Hot or Not Beauty

In recent years the attitude towards male grooming and skincare changed drastically. From high end brands starting to create specific men’s skincare lines to drugstore brands launching their own lines as well, men now have a wide array of choice from cleansers, toners, moisturizers, eye creams, exfoliators, masks, serums yada yada yada.

Created for and geared towards men’s specific needs like having thicker skin, usually oilier and with a discreet and less girly packaging than other skincare lines (I remember reading an article where a journalist commented that he bought Clinique skincare because it didn’t effeminate his bathroom) usually in shades of black, white, gray or metal tones.

Believe me when I say I tried them all or most of them (except Dior which I haven’t seen for sale around here) and came to the conclusion that they still don’t cater to my specific needs. Yes, I have oily skin but I also have incredibly sensitive skin and most men’s products clog my pores, break me out hideously or just leave my complexion with a weird uneven texture and look.

I know that today it’s very chic to say one has sensitive skin, usually when I say this at a counter I get that weird “Yes, of course you have sensitive skin, the rest of us can exfoliate with crushed glass and works just fine.”, apparently these days EVERYONE claims to have sensitive skin at skincare and makeup counters when actually they don’t but sort of feel special about it. Yes, of course, I feel special because I can’t use most skincare or makeup on my face and constantly have to play it safe… right, of course I’m special…

My take on it is that either I don’t react well to specific a component in most/all of these products and they still have a long time to go and I’ll patiently wait until I can try one of them.

I’m an exfoliating junkie. I love to scrub. My day just isn’t complete with out scrubbing my skin raw with the latest and greatest on the exfoliation market. I’m expert on these skin care products. Not only am I a self absorbed makeup artist, but a licensed aesthetician as well. So that means that I know a thing or two about good skin care products. Now, not everyone should take the liberty to scrub until they feel the burn like I do. Really, the less is more philosphy is true here. I just don’t practice what I preach.

This is what you should know about exfoliators:
They come in manual and chemical forms. Manual exfoliators are scrubs — grains, granules, crushed seeds, polyethelyne balls and so on. Chemicals exfoliants are commonly alpha hydroxy or beta hydroxy acids, enzymes and retinols. There are a plethora of professional exfoliators which we will not get into at this time. I love, love, love AHA’s. I have been known to do a vigorous scrub and then a professional strength chemical exfoliant right after. Sure, I get red and it burns like the dickens, but the next day my skin looks like I just had a blissful evening…

Why you should scrub:
1. It removes dead skin cells.
2. It helps moisturizer penetrate the skin.
3. It’s an anti-ager for the skin, can diminish fine lines
4. Help give skin a glow

Scrubs to avoid:
Anything with big uneven particles. In particular the good ole crushed apricot seed or walnut seed. Forget all that harsh stuff. Now, there are scrubs that use a powder form or a very small particle form of those ingredients and they are perfectly fine. Always try to sample the product before you buy it. Run the scrub through your fingers. Does it feel rough? Don’t use it. The granules should be smooth and even.
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