My brother is a modern fellow. Handsome, fashion conscious and a total Irish man. Which means that he looks at me with mildly impatient confusion when I insist that he HAS to moisturise!
'Eh…no' is the general response. But he doesn't lie awake at night thinking about the fact that his annual 'summer burning' (due to forgetting to bring sunscreen) could result in cancer at worst, and looking like a donkey's crinkly whatsit receptacle at best. Yes. I think about that stuff. Lets never talk about it.
I can't see the average Irish man using serums and eye creams or adapting to our skincare routines any time soon, but we can encourage the men in our lives - be they brothers, fathers or partners - to moisturise and give their skin a little love. After all, shaving daily can make skin really angry and result in breakouts and sore, flaking skin. That can't feel nice.
Even our beloved bearded chaps need to look after the exposed areas of skin on their faces. It's in this spirit of love and panic that I bought my brother three 'mansturisers' of varying prices in the hope that he would take to one of them.
- Bulldog Original Moisturiser 100ml (€8.49)
Despite what the men in our lives say when they steal our moisturisers, it's not 'all the same'. Male skin is different from female skin. It is thicker, hardier, and produces a lot more sebum,so it tends (on average) to be oilier. This means that it requires different ingredients to cater for its needs than say, dry female skin. This is all in general - there are of course exceptions.
Bulldog is an up and coming men's skincare brand that won't freak men out. It's not heavily scented, the packaging is masculine, and the products work. Also, at well under a tenner, even a man who does not prioritise skincare might give it a go.
I'm not a huge fan of this solely due to its lack of SPF. My brother's concern was that he would have to use it twice a day as one application wasn't enough to prevent his skin from feeling taut after washing. This, apparently, is a lot to ask. So himself says no to this one.
- No 7 Men Energising Moisturiser SPF 15 (€11.25)
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This affordable mid-priced mansturiser smells masculine (but not overly so, not teenage boy Lynx Africa 'masculine') and absorbs nicely so as not to leave an annoying residue. It contains an SPF of fifteen and some nice moisturising ingredients.
The brother declares that he likes this one as he only needs to use it once a day and it 'has a nice smell'. This is one to store in the ensuite of your man cave.
And the Winner is...- Kiehl's Facial Fuel SPF 15 (€38.50)
I'll be honest, I did not think that my brother would appreciate this fancy skincare product. It's the most expensive of our three, but it's non-oily yet richly moisturising. It contains vitamins C and E, AND has SPF fifteen. I thought he would throw it to the back of the cupboard. And yet, when I last asked himself how he was getting on with this moisturiser, I nearly fell out of my stand, as Granny would say. 'Oh yeah. I finished that one', he declared casually.
I almost crossed myself with the fright.
The brother declares that this fancy Kiehl's product is the nicest. It keeps his skin from feeling tight after washing, and he likes the packaging.
'Yeah It makes your skin soft,' says he. Wow, Kiehl's have NEVER in their long history received that level of praise. Most people's hysterical shrieks of 'I'll DIE without this' are the equivalent of my brother's 'Yeah. That one's pretty good'.
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Do you have a male friend, brother, husband or boyfriend who you wish would look after their skin? Share your mansturising woes in the comments!
