Nip + Fab Skin Dragon's Blood Fix Plumping Mask

Let me explain how I came to try Nip + Fab Skin Dragon’s Blood Fix Plumping Mask, no, I didn’t buy it, but it had been sat on the shelf in the bathroom for weeks until I finally picked it up. As soon as I saw the words ‘Dragon’s Blood’ my inner child and curiosity couldn’t resist trying it. I will, for the avoidance of any doubt state, I just wanted to see if it was blood coloured! 

So, it captured my imagination and so it came to be that one rather uninteresting Friday night while bouncing around my flat I decided to give it a try. 

Doing a bit of digging into the product I found that you can buy it from a range of stores with a 50ml tube costing just shy of £15. That puts it in the affordable price bracket to me and is on a par (price wise) with the excellent Nip + Man products I first tried back in February. 

Marketed as being an intensely hydrating gel mask combining multiple skin perfecting complexes to plump the look of wrinkles + refine the skin's appearance for a brighter, more youthful-looking complexion. 

Considering that I had thought about employing the services of a panel beater from my local garage to knock out the lines on the forehead and the developing ones around my eyes I very much went into using this product with an open mind (an open, very childish mind). 

After washing my face and opening up a pore or two with the steam I slapped this on as directed (yep, I even read the instructions this time) applying a thick layer to every inch of my face. A little goes a long way and it has a perfect consistency in that it is fluid enough to spread easily yet it sticks to the skin so no real danger of it dripping down your front.

You are directed to leave it in for ten minutes - after about three I was seriously creeped out by the tingling sensation on my face, and this continued until I rinsed my face off. Not painful, but a strange mix between pins and needles in a joint and rinsing your face with really warm water. Curious! The other half tends to stick this in the fridge before using, I don’t, I’ve gotten used to the sensation now! 

After rinsing off the results are immediate, for me I could see a noticeable difference in the colour of my skin, particularly around my cheeks and forehead, my skin seemed to be really radiant, in fact a similar glow to the packaging. To the touch my skin was super smooth, my skin felt clean and when looking down at the colour of the water it had clearly removed grime that had built up over the day. 

You can leave this on overnight, although I can imagine myself waking up with my face glued to my pillow (the mental image makes me laugh) so it’s a no from me on that score, but hey, why the need when just leaving it on for ten minutes kicks your face back into the game.

Looking for radiant, smooth, soft and hydrated skin that does knock years off your face then you really should give this a try. I’m a firm convert to using it now and have found a reduction in the depth of the lines on my head and around my eyes. The effects do wear off, but you won’t find a need to be using this more than twice a week in my opinion and that means that 50ml will last for a considerable period of time.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like blood….

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Essence Perfectrice Skin Perfector by L’Occitane

The battle with the bags (eye bags that is, not the fish wives who live on my block) continues and while my eyes have never looked better there are still days when they can look a little puffy, be a touch blemished and the lines more pronounced.

I’ve tried a couple of things with success and when the opportunity to try L’Occitane Essence Perfectrice Skin Perfector I could resist the temptation. If I’m going to be honest, when approached by the PR company it was basically the least feminine thing in the new range. As an aside by taking the plunge my eyes have since been opened to the Cade male grooming range also from L’Occitane (a couple of posts to watch out for there).

A 30ml bottle of the Skin Perfector will set you back £38 and can be bought here, and while £38 may seem like a lot, when you compare it to other eye creams. 

Personally I only have two issues, my eyes and the deep ridges and frown lines on my forehead. Some serious plastic surgery is required for the forehead so I didn’t expect much from the product there, but around my eyes the lines are more shallow and I started using this in the hope that it could help me out.

This is what they say about Essence Perfectrice Skin Perfector over on the L’Occitane website:

‘Ideal for all skin types, this fresh and ultra-light serum, with an expert second-skin-like texture helps to visibly improve skin quality. Skin texture looks smoothed and refined, pores seem tightened, fine lines and imperfections seem reduced. The skin reflects light better, looks more even and its radiance is boosted. 

Each day, your skin reveals its natural beauty, it feels ultra-smooth and velvety, and your complexion looks more even, fresh and glowing

L'OCCITANE has extracted from peonies growing in the Drôme Region of France, a perfecting concentrate. Rich in natural plant sugars, this patented extract acts on skin cells to help visibly correct complexion and texture irregularities.’

First of all this does scream feminine from the bottle to the fragrance. That said, I don’t tend to mess around applying this stuff in public (although by publishing this here, in theory I actually am - one to think about) so even I could throw aside any potential jibes and gave this a try.

The creamy textured Skin Perfector has a fairly subtle floral fragrance, in fact I was surprised by how faint it was. It got additional points in my book for not interfering with my aftershaves after I had used it, and in fact, within a couple of minutes you could be forgiven for forgetting that you had this on your face, that is until you start to feel your pores tighten.

I applied this after showering so the pores on my face were open when I rubbed it gently around my eye area and forehead. After around fifteen minutes I could feel a rather strange sensation as though the skin was tightening. It actually made me feel more awake as my eyes tightened and opened a little bit more than usual. Impressed is a slight understatement at this point.

After an hour I went back to take a look - the skin tone was far clearer, and looked smoother to me. The fine lines around my eyes (read crows feet) were substantially reduced and in parts no visible without a good hard look. The ridges in my forehead as I said earlier would take some serious work but even they seemed more reduced in depth, and just by removing the blemishes just above my eyebrow looked so much better.

The acid test for me when using these products is whether I feel more confident about how I look after using them. In this case, yes, yes I did, and in fact I could see a noticeable difference in my skin texture after a few days of using this. Over a week later my eyes just weren’t are dark in the morning which helps to avoid that moment of shock when I clap eyes on myself after getting up!

The purchase price may put some people off, the packaging will probably put a lot of blokes off this but if you want my advice, take the plunge and invest in some. I love using it and it boosts my confidence knowing that make face looks even better.

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Men-ü Matt 'Skin Refresh' Gel

The last thing anyone wants is a face that shines either due to far too much moisture on the face, an overdose of moisturisers or the dreaded greasy skin - eurgh. It’s not a good look. In a hands up confession I have to say I suffer from none of these things (it’s a blessing and a curse to have this skin) but when the chance comes to give a new product a try  I’m not one to say no, so when the chance presented itself to try out Men-ü Matt Skin Refresh Gel on my face, and more pressingly on my crows feet I jumped at the chance. 

Winding its way through the snail mail a 100ml tube of the gel arrived and was put to one side to give it a good couple of weeks as part of my daily cleansing and moisturising routine.

A 100ml tube of the gel will set you back £14.45 (a weird price for anything) from Mankind here.

This is what Men-u say about the gel as part of their sales pitch:

‘An anti-shine, fragrance free gel with natural salicylic acid & witch hazel that leaves your visual frontline looking better for longer! For normal, combination and oily skin. Removes & controls excess oil that contributes to blocked pores & breakouts. Cleans pores from impurities, toning & tightening the skin. Soothes & calms – great after shaving & helps overcome ingrown hairs. 

Use on towel dried skin after shaving or washing and as required. Contains willow bark extract that has been used for centuries as a mild analgesic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. If using a moisturiser, men-ü matt moisturiser recommended.’

Now I think I have normal skin, well as normal as the skin of a 36 year old smoker can be. Anything that can freshen my face up is welcome and as a long time user, and possibly abuser of the L’Oreal Men Expert range I couldn't wait to see what this could do for me.

A quick shake of the tube and I was surprised that the contents sounded like shaking fluid in a flask, if anything I was going to have to be careful, I didn’t want to dispense too much, particularly if it was going to be uber runny. With two pumps of the dispenser I had enough of the gel in my palm to cover my huge face and really work the gel into problem areas (at my hair and jaw lines in addition to around my eyes).

Yes, it isn’t strictly a gel, it has a consistency of a watered down hair product and without being careful if is likely to run off your hand. Be careful. 

In terms of fragrance this screams “I’m a product for blokes” with a very basic, yet masculine fragrance. Thankfully, the fragrance isn’t that synthetic, I like the subtle notes of bark that make this stand out as a little bit rugged, a little bit earthy. Spot on people, spot on.

The fragrance aside, after all, if it’s pants the fragrance is irrelevant, it’s the results that matter. The gel is absorbed really quickly and at the first time of using I actually re-applied and again, that was absorbed really quickly which suggested to me that my skin needed a bit of love. After about a minute on the skin I could feel a change in my face, not numb, but that sensation you get when extreme cold touches your skin and is then immediately removed. Weird, but actually a little bit enjoyable. If anything, it means that something is happening.

Once absorbed there is no shine on the skin, and the matt finish gives that natural look. There is no danger of looking like you have just stepped out of a make up artists chair.

On day one, I noticed that my skin felt tighter on my face, particularly around my forehead, eyes and cheeks. Nice one.

By day three the tingling sensation had stopped and only one application a day was needed first thing in the morning. Each time of using the results were the same, a lovely tightening sensation and visibly clearer skin. 

When making a comparison on day seven I was astounded by the results. The Gordon Ramsey trenches (also known as the stress lines on my forehead) and crows feet were less pronounced. They weren’t gone, but boy, they definitely were not as deep and noticeable as before and that readers is something on a par with a miracle considering the depth of them before using. 

I’m really glad I had the chance to try this out and will be looking to add more of their products to my daily cleansing and moisturising routine in the mornings. At the moment I am complementing this with The Bluebeards moisturiser but will be taking up the Men-u recommendation and trying their own matt moisturiser.  

The tingling, the fragrance and the results are to be blunt bloody brilliant and well worth the initial purchase price. At just shy of £15 for a tube this represents good value for money and will last for ages. After ten days of using I’m delighted with the results and have used around a tenth of the tube.

Banish impurities, unblock pores and let your face breath, Men-ü Matt Skin Refresh Gel is for the gent where performance matters.

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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.

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