[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="254922" img_size="medium" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=923405&u=2025094&m=68246&urllink=www%2Eallbirds%2Ecom%2Fproducts%2Fmens%2Dtree%2Ddashers&afftrack="][vc_column_text]We all want to...

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We are always in awe when we see Conor McGregor flash one of his newest timepieces. But his latest choice in wrist candy – "The Hulk" – has a particularly special 'Irish' twist.
It's also worth more than AU$150,000, and is sending the world's watch aficionados into a frenzy.
Conor McGregor un...

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Swiss watch brand SevenFriday has always been one to distance itself from the crowd. Just one glance at its unique timepieces and it’s immediately clear the company doesn’t conform to the ‘regular’ look of analogue watches.

The non-conformity continues with the company’s latest release, the P3C/03 Beach Club. Sticking to its tried and tested formula of square-faced timepieces, the Beach Club not only distances itself from other brands in terms of design – and the brand has always been about design first and foremost – but the way in which it tells the time too. You might take a quick look at the dial and wonder what the hell is going on. It’s actually rather simple.

You have traditional hour and minute hands with a minutes counter at the outermost point of the dial. Then you have two sub-dials: at 4 o’clock is a small seconds indicator and at 9 o’clock is a 24-hour indicator. The company is fully aware its watches don’t follow conventional rules – the V3/01 is a further testament to that – but telling the time will be like riding a bicycle once you’ve spent a little time getting to understand it.

SevenFriday has deliberately targeted this watch to the frequent beach-goer with a colour-scheme to reflect, with aqua blue being a prominent colour to represent the sea and a hint of yellow to resemble the sun. Add to that a 10ATM water resistance thanks to a screw-down crown and a black canvas strap with calf leather lining and you have yourself the ideal beachside companion.

Under the hood is an automatic Miyota 82S7 movement (the company always turns to Japan for its movements, using either Miyota or Seiko) and Asia also where the watch is assembled. The company is transparent with the way its watches are designed and manufactured, with design coming straight out of its head office in Zurich, so they’re Swiss-designed, not Swiss-made. This information is displayed via a globe on the caseback of the watch, which doubles up as an NFC chip which connects to a companion app.

Read Next

• Great Value Men’s Watches When You Have Between $1,000 & $2,000 To Spend
• Heavy Duty Watches Approved For Tradies, Outdoors & The Action Man

The post SevenFriday’s Latest Watch Release Will Have Surfers & Swimmers Frothing appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Instagram is now home to countless fitness and nutrition influencers, so many in fact, it’s virtually impossible to get an exact number. Anyone and everyone is can post content to their feed in the hope it will be picked up by wannabe workout warriors around the world, who deem their posts to be the ones to follow.

We have no doubts that many of you reading this will be following at least one or two fitness accounts, whether it be to find new exercises to try in the gym (or at home, as is the case is right now) or to get new recipes to keep our bodies in the best shape possible.

The sheer scale of the influencer industry got us wondering just how much Instagram has affected the fitness landscape in Australia. If an account gets picked up and starts trending, it not only leads to an inevitable gain in followers but said influencer can then command exclusive deals with fitness brands, protein products (even the ones that might not be so effective) to promote and ultimately earn themselves a career. A quick gym session in return for a payout isn’t exactly a bad way to make a living.

Business Insider has spoken to fitness influencer Elliot Burton on this matter, who said, “Individuals are quick to adhere to the words of big-name influencers who get big-name money to promote detox teas and weight loss plans that aren’t credible or even healthy”

“If your values aren’t in the right place you may do things that add a stigma to the label,”

“If you’re providing people with genuine value and not just trying to squeeze them for every penny they have, then I think you can have such a positive impact.’

 

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A post shared by Lachie Brycki (@lachiebrycki) on Feb 10, 2020 at 12:40am PST

We wanted to do some digging of our own, so reached out to Sam Wood, an Instagram user with a 276,000-strong following and a man who doesn’t consider himself a fitness influencer, but more of a guy who is “on a mission to help people move more, eat better and make positive change” – which he does via his 28 by Sam Wood brand of quick workouts and recipes – to get his perspective of on how social media has changed the way we eat and the way we workout.

We first asked Sam straight up if he agrees that Instagram has changed the way Australian men get their fitness and nutrition information.

“This is a great question”, he replies (thanks, Sam) “because it comes down to inspo (inspirational) vs credible info.”

“The reason it’s effective is that Instagram brings the information to you, rather than you having to go and find it.”

But compared with information you could get from a credible online source when surfing the web, Sam warns us not all is always good in Instagram-land. “The danger is you are often drawn to someone’s aesthetic rather than their qualifications and knowledge. It tends to show you lots of exercises that look fantastic but don’t necessarily have any functional benefit to you.”

This is in addition to Sam’s previous comments for another article that suggested Instagram can be riddled with ‘fake’ users and we shouldn’t always believe what we see.

We’ve reported before on how Instagram has affected the ‘ideal male body image‘, with the most recent trend edging towards a leaner look as opposed to huge dudes that resemble modern-day Schwarzeneggers. So if it’s the leaner look you want, you obviously need to carefully curate your Instagram feed to reflect this.

And remember, once you’ve found someone you want to look like, it can take a serious amount of time in the gym and in the kitchen to achieve a similar look. Fitness influencers workout for a living, you may not have the same sort of time on your hands to focus on getting the exact look you want.

 

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A post shared by 28 by Sam Wood (@28bysamwood) on Apr 13, 2020 at 2:45am PDT

It could be argued that forming nutrition ideals in Australia is relatively easy since this nation tends to be more health-focused than most (it’s certainly a view this British writer has noticed since arriving down under).

Step into any cafe in any city in Australia and you’re virtually guaranteed to find dishes involving avocado feature on the menu, a range of salads and all manner of super-smoothies. Open up your Instagram feed and it’s likely a number of influencers you follow will have their own spin on these same menu items.

As for whether Sam thinks Instagram has an influence on the nutrition ideals Australian men aspire to, he says, “Yes, I think it’s very hard to argue against this.”

“I love that seeing a physique that you would love to have is perhaps the catalyst for getting people moving, but people absolutely need to understand that these freak fitness physiques should not be what we are aiming to have.”

“People should be focusing on being healthy and strong far before worrying about what they look like from an aesthetic perspective.”

“We should ask ourselves: ‘Do I feel good? Is my energy increasing? Am I sustaining my momentum during the day? Do I feel happier? Do I have more clarity? Do I feel more motivated? And not just: ‘What do I look like?”

Ultimately, it seems, Instagram has a profound effect on the ideals Australian men aspire to. With so many of us scrolling, liking and following accounts every day, it should be no surprise that what we consider to be the absolute goal is influenced by the content we see.

Read Next

• How The Perfect Male Physique Has Changed Over 10 Years Of Instagram
• Sam Wood Proves You Shouldn’t Believe Everything You See On Instagram

The post Instagram Fitness: How Insta’ Changed Australian Men’s Workouts appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

In what will no doubt be news to the ears of Australians everywhere, you will soon be able to don your best gym gear, dust off your training shoes and forget all about home ‘grim gyms’, as ‘proper’ gyms in Australia can soon re-open their doors to paying members…albeit with a slight catch.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has today (Friday 7th May) announced a plan toward lifting the restrictions currently in place,

“Today, National Cabinet agreed a three-step plan and a national framework to achieve a COVID-safe economy and society. It is our goal to move through all of these steps to achieve that COVID-safe economy in July of this year.”

Restaurants and cafes fall into the stage one category, meaning they will be among the first to re-open, and perhaps more importantly, outdoor bootcamps of up to 10 people can resume as part of the stage one relaxation as well.

But full-scale gyms won’t be too far behind as they’ve been deemed worthy of securing a place in the stage two category. While that would initially seem like great news for fitness fanatics all over Australia, there is some bad news hidden within the announcement.

As part of the relaxing of restrictions, Prime Minister understandably says we still need to be careful and take precautionary methods so as not to reintroduce the virus into society. According to ABC, that means only 20 people will be allowed entry into gyms at one time. That’s fine if you’re a member of a private or less-frequented club, but members of the larger corporate studios may find themselves waiting in a queue outside the door operating on a one-in, one-out policy.

We’re just projecting with that last part, so don’t take that as gospel.

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Although, there is potentially some truth in our prediction, as F45 has said (before the National Cabinet outcome was announced) it is currently taking “registrations of interest” from current members to be part of the “opening intake” when studios re-open. The company’s reasoning being “there are likely going to be restrictions on capacity.”

Harsh? Maybe. Understandable? Definitely.

We haven’t heard of other clubs adopting a similar policy as of yet, but you’ll do well to prepare yourself to be one of the first past the post if you want a chance of rebuilding those gains.

The PM added that it will be down to individual states and territories to decide when to introduce the changes (NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has already said any outcomes of this National Cabinet won’t be introduced this weekend) and also revealed: “some jurisdictions may allow larger numbers in some circumstances.”

Fitness Australia, the leading fitness body in the country has already commented on the lifting of the laws, saying “today’s announcement that will see the delivery of outdoor bootcamps up to 10 people occurring in Stage 1 and gyms re-opening in Stage 2, has been welcomed by Fitness Australia.”

The body’s CEO Barrie Elvish added, “With exact timing of re-openings to be determined at a state and territory level, Fitness Australia has been working extensively state governments to develop a comprehensive framework for the safe re-opening of gyms”

“Exercise and maintaining a regular fitness routine play an important role in keeping our mental and physical health in balance and we are very happy to see outdoor and then indoor activity playing a key role in each of the roadmap stages”.

Interestingly, Fitness Australia doesn’t mention the 20 person limit, so this could be one area that will be at the discretion of individual states.

Read Next

• Australians Tragically Forced To Endure ‘Grim Gyms’ To Maintain Fitness Routine
• Healthy Australians Recovering From COVID-19 Describe Damaging Impact On Fitness

The post Gyms Reopen: But There’s A Catch appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

You can’t put a price on happiness; but can you bottle it?

Everyone knows the difference between an $8 and $80 wine, but when it comes to $80 vs. $800—opinion is split.

When is it worth it to splash out? Is there a certain point where it just can’t get any better? We talk to James Young (Sales Manager at Torbreck Vinters) and Alex Russell (a postdoctoral fellow at CQ University Australia who did his PhD in taste and smell perception with an emphasis on wine) to get the inside info flowing.

Sensory Characteristics

Whistle-blowers argue that once you surpass the $80 mark, wines only taste better or worse than one another by chance.

“Wines priced in that range are priced where they are because of demand for that particular wine, because the winery wants to imply value, or because of ‘borrowed’ demand for the region from which the wine comes.”

Alex Russell confirmed that an $800 bottle rarely tastes 10 times better than an $80 bottle. However, he doesn’t completely agree with the cynics, saying that the price-tag is justified in other ways. 

“A wine won’t continue to retail for $800 every year if no one sees any value there.”

James Young from Torbrecks added to this, saying that although you can’t always taste the most significant points of difference (see below), an $800 bottle of wine is typically of a higher quality because it comes from a lower yield crop, and receives greater attention to detail.

“If you’re buying a cheaper wine the yield’s probably six to eight tons on the acre. With $800 bottles it’s no more than one and a half tons on the acre. Also, everything is hand tended, so attention to detail creates a more expensive product.”

Cultural Capital

According to Alex: Wines are like art. Some are more valuable than others, but not because of their physical characteristics.

“We can all probably agree that with cars, when you pay more, the difference in quality is fairly evident. They have more bells and whistles, or they go faster, etc. But the quality of a painting is more subjective, and paying more doesn’t necessarily get you something that almost everyone would agree is better. Still, particular painters are sought after and it is the same for particular winemakers, or wine labels. Their prices often reflect that.”

Although the cost of producing an $80 vs. $800 bottle of wine doesn’t vary in direct proportion to the final product’s price, there is only so much of each vintage to go around. So if a particular wine gets amazing reviews, and everyone wants it, then the supplier may increase their costs.

For this reason, James Young says the answer to, “Is it worth it?”, will change depending on who you’re asking.

“Is it worth $750? Well, personally I can’t spend that much money on a bottle of wine. But is it (Torbreck’s Laird vintage) one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted? Absolutely!”

Although he wouldn’t pay that much for a wine himself, he understands how to some people the rarity and fineness of The Laird are worth paying for (and why it always sells out).

How It Will Age

According to Alex Russell, one of the features you’re paying for when you buy an $800 bottle of wine is how well it will age. But really it depends on a lot of factors, like which grape the wine is made from, who made the wine, and where it is from. 

“All other things equal (region, grape, vintage, etc), a $50 wine may age for as long as, or almost as long as, a $200 wine, but it’s unlikely a $10 wine will age well.”

Generally: the more expensive the wine, the more likely it is to age well. However, if you like the softer taste of a well-aged wine, you may get more value for money from a well-aged $80 bottle than a newly-released $800 bottle.

“Younger wines are more oaky and bigger.”

Climate & Geography

Once you get into the upper price range you see a lot of single vineyard wines. According to James Young; this unique expression of a site and an area is another crucial feature included in the $800 price tag.

Another aspect worth researching is the climactic conditions of the year your favourite vintages were produced. If you fall intoxicatingly in love with a heady 2005 vintage, yet find the 2006 release of the same wine hard to swallow—the difference could be climate.

For example, the 2005 Laird—a limited edition, $750 wine—has a similar flavour profile to the 2015 vintage Runrig ($255), because they were both produced in particularly warm years, which produced rich, full bodied, aromatic wines. So a bit of research could save you a lot of money.

Who You’re With

Alex Russell says when deciding on how much of your finances to lavish upon grape-juice, it’s important to consider who you’ll be sharing it with. A 20 year anniversary might warrant more than a goon-sack, and an after work tipple might not warrant the Barossa Valley’s finest offerings.

“The experience of drinking a really expensive bottle, particularly with the right company, or for the right occasion, will stick with you for many years. I’ve shared some great bottles with friends and family over the years and you’d be surprised how often they come up in conversation. A bottle of Bollinger 2004 La Grande Année champers (about $300) that I opened one Christmas is a particularly fond memory for my father-in-law.”

James Young agreed, likening wine to fashion.

“Wine is often about image projection, like a famous handbag or watch. I’ve got a $100 watch and it does me fine. I’m not a watch aficionado but some people are—and they’re prepared to spend a lot of money on a watch.”

He also mentioned the exclusivity factor.

“If you could buy Gucci or Armani suits you would; if you can’t you don’t. But there’s more care in detail when it’s made. And even then I know guys who can afford certain wines but they don’t have access to them because they’re so rare.”

Recommendations

For those who really care about their wine, savouring and enjoying these special wines is worth the cost. If you’re not that interested in the detail, geography and history, then the value probably isn’t there for you.

“If you know a bottle is expensive, it usually shapes how much you like the wine when you drink it”. 

Red Wine FAQ

Read Next

• The Best Australian Shiraz, According To People Who Drink It For A Living
• The Best Australian Online Wine Stores To Satisfy Your Inner Sommelier

The post The Difference Between An $800 & $80 Bottle Of Red Wine appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Nothing quite stirs the emotions like nostalgia. The feeling of being transported back to yesteryear and how things used to be is one that brings joy to many. It’s no different within the technology industry. Products and ideas come and go in the blink of an eye, so when a company decides to resurrect an old design that once proved popular, we sit up and take notice.

That’s certainly the case with the flip phone. Once under the ownership of teenagers and young professionals everywhere, being able to flip your phone open to take a call and then snap it shut to hang up was oh so cool. So when Samsung said it was bringing back the flip design in the form of the Galaxy Z Flip, we were hooked on the prospect.

We’ve spent a fair amount of time with Galaxy Z Flip, using it as a daily device to see just how well it can replace the now common brick-like phones that fill our pockets. There’s certainly plenty to shout about, but as with many devices, there are some things we think could do with improvement.

Quick Facts

Cost: A$2,199
Display:  6.7-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED, 425ppi; 1.1-inch Super AMOLED, 303ppi
Camera: Dual rear-facing camera; 12MP Ultra Wide Lens, 12MP Wide-Angle lens. 10MP Front-Facing
Processor & RAM: 2.95GHz Octa-core; 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
Battery: 3,300mAh
Weight: 183g
Colours: Mirror Black, Mirror Purple, Mirror Gold

1. It’s Ever So Shiny

When we took our Galaxy Z Flip out of the box we were immediately startled by how shiny the Mirror Black finish was. It certainly lives up to its name, but it is a fingerprint magnet first and foremost. The sheen does, however, give it an incredibly premium look and coupled with the metal build, a premium feeling too. This is a phone you want to be seen with.

2. Flip It Real Good

Naturally, after caressing its glossy exterior, the next thing we had to do was flip it open (and post the opening ceremony to our Instagram story, obviously). Immediately you’re hit right in the nostalgic feels, although it’s not as easy to open with one hand as its ancestors.

We found we were using two hands more often than not, partly because we didn’t want to risk dropping the damn thing, but also because one hand couldn’t quite muster the strength.

3. The Screen

Other than the flip action, the main talking point about the Galaxy Z Flip is the screen. For the tech-heads, what you’re getting is something Samsung likes to call “Infinity Flex”. In real-world language, it’s a plastic OLED display with an ultra-thin glass layer over the top.

You can feel the hinge where it bends too, and at certain angles in certain lights, you can see it, but it’s something Samsung couldn’t avoid. In general use, you can’t see it at all and it doesn’t affect the experience, you’re just reminded it’s there when you have to scroll up and down a page.

As for the quality of the display, if you’re familiar with Samsung then the Z Flip offers much of the same experience. It’s vibrant and punchy, but without being too over-saturated. Chuck on an animated Disney Pixar movie for example and you’ll immediately see what we mean.

What we’re trying to say is this is a very good display indeed.

4. First, Lemme Take A Selfie

Besides its screen technology, Samsung has always excelled in the camera department on its flagship devices. The Galaxy Z Flip is no different, and because of the flip, it has a nifty trick up its sleeve. With traditional brick-like phones, you need to use the front-facing camera to take a selfie. While that may be an option on the Z Flip too when the screen is open, you can use the rear camera to take one too.

When the screen is shut, you can double press the side action button to bring up a view on the small 1.1-inch display (more on that later) to take a picture of your own mug using the dual-camera setup on the back…or the front, as the case may be.

5. That Second Screen

So, that tiny 1.1-inch display on the front. It’s there to show the time, notifications, and music playback controls. To wake it up, double-tap it, and then scroll left to view notification icons or right to view music controls. You can tap on individual notifications to view some basic information, such as the user who’s liked an Instagram post, but to do anything else you need to open the phone up.

We would’ve liked to have seen a larger display on the top half of the phone, if only just to be able to show us a larger image for taking selfies, or a few more lines of text from notifications. It seems as though Samsung has chosen the size to match the size of the camera unit, which works on a design perspective, but on a practical basis, it doesn’t add much to the experience.

6. Some Default Settings Will Need Changing

As we said in our intro, being able to flip a phone open to receive a call made you feel like King Dick. That same feeling can be invoked with the Galaxy Z Flip, but you’ll need to dive into the settings to switch the feature on. By default, when you open the phone and hold it to your ear, you continue to get the ringtone…only louder. Don’t worry, you can still snap it down to shut up whoever’s on the other end right out of the box.

Oh, and you’ll also do well to install the Google Keyboard and Google Messages apps. Samsung’s pre-installed ones are pretty rubbish.

7. Android Is The Star Of The Show

This should come as common knowledge, but just in case, the Galaxy Z Flip runs on the latest version of Google’s Android operating system: Android 10. In fact, pretty much anything that isn’t Apple will run on Android.

On a personal note, it’s because of this that I can’t imagine I’d ever buy the Galaxy Z Flip, but that’s only because I’m far too invested in the Apple ecosystem. My colleagues have made the move to Android to great effect, but for myself, it will never happen. I’m very much of the mindset that it’s the software that can make or break a phone. The Z Flip could have the absolute best features ever, but because it’s Android, I won’t have it.

My first few days using the Z Flip were a re-learning curve of sorts, as I haven’t always been so loyal to the fruit-based tech company. I’ve owned Android devices before, but I was definitely out of my depth and had to turn to Google for several how-to articles.

Once I was relatively up to speed, I was happy to use the Android system. I have to say it’s fast and responsive, but again, because I’m too Apple-minded, I felt some features such as the layout of the settings menu to be pretty annoying. This may be pretty trivial for some, but I like knowing exactly where to find something, and I just find Apple’s iOS system more intuitive.

Don’t let my personal vendetta against Android affect your decision making. You may feel you’re ready to jump ship to Android, or if you’re already part of the Android Army then you’ll have no issues using the Z Flip whatsoever.

8. It’s Not So Bad In Your Pocket After All

We’ll hold our hands up to this one. A while ago, we published an article suggesting flip phones, when shut, would cause an unsightly bulge in your pants (the bad kind).

Perhaps that was a little too judgemental, as having spent some time with the Galaxy Z Flip we can now begrudgingly say that while it does still protrude more than most other slimline phones, the unavoidable bulge is not as much of a burden as we first assumed.

We’d still take a regular brick phone any day of the week, but the Samsung’s smooth shiny surfaces make sliding it in and out an absolute breeze.

9. Face Detection Could Be Better

The majority of flagship phones these days omit the once all-too-common fingerprint scanners in favour of facial recognition to unlock the device. Fingerprint scanning is still available, but you’re encouraged to use your face instead. Coming from an iPhone, we’re used to our phone being unlocked in super quick time, even at angles and while wearing sunglasses and hats.

We found the system on the Samsung to be lagging behind a little, especially in low light. From our experience, low light conditions don’t pose much of a problem for the iPhone, but with the Samsung, it either took quite a long time for the phone to recognise our mug before unlocking, or it wouldn’t recognise it at all, meaning we had to enter the backup passcode.

10. It’s Undeniably Cool

We could have put this point at the end, but we thought we’d get it out the way now. Don’t even try and argue with us when we claim the Galaxy Z Flip a cool phone. You want people to see you with it. Not only because it’s a flip, but because not many people will have one. You can stand out from the crowd.

We loved laying in bed, with the screen slightly angled, scrolling through news feeds. The screen is tall when fully extended, but being able to angle it towards your face looks awesome when you see the page scroll round the bend.

11. The Battery Is Pretty Average

Battery life can often be a dealbreaker when choosing a new phone and with the Galaxy Z Flip, you’re not going to get the absolute best. It offers good performance there’s no doubt about that, and we found ourselves able to get through a whole day before needing to charge overnight, but we only used it mildly.

If you’re someone who wants to watch TV shows or movies throughout the day or spends hours on end swiping through TikTok videos, you’re going to find you’ll need to be plugging it in way before bedtime.

We did, however, find it charged pretty quickly via USB-C (this is the only physical port on the Z Flip, so you’ll need to invest in wireless Bluetooth headphones for music) and if you want, you can turn the phone into a wireless charging pad to wirelessly charge any other Qi-enabled devices you may have.

12. There’s A Thom Browne Edition

Which is even cooler.

13. Just One More Mention About The Camera

The overall performance of the rear camera is pretty damn good. It’s not the absolute best camera Samsung produces, but the shots it takes are typical of the South Korean company. They’re vibrant, full of colour and packed with detail.

There are extra options such as Pro mode which lets you fine-tune all manner of settings including ISO and aperture, and the view updates live, so whatever changes you make are instantly reflected on the screen. Super slow-mo video records one second of video at 960 frames per second (although technically on the Z Flip it’s recorded at 480fps and digitally enhanced to 960fps)

The flip action isn’t just for show either, but it gives the Z Flip some extra features that other phones can replicate. Chief among them is it can act as a tripod when taking photos. Open the camera app, bend the screen and you’ll notice the screen instantly transforms to put the field of view in the top half and camera controls on the bottom.

The bottom half then acts as a solid base to help you take pictures without the risk of motion blur.

14. It’s A Phone For Movie Lovers

One of the best things we found when using the Galaxy Z Flip is that it’s great for watching movies and TV shows. Why? Because when you rotate the screen, it’s dimensions lend itself to displaying a 21:9 aspect ratio, meaning you can say goodbye to the black bars that envelop videos on other devices.

Coupled with the Z Flip’s gorgeous display and you can happily while away the hours engrossed in the latest binge-worthy series (we found The Mandalorian on Disney+ to be particularly stunning).

15. It’s Expensive

It’s not always nice to end on a bit of a bum note, but there’s no ignoring the fact the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is a pricey phone. It costs $2199 here in Australia. That’s $200 more than the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the company’s other flagship device that gives you more in the camera department for starters, and 5G connectivity if you’re on a network that supports it.

Read Next

• Why The Flip Phone Is Making A Comeback After 15 Years
• The Android Feature That Uncovered My Big Problem

The post Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Review: 15 Things We Loved & Loathed About It appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

There aren’t really many things a guy can really do to prepare for a date. Pre-prepared talking points never work and no mental training is ever really going to make you the perfect date.

So what can you do to make sure you’re going into any date feeling as confident and attractive as possible? We believe that the answer lies in good grooming.

Provide a well-put-together image of yourself right from the outset, and you can’t really lose. Here’s five steps to make sure you do every time.

Washing & Showering

The cornerstone of any well-groomed gent is a clean base to work with. It’s not worth pretending that whatever shower gel you choose will have much effect on the way you smell by the time you get to your date, but making sure you’re cleaning the bacteria out of the warmer parts of your body will help counter BO as the night goes on.

Have a thorough clean, use a face wash to restore order back to your pores, and shampoo to bring a bit of lust and sheen into your hair. All of this will reset your body to build on with whatever products you like the most.

Oral Hygiene

It’s probably not that big of a deal how your breath smells once you’re a meal and a couple of cocktails deep.

First impressions are everything though, and you want the first kiss on the cheek to be as pleasant for your date as possible. That means brushing, flossing, and using gum up until the point you’re about to meet them. You only have one smile, so make it the best it can be.

Apply Fragrance

The time immediately after getting out of the shower is the best time to apply both anti-perspirant and your choice of cologne, mainly because your skin is as clean and open as it possibly can be.

We generally advocate using a clean smelling antiperspirant and layering cologne over the top. You don’t want to smell like an explosion in the cosmetics isle at Woolies.

Use our guide on how to apply and store cologne to ensure that you’re achieving the perfect balance of scent and strength.

Fix Your Hair

By this time, your hair will probably be at the point where it’s just damp enough to begin styling, and not too wet to apply any product.

If your hair looks best unkept, so be it. If not, bust out all the stops that you wouldn’t normally do day-to-day, but your barber does each time you go to see them. Of course, if you’re rocking a t-shirt, make sure you get dressed before you get styling.

Remember To Moisturise

The final step in prepping your overall look is hydration. Why? It helps restore a natural look to your face, it makes you more pleasant to the touch, and well-hydrated skin is simply more comfortable should you be out on a particularly warm or cold evening.

Grooming FAQ

A Few Extra Pointers…

30 Best Men’s Cologne & Fragrances
Best Face Washes For Men Based On Skin Type

The post Pre Date Grooming Tips That Will Ensure You Have A Successful Outcome appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

If 2020 were a flight, you could say it has been turbulent. While there’s been some positive news like $19 Sydney to Melbourne flights and Sydneysiders ‘thoroughly’ enjoying working from home, there’s also been a pandemic.

From new economy seat designs, ‘health passports‘ and trans-Tasman bubble proposals floating around, not to mention Virgin Australia going into administration and a frequent flyer points crackdown, it’s been a ride so bumpy it makes the Kokoda trail look flat.

There have also been some truly uplifting moments. One of which we’d like to bring to your attention today: Qantas pilots using their time off to help out Aussie communities.

As we reported last month, some Qantas pilots have joined the flying doctor service. More recently, and as posted to Instagram this week by Qantas, is the following story of Pilot Sean Golding, a Qantas B787 Captain who recently swapped flying jets for working as a NSW Paramedic.

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A post shared by Qantas (@qantas) on May 2, 2020 at 4:24pm PDT

“I trained as a paramedic 4 years ago while I was flying the A330 and would study in my hotel room on layovers and do clinical experience on my days off,” Sean said.

“I was also working as a casual diving instructor so thought the paramedic skills might come in handy. Ironically, I’ve never had to use them diving, but have had a few instances on the aircraft where it’s proven helpful.”

“One time I was a passenger on a flight and a woman started bleeding quite badly. I worked with an emergency doctor who happened to be on board to manage her condition with IV fluids to keep her stable until we landed.”

“When COVID-19 came about, I had this training to fall back on, so was able to switch from flying a 787 around the world to riding in an ambulance. I’ve had a few COVID-19 patients in the back with me as we move them from hospital to hospital.”

“Sometimes I tell them flying stories as a distraction. It has been eye-opening and rewarding both personally and professionally to do something different.”

“If nothing else, COVID-19 has made me realise how important it is to find the good in every situation and make the most of each moment, because as I keep seeing, sometimes those moments are gone.”

The story was met with comments like, “Awesome story – sounds like he is the actual spirit of Australia” and “It’s these people that power Australia through times of uncertainty.”

Read Next

• Greece’s Proposed “Tourism Ultimatum” Could Change How We Travel Forever 
• The Cold Hard Truth About Qantas’ $19 Sydney To Melbourne Flights

The post Qantas Pilot's Inspiring Community Contribution Is Exactly What Australia Needs Right Now appeared first on DMARGE Australia.