I have been developing a motto for myself and my family: I don’t pay retail for anything. That does not mean I buy cheap shit. In fact, it means almost the exact opposite. I like quality. I like things that are well made, built to last, and worth taking care of. I just do not see any reason to be the guy who pays the highest possible price to get them. My Omega Seamaster GMT is a perfect example. I bought it used from a reputable reseller with its papers. Someone else paid the new watch price and absorbed the depreciation. I got the watch I wanted and then took it directly to Omega and spent about $700 having them go through it and refurbish it. Now I have a beautiful Omega that should be good for years before I send it back to them and have it serviced again. Same thing with my Red Wing 9030 boots. I bought them used. Someone else paid retail and did the painful work of breaking them in. I got a great pair of discontinued Red Wings and sent them back to Red Wing for new soles and a proper checkup. When they come back, I will have a refreshed pair of boots that can be worn, maintained, repaired, and worn some more. I have even started approaching fragrances the same way. Before spending $300, $400, or $500 on a bottle of cologne, I buy a small decant and actually wear it. I find out how it smells on my skin, how it develops throughout the day, whether it lasts, and whether I actually enjoy reaching for it. If it earns a place, then I start looking for a legitimate tester, gray market seller, or another way to buy the real thing without paying boutique retail. There is a bigger lesson here that applies well beyond fashion. Somewhere along the way, we started confusing buying something new with buying something good. They are not the same thing. Quality has value, while newness has a premium. A well made watch can be serviced, good boots can be resoled, quality clothing can be tailored and repaired, and good tools can outlive the person who bought them. The objective should not be to constantly replace things. It should be to recognize quality, acquire it intelligently, maintain it properly, and get years of use from it.

I was interested, and still am, in colognes, but I didn’t know where to start. Like most people these days, I went straight to YouTube University. Before long my feed was full of “Top 10 Colognes,” “Best Fragrances for Men,” and every influencer telling me what I had to buy. What I discovered was a much better way to do it. There are several fragrance decanters that buy authentic full-size bottles and transfer them into smaller atomizers that you can purchase for a fraction of the cost. Instead of spending $100, $200, $300 or more on a bottle you’re not sure you’ll love, you can buy a 5 ml sample and actually wear it. That’s the important part. You’re not making a decision based on one spray at a department store. You’re wearing it in the real world, on your own skin, with your own body chemistry, over several days or even weeks. You’ll find that some fragrances you love at first disappear after an hour, while others you weren’t sure about end up becoming favorites once they dry down. That’s exactly what I did. I bought fifteen different 5 ml atomizers of fragrances I wanted to try. Some became immediate favorites. Others were easy passes. It saved me a lot of money and helped me figure out what actually works for me instead of relying on someone else’s opinion. If you’re just getting into fragrances, check out some of the fragrance decanters or fragrance decant retailers. It’s one of the cheapest and smartest ways to build a collection you’ll actually enjoy. If you want the names of the companies I’ve used, send me a message.

Personally, I just wash my face in the morning with water and use sunscreen for my lips, face and neck. At night I use a cleanser. I haven't used an exfoliator for years.

Hey guys! I wanted to ask what brand of hair color is best in terms of hair damage, and which one do most of you use? I have black wavy to curly hair, and I want some highlights. But I'm afraid because unfortunately it has become a common fact in my country that whoever starts using hair color or other hair styling products, loses their natural hair color each time, and gets all kinds of hair damage as well. Except for a very few and very lucky people.

Gentlemen - as some of us know time and hairlines don't usually go hand in hand. As someone with thinning hair I've been jealous of the classic hairstyles of the 30s through the 50s. The products I've used either made my skin very oily or made my hair look much thinner than it is or what I would want it to appear. If anyone has ever had this issue, which products have you used and/or would recommend?