Month: November 2013

How to Dress for College Men

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There are many guys out there who are completely clueless about clothes and style. It’s a disappointing fact that men’s confidence level and even success with attracting women could be boosted if they would only pay attention to the clothes they wear every day and while out at bars and clubs. In college, the competition amongst guys who dress well is sparse indeed. Just walk around on any college campus and you will see the same repetitive looks or slovenly appearances that aren’t doing these guys any favors. This post is going to serve as an introduction on how to dress while in college or when you don’t have too much money but the principles are applicable to those of you who have money to spend as well.  The key of this approach is to keep your wardrobe both simple and versatile, so even if you don’t have much money, you can still look great. Also see: Getting a GF in College

Common Men’s Fashion Problems

The way that you are dressed will have some effect on how people perceive you. The problem for many guys is that they are either unaware of how they dress is having consequences on their appearance or they simply don’t care. It may be a shallow part of life, but, how you dress will have an impact on how you are both treated and the amount of attention you receive from the opposite sex.

The Size of the Clothes

For most guys, the fit of their clothes generally runs on the too baggy side of the equation. Other guys opt for clothes that are too tight. Either way, you are completely hurting you look by not getting the right fit. Don’t believe me? Go to your closet and find a shirt that you know is too baggy. Try it on. Then try on a shirt that is more fitted to your body. Notice the difference? Baggy clothes make your body lost in a sea of cloth; they sag, and just make you look bad all around. If you’re overweight, I know you may think the baggy clothes will help to hide your body, but the larger sizes just make you seem bigger. If you’re in that boat, consider getting into shape, and finding clothes that fit and help you look your best. The most important thing about the size of your clothes is simply trying things on in front of a mirror. Even t-shirts of the same tag size can look way different depending on how the shirt was cut. For instance, I know that Adidas shirts tend to look really blocky on me because I am tall but other shirts have a great fit with the appropriate length. How your clothes fit is the single most important aspect of having style and looking good. I don’t care if you have a $300 dress shirt, if it isn’t fitted properly, I can grab a $20 dress shirt at Target that is fitted for my body and will look way better. Oh, by the way, you totally can rock a $20 shirt and attract women left and right.

Color

There are two factors to consider with color: your skin tone and how you will coordinate it with the rest of your outfit. Based on your skin tone, there are colors that will make you look terrible and others that will just work perfectly. Personally, with my fair skin, I know that red (if I don’t offset it with something else) will make me look washed out. This is a very important concept to grasp. Some colors work well with fair skin while others work better with dark skin. It’s not that you can’t wear certain colors at all, you just have to be able to not go overboard with it. Here’s quick article about color and skin tone. Color coordination is another big factor for dressing well. Your shirt may be perfect in fit and color for your skin tone but paired with the wrong pants, your outfit will look awkward. Color coordination takes some time to learn but once you’ve established the basics you’ll get the hang of it: Color coordination.

Spending too Much On One Piece

Having a signature piece of fashion such as a watch is great. However, when you have a limited budget it doesn’t make sense to spend a lot on one shirt, so that you have no money left over to complete your wardrobe. When you’re on a tighter budget you will have to look around and leverage sales and other special offers to add pieces of clothing to your rotation. That $80 shirt may be nice but you aren’t going to wear it seven days a week. So, find some less expensive items that you can turn into multiple looks with ease.

Clothing Categories for Your Wardrobe

Fitted T-Shirts Fitted t-shirts are the most basic staple of a man’s wardrobe and can be used for a super casual look. Gap and Calvin Klein have some really good fitted t-shirts that aren’t too expensive, as does American Apparel.  White and black are the colors that you should have. You can wear these t-shirts with jeans or pants, and include sneakers or boots. Doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Graphic T-Shirts The next step up from a basic t-shirt. As I’ve said before, fit and color are important when considering what clothes to buy but try to keep your graphic tees unique as well. Skip those ‘logo tees’ you see at places like American Eagle or Aeropostale because they are so bland and commonplace. Those designer t-shirts with the design house logo or emblem on it are a waste of money too, why pay 50-100 bucks just for that? Urban Outfitters usually has some good graphic tees in stock, though they can be hit and miss. Here are some graphic tees from around the web that’ll work well as an example:

Where to buy graphic tees: Karmaloop, Urban Outfitters, Pac Sunwear, Topman

Button Ups/Dress Shirts These should be a staple in your wardrobe. Button-up shirts can be worn casually or when you need to dress up. When it’s cold these shirts can be layered with a pull over sweater and when it warm they can be worn alone with a pair of shorts. If you go to college night at a bar or club, you will see many guys wearing an oversized polo or really tight muscle t-shirt. A simple way to stand out is by opting for something like an Oxford shirt, un-tucked with the sleeves rolled up. Pair that with an accessory like a watch and some unique shoes and you will have an effortless look. As far as colors go a light blue shade works well with a variety of different pants and shoe colors, so that should be a definite. Gingham and plaids can be versatile additions as well. Here are some shirt examples:

Sweaters

Pull-over sweaters are important during the colder months of the year. They can be worn over a t-shirt or with a collared button-up to layer. Use color coordination to layer your shirts, so for instance, wear a gingham shirt and a navy or black pull-over to really help the collared shirt stand out. Honestly, an Old Navy pull-over is passable and can look quite nice when paired correctly.

Jeans

You don’t have to wear skinny jeans, just find pairs that fit. Different washes and cuts will give you different looks, so have a few on hand in order to mix and match with your shirts. If you have the money, consider investing in some designer jeans because the quality and durability can be noticeably better. Levi’s makes great jeans that fit well and won’t fall apart on you like some others will.

Pants

Start with the basic black and khaki. From there add shades of tan, brown, and grey. While you can get away with a more baggy fit with jeans, pants should be fitted so that you get a good look with them.

Belts

Have one brown and one black as a minimum.

Shoes

Here’s basically what I try to have in my shoe collection: (one pair of each) trainer, white sneaker, nice boots, dress shoes. I’ll buy others as funds allow but that’s the basic setup. Basic white sneakers are pretty versatile, so when you don’t have too much money, they are a safe bet to get the most bang for your buck. Here are a few styles I like:

Trainers/Sneakers are good for both working out and a more casual look. Going to class and just hanging around campus are a few places to rock trainers. Also see, the Best Nike Running Shoes for Men

Boots can add a ton of style to a basic outfit. I’m not talking about cowboy boots or Lugz, rather, a pair of stylish boots that can be worn casually or with something more dressy. Here are some options in boots:

Grooming

It’s not all about what you wear, in fact, a lot of what determines how you look has nothing to do with the clothes at all. The length of your hair and its style can have a dramatic effect on how you look and even how old people perceive you to be. Find a modern style that you could wear in several ways, not what happens to be trendy in the moment.

If you have facial hair, keep it neat and under control. Growing a beard or a moustache can really help to shape your face and give you an older look, however, it can look bad if not properly tended to.

Obviously, shower on a daily basis. Brush your teeth, floss, and rinse with mouthwash. Wash your face to keep you skin clear. Deodorant and a nice cologne which I have gone over here.

You can really take fashion as far as you want but you’ll always be well-dressed if you just keep it simple. Remember that fit and color will go a long way to making you look sharp, add in great grooming and you will have it at least 90% there. Get down the basics first and then you can expand and refine your style.

INTRODUCING ATTRACT YOUR DEVELOPMENT’S FIRST EBOOK

GAME WITHOUT GAMES: TRANSCENDING PICKUP ARTISTRY AND PURSUING ATTRACTION THROUGH CONSCIOUS PERSONAL GROWTH 

$2.99 on Amazon.com  (For Kindle) download the Kindle App for Free

 GAMEWITHOUTGAMES

Exploring the world of dating and so-called Pick-up Artistry, through the lens of the mind. Game without Games, from attractyourdevelopment.com, eschews traditional pickup advice and gets down to the core concepts of self including: fear, truth, connection, and desire. Taken from the author’s own personal experience in approaching, attracting, and dating women from age eighteen through his twenties, this book strips away all of the tips and tactics of the PUA community. Instead, this book focuses on personal development and cultivating what the ancient Stoic philosophers referred to as the internal.

With a greater inner strength and by focusing on developing one’s life in totality, attraction occurs naturally by becoming a ‘desirable man’. Game then is about expressing of oneself and exploring who she is, instead of trying to remember lame pick-up lines or tricks and tactics to get laid. Things become natural and flow from the relaxed and confident state of the man. He has control of his mental faculties and thus can accept life and social interactions on his own terms. Not chasing women or putting up with disrespect or other nonsense.

If you want to learn how to talk to girls, in a step by step format…go elsewhere. However, if you want to explore the mental side of game and the letting go of pickup dogma, Game without Game might be the book for you.

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Exercising but Not Losing Weight: Solutions to Shed Belly Fat

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At some point in time, I think that most people get fed up with how they look and feel and decide to undergo a body transformation. Initially, the increase in physical activity almost always leads to both weight loss and fat loss. However, at some point, perhaps rather quickly, the fat won’t go away and the belly in the mirror feels like it is just mocking you. It can be extremely frustrating to put forth lots of effort for multiple weeks straight and not see any noticeable change to your body composition. The good news is that if you stick with exercising and focus on addressing the common problems that hinder weight loss, then you can melt that fat away and have the body you want. By addressing the following issues and getting your program in order, you should have no problem with meeting your goals.

Plateauing

If you saw significant fat loss for the majority of the time when you started your exercise and diet program, and now nothing, there is a good chance that you have hit a weight loss plateau. The human body is quite adept at adaptation and as such can get used to the exercise and dietary demands you are putting it through. It can be a good idea, to switch up the exercises you include in your workout routine or try switching up things like the amount of weight, lifting tempo, amount of rest in between sets, etc. For instance, if you lift weights and have a chest/back day, why not throw in supersets to make the routine more challenging? Meaning, you would do your set for the chest and then immediately start a set for a back exercise. This shortens the rest and gives the workout a more cardiovascular element than keeping the two exercises completely separated.

Not Enough Time Spent

In contrast to plateauing, there are people who are way too impatient. They think that because they’ve worked out and dieted for a month they should be totally chiseled. Sorry but it doesn’t work that way. It probably took months or years to accumulate that fat, so why would it disappear in 4 weeks time? I’m not saying that it will take equally as long to lose weight but it does take time to undo all of your mistakes and figure out what the right type of fat loss plan is for you. There have been times where I’ve stopped going to the gym and put on weight and once I got back into the gym, the first month saw very little results and then things started clicking after that. So have patience.

Sleep

People severely underestimate the importance of sleep in their lives. During sleep, your body releases hormones that repair and build muscle, and some of the major releases only occur during certain parts of the sleep cycle. Meaning that, if you’re not getting enough sleep, you won’t get the optimal level of hormone release. Muscle growth and recovery are highly important in achieving your fitness goals but sleep also helps with your mood. Think about it. Aren’t you grumpy when you’re tired? Do you care as much or feel as motivated to stick with your diet? It’s more likely you don’t really care because your mind is so occupied with sleep and feeling fog that clouds your thoughts. Get enough sleep!

Not Enough Cardio

Cardio can be boring, especially when you don’t want to do it. The problem with that attitude is that it is the most efficient way to burn calories and is great for your overall health. There are plenty of ways to do cardio including sports, exercise classes, hiking, and other activities.

Many people only do one specific type of cardio, such as steady state (walking on the treadmill for example), and then don’t see the results they want. The key is to switch up the intensity, vary the exercises and the amount of time you spend doing it.

Trainer, Rusty Moore, has a great cardio program for fat loss called Visual Impact Cardio. I have been using its principles for the past two weeks (read my review), since I’ve gotten a new gym membership, and have loved the results. It is a full step by step plan that breaks down what cardio exercises you will do each day to maximize fat loss. What I love about Rusty’s program, is that the workout challenges me on each day in a different way. One day will be for VO2 max, another will be interval training, pyramids, and the like. Visual Impact Cardio consists of three 8-week cycles (6 months total) that you can adjust and keep using for as long as you want.

Visual Impact Cardio shows you:

  • How to Diet in a way that Maximizes Fat Loss, with little chance of metabolism slow down.
  • How to use Cardio Periodization Cycles…the technique where you “take 3 steps forward and 1 step back”…to Lose Body Fat Without Hitting Sticking Points.
  • Why there is a Ceiling to How Many Calories You Can Burn with Intervals…and how adding in a Strategic Cardio Routine can take you to the finish line of hitting your fat loss goals.
  • Three Complete 8-Week Workout Cycles – taking you from where you are now…ALL THE WAY to your ideal body fat percentage.

Get Instant Access to Visual Impact Cardio by: CLICKING HERE


Too Many Calories

Just because you are working out doesn’t mean that you can eat whatever you want and expect to lose weight. In order to lose fat, you need to create a caloric deficit, which can be done through more exercise (burning calories) or reducing the number of calories eaten. Your workouts don’t burn as many calories as you think they do, so yes, even if you work out that piece of cake can come back to bite you. Research online your daily maintenance calories and try to slowly reduce it. Another way to lose fat without counting calories is to switch over from processed foods to good sources of protein, complex carbs, and fats. Green veggies should be a staple in your diet. Be careful not to restrict calories too much because that can make you hold on to fat as your body wants to preserve every calorie, which will lead to a lack of results.

Lift Weights

There are a ton of people who head to the gym, do some light cardio on the elliptical for 30 minutes, and then head home. These people may see results, but they aren’t maximizing what they could be doing. Lifting weights helps strengthen muscles, grow muscles (which burns more calories even at rest), and helps to shape your body.

If you want to give your body a certain aesthetic look then you need to engage in weight lifting. Simply doing cardio can make you look skinny and flat. Also, why not engage in something like weight lifting that can help you to burn more calories and also helps to release hormones like testosterone which can help with mood, motivation, muscle building, etc.

 

You Haven’t Been Consistent

Sticking with the program both by performing each of your scheduled workouts and keeping your diet in order is absolutely imperative while trying to lose weight. Too many people treat exercise and nutrition as something that is temporary and that they can achieve great results by putting forth mediocre effort. I’m sorry but it isn’t going to work very well with that kind of attitude. You became overweight in the first place due to your lifestyle and you are going to try to lose weight and keep it off by temporarily changing some habits? The negative effects of how you have been living your life must be addressed if you are truly going to make a life altering change in your body and health. So if you have been sticking to an exercise routine and diet during the weekdays and then let yourself have free reign to eat like a slob on the weekends you are pretty much letting most of your hard work go to waste.

Be consistent with everything, you can still treat yourself every once in a while but do so in moderation and pay attention to the nutritional content of the foods that you eat. I found out when I was younger that once I educated myself about proper nutrition I became way less likely to eat the foods that would have an ill effect on my health and appearance. As an added bonus I lost over 30 lbs and stay fairly lean year round just by sticking with the plan I have laid out for myself and when beach season starts to creep up I never have to do anything dramatic in order to look my best, just make minor adjustments.

Losing weight takes a deal of effort to accomplish but it’s not impossible. If you searched for an article explaining why you aren’t losing weight, then you were probably getting frustrated with your results. You need to stay positive and stick with it because the changes you desire will come but it doesn’t happen overnight. Address the problems that I have listed above, in a serious manner, either through your own research or by using a program like Rusty Moore’s. Whatever route you take, accept that this is a lifestyle change and not simply a crash course diet where you lose weight and then gain it all back, only to have to start the cycle again.

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How to Set Up a Niche Website on Hostgator: Step by Step

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In the last post in my passive income series, I went over how to get ideas for a niche website. In this post, I want to discuss how to set up a website step by step from scratch. In order to set up a website, you will need a host (most of whom cost under $7 per month). I use Hostgator for all of my websites, so I will be relating this from the point of view of that company’s perspective user. I will take you through the domain buying process, selecting a plan that works for you, how to set up WordPress, and any other incidentals that I come across so that you can set up a website and get to work quickly.

Choosing a Domain Name

This is the most important step of this process, after choosing the niche you intend to tackle. I’m not going to go into detail about choosing a domain name in this post, however, this is something you need to strongly consider before moving ahead.

If you are creating a website solely for affiliate (money making) purposes then the ideal is to use the keyword in your title. For instance, if you are creating a website about swimming goggles, then the website should have some variation of ‘best swimming goggles’, ‘top swimming goggles’, or ‘best swimming goggles for (activity) in the title.

If, however, you are creating a personal blog then you will want to consider something that is brandable and memorable. This site, is in the personal development niche, but doesn’t really fit the typical niche site mold. In a case like this, I utilized the word development in my domain name, and somewhat targeted the keyword ‘personal development blog’ but you won’t find me on the first 10 pages of Google for that search. My traffic comes from other sources and the content of my individual blog posts, so for a more personal site the main keyword targeting in the domain name really won’t be all that important.

How to Set Up Your Website

1. Choosing a Hosting Plan

The first step will be to Hostgator’s website and sign up for an account. From there you will need to get a hosting plan that best fits your needs. Hostgator has three options: Hatchling, Baby, and Business.

Hatchling is for those who only plan to host one domain on their servers.

Baby is a few dollars more a month but you can host as many websites as you want.

Business plans come with a few extra perks such as a Private IP address. (ecommerce websites)

I started out with Hatchling but quickly needed to upgrade to the Baby plan because I wanted to create multiple websites and therefore multiple streams of income. It’s well worth the extra money to get yourself a Baby plan because you’ll be able to have an unlimited number of sites and will only have to purchase individual domain names after that.

I recommend using Hostgator because everything has always gone smoothly with them. The one time I had a problem with processing a domain I bought, I used the online help chat and my issue was resolved really quickly and professionally. They didn’t give me any run around or make me wait forever.

2. Choosing a Domain Name (For Keeps this Time)

After you choose your plan, Hostgator will ask you to provide a domain name. Now, you can either register a new domain name through Hostgator (they will tell you if your domain name is available) or if you already own a domain name there is an option for that as well.

Once you have gotten your domain name, Hostgator will ask for your billing info and other payment information (pretty self-explanatory).

3. Hostgator Sends You an Email

After you register your domain name and do all the payment stuff, Hostgator will send you an email with all of your information for your website. THIS IS IMPORTANT INFO (so write it down and save it).

Your control panel link that they send you is what you will type into your browser in order to get access to and set up your site initially.

Your name servers are important because they are what you will need to be pointed properly in order to access your website once it’s up. No one will be able to visit your domain if the name servers aren’t correctly pointed. If you registered your domain with Hostgator they should be pointed correctly, if you bought a domain from somewhere else or it’s screwed up for some reason then read this information: http://support.hostgator.com/articles/hosting-guide/lets-get-started/dns-name-servers/what-are-my-name-servers

4. Go to the CPanel

Using the link that Hostgator send you, sign into your Control Panel using your name and password.

The CPanel will have a whole lot of options and things that you can explore later. For now, scroll down to the section entitled Software/Services and click on Fantastico Deluxe (the one with the smiley logo).

5. Fantastico Deluxe

In Fantastico Deluxe, we will be installing WordPress for our website. WordPress is really simple to use and highly customizable with widgets and plenty of support to help you out.

On the left hand side of Fantastico under the section called Blogs, click on the WordPress option. Once the new page loads, click on where it says “New Installations”.

On the next screen, choose your new domain from the drop down menu, this will be the site you install WordPress on. Leave the field called “Install in Directory” blank. Then fill out the rest of the information as required. Click on install WordPress.

6. Accessing Your Site

WordPress is now installed on your site. In order to access and begin work on your website type the following into your internet browser:

“yourdomainname”(dot)com/wp-admin

So for instance, if you registered the domain name as booblestooble(dot)com then each time you want to edit the site or add new information you’d log in at:

“booblestooble(d0t)com/wp-admin”

Conclusion

You are now ready to begin work on your website. By default WordPress will give you a template that your blog will use until you change it. You can upload a free template to your site or buy one that has all the bells and whistles a regular website will have.

I will go further into customization and what kind of widgets your WordPress site will have but this should get you started with at least setting up the website and the whole registration process.

Further posts in this series:

Finding Niche Website Ideas

How to Make Money with a Niche Website

How to Create Passive Income Online

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Best Smelling Cologne for Men: Top Sellers and Best Fragrance

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Cologne and fragrance advertisements can be a bit ridiculous sometimes with their scenes of women trying to rip the clothes off a well-scented man. Cologne isn’t meant to be the sole attraction device or a magic formula, rather, it should be subtle and non-verbal invitation for a woman to get closer. Yes, the right scent can make her want to draw closer, but too often guys either pick a terrible cologne or go overboard with the amounts they use. There are untold thousands of colognes available on the market, so trying to figure out which one is the best or which one you will personally like can take some time. Just grabbing the most popular cologne will sometimes make you undistinguishable from every other guy out there when it can be good to have a unique or signature scent that works well anywhere and can drive girls wild (I make no promises). For this post, I want to create a sort of guide for choosing the right cologne for you, present the best-selling colognes, and my own personal picks so you can copy my style if you so choose.

Be sure to also check out my other post on clothing for men:

How to Dress Well in College 

 

 

Choosing the Best Cologne for You

It is important to understand that the scent of cologne is not static, meaning, it changes based on time and body chemistry. Like any other fashion choice, cologne also has to be tailored for specific functions and social events. For instance, a stronger scent, probably shouldn’t be worn at work or at least the amount should be way less than normal. At a night club, however, cologne that has a sexy kind of vibe would work because it can command attention (hopefully in a good way).

Cologne has different layers of varying scents that are referred to as notes. Over time these notes (3 in total) come out to present the cologne’s full fragrance. A cologne like Opium by YSL, really disappointed me when I first opened the bottle, however, it settled after a few minutes and turned into a really great Vanilla scent with hints of some Middle Eastern spice. The cologne that I wore didn’t resemble at all my first impressions upon smelling the fragrance from the bottle.

When you try out colognes give them close to an hour to settle and see how you feel about the scent after that time. You may discover that the cologne has shifted into a different scent then you expected or that the great cologne you found tends to evaporate quickly. Either way take some time so that you don’t make an expensive purchase you won’t end up using. Also, most places, even online retailers, have small samples of cologne for free or for a few bucks so that you can try it out for a few days to really see how it reacts to your body.

Once you have sorted out a few colognes that you like the smell of then it is time to consider some other factors. What is your lifestyle like? If you spend you’re days sitting in an office or in a classroom you probably don’t want something very strong that will overpower and annoy those around you. In those situations you might opt for something a bit more subtle and light, perhaps a citrus blend of fragrance. Knowing where you’ll be is important because some colognes aren’t for everyday situations and are more for the nightlife or more romantic endeavors. For this reason it may be that you should consider buying more than one bottle of cologne in smaller sizes so that you can choose the best one for the right occasion. Also, the weather is a factor in what kind of cologne you should wear because some fragrances have a tendency to evaporate quickly or change in hotter temperatures and you might not get the desired effect.

How Do You Wear Cologne and How Much Is Too Much?

We’ve all had experiences in which someone has walked by us and left a trail of cologne in their wake and most of the time they are wearing the cheapest and most nauseating fragrance that you can imagine. This gentleman is what we want to avoid. Remember that no cologne is always better than too much cologne. So what is the right amount? Two sprays is usually quite adequate to be smelling great but not having people gasping for air in your presence. In fact people should only be able to smell you when they are within a few feet or leaning in for close conversation. Look at it as if it was clothing, loud fabrics and bright colors will get you attention but it isn’t the type of attention you want.

As far as areas of the body where you should spray keep it basic, the neck, wrists, or chest. Do not spray your clothes with cologne because it can damage the fabric or stain it completely.

What are the Best Selling Colognes?

*Note: I’ve linked each cologne to fragrancex.com,

 ***Get FREE SHIPPING  on your order at Fragrancex.com by using coupon code: F123***

Also, check out: Top Colognes for Under $30

Need to get something for the lady? Best Smelling Perfumes for Women, Top Perfumes for Women 2014

Acqua Di Gio– Has been popular for years and for good reason. Seems like everyone has this cologne but I really do enjoy this one. Pretty expensive and not really unique but it’s hard to go wrong with Acqua Di Gio.

Dolce & Gabbana (Sample size available)- The titular scent of this company. It’s nice but not the best scent from this company in my opinion.

Burberry Brit– A pretty sophisticated scent and not too overpowering. Nice, clean, and modern. Burberry seems to always come out with some great colognes. Brit is a versatile cologne that is appropriate for just about any occasion.

Drakkar Noir– (Sample size available) I’m personally not crazy about this one but people seem to like it, as it always sells well.

Curve by Liz Claiborne– (Sample Size Available) Usually a best-seller. Lavender-type smell with a hint of spice. I like this stuff and have used some before, it’s really a pleasant scent.

Polo– Polo has a real outdoorsy and masculine smell to it. A classic fragrance that debuted in the 1970s.

Joop!- Joop! seems like it was made for the night life and is also inexpensive. Not terrible but not my cup of tea either. Try a sample and see if it works for you.

L’Eau D’Issey by Issey Miyake– Has a strong scent that people like. I enjoy it as well but it’s definitely not my go to bottle of cologne, too overpowering sometimes.

 

Other Best-Sellers I’m not Familiar With

– JeanPaul Gaultier

– CK One

– Hugo

 

What is the Best Smelling Men’s Cologne in My Opinion?

Well taste in cologne is obviously going to be subjective but the following colognes are ones that I use and gotten great responses from women while wearing.

The One by Dolce & Gabbana– Alright, first of all, I love this scent. However, it tends to fade quickly which sucks because it really is fantastic. So, I can’t recommend buying a larger bottle of this because of how quick it evaporates but this to me has to rank in the best scents.

Creed Aventus (Available at Fragrancenet)– Creed is a brand known for colognes that smell amazing and Aventus is among the best it has to offer. Aventus features notes of black currant, French apples, Italian bergamot, royal pineapple, and Moroccan jasmine. Here is a list of the top six Creed fragrances for men.

Kourous Body by YSL– Girls seem to love this cologne, as I have received many complements about it. It blends incense and eucalyptus that gives it a fairly sweet smell. Also, it’s not too well known either, most people who ask me what I’m wearing have never heard of it.

Armani Code– This is another best-selling cologne but its popularity is well-deserved. It’s clean and not overpowering but it will draw complements.

L’Instant De Guerlain by Guerlain– With notes that include sandalwood and cocoa bean, this fragrance spells class, from the first wear. Not amongst the best sellers but it is a great find for those looking for something of a signature scent.

Burberry London– More of a woodsy smell. Very masculine and crisp. My favorite Burberry cologne, though I haven’t tried their latest one.

Egoiste Platinum by Chanel (Couldn’t find any available)– Chanel No. 5 is the classic ladies scent but Egoiste Platinum for men is amongst the best smelling colognes that I have ever come across.

Gucci Pour Homme– (Travel size Available for around $10) Very unique and just a fantastic fragrance. I don’t think they produce it anymore, though, you might still find a bottle.

Polo Blue– A really fresh scent that won’t overpower but will draw plenty of desired attention.

Conclusion

Okay, I’ve presented you with plenty of options to choose from and have given you my own opinion on the best scents. Keep in mind that not all colognes work for every guy and every lifestyle, so get the right scent for you. Remember that cologne should accentuate and not dominate. Keep the sprays to a minimum and never be obnoxious with the amount of cologne you wear.

How to Quit Energy Drinks and Caffeine

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Over the past decade there has been a proliferation in the marketplace for energy drinks, shots, strips, and chewable tablets. Coffee has been the long-time staple for those who want a boost and eventually become addicted to the caffeine it contains.  Caffeine can be useful in some instances when you need to stave of fatigue and sleepiness but most of the time it is simply unnecessary. Caffeine is also a drug, a stimulant, and even if it is a mild addiction compared to other drugs, it can still have negative impact on both your life and your wallet. If you’ve taken caffeine before you know all about its effects on sleep, the racing thoughts, feelings of stress or anxiety, etc. There are plenty of reasons to kick this habit but like any addiction it requires some work and planning to do so successfully. For our purposes, I wanted to go over a few methods for quitting your caffeine addiction and try to minimize the withdrawal symptoms if those are something that you cannot handle.

In the past two years or so, I have been drinking energy drinks for months at a time before giving them up for a stretch and then returning to them again. It’s weird because in my teenage years, I actually gave up soda completely and went essentially caffeine and sugar free for multiple years. At some point, maybe it was during school in order to keep up, I started to consume those energy drinks. It wasn’t an everyday thing at first but it quickly became a habit and I found myself craving caffeine when I got out of bed. When I logically thought about that fact, I realized how pathetic that was and knew that I needed to quit energy drinks for good.

Why Do You Want to Quit?

The first thing that I did in this process of kicking this addiction was to clearly identify and write down my reasons for doing so. After all, the energy drinks weren’t all bad. I liked the boost of energy and heightened alertness at times so if I am going to quit, I had to identify reasons that were stronger than my enjoyment. Here was my list of reasons:

Erratic sleeping patterns

The sleeping problems were a huge motivation for me to crack this problem. Caffeine and the other stimulants found in energy drinks can wreak havoc on your ability to get to bed on time or will have you waking up intermittently throughout the night.  It became a reinforcing cycle, couldn’t sleep well which resulted in me waking up later or not getting enough sleep, which in turn made me have to rush through my day, drink another energy drink to ‘wake’ myself up, and also affected my ability to stick with my diet plans and undertake other goals.

For me at least, my sleeping pattern is the number one factor that I have identified for getting things done in my life. When it gets out of whack, I eat worse, I exercise less, I read less, I write less, and it goes on down the line like an infection. Even if I had no other problems with energy drinks and caffeine, this factor alone is reason enough to quit because it is hindering my goals for personal growth (see: How to Wake Up Early for Night Owls).

Money

How much money do you spend on your addiction each day? Energy drinks cost between two and four dollars each, so with taxes you could be spending $100 a month just for that extra unnatural pep. Extrapolate that over a whole year and you might be over $1,000 spent, depending on how much you consume.

Think about all of the money you waste by drinking energy drinks or coffee and what you could do with that extra cash. For example, if you have a $20,000 student loan debt, then that $1,000 you spend a year on caffeine drinks accounts for 5% of that loan! $1,000 could be invested for a nice return or used to pay rent or take a vacation. This money is just being wasted on a purchase you really don’t need in the first place.

In addition, I’ve noticed that my spending overall increases when I’m hopped up on an energy drink, I seem to have more impulse buys. Not only that, but because my sleep patterns get out of line, I tend to order out at restaurants for lunch because I didn’t have time to prepare anything before work. That is a big cost over time and only further solidifies my moving away from caffeine.

Health

I really don’t like how my brain and body have been craving caffeine just to get me through the day. Sure, it’s a mild physical dependence that isn’t too bad to get over but I just don’t like the idea of a drink having some psychological power over me. Also, caffeine raises blood pressure, so long term energy drink consumption probably isn’t a great idea. Stress and anxiety levels also tend to be higher on caffeine and stress is one of the biggest health problems in the modern world. Add to the fact, that I make poorer food choices when on caffeine, and it just makes sense for my health’s sake to get rid of them. If you have any type of digestive issue or condition like colitis or IBS, then caffeine consumption is only making things worse for you, so getting off of it would be a great idea.

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Mental Clarity

On caffeine and these similar stimulants, my mind is noticeably alert and I have feelings of being pumped up and ready to go. However, this does not translate well to getting tasks done. While I am alert, I have a hard time focusing on what I need to get done or developing ideas and organizing them. Also, my creativity seems to have dark periods that directly correlate with my energy drink usage as my brain is jumping from thing to thing and never really having much depth to my thoughts at all.

Finding the Root Cause

I also think that it is important to figure out a root cause for the dependency on caffeine. Feeling tired or run down all the time can have its roots in a poor diet, bad sleeping habits, and a lack of exercise. Maybe it was simply a habit that was picked up during a time where you needed that extra energy but now only consume energy drinks because that’s just sort of what you do now.  Whatever the reasoning behind the consumption, if you can identify the underlying factors, it can make the transition away from caffeine and stimulants that much easier.

How to Kick the Habit

There seems to be two methods for quitting caffeine. The first is obviously just stopping your consumption cold turkey. This method is the quickest way but also the most difficult in terms of habit change and withdrawal symptoms. The second is to gradually reduce and eventually eliminate. This method makes it a transition into going without caffeine and energy drinks and not an abrupt stop, which is helpful because it isn’t very difficult and the withdrawals are minimized but it does take planning.

Cold Turkey

This is the method which I utilized the first few days. I felt extremely tired and had a minor headache with cloudy thoughts. It was doable but unfortunately it also coincided with a busy work week and interviews for other jobs. So, I switched to a minor amount of caffeine just to manage the fatigue and get through those few days. I think the cold turkey method is a good choice if you have the time and not much to do, so that you can get in the extra sleep you’ll want and not have to be so irritable.

The Gradual Method

This is the easiest way to kick a caffeine habit. The first step is to determine how much you consume each day. If you have two energy drinks a day, the just giving them up would be a rough go on your body for a week or two. I usually had one energy drink a day in the 16 oz. size, so I wanted to cut that dramatically. I determined that a 16 oz. usually contains 140-160 mg of caffeine and that I wanted to cut that amount significantly to wean myself off of it but still have enough to get through that first week.

I chose to replace an energy drink with a Mountain Dew which contains 91mg of caffeine in a 20 oz. bottle. I only drank half of this bottle and poured the rest of it out, so I ended up consuming roughly 45mg of caffeine. Lipton Green Tea is also a good choice because it has way less caffeine than an energy drink and a different taste, so that you aren’t reinforcing that energy drink flavor.

The goal for me was to keep the total mg of caffeine low so that it didn’t interrupt my sleeping habits but I wasn’t going through with the withdrawals to the same extent.  45 mg of caffeine in the morning on one day and then the next either reduce that amount or just not consume any for that day. It was a good idea for me to schedule the reduction towards the start of the week, so that, by the weekend (my days off work) I could just go without and be able to deal with the rundown feelings by taking naps, eating more fruits and veggies, and not have any stress make the feelings worse.

If you have a major caffeine habit, you simply have to stretch out the time line and slowly reduce the amount of energy drinks, soda, or coffee you drink each day. If you currently consume two 16 oz. energy drinks per day for example, try to reduce that initially to one 16 oz. and one 8 oz. for a few days, then perhaps drop that further to two 8 oz. energy drinks, then to one 8 oz., then to a bottle of green tea, and then eliminate caffeine completely. This is something that needs to be planned out to be most effective. So grab a calendar or a sheet of paper and keep track of how many mg of caffeine you consume and then start reducing it until you can kick the habit completely. It is a very good idea to consume more water during this process and I find that eating healthy foods and satisfying meals throughout the day helps with the cloudy mind somewhat.

Energy drinks, coffee, and other sources of caffeine and stimulants can cause quite an addiction that can cost you money, sleep, and your health but with the right plan you can kick the habit. Quitting caffeine can be one of the best decisions you make in your life because of all the direct and indirect impacts it can have on your behavior and spending habits. Make the choice now to free yourself from this habit and learn to find your natural balance again.

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