The OK! Beauty Box – Men’s Skincare Edit has some amazing products from brands including Rodial, Murad and Barber Pro, and can be bought for a bargain price online now
Like a considerable proportion of men, I am not one for beauty products.
So much so that at my recent wedding I took roughly ten minutes getting ready – including putting a suit on, tying a tie, lacing my shoes, brushing my hair, fighting back tears and treating my face to a once over with some moisturiser.
As privileged as I am not to feel the need to spend a lot of time or money on skincare products (whether or not others think I should being a different question), sometimes you have to break the habit of a lifetime. And so it was for me this Monday when I returned from Glastonbury.
Heading straight from the happiest day of my life to the UK’s biggest, best and most intense festival was undeniably fun, but it was also a bit more exhausting than I had been anticipating. After five days of eating street food, sleeping very little, sitting in wafts of smoke from the Stone Circle fires, tripling my daily step target and generally having little regard for my physical or mental wellbeing, I skipped a night’s sleep and hopped straight on the first train home on Monday morning.
Not so shockingly, this had me looking and feeling like regret when I awoke from a two hour post travel slumber at lunchtime.
With a friend’s wedding in a few days’ time and an all-night General Election count to cover before that, now was clearly the time to crack open the OK! Beauty Box – Men’s Skincare Edit which had handily arrived through the door a few days before.
The recently released addition to the long running OK! Beauty Box promotion included a six-product line-up including brand names like Rodial, Murad and Barber Pro, all neatly packaged up in a handy grey travel case.
“There are some really expensive brands in there,” reporter Cyann exclaimed when I began unboxing the products on my desk.
According to my much better versed colleague, the Murad hydration exfoliating cleanser would cost a serious amount in the shops – especially given the full-size of the 200ml bottle which was included in the Men’s Beauty Box.
The other items which immediately drew her attention were the Avant Supreme eye moisturiser, which sets customers back a cool £99 if they buy it full price, and the Rodial snake Eye Cream – £80 RRP.
They were nestled in the pouch alongside a Gruum face wash bar, a Moss+ perfume sample and a Barber Pro hydrating mask.
When I returned home from what felt like a particularly long day in the office, I decided to give some of the products a go.
First up was the Murad exfoliating cleanser, which promises to “Lift away dull, dead, and dry skin from the surface of your skin for a fresher, smoother appearance” and open “hydration pathways to help your skin attract and hold more moisture”.
It definitely delivered. My sun ravaged, flaking skin immediately looked happier and healthier than it had at any point over the past week of forgetting to put on suncream.
Happily, it didn’t leave me with a red, angry face – something that normal cosmetics tend to do, due to the sensitive nature of my skin. The same could also be said for the Avant moisturiser, which I splashed on liberally and left my face feeling much less tight and unhappy feeling.
Up next was the Barber Pro hydrating mask, which is decorated with a particularly manly looking skincare enthusiast with a large moustache.
Once you have got over the strangeness of laying a bamboo sheet mask over your face and transforming yourself into a 90s slasher movie villain, sitting back on the sofa and catching up on some of the many Glastonbury acts you missed on iPlayer while the hyaluronic acid goes to work is very enjoyable. After I removed the mask, my skin shone.
Unfortunately, my experiment with beauty products came to an end there as the remainder of the box was hijacked by my wife who argued it was hugely unfair that a complete cosmetics novice like myself should have access to such expensive items.
Happily, she too – and you – can get the same great items for just £49.99. The Men’s Beauty Box limited edition edit is available now and is worth over £260.
