Hey everyone!

So, i buy, or have bought lots of skincare products, now and in the past. The title says skincare tips for men, but really its for girls too.

So, products, what do you buy? Well it depends on what you want, and how much you wanna spend. There are a few types of products, a few basics are: Scrubs, Toners, Exfoliators, Mousturisers and cleansers. These can be broken down even more into day or night creams.

Basic info

You should probably use 3 different types of treatment. Most call it the 3 steps, or similar. These usually consist of a scrub and a moisturiser, and a toner or cleanser. The order you apply them is usually Scrub>Tone/cleanser>moisturiser. Scrub should always be first, and moisturiser last.
Personally i dont like cleansers, and prefer to use exfoliator masques more, i feel they do more for my skin. If you are using a scrub and an exfoliator, you should know NOT to use these every day, they are to be used around every 3 days. You dont have to follow 3 steps and can do more if you wish. Along with these 3 steps there are other skincare products such as for your eyes.

Also be aware everyones skin is different! Some brands sell for 3 skin types: Normal, Dry or oily.

Normal – No oily spots, no ‘oily shin’, clean, smooth and a good complexion
Dry – prone to aging and irritating; flakey
Oily – shiny, greasy, think, larger pores

A Look At Some Products

Well if you want premium products, you can read my posts about Dermalogica. I got alot of there products and have been using them for a few months now, and i think they are great. The problem is they are premium, so you can expect to pay £20-£30 for a bottle, the size and price depends on what you are getting.

Ole Henriksen is another expensive brand. I have used the eye cream, and it worked OK, but i did not think it was worth the extra money. I have not used any of their other products yet, but i probably would in the future as they have a reputation of being good.

There is also Clinique, which offer many different products and have their own 3 step system, so it is easy for you to buy, just get bottles 1, 2 and 3. I have used a cleanser before, and it was OK, but i dont think it justified the pricetag. I still wouldnt rule them out, because they do some other fantastic products and are known as one of the leaders in skincare.

ZIRH is a brand which is a little cheaper, but i would say still a bit premium. I have used one of their exfoliator masques before, and found it good. It was a dark grey clay, if you use something like like dont have tops/shirts on!

Lab Series is another brand which i have not tried yet but would like to. It is again a semi-premium brand, and getting just a few bottles from them can add up to over £50.

Nivea For Menis probably one of the more noted brands. They do some expensive and inexpensive products, i have used some of their Q10 eyecream before and did not think it produced any good results. There other creams for day-to-day use seem to work well.

L’oreal Men Expertis another brand which do some nice things. They do everything from moisturisers to scrubs to aftershave balms. At the moment they are promoting an eye roller for men to help your sleapy eyes, similar to the Garnier eye roll-on, which i bought last week.

The Scrub – On A Budget.

If you are on a budget, i would definitely recommend St Ives Apricot Scrub. It is a scrub and exfoliator, and i think it is brilliant. Something else which is good is the price, you can pick up a nice sized bottle for around £3 and should last at least a month! The scrub should be used around every 3 days. I used to use this particular scrub for a long time and thought it was the best value for money. I think the scrub is one of the most important steps, because it really cleans out all the dirt and dead skin, before you apply anything else should you do so.

Moisturisers

These are also important, and keep the skin soft and hydrated. You could use a number of these to figure out what works best for you. You can get creams which should be applied once a day, or you can get day and night creams. You can pick up some moisturisers from Nivea for around £10, Clinique for £20 and Dermalogica for £20. These are for 50ml bottles, and should last a month. Budget brands are FCUK for £5, King Of Shaves for £5 and Trevor Sorbie for £6. Some moisturisers also contain an SPF.

Where to buy

Some brands are only available in some places. The best place to buy any of these products are Boots and Superdrug, who between them sell the majority, if not all these products, and both have online stores. Dermalogica is only sold in authorised dealers, and i noticed this is now being sold at Boots online.

Boots Online - Various Products
Superdrug Online - Various Products
Dermalogica – Can be bought online via Pure Beauty (aswell as other places)
Ole Henriksen – Can be bought online via Beauty Expert  (aswell as other places)

Hello Lovely readers How are you?

I got some products from Boots yesterday, i got myself loads of hair products, because, I HAVE HAIR! If you know me, then you will know that i always got my hair shaved really short, for more or less all my life. For the last year or so i decided not to do this, and have been growning it and getting it cut properly. Its now as long as its ever been…which isnt really long, not like a girl or anything!

Anyway, i got some Brylcream, i got a gel cream and a wax, and also got FCUK styling get too. I heard some good things about Trevor Sorbie so i also bought that, some fine wax. I have only used the Trevor Sorbie so far, and it is good! Its not like wax, the only way to describe the texture is yoghurt like its better than hard wax, but not greasy like some gels.

I also got some Veet waxing cream for men. I havent had the “for men” one before, and since i just waxed my chest i will have a long wait to use this

I got some more King Of Shaves gel, i love their products of course

I have wanted something for my eyes for ages. I have black bags under them, not really deep black, but god knows why, i get enough sleep but not too much! Anyway the Dermalogica stuff i have was more for lines, which i dont have, so i got a pen. Its a roller, by Garnier, and cost £10. Its supposed to be good and work, so we will see. If feels really nice to apply, the ball is metal and cold, and its easy to apply.

I love to smell nice, and i love a variation of smells. One of the things about buying EDT, Aftershaves and things like that online you cannot know how they smell! So, it you wanna buy any online, here are what i think are the top 5, and i will try to explain how they smell, which is hard to do!

Eau D’Issey by Issey Miyake is in a cool fake stone type of bottle, with a woody masculine kind of smell. It is a bit musky, but not too much. It is sort of an old skool aftershave smell which i am into at the moment.

Gucci Envy is probably my all time favourite, and combines a fruity, wooden and fresh smell all into one. Even though it is over 10 years old it is an essential if you want to smell good, it is very hard to find these days.

Gucci by Gucci is the latest scent from Gucci. It is a powerful smell, which is fresh, and is very much like an old aftershave with a bit of a twist.

The One by Dolce and Gabbana is once again an old skool aftershave type of smell. A bit woody, a bit fresh, these kinds of smells work well in a spray bottle rather than am open bottle, you can get better coverage without being too overpowering.

Narciso Rodriguez is not as big of a name as the others, but the smell is so good. Once again i have gone old skool, but this one smells a bit more updated, with little bits of retro aftershave smell.

I do not like the fragrances which are too fruity. I like them fresh, or muskey, but the fruity ones seem too femanine and smell very sticky. Some have a strong smell of lemon and citrus, which i try to stay away from. I would not reccommend these types of smells for evening, and if you have to wear them i would suggest daytime use.

I got myself a load of Dermalogica products, from exfoliants to scrubs, moisturisers, toners and creams, and i think they are all great. If you use them everyday they do work; My face has always been soft and smooth, so its hard to notice a difference, but i do with the rest of my body using the body lotion cream.

Total Eye Care

I use this every day on my eyes. It is hard to tell if it does work or not. I wanted something to lighten the black around my eyes, not that there is much, but it could do with some lighting. It works a little, but could do more.

Skin Prep Scrub

As the name suggests, its a scrub, so i use this a few times a week. I apply it and leave it on for a minute or so, before rinsing it off. It doesnt reccommend this, but i always do that with a scrub, its superstition, i wanna ‘know’ its doing something.

Gentle Cream Exfoliant

This again is only used a few times a week, and is used after the scrub before moisturising. Apply the cream, leave for 10-15 minutes then rinse off. After using my face does feel fresh

Multi Active Toner

I use this daily, if i use the exfoliant it comes after that, and then moisturise after. I use it every night and sometimes through the day (if i remember).

Active Moist

This is a day and night moisturiser, which i use twice a day. I must admit i do sometimes forget to apply it sometimes, but always use it at least once a day (usually at night).

Body Hydrating Cream

I use this every night after the shower/bath. Its a cream which is for the whole body, as the name suggests. I dont like the smell much, a bit of lemon/apple/fruity, but dont worry, its not over-powering.

I like the Dermalogica products, i have used alot in the past, i never liked Clinique, although i only had 1 or 2 of their products. Dermalogica is expensive, but if you can afford it i would recommend it.

Most bottles (of anything) run at around £20-£30, they do some more expensive lines, but these arent really daily skin products.

I have had my Slendertone belt for a while now, but i dont really use it religiously. For this reason, it is hard to tell if it actually works or not. I am going to use it more and more, and when i first got it it did work a little bit. Dont expect to get a 6 pack using this and sitting around for the rest of your time, it is supposed to be an addition to a healthy diet and workout.

I am going to start using it more and more, and along with running, crunches and situps see what happens. When i was using it everyday before, it did some work. It does tighten up your stomach a little, but like i say, it is to be used in ADDITION to exercise, not instead of exercise.

If you dont know about Slendertone, basically it is a belt you wear which shocks you with pulses of electricity. This can be turned up and down, and ranges from 0 – 99. The idea is you start on a low number, and build yourself up. There is a computer system which keeps it all in time, and 9 programs for you to follow. If you use the belt, it will move you onto the next program when you are ready. The programs vary in terms of time and frequency of the pulses. You typically use the belt for 30 minutes on the first few programs.

They say you can use this and forget about it, and do your normal daily routine. But i have found if you want to use it properly, you will need to sit or stand or not move around much, because you will want to keep moving it up to give yourself stronger shocks as you are using it.

Hello peoples!

So, i need a new camera, i blogged about that the other day. My choices i gave myself were an SLR, the Canon 1000D or the Lumix FZ38 which is a bridge. I currently have a Lumix FX55 which is good, and is still around the £200 even though its around 2 years old.

The good points of these 2 cameras speak for themselves. The biggest problems with these 2 cameras are:

• Ease of Use: How easy are they to use, how long does it take to get it out of your bag and snap an amazing photo
• Size and weight – You cant put it in your pocket, which means wearing it round your neck or carrying a bag
• Geek factor – If you are in a city taking photos or where there are people, you will look like a camera nerd
• Cost – Especially the Canon, which is now around the £400 mark on Amazon, you can get the 450D or a better model for just a little more

I have to consider what i am looking for. And what i want in a camera, for general use is:

• A Camera which takes a stunning photo
• Must be small, and fit in a pocket
• Must be able to take photos in low light

Those are the 3 most important things to me at this stage. If i get more into photography i can get an SLR and have that to accompany my compact. I do not care about HD video, For me its a camera, and nothing else. So after lots of reading and researching, i have found a Lumix LX3.

Everyone says good things about this camera. It is bigger than a small compact, but it is still a compact. It has a large sensor, larger than other compacts, which means that it can/does/should take a brilliant photo, with 10MP. The things which worry me are that it doesnt look nice, with a horrible pop-up flash and lens cap, not an electronic lens shutter like other compacts. The price is around £320, which is expensive for a compact, and i dont wanna spend such an amount if the differences to my FX55 arent noticeable. With £320 i can get the FZ38, The bridge camera, and have more “camera real estate” for less money. But then the whole point of this is that its NOT an SLR.

Not only that, but there are rumors of an LX4 which could be coming this year. But these are rumors, no doubt there will be an upgraded model, but the question is when will this come out…If i wait i could be waiting for a long time, or be waiting for a disapointment, as some have suggested that they will drop RAW from it, it could be even more expensive, or anything, who knows until they make an announcement.

Hello peoples!

You may have read a previous post where i wrote about King of Shaves, and a product i bought of theirs. It was their advanced gel, which isnt a gel it is a foam which i find horrible to use.

Well the nice people at King of Shaves read my blog and sent me some of their other gels to try

They have sent 3 products, an oil, and 2 gels. The blue tube is their standard gel, alphagel. It is a nice gel, cool and my razor glides nicely. The black tube is the more expensive gel, and it to is very smooth, and comfortable to use.

It is nice stuff, so i will be getting some more, and use this everyday. If you would like to buy these, you can find them at places such as Boots, who sell the alphashave (blue tube) for £3.20 (150ml), the shaving oil for £4.20 (20ml) and the black sse for around £4.

I LOVE THIS SHOW! Hosted by Paddy Mcguinness Take Me Out is basically Blind Date for 2010, without the blind. 30 women are on stage and have a button to tell him and the people watching if they are turned on or turned off. Once the girl has turned her light off, she cant turn it back on for that man.

The guy comes down and introduces himself, which is round 1. The girls see him and can then turn their light off if they dont like what they see. There is a further 2 rounds, they see a video of him describing himself, and another where the man has to either impress the girl, or a video is shown of him which is usually done by his friends or family. At the end he goes on a date with a girl if 1 is left, if more than 1 is left then he turns off the lights himself leaving 2 girls, then asks them a question and decides from there.

The program is so entertaining because of the girls. They are all more or less the same. They all havent had a boyfriend for so long, and you dont need to wonder why. Usually when they turn off their light they give such a stupid reason like “i dont like his shoes”, or go for something more superficial. Its funny to see the mass turning off of the lights, when a man even hints he might have money, with the “money doesnt impress me” lines, but then you get an average type of guy and that isnt good enough for the girls.

The funniest thing was in last weeks show, when some poser man had a BMW 3 Series M Sport, which is not an M3, its a normal 3 series with a few extras, so why bother saying it, especially to a girl…Anyway the girl said something like “i will go out with him if he doesnt mind me having a better car” and Paddy asked, “what kind of car do you have?” And she replied, “Aston Martin”. hahaha! So much for your great M Sport Mate!!! Anyway, the girl she is obviously stuck up, with a snotty attitude He almost rejected her, he went upto her to turn her light off and she said “are you serious, youre joking right?” She was actually disgusted that he was going to turn her down…I would of just for that reason.

I bet her date didnt go well…Not to worry, she has her Aston Martin to keep her warm at night…or maybe not

I was out running again today, and wore my Adidas Techfit clothing. It really does fit well and gives you better comfort when running or working out. It is also very small, and it actually hard to get out of when you finished working out

I have taken some shots with normal fitting clothes behind them to demonstrate the size. There is a regular T-Shirt (Polo Jeans) and some J. Lindberg Jeans.

Since i am using my blog lots, and taking more pics, i have decided maybe i should get a new camera. But i am lost as to what to get. I am not a professional photographer, but i am interested in taking pics to some degree, and i like messing around in photoshop. So should i get a DSLR, keep my current camera, or get a bridge camera?

My current Camera is a Panasonic Lumix FX55. It is a very good compact camera, i got it because it is very small for the quality it can produce. It can fit in my pocket, and i still get a good lens with 10MP. However, i have noticed that indoor shots, and detailed shots dont seem to have the good quality i want.

The big step up is a DSLR. I have been reading really good things about the Canon EOS series, in particular the EOS 1000dwhich i have heard from several photographers is “the one” to have if you are starting out taking pics and want to get into photography. You can get one of these for around £370-£400 which includes a lens kit. The big drawbacks for me for any SLR is that it is not small, its not like i could take it on a night out for example. Another drawback is the ease of use. I want a good camera, but i dont want to spend an hour setting it up to take a few pics then have to set it up again.

There is a 3rd Alternative, which is a bridge camera. This is basically halfway between a compact digital camera and a DSLR. It is a similar size to a DSLR, but does not have changable lenses and it more focused on ease of use, aswell as taking a good pic.
The one i have looked at is a Panasonic Lumix FZ38. I have seen the FZ28 in action and it is good. The drawbacks are once again the size, but it seems thats something i am going to have to get used to if i wanna take a great looking pic. It is a 12MP camera with a good lens, and lots of features such as 18x Optical zoom and HD recording which the EOS 1000d does not offer. It also comes in at £265, which is around £100 cheaper than a EOS 1000d.