Pampering

Men’s grooming products have been in the market for decades, but it wasn’t until recently that I’ve heard women talk about using them.  Thinking about it though it makes perfect sense to use whichever products work best for you, no matter which gender they are designed for.  So I was interested when Shakeup’s suggested I try their range of men’s makeup and skincare

I was sent a selection of their products to try out and see what I thought. The first product I tried was Eye Eye Captain, an under eye concealer and moisturiser.  I was very keen to try this as I haven’t yet found an under eye concealer that I was happy with using regularly.  Eye Eye Captain is a liquid concealer that aims to reduce appearance of dark circles and puffiness around the eye area. With an SPF of 25 plus 24-hour moisturisation, it’s not just there to disguise problems. It’s available in 4 shades with colour correcting technology.  It’s really easy to apply – you dot onto the skin from the tube directly.  It’s really easy to blend in and I found the light shade worked well with my skin tone.  I did feel it hid my dark circles without leaving that area feeling dry.  Eye Eye Captain has been a real winner for me and I am sure I’ll be buying this product again.  I have a feeling it could be a regular favourite for me.

The second product I tried from Shakeup was their Set & Done 3 in 1 Facial Spray.  The Set & Done 3 in 1 Facial Spray is a way of priming, setting and refreshing your makeup with just one product. I used the mist to prime my skin before makeup. But, where it really comes into its own is by helping to lock and set makeup in place with a mattified finish, and reducing makeup transfer. Infused with Aloe Vera to help keep skin feeling moisturised and hydrated.  I really like using this product. It gives my makeup a slightly softer look and seems to keep it in place for longer.  I’m very pleased with it.

The third product that I sampled was Hydrate in a Hurry. Hydrate in a Hurry is a slide on moisturising stick.  I tried it out when moisturising after a swim.  It’s got a fresh scent and you feel moisturised without a greasy feel.  As it’s formulated to cool and soothe with witch hazel and cucumber extract, I think it would be great on holiday (especially as it won’t count as a liquid. It’s infused with hyaluronic acid & vitamin E to instantly hydrate and moisturise skin.

I feel genuinely surprised how good these products were for me as a woman even though they are designed for men.  I do prefer a natural look to my makeup and these products certainly help that.  I think I’ll be buying again and I’ve already got my eye on their lip gel.

Disclosure: I was sent a selection of products for the purposes of writing this review.

I’m always open to the idea of new beauty treatments to make the best of myself and innovative ways to keep ageing at bay.  Like many I like to make the most of my looks and I like to take opportunities to help improve them.  Recently my regular salon Dermoperfection suggested I try out the INTRAcel Pro™ at their Pinfold Street salon in central Birmingham.  I did some reading up on it and was really keen to try it out.

What is INTRAcel Pro™?

INTRAcel Pro™ is an innovative technology developed to reduce the signs of ageing, eliminate wrinkles and correct scarring with little downtime.  The INTRAcel Pro™ skin rejuvenation system is an acclaimed non-invasive Fractional RF (Radio Frequency) Microneedling treatment that can deliver proven patient results. INTRAcel Pro™ uses 49 microneedles for optimised RF energy delivery. Unlike laser procedures or surgery, INTRAcel Pro™ protects the surface of the skin from damage, allowing you to resume their daily life quickly, whist achieving world class, outstanding results.  Each treatment type can be individually tailored to meet the needs of the patient. By targeting the deeper layers of the dermis these treatments work by stimulating the collagen, which in turn helps to tighten and resurface the skin with minimal surface damage.

What’s the treatment like?

Before you start the treatment, you need to have the area numbed by a topical anaesthetic: a cream that is applied onto the areas to be treated.  This cream has to go on quite a while before the treatment can take place to allow the anaesthetic cream to work and for the skin to be numbed properly.  This is very easy and doesn’t sting at all.  As time goes on you can feel that your skin is going numb, but it’s great to lie back and relax while it takes effect. The staff at Dermoperfection are very welcoming, plus they impress with their knowledge and professionalism.

During the INTRAcel Pro™ treatment handpiece with the 49 microneedles are applied to your skin.  The needles penetrate the skin and the electrical current transmits into your skin.  The needles are removed and then reapplied nearby.  There is some discomfort with the application, but it’s minimal because of the numbing cream that was applied before hand.  I found I have to have a few seconds break every now and again, but it was quite bearable.  The treatment itself doesn’t take very long, maybe 15 minutes.  Most of the time allocated for the treatment is to allow the numbing cream to work.

How will be skin be afterwards?

After the treatment my skin was rather red and blotchy, but within a few hours that had completely disappeared. There was a bit of pinpoint bleeding immediately after the treatment, but this stopped within a few seconds.

I didn’t wear makeup for a day afterwards, so book in a working from home day if that’s a concern.  My skin did feel quite warm afterwards.  I used a cooling spray (that was provided to me) to help with this.  After the first few hours though it just felt a bit like I was blushing, although there was no redness present when I looked in the mirror.  I think this feeling was the effect of increased blood flow to the area as part of the healing process. This feeling continued for about a week, although it was strongest in the day or two after the treatment.

My skin did feel a bit dry for about a week afterwards, but I used a high SPF and good quality moisturiser.  After a week my skin felt less dry and gradually improved.  Two weeks after the treatment my skin feels smooth and soft.  I feel that’s it more healthy too as it seems to have a healthy glow.

Over the next few months I’ll be continuing with the treatment and I’ll be sharing my experiences with you.

Disclosure: I was given a course of treatment by Dermoperfection for the purposes of this post.