Category: Lifestyle

Best Cocktails for NYE

Posted on by louis polo

The Holiday/Christmas season is certain my favorite – How predictable - I love the spirit of giving and the sense of family that most of us opt to embrace. I feel very fortunate for being able to spend this special season with my family and dear friends for the past years. Now that things have shifted a little and I’m currently living in Palm Springs, a few thousand miles from my family, I’ve opted to do things a little different.

I don’t know if you can relate, but it seems like all the Christmas/Holiday parties, gathering, or celebrations usually don’t involve any creative cocktails. Wines, some kind of liquor, or eggnog, mostly surround these gatherings. As a host, when I thought of “Cocktails” I immediately associated it with expensive and elaborated drinking, but I’ve come to understand that is really not.

I decided to share a list of my five favorite cocktails for this celebratory season (or any occasion) that require minimum ingredients and easy making process. I tried to include very different drinks, to potentially fulfill your guest’s cocktail preferences.

1. The Hurricane

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 Oz Dark rum
  • 2 Oz Lemon juice
  • 2 Oz orange and passion fruit
  • Club soda
  • Crushed ice cubes
  • Lemon wedges and fresh
  • cranberries, to decorate

Directions:

  • Fill an 8 Oz glass with crushed ice.
  • Shake the rum, lemon juice, and orange and passion fruite juice until well combined and pour into the glass.
  • Top off with a splash of club soda and garnish with lemon wedges and cranberries

2. La Bodeguita

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp simple sugar syrup
  • 1.5 Oz Jamaican rum
  • 2 Oz of lemon juice
  • Club Soda
  • Crushed ice cubes
  • Fresh mint leaves to taste, plus extra to decorate
  • Lemon wedges as garnish

Directions

  • Put the simple sugar syrup, mint leaves, and lime juice in a small jar and mash the mint leaves with a muddler or spoon.
  • Add crushed ice cubes and the Jamaican rum,
  • Top off with a splash of club soda
  • Dress with mint leaves and lemon wedges

3. Cordless Screwdriver

Ingredients

  • Juicy orange wedges
  • Granulated sugar
  • 1.5 Oz chilled vodka

Directions:

Based on the pictures, I would think the making process of this drink is very self-explanatory, but let me breakdown the few steps.

  • Rub the rim of the shot glasses with an orange wedge, then dip in a saucer of sugar to frost
  • Pour the chilled vodka into the shot glass
  • Dip an orange wedge into the sugar
  • Down the vodka in one gulp and suck on the orange : )

4. Palm Beach Martini

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 Oz white rum
  • 1 Oz of gin
  • 2 Oz Pineapple Juice
  • Fresh cranberries and  lemon wedges to decorate

Directions:

  • Shake the rum, gin, and pineapple juice vigorously over ice until well frosted
  • Strain into a chilled martini glass
  • Complement with cranberries and lemon wedge on the side of the glass

5. Bellini

Ingredients:

  • Lemon wedge
  • Granulated sugar
  • 2 Oz peach juice
  • 2.5 Oz Chilled champagne

Directions:

  • Rub the rim of a chilled champagne flute with the lemon wedge, then dip in a saucer of sugar to frost.
  • Pour peach juice into the prepared glass
  • Add the chilled champagne

Now is time to partyyyyyy..!! Remember, DON’T drink and drive. Happy New Year : )

Until next time,

 

Is All About The Rings

Posted on by louis polo

When it comes to accessories, I feel that rings are often underestimated or not taken under consideration, especially when it comes to men’s fashion. When shopping, I mostly thought of sunglasses, watches, and shoes regarding accessories. I finally decided to step out of comfort zone and try other things besides the two simple rings I owned. I clearly didn’t want to spend a ton of money on rings; I wasn’t looking for anything fancy our expensive, especially because I’m one of those who lose everything!

After browsing online for a few hours I came to the conclusion that asos.com and topman.com are the two popular brands that carry the biggest selection of affordable and stylish rings for men. I was looking for a few statement pieces to complement my accessory squat, and thanks to these two brands, I found it! Of course, if looking for more precious choices, Gucci, Prada, Pandora, and similar brands, carry great selections. After adding a few rings to my cart, I decided to separate my shopping selection into two categories; Statement rings and base rings. I figured this form of categorizing was going to be an effective way of organizing my “shopping list.” I wanted to make sure I was purchasing what I was most likely to wear.

Statement rings are those that have a more artistic approach. Beautiful stones, carving, dry brushing effect, engraved design, etc.

Base rings refer to those finger accessories that are complemented by a simple design. A plain/solid metal band with limited or no design that may come in different sizes, shapes, or dimensions.

Combining these two “types” of rings will help you create a more balance style and will add great character to your looks. When attempting to wear a formal attire, I suggest wearing no more than two rings. You still want to keep the harmony and formality to your clothing pieces. Always think of what kind of event you’ll be attending and be creative! I would love to know how do you style your rings and what are you favorite places to shop. Let’s go! Share your tips 🙂

Until next time,

SHOPPING SUGGESTIONS

 

Katy Perry’s INDI

Posted on by louis polo

      Let me just start by expressing what a great honor it was for me to participate in this campaign! I was more than thrilled  to be given the opportunity to share my story along with many other people around the globe.

For me, the concept of individuality doesn't necessarily reflects being isolated from the rest, it means embracing everything that makes you special and sharing it with the world. The concept of individuality goes beyond differences, I strongly believe we can use it as a tool to highlight all the reasons and excuses of why we should cheer one another. It all follows the simple concepts of respect, love, and inclusivity. I encourage you to look around you and embrace all those things you perceived as "strange" or "different," I promise you will begin to experience your surroundings from a completely different level.

Let's be Different . Together.

Here they are! October Essentials

Posted on by louis polo

October is all about transitioning; putting the swim shorts back in the closet and letting go of the sandals. This is the season in which I start finding myself spending more and more time indoors. I get into the "Netflix & Chill" mode, popcorn popping, and the hot chocolate mugs start to resurrect. For me, being home also means trying new grooming products and experimenting with new trends or hacks - What can I say, I truly enjoy being home 🙂

As part of our monthly ritual, here are the items/products I mostly enjoyed using this past month. Cheers to Autumn!

Until next time,

1. Rugged & Dapper

Okay y'all... I have to admit, this was the latest addition to my October faves, I've only been using Rugged & Dapper products for a few days and it was enough to top all other items. They were nice enough to send me their entire collection so I've only had the chance to use two of their gems (Body wash - shampoo & Age defense cream).

The shampoo/body wash smells great and has a very peculiar consistency - at least what I could perceive - It left my hair soft and took care of my body's excess oil. I was really skeptical about trying a new shampoo/body wash considering that I've been using popular brand names for most of my life, but I'm so happy I did, it was worth the shift!

As for the age defense cream, the first thing that crossed my mind was "I'll never be using this," well guess what... I use it twice a day and I'm really liking how my face is starting to feel.

2. Richmond & Finch (White Marble Case)

Although this product is very straight forward, I enjoyed all the attention I received. I thought it was really cool how people would stop me and ask me about my iPhone case. The marble effect and the gold stripe was what originally captivated my attention. Now that I own the case, I think the reasons why I like it so much is because it looks great on flatlays and because of its light weight.

3. Aqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani

Moving on to fragrances, this Aqua Di Gio has definitely fulfilled my tastes. I'm usually into "not-very-strong" odors that can make a statement and at the same time leave everybody wondering - In a good sense. This fragrance smells/feels very sexy and casual. In other words, something that you would wear to a nice dinner but will also blend perfectly at the club. To illustrate my words, Aqua Di Gio is my to-go fragrance with a suit or with a leather jacket - NO, I'm not kidding! I've been rocking it way too much.

4. Ghostek Charging Tablet Bag

Okay y'all! This is definitely the most functional and coolest item of this month's list. This Ghostek bag pretty much serves as a power bank. Yes, it is designed specifically for tablets/iPads but you can charge just about anything. It comes with chargers for the most common androids and cameras, but it has a USB connector on the side which you can use for just about any portable device (except laptops). I've been in love with this bag, considering is mainly for charging purposes the bag looks pretty stylish. The size is perfect for traveling and for storing your daily on-the-go things like your keys, phone, wallet, etc. Definitely two thumbs up for this bag 🙂

5. René Furterer Complex 5

Now, let me introduce you to my latest obsession. I've been using René Furterer's complexe 5 for the past few months irregularly, but last month I decided devote myself to it in order to see faster results. I've always had really short hair, and being a man, I never did anything special to take care of it. It wasn't until I started using this product and after seeing the results that I became more conscious of my hair care.

I'm in the process of achieving strong and healthy hair with Complexe 5 and for the past 2 weeks I've been significantly noticing positive results. I'm really in love with what I'm seeing and I really appreciate that its formulated with more than 50% of pure essential oils of orange and lavender. I honestly can't wait to see the final results! Let me know what you guys think 🙂

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Top 5 September Essentials

Posted on by louis polo

I'm  pretty sure we all have certain items we particularly love and enjoy using. For whatever reason, without certain pieces our daily routine feels incomplete. Accessories, grooming products, skin care tools, and many other interesting things can fall into our "favorite" category. Because I'm always trying new things, is very hard for me to stick to just one favorite item/product. As much as I love and enjoy them, I always feel eager to try new things. If the new product doesn't provide the desire results, I go back to using my original favorite - that simple!

It was extremely hard to breakdown all my favorites into just 5, but I decided to select those I've used the most. Check out my final 5 favorites of the month of August and why I enjoyed them so much.

Until next time,

 

 

1. The Art of Shaving

This particular shaving brush from The Art of Shaving has become my favorite lately because of how soft and easy to clean it is. I hate when the "hair" of the brush starts to fall everywhere, but thankfully it has not happened with this particular brush - Awesome!

2. H&M Black Shades

I've been using these minimalist H&M all black shades way TOO much (yes! with emphasis) Not only because they were super affordable, but because I feel like they fit my face's shape particularly well.

3. Silver Serzh Pegasus Silk Scarves

This simple yet well elaborated scarf is the perfect excuse to accessorize any piece - oh, and it also works perfect as a neck scarf. I particularly love the color and its creative design!

4. Vince Camuto

Do you want to wear something that makes a stamp because of its great smell ?  This Vince Camuto is literally LIFE! I always get completed and asked about it when I wear it. Definitely 2 thumbs up!

5. Fossil Q Marshall Smart Watch

I never felt any attraction for smart watches, specially because most the are not that stylish, but when I saw this Fossil watch I felt in love immediately. I've been using it almost every day and is a great way to keep up with my calls and texts when I don't have my phone on hand.

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