Grooming, Life Tips
A Woman’s point of View on Real Men (Including Interview with Blake Worrall-Thompson)
Hi,
I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself just yet so here it is. I’m Shira – Co-founder of gentSac, wife to Ross O’Sullivan (as mentioned in his first gentSac blog – apparently I’m awesome), singer/songwriter and mother to two adorable maltese shih-tzu’s named Princess and Kanye ….. #yeezy
So you probably know by now that the reason gentSac was born is because I was constantly buying Rossco really cool boxers, socks, toiletries – all the items he needed to ensure he smelt, looked and felt good. Items he never went out and bought unless they had runout or reached the complete end of their life expectancy – i.e. holes in jocks and the likes.
If you don’t know this story – you can read more about it on our About Us page. 🙂
Anyhoo – Ross and I are passionate about gentSac for different reasons. He is excited about the prospect that men don’t have to worry about buying these items once subscribed. He is motivated by the idea that we offer the best brands (globally and locally) that are eco friendly, effective and make men feel and look good. Naturally as a man, he is driven by engaging in something that is logical, efficient, enjoyable and easy. (Enter all your one liners here…… we’ve already set the tone with the title of our business despite this being an accidental pun).
I – on the other hand… am excited about what gentSac represents. I believe we are taking part in a movement. A cultural shift if you will. Too often we are confronted by the kind of stigma’s that deter men from
a) making their best effort to look after themselves in the form of grooming,
b) not feeling comfortable in openly admitting that they have a huge interest in grooming,
c) wanting to look after themselves better but not even knowing where to start hence putting the whole idea on the shelf.
These all link to other even more important topics – sensitive, emotional, some may say controversial topics. (Think feelings, ego’s, dating, mental health, troubling issues)
Guys – I’m here to tell you – you deserve to look after yourself just as much as us ladies and that includes being able to openly discuss matters or show enthusiasm for things that are otherwise generally considered feminine.
Across the board there should be nothing but praise for a well groomed gent who knows himself, understands his values, works towards bettering his flaws and is cool with taking the time to cleanse, exfoliate, moisturise or even simply maintain his preferred style – ie Beards and beard oils, Hair and Pomades, clothes and……. cool socks.
So – without any further tangents, I sat down and interviewed the kind of Aussie guy I feel most men can relate to – Blake Worral Thompson from Well being By Blake.
Blake is a Personal Trainer, invested in his health and wellbeing yet describes himself as a very basic groomer…… well – here’s what I found out.
What is your current grooming routine?
Pretty simple – I’ve never been a big groomer and consider myself fairly basic when it comes to grooming but I guess I use all the fundamental products. I also love the feeling of a fresh pair of boxers and socks and look forward to receiving them as gifts because I normally wouldn’t remember to buy them. The fact that I can now get a pair of each delivered every couple of months is seriously exciting!
Do you place importance on grooming?
I place importance on anything that I deem as self improvement or self development. I could definitely improve my grooming – because at the end of the day I spend A LOT of time looking after myself when it comes to health and fitness – I should be doing the same with grooming.
Do you think subscribing to a gentSac now that you have experienced your first delivery enhances your ability to look after yourself?
For sure, firstly – like so many other guys – I usually can’t be bothered to go out shopping for this stuff. I’m single and of course always want to make a good impression but I think any man, be it single, in a relationship, married etc should constantly be looking to ‘raise the bar’. GentSac makes it easy and takes the time and hassle out of having to think about it. Secondly – as a single guy – I don’t have a girlfriend going out and buying this stuff for me which is the case for so many of my mates in relationships. In saying that – even girlfriends and wives are time poor so gentSac may be doing them a favour too!
Anyway – usually I only buy things when I run out, I never intentionally go out and go shopping for everything I need. Subscribing to gentSac is a much more pro-active approach and its a no brainer – its cost effective and offering me amazing brands I didn’t even know about before.
Is your routine any different when you go on a date?
Ha, yep, no doubt I take that little bit of extra care. With work, as a personal trainer, its a super quick routine and I often wear a hat to make it even quicker!
So what do you feel is the correlation between a solid grooming routine and a great first date?
Initially it helps in making a good first impression – and beyond that I think you give off good vibes when your in the kind of positive headspace that people are in if they are good at looking after themselves. I think people find it attractive when you take pride in how you come across and that stems into so many different layers. It’s how you carry yourself, it’s the lifestyle you lead, it’s your grooming, your eating and exercise habits, your state of mind, your confidence, your energy. Everything you do in relation to all of these elements of yourself are important and they all come together to define who you are and the impression you give others. I want to be the best I can be always and I see the value in grooming, taking the time and pride in looking after myself and knowing I am always prepared for anything or anyone that comes my way.
What’s the most common positive comment you receive in relation to your grooming?
That I smell good. Thats an easy win!
What was your favourite product in your gentSac?
I loved the Baxters Exfoliating body bar – it smells unreal.
Also – my favourite hair care product that you stock is the Jack The Snipper Original Matte Cream – it’s a great product for hair styling and also smells amazing – I would definitely want both these products in my regular gentSac delivery.
Would you recommend your friends Subscribing to gentSac? Why?
Definitely – and I am so glad I was introduced to it. Grooming is underrated. I still think I’m a basic groomer and I know I could do more. The subscription makes life easier, its automated, I know I’m getting everything I need which will encourage me to ensure I’m doing everything I can to look after myself and be my best self. Its cost effective and affordable. I think because of your range of incredible brands and products any gent in Australia would be a viable candidate to subscribe. I personally like the Active gentSac and with that I would want a hair care product added in as well. I’d probably recommend choosing every two months as the choice of frequency but I like the fact that you can choose how often its delivered. I also think its a great gift idea for the ladies to subscribe their partners, brothers, Dads….. when I got mine it felt like Christmas.
That is such awesome feedback – Thank you!!! Ok – can we please get a day in the life of Blake so readers know who is the man behind these answers?!
Sure! Mon to Fri I wake up at 4:30am, shower and 20 minutes of meditation.
Then I head to the gym to train the ‘6 weeks to sexy’ girls.
Around 7:15 I do my workout and then I have brekky, shower and get myself groomed up and ready for the day.
My days consist of meetings, writing, blogging and after my two evening sessions with the ‘6 weeks to shredded’ guys I’ll have dinner and wind down before bed.
Weekends – I like to catch up with the boys and keep it pretty low key.
Any other feedback on grooming or gentSac?
I think it’s cool that gentSac are doing a blog. I feel like if I can get one tangible tip per week on styling and grooming it would be so good! Its always good to have positive reminders too of what we can be doing better. It’s nice to have a go-to place for all things grooming – its really useful. I’m a standard aussie bloke that has the same challenges and weaknesses as a lot of other lads. Everyone wants to be better but theres a big difference between talking about it and executing. Guys need help executing and doing everything they can to achieve great results in everything they do.
Well there you have it. A huge Thank you to Blake for his open, honest and energetic responses that gave us so much insight.
Gentlemen – ask yourself – are you doing everything you can to be your best self and execute your goals? We would really love gentSac to be a place where you can start and would appreciate any feedback or requests that you may have.
Allow me to be the lady that gives you advice from a woman’s point of view, whilst supporting everything I say with real feedback from real men.
Yours Truly,
Shira.
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