Tag Archives: grooming

Chemistry for Men: MenScience Review

Preface: First of all, I know this review has been overdue… I have had so much come up on the holidays and school as well. I want to once again thank Alfred of Barney’s New York for hooking me up with the products for the MenScience review. Without his help, I don’t think I’d have found out about another great brand! For my readers, I thank you for your patience with me… You all mean the most to me!

Some guys are more of the “manly man” camp and sadly could care less if their cologne smells like clean 5W40 motor oil for their Porsche Cayman or woody spices with subtle undertones. However, in the realm of male care goods… The selection either is laced with fragrances or the pronounced odor of the chemicals in the product are the only variety of smells you get. The fragrances can be an allergen to some body chemistries and the chemical odors would probably make you less inclined to use them from how bothersome they smell. Fortunately for those men who want the same high caliber performace out of their care but want to think of it like car care… A company does exist with your principles in mind: Function before form.

MenScience is one of the few companies that takes a very unique look at male grooming and they call it “androceuticals”. From their definition, it’s a merger of the prefix “andro” meaning male/men and pharmaceuticals. The philosophy of androceuticals is more from the idea that MenScience takes chemicals dermatology fields and uses the highest strength possible that just comes very short of being a prescription item. In their pursuit to get the highest standards, they wanted to keep their product hypo-allergenic. Due to their approach, they avoid using fragrances to facilitate their means. To keep their products in competitive pricing, they don’t pack their products in fancy packaging or give you marketing bull. This also makes their packaging environmentally friendly!

The Advance Facial Lotion was a rather nice treat. Like most the Billy Jealousy and Anthony Action facial moisturizers, it is very light and a little bit goes a VERY long way.  Most of the composition are things that help lubricate and keep moisture in the skin, however… MenScience puts a small amount of salicylic acid in it to help fight off oily skin, ingrown hairs, acne growth, and even helps facilitate moisture! The result is a very cool, soothing, and relaxing lotion that does its job very well. It’s a bit steep at the MSRP of $36, but I would assume that with the account of not using so much, it will last a few months if you’re using it 2-4 times daily.

I’ll be honest here… The Daily Shampoo was really awesome. It’s another product that uses the principle of “A little goes a long way” but it feels lighter than your drugstore shampoos. The unique tip from the MenScience site even mentions the fact that due to the suppliments found in the shampoo, there’s no need to use anti-dandruff shampoos or even conditioner. The dandruff is controlled by the wheat protiens and the salicylic acid, while the other vitamins found in it basically act like conditioner. The end result after washing off my hair and drying it was very apparent: very shiny strands of hair with lots of volume. This was quite a change as normally, after using regular conditioner, my hair feels a little weighted for a few hours before that fades off. For a 12oz bottle at $26, I think the price is more than fair for what you’re getting!

The Daily Facial Clenser wasn’t my favorite and I personally didn’t enjoy it much. True, the foaming effect and level of clean was really unparalleled to the Billy Jealousy or Anthony Action stuff… Just I think this product in particular fell into the camp of “smells like a drug store item” unfortunately. The fact it was in close proximity to my face didn’t help much. I won’t lie when I say I was amazed at how effective it was. I didn’t feel that I liked it to something like Billy Jealousy’s Sucker Punch or Anthony Action’s Foaming Face Wash, mainly from the pungent smell of the chemicals wafting to my nostrils. To be fair, I did use this both in the shower and at the sink. In the shower, I didn’t notice as much as I did when I was washing up at the sink. That may probably be the better solution if smell is a concern. Even though it’s really pricey at $45, but if you want an unmatched level of clean for your face… This is the best one I have tested.

The Eye Rescue Formula is something that most of us insomniacs, party goers, and midnight gamers trying to clean up our image would appreciate. This one just needs a dab and it works rapidly.  The eyes just feel that much more refreshed and the hazy dark circles become a thing of the past. I can say that if you’re a guy who wants to improve your looks so your boss, friends, or girlfriend would never suspect you of staying up for almost 16 hours doing that one “leet” raid out in Naxxramas in World of Warcraft, this is just the weapon for you.  For $37, I think the price is a steal for how good it is.

The Anti-Aging Formula was pretty interesting stuff. I personally haven’t looked into anti-aging care but to be able to test the results is quite staggering. The potency of the suppliments in the cream are pretty strong, so I will say this is one thing you do want to just use enough to touch up spots. The rapid onset and results were amazing, the minor facial wrinkles pretty much just disappeared. The price of $58 for a 1oz bottle, in my opinion, is rather steep… If you want something that works rapidly with the science behind it, I can say that it may be worth your money.

To close, I want to say that I enjoyed the experience from MenScience. For the guys out there who want high end grooming goods, it’s definitely on par to their standards. Even more so for guys who don’t want smells or imparted fragrances in their stuff. For me, I think I need the cosmoceutical philosophy found in other product lines versus the androceuticals. I can say that I will be recommending  MenScience to anyone who wants something closer to an androceutical.

A Man of Action – Anthony Action Product Line Review

As a discerning gentleman, I like feeling 100% when possible. In a sea of mens grooming items, it’s hard to find things that allow a man to feel his best when we are bombarded with advertisements of shaving gels that claim to help give the closest shave or the lack of reviews for things related to facial cleansers. Sadly, most of the “drug store” faire works poorly in action and end up being irritating topicals rather than being therapeutic andro-cosmoceuticals.

Anthony of the Anthony brands realized this and had to give men an alternative. From this, the Anthony Logistics line was born. Combining products formulated with some of the most natural ingredients with the intent of being functional and beneficial care for men’s grooming, this was the foundation behind the Anthony Logistics product line. But the evolution of men’s grooming didn’t stop here for the Anthony brands… For the man who wants a quick means to clean up and not fuss for time, there’s the Anthony Sport line for that. Now… for the really distinguished man, the most recent line is made just for them. Action by Anthony is a blend of Logistics and Sport lines combined, but on top of that, it merges high end ingredients for a truly top echelon product.

Alfred from Barney’s New York was gracious enough to give me the vital things for a man to start and end their day… The Action foaming face wash, the 2-in-1 shaving cream, and high performance moisturizer. Once again, my thanks goes out to Alfred for his kindness!

The Anthony Action Foaming Face Wash is a one that is recommended to be use at the start of the day as well as the end of the day. The ingredients help to calm and soothe the skin, but glycolic acid and the avocado oil to help slough off the old skin, clean off the topical bacteria, and moisturize. The cool part is the glycolic acid can also help beard hairs lift up as mentioned on the Anthony site. So for those who do like to shave in the morning, this is probably a great way to help make your shaving ritual much more effective! The face wash is also great to end the day by scrubbing off the dirt, sweat, and grime incurred from a day as it ends up soothing and relaxing the skin. From spending 2 days with the face wash, I felt a great response from it. Most of the facial washes out on drug store shelves usually end up smelling like medicine, however… The Action Foaming Face Wash smelled very soothing and almost something akin to very soothing tea. It was refreshing to be able to start my day and end my day feeling completely relaxed.

I’d decided to see if I could stack up effects and see if I could use the Action 2-in-1 Shaving Cream to put it at its highest potential. To my amazement, a small amount of it goes a much longer way than a giant blob of the drug store picks out on the market. The mixture does a great job of helping the beard stand with the peppermint and eucalyptis oils as well as toning out the skin with the licorice extract. From all of these essences, the scent is not particularly strong. The unique synergy that everything has is wonderful as it helps to lift the beard hairs and provide a close shave. When used in combination with my Dovo shavette, it probably gave me one of the closest shaves I have had in the history of being a straight razor fanatic of 1 year! The best thing is that with the 2-in-1 Shaving Cream is instead of needing an aftershave, you can just use a tiny amount and it acts as an aftershave and conditioner for your beard!

The last thing I got to sample was something that most men probably don’t think much about. As men live their day to day lives, we interact with the greatest forces of nature. What most men don’t think about are the effects of the sun and the elements. Things like dryed out skin from arid winds, UVA and UVB rays nuking our flesh, and even daily stress putting fatigue on our faces. The Action High Performance Moisturizer by Anthony helps to keep face and defend against the common adversaries of a daily life. Some of the ingredients here are found in the other products, so it keeps with the theme of the Anthony Action line: quality ingredients for the discerning man. The blend of ingredients in the High Performance Moisturizer are pretty simplistic, but they go a long way. The moisturizer is lightly scented, but it is very pleasant to boot! The recommended usage is twice a day, so it’s pleasant to start the day off with the moisturizing the face as well as end the day to have it repair any cell damage and superficial damage from the day. Possibly the best part is unlike the drug store moisturizers for men that are either heavily scented, greasy, or what not… The Action High Performance Moisturizer is no where near close to that. It’s functional, but minimalistic… Something very akin to how most men like things in their life to be.

For those of you who may be shopping for yourself or maybe a spouse/significant other looking to give your guy something really nice this holiday season, skip the cheeky “holiday sets” and check out the Anthony Action line. It’s definitely worth the cash for the great experience I had. The prices below are listed from the official Anthony site, though they could be subject to change and other promotional offers. The Anthony line can be found at various retailers like Barney’s New York, Sephora, and Bath & Body Works. I can say they definitely get my approval in my book!

(Disclaimer: These are just standard prices before any taxes are calculated according to your state)
Action Foaming Face Wash: $22 USD
Action 2-in-1 Shaving Cream: $25 USD
Action High Performance Moisturizer: $40 USD

One Month of Zen, Blades, and Grooming.

Some people have noticed the cuts and scars from my face. I can say that embracing the principles of Zen and the mantra of “Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword” with straight razor shaving has been quite a journey. I walked the path of a razor edge because I was sick of my skin panicking from cartridge shaving with products like the Gillette Mach 3, Schick Quattro, or Gillette Fusion. Not only did these products freak out my skin, the aerosol gels and foams numbed my flesh to the poor shave that I got from them. Razor burn and ingrown hairs were things I did not really enjoy. Shaving became more of a chore than a male grooming ritual.

Places like Straight Razor Place had testimony from people with sensitive skin saying that using premium shaving creams, a straight razor and other shaving gear really made shaving tolerable. Some claimed that ingrown hairs became a thing of the past or that razor burn just plain disappeared. I had to give it a shot and see if it could give me a chance to learn proper grooming. I got a Dovo shavette as my entry level tool and it has worked well for its use. In the beginning, rushing would get me cut up and marred. The scars are a painful lesson that patience is a virtue.

From one month, my technique is rough but I am getting better results. I haven’t had razor burn, acne, or ingrown hairs from the experience. Using cheap shaving soap was a bad mistake and I will be going back to the Bath and Body Works rebranded Proraso shaving cream. I do personally feel that I need to look into buying a Feather Artist Club RG razor and truly learn how to shave with a full sized blade as the Dovo shavette has a smaller blade. When money is more plentiful, I will definitely invest in Feather’s complete set-up (pre-shave, shave gel, aftershave) and maybe some nicer shave creams for more formal events.

Taking up straight razor shaving has been like a meditation ritual for me. I feel at ease to put my trust in a blade that could fatally hurt me in order to look my best. Some days after a hard day of work and getting no peace from my family… Nothing seems more relaxing than to just whip up the lather and let the blade slide down to remove the hairs from my face. To become one with that steel edge, it just ends up being therapeutic in some way.

Wish List

I am not much of a brand nutty person, but I do have wishes to have certain things. I know I am a bit limited on my budget, but it’s always nice to post up things I hope and aspire to own. These things aren’t necessarily the “latest and greatest” but they are fun to look forward to. Hopefully, I can step into owning them with time.

Technology

  • Memory Stick Pro Duos
  • Memory Stick Micros
  • A separate/dedicated MP3 player (for gym use)
  • LCD Monitor (to replace a CRT that should be retired)
  • DVD burner
  • Bigger external hard drive (or a huge media player)

Grooming/Self Care

  • Feather Artist Club RG straight razor
  • A better shaving brush
  • Better shaving cream
  • Shaving suppliments (preshave, aftershave, etc)