Beauty and The Geek

A good face scrub or wash is something every man should invest in, even though many don’t even know what they are or how they work. Tom, for example, after reading “Do not rub in eyes” proceeded to practically massage the scrub into his retinas, then complain in confusion when it burned. Face washes clean your face, get rid of all the dirt and generally improve your complextion. A must for anyone with skin complaints! “It felt tingly and nice when I first put it on, although it burned a bit; I was told this was a good thing. Since when is burning good?! The more I used it though the less it burned, which is always a good point in my book. After a week my skin definitely looked a bit clearer, and felt cleaner.” Would he repurchase? Probably not; my skin is pretty good as it is, so I don’t feel I need to.

Especially for those winter months and for those with dry skin, moisturizer is an essentual that is often over looked. Chapped, dry, flakey skin is never a good look, and moisturizing daily can do wonders for your face, as well as body. With so many moisturizers aimed directly at men, there is no excuse not to look after your face! “It smelt weird and made my skin feel oily. However, once I’d gotten over my initial shock, it did make my skin feel clearer.” When asking Tom what skin type he was, I received a rather bemused look, and telling him to ‘feel his face and see if it’s oily’ wasn’t well received either. The moisturizer he used wasn’t for his skin type, so the oily feel was understandable. Once he tried a moisturizer specifically for his skin type, he admitted he felt much more of an improvement. Would he repurchase?: “The second one I tried, probably. Definitely gave my face the TLC I didn’t know it needed.”

Dry lips happen to everyone, and a cracked, chapped pout isn’t something a girl wants to kiss. If you aren’t prepared to slather your lips every day, at least take a pot when you go to a festival or on holiday: it’s a suitcase staple. Plus, with most having sp15, at least one part of you won’t be lobster red. “It smelt and tasted really weird. I can see the benefits, and always take one for festivals, but it made my lips really slippy! The flavour tasted really odd too; kind of like really old, slightly off chocolate.” Would he repurchase?: “No, greasy lips is not a good feeling!”

Hair gel is a good choice for those nervous about taking the plunge into male grooming. Everyone will have had either good or bad experiences with hair gel in their teens, from attemptng and failing at a mohawk to the spikes you had when you thought you were an emo. “The smell was alright, not great though. It was really sticky on my hands but felt fine in my hair, however it made my hair look really damp and had pretty weak hold. The fauxhawk I styled only lasted about five minutes!” Would he repurchase?: “I’m not adversed to the concept of hair gel, but I probably wouldn’t fork over the money for this one.”

Whilst predominantely a grooming technique used by women, more and more men are turning to hair removal. From waxing their chests to plucking their eyebrows, men are embracing the urge to purge. The sadistic part of me decided to choose this, as the opportunity to wax a man was too delightful to pass up. “She clearly enjoyed this too much. Waxing my chest was extremely painful, I looked like a plucked chicken and I missed my hair once it had gone..” Would he repurchase?: “Definitely not. Lots of pain, no gain.”

THE RESULT: Is he converted? Admittedly, this wasn’t the most successful mission. My opinion is probably tainted because my chest still burns from the rather violent waxing session, but most of the products I tried I wouldn’t use again. I’d definitely dabble in face care again though, because my face reached a new level of good tingly that I hadn’t felt before. I’m not against the idea of male grooming though, and this experiment has made me more open to trying new things. Never letting a girl with a wax strip near me again though.