Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Man Stuff


            As a beauty enthusiast, I'm in no shortage of lotions and potions and products. However, it can be a struggle to get Mr. Lovey to adhere to even a simple skincare routine. Men. To be honest, it would be a bit weird if the man in my life was equally zealous about beauty and skincare so I shouldn't complain. That said, I would prefer that my prince charming kept my charming looks for years to come. In this post I'll share how I've attempted to incorporate some simple skincare into his routine.

           First, I've found that Mr. Lovey also appreciates nice and matching packaging. Even if he could care less about skincare, I know he secretly likes things that look nice too. Packaging that says 'for men' doesn't hurt either. Secondly, it doesn't have to be expensive. I think the St. Ives products here look quite nice and work well. I don't want to flip out if he takes two big pumps of the cleanser every time and it disappears within a month! Third, I'll choose things that smell fresh or are unscented. I'm pretty sure the last thing a man wants to smell like is old-lady creams. He could care less if there were expensive anti-aging amino-peptide-hyaluronic-supposedly-scientific ingredients in it. Right now Mr. Lovey is using Clinique's dramatically different moisturizing gel. Technically he's just helping me use it up since I'm allergic to it. It's light in texture and unscented so he doesn't complain. Fourth, I've chosen more moisturizing face cleansers. This is partially because he has dry skin. It is also because I know he'll skip moisturizer often and I don't want his skin to dry out quickly after using stripping washes. Finally, I try to figure out what he likes. I was surprised to see that he used up a sample size of Anthony logistics exfoliator. I made sure to purchase a milder version: the St. Ives moisturizing Olive scrub for him.


         This brings me to another point. Whenever I order beauty products online, I try to throw in samples for Mr. Lovey. That way I can figure out what he likes and who doesn't like getting little luxe samples? I can't go wrong with woody fragrance samples. I'd like to note that he actually owns more bottles of fragrance than I do. Below you can see a few little samples that are currently on his counter-top. The Eshu shave gel and Art of shaving pre-shave oil were deluxe samples during promotions. The current fragrance samples he has are from Prada and John Varvatos.


           Finally I made sure to get him his own set of nail tools. I'm sure he had his own set before we lived together, however, recently I caught him using mine because they were better and sharper! Of course I made sure to get him his own after that.


          Thanks for reading! Do you have any tips or tricks that you've used for the men in your life? (It's not just Mr. Lovey. I have a brother that could care less about skincare too.)

Love, Dovey.

8 comments:

  1. You take good care of your man :) My husband surely would not have a skincare routine if I didn't implement one for him but at least he's happy to use the products I get him which are mostly Neutrogena for Men. We actually share nail tools but I should probably look into getting him his own set.

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    1. Hi Rolala, thanks for your comment! It sounds like you're doing pretty well yourself. Neutrogena is another good gender neutral brand. As for nail tools, I'd recommend it---- there's less chance that they disappear when you're looking for them :P

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  2. This is a great post! I was thinking of doing one like this, too, but I never got around to it. I agree completely with everything you said! While I would think it was a little weird if he cared more about his face than I do about mine, it is nice to see them use the stuff you buy them. For S., I just emphasize daily face washing with Cetaphil, daily moisturizer with SPF, and a night cream. Otherwise his face gets rough or oily or yucky - no good for snuggling! He doesn't seem to care about branding or anything either, just nothing with super strong/flowery/sweet fragrances and nothing that irritates his skin. I also try to get him samples and such when I order my products. We really are like the same person!!! High five.

    He steals my nail clippers too. I never thought about buying him his own. I don't know where to get it, though - my mum bought it for me! Haha. Sorry about the essay, Dovey!

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    1. Hi Larie! Thanks for the awesome comment. In terms of the pot, you should do it! I would love to hear your take. Cetaphil is an awesome (and economical) choice. I'm very impressed that you've convinced S to use a different cream for the day and night. I don't think I've gotten to that stage yet. I am still trying to push the merits of using cream in general. (And yay for sample sharing too!!:D)

      As for the nail set, they aren't fancy ones--- they were just a pack I got from bed bath and beyond. They probably have the same thing in drugstores too!

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  3. You and Mr. Lovey are too cute!! I'm laughing at the part about him secretly liking matching packages. Yes, just like us!

    I don't have a Mr. Reductionista but sometimes I try to upgrade my brother's Dove and Vaseline to something more upscale and he resists with fury and vengeance. He finally accepted a Jack Black lip balm but has yet to admit to its superior quality over the other one he totes around. THE BOY IS HOPELESS.

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    1. Hehe, I thought it was funny too :P Of course he probably wouldn't admit it.

      LOL about your brother and the balm. Accepting the lip balm is a big step. I don't think I'm thoughtful enough to buy my brother a Jack Black lip balm. I should consider it, although I wonder how I'd feel if he lost it... Incidentally I think he uses dove soap too, haha.

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  4. I love this post! Recently I've found that I can get my boyfriend to use a moisturizer with SPF if I buy it then act like it's not working out with my skin. He's so cute when it comes to trying new products. I always try and get him to give me a little review. They usually go along the lines of "It's really smooth and lotion-y...I like it". This whole face lotion affair started after I discovered he was using his Vaseline body lotion on his face!

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    1. Hi Addie, Thanks! I'm all for passing things on--- why not? It's better than what guys would be using on their own :)

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