Skincare isn’t exactly a celebrated topic of conversation among most men I know. I’ve been smearing moisturiser on to my face since I was 18 years old, thanks to an ex-girlfriend terrifying me about a possible future where I look like a sun-dried tomato. But, given how few men I know who do likewise, this has always felt more like a dirty secret than great pub chat.
However, it’s time to move past this and embrace skincare. Several reasons: one, looking good is nothing to be ashamed of (especially for a man about to get hitched and thus appear in more photos than Kim Kardashian’s fleshy parts); two, someone has to reclaim silky smooth faces for the mandem; three, Guardian Labs and Philips have made a great video of skincare tips which makes it look not that tricksy.
What’s stopping me? And so begins my week of seeing if “more than moisturiser” is worth the effort …
Monday
First up, I try to follow the video’s advice to “work out your skin type” before putting together a skincare routine. This isn’t as easy as I’d hoped. I take an online test that tells me I have dry skin, and that this means I’ll age quickly. Given that I only stopped being ID’d at age 30, this seems wrong. I take another, which tells me that my skin is “normal”. To get a bit of clarity, I try WhatsApping a group of my male school friends to see what skin types they have: “Mostly human” comes the only response I get. Guess I’ll just go with “normal” then.
Tuesday
Having now cribbed a skincare routine for my bog-standard skin from a website, I head to Boots for products. These, apparently, are much-needed as not only have I been moisturising all wrong (the E45 I’ve been slathering on to my mush isn’t a face-specific moisturiser, so will have been clogging my pores), but I also don’t even know how to wash my face. I’ve been using soap, whose dryness has been making my face yearn for a nice hydrating facewash. As I fill my basket with toner, facemasks and exfoliating scrub, I realise that the only upside to what I’ve been doing is that I haven’t been costing myself £12 a pop.
Wednesday
After one day, my skin already feels better. Where I was previously moisturising and washing only in the morning, I now do it twice a day. I also use a toner to remove any excess oil after washing. My bedtime routine drags a tad, but my face is velveteen.
Thursday
My face is now a sumptuously silky visage. Still, keen to ensure that my skin has a healthy glow, I follow an online recommendation to ensure that once a week I apply a facemask. Specifically, the advice recommended that I should: “Just put one on once a week before you Netflix.” I daub my face with a black seaweed facemask until I look like the League of Gentlemen’s Papa Lazarou, dim the lights and settle down in front of Ozark.
“Aaarghhh!” screams my fiancee as she comes home from the pub. “You creeped me right out!”
Oh well, one of the video’s pieces of advice was to bear in mind that “much of building the perfect routine is trial and error”.
Friday
Skin update: my face is now soft as a cloud. It’s as snuggly as a newborn puppy. As I walk down the street, I’m amazed that strangers aren’t wandering up to me in the street and attempting to use my cheeks as pillows. In fact, the one downside is that no one else seems to have even noticed my glorious facial silkiness. Still, this is possibly just as well, given that I keep catching myself idly stroking my own face. This is perhaps not a look that I want people to notice.
Saturday
Last night, I used a face scrub for my weekly exfoliation session and nipped to the shops to buy myself a bottle of toner. “Mate, you’re getting a bit weird,” says a friend as I evangelise about my new lifestyle. Whatever. They’re probably just jealous of my downy epidermis. My face is now so soft that you wouldn’t be surprised to find it down the back of a baby’s nappy. Ooh, wait. What am I saying? Oh God, maybe I am going strange.
Sunday
I’m becoming concerned that I might be addicted to skincare. This morning, as I was stroking my face while walking to the shops, I started to worry: is my face less soft than it was yesterday? Is my skin getting too used to the products I’m applying? Do I need to start upping the levels?
When I get home, I start confessing my fears to my fiancee, only for her to stop me halfway through: “You were stroking your face while walking to the shops? I think you may be worrying about your face too much.” And you know what? She’s right. I am loving my new skincare regime. I’m eager for people to notice my creamy cheeks. But for most of my life, what’s felt right for me is being relaxed about my facial routine. Great as my improved skincare regime is, I should probably try to bring the laidback vibe to it that’s always felt right for me. Also, if nothing else, it’ll hopefully stop me using phrases like: “Notice my creamy cheeks.”
Do what feels right with Philips: whether that’s finding your perfect skin routine or a grooming routine that works for you. Find out more about Philips’ shaving and grooming here
