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Photo: Courtesy of Fashion Beans
Women have it ingrained into them from an early age that a reliable skin care routine is a necessary part of life. From the cleansers we use to remove our make up to the creams we slather on to prevent wrinkles, there is no limit to what we will do for beautiful skin. Men, on the other hand, can sometimes go their whole lives without giving all the lotions and potions out there a second thought. If that’s the case for you, you may be getting the short end of the stick.
Here are five skincare and grooming products you didn’t even know you needed.
Cleanser
No more soap-on-a-rope or all over the body and over the face treatments. Soaps and shower gels are generally too harsh and heavy with fragrance, especially for the delicate skin around your eyes.
Jack Black Pure Clean Daily Facial Cleanser, $33
Scrub
Workouts, pollution, stress: men’s skin can get down and dirty. Use an exfoliator in the shower once or twice a week to deep clean, remove dead skin cells, open pores and prevent ingrown hairs.
Baxter of California Facial Scrub, $17
Hydrate
There are those who say that wrinkles are wrinkles and no fancy cream is going to change what you’ve got coming to you. I wouldn’t take that risk if I were you. And no one can deny that hydrated, moisturized skin looks fresher, more rested and more touchable than a dry, dull face. So after you wash, always moisturize. Before you go to work and before you go to bed.
Lab Series Skincare, Age Rescue+ Water-Charged Gel Cream $36
Regenerate
This might seem superfluous but since sleep is a period of rest and regeneration, there’s no better time to let a quality product work it’s magic on your skin. While daytime creams should be lighter while working to fight UV rays, a night cream can be thicker and more luxurious to promote collagen production (the loss of collagen as we get older is the culprit when it comes to wrinkles).
SmartSkin A17 Anti-Aging Night Cream, $145
De-puff
If you don’t use an eye cream you are at a serious disadvantage. As women we use eye cream and on top of that we use concealer, eye shadow and mascara to hide the effects of a sleepless night, but men don’t really have that luxury. At the very least, allow an eye cream to work its magic on you at night and keep an eye gel in the fridge to use in the mornings.
ClarinsMen Line-Control Eye Balm, $36
Nourish
What’s all this business going on with beard oil? It seems like every men’s skincare line is introducing it. The benefit is that it allows you to have a little more control over your facial hair and it nourishes your beard. I mean you care for the hair on your head right? And if you go for the new Tom Ford beard oil you’ll smell yummy too.
Tom Ford, Conditioning Beard Oil, $50
Prevent
Use sunscreen! If your daily moisturizer doesn’t have at least SPF 30 in it, then put on a sunscreen after you moisturize and before you leave the house in the morning. This is the one thing we can do to save ourselves from premature aging and skin cancer. If you are new to this whole “skin care routine” business, just make sure your daily moisturizer has SPF in it already so you can skip this step.
Julisis, Sun Emulsion SPF 30, $130
-Nicola Harrison Ruiz*
*Nicola Harrison Ruiz is the Men’s Fashion & Lifestyle Editor at DOWNTOWN Magazine. She is also the founder of Harrison Style – a men’s style consulting business. If you want to take your style up a notch, you can reach out on her site or send an email to Nicola@dtnycmag.com