I recently recommended a friend some skin care products to use and a few weeks on he keeps telling me how f’ing good they are… It prompted me to thinking about putting a new products post together for the blog. I know everyones skin/hair types are really different and I’ve come across multiple items that work for one person and not for another, but I felt this little bunching of goods is pretty universal. Also having a lot of time to kill on my incredibly chilled holiday in Halkidiki allowed me to really use all these products a lot and also get to grips with working them into my daily routine.
Thanks to the major hair care plug at Solarium Point, I’ve been able to try out this Bumble and Bumble Hair Dressers Trio Travel set. My hair dries out a lot in the sun and ends up going pretty blonde, having just had a loose perm too I was undoubtably going to end up looking like Justin Timberlake circa ’98, so first and foremost I needed some products that would help nourish my locks. Victoria and I also wanted to only carry one set of hair care products between us so we could pack a bit lighter, this little collection covers a pretty wide range of hair types so makes for a safe option when travelling.
The real gold for me though is the Primer… I’d never even heard of primers before I went to Solarium point and was introduced to Bumble and Bumble… I seriously think these should be marketed at men way more than they are. Spray the solution on your hair before shoving any styling product in, it actually gives your product a way better base to go onto and has the added bonus of protection against UV damage. It also smells incredible, as do the shampoo and conditioner.
Being a constant shaver, seeing as my facial hair just screams “struggle beard”, shaving products are pretty important to my skin care routine. I recently used a low end shaving soap that was terrible for my skin and lead to me breaking out a little… It was inevitable it would happen at some point I guess… However, having recently tried their charcoal rescue masque I knew their standards of skin care were pretty high, so I trusted Dermalogica to deliver when it came to this invigorating shave gel. I forgot how good a decent shaving product feels and I can highly recommend forking out for this. It's pretty suitable for most skin types too. Containing a mix of ingredients that soothes your face pre shave to fight razor burn and prevents your skin being aggravated post shave too, it's a real easy addition to morning ritual.
For my birthday I received this Grooming kit through Mr Porter, which is actually a great deal if you’re up for testing out a selection of products. Personally I think it’s pretty good value for money and is perfect if you need travel supplies stat. Some of them have become favourites of mine including the Erno Laszlo's Antioxidant Complex eye cream… which has a really forgettable name but works incredibly well… and this Lab Series Future rescue repair serum, both of which I’m going to re-up on when I’m back from holiday. However in this post I wanted to focus on the Clinique Mens broad spectrum moisturiser and Ren skincare’s anti pollution mist, both of which have been amazing throughout the last couple of months.
Obviously the SPF 21 in the Clinique has been it’s main attraction. However after using it for a couple of months, I can’t say a bad word about it. It’s normally inevitable that moisturisers with SPF in will make your skin more greasy and shiny, but compared to others I’ve tried this Clinique seems to be as matte as your going to get whilst protecting yourself from the sun. It also goes on pretty easy and doesn’t feel like you’re whacking emulsion on your face… Give it a try if you’re venturing to do outdoorsy business this autumn… As for the Anti Pollution mist from Ren, in all honestly its probably something I would have deemed useless if I hadn’t of got it in this gift box. You’re probably thinking the same thing if you’re still paying attention. However it’s been a handy tool to have in my bag whilst travelling and working long drawn out days. You literally spray it on throughout the day to rejuvenate and help detoxify your skin, keeping it looking healthier and generally on point for longer. Seriously this new skin care companion will be with me all year round now.
I’m always on the hunt for new skin care stuff that’ll post-pone the inevitability of one day drying up, so let me know if you’ve landed on any gold recently. Thanks for reading, James.