Men’s Skincare

Skincare for Men (women too).

For most men washing their face in the morning IS their skincare routine. Anything beyond that may seem too pampering, or even unnecessary, but good skincare is one of the most powerful tools men have against acne, wrinkles, and even sun damage.

Effective skincare takes more than just washing you face with whatever soap you have lying around and hoping for the best. Like anything worthwhile: it takes commitment, consistency, and care, not to mention a healthy amount of experimentation until you find the right products for you.

Due to the sheer volume of product options, skincare can be daunting at best and confusing at worst. Maybe that’s why so many men don’t have a skincare routine to speak of.

That’s where the Leslie Studio comes in…

Building a skincare routine form ground zero takes only a few simple steps, and you’ll be amazed by the difference you see after just a few weeks.

We have broken it down into three simple routines to follow:
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced

Beginner

If you’ve never washed your face with anything other than hand soap, and you’ve never used, let alone purchased a moisturizer.

STEP 1: FACIAL CLEANSER

When we think of clean skin, we’re conditioned to expect a dry, squeaky-clean feeling. That might feel good on your body, but that same feeling only your face is actually bad. It means your skin’s protective barrier is disrupted and yo;ve stripped away good oils that keep it moisturized. Instead, use a specific Facial Cleanser that contains moisturizing ingredients, but still has a dose of salicylic acid to gently control oil.

Use it twice a day (morning and night)

STEP 2: EYE CREAM

Eye Cream is like the Swiss army knife of a man’s skin care routine: it’s a simple tool that can fix a whole lot of problems like…

Dark Circles ?
It can help get rid of them.
Puffy Bags under the eyes?
Say goodbye to those.
Starting to see wrinkles and fine lines?
Eye cream will keep you looking fresh.

Eye skin is thinner than not the rest of you face, so it needs more concentrated ingredients, and tends to lose moisture quickly and easily.

Start using an eye cream morning and night after cleansing, even if you don’t do anything else.

RECOMMENDED EYE CREAM:
Revitalizing Eye Gel

STEP 3: MOISTURIZER

The biggest reason guys say they don’t wear moisturizer is that they don’t like how it feels on their faces. We get that. But finding a moisturizer you can tolerate is easy and wearing one will, at the very least keep your skin from feeling dry, and at the most, help it maintain moisture that will keep it looking good for years to come. Use morning and night.

RECOMMENDED MOISTURIZERS:
Sage and Citrus Moisturizer
Restorative Marine Moisturizer

STEP 4: SPF

You should be wearing sunscreen every day. Seriously. UV rays from the sun, which we encounter every day, not only cause skin cancer, but are also the biggest factor in our skin’s aging.

Daily sunscreen is the most effective anti-aging product we have. But most guys don’t wear it for the same reason as moisturizer (“I don’t like how it feels”). That’s no longer an excuse. Instead of using a moisturizer that has a tiny amount of SPF, look for a sunscreen that has skin-hydrating ingredients. That way you can wear it in addition to your moisturizer (more hydration never hurt anyone), or on it’s own occasionally, like when it’s hot.

RECOMMENDED SPF:
Advance Protection SPF

Intermediate

Congratulations: you’ve learned how to wash your face like an adult and you even found a moisturizing sunscreen you don’t mind wearing every day. It’s time to graduate to the next level.

STEP 1: CHEMICAL EXFOLIATOR

Regular exfoliation is important because it gets rid of dead skin cells that stick around on the surface of our face where they can clog your pores, keep products like moisturizers from working their best, and make your skin look dull. But before everyone comes at me saying that exfoliation should be in the beginner section, hear this: men exfoliate every time they shave. That means some of us exfoliate every single day without realizing it. If you are going to exfoliate on purpose (which most of us should do about once a week), don’t use scrub, which can be too harsh. Instead look for an exfoliator containing alpha hydroxy acid, which will slough away dead cells more gently.

STEP 2: SERUM

If your skincare routine were a smoothie, serum would be the wheatgrass shot or whatever booster you want. Serums are more potent than your daily moisturizer, and are meant to impart active ingredients and nutrients more quickly and effectively. The good news is that no matter your skin concern, there is a serum for that. The bad news is that it can be hard to know what you need. If you’re new to the serum game, look for one that addresses a variety of issues: They’ll usually contain hydrating and skin-building ingredients that all skin can benefit from.

Use it twice a day, after your cleanser and before your moisturizer.

RECOMMENDED SERUM:
Hydrating Serum
Vital Hydrant Toner

STEP 3: MASQUE

There are hundreds of different kinds of masks, and what they all have in common is that they’re meant to supplement our core skincare routines. They’re like serums, in that they deliver more concentrated ingredients and target specific skin concerns. The best kind of mask for men, especially beginners, is a clay mask. These masks use ingredients like clay and mud to cleanse deep into your pores (deeper than your twice-daily cleanser can go) and remove built-up dirt, oil and debris.

Advanced

There’s not a dead skin cell in sight and your pores are clean as heck. Maybe you even have multiple serums. Welcome to the big leagues.

STEP 1: RETINOL

Some people confuse retinol with an exfoliator, but it’s actually a form of Vitamin A that helps cell turnover (growing new skin cells and getting rid of old ones) and attacks signs of aging. The reason its an advanced move is because it can be harsh on sensitive skin and if you wear it, you absolutely must wear sunscreen every day (it can make skin more sensitive to light). It can also make skin flaky, especially at the beginning, so look for a gentle version that also contains moisturizing ingredients.

RECOMMENDED RETINOL:
Retinol Night Creme

STEP 2: TONER

If you have oily skin or struggle with acne, toner can be an invaluable step in keeping your skin clear and shine free. Use a cotton pad to swipe some of it over your face after cleansing to deep clean your pores and get rid of excess oil and buildup. Or if you’re not a cotton pad man, use one in a gel form.

RECOMMENDED TONER:
Vital Hydrant Toner

STEP 3: NIGHT CREAM

Wearing a special moisturizer at night may seem crazy at first, but while you’re resting, your skin is trying to rebuild itself. Night cream are typically very, very hydrating and contain specific active ingredients like peptides to help this regenerating process. Wearing the same moisturizer during the day and night is fine, but having a separate cream at night is the real pro move.

RECOMMENDED NIGHT CREME:
Restorative Marine Moisturizer