How to knock years off your man, too
Until the age of about 35, i never used a scruffing lotion or moisturiser and only occasionally used sun cream on holiday.
My bathroom cabinet held only a bottle of Sauvage aftershave (a Christmas gift); Colgate toothpaste, sometimes used to dry up squeezed spots as well as clean teeth; and witch hazel lotion to tackle blackheads.
You should see it now: six shelves spilling with unguents, gels, balms and potions.
i am not alone in my passion for products. the male facial skincare market in the UK is now worth about £92 million, with analysts citing social media and role models in the shape of preening sport superstars and wellgroomed contestants on love island and other reality tV shows as driving the rise in demand.
But here’s the thing: mostly my bottles are three-quarters full or still unopened. i don’t have a daily regime or a pre-shower process.
i am a beauty binger. instead of disciplined rigour, i deal in epidermal crisis management, liberally applying waves of product only when my skin looks rough, ruddy and spotty.
this doesn’t really work. i have no technique. it’s a waste of time and money. What i need is advice, and a practical demonstration.
So, i put my face into the hands of one of Britain’s most established skincare experts, ESPA.
the company has been offering men’s facials at its spas across the UK since 2015. i find myself at one in the Corinthia Hotel in Central london, a kind of marble Eden of scented candles, soothing voices and towelling gowns; a very nice place for a man to spend an hour on his back.
i am having an Age Rebel Facial, a 90-minute treatment specially designed for men, which promises to ‘purify and reawaken’ skin. i am put in the hands — literally — of ESPA expert ilaria, a petite italian with a keen eye.
‘You have good skin . . .’ she says, examining me closely. i am, of course, delighted. ‘. . . For your age,’ she adds. Full disclosure: i am 55.
‘there is elasticity. it is not dry. But i can also see areas of fragility around the mouth, eyes and nose. And treating the open pores around the nose area may take up a lot of time.’ Which i think is a polite way of saying, you have a huge honker.
ilaria gets down to work. First, she gives my skin a thorough cleanse using an invigorating face wash, followed by an aromatic toner. With the help of tissue paper pads, rows of blackheads are then squeezed and dispatched. i find this oddly, deliriously therapeutic.
Already i am forgetting the outside world. thoughts of emails, mortgages and social media anxiety disappear.
Who cares if the treatment is working? i feel like a Roman god in repose.
We move on to a clarifying skin scrub to exfoliate and smooth my face. i have sensitive skin so ilaria adds a little moisturiser to throttle down the abrasive effect of the product.
then ESPA Age-Rebel Eye Hydrator cream (£38 for a tiny 25ml tube, espaskincare.com) is applied to nourish the skin around my baby blues, while Age-Rebel Moisturiser (£41 for 35ml) firms and energises the rest of my face.
next is a mask. Yep, face masks for men are a definite thing. According to market researchers Kantar, sales of these products are up 48 per cent year-on-year in the UK.
ilaria applies Dual- Action Shavemud (£23, 200ml, espaskin
care. com), a genius, gently frothing product that works as a shaving foam and a cleansing mask — even though ilaria’s just using it as the latter.
As the muddy goop forms a thin film over my skin, ilaria has the unenviable task of massaging my size 11 feet. this is almost too delightful.
For a few minutes i fall asleep, then wake to find the mask being cleaned off with a Balancing Herbal Spafresh toner (£ 25, 200ml) which refreshes my face for the grubby train ride home.
Do i wake up looking younger? When i look in the mirror, i’m not sure. But my skin certainly feels tighter and fresher. Still me, but a better, squeaky clean and less clogged-up version of me.
SoWHAt have i learnt? that older male skin tends to be more oily and pitted with larger pores, so requires particular attention. And that thicker man skin is hardier, so can stand more aggressive, intensive treatments, such as scrubs.
now, instead of having a bewildering array of products staring at me when i open the bathroom cupboard (none of which i know how to use), i have a neat, pared- down few rows, and some understanding of each item’s place in a skincare regimen: cleanse, exfoliate, extract (aka squeeze) and tone.
the time-consuming mask bit i shall save for special weekend sessions, teamed with a cocktail in front of the football.
i now know, too, that product should be applied sparingly with the tip of the ring finger, which, i’m told, is the gentlest way, not trowelled on in great dollops like a badly Artexed ceiling.
But most of all, i have discovered the pleasures of pampering. if i were rich, i would indulge in that horizontal heaven pretty much every day.
SIMON MILLS had the Age-Rebel Facial at the ESPA in Corinthia Hotel, London (£69, espaskincare.com).