Product Review: Clinique, Post-Shave Healer (£18.00, 75ml)

I have fairly sensitive skin, especially on my neck, which after shaving is prone to rashiness and soreness, plus the odd ingrown hair. I’m therefore always on the lookout for products that are soothing and generously kind to my skin.

Step in Clinique’s Post-Shave Healer, which, although it has an almost watery lotion consistency, fits the bill quite nicely. The aloe vera is soothing and the tiniest bit tingly, and helps prevent rashes resulting from razor burn.

The product is oil free, so it’s great for all skin types. It also makes a great pair with the aloe shave gel, which I’ve raved about previously.

Unlike Thom over at the incredible ManFace Blog, I think you need a fairly generous (probably about 50p sized) amount on the palm before you have enough to cover the entire shaved area. This is partly because the lotion is very absorbant and designed as a base to add moisturiser or sun block over the top. 

Just smooth over your neck and chin and you're done.

In Rotation: November 2013

Changes in my routine as autumn ends and winter begins. Deeper scents for the ever-lengthening night-time - including winter rose, black pepper and frankincense - to soothe and add spice for some manly grooming.

From left to right:

Clinique: Post-Shave Soother

Byredo: Rose Noir Bath Soap

REN Skincare: Invisible Pores Detox Mask

Kiehl's: Facial Fuel Anti-Wrinkle Cream

Molton Brown: Re-Charge Black Pepper Bodyscrub Bar

Diptyque: Frankincense Scented Candle

Bluebeards Revenge: Ultimate Pre-Shave Oil

Product Review: Clinique, Anti-Fatigue Cooling Eye Gel (£22.00, 15ml)

Eye creams, gels and serums are one of those products that I don’t normally buy, or buy into. They’re often over-priced and play off the insecurities of people like me (desperate to avoid crow’s feet and the effects of all that life well lived)! In most cases a good moisturiser should provide you with all the support you need for this delicate area.

With that in mind, I’ve been testing out Clinique’s eye specific offering for men over the past two weeks or so. The result, I must say, has gone a little way to countering my initial sentiment. But only a little. While I adore some Clinique products (like the Face Scrub), this eye gel is not breaking any boundaries for me.

The gel is designed to reduce puffiness and dark-spots under the eyes whilst cooling, refreshing and hydrating. A big promise. And as the winner of GQ’s Grooming Award for “Best Target Solution” in 2012, I was kind of expecting to be wowed. 

Starting with the positive, the gel is cool and soothing, and vitally non-greasy. I'm also pretty confident that you could use this with any skin type without side-effects.

It’s caffeinated, which constricts the blood vessels, helping to reduce those nasty bags under the eyes. Of course no coffee smell to help wake you up though. In fact it’s totally fragrance free, which is perfect.

The roller-ball applicator is quite fun, but I haven’t found that it gives a very even spread. Afterwards I certainly have to use my ring finger to smooth the gel over the desired area (basically outwards along my cheek bones) to make sure everything’s absorbed. However, the roller-ball does helpfully avoid wastage. I sometimes can’t help but be tempted to scoop a little too much out of those pots!

Because the gel is quite light (and does absorb well, even if it requires a little manual assistance), I think you could apply it over a light cream-based moisturiser if you were so inclined. I tend to put a little bit over Aesop’s oil free hydrating serum, which is why…

…there is no need in my opinion to keep this product in the bathroom cabinet. Keep it in the office for that pick-me-up during the day, when you’re starting to flag and your skin is struggling from the over-active air-conditioning or from being out in the howling wind. Or following a boozy lunch, maybe? I just don’t think it’s going to perform any miracles in the bathroom.

If you’re interested, the gel is widely available in stores and online.

My New: Clinique, Face Scrub (£18.00, 100ml)

Scrubber

Okay, okay, I'll admit that this isn't "my new" anything. However, recently another brand got in touch and asked if they could send me their face scrub and, as I've agreed to try it out, I thought it was about time to give props to long-time friend Clinique. I've used this product for so long, and on and off since I was 15, so I feel very used to its ways. Which also means, I suppose, that it has safely made it onto the most coveted shelf of my bathroom cabinet, which is after all what these "my new" reviews are about.

So, Clinique, with its massive product range (and marketing budget), has some great and some not so great products. In the skin supplies for men "3-step system" range (the three steps being cleanse, exfoliate, moisturise), this face scrub in my opinion is one of the winners. 

It's an exfoliant,  and you use it in the shower (well, I do), pre-shave. I also tend to wash my face after using the scrub, though I've always thought this was down to personal preference rather than anything else. 

I think of this as quite a serious product - it's rough and, because the particles are quite fine, it is a very effective scrub. On application, I certainly wouldn't go "at it" very intensively, just enough so that the scrub lathers a little and turns white. But then, it is designed to remove dead skin flakes and excess oil, as well as lifting the beard to make for a cleaner shave and to avoid ingrown hairs, so I wouldn't want it to be too gentle. Once lathered, you then rinse off with warm water after about a minute.

The product is fragrance free, but does have that nice clean "Clinique" smell, which is no bad thing in my book. Also, there's that whiff of menthol, which is quite lovely. Nice and refreshing on the skin too.

The Clinique website says that you should build up to daily use with this product. I've never used it more than three times a week.  So if you are targeting your usage, it's best on mornings when you haven't shaved the day before or where you feel you might be suffering from particularly oily or dirty skin (I won't ask why...). 

If you haven't tried it before I'd say give it a go. Also, it seems to last forever, so I think it's actually a pretty good deal too. 

Now get exfoliating that visage!

New. But is it really Dramatically Different? Clinique's New DDML+

Clinique - dramatically different?

Have any modern men tried the new Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion +? 

The revised formula, the first to replace the original (from 1968!) and launched little over a month ago, is designed specifically to help strengthen the skin's own moisture barrier. The result being that the skin retains moisture all day and feels soft and springy.

Now, that’s the Clinique website talking, but I’d be very interested to hear the initial thoughts of anyone who has begun to use this product. With glycerine to absorb hydration, and hyaluronic acid to retain moisture, the formula ingredients sound to me like this product would be better for a lady or gent with a pretty (read: very) dry skin type. Is this what people are finding? Perhaps the Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel remains the choice for those with oilier skin. No "+" version of the gel as yet...

One point that I note immediately, and find slightly vexing, is that you are required to pay extra for the pump dispenser - £28.00 for 125ml or £29.50 with the pump. Let’s face it, to (a) get the right amount of lotion per use, and (b) make the most of the 125ml bottle, you need the pump. This should come as standard.

Anyone with thoughts please comment below - modern men of the world need your wisdom! Thom Watson of the fantastic ManFace wrote an excellent blog about using DDML+ - what are others thinking? 

Clinique Face Cream SPF 30 (£17.00, 50ml)

This product both looks and smells like summer to me. A burst of joyous yellow in my otherwise suitably muted and sophisticated Mulberry.

Clinique Sun Protection, the look and
smell of summer

I use a number of Clinique products, but the sun protection range is by far my favourite. Unlike many lotions out there, the Clinique face cream (and other Clinique sun protection products) is totally oil free. The result: a matt look on the skin and no shiny forehead moments. It also absorbs like a dream.

It’s not a cheap product, especially as it only comes in a 50ml bottle (the matching body cream, which I also use, costs about £19.50 for 150ml). So, if I were going to be lying poolside for seven days and slapping this stuff on every two hours all day every day, I might (carefully, mind you) choose a more cost-effective option. But, the SolarSmart technology in the Clinique range ensures that you are protected from the aging and burning effects of UVA and UVB rays respectively, and being sweat resistant it is perfect for those hot days out in the city.

Also, if you’re not a man with a man-bag, this product is pretty much pocket sized – ideal for carrying round to allow for regular reapplication.

As this is all about sun protection, I tend to be fairly liberal with my usage. I’d rather not be (a) the lobster, or (b) prematurely aged for my love of basking. I therefore make sure that I apply cream before I am exposed to the sun, and I am particularly careful to apply to all the usual burning hotspots. For me, this is around the hairline and behind the ears!

In other sun protection related news, I’m super-keen to try Korres’ face cream yoghurt SPF 30 (picutred below), which just sounds quite literally delicious. I may make time to review this, or other Korres products, soon!  

Korres - bringing you natural Greek flavour

Stuart is a Modern Man

Welcome to "Stuart is a Modern Man", my new lifestyle blog aimed at the urban gent.

Inspired by a couple of recent events, and finally triggered by meeting the lovely Zoe (of Face Value Beauty Blog) at a garden party, this blog will attempt to provide some helpful insight into the well-packaged but often problematically shallow world of men's grooming products. The blog intends to be useful for every kind of man - from those who use a two-blade razor without even so much as Gillette foam and are looking to branch out, to those who would just like to try something new.

I like to think of myself as a modern kind of man. One of the modern things I do is carry with me a small selection of what I consider to be essential lifestyle products wherever I go. When a good friend, who shall remain nameless but knows who they are, remarked that they found this an atypical thing for a guy to do, I first found myself troubled, but afterwards thinking more about what might be typical for the average man when it comes to looking after themselves.

It is the most simple thing in the world for me to pop my (admittedly rather fancy Scotchgrain Mulberry) washbag into a satchel, tote bag or briefcase. Then I'm ready for the day, whatever happens.

The six products that most often make it into my day are my eau de toilette, moisturiser, lip balm, hair product, hand cream and (as it's summer) sun lotion. As you can see:

Stuart's essentials, from left to right: Kiehl's Ultimate Men's After-Shave Balm and Moisturiser, Penhaligon's Zizonia Eau de Toilette, Clinique Face Cream (SPF 30), Murdock Hair Doh, Molton Brown Protecting Vitamin Lipsaver and Clarins Men Active Hand Care.

The beginnings of this blog will be individual reviews of each product, before I venture off into the lightly fragranced and non-sticky world to bring you more views, reviews and features, all related to man-welfare.

Finally, this blog of course represents my own personal views from having either used or tested the products in question. Additional thoughts and alternative views are very welcome, but keep it (reasonably) nice!