Wingman Skin Fuel

It has been a while since I was originally sent and opened (with glee) a massive package from the lovely folk at Wingman. I had expected maybe the face scrub but instead I received the entire Skin Fuel range and have well and truly put it through it’s paces. 

So what will I be talking about today? Well, I’ll be giving the low-down on the face scrub, face wash and moisturiser.

Purifying Face Scrub Ginseng + Vitamins  - £4.49 for 150ml

If you follow the link, you’ll actually get to the apricot, ginseng and vitamins page for the face scrub - I actually received the scrub with just ginseng and vitamins although I really like the idea of an apricot fragrance and infused scrub and will be one I try out.

So, this is what Wingman say about the face scrub: 

‘Purifying cream scrub exfoliates dead skin cells, unclogs pores and removes impurities like oil and dirt. Ginseng helps stimulate and activate the skin, leaving it looking fresh and feeling smooth.

At Wingman we favour a no nonsense approach. We make awesome products that are easy to understand and do exactly what men need them to do.’

Thick in texture as soon as the scrub is released from the tube you can see the little flecks that will act as the abrasive when massaging into the face. I was surprised that it seems to lack a powerful fragrance instead opting for a subtle yet clean and fresh smell. In my opinion you can detect a touch of ginseng but there is nothing here that lingers on the skin longer than a few minutes after using it and rinsing your face.

As it’s massaged into the face you can feel the fine sand like particles brushing across the skin - not too abrasive but clearly (from the colour of the water) removing the dirt and oil that had built up on my face.

It spreads really easily and after rinsing off my face (with a beard most of the time) not only did my skin have that just scrubbed glow but it stayed, I was positively radiant all day when I caught glimpses of myself in the mirror. Now that’s good.

To the touch my skin felt smooth so step one gets a thumbs up from me.  

Sensitive Face Wash Aloe Vera + Vitamins - £3.00

So, this is what Wingman say about the face wash:

‘Foaming gel cleanses dirt and debris from sensitive, dry or easily irritated skin. With soothing Aloe Vera to help reinforce natural defences, skin will be nourished and refreshed.

At Wingman we favour a no nonsense approach. We make awesome products that are easy to understand and do exactly what men need them to do.’

Now this has a stronger fragrance, and boy you get a good old blast of strong Aloe Vera (which I love) as soon as you squeeze it into your palm. The fragrance only intensifies as soon as it comes into contact with warm water and lathers up surprisingly well considering the fluidity of the face wash. 

While the face scrub removed any grime and dirt I found the face wash to be really soothing, and leaving on my face for a good 30 seconds before rinsing resulted in a fantastic cooling sensation. Despite the cooling effect that radiant glow on my cheeks, nose and forehead remained. In the words of Mr Burns from The Simpsons……”excellent” (if you can, picture me tapping my fingertips together with a slightly manic grin….).

After rinsing my face again I was again surprised that the face wash had removed another layer of grime (or I missed a spot with the scrub - I’ll never know) and the water was slightly discoloured (ewwwwww).

After patting dry I have to say I got that feeling that face was truly clean - my pores felt unclogged and my skin not as tight. Did my face feel refreshed? Oh yeah…...

So all that is left for me to say about the face wash? Nice one (said in a deep Mancunian accent). 

Sensitive Moisturiser Aloe Vera + Vitamins - £5.99 for 100ml

So, this is what Wingman say about the moisturiser:

‘Hydrating gel with Aloe Vera helps soothe sensitive, dry or easily irritated skin. Actively supporting natural defences, it moisturises and mattifies with a non-greasy finish.

At Wingman we favour a no nonsense approach. We make awesome products that are easy to understand and do exactly what men need them to do.’

With a slightly more subtle Aloe Vera fragrance the moisturiser to me seemed a little too thick when I first dispensed it. The touch of concern that niggled for just seconds that it would take an age to be absorbed or from the feel of it that it, would leave my face greasy were thankfully unfounded. 

Absorption is quick, really quick in fact and it spreads across the face becoming clearer in colour. It soaked into my skin so quickly that I actually went back and applied a touch more. 

No signs of a greasy face, in fact my face just had a rather matte glow and I was impressed.

To the touch my face was soft and smooth - it certainly felt hydrated and for that I am truly grateful! 

So after using these as part of my day to day skincare regime I have to say I was impressed with the range. While I found that I had a bit of trouble when applying too much product containing ginseng this speaks more about my skin than the product.

When I consider the results and the fact that these products to me fall into the affordable to the masses category there is no reason for blokes out there to neglect their faces. They do what they say on the tin, the products aren’t tested on animals and they look manly enough that even the hardest of hard men wouldn’t be embarrassed about having these in the bathroom.

Most blokes at some stage of their lives have had a wingman (reference Men Behaving Badly circa 1992), as I grow older, this is the only wingman I need. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

As a post note, it is worth me pointing out as a final clincher that Wingman products are endorsed by Help for Heroes, the UK charity who give practical, direct support to wounded and injured men and women from the armed forces. Every time you buy a product Wingman make a donation to an incredibly worthwhile charity.

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Rehab London Argan Oil Shaving Gel

When I first started writing this blog, I did have a bit of a look around to see what others wrote about, how they presented their blogs and to get some idea as to how images should look. The one thing which sticks in my memory is the sheer number of posts about the wonder that is Argan Oil. So, when I was asked if I would like to try Rehab London Argan Oil Shaving Gel, my first thoughts where, let’s see what this baby can do.

My second thought was to write a blog post interspersed with lyrics from the Amy Winehouse song Rehab, but strangely after using it the first time I stopped singing it! Anyhow, I digress....

As a sensitive soul (insert ass before soul) with even more sensitive skin around my face, finding the perfect match for a smooth shaving experience has always been a bane. I’ve found some excellent products over the year that I have been writing here but Rehab London has taken the biscuit. Why you ask? Well read on to see what my sensitive skin thought of this shave gel.

While my 125ml tube of the shave gel came as a sample from Rehab London, you can pick up an identical tube for just £9.95 from Boots here. If you shop around online you may find it cheaper still.

This is what Rehab London say about the Argan Oil Shave Gel:

‘Shaving just crossed over the dark side. Say goodbye to those pesky ingrown hairs, sore red skin and that tight feeling you get when shaving.

Step forward Cold Turkey, The Florence Nightingale of the shaving world. Packed with Hero ingredients like the rare and precious Argan oil, with Hazel, and Aloe Vera, your skin will be left so smooth, it should probably come with a warning. The Argan oil works to support regeneration of the skin, restart the vital functions of the cells and neutralise free radicals, all while providing a protective layer to lubricate the razor. Finally, the unique low foam clear formula lets you see exactly where to shave, perfect for sculpting those rock star side burns

For the ultimate shave, team with rehab London scrub up daily detox to remove dead skin cells and prevent ingrown hairs and blackheads.’

First of all, it looks funny, while it has a runny consistency that means you have to balance it on your hand before applying, but the colour, it’s all cloudy and looks a bit weird. However, nothing ventured nothing gained. The fragrance is rather neutral, it’s there, but so subtle it almost has a watery cucumber aroma - think Aloe Vera blended with a cucumber and you get the gist.

The second surprise for me was how well it spread when being applied - I had expected it to lather up but instead it stays as a gel and as you can see from the images before and after applying, you can hardly tell you have put it on before shaving! Fear not, it sticks to the skin and once gently rubbed in and then the cool sensation starts.

After leaving the oil to soak in for just a few minutes my face did start to feel much cooler. Really cool in fact (note to self - smear this on your sunburn later in the year lol). 

The best was saved to last though - the actual process of shaving is an absolute breeze using the oil. The razor glides across the face and slashes away those pesky bristles and even better, the oil doesn’t clog the blade which means less time rinsing and more time actually eliminating the stubble and beard. Just for the time saved, lack of faffing involved in shaving and clearly less build up on the razor I was blown away and incredibly impressed. Better was to come however!

The stubble before any Argan Oil action....

This is with the gel on my stubble, tricky to see isn't it?

After shaving - no redness or blotchy, itchy face

After rinsing off and drying my face I opted not to use moisturiser the first couple of times I used this and there was a complete absence of any tightness. No razor burn, no redness and no ingrown hairs a few days later. Back of the net.

Hours later my skin felt supple, was smooth and had something of a glow about it. I was so impressed I let people touch my face (I don’t like touching), and for me to allow this means I must have been incredibly confident.

As a joke in passing, when I went for lunch with a friend a couple of weeks ago he mentioned that I looked well and was glad to see the beard gone - I responded by saying it was all thanks to rehab - should I be worried that he didn’t ask me to clarify what kind of rehab?

A little goes a long way, it’s affordable and helped to deliver one of the best shaves ever and that is why this sits at the top of the list of my favourite shaving aids. Rehab London Argan Oil Shave Gel is now the yardstick for which others will be tested. It's great stuff. 

FORGET THE REST, TRY THE BEST

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Ted's Grooming Room - Step 02 Shave Gel

What’s that you say - slapping lots of white stuff over your face is ever so slightly homoerotic? Erm, well unless you fancy looking like a hillbilly or are really into aforementioned look then us blokes have to shave or we really do start to look like cavemen.

Unlike some of the ‘just of out university’ boys in the office I can actually grow a pretty healthy beard and that presents problems as I hate shaving. As I pointed out in an earlier blog post about Gillette Fusion Proglide Shaving Gel, shaving has in the past left me with red blotchy skin and that’s not a look I want to rock to be honest.

Personally, with this hatred of shaving I like to keep a bit of stubble and tend to use a beard trimmer most of the time. On occasion however as part of my job I do actually have to look respectable (before you say it, yes I know, a shock that someone who employ little old me!)

After testing out and writing about Ted Baker’s Grooming Room before, imaginatively starting with Step 01 - Face Scrub I was very keen to try Step 02 - Shave Gel.

Now follows a marketing blurb intermission…..and basically some background on why such a fantastic designer/label/brand such have Ted Baker have expanded into grooming products.

Ted Baker have the offshoot called Ted’s Grooming Room. No it’s not the inappropriate type of grooming, it’s the type of grooming that was very welcome before the advent of the Internet but I digress, probably to the intense displeasure of their PR people who are slapping their foreheads and pulling out their hair. He’s managed to link shaving gel to online grooming!!! 

Since the successful launch of Ted’s Grooming Room in three central London locations, the next step for Ted was to develop his own range of Ted’s Grooming Rooms products, catering to all the stylish gentlemen who like things trim and proper. It’s provides a modern take on the traditional Turkish ‘efe’ barbers.

Step 02 - Shave Gel claims to triumph over skin irritation with menthol infused gel with claming Aloe Vera powder to leave skin feeling clear, refreshed and ready for action.

Anything that claims to soothe any skin irritation is a bonus in my book. I’ve used the King of Shaves menthol shaving gel in the past with good results so I expected good things. Was I disappointed?

In a nutshell, no, I was blown away and that wasn’t just from the lovely Aloe Vera fragrance or the fact that the gel wasn’t white at all. As the pictures show it is green in colour - well it looks green to me when on my face.

Two quick pumps of the dispenser and an amount the size of a 50 pence piece is released. Seriously, this is all you need. While it takes a lot of massaging into the face to produce a small amount of white lather the gel before this spreads so easily - it’s like a hot knife through butter.

As the gel is massaged into the face the menthol is released. You know this as it really hits your nose and you can feel it in your eyes. Put too much on and I can guarantee you’ll be in tears, however if you’ve got blocked sinuses, this is the trick.  No word of a lie - I had a blocked nose and breathing this in was like inhaling those menthol rubs you get. Awesome!

As the lather isn’t that thick or rich shaving is a breeze - the razor almost glides across the face and the blades don’t get as clogged as they normally do when using foam or other gels.

After using Step 01 that softened my beard I can hand on heart say I’ve never had an easier shave. In fact, the only way I’m likely to have an easier shave is if someone shaves my face as I lay back and relax.

Sorry competition but this blows the socks off everything I’ve ever tried before and I’m massively impressed.

A 150ml tube and considering how little is needed will last me for months.

Yes, an initial outlay of £8 is expensive in comparison to the competition and in the past I’ve said that I think £8 is too much, but in this case, with the lovely shaving experience, lack of irritation and the length of time there will be before I have to buy another one means that it does actually represent good value for money.

It’s a luxury product that delivers luxury results.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*

*I know I’ve been gushing about the product but I can assure you Ted Baker are not paying me to say any of this.

In the words of Alan Partridge, “kiss my face”.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings here. 

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