Skincare for Men: What’s In My Husband’s Toiletry Bag

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Like most guys, my husband didn’t used to be into skincare, but when you’re living with a beauty blogger, adopting certain habits is just unavoidable. Nowadays, Mr. Glamorable follows a fairly simple but effective grooming routine that helps keep his sensitive skin in check. With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought it would be nice to talk about guy-approved products in case you were thinking about surprising your man with a new bottle of lotion to add to his daily routine.

Nowadays, with the dapper culture popularity on the rise, men’s toiletry bags, or dopp kits are once again a popular gift to give well-groomed gentlemen of all ages for various occasions, from birthdays to Christmas.

WHAT’S A DOPP KIT?

From the Word Detective online, October 30, 2001:

“According to newspaper accounts unearthed by Merriam-Webster’s Jim Rader, the Dopp Kit was first produced by Charles Doppelt, a leather goods designer who immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in the early 1900s. Although it may have been Doppelt’s nephew and employee, Jerome Harris, who actually invented the snazzy leather toiletries case, Doppelt was the boss and so the finished product bore a cropped form of his name, giving us the ‘Dopp Kit.’ Dopp Kits were manufactured by the Charles Doppelt Company until the firm was purchased by Samsonite in the 1970s, and Dopp Kits today are made by Buxton. The popularity of Dopp Kits was evidently boosted considerably by World War II, in the course of which the U.S. Army issued them to recruits by the millions.”

In a nutshell, a dopp kit is a gentlemen’s version of a cosmetic bag, filled with grooming essentials, either for everyday use or for traveling purposes. My husband likes storing his products in Tooletries Koby Bag. It’s made of heavy duty flexible silicone, and feels very well-made. It’s especially great for taking along on trips, because the material is resistant to leaks. Plus, unlike cloth bags, Koby is really easy to clean – just turn the bag inside out, and rub with some soap and water to get rid of product stains. We gave one of these to my brother-in-law for Christmas, and he loved it! This color is called Charcoal, but the bags are also available in Army Green, Blue and Pink.

Every morning, he starts his grooming routine by hopping in the shower with his favorite Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid 3% Facial Wash and Clarisonic Mia FIT. He tried all of my cleansing brushes [I had over a dozen at one point], and this one is by far his favorite. Yep, it’s pink, but it’s a hand-me-down from my stash so he had no other choice. Well, he did, actually, I used to have a blue one before, but it broke as soon as he started using it, so I gave him my new pink one instead. Am I a nice wife, or what, haha? 🙂 Not pictured here, but worth mentioning that his favorite shampoo & conditioner are from HASK Charcoal line. He says they exfoliate the scalp nicely and make the hair feel fresh and airy. I know exactly what he’s talking about, because I loved the line, too, for all the same reasons.

When it comes to skincare, Mr. Glamorable swears by three products, all of which he has been using for a long time now. First of all, Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream is still his favorite moisturizer that I’ve ever introduced him to. Snail slime secretion is clinically proven to help repair broken skin and heal irritations, which is perfect for a guy who shaves daily. The gel is not sticky at all, and absorbs into the skin fully, while keeping it hydrated throughout the day. Besides, it’s fairly inexpensive; you can find this cream sold around $5-$8, depending on where you shop. Last week I ordered another 6-pack of these, because he used up the six I bought before. With daily use, one tube lasts him roughly a month, so keep that in mind if you decide to treat your guy to one of these.

Second product that he considers a must have is Tatcha Indigo Triple Recovery Cream, for those days when he gets allergies and nothing else seems to soothe his skin irritations. This blue-toned moisturizer is amazing! I reach for it when my skin is breaking out for no reason, and it calms down the redness practically overnight. The formula contains Colloidal Oatmeal, which helps soothe rashes and irritations even for people with eczema. No wonder this is one of the most-loved products from Tatcha’s range; it’s effective and extremely gentle.

Last, but not least, just like me he absolutely adores LJH Tea Tree 90 Essence. I first discovered this miracle product through Memebox back when they still operated from Korea, but didn’t have a chance to try it until about 2 years ago. This unscented essence contains 90% tea tree extract, and it does more than just hydrate the skin. This unique watery treatment works miracles for acne-prone skin, minimizing the breakouts, soothing redness and irritations, and normalizing oil production. I knew I loved tea tree products before, but this was the first one that I just never want to run out of. These days, both hubs and I are hooked on Tea Tree 90 Essence, and we have several backups as well.

For a long time, the three products above were the only ones my husband used, but he recently added 2 more to his routine. He never really had a night cream, and after trying one of my Korean sleeping packs, he totally changed his mind. These days he uses Perricone MD Multi-Action Overnight Treatment, a deeply hydrating anti-aging cream that helps him look well-rested in the morning. This may sound vain, but we’re both really into anti-aging. We like eating healthy, wholesome foods to nourish our bodies from within, watch our vitamins and daily water intake, and make sure our beauty routines address premature fine lines & wrinkles so we can look as young as we feel. We’re both told we look younger than our age, which is awesome because we’re already in our mid-30s! I always say that it’s better to start young so there’s less to correct later on, but it’s never too late to start making better choices. Ultimately, your efforts always add up!

The second “newbie” on his shelfie is Erno Laszlo Antioxidant Complex for Eyes. Again, he never thought he needed a separate eye cream, but eyes are actually one of his problem areas in terms of skincare. He is allergic to a number of things, and aside from living off of 24-hour antihistamines, he tends to rub his eyes All. The. Time. Needless to say, the outer corners of his eyes are always red, irritated, itchy, and often dry as well. However, since his moisturizers are not that rich [he has combination/sensitive skin], I thought he could use a separate eye cream to address those concerns. First of all, Antioxidant Complex for Eyes is just so cool to look at; the high-tech swirl of active ingredients suspended in moisturizing gel is a neat touch that looks futuristic and “fancy”. Unlike most eye creams, this one comes in a tiny bottle and you scoop out the desired amount of gel with a special spatula, but what really sets it apart is the formula. This is the first eye treatment on my recent memory that actually stays on the skin and keeps it hydrated throughout the entire day. Maybe that slightly sticky consistency has something to do with it, but we were both utterly impressed with the longevity and performance of this innovative product.

There are three more products I need to mention, because Mr. Glamorable uses them every day. First one is Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in #21, a Korean BB cream that blurs the line between skincare and color cosmetics. It sets with a natural finish, so the product is virtually invisible on the skin. This was the first BB cream I tried back in the dark ages, and it’s still one of my favorites. Whenever my hubs has any imperfections to cover up, he would dab a little bit of product over the affected area so it’s subtly covered up and doesn’t look like he’s wearing makeup. FYI, neither of us have anything against guys who wear makeup, but we live in a small town in the Midwest where such thing is just not common at all, so at the very least you’d get a lot of stares for being different.

After changing his haircut a couple years back, Mr. Glamorable realized that needs to invest in some good hair styling products. After trying a bunch [and hating pretty much all of them], he settled on TIGI Bed Head B for Men Matte Separation Workable Wax, which he bought on Amazon. This matte pomade adds definition and hold to his hair, all without looking like gloss or hair gel, which is exactly what he wanted.

This will probably be pretty random, but I also want to mention his deodorant 🙂 I hate most AXE fragrances, to me they smell like a teenager’s locker room, but there’s one that I actually love. It’s more subtle and mature than other scents, and it actually smells like a grown man, but with some fun notes in the mix. Next time you’re grocery shopping, take a cap off AXE Gold Temptation Antiperspirant stick and take a whiff. You’ll be surprised how nice and non-tacky it is!

Back in the day, Mr. Glamorable’s skin used to be quite troubled. Look what a difference a good skincare routine has made! P.S.: Can you tell he hates having his photos taken? 🙂

I hope you enjoyed rummaging through my husband’s dopp kit! And yes, all of these goodies fit inside Tooletries Koby Bag, with more room to spare for other essentials, like a razor, travel-sized body wash, or a toothbrush. It seriously fits so much, I never thought I’d find a large toiletry bag that I would be satisfied with 100%. Now I’m thinking of getting a pink bag for myself as well. Well, Valentine’s Day is coming up, so maybe I will.

Does your guy have a skincare/haircare routine? Have you ever given personal care products as gifts to men in your life? Do you plan to give a gift to your SO on Valentine’s Day this year? Let me know in the comments below!

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