A SKINCARE GUIDE FOR MEN

We live in a society where Beauty, Skin care and even Fashion to a degree are very much synonymous to women. All beauty adverts and campaigns - excluding the rare few that are aimed only towards men anyway - will consist of a beautiful woman, or a group of girl friends. They'll be light and airy and ultimately very feminine which I believe is one of the biggest reasons for such a divide in Male and Female skin care options and marketing to this day.


Let's take a little look into some of the reasons that us ladies - or the beauty obsessed ones like myself anyway - invest time and money into our Skin care regimes, shall we? Great, let's do it...

Ageing - That age old problem (see what I did there?... Such a loser). I think ageing is something that most only begin to think about once they're in the late 20's/30's, however it continues on throughout the rest of our lives. In my opinion, prevention is better than cure - let's bloody hope so with the amount that I've spent on skin care at the grand old age of 21 ;) - Wrinkled, dry and dehydrated skin is not something that anyone desires so there is no better time to start finding the anti-ageing products that work for you than right now.

Sunspots and pigmentation - Everyone likes catching the odd rays now and again so be it from being exposed to sun on holiday - or if you live in warmer climates (lucky you if you do!) - or a sneaky use of the terrible, terrible inventions that are sunbeds, you will probably notice the odd sun spot, or areas of pigmentation. If you haven't already, I assure you that unless you start protecting your skin with SPF, you more than likely will do very soon. I personally believe that no lotion or potion will cure pigmentation or sunspots but they definitely can improve their appearance greatly with the right serums. Or better yet, prevent it entirely with SPF.

Acne/Blemish prone skin - Finally, something that - I am confident to put it out there and say - I believe everyone has struggled with at some point in life. Whether it's the odd spot that you get, or you suffer from a more intense form of acne, we've all been there and this is the one problem that skincare and lifestyle changes can really make a huge difference to.

Each and every one of the reasons above are not just problems that women encounter. They are problems that occur no matter what age, or what gender you are. So why has a large part of the industry neglected such a huge portion of the target audience? I can't give you the answer to that but what I have done, in collaboration with House of Fraser, is develop a skincare guide for men, tried and tested by my very lucky boyfriend, brother and dad who have been inundated with products and knowledge.

On to the products...
Cleansing. Cleansing the skin - whether you are male of female, in your teens or the elderly - is incredibly important. It removes the day to day dirt and pollution that your skin naturally picks up throughout the day. It keeps your pores clean and clear preventing black heads and spots. It also keeps your skin glowing and radiant. It is, in layman's terms, one part of your skin care regime that nobody can afford to miss! My pick for you lovely gentlemen out there is Clinique for Men Face wash. This is perfect for you guys out there because it's very simple. Pop it on your hands, lather it up, wash it off... good to go. For the Oilier skinned guys out there, they also have an oil free version. It has quite masculine packaging which I think a lot of guys would appreciate too.
Moisturise/SPF. One of the most important - and yet undervalued - skin care products is SPF. Wrinkles, dark spots, dry leathery skin and pigmentation. All byproducts of sun damage. All byproducts that effect both men and women, young and old. Now, I do realise that one of the factors that puts a lot of men off when it comes to skin care is time, and having to faff with lots of products which is why I've chose an amazing moisturiser and SPF combined that both genders, and all ages will love. My top pick goes to the Clinique Face Cream SPF 40. It's moisturising but easily absorbed. It doesn't leave a greasy film on your skin, it really is undetectable which is great as from my experience, the texture and feel of a product is a big deterrent for men and their use of skin care. It does a brilliant job of protecting your skin from sun damage and ultimately, this little beauty is your best friend when it comes to premature ageing!
Blemish Control. A lot of men struggle with acne, bacne (that's spots/blemishes on your back, slightly gross idea, brilliant nickname) or even just the occasional spot. Even the metrosexual guys who don't have any time or interest for skin care won't want to walk around with visible blemishes which is why I highly recommend a spot control treatment. They dry out the spot's - the good ones will do so without damaging your skin and making it dry - they reduce the redness and swelling. They basically just make them look a whole lot less monster like which is a god send in my books! I recommend Origin's Super Spot remover. It does all of the above and is also featured in the men's range of skincare at House of Fraser so helps them to still feel manly whilst using it ;)

Now I will point out that if I were doing a skincare guide for myself or for women, I would definitely add a toner into the mix, however I'm cautious of overloading the males that might be reading this post, with a million products. (To quote my boyfriend "why the hell do I need anything more on my face, I've just used 2 things already") However if anyone is interested, I would recommend Kiehl's Ultra Facial toner. Kiehl's as a whole is an incredible brand and their range of men's products is one of the best - and most varied - I've found.
Lip balm. One area that does need a little bit of upkeep, is lips. Dry, chapped lips don't wait around for nobody - ladies or gents, if you don't moisturise those lips, they are going to get dry and chapped. Ain't nobody got time for that. - A fabulous find from House of Fraser's men's section goes to Molton Brown for Men Vitamin Lipsaver. My boyfriend and I both fell in love with it at first use. It sinks in well, but moisturises all day long. The perfect product for fuss free men.
Amping it up a notch. I believe everybody, male/female, young/old should indulge in a good face mask every now and again. They help to nourish the skin - which is extremely important for men as shaving, aftershave etc. can be very drying - make it more glowy and alive, and generally just perk up the face. Origins Drink up intensive overnight mask is my absolute skin care Holy Grail. A full post will be up soon but it is beautiful. Doesn't feel to sticky on the skin, it's very gentle, doesn't block your pores... you basically wake up with plump, healthy looking skin.

And that's it for my product recommendations. If any guys are actually reading this, I really hope it was helpful for you. I cannot stress enough that no matter what gender or what age you are, having a good skincare regime is essential. Your face shows the biggest signs of ageing, stress, health and let's face it... happiness, so look after your skin from the outside and in! (apologies for getting a bit 'High School Musical' on you there...)

I would love to know your thoughts on beauty and skincare through the ages, any men's skincare recommendations you have... and generally just your thoughts on this kind of post :) As always, thank you so much for reading!

*This feature is brought to you in collaboration with House of Fraser. To find out more about Men's skincare and shop more of the range, please visit this link.

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