Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energising Face Wash

In the words of rock legends Metallica “Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire, ooh!”.

No, this isn’t going to be one of those posts where I go off on a tangent, this post is about Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energising Face Wash. Another of the products that came in my Selfridges&Co male beauty box.

The reason for the musical introduction is because I always find myself singing this Metallica masterpiece in the shower whenever I spot the bottle or use the product.

I received a 75ml bottle in my beauty box which normally sells for £8.50. A 250ml bottle can be bought online from Kiehl’s website here for £17.50.

The Kiehl website doesn’t seem to go in for all the usual marketing fluff, but this is how they say it will do:

‘This effective “refuelling facial cleanser” helps protect skin from the effects of environmental aggressions and gives even dull, tired looking skin a fresher appearance.

Our efficient and energising facial cleanser thoroughly removes dirt, surface oil, and impurities without an over-frying effect. Formulated with Caffeine, Menthol, and Vitamin E - as well as invigorating Orange and Lemon extracts - its unique blend helps to refresh and waken skin.’ 

First of all, I tried this after a day and evening out in the polluted air of London so expected it to have a bit of grim to remove from my face. I was a little overeager when dispensing - you really don’t need a lot of the face wash as it lathers up brilliantly and stays cool and rich in texture.

Before moving on, I have to comment on the fragrance - considering the Menthol and citrus extracts you would expect quite a potent aroma with a power to slap you awake. Alas, this isn’t so, the Menthol is the overriding fragrance and you can detect the citrus but within minutes you forget that it’s there. Personally I like the fact that it is so subtle, particularly given the stripping power it has a grimy face!

After massaging the face wash into every inch of my face it was seconds before it hit me,, a strange, almost weird tingling sensation on my face. The bathroom was warm but my face felt ice cold. Awesome!

I massaged it into my face for around another minute until rinsing - I was frankly appalled with the colour of the water. Living in London with the pollution I am used to blowing my nose and finding soot in the tissue, but to see the murky water that greeted me made me feel dirty, indeed, I showered again.

Like using products similar to the Swisa Dead Sea Facial Peel, Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energising Face Wash removes dirt and grime from the face, but also seems to go that extra mile and remove a layer of grim that other facial washes miss.

My skin was softer and smoother after washing using Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energising Face Wash and when it came to shaving, after using for a few weeks my whiskers were much smoother.

Of the products I’ve tried from the Selfridges&Co beauty box to date this is by far and away the best. A little goes a long way and it delivers everything that it promises making this exceptional value for money. Include the weird tingling sensation on the face while washing and the fresh feeling it leaves 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Molton Brown Seamoss Stress-relieving Hydrosoak

I had heard of the brand Molton Brown but had never laid my hands on any of their products - that is until I had the chance of a nice relaxing soak in the bath using their Seamoss Stress-Relieving Hydrosoak.

As an early random intermission, every time I see or hear of their products I start to hum Golden Brown by The Stranglers - I have no idea why, it’s probably some sort of misfiring in my brain.

If you asked the people who know me they would readily admit I’m a bit of a ball of stress at times (OK, most of the time), so anything that can lower my blood pressure and make me chill out is to be applauded, if it works.

300 grams of the Dead Sea salts is actually quite reasonably priced considering that in the back of my mind I’d always thought this was quite an expensive range. You can expect to pay just shy of £20 which in the great scheme of things is four or five beers on a Friday night.

Now follows a marketing blurb intermission….Molton Brown claims are:

Transform your bath into a marine hydrotherapy experience. Lie back and let the Dead Sea salts, red and brown seaweeds and horse chestnut extracts help flush toxins from your body and replenish your skin. Feel your muscles relax and your body de-stress while you are deeply refreshed.

Dead Sea salts provide a concentrated source of essential minerals and vitamins. Through osmotic absorption they can help to keep the skin healthy and ease dryness.

After getting the bath running in true bloke style I followed the instructions and added 2 capfuls of the salts….and then added a further liberal sprinkling for good measure - sorted. 

The green salts hit the hot water and almost immediately dissolve as the lovely warm marine scent wafts across the bathroom. The solid salts have a seaside feel when you give them a sniff - you can pick out the sea salt and hints of the seaweed. Once in water though there are two things:

• The water goes a lovely aquamarine colour which looks pretty cool in my opinion (yes, I am easily impressed);
• The fragrance loses some of the harshness of the sea salts and the warm seaweed smells delightful.

So after slipping into the bath and attempting to chill out the acid test is where the claims are true or not. The fragrance is very relaxing, it’s subtle and not too overpowering and after a while I just couldn’t smell it anymore. I was too chilled to care to be honest.

After 15 minutes of soaking I did feel so calm I could have easily fallen asleep, after 30 minutes I had actually fallen asleep. Result. I struggle to sleep so anything that knocks me out is to be applauded.

After waking I was literally dazzled by how soft and smooth my skin had become. It was fantastic.

After using this for a few weeks I still have about half a canister full and that’s after bathing every night with it, representing excellent value for money in my opinion.

The dryness that I find around my elbows and hands has cleared us and my skin is so much softer to the touch. Combine this with the fact that it has me so relaxed I’m borderline drooling then there is little left to add other than I recommend this to anyone looking for some bath salts to try. Since my teenage years I’ve been firmly attached to Calvin Klein Eternity bath salts but ladies and gentlemen, I have a new favourite.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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You want me to put WHAT on my face?

As I get increasingly older I’m always on the lookout for new products in an attempt (failing) to turn back the clock to the days when blackheads, dry patches and broken skin were just a pipe dream.

With a vigorous facial cleansing routine to ensure that my face radiates and projects a clean image I was more than impressed to find a 50ml tube of Thalgo Men Descomen Deep-Cleansing Scrub sitting in the bathroom cabinet.

As a firm advocate of the Men Expert range by L'Oreal particularly the Skin Renovator, I am increasingly being won over by the range of facial products produced by Thalgo.

Thalgo Men Descomen Deep-Cleansing Scrub claims within the marketing blurb to rid the skin of impurities and smooth away imperfections leaving the skin fresh, clean and invigorated.

 

Source

Most skin exfoliators I have used in the past state clearly that twice weekly use is more than adequate, however Descomen Deep-Cleansing Scrub should only be used once a week according to the instructions for use.

The main ingredient is Algue Bleue Vitale which isn't not something I have heard of before, but the helpful notes included put my inquisitive mind to rest. Thalgo state that the product is specifically designed for men, but why? Thalgo claim that Men's skin is much thicker and richer in sebum and is easily stressed by the daily process of shaving.

The Algue Bleue Vitale has the ability to be both anti-aging and anti-fatigue at the same time, calming down the skin to repair and smooth any stressed cells.

The product is alcohol free and uses silica and polyethylene beads to act as the exfoliant. Finished with hints of menthol the product should be the daddy of all exfoliants.  The exfoliator itself is a light blue colour and within the cream are darker blue beaded shapes which are the actual pieces of Algue which act as the exfoliating scrub.

To the touch you can feel the abrasiveness if you press it hard enough on your hands but because this product has been designed for use on the face and neck where the skin is less tough, it is actually not that noticeable when being used.

After splashing my face with warm water to open my pores, I squeezed several dots of the exfoliator onto the palm of my hand and then onto my face where I began to massage the scrub into the skin in a circular motion as directed. As soon as I started to massage it into my skin I was amazed by three things:

• Firstly it spread really well from a tiny dot placed in the middle of my forehead, one on either cheek and a dot on my chin was needed to completely exfoliate my face meaning that very little was needed each time I used it.
• The second revelation came from the fragrance as soon as it started to be absorbed into my skin. It became so much stronger and the smell reminds me of the sea, clean and fresh with the hint of menthol giving a slight waft of mint.
• Finally, the aroma becoming more pronounced whilst finally and most importantly the actual texture became slightly abrasive but not as much as similar products as other exfoliators used in the past. Knowing what to expect the slight harshness on the skin when massaging was needed to help remove all of the dead skin and impurities.

As the product is massaged into the face you are basically left with what feels like finely ground sand on your fingertips and I for one could only keep rubbing it into my face for around a minute before I rinsed my face. I was horrified by the colour of the water. I had expected some sort of residue but it was really brown and dirty looking. *cue much retching and muttering of being a filthy boy*

The product had obviously removed a hell of a lot of dead skin from my face and in doing so had fulfilled the first part of the product promise.

To get top marks from me though depends upon how it leaves my face looking and feeling after rinsing and drying. This is the acid test. I have to say that like the Dead Sea Facial Peel I usually use the end results were perfect and highly satisfactory.

My face looked a lot cleaner and comments were passed about the healthy glow to my skin. My pores seemed totally unblocked so there were no blackheads and since using the incidence of spot outbreaks have been kicked to the kerb. No sight of a zit. Result!

To top it all off, days after using my skin remained baby soft.  In the past I have been very sceptical about deviating from L'Oreal Men Expert or from what I consider the best exfoliator ever produced, Dead Sea Facial Peel but Thalgo really have won me over.

Dead Sea Facial Peel will probably remain my favourite because I can see the dirt and grime being removed but as a more regular treatment for my face Thalgo really knocks the spots (pardon the pun) off the Men Expert Range.

With all of the wonderful things I have had to say about the product surely there is a drawback, and that it the price. Thalgo aren't the cheapest products around but you do really get what you pay for, although many will see the purchase price of £16 for a 50ml tube from places like FeelUnique and baulk, in terms of value for money and longevity it actually works out at around the same price as the L'Oreal Men Expert Skin Renovator.

Thalgo Men Descomen Deep-Cleansing Scrub is exceptionally masculine, smells beautiful, is slightly abrasive and does everything it claims to do. Given that only a tiny amount of the exfoliator is needed the tube has lasted for months and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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