This video is pretty funny. Can you pull off some of those facial hair looks?

I wasn’t very impressed with the products from Minus 417, which symbolized everything that’s wrong with a lot of supposed “high end” men’s skin care products that are on the market. Just because it contains a litany of exotic sounding ingredients and is high priced ($98.00 for the kit), it doesn’t mean it’s good.

Hyped as a product that was enriched with “dead-sea minerals” and “vitamin A, vitamin E, sweet-almond oil, carrot-seed oil and olive oil,” it quickly devolved into a cacophony of ingredients. The dizzying array of natural substances that comprised the line, from what I could tell, was all hype. I can’t tell the difference between a dead-Sea mineral and carrot-seed oil once it’s on my skin, but if it’s a moisturizer, make it refresh my skin and keep it moist for an extended period of time. If it’s a shaving cream, make it easy to apply to my skin, shave and rinse off my blade.

The first sample I used from the Body Care Kit for Men was the Mineral Shave Cream. I could tell from the moment I put it in my hand, just by the texture, that it wasn’t very good. I squeezed a large amount from the tube into my hand and rubbed them together, but when I did that, instead of having the product expand like most shaving creams, it gradually dissipated thanks to the friction in my hands. So, I squeezed out even more and did the same thing, this time applying some water, but it didn’t help either. After a third squeeze, I got enough out to apply on my face, but it immediately began to sting. Not only that, but it felt like I was putting lotion on my face rather than a shaving cream. It got to the point where I was literally glopping it on my face to cover the entire area.

I started dragging the razor across my face and it came up pretty easily; I didn’t have to go over the same area multiple times. But getting the cream out of my razor was a pain, and a thin layer of it coated my sink when I was done. It was not a pleasant experience.

After I washed my face, I applied the Active Moisturizer After Shave. In addition to the scent being completely overbearing, I could tell from the minute I applied it I would have to keep putting it on, over and over, because one application dries your skin out rather than moisturizing. After I put it on, my skin was dry and flakey, worse than if I hadn’t applied anything.

Finally, I used the Body & Hair Shampoo for Men. It was akin to the free shampoo you get from a hotel when you forget yours; it just wasn’t very good.

I was not impressed with any facet of the Minus 417 Body Care Kit for Men. It reminded me of a cheap substitute attempting to masquerade as a high end product. You can put a pig in a dress, but at the end of the day, it’s a pig wearing a dress.

Check out the company’s official website for more information.

What do you get when combine organic and bio-tech ingredients with the skin pH and chemistry of the modern man? RAW Skin Care! This isn’t just a white bottle with the word “lotion” on it that you can mindlessly pick up at Wal-Mart — this is a complete facial cleansing system, specifically designed for men who know the difference.

First, I washed my face with the Blue Agave Wash. The cream itself was thick; I used a minimal amount but that wasn’t enough. Some products will foam up and expand, but the RAW did not — it had more of a balm-type texture and quality. Even when I added some water and worked it into my skin, it didn’t lather up too much; it was like a coating which reminded me of the deep cleanse that you get during a facial. After a few minutes of rubbing it in, I could feel my skin begin to open up. The scent was brisk and mentholated, and my skin felt open. I have never used a product with blue agave previously, but in addition to feeling the refreshing burn that menthol provides, this was more soothing and subtle than simple menthol.

When I rinsed it off, it didn’t come streaming off of my face, which is how I knew it was high quality. I had to use a significant amount of water to get it off, and in this regard it felt like a facial peel. Exfoliate is a popular term that gets thrown around pretty loosely, but it really did exfoliate my skin based on the feeling that began to settle in after I rinsed my face off. Initially, I didn’t feel any major difference. But about two minutes later, my skin felt tight and smooth. Not to sound redundant, but it was the feeling you get after a facial where you feel refreshed and wide open.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you ever just pick something up because it looks cool? I couldn’t even tell you the last time I did, but when the cruZer products from Braun arrived in the mail, I had to play with them because they just looked cool.

The cruZer line is a series of shaving devices created to express the diverse personalities of the men who use them. Your facial hair and body style express your own personality and attitude, and the cruZer line was designed to “underline your personal style.” And how does Braun plan on doing that? Unparalleled versatility.

I received two electric shavers from Braun: the CruZer6 Face and the CruZer Beard & Head Trimmer.

The CruZer6 Face electric razor is marketed as a 3-in-1 shaver, styler and trimmer, and it really was each of those, not just slick marketing. Its primary function is to shave your face, but even if you rock a goatee or Fu Manchu, you could still use it to touch up existing facial hair. The Trimming Comb is a plastic sheath that fits over the head of the shaver that you can adjust to four different lengths, which makes it ideal to trim and maintain a beard or other type of facial hair.

Another feature that speaks to the versatility of the CruZer6 is the Twistable Trimmer on the back side. The trimmer has long been a staple of an electric shaver, but unfortunately, its lack of adjustability is also well known. Not only does the CruZer6 trimmer extend out from the base of the shaver to give you an additional couple inches to work with, it also has two different sizes of trimmer head — narrow and wide. Instead of adjusting your style to fit the function of the razor, the CruZer6 adjust to the needs of the user and provides additional flexibility that other electric razors don’t. In a pinch, you could even use the CruZer6 to shave and manscape or trim any other body hair because it is so versatile.

Read the rest of this entry »

Schick partnered with iTunes this holiday season to bring our readers a fantastic deal: pick up any two specially-marked Schick iTunes razor packs and redeem the included iTunes codes by visiting http://www.schicktunes.com/ to claim a $10 iTunes download card. We received the his and her gift pack including the Xtreme3 Refresh, which is the first men’s razor with a fresh clean scented handle designed to help fully refresh and invigorate guys for the day ahead. The scent is inspired by products that embody the essence of morning refreshment like rosemary and peppermint. For your girlfriends and brides, Schick included the Xtreme3 Hawaiian Tropic Scented razor that offers a luxurious and indulgent shave from a high quality disposable razor. With three blades that flex and pivot and conditioning strips packed with Aloe, Vitamin E and Joloba, this razor delivers a close, comfortable and convenient shave! For more information check out www.shaving.com

For a long time I thought PERT Plus was just for old people. I still remember seeing the crusty old green bottle in the corner of my shower as a youth. Nothing about it said “cool” or “refreshing” — it was sort of an 80s standard that my dad used religiously, right next to his ceramic bottle of Old Spice.

While Old Spice has recently rejuvenated and repackaged itself to much acclaim, PERT Plus is also attempting a comeback, like Newt Gingrich. But unlike Newt, being repackaged and reintroduced to the public is going to be good for PERT Plus because it has substance and has been developed further than its original incarnation.

Even though 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner products now proliferate the market, PERT Plus was actually the first one to ever hit the market, back in 1987. As a result, the product has had to progress and distinguish itself. Classic Clean is one of six different available kinds of PERT Plus 2 in 1, which now has specialized versions for specific needs: Volumizing, Classic Clean for general use, Moisturizing, Invigorating and Anti-Dandruff. There is even a 3 in 1 product containing shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

I received my bottle of 2 in 1 PERT Plus Classic Clean and immediately popped the lid to take a whiff to see what kind of a scent I was dealing with. I remember the PERT of my youth having a heavy chemical smell that singed your nose hairs and burned your nostrils, and the experience of using it on your head was not dissimilar to the scent. But I was pleasantly surprised, because the scent of the new PERT Plus was fresh and pleasant. The scent itself actually smelled the way the color of the bottle looked — clean, crisp and breezy.

Read the rest of this entry »

I got a box in the mail from eShave and it contained the Orange Sandalwood Collection, which was comprised of three crucial components for an enjoyable shaving experience: Pre-Shave Oil, Shave Cream and After Cream Soother.

The Pre-Shave Oil was really thick, like a balm, rather than a cream type that a lot of companies use, and it softened the skin immediately. After a minute or two of applying a layer of the oil and then rubbing it in, I literally felt like I could shave even without the shaving cream — my skin was loosened up and felt soft. The pre-shave could’ve easily been a moisturizer. I wasn’t surprised to learn that the Orange Sandalwood Pre-Shave Oil was named the Best Pre-Shave Oil of 2011 by Men’s Health Magazine. The only thing I didn’t like was the scent — Orange Sandalwood. It was too purfumey and was trying really hard to be equal parts aromatherapy and Pre-Shave Oil, when the latter was sufficient.

Speaking of thickness, the Shave Cream was exactly that — cream — not some crappy gel that would dry out the minute the air hit it. It was actually very similar to the shave cream offered by TwinLuxe that I reviewed a few weeks ago. Both were high quality and coated and protected your skin, greatly smoothing the act of shaving. Though I favored the TwinLuxe product, if you’re on a tight budget, the eShave version is $22 for a 4 oz. bottle, while Twin Luxe charges $34 for a 5 oz. bottle. Both are very high quality and are vastly superior to any gel-based shaving cream on the market.

The After Shave Soother was probably my favorite of the three products I received from eShave. It was at least the one that distinguished itself the most from other similar products. So many after shaves on the market are not sufficient with just one application — after you put it on once, some of them even dry your skin out even further and you’re forced to apply some lotion or an additional product. But the eShave version was thick without being gloppy and felt great. I only had to apply one coat and I was good; my skin wasn’t dried out 15 minutes later, it was still firm and moist. It just felt good.

But seriously, the Pre-Shave Oil is so versatile that you could even use that as an after shave soother or post shave cream. It will leave your skin looking a little glossy and moist, so you may not want to use it before you go out. But it’s easy to see why Men’s Health was so enamored with it. The Sandalwood scent was a little much at times, particularly with the Pre Shave Oil and After Shave Soother. I like Sandalwood as a scent (I actually have a bar of sandalwood soap next to my sink right now), but felt like it was somewhat overpowering and unnecessary for a product that was already solid even without the added scent. Overall, eShave’s shaving products put them on the top tier with any other big name product on the market.

One of the tensest moments in the seminal 80s classic movie “Predator” is the scene where Sergeant Mac Eliot shaves his face in the jungle, sans shaving cream, with a cheap plastic razor while awaiting an encounter with the Predator.

For years, that one scene impacted the way I shaved my face. If it felt any better than the way it looked, I assumed I wasn’t doing it right. The act of dragging cold metal across dry, fractured skin in an effort to remove facial hair is the manliest thing there is — how in the world could it be pleasurable? And if it was, was I even doing it right?  Hence, stumbling blindly through mediocre shaving products for years, and even knowing full well that I was doing it.

TwinLuxe is redesigning the concepts of shaving and men’s skin care together, at the same time, with a line of products to bring pleasure back to the shaving ritual. The TwinLuxe line is comprised of seven different skin care products. I received three of them: Smooth Shave Cream, Booster Serum and Renewing Face Wash & Scrub. The bottles themselves looked clean and sleek and hinted at the experience that was to come. There was a distinct order to applying the following products which I followed diligently.

Read the rest of this entry »

When I received the new AXE Hold + Touch hair styling products, I was skeptical. Too many times in the past I had fallen prey to styling products that you could squeeze out of a tube that simply didn’t work.

More often than not, these products had the consistency and holding power of Dep or LA Looks (for all you children of the 80s and 90s), and no matter how many layers you glopped on, the product wouldn’t hold — it would merely coat your hair, mat it down and make it look sweaty, like Colin Farrell’s portrayal of Don Johnson in Miami Vice. Or, Don Cheadle in any movie he has ever been in. And guess what guys? Chicks hate the sweaty, Vaseline hair look.

Anyway, it was impossible to style or spike your hair, or give it the appearance of body or texture with those aforementioned products. And generally, those products came in squeezable tubes — just like the AXE samples that were staring up at me from a recently opened UPS delivery parcel. “Yawn,” I thought.

After a Sunday morning workout in preparation of doing nothing but watching NFL football and drinking all day, I took a shower and decided to try the AXE Hold + Touch Paste for Fine Hair first of the three samples.

My hair is somewhere between thick and fine so I chose the Paste for Fine Hair first because, generally, pastes are pretty strong. But based on the texture of the Fine Hair product, I squeezed an excessive amount into my hands, rubbed them together and began to style my hair. As I applied it, I looked in the mirror and thought, “Yawn, how predictable; another inferior hair gel.”

Read the rest of this entry »

In baseball in a critical situation, sometimes you need to put in a pinch hitter to change the flow and momentum of a game. Say you’re the Red Sox in the late 80’s and you’re down by a run in the ninth with men on second and third with two outs. Jody Reed enters the game and promptly slaps a pitch off the Green Monster for a double, scoring two runs, giving the BoSox the lead. The Axe Fixers line is like a young Jody Reed, leading the AL in doubles in 1990, completely changing the game.

The Axe Fixers line is a collection of shower gels and deodorant body sprays that are “designed to help guys revitalize the senses to fix their mind and change the game.” The collection is comprised of six fragrances:

- Axe Cool Metal
- Thai Massage
- Axe Rise
- Axe Shock
- Axe Snake Peel
- Axe Fever

The two most recent additions to the line, “Thai Massage” and “Cool Metal”, were the fragrances that I used to adorn my body. “Cool Metal” was a little more generic in terms of scent and feel; the scent itself reminded me of the “Original” scent of body wash from Old Spice. It also contains a strong dose of menthol which you could feel open up both the pores on your skin, and your nose and sinuses as well. It also contained quartz which may sound strange in a body wash, but it complemented the menthol nicely. “Cool Metal” was definitely more middle of the road than some of the other fragrances, more like a safe bet for someone making a transition from a similar body wash, definitely less exotic than the rest of the collection.

Speaking of exotic, “Thai Massage” was certainly that. Billed as containing “Tigergrass Oil and Bali Sea Salt” just the smell itself was more potent and practically whisked you away upon opening the lid. One thing I liked about “Thai Massage” that differed from Cool Metal were these tiny little yellow capsules in the gel. When you popped them open individually, a new scent was released, in addition to the primary scent. Ultimately “Thai Massage” had four different scents in one gel that were merged together- Tigeergrass Oil, Bali Sea Salt, Ginger and Sandalwood. I found the smells to be very relaxing and complemented each other nicely.

As far as the washing experience itself, both scents rinsed clean off with minimal scrubbing and didn’t leave behind any slimy residue. But it did leave behind a scent that was at least strong enough for my “special lady” that particular evening to smell. Her exact response was, “Wow you smell really fresh, compared to usual. What gives?”

In closing, “Cool Metal” was less exotic, more of a classic scent; something your dad may use. “Thai Massage” was my personal favorite and I swear I was more relaxed after using it.

Consider the “game changed.”