Nicholas Kirkwood to Bring Razzle-Dazzle to The Men's Shoe Department

Peacocking woman have been familiar with Nicholas Kirkwood shoes for years.  Now, the London based shoe designer is venturing into the mens footwear business with the his signature style.

The relatively simple shapes — oxfords, desert boots, smoking slippers, sporty lace-ups — are festooned with the same stripes, studs, and chevrons that have been hypnotizing women for years now.  The shoes will retail between $520 to $920 and will include six styles in multiple colorways. Guys — shop for them at Nicholas Kirwood boutiques in London and New York this July.  

Kickin’ Cucumber Melon Juice

With temperature heating up outside, cool down with a refreshing, cool  mixture of honeydew melon and cucumber.  This is a juice drink with a kick. This juice is full of plant-based phytonutrients that can promote healthy, clear skin, reduce inflammation and may even boost metabolism. Even if it’s not springtime in your part of the world, this juice is a perfect pick-me-up anytime of day.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cucumbers
• 1 lime
• 3/4 cup honeydew melon
• 1" ginger root (optional) 
• 1 serrano pepper (try jalapeno if you like it more mild)

Cadillac ATS

When it comes to car shopping, bells and whistles sometimes drive the decision, but choosing your ultimate vehicle should come down to finding an exhilarating driving experience. The all-new Cadillac ATS offers an advanced engine lineup that's impressive for a luxury sedan and that makes driving, well, fun. Car buyers get to choose from three engines depending on their driving style and power preference: a powerful 2.0L turbo that delivers an impressive 272 HP, an award-winning 3.6L V6 engine that boasts 321 HP, or a 2.5L engine that offers an EPA-estimated 22 city/32 highway MPG.

Apps Raise the iPad's Aptitude for Real Work

There’s a popular myth that Apple's iPad and other tablets are simply media-consumption devices, unsuitable for productivity applications. That's just not so.

Not every productivity task is optimally done on tablet software, of course.  For complex documents, while it can be done, you may still want to use a PC or Mac.  Then there's the problem with typing on a tablet's virtual keyboard. We suggest, if you're going to use your iPad for longer documents, you may want to use a Bluetooth keyboard. 

Despite these caveats, iPads and other tablets are being used every day for productivity tasks once reserved for laptops. Every time you reach for your iPad to read, or tap out, a work-related email, that's productivity. Every time you make or change a business appointment on an iPad calendar, that's productivity. And there are way too many tailored productivity and business apps to list here, including apps for salespeople, contractors and doctors.

10 Tips to Build Muscle Fast

Some people spend years trying to put on muscle or get more toned, but just can’t seem to make it happen. Others see themselves in the mirror wearing a swimsuit, and realize that they want to get more toned or fill out some muscle, but just don’t know where to start. Whether you want to bulk up, get more curvaceous calves, enhance your chest, or achieve any other muscle building goal, you’re about to get 10 tips to build muscle fast.

Muscle Building Tip #1: Lift

In “How To Build Muscle,” you learn that the only way to significantly increase muscle is to cause muscle fibers to tear, and the only way to do that is to subject your muscles to external forces to which they’re not accustomed. So unless you have a heavy manual labor job like moving or construction, you must get your hands on barbells, dumbbells, and weight lifting machines to see significant muscle building progress.

Muscle Building Tip #2: Go Multi-Joint

Unless you’re already very muscular, single joint movements like biceps curls or triceps extensions do not build muscle quickly. Instead, you should use multi-joint exercises likecleans, deadlifts, squats, and bench pressing. Not only do these exercises work more muscles in less time, but they also allow you to use much heavier weight than you can lift with single-joint exercises.

Advice for Graduates

As someone who has been the beneficiary of great advice I want to share some advice for graduates…

First, Congratulations Graduate! I know the media says the job market is horrible but don’t listen to the negative news. Sure, companies may no longer hire just anyone, but they will hire you if you are an exceptional someone. If you have talent and a great work ethic you’ll always be in demand. Those who settle for mediocrity will no longer cut it in today’s world. But if you improve every day and pursue excellence with passion and purpose you will truly thrive. I want to encourage you to believe in yourself and trust there are great opportunities for you! If you are optimistic about the future, you will take actions to create it! If your positivity is greater than all the negativity and challenges you face, your future will be extraordinary.

3 Dry-Cleaning Rules Every Guy Should Know

Spending cash on dry cleaning is a pain, but it doesn’t have to drain your bank account. Here’s what you need to know about what to send out and when to do it to look and smell your best.

• “As a rule, the average guy doesn’t sweat nearly as much below the waist as he does above the waist,” says Mark-Evan Blackman, assistant professor of menswear at the Fashion Institute of Technology.. As a result, you should aim to dry clean wool shirts after every third or fourth wear, and wool pants once a season or after 20 wears, he says.
• Denim doesn’t need to be dry cleaned very often (or at all). But if you’re afraid of losing that perfect fit, send it out. “The moment denim washes the first time, it’ll shrink 5 to 10 percent only in the length,” says Blackman. As for well-made, 100-percent cotton dress shirts, wash them at home. The chemicals dry cleaners use are harsher on cotton than your average detergent, Blackman says.
• “Dry cleaning does two things: cleans and presses,” Blackman says. If you’ve worn your pants a few times and they appear spotless, send them to be pressed instead of dry cleaned. Avoiding the chemical process will increase the life of your garment and save you money in the long run.