Tag / kent & bond grooming

by Beau H.

Reader Giveaway Opportunity: Kent & Bond Grooming

Your chance to win a well-made grooming product from an upstart brand. Photo courtesy of Kent & Bond.

Your chance to win a well-made grooming product from an upstart brand. Photo courtesy of Kent & Bond.

Editor’s note: Read on (or at least skim?) to the bottom of this article for a special reader giveaway opportunity!

It seems lots of companies in every facet of the menswear landscape are now paying more attention to how they make their wares — that goes for the consumers buying them, too. Whether it’s Everlane’s model of radical transparency or brands like Noble Denim supporting American-made manufacturing, the trend (if you want to call it that), is everywhere. It hasn’t been all that loud on the men’s grooming front though — particularly when you combine the qualities that seem to separate most grooming brands: domestic manufacturing and organic ingredients. Kent & Bond is changing that, though.

I had the chance to write about the brand for VOUCH Mag and I also got the opportunity to check out its signature Body Brick soap across these past few weeks. Launched last year and the proud owner of a new E-commerce website, its product is made in the U.S.A using Certified Organic ingredients. Those touches give the product a premium feel for a low price — $14 for a fairly substantial mini-brick of soap, among other nicely priced wares (read on for more on those).

Kent & Bond's Charcoal Pine Body Brick, complete with the brand's mission.

Kent & Bond’s Charcoal Pine Body Brick, complete with the brand’s mission.

I was admittedly skeptical at first about the product — it’s just a bar of soap, right? Is there a catch? Honestly — no, no catch at all. I sampled the Charcoal Pine Body Brick (as charcoal-based products seem to be everywhere in the men’s grooming world these days), and I haven’t been disappointed. The bar combines a pleasant smell with a crisp, clean feeling — and that’s also reflected in some of the other Body Brick samples I was sent (the brand stocks five Body Brick scents in total). The bars are also rich in vitamins, aged for three months and produced in small batches — tough to find that in your average body wash. It’s also worth nothing that the brand produces responsibly made body gels, too.

The full run of the brand's popular Body Brick soaps. Photo courtesy of Kent & Bond.

The full run of the brand’s popular Body Brick soaps. Photo courtesy of Kent & Bond.

One would imagine that its deodorants and products like the Body Salve are equally well-made — don’t forget about its Horween leather dopp kit, either. The lineup also brings an edge of masculinity — something that could draw in guys skeptical about testing out new grooming products (*raises hand*). If you find yourself on the fence about buying a product though — don’t be! And luckily, that’s what we’re taking care of for you here today. I’m partnering with the brand to give away 1 Body Brick sample of your choice to five lucky winners. Rest assured — even a sample size is quite large. Simply do the following:

  • Head on over to my Instagram account, [make sure you’re following myself and Kent & Bond, of course!].
  • Then, ‘Like’ either Sunday or Monday’s special K&B-themed IG post and comment as to what product or scent you’d like the best! You’ll be able to tell which is which based on the post, trust me.

The winners will be chosen randomly and notified late Tuesday via Instagram. Stay tuned for more! And head over to the brand’s Facebook or Twitter accounts for more from their world.

Greats

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: Cuffed Pants, Trend Evolution and James Bond’s Cookbook

Editor’s note: Expect these posts once a week on Fridays — consider this a jumpstart on reading for your weekend downtime. Expect a mix of style and non-style content. For more entries, click here.

We’ve rolled right through another week here at The Style Guide HQ (AKA a rather small Brookyn apartment), and it’s crazy to think that there’s not that much real “summer” left. It’s been a great one though, especially with travels to Greece and Italy. And I’m just as excited about the fall — this here site will have a Fall Wish List in the next few weeks, new product reviews and brand profiles, and a few travel features in the works (a trip to  Los Angeles among them!). But there’s still plenty of time to soak up some rays (got your sunglasses on-point?) and hit the beach, pool or just your local watering hole — which I’ll certainly be doing this weekend. Before you dive in though, a heads-up — I’ll be running a special Instagram giveaway on Monday and Tuesday of next week featuring the chance to win some grooming gear from the organic gurus at Kent & Bond. Details will be outlined in a Monday post, but make sure you’re following me on Instagram (please?) and check back Monday for more details!

      • Gear Patrol quite literally shows you, in GIFs plus text, some sharp ways to cuff or roll pants — try it out with some dark denim in particular.
      • In the way of trends, Esquire spotlights exactly how a trend starts, focusing specifically on the pocket square and its rise to prominence (and purported downfall?) in the #menswear world.
      • Fast Company gives you the scoop on what exactly James Bond ate in the iconic Ian Fleming novels — new book “Dying to Eat” chronicles recipes and photos in a fascinating and in-depth manner.
      • Long Read of the Week: If you haven’t been following this series, it’s high time to catch up — Narratively chronicled the end of a 5,000-mile cross country bike ride undertaken by a daring team of friends.

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Greats