Borrowed from the boys: beauty treats to buy for him (and steal for yourself)

The beauty landscape is a much more egalitarian place than it was a few decades ago and men’s grooming in particular has come on in leaps and bounds. Gone are the days when a slap of aftershave counted as a ‘routine’ and men’s fragrance began and ended at Lynx Aztec.

With a growing market chock full of new technology and innovation it’s no wonder that, as seasoned beautyphiles, we’re keen to get in on the action. After all, when it comes to shaving, men’s products tend to be at the top of their game with cutting edge (pardon the pun) blades that aren’t a cacophony of pastel plastic. Soothing post-shave formulations also work equally well on limbs as they do on sensitive faces.

As for scent? If we love the way it smells on them it stands to reason that we’d want to try it ourselves too. Of course there are plenty of gender-neutral scents on the market these days but when it comes to bath and body care it can be hard to find something that doesn’t have a floral or fruity bias. The notion that traditionally ‘masculine’ fragrance notes of wood, spices, leather, lavender and oak moss are only appealing to women when worn on a man is antiquated at best so if you’re a fan, make sure you scour both ends of the fragrance hall for your next purchase and spritz with abandon.

Men’s makeup is another area of the beauty industry that is seeing significant growth as guys become more confident in the beauty and skincare space. In fact, for girls who prefer the ‘no makeup makeup’ look, men’s complexion products tend to err more on the side of subtle and, as a result, make excellent skin perfectors. The most poachable products to adorn his bathroom? Step this way…