the fragrance. The blue aquatic depth that comes from fusing citrus with the marine and airy notes evokes the freshness of Alpine landscapes, with the subtle hint of a sea breeze. The fresh, iodine, salty and airy notes contrast with grey amber notes. One final stop on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia delivers the base notes of patchouli that defines the structure of Montblanc Explorer Ultra Blue.

Left - Montblanc Explorer Ultra Blue - EDP 100ml - £72

TheChicGeek says, “This is a fresh woody fragrance. It’s easy on and easy off. It’s a burst mountain forests, but it’s not a stayer. and quickly disappears. It’s cohesive without a single note dominating and also nothing jarring. It feels mature but not old fashioned. The idea was for it to be glacial, without being cold, like breathing the air of the mountain forests. The patchouli here is said to be original to the fragrance, being distilled to remove the dark and earth facets,

The bottle is the same iteration as the original EXPLORER but in a rich blue colour way.”

Launches nationwide May 2021

See TheChicGeek’s Tried & Tested of the first Montblanc EXPLORER here

Disclosure - A sample was gifted by Montblanc for review

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Aguulp is a new health and wellness brand offering liquid supplements to improve gut, brain, immune health and recovery after a hangover. They have also developed an at-home gut health test. Everything is new to the market.

Aguulp is created by a team of scientists, is clinically developed and trialled, and includes co-founder and musician Stephen Manderson aka Professor Green, who spent a lifetime battling gut and mental health problems, which led to him creating Aguulp.

The Gut Test is an at-home to lab gut health test. It measures short-chain fatty acids – a more precise indicator of gut health than DNA-based tests. You send your sample to Aguulp’s lab and receive a comprehensive health report with advice on how to improve your gut health.

Left - Aguulp - Gut Test - £80

TheChicGeek says, “Firstly, this was very fast, I received my Gut Test results back within the same week. The results are from a mixture of a questionnaire and a stool sample posted to their lab. It’s really simple to collect and the instructions were simple and straightforward. The questionnaire asks you about your diet and habits etc.

Your gut score is how successful your gut is at producing key biomarkers, called short-chain fatty acids, based on your current gut microbial diversity and abundance, genetics, sex, age, diet and lifestyle. Fortunately, diet is the main factor shaping our gut microbial communities. I was 6.5/10. Over 8 is ‘Ideal’, under 4 is ‘Low’.

I had a few further questions about my test which Aguulp kindly answered:

CG : How individual is the test?

A: The same laboratory extraction and analysis is carried out for everyone, but the results and dietary and lifestyle recommendations are personalised because each of our gut microbiome’s are unique. Gut testing is a snapshot in time, so we have made the test as powerful as possible, whilst remaining affordable with rapid results, this means you can retest yourself periodically to see if the changes you have made work for you.

CG: My result was ‘Borderline’, is this something to be worried about?

A: Borderline or ‘Average’ is not cause for concern, but you do have room for improvement. To put this in to perspective the UK average is 5/10 and the healthy average or ideal score is 8/10 so with your score of 6.5/10 you are half way in between. You have an increased risk of developing, or developing further, gut-related health issues. If you already have gut-related health issues, you have found the solution: by improving your gut health you will improve the underlying issue and remove or lessen your discomfort in time. For your information we have revised our reports and now Borderline is categorised as Average as to lessen people’s concerns.

CG: What percentage of people are Borderline?

A: Approximately 50% of people are borderline, 30% low and 20% ideal, so 80% of people have plenty of room for improvement to improve their gut health and reduce their risk of developing gut related issues.

CG: If I can do one thing to help, what is that?

A: Eat more prebiotic fibre and/or consider a prebiotic supplement such as aguulp for gut. Approximately 90% of people in the UK do not eat the required 30g of fibre per day, which is a major contributory factor in the rise in modern illnesses in western culture, such as digestive inflammation leading to IBS, Crohn’s, asthma and allergies, mental health leading to stress, anxiety and depression and other risks leading to type 2 diabetes, obesity and a weaker immune system. Food sources include whole grains (oats, bulgur wheat, brown rice, quinoa, whole-grain bread, whole-grain pasta), fruits (apples with skin, pears with skin, bananas, strawberries), vegetables (carrots, beetroots, broccoli), legumes (kidney beans, lentils, peanuts) and nuts and seeds (chia seeds, almonds).

CG: I eat a lot of sugar, what does this do to me and why should I cut it out?

A: There are many reasons and healthy benefits as to why you should limit your sugar intake from reducing blood sugar spikes, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, depression and heart disease, the list is long. From a gut microbiome perspective, regular intake of refined carbohydrates or sugar feeds the pathogenic opportunistic or ‘bad’ bacteria and reduces the number and diversity of probiotic or ‘good’ bacteria. Again, this is not good news from a gut health perspective, which is a central hub interconnected to the other organs of the body and so has knock on effects.

CG: I was ‘Borderline’ on coffee, but I said in the survey I didn’t drink coffee?

A: If you did drink coffee in moderation, this has been shown to actually help to improve the bacterial diversity in your gut and contributes to a healthy microbiota, therefore your score was Borderline as there is potential room for improvement. However, excess consumption will increase caffeine levels, which may affect other aspects such as restful sleep or de-stressing. Additionally, if you have digestive issues such as IBS, Leaky Gut Syndrome or Crohn’s Disease, it is recommended to avoid coffee. For your information we have revised our reports and now the section on coffee has been removed as to concentrate people’s attention to areas which are more important and can make a bigger difference to gut health.

CG: Can consumers ask questions about their test results?

A: Of course, we are trying to break to taboo with poo and fully encourage any and all questions. We have designed the customer journey so that you are not forced to speak to anyone about your stools or digestive health if you don’t want to. We have also carefully designed the technical content on the website and report so that the information is nice and easy to understand so that you can ‘digest’ the information yourself, you do not need a medical degree to understand or a doctor to interpret it for you.

CG: Is there any information on your supplement products and tests before and after using them?

A: Yes we carried out a clinical trial, the summary in on the website here

"It’s good to see Aguulp are standing behind their product because they offer a package of two tests - one before and one after - with a combination of their ‘Brain’ and ‘Gut’ supplements in-between. They say the 'health shots' use liposomal technology to protect nutrients from being destroyed as they’re making their way through the body, delivering 98% nutrient absorption, compared to 20% from some traditional pill-form vitamins."

Takeaway - Everything is about ‘gut health’ at the moment, and I am a firm believer - *gulps apple cider vinegar*. You get out what you put in. It also feels central to everything in our bodies. This test is affordable yet expensive enough to be scientific and offers a nice breakdown with different elements. To be cynical, there’s always going to be room for improvement, especially from a brand that wants to sell you months' worth of supplements.

I was low on fuel for bad bacteria, and I know I eat too much sugar. (I’m trying dark chocolate to control my chocolate addiction while trying to cut down the sugar). I was ‘Borderline’ on coffee, but I said in the questionnaire that I didn’t drink coffee, but they answered that above. I also need to fast more and avoid food or drink (water is ok) for at least 12 hours a day.

I'm yet to try their supplements but these results certainly make me curious. Pass me the oats!"

www.aguulp.com

Disclosure - The Gut Test was complimentary from Aguulp

Buy TheChicGeek's latest book FashionWankers - HERE

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Left - Aguulp clinical trial results

JustWears is a new brand of eco-friendly men's underwear. Dubbed ‘a palace for your phallus’, JustWears boast a unique, ergonomic pouch design. They keep your meat and two veg separate and are proven to improve sperm count and were seen recently on BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den where they received two offers.

Made from ‘MicroModal Air’ fabric -  from sustainable Austrian Beech trees produced in a non-toxic and renewable process - they 50% more absorbent and breathable than cotton.

The remaining wood left over from the process of making them is recycled to supply energy back to the JustWears factory in China, making them CO2 neutral and biodegradable.

JustWears Boxer Briefs come in two different designs: Active - with Pouch - the perfect athletic cut with JustWears’ signature pouch, and Pro - without Pouch - the ideal daily wear.

TheChicGeek says, “I wanted to try the ‘Active’ style with pouch because this is what makes JustWears' underwear different. I’ve always liked micro modal, as a fabric choice, particularly in T-shirts, because it is easy care and works great with stretch.

These are extremely comfortable and feel supportive. You put your cock in the front pouch and the fly opens from the bottom part of this section. Unlike most flies, which are often ignored because they are awkward to access.

You forget you’re wearing them, which is always the sign of a good pair of underwear, and the separation actually stops you from needing to adjust yourself. There’s no anxiety! The eco credentials are a bonus.

Apart from the black colour way, I’m not crazy about the other colour choices, so they could do something slightly more contemporary or sexier with the colours or designs going forward.”

Left - JustWears - Boxer Briefs - From £12.48 (If buying 9 pairs)

just-wears.com

Disclosure - A sample was provided by JustWears

Buy TheChicGeek's latest book FashionWankers - HERE

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Hairstylist Jos Gibson has nearly two decades’ of experience concepting, designing and teaching for fashion brands, runway shows and editorial. His career started at legendary haircare brand Vidal Sassoon in 90s Manchester, and by the 2000s, Jos had become a leader in mens’ grooming working with brands such as YMC, Sunspel, Fred Perry Japan and A.P.C.

Whilst working behind the scenes on editorials for menswear titles such as GQStyle and Fantastic Man, Jos noted the lack of skincare and beard products that worked well for men on set. He began to experiment with new ways of grooming and caring for the skin, hair and beard that became the precursors to his own range of products.

High- quality plant-based solutions are combined with a fragrance that evokes the Japanese concept of Shinrin-yoku or Forest bathing. The JOS Original Beard Serum uses a blend of wood oils, frankincense, cedar and Japanese hinoki cypress, paired with green ora of vetiver and thyme. These specially blended precious oils contain plant phytoncides which together create a unique anti-stress fragrance which is said to not only heals our mind and improves our immunity but connects us to the natural world.

Left - JOS - Original Beard Serum - 30ml - £16

TheChicGeek says, “I always say the easier something is to use, the more you’ll use, and this being in a roll-on format feels ingenious. While a simple idea, it feels faster and more portable than previous beard serums. You simply apply when the beard or facial hair is wet.

The fragrance is a traditional woody scent, but in the green glass you really do buy into his whole Japanese forest concept. It’s well priced, and you even get manly joss sticks using the same wood and plant oils thrown into your purchase at the moment. What’s not to love?”

Josgrooming.men

Disclosure - A sample was provided by JOS 

Further ChicGeek Reading - How To Enjoy Wearing A Face Mask

Buy TheChicGeek's latest book FashionWankers - HERE

Check out TheChicGeek's new shop of fabulous plants & books - Give me Penis Cactus!