I will take that as an official endorsement of my services and address my gentlemen. As you may know, I am obsessed with great skin and I am planning to take over the world, one, glowing face at a time. I especially have a soft spot in my heart for helping MEN pull it all together in this area. I think I’ve actually found my niche. Please feel free to share the following and pass my info on to those in need of my services.
Gentlemen, gorgeous glowing skin is not just for women and metrosexuls. This is a silly notion and anyone who subscribes to this philosophy is simply not ready and should immediately exit this post….I’ll wait…....................................
For those that remain, it would behoove you to pay attention to the following and because I like you, this one's on me.
1. Every gentleman should own and use a daily skin care regiment. I am not talking about washing your face with the same soap that you wash your body with in the shower or simply splashing your face with water in the morning and I am certainly not talking about cleaning your face with alcohol or any other harsh drying agents. Yes I have seen and heard of this alcohol cleansing ritual more times than I care to admit. Please stop it!
By REGIMENT I mean a daily skin care routine to cleanse, tone and moisturize the outermost layer (epidermis) of your skin. Please note that it is important to use skin care products developed for your skin type. I will help you to identify your skin type.
Cleansing does just that, it cleanses the dirt, oil, and other pollutants from the face. Toning will remove any remaining soap or dirt and will also help to tighten the skin on the face. Lastly, moisturizing will keep a healthy moisture balance on the skin to maintain its natural glow, improve texture and overall good health of the skin. Using a moisturizer with an appropriate level of SPF will protect the skin from UVA/B rays, the leading cause of premature aging and skin cancer. This is non negotiable.
Once you have identified (again I will help) and purchased the proper products you should follow these steps:
Cleansing
• Use your chosen cleaning agent with water to work up a lather on your face and neck. Some cleansers will get "soapier" than others. Do not be alarmed, the important thing here is that you are using what is best for your skin type. While cleaning your skin AVOID the skin around your eyes. Why you may ask? Aside from the obvious painful reasons, the fact is that the skin around the eyes is much thinner and more delicate than that of the rest of your face. As such, it tends to be dry in that area, and AGES (read: wrinkles, lines, and crows feet) faster than the rest of the face. Feel free to gently clean the sleep, cobwebs and eye buggars out with a warm, soap free cloth before or after you cleanse the face. Yeah I know how you look in the morning.
To fight the pull of gravity, wash your face and neck area (that sag prone jaw line) in upward/outward strokes and rinse in the same manner. Trust me, over time it does make a difference. Keep it tight!
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Once you are finished rinsing the face, pat with a clean towel. There is no need to completely dry your face because you are not done.
Toning
• Next, take your toner of choice (again depending on your skin type) and apply some to a 100% cotton ball. Please purchase your own and don't use up your lady's. I know how you are. Once you have applied the toner to the cotton ball, use upward strokes to remove any remaining dirt, oil and soap residue. You see all that "dirt" still (if not, good job) on your skin? That's remaining dirt, oil and soap residue. Please take care to make sure that your face is clean before proceeding.
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Moisturizing
• Finally, rub a dime size amount of moisturizer between your hands and apply all over the face and neck in upward stokes. Let's fight gravity and "saggy skin" by any means necessary gentlemen. At this time it is okay to moisturize around the eyes but please proceed gently, no tugging or pulling on the skin around your eyes. It is best to use the "ring" finger of either hand to pat whenever you are handling the delicate area around your eyes. We will focus more on the eye area in a minute.
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2. In addition to the daily cleaning routine, included in every gentleman's skin care routine should be an exfoliation method of choice and eye cream. I can hear the protests already, but please hear me out.
Over time the top (epidermal) layer of the skin gets rough, dry and flaky, especially during the harsh winter months. Dead skin cells on this top layer can actually prevent your skin from reaping the full benefits of what you do in the steps above. So gentlemen, we are going to exfoliate your skin with an exfoliation method of choice two or three times a week. You can do this exfoliation process at night, complete your normal cleaning routine (above), go to sleep and wake up to a soft touchable face that will rival any baby's behind.
When exfoliating, please take care to scrub (not too rough) in upward/outward strokes, avoid the delicate eye area and rinse off in the same manner. You may have to rinse and repeat the rinse before you get all of it off. Exfoliating the skin reveals fresh, younger looking skin. See, it’s not just for girls.
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3. Eye cream is key to preserving your sexy gentlemen. Until now, I have not known a man personally or professionally that does not have an issue with using eye cream. I usually would not even mention it, but I believe that you gentlemen are ready. As stated above, the skin around the eyes is special and should be regarded as such. You need extra moisture to prolong cracking, wrinkling, and crow’s feet around the eyes. When we look into those dreamy eyes gentlemen, we want to see the twinkle in them, not the wrinkles around them. Please employ the ring finger tap application method for this special area. The last thing you want to do is tug at or be too rough with the skin in this area as that can lead to premature aging. You will age, just don’t do it before your time.
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More words of wisdom:
1. Consistency is key. It’s been said that it takes three weeks to form a habit. Give it at least a month, stay committed and you will certainly reap the benefits. Once you get it down, your daily routine should not be more than 5 minutes.
2. It is recommended that you follow your skin care routine twice a day, but if this is too much for you in the beginning, please promise me that you will cleanse, tone, and moisturize at night before going to bed. Don’t take all the smog, dirt, grime and pollution on your face to bed with you. If you do, at least have enough decency to not be all in your lady’s face that night. More than likely, she took care of her skin before she went to bed.
3. Eye cream can be used morning and night. Don't be ashamed to use it.
4. The moisturizer that you use during the day MUST contain an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 15 or higher. Unless you are a serious outdoors man (read: Lance Armstrong, outdoors biker), or planning to be outdoors for a prolonged amount of time, there is no need to go higher than an SPF 25.
5. Don’t over use products. It’s not going to make them work any better or faster in terms of results, but it will go faster in terms of that wallet.
6. Because you have oily skin does not mean you should find ways to dry it out. Using drying products (rubbing alcohol anyone?) will cause the sebaceous glands of the skin to work overtime and produce even more oil! Also, oily skin tends to age slower (how nice) and there is a difference between oiliness and a healthy glow.
7. Don't be afraid to experiment with different products until you find ones for your skin type that you like. And even after that, it's okay to switch things up once in a while to keep your skin guessing. I have Clinique Skin Supplies for Men up here is because they are tried and true but there is a ton of stuff out there. I will help you sort it out.
8. When in doubt, ask the expert. The doctor is in and I make house calls. You know how to reach me.
Other grooming tips for gentlemen:
1. Do explore after shower body sprays, colognes and such that compliment your unique body chemistry. Axe and Bod is not for everyone.
2. Do trim the hair under your arms. You don’t have to rock a baldy like us ladies but there is really nothing attractive about a man in a tank (read: wife beater) with a jungle protruding from under his arms.
3. Do trim the hair you know where, too. I’m not going to get graphic in case your children are reading this behind your back.
4. Do allow your lady to hook you up down there. Most of us would not mind for many reasons. It’s a labor of love, TRUST ME!
5. Do take a bath instead of a shower every now and then to pamper the rest of your body. There's nothing wrong with a man with soft skin all over.
6. Don’t obsess with aging. The fact is that you will age and look older (no wolf tickets being sold here) BUT
7. Do grow older gracefully by preserving your sexy.
More tips on the way…..Stay Fine Gentlemen
Gem
7 comments:
Well thank you for that SKIN CARE 101 lecture. For a second it felt like I was watching one of those 3:00a.m "Paid Programming" advertisements.
Questions:
- Where is the best place to purchase Clinique (for men) products.
- Do you have any advice on a beginners workout regiment for those of us who are not as dedicated as oneself.
NOTE: I am not a 3 mile runner nor anywhere near a health nut, but if I can find a starting point, who knows. Please advise,,,,
P.S. Skin care presentation: Very helpful and much appreciated.
They can be purchased at any major department store or online at www.clinigue.com.
Regarding workout plans:
1. Start moving, it does not even have to be anything drastic. Walking will do. Before you know it you will be jogging and running.
2. Variety is key. Do lot's of activity to warm your heart, walking running, biking, hiking, basketball, football, whatever physical activity you enjoy and can have fun with.
3. Combine cardiovascular training activities with strength training. The best place to start with this is a weight training class at your local gym/YMACA, etc. Take it slow, don’t do too much and go at your own pace.
4. EAT a variety of healthy food (protein, vegetables, fruit, whole grains) and drink lots of water. You can do all of the above, don’t eat right and still be busted up!
Any more questions, just ask your girl.
I am waiting on skin care 101 for the ladies, i will have FRONT ROW seats, TRUST!
Ok, so, I’m good on the cleansing tip, but toning and moisturizing could do with some improvement. This regiment of yours seems to be a substantial commitment of time and resources, but I’m up to the challenge. I like to think I lean toward the metro-sexual side.
I must say that it’s somewhat encouraging that you work so hard at maintaining your radiant appearance. I though it was completely natural; I’m a little less jealous now.
Anyway, I’m really enjoying your blog. I especially took note of when (time and date) you posted some of your entries for my own selfish reasons.
Anything worth having takes some effort. Good genes will only get you so far. LOL!
I am not even going to attempt to decode that last comment.
I am laughing so hard, Precious. You need to take your act on the road.
Time and resources...you got that right. I'm leaning towards the more masculine 'nig' sexual so the cleansing will be my focus, I will have to work that moisturizing in on the weekends (WOW). I mean, who's has that 3 step time in the morning when you have to deal with them darn kids, bathed and dress everytbody, pack up the bags, OH and wash your own ass. Bad enough I am already off the (face, pits, and creases) 3 minute bath regiment as it is. Wait until I incorporate your teachings.....
"PICTURE ME ROLLING"
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