What Men Want: Beauty Products and Tools Edition

I’m writing this post on behalf of Mr. Geeks. He is your typical man when it comes to beauty and grooming: very anti-product and when he finds something that he likes, he sticks to it forever. No exaggeration.

I asked him to write this post himself but he doesn’t know the beauty jargon. If he did post an entry, all we’d get is “This is X. I like it. It works. /grunt” :)

There is one beauty/grooming tool in particular that he constantly raves about: a nail clipper. Specifically, Sally Hansen Clip and Catch Nail Clipper ($4.99 at Well.ca, and drugstores). It solves the first-world problem of getting nail clippings all over the floor and well, everything. A plastic compartment catches clippings until you’re done, then you can dispose of them properly in the sink. Simple but kinda genius, eh? “Why hasn’t anyone else thought of this?” He tells all his friends about it. Haha.

Sally Hansen Clip and Catch Nail Clipper

A black background is manly, don’t you think? I briefly considered using bacon as a backdrop…

I gave him this after he complained of irritated dry skin on an especially cold week: Dot & Lil Repair + Calm After-Shave Serum ($30 online). The serum moisturizes with rice bran and avocado oils, then calms the skin with calendula. This is lightly scented essential oils of tea tree and cedarwood, so it doesn’t smell girly. This oil-based serum soaks into the skin immediately, which he really liked. Boys don’t like anything greasy so this one gets a thumbs up. I noticed that it does moisturize well with only a couple drops for his chin and cheek area. :) I used this to calm my skin post-wax and it is excellent for that, too.

Dot & Lil Repair + Calm After-Shave Serum

I gotta give him props for trying. One day I presented him with a box of products, including Head & Shoulders Deep Clean Shampoo ($5.99 at Well.ca, drugstores and mass market stores). He actually read the instructions, leaving this shampoo for several minutes before rinsing. “I can feel it working,” he tells me. “It feels tingly.” That’s as much of a review one can get out of that guy. :D Anyways, this stuff is supposed to remove 100% of dandruff, buildup and grease. I admit that I’ve borrowed this in the shower as well, because I love the citrus-y, minty scent in the morning.

Head & Shoulders Deep Clean Shampoo

The one cologne he uses is YSL La Nuit De L’Homme Le Parfum. He doesn’t wear it everyday but when he does, it’s “because [he wants] to smell nice.” Ladies, if you haven’t sniffed this one yet, you must. :) It’s a very irresistible scent that’s light enough for the day, but it really is more of an evening cologne. From Fragrantica: top notes are bergamot, anise and pepper; middle notes are lavender, french labdanum and fruity notes; base notes are vetyver, patchouli and vanille.

YSL La Nuit De L'Homme Le Parfum

What’s the man in your life (boyfriend / husband / brother / father) attitude towards beauty and grooming products? Does he love it as much as you, or is he a bit like Mr. Geeks?

GIVEAWAY: Get a Head Start on Skin Hydration with Consonant Extreme Hydration Package ($127 value)!

I’m not ashamed to say that my skincare regimen is a million-step process. All year round, I am layering serums, moisturizers and oils to keep my skin properly hydrated and plump. As the temperature drops, I’d love for one of Glitter Geek readers to experience one of my favourite clean skincare brands (and they are Canadian!), Consonant.

Consonant has teamed up with Glitter Geek for an Extreme Hydration package giveaway for ONE lucky reader in Canada, which contains 10ml HydrExtreme and 50ml Face Cream for Dry Skin ($127 value). I’ve experienced HydrExtreme first hand on my itchy, irritated eczema patch on my eyelids. A drop of this water-like, potent hydration booster under Consonant’s Ultra Moisturizing Organic Eye Cream almost cleared the itchy patches overnight. A little goes a very long way with HydrExtreme. It is specially formulated with Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, a magnet for moisture from the deepest layers of the skin, and organic glycerine that attracts moisture in the air. I know the lucky winner will just love HydrExtreme. I know it. :)

Be Kind. Rewind. Damage Control for Summer Skin with Pure+simple, SkinCeuticals and Weleda

I am two foundation shades darker than my winter colour. A year ago I would have been ecstatic over having a golden tan, but now I cringe a little at the damage I’ve done to my skin over the hot summer months. :(

Here’s the thing: I bike a lot in the city. It’s great for my cardio, but very bad for my skin. Having a natural tan, I can get away with a lot of sun exposure without getting a burn. But that is so not the case this summer. I didn’t get major peeling burns, but dry red irritated skin? Absolutely. It sucked.

So who’s trying her best to reverse the sun damage and over the years, prevent wrinkles from appearing prematurely? This girl. And here’s how I’m doing it: hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more!


Pure+simple Aquabrasion machine

My favourite place in TO has added a new facial treatment to their spa services: Pure+simple Aquabrasion ($129 for 30 mins, $179 for 60 mins — on special for the month of August). I went in with hot sweaty skin that day and came out relaxed and refreshed. The Aquabrasion process is pretty cool; they use fine jets of saline water controlled by a wand. It exfoliates, encourages lymph drainage, smooth lines, and makes you coffee in the morning. Just kidding. But it really is all-powerful. I tweeted my results after 7 days (sorry, Photo Booth pic). But it’s good eh?


7 days after Aquabrasion

The Science of Layering Skincare Products

Okay, not really science. But the idea is start with the lightest (least viscosity or “thickness”) product like a serum and finish with the most viscous product, like an oil.

Products I’m Using Now

Since I am currently going through a ridiculously amazing skin streak — think plump, glowy and I don’t have to wear foundation (I know I know, I’d hate me too!) — I want to go through some of the stellar skincare products I’ve been using lately.

My first layer of hydration is a lightweight watery serum. SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel ($78) is a lightweight oil-free gel that boosts moisture, and is perfect especially for oily skin types as a standalone moisturizer. It has vitamin B5, which helps with tissue repair, which is totally the point. Pure + simple Collagen Elastin HCH ($79.95) contains super hydrators algae and aloe vera and feels amazing as my skin drinks it up immediately.

Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Lotion ($27, weleda.ca; well.ca) is rich in vitamin E, which soothes and calms the skin. Other moisturizers sting my irritated skin in the summer, but none of that happens with this almond facial lotion.

I am obsessed with facial oils. I think everyone should stop being so afraid of oils because they are so effective at balancing your skin. I truly believe this. My current loves are Holistic Vanity Damage Care Restorative Raw Argan Oil ($60, coming out in November 2012) and Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Oil ($28, weleda.ca; well.ca). The handmade argan oil (from an all-female West Moroccan cooperative) has the perfect viscosity that I love for daytime. The Weleda oil is near and dear to my heart. It clears up nasty ouch-y pimples so quickly that I believe it also contains stuff of dreams. Actually, what it does have is organic blackthorn flower extract, which protects your skin by helping it strengthen. Cool huh?

As an additional treatment for oops-I-got-too-much-sun-again moments, I reach for SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel ($65). This antiseptic and anti-inflammatory gel is the answer to sunburnt skin. I love how wonderfully cooling it is and that it also helps lighten dark spots. It makes a perfect aftershave for your man, too!

Now tell me…

How are you taking care of your skin this summer? I hope sunscreen is part of your daily regimen. And, how do you feel about an end-of-summer skincare feature in the middle of August? ;)

Pure + simple and Holistic Vanity are available onlineand in their spa locations. SkinCeuticals is available through selected distribution channels via dispensing doctors, medical spas and high-end spas across Canada (store locator). Weleda is available at well.ca; www.weleda.ca ; Whole Foods Market; natural independent health food stores; Planet Organic Market; Nature’s Fare; Noah’s Natural Foods and Rexall Pharma Plus stores.