Belfast has a long and proud maritime heritage and when Andrew, the captain of Anchor & Crew got in touch, I knew I had the perfect setting for some photos so I took a quick trip to Belfast's Titanic Quarter and got snapping.

Having admired the wrists of fellow bloggers Aftab and Robert when they sported their Anchor & Crew bracelets, I felt very lucky when they offered me my choice of bracelet too.


I opted for the Admiral in taupe. The supple leather is buttery soft and the antiqued anchor clasp is both bold and masculine. The attention to detail is clear from the high quality of the materials used to the cool tin packaging it arrives in.

starboard & port

Earlier this month I was lucky enough to win a competition hosted by Lush Belfast in association with Sea Shepherd.

I'm an occasional Lush shopper, my usual purchase consists of the Ocean Salt scrub, perfect for sloughing away all that dead skin under my beard and helps keep my oily t-zone under control.

• Kalamazoo beard and facial wash
• Dirty shaving creme 
• Dirty solid perfume
• The Guv'ner deodorant powder
• Bunch of Carrots bubble bar

I hadn't tried any of these products previously so I was pretty chuffed and excited to get stuck in and give them a go. I shared my prize pic on twitter and a few fellow bearded bloggers sang the praises of Kalamazoo!


Kalamazoo
I've been using this quite regularly this month, the pot currently resides in the en suite shower. It really does freshen up my skin and helps give my beard a good seeing too. It also helps that it is pretty tasty as I invariably end up with some in my mouth.


Dirty shaving cream
I'll have to admit, I've only given this a limited trial as I don't shave much. But from the little test I had on the nape of my neck, the thick creamy consistency went on smoothly and helped soften down my stubble, I suffer greatly from beard rash regardless of razor, temperature and product and while this didn't work any miracles, I did have a pretty bloodless experience.


Dirty solid perfume
This little gem interested me most. I've been looking for a new summer scent and this is fresh and zingy with hints of citrus and mint (like a wearable mojito). Being a solid, this is handy to chuck into your bag and ideal for holidays as it takes up so little space and comes in well under your liquid allowance.


The Guv'ner
This is an interesting product. I'm  a little paranoid when it comes to deodorant and body odour in general. I always apply a roll on and a spray, perhaps over kill but I never seem to hold scent and would rather smell of deodorant than BO. The Guv'ner is a dry powder, the main ingredients include sodium bicarbonate and charcoal, both known for their abilities to absorb moisture and neutralise smells.


Bunch of Carrots
There were 3 bars in the pack, however, my other half helped himself to one for a bath during the week. A subtle bubble and a fun orange tint to the water was the result. I have a little obsession with rabbits so I just love the quirk of these.

Thanks again to Lush for my wonderful prize, I'll no doubt will be back soon to replace these new favourites!
(Don't forget to take your empties back to Lush for recycling and you'll receive a freebie for your good deed)


Before you rush off to buy your own Lush stash, please check out the great work of Sea Shepherd.

Last Sunday I took myself into Belfast for a good old rummage at the Kloth Vintage Kilo Sale.

I had been sent a fun invitation from Orla, the brains behind Kloth, in the form of a revamped vintage sweatshirt in my favourite shade of green (How did she know?) The premise was simple; pick what you like, take it to be weighed and pay £20.00 per kilo.


 I do love vintage clothing but find the selection here really limited. I think it boils down to men either buying cheap clothes and they end up wearing out and being chucked, or men just don't seem to turn-over their clothes as much as women so there is less to giveaway.

Anyway, I excitedly made my way to Studio Souk who were hosting the event, arriving around 1.10 (it started at 1.00) and my chronic need to be early for things paid off as there was already a swarm of determined vintage shoppers mauling the rails to pick up some bargains.

It was great to see a good menswear offering, with silk bombers, parka jackets, ski coats, Hawaiian shirts, flannel shirts and denim being the main stories.
It was also refreshing to see a great turn out of male shoppers too - just goes to show that there is a market for it here in Belfast and hopefully it is the shape of things to come.

I bumped into my friend Carolyn of Forever Scarlet who was tackling the womenswear section.

I had my eye on a burgundy silk bomber jacket - I envisioned myself as the Driver from Driver. However, the unflattering reality is I'm clearly not Ryan Gosling and resigned myself to allowing a better man than me to carry off the look.

I was pretty pleased with my mini haul. I went for some over-sized pieces, just the sort of comfy casual things you look for for summer, the shirt you pull on at a barbecue when the sun goes down.
I was also delighted to pick up a vintage Levi denim jacket - I begrudge buying a high street knockoff when I can have the real thing.

My blog has been going for 2 years this July - it's hard to think what I did before I poured my word jumble on the posts here but I'm very grateful to the folks who read it and the kind companies who have supported me.

Speaking of, Guide London recently sent me a fantastic long sleeve jersey shirt to celebrate my mini-milestone of reaching 200 likes on the Rogues+Brogues facebook page so I thought I'd say thank you to them and to you with a little giveaway. The shirt is in a rich marsala colour (Pantone's colour of the year dontcha know) with a contrasting dark chambray trim at the collar and cuffs.



Simply complete the widget below to enter! Competition closes Friday 8th May!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*prize sponsored by Guide London. Shirt size medium - no alternative given. I reserve the right to amend or withdraw the conditions of this competition at any time