Tuesday, February 07, 2006

MEN'S GROOMING: Lancome Homme, Complete Revitalising Treatment

What is it? An absolute revitalizing & firming treatment for male skin.

From Slapiton.tv

  • Lancôme Homme is a new and sophisticated skincare range for men. Developed using their extensive knowledge of skincare technology and plant extracts, Lancôme Homme is an effective and highly desirable brand. The Lancôme Homme range is formulated to combat the unique elements of male skin and is specially formulated on their unique observations of male skin. Lancôme Homme aims to repair and nourish fragile skin worn by shaving, combat dehydration problems and provide nourishment and energy to male skin.

Why does it work? Smoothens and visibly improves the skin texture by strengthening it. The skin becomes more resistant. It is recharged, repaired and protected. Suits all skin types, even the most sensitive…and especially those showing the first signs of aging : tired, dull and uneven complexions. From Lancome.co.uk

How do I use it? On clean, dry skin, apply daily, in the morning or in the evening, onto the face and neck with smoothing, energetic and rapid strokes. From Lancome.co.uk

Pros: Feels light, not at all oily, smells great! I was surprised by the level of oil control - the next morning after (evening) use, my skin was surprisingly...well...normal...not as greasy as other products tend to make it.

Cons: Pricey! OUCH! After 5 days of use from a sample tube, I didn't exactly feel as if I looked any younger. No SPF!

Bottleworthy? Hmmm, let's see, if I used 5ml in 5 days, then I would likely use one tube every 2 months, so 6 tubes a year....might be cheaper than a facelift...but will it really work?

Where can I buy it? $41.50 for 50ml tube at FragranceX.com

The Bottom Line: Alright, so I'm now in my 30's and would like to pay more attention to saving face, especially having grown up in South Florida's tropical sun and being an on-again/off-again smoker. This stuff smells good, feels good, and will hopefully be around for a while (as so many men's lines seem to have short life-spans!)...but I wonder how it compares to the other men's products out there? And that price! Yikes!

Rating (out of 10): Hmmm, this is tough. I'll give it a 6, weighed down by the price, lack of SPF and inability to judge if it's truly effective.

I traditionally have used women's moisturizers for the lower price, larger quantity, and availability of reviews. Men's skincare is harder to find decent reviews of and many lines disappear after a while. Should we men really be using a "men's" product?

3 comments:

fragrance lover said...

Marlen, I don't think that men need to use a product geared towards men. There are SO many wonderful skin care products on the market now. I think men (like women) just need to find one that is compatible to skin type and that does the job.

Laura said...

I agree with Kim. Men's skin isn't exactly the same as women's because men shave, which exfoliates (good) but can irritate (bad), and may get ingrown hairs (also bad). Because men shave, I tend to think manual exfoliating products aren't the best choices for most males. AHAs, BHAs and retinoids are fine, though, unless the skin is supersensitive. And antioxidants like topical vitamin C are key, not least because they enhance the effectiveness of sunscreen. I think it's a good idea for men to use a vitamin C or other antioxidant serum during the day under their sunscreen and an exfoliating product at night, nightly if skin isn't too sensitive, less often if it is. The products needn't be formulated for men, however. In fact, I think the formulations for most men's products are not particularly good. A lot of them contain alcohol, which is drying and unnecessarily irritating, especially to just-shaved skin. And, I think men's products tend to lag behind women's in terms of using the latest state-of-the-art anti-aging ingredients. I don't think there's a man's line out there that contains pentapeptides, for instance.

So, basically, I think you're doing a good thing for yourself by using women's moisturizers in formulations that are appropriate for your skintype.

marlen said...

Kim, Laura - thanks for confirming and my validating my use of women's moisturizers...now, which one would you recommend? I have used everything from Dior IoD to Bvlgari The Verte and L'Oreal Hydrafresh...