I used to actively avoid skincare because I thought I wasn't the target consumer. I hate to say it, but I thought it was just for girls...don't you love being conditioned by gender norms?! I now realise how ridiculous that is because the target consumer is anyone who will give this multi billion dollar industry more money! Skincare is for everybody, no matter if you're a man, a woman, someone non-binary, or, anyone in between. It's for all of us. Not to sound like I'm in an AA meeting, but, I'm Liam, I'm a man and I love skincare!
It's great to see skincare brands making an effort to break the stigma, and, encourage guys like me to join in on the fun of flawless skin. Although, I'm not sure if they're helping or harming their campaign efforts at times by branding certain beauty products as "just for men". For gosh sake it's silly. The contents in these 'male only' products is literally the same ingredients as products geared towards women, so I think their efforts are just feeding into toxic masculinity. It's just making guys more insecure about trying different skincare products that don't have that male only branding, but also brands are missing out on potential earning from men. The marketing of gendering these products really does work though. It fed into my decision making for a long time about whether to dabble in beauty products that weren't geared towards my sex. The brands that advertise this way are bloody geniuses at it, but, it's a load bullshit! How different I am now that I'll happily give brands all the money they want for the promise of "skin looking younger in 10 days"...
I do think some brands are starting to see that they're missing out on an untapped customer base, so are wanting to show that it's okay for men to look after their skin. Obviously to normalise it, and maybe a slight financial motive? The companies who haven't advertised a range of unisex products need to open up their product line and make their products more male friendly. Both to make the beauty sphere more inclusive, but also because they'd be idiots not to! Whether that is making a line of male products similar to what's available for women, or just advertising all their products as unisex... If they can do something to encourage more guys to dabble in skincare, they'll be changing what gender means for the better, and they'll be making a nice penny for their efforts. Win-win.
So now what you're here for... These are my go-to beauty products; the 3 products I will stick with no matter what, are, 1. Hyaluronic Acid, 2. Niacinimide and, 3. Moisturiser with SPF. I've featured these 3 key products below.
I've had a good time with this little guy. If there's any product that popped up the most when I was doing my skincare investigation many months ago, it was Hyaluronic Acid (HA). I purchase mine from The Ordinary, which is currently my favourite skincare brand! The magic of this product is that it keeps your skin so well hydrated. It does this by attracting moisture from the air around you and can hold up to 1000 times its own weight in water. Not only that, it's a moisture retainer so when you've applied a moisturiser later on, it keeps that moisture nicely locked into your skin too. HA is a naturally occurring molecule in the body, which I think is why this product is so well tolerated. I personally have had 0 issues with it. As I use The Ordinary's HA, it also comes with vitamin B5 in the bottle. When applied topically this vitamin can enhance hydration and tone down any inflammation of the skin.
So if you want plump and juicy skin (who doesn't?), then this is for you! It's pretty useful long term too because it's no secret that as we get old, our skin gets drier - which is often why we get those bastard fine lines and wrinkles! So HA helps to prevent this, or at least slow down the process.
I apply this serum after my cleanser; around 8 - 10 drops, which might be a bit overboard, but my skin loves it! I don't use a toner, but if you do, then that should be applied prior to applying the HA.
Me and Niacinimide have become good buddies. It was this product that I got the most excited about prior to purchase and truthfully, it hasn't let me down. Although this serum is known as Niacinimide, it's actually a form of vitamin B3. When used topically, it is known to benefit the skin in a multitude of ways. The most common uses for why people use this product, me included, is to regulate sebum production (fancy term meaning it can control oil build-up); reduce pore size and unclog your skin; and, reduce any redness. So really this is a wonder product that people use for all sort of reasons. It's even used medically in hospitals to help people with burns and inflammation of the skin!
As the Niacinimide I purchase is from The Ordinary, the company also adds zinc into this serum. If you didn't already know, zinc is a mineral that can boost our body's immunity. Of course getting it from food is important, but when you apply it topically your skin is getting a concentrated immunity boost! So it can help keep the enemies at bay...like SPOTS.
This is a great product. Since using it, the most significant change I've noticed is how much healthier and clearer my complexion looks. It wakes up my skin, gives it a lovely shine and makes it just look
f r e s h.
Now I will admit that there is a lot of content out there promoting this product as magic, and it does come close. However, because of so much hype online it could influence your expectations too high. Now Niacinimide can do a lot, but like any serum it won't be able to solve everything. What I would say is to give it some time to do it's magic and it will reward you for your patience. I would say maybe 2 months of regular use and you'll probably see a difference.
In the beginning it had more of a placebo effect for me. All it really did the first week or so was make me look shiny and I was like, is this health?! As the weeks past though I could see how much clearer and nicer my skin was looking and then I realised, okay THIS is health.
Initially I was using this serum once in the morning and once at night. When running low one time though I decided to just use it in the morning only and not the night. I've stuck to doing this ever since and it's offered the same results for me as doing it twice a day. I now apply around 6-7 drops all over my face every morning, directly after using Hyaluronic Acid.
3. Bulldog Protective Moisturiser with SPF 15
Okay, the final product of discussion: a protective moisturiser. I think we all know the benefits of moisturisers are to, well, moisturise. It's an easy thing we can all do to achieve baby soft skin. I've found using one especially important because although I normally have combo skin, it often goes dryer after I shower and dry in the colder days and months (being in the UK, that's often). I use Bulldog's protective moisturiser because it's cheap and cheerful and has added antioxidants, but honestly I think using any moisturiser will do the job for you. I do however recommend this Bulldog moisturiser as it leaves my skin feeling and looking really great, as well as keeping it hydrated all day long. It's also important to moisturise to protect your skin barrier. I apply this twice a day, both in the morning and evening after using the previous named products above.
Now using a moisturiser isn't the main point I wanted to discuss, but rather what is inside this moisturiser and many others. I'm talking about S - P - F, or, Sun Protective Factor. SPF protection is something we all know to wear on hot days and in the summer months, but did you know it is recommended by doctors to wear SPF daily? That's because the sun's UV rays can pierce our skies even when they're flooded with clouds, and when we're in the winter months. SPF protection used to be one of those pesky things I knew I should have been applying but never did. Now however I see the light (cheeky sunlight pun).
If you're asking why is this so important, well, our sun's UV rays are extremely fierce and relentless. From a health stand point, by wearing SPF protection daily you're going to reduce your risk of getting one of the most preventable cancers: skin cancer. From a cosmetic standpoint SPF protection is incredible at protecting your skin from sun damage, which is a massive cause of premature ageing. Things like sun spots, wrinkles, skin discolouration and just the general youthful look of your face can effect your skin without this protection. No one wants that.
If you don't want to apply SPF protection yet still want to use other beauty products like some I've mentioned above (or even branching out and trying things like acids and retinols), I hate to inform you it's a waste of your time and money. The sun is the enemy when it comes to skincare. An SPF protector needs to be included in your skincare routine and when it is, all the other beauty products you use will work. Without SPF protection your skin will continue to be at risk of premature ageing and sun damage and no amount of Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinimide, retinol or other products can fix that. You just won't get the benefits your skin deserves because the sun is a *****. If there's anything I've learned about skincare, it's all about prevention! Look around for what SPF protection (or moisturiser with SPF protection included) will suit your skin, but opt for a broad spectrum that can protect you from the sun's UVA and UVB rays.
I hope this has been useful for all of you. No matter who you are, or how macho you are, give skincare a go. Your future self will thank you!
What are some of your top beauty products?
Liam
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