With Black Friday landing at the end of this week many of you will be looking for some of the best deals on men’s grooming, skincare and haircare. No doubt, there are a variety of retailers and brands to check out but it would appear that Mankind have done the majority of the legwork for you. Already a giant in the male grooming community, their Black Friday Offers page hosts a plethora of products with great discounts to help you stock up your bathroom (and purchase a few gifts) before Christmas.
I was gifted a few of these products and put them to the test this week to see if you still get value from the savings. The 6 products were Jack Black’s Double Duty Face Moisturizer, Korres Fig Shower Gel, Ab Crew Shave Cream, Redken Maneuver Working Wax, Men-U Deep Clean Clay Mask and Mazorin Liquid Asset Eye Serum. With the entire box coming in at £98, and considering the quality of the brands enclosed, the value was already quite visible.
So here is a quick run-down of what I thought of each product and whether they will become permanent fixtures on the bathroom shelf. If nothing else, Black Friday sales are a great time to try new products.
Jack Black’s Double Duty Face Moisturizer
This is a fantastic little moisturizer that boasts great performance and a subtly masculine fragrance with the benefit of SPF 20 protection. After using it I find that my skin feels plumper, softer but retains a matte finish. It’s a classic from a renowned male skincare brand and one that could easily become an essential to any man looking for a decent moisturiser.
When it comes to all-natural, great smelling shower gels, this one sets the bar fairly high. Having never seen figs being used in skincare or grooming products I was a tad apprehensive, however the people at Korres have worked hard to make it a sweet-but-balanced fragrance with a wonderful cleaning experience. It feels nourishing and creates a satisfying lather that doesn’t feel artificial or overly foamy. Definitely a new addition to the shower shelf.
I’ve said many times before that I’m a big fan of shave creams but that passion has also turned me into a bit of a snob. As a cream the performance is fantastic, a smooth rich lather that moisturises the skin and softens hairs. However, I’m not a massive fan of the fragrance, maybe it will grow on me but for now this is not something I would buy again.
When it comes to great haircare, you can’t go far without coming across Redken and their fantastic salon-quality products. This wax is one of their top sellers and you can see why once you’ve used it. Once applied it can easily be manipulated into different styles throughout the day and doesn’t leave the hair feeling sticky or hard.
Always a firm favourite with me and one that I’ve used again and again. I even included it in one of my first articles last year on my Top 3 Face Masks for Men. It’s a genuinely great mask that is both easy to apply and remove, it also won’t dirty your towels too much (compared to some of the darker mud masks). Very happy to have a new tube of it. For those of you who are afraid or new to the men#’s mud mask game, this is a great place to start.
Mazorin Liquid Asset Eye Serum
A bit of an unknown brand for me but I was intrigued by the serum (as I suffer from terrible bags under my eyes). The applicator is a little unorthodox as it’s an angled roller with a pump to squeeze out the fluid. So far it seems to work though as my eyes feel more awake and bags look visibly reduced. It’s wonderful for cooling puffy eyes in the morning and helps them feel refreshed, particularly in cold weather. I’ll continue to see how it performs but so far it looks good.
Thanks for checking out the post and make sure to let me know if you have any questions or other Black Friday tips. You can also sign-up to be notified of new posts and follow The Male Stylist activity. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or Instagram for style inspiration, gentleman’s musings and general fun.
