Best Skincare Products for Men | The Ultimate Men’s Skincare Regime
Man, oh, man, you’re looking tired, your skin’s feeling a little dry, a bit wrinkled even, you’ve got dark circles under your eyes, your pores are clogged and your skin’s breaking out something chronic…well, maybe not all of those, but if you’re reading this article, chances are, at least one of those scenarios is true. Luckily for you the Modern Gay’s Guide team are here to help you with your skincare woes.
Writing this article is me, Nick Aldrich, Editor of A Modern Gay’s Guide, though more appropriately for this article, just a guy who’s previously struggled with all, I repeat, all of the above aforementioned skincare downfalls. As a result, I certainly know how you’re feeling. To solve your skincare dilemmas, the Gay’s Guide team have tried and tested a number of skincare products and are here to give you some of our top picks – you can thank us later!
THE BASICS
No, we’re not talking about all of your ex-partners, we’re talking the absolute skincare basic must-dos (is that a word??) that you need to be doing before any of the below is going to truly fix the skincare imperfections that you’re out to overcome.
- DRINK YO’ WATER BOY
You can have the best skincare regime this side of Timbuktu, but honey, if you’re not drinking your water, you’re not staying hydrated, then your skin’s not going to be loving you like it should. We’re not scientists, but as a good rule-of-thumb, you’re going to want to be aiming for a little over 3.5 litres a day…even more if you’ve had a big weekend on the bottomless mimosas (or ‘beers’ for our sensational heterosexual readers xx). - GET THEM ZZZ’S, HUN
Okay pals, this one is rivalling hydration for the top spot. As a young Bart Simpson once said, “You said, go to bread?”, to which Lisa replied, “I SAID GO TO BED”, and honestly we all need to listen to Lisa – less carbs, more sleeping. Not getting enough sleep means that you will physically look tired, but also your hard working little body isn’t getting the chance to restore that natural beauty – so really try to get your eight hours in boys! - CLEAN YA’ DAMN FACE
Do we really need to unpack this one? It’s simple as it says – clean ya’ damn face boy. Throughout the day the skin on your face is filthy, continually covered with bacteria, pollutants, viruses, dirt, and old (dead) skin cells. Don’t fight us on this one, just do it – k thanks!
Okay, we’re now at the main event – congrats for making it this far. Honestly, I’ve dated boys for less time than it’s taken for you to get here, so go you! Keeping it simple we’ve given you our top pick, per problem! Each product has personally been tried and tested from the Gay’s Guide team, so you can take our recommendations with confidence!
FOR THE DIRTY BOYS
So we’re keeping the ‘clean ya’ damn face’ train rolling and introducing the first of our picks, the Ella Baché Botanical Cleansing Oil.
THE BRAND SPIEL: Ella Baché’s Botanical Cleansing Oil is the ultimate beard care product to wash away impurities and leave skin protected and moisturised. It’s a nutrient rich plant based cleanser, gentle and effective at removing impurities while also conditioning, rebalancing and strengthening the skin’s barrier function. Formulated with Byron Bay sourced Hemp Seed Oil, an industry multi tasker that assists with hydration, smoothing, repairing, along with amino acids that are essential for skin health.
Made in Australia from a powerhouse of active botanicals – Botanical Cleansing Oil delivers effortlessly clean, clear skin. To use, just warm a generous amount of oil between your palms and massage over face and neck, emulsify with water then remove with damp sponges or rinse off with water.
THE GAY’S GUIDE REAL-TALK: This cleanser is actually the bomb.com. It leaves your face feeling silky smooth, whilst getting all the gunk and grime off your face and really helps to reduce facial redness and breakouts. Big fan.
FOR THE BOYS CURRENTLY ROCKING A WRINKLE
Okay boys, we’ll level with you – ageing sucks. You’re not as fit as you used to be, the hangovers take longer to get over and your skin’s starting to wrinkle….and, well, you just look old. Well, what if we told you that we can change that…well not all of it, just the part on wrinkles (you’re unfortunately stuck with the late-stage hangovers). The team over at Peter Thomas Roth Clinical Skin Care have you 110% covered on the wrinkle reduction front, recently launching their FIRMx line (sold exclusively at Sephora – #Fancy).
THE BRAND SPIEL: FIRMx® Collagen products are the latest additions to the cult-favorite FIRMx® collection. Packed with 7 forms of Collagen and collagen-supporting ingredients, these anti-aging treatments help skin appear firmer, smoother and more youthful. Marine Collagen, Plant Collagen and Hydrolyzed Collagen help improve the look of fine lines, wrinkles and firmness, while Hydroxyproline, Peptides, Collagen Amino Acids and Fatty Acids help boost results.
THE GAY’S GUIDE REAL-TALK: I read the brand spiel and was SUSPICIOUS – a little too good to be true right? Seven different types of collagen that I can barely pronounce and that are set to rival invasive anti-ageing techniques (aka injections), well that’s a big call. BUT, guess what, I got my hands on some of the stuff and after two weeks, I’m happy to officially deem it, miracle cream. My crow’s feet, which rivalled something of a Kath & Kim sketch, are noticeably reduced. My forehead wrinkles, the unfortunate casualty of my constant cackle induced raised eyebrows, almost entirely gone. Ladies, gents and gender fluid friends, if you’re worried about your wrinkles, then give this one a red hot go, you won’t look back (or as old!).
For the boys with the big…pores
Okay boys, raise your hand if you too have big ol’ pores on your nose, which constantly cause you black and white head headaches? Okay nice, I’m seeing a lot of hands go up! Well never fear, as the Bioré Men’s Charcoal Deep Cleansing Pore Strips have your back.
THE BRAND SPIEL: A larger pore strip with expanded reach to ensure full coverage. With natural charcoal, pore strips suck out deep-down dirt, oil, and blackheads, leaving skin feeling fresh and clean.
THE GAY’S GUIDE REAL-TALK: You can get pore strips from almost anywhere, but these bad boys hit a little different. They’re a bit bigger than your average strip, which means for guys like me, rocking a near beak-sized nose, these strips still get the job done. Also, being a completely vain gay boy, the black strips look WAY better in a #SelfLove Insta pic…you’re welcome.
(PS HOW SATISFYING IS LOOKING AT A PORE STRIP, POST-PEAL)
For the guys that need help right now….cosmetics here we come
We get it, you’re reading this article thinking, ‘yeah, cool, ummm my date’s in 45 minutes, so fix me now, yeah?!’. So being frank, none of the above are really going to help in the next hour, so you’re probably going to want to opt for a lil’ cosmetic help! We’re coming in hot with Tony & Munro, specifically their concealer. Not sure what concealer even is, fret not, we’ve got you covered with a quick ‘What actually is concealer’ article, here.
THE BRAND SPIEL: Correcting Concealer for men by Tony & Munro is your secret weapon for flawless, natural-looking, bright, even toned skin, offering effortless all-day coverage for redness and dark circles.
For a smoother, more even complexion, Tony & Munro’s Correcting Concealer works to cover up red undertones and dark circles, for naturally bright, flawless looking skin, giving you the perfect confidence boost.
THE GAY’S GUIDE REAL-TALK: Okay boys, listen up, ya’ boy Nick here had a hot ‘Hinge’ date last Wednesday night (date was alright, not sure if I’ll see him again, thanks for asking though), and Murphy’s law, I awoke the morning of said date with a lil’ pimple right in the middle of my forehead…amazing right?! Long story short, never before had I worn concealer, but I thought ‘heck, let’s give it a go’, and you know what? It did the trick, completely hidden – confidence restored! Hence my roaring recommendation, if in need of an instant skincare quick-fix!
