Hi all,

A quick post just to get the ball rolling on some points that I feel some people overlook because they’re focusing on other things like hitting the gym, the books or the street/bar scene and practicing game.

For some of you this will seem like banal advice but, I see a lot of men that neglect the basics and I’m sure you’ve seen this too.

So…

  1. Get yourself in front of a mirror at close range. Look at your face, what do you see? What do you like? What don’t you like? What are your best features? What do you think you could do to draw them out? Do the same in front of a mirror that you can stand a fair bit back from and you might notice, for example, that you’ve trimmed your beard wrong and it’s lop-sided which you never noticed before as we tend to stand too close to mirrors when looking at ourselves. Look for what you wouldn’t normally see in your appearance.
  2. Likewise, strip off and do the same again. A piece of workout advice as old as time “Look at yourself and honestly appraise what you’d change if you could, and work on that before anything else.” So I’m thinking gut, shoulders and biceps will score quite high here. We can consider this me saying “LIFT”.
  3. Attack the bathroom cabinet. Really look at the products you’ve got in there. So many people focus on fashion, bulking up, gaming and the rest that they neglect to ensure they’ve got the right skincare routine and are using the best hair products. Are your teeth as white as they could be? Would adding a daily floss or changing to a whitening brand of paste help? Do you use hair product? Is it the best one you could use for you? Are you using a cleansing face wash? Acne is insidious, it can come it fits and starts and we tend to neglect treating it as we get older.
  4. Stop being a brand whore. A girl might like the Gucci t shirt that you’ve got on but she’s not going to like the man wearing it just because of that. Unless you can afford to seriously splash the cash and are of a physique where you can make an M, L, XL etc from any shop fit you pretty snugly then you are better off dressing for fit than for trying to look well-to-do. Some people advocate wearing a deliberate size too small as well – be careful with this is my only advice, not everyone can pull it off.
  5. Shoes. Some young men won’t look quite right in boots but I really feel, for night game especially, that avoiding trainers, canvass shoes (Vans – it’s like they’re made to be unattractive??), sandals or anything other than what you could reasonably call “classy” is a hindrance to you, if not a deal breaker in and of itself. This is completely subjective to climate of course but don’t go thinking that the £90.00 pair of white Adidas trainers are going to instantly up your game. Me personally? I like Chelsea boots, suede brogues & worker boots (provided the sole is not too chunky) I really like a brand called “Base London” too. Remember that women care about shoes a great deal.
  6. For younger guys I recommend avoiding dress shirts because they’ll make you look younger and skinnier than you are (unless you’re really happy with your physique and can pull it off go for t shirts, long-sleeved t’s or jumpers) and for older guys I really would recommend that you throw away your blazers. I can only speak for myself, living in England, but the blazer is just soooo played out. Try a chunky cardigan (if you’re a big lad) or a close fitting one with high-fastening buttons (if you’re a slimmer gent) instead – this will make you seriously stand out in the crowd. But this is only applicable if you insist on wearing a second layer of course.
  7. Red – now pale people should avoid bright colours because they won’t sit right against your complexion. But for the rest of you the colour red is scientifically proven, time and again, to ramp up a man’s sex appeal – far more so than black even. So what I’d say is that if you can pull it off go for a red dress shirt or t shirt (the tee would have to be a soft red) along with black pants with the former or stone-washed jeans with the latter and whichever shoes suit the climate. For the pale guys – what about a red belt? Maroon chinos? A cool jacket with a red-print t shirt underneath?
  8. I was going to put here ‘avoid excessive jewellery’, but I think more or less every RP bro would know this anyway right? So instead I’ll put that if you want to wear something at least make it interesting. My friend got a band for his wrist that he brought back from Asia and it’s a really unique twist of red, white and black fibres. It compliments his look well without standing out too much, as yours shouldn’t.
  9. Back to brands – beware brand loyalty. Some men will stick with a brand of deodorant for years without question because they’ve got no reason to switch. Does it really smell that great? Is it the best one for you? Same goes with aftershave, some people just treat it with passivity rather than inquiry. As with shoes, smell matters to women. Some guys will say forgo scents and deo entirely and just let your musk shine through but…somehow…for me…just, no.
  10. Facial expressions – a lot of guys put pressure on themselves to be “the best person” in whatever scenario and will stress themselves out and end up holding their faces in a tense ‘set’. Remember that wherever you are and whatever you’re doing the look on your face matters perhaps more than anything else, so relax, you know what you’re out to do and you’re doing to go do it. Don’t put pressure on yourselves and then allow that inner voice to say “I just don’t feel right tonight.” And then not do any approaching.

As you can probably tell, this isn’t a guide to bedding every hottie you come across or about outstripping male competition. It’s just a small guide that I threw together full of things that I think too many people neglect.

In summary: remember to do what works for you, your physique, your climate and your situation, not just what you like or what others seem to be doing.

Thank you for reading.