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Men’s Socks 101

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at August 15, 2008 in Socks. 6 Comments

If you’re into looking your best, you know that it’s often the details that make all the difference. Socks are details of an outfit commonly neglected and overlooked, so I’m going to run through some of the fundamentals in this quick entry.

A lot of guys will put together great outfits but then forget to pick a pair of socks that complete it. I’ve seen many guys ruin a great suit with a pair of clunky casual socks in the wrong color that won’t even stay up on their calves; and also guys who unknowingly wear white socks with everything.

Knowing the Difference Between Sock Types

Casual socks

Come in cotton and wool, and are available in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and thickness.

Athletic Socks

Athletic socks are usually cotton and available in gray or white. The also come low-cut so that when you wear your sneakers your socks are almost invisible.

Dress socks

Usually made from silk, cashmere, or fine cotton and wool. Long enough to stay up on your calves.

Choosing the Right Size

When shopping for sock sizes, there is nothing worse than a sock that doesn’t fit you. The heel of the sock should be on your heel, not below or above it. Generally your sock size should be a size bigger than your shoe size.

If the socks only come in small, medium, or large, check the label and see what shoe sizes they cover. For example it may say that a medium is 5-9. If you get a size and they are too big, get the size smaller and see if it works for you. The more snug the better. Do a quick check right now of socks in your drawer and get rid of all socks that don’t fit. When’s the last time you went sock shopping?

Matching Your Socks To Your Outfit

When wearing dress shoes, the fashion rule is to blend the color of the socks with your suit color or pants.

Note for above picture: when wearing lighter suits, make sure the socks are darker than the suit, but a shade or so lighter than the shoes.

The reason why you want to match your sock color to your dress pants is because you want your outfit to visually flow from top to bottom.

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Building an Attractive Personality

Published by

Jae

at August 9, 2008 in Self-Improvement. 5 Comments

What would your personality be like if you hung around the 300 Spartans? For one, it would probably help eradicate every bit of wuss you have lying around inside.

The other day I was thinking about how it’s just as important to work on your character as it is to work on your outer appearance, and how at the end of the day,

your image is useless if there’s no personality behind it to communicate.

Then the question arose: what are the most EFFECTIVE ways to build an attractive personality?

I’m always working on some part of myself that I want to develop. Currently I’m trying to learn how to become a better storyteller. I wasn’t making any progress for awhile but quickly realized that I was taking the wrong approach of trying to learn it all on my own. I didn’t know what worked and what didn’t, and how I could work on these traits more effectively.

Through this process I was reminded that many guys are trying to become a better version of themselves, but are struggling to do so because they are spending too much of their energy reinventing the wheel instead of modeling after those who are already on the ride.

Something like storytelling isn’t something you can improve at by yourself. Alone, the process can be slow and full of mistakes, but by surrounding yourself with some of the best, you cut down the learning time tremendously by picking up on the crucial principles and details that only experiential success can bring. Basically, you’ll be set on the path that guarantees results if you stick to it. All you have to do is follow through.

You become the average of those who you’re constantly around.

Early today, I was eating breakfast and watching this commercial on television that featured a white girl, an Asian girl, and a black girl. I was busy eating my food and wasn’t even watching the screen, but just by listening I could clearly make out which girl was which from their accents.

The white girl had a slight New York accent that I made out in a split second (which was easy because I’m from New York), and the Asian girl spoke in a subtle, but distinguishable Asian accent, which I could tell from her slight overcompensation in pronouncing her words. The black girl had an attitude in her voice like she was from the ghetto.

This has nothing to do with racial background, but more about where these people grew up. The way they talk might have nothing to do with where they are specifically from either, but the people around them. Most of the time these people have NO idea that they have these accents, but they have them because of the people they surround themselves with.

The fastest and most effective way to grow a part of your personality is to surround yourself with people who already have what you want.

Have you ever caught yourself acting just like the friends you hang around most?

Most of this is subconscious.

It might be certain vocabulary you use, the tonality in how you say a word, or even your attitude towards life. When we hang around people long enough, we inevitably move towards similar behaviors, beliefs, and ways of living without even thinking about it.

Choose who you surround yourself with carefully, because they could be rubbing off on you, in both beneficial or detrimental ways. We can easily become a sponge that absorbs the behaviors of those we stay in contact with most.

The Mastermind Group

Coined by Napolean Hill, a man who studied thousands of the most successful people in the world and distilled the commonalities into the principles in the book, Think and Grow Rich, the “mastermind group” is a must for anyone serious about growth…

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Best Teeth Whitening Products

Published by

Jae

at August 1, 2008 in Grooming. 8 Comments

A girl once had me attracted through one quick flash of her smile.

Her teeth were so clean and beautiful that I felt like kissing her. It’s not even a weird fetish of mine, it was just a natural response to her healthy and gorgeous smile. I understand that part of it was a psychological response that we humans naturally have towards health indicators. We find a person more attractive when they show signs of good health, and become more unattracted when they show indicators of bad health or disease. For example, some attractive signs of health in women are a healthy smile, silky hair, and smooth clear skin. Unattractive signs would be all the opposites such as yellow teeth, frizzy hair, severe acne, dry wrinkly skin etc.

It’s pretty awesome that even attraction can be broken down to a science.

So this girl who attracted me reminded me how important it is to make sure our smiles are something we take care of. Within our everyday interactions and especially with the opposite sex, our smile is a key component of placing the other person at ease and filling them with good emotions.

You really don’t have to have perfect teeth, but they should look healthy - and they don’t have to be super celebrity white either.

All this article is meant to do is to remind you to check your teeth in the mirror and see if they need a little bit of touching up. No matter how genuine your smile is, nobody finds a row full of yellowish teeth attractive.

It gets pretty distracting when you’re talking to somebody and you feel like you’re talking to the Joker.

On a side note: Heath’s engrossing performance in The Dark Knight makes it one of the best movies I’ve seen in awhile. Go see it if you haven’t!

Check Out Your Smile

For starters, make sure that you’re brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing before you go to sleep. Most guys have their brushing down, but a lot of guys don’t floss. Don’t be one of them. If you don’t floss, food from yesterday or who knows how far back will stay in your teeth and eventually lead to plaque buildup. Not only will this discolor your teeth, but if not properly taken care of, will cause problems down the road for your gum and teeth.

Ask yourself, when is the last time you went to get a checkup with a dentist? If you haven’t been to one in the past six months, you should go. The best part is that they’ll clean everything up, so if you have any plaque, your dentist will remove it for you in all those hard to reach places.

For proper care at home, it’s recommended that you brush after every meal if you can. The food and drink that remains in between your teeth is what is staining them. If you’re not home and can’t brush your teeth, at least rinse your mouth out with water. Every time I go out to eat, I try to go to the bathroom before I leave the restaurant to rinse my mouth out of any food particles.

Besides solid food, the other major culprits of tooth discoloration are soft drinks, coffee, tea, wine, and tobacco.

For whiter teeth, try to cut down on these products or avoid them. If it has to do with genetics or age you can try to improve your smile with some whitening products, a whitening session at a dentist, or as a last resort, getting them cosmetically improved with veneers.

A Review of the Best Teeth Whitening Products

One of the best options is to get your teeth professionally whitened by a dentist, but it can cost you up to hundreds of dollars. It definitely gets you results, but I hear you’re told not to eat any kind of colored food for a couple of days, which should have just been the advice before the whitening process. It’s not permanent, but it’s faster and results are virtually guaranteed. But you can save a lot of money and still get good results with some great over the counter products out there.

There are so many teeth whitening products out there that you can use, but which one should you get?

Here is a quick overview of some of the top rated whitening products:

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Collared Shirts: The Casual Way

Published by

Jae

at July 25, 2008 in Shirts. 9 Comments

The right shirt is the cornerstone of a man’s wardrobe. After all, men don’t have too much choice with clothing. It’s mostly a variation of shirts, pants, jackets, etc.

It’s confusing enough to work with those basics, imagine what women have to deal with…

Today we’re going to talk about collared shirts and casual ways to wear them.

Sometimes a man wants to avoid collared shirts that make him look he just got out of work, and wear them in ways that give him a laid-back aura.

Let’s get to it.

Short Sleeve Collared Shirts

Surrounded by tees and tank-tops during the warm weather, you can stand out with a bit more class and elegance by opting for a collared short sleeve instead.

A short sleeve shirt naturally brings with it a casual aura that long sleeves (even when the sleeves are rolled up) can’t match. At the same time, you keep the classic touch of a dress shirt with the collar.

Variegated Stripes

Variegated stripes are associated with nights out so they’re more appropriate for such. Try wearing this Italian-style pattern underneath a blazer or a sweater. Just be careful about wearing it without a blazer in the clubs, because you may look like a carbon copy of many guys there.

I love these shirts because the color patterns can take the place of a tie and still pack the same punch. Without the tie, you look more relaxed and ready for some fun, but the shirt still adds an accent to your outfit.

In the case that you do plan on wearing a variegated striped shirt with a tie, go with a solid tie to maintain balance.

You don’t want pattern on pattern - it’ll get too busy.

Checks

A gingham shirt is a great way to bring life to a suit. It’s also a great choice to wear on top of jeans for a casual date.

Heck, it’s a lot more interesting than the pinstriped shirt that every other guy is wearing and certainly more interesting than a blue collared shirt.

Roll up the sleeves and you’re good to go - all style, no fuss.

Military Shirt

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Vocal Projection

Published by

Jae

at July 18, 2008 in Non-verbal. 7 Comments

How is Your Vocal Projection?

All women want a confident man.

One of the surest ways to display confidence is by having a strong, clear voice that isn’t afraid of being heard.

You don’t have to sound like Barry White or Don LaFontaine (the man who does almost all of movie trailer voices today), but if you have a high pitched voice, it wouldn’t hurt to deepen it a bit more (to sound more masculine and strong), but not so much that it’s obvious you’re trying hard. More importantly though, you should talk in a volume that can move easily across a room, and in a clear tone that everyone can understand.

You’d be surprised how many guys have a problem with low volume, mumbling, or being monotone. It’s really not an area guys pay attention to or make an effort to fix.

Next time you’re in a social setting, look for the guys who have poor vocal projection. Pinpoint what it conveys about that person.

Think about this: Would you be attracted to a woman who sounded like a man? In the same way, most women are not going to be attracted to a man who sounds like a woman.

What impression would you have of woman you just met if she spoke in a weak voice that you could barely hear? Shy? Insecure?

It doesn’t matter what you say if people can’t hear you! Weak voices can give the impression of fear and anxiety, two impressions you don’t want to give.

Why Most People Aren’t Loud Enough

Most people speak quietly as a result of being brought up that way. We’re told from a young age not to be loud or rude, and respect the people around us. This is fine, but it doesn’t help with picking up women.

Almost anyone can speak louder. It’s nothing but a mental block that people have, not a physical one. You just have to become more comfortable projecting your voice.

When I was first working on my voice, I realized that the only thing holding me back was that I cared what other people thought of me. I worried that other people would listen in on my conversations. But I realized I was just being stupid and paranoid because I would never see these people again - why did it matter if they heard me? It was because I was always taught to be mindful of other people, and so I grew up talking in a “considerate volume.” Now if I see that people are listening, I know that they’re probably enjoying listening to my conversations anyway because they are chock full of entertainment and insight. Sometimes I catch people listening in and at the same time smiling, laughing, or nodding their head.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should be running around speaking in a unnecessarily loud volume. The goal is to just have strong voice that the person listening can clearly understand.

Do you frequently have people saying, “what?” or asking you to repeat yourself?

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BFD: Bad Fit Disease

Published by

Jae

at July 10, 2008 in Informative. 5 Comments

(This man was recently cured of the Bad Fit Disease)

One of the most effective ways to improve your image is by taking a long and hard look at the way all of your clothing fit you, and never wearing anything that doesn’t fit correctly.

Most guys are walking around in ill-fitting clothing, and I’m writing this article to start an awareness campaign.

Awareness of what?

The “Bad Fit Disease,” or “BFD” for short.

This is a disease that we need to fight before it turns into a full-fledged epidemic.

I’m ruthless about fit when it comes to my clients, because I know how much a difference it makes in a man’s image. A great fit that molds to your body can make inexpensive pieces look like designer pieces, and take you from looking like a slob to the well-groomed man.

Here is a quick look at some bad fit victims followed by pictures of the cured…

Bad fit

Baggy arms, sagging sides, ballooning back - just too much excess fabric.

Most guys wear their shirts like this and think it’s a pretty good fit. Just because a shirt may fit your neck doesn’t mean it fits the rest of your body.

Good Fit

This shirt fits his torso—not just his neck. The shirt should be neither too loose nor too tight. It should be just skimming your body. Less excess fabric means that it stays tucked in better and there isn’t any bunching around your midsection.

Continue reading ‘BFD: Bad Fit Disease’

Eye Contact: Gateway to a Man’s Strength

Published by

Jae

at July 2, 2008 in Body Language and Dating Tips. 4 Comments

In the game of attraction, one of the critical points that separate the master seducers from the average guy is great eye contact.

It doesn’t matter who you are or how good you are with women, you can reduce blowouts or rejections by having better eye contact skills.

It has been said that a man’s eyes are the gateway to his soul, and by looking into them you can see the strength of his spirit.

What do you think women see when they look into your eyes?

The First Test of Strength

When you meet a woman for the first time, you must maintain steady eye contact.

An easy way to do this is to focus on just one eye. I usually just take my right eye and look at her right eye. This makes it easier to focus without darting back and forth.

When you’re at a party and you approach a girl you like, it’s important that you try keep consistent steady eye contact until you see some signs of attraction. This doesn’t mean keep your eyes totally glued on hers, but keep your gaze on her as much as possible. Every time you break your eye contact, it gives the woman the opportunity to decide where or not she’ll keep listening or just leave.

It’s the same thing when it comes to an aggressive dog — if you stand firm and look a dog right at his face, the dog will bark, but will not charge you. The dog will recognize that your frame is stronger than his, and will back down. It may even let you pet it. However if you look away or turn away, the dog will often continue it’s aggression.

The Screening Frame

When you look a woman in the eye while speaking, the woman often feels that you are screening her. This may be subconscious, but it sets off an auto-pilot response to start self-monitoring. This self-monitoring may often show in the form of preening (fixing her hair, touching her face, etc.) Regardless, she will feel like she’s put in an intense spotlight, so bright that she can barely pay attention to what you’re saying.

You notice this a lot when you give women solid eye contact and they utter “what…” followed by a nervous, self-monitoring smile. If you do it right, she’ll often feel an momentary surge of inexplicable attraction for you.

This is how powerful eye contact is. You can use eye contact alone without saying anything special and get a woman attracted.

Notice how Mickey Rourke doesn’t take his eyes off Kim Basinger and follows her eyes even as she tries to look away. This is a very seductive technique. He’s not glaring at her, but displaying his confidence and interest through his eyes.