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Product Review

Grooming With Kiehl’s

Posted on September 17, 2017

Getting older sucks! The only thing worse than getting older is looking older. Growing up I took looking young for granted. You probably can’t tell now, but I used to have a baby face — at least that’s what everybody used to tell me! My father always looked young for his age as well — at least that’s what everybody used to tell him! LOL His era didn’t have the luxury of all of the great products we have now. So, growing up, I never knew the importance of taking care of my skin. This may sound a little strange, but, I never actually used to wash my face until a few years ago — I just thought the shampoo from my hair, the leftover body wash, and some water was good enough. (I know, please don’t cringe) I guess I just though soap was soap! I don’t plan on using product on Nathan quite yet (he’s only 5), but I do want him to at least know how to take care of his skin and how important it is. The more he sees me doing the right thing, the more likely he will hopefully continue to follow in my footsteps. He’s already curious with some of my grooming routines.

With so many products on the market, finding a grooming kit with all the right products working together nicely, makes it easy and a lot less intimidating. It also saves me from having to go to the store and figure out which combination of products I need. The Kiehl’s Nourishing Shampoo + Conditioner is tough enough to get out all of the concrete, plaster and other dust that I come in contact with at work or just the normal muck from traveling around the city shooting. It has a great woodsy eucalyptus smell which is a nice change from the stuff my wife buys. For years I used what my wife bought and most of the time my hair smelled like a pina colada…Not Cute. LOL

All that dust I work around, being out in all of the elements every day, plus being by the pool and beach all summer long can really dry out and take a toll on my face. I honestly feel like this is the first year where I’m starting to see that age on my skin! The Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energizing face wash gets my face clean without over drying, and, I can’t afford for my skin to become any drier. (I think it’s getting drier as I age). This is also the perfect face wash to get your skin ready for a shave.

Now, if you’re using normal shaving cream, you’re doing it all wrong! In my opinion, there’s nothing better than using the Kiehl’s Smooth Glider Precision Shave Lotion. You get a much better and smoother shave and there’s less chance of irritation – I haven’t used regular shaving cream in years. As I’m writing about it, this may all seem like a lot, but these are steps you’re probably going to take anyway, so if you’re going to do it, you may as well do it right – and with quality products with natural ingredients, from a brand that’s been around since 1851.

To finish my routine, I use the Kiehl’s Facial Fuel. It’s designed to help resist the effects of the elements and re-energize the skin without leaving you feeling oily.

Last but not least – you have to protect your lips just as much as your facial skin! My wife hates when I have chapped lips — and I have them a lot. When I do, it means 2 things: I’m probably going to steel her lip balm (which I do and then always seem to lose it – whoops LOL) and when she kisses me, it’s going to be against dry, rough lips. It would be irresponsible for me not to use the Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 to keep these lips in tiptop shape — if not for me, for the wife. 🙂

At 37, I really wish I would’ve started taking care of my skin much earlier, but I guess better late than never! Now to hide all the quality products and keep my wife from steeling them on me! If you’re a guy in the market for some new products, or need a good place to start to get on the road to starting to really take care of your skin, definitely give the Kiehl’s men’s line a shot!

This post is in partnership with Kiehl’s. However, all views and opinions are my own.

Reviews

BAXTER OF CALIFORNIA

Posted on June 10, 2016

I got an early fathers day gift this year from Baxter of California. My son loves getting things in the mail, so my wife told him it was a Father’s Day gift for me and that he could help her wrap it. I received their Pomade Mixer Kit, Under Eye Complex, Herbal Mint Toner, and the Flammable – White Wood 2 Candle.

I love gift sets, I think its the best way to try out different products without having to buy the full sized version at full price without knowing if it’s exactly what you’re looking for. I also get to share the different Pomades with my son (who, by the way, has much better hair than me..lol). I also like that now I have different pomades to achieve different looks depending on how I want my hair that day. Every so often it feels good to change it up a little. My personal favorite so far is the the clay, I like my hair to look dry-ish but still have a good hold.

I love burning candles at the house but am not really into fruity smells. My favorite scent to burn is the evergreen that you normally burn during Christmas. We usually start burning it in fall untill the end of winter. The Flammable – White Wood 2 Candle doesn’t smell anything like that..lol but it does give me the same kind of feeling when the scent is in the house. It smells like fresh wood mixed with a subtle scent of a tobacco pipe. It’s NOT like a cigar or gross smelling tobacco but that nice smooth, maybe with a hint of vanilla, type smell. This candle smells AWESOME!

Being that I’m an electrician and 35 years old, turning 36 this year, I’m finding it more important to take care of my skin, especially my face. At work it can get pretty dirty, and all the elements of being on the job can take a toll on your skin. The herbal mint toner is a perfect astringent to keep my face clean. It smells great…actually exactly the way its described in the name, like herbs with mint. It’s alcohol free so it doesnt have that harsh smell and it doesn’t burn when you use it. Man oh man how I hate seeing new wrinkles on my face..lol. Growing up I was always told I had a baby face and was told that I looked young for my age. I still hear it, but when I look in the mirror I don’t see that baby face anymore. To help get that baby face back I’m using the under eye complex. My wife showed me her application technique to apply…lol first dab, dab, dab under and around the eyes and then gently rub it in (just in case you couldn’t figure it out, like me the first time). It doesn’t really have a smell…just similar to regular lotion. It feels the same as lotion when you apply it and when it dries it just leaves you with a subtle tighter feeling…hoping it’s already working!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO GET 20% OFF, FREE SHIPPING & GUARANTEED DELIVERY BY FATHER’S DAY WITH CODE BAXTERDADS.

Stay active on my Instagram as I’m going to be doing a Baxter of California give away coming very soon! All opinions expressed in this review are of my own in this collaboration with Baxter of California.

Reviews Style

MY PERFECTLY TAILORED TEE

Posted on June 29, 2015

Every wardrobe needs a good old tee – or a bunch of them in various colors and different fits. I think I have more plain white and grey tees than anything else. When you find that perfectly fitting t-shirt (whether it’s long and scoop neck or shorter with a v-neck) I almost always want to buy more than one just in case I don’t find it again! It’s good to know that won’t be the case anymore now that I’m familiar with the website Son of a Tailor. They create your perfectly tailored t-shirt – such an innovative and perfect idea! There’s 2 tee base options to choose from in 4 different colors (white, black, blue and deep blue). From there, they walk you through all the measurements you’ll need to take according to either your favorite tee or your body-shape. I actually based my measurements off of a few different tee shirts I already owned. I took the neckdrop from one and added a few inches for a deeper drop, took the length from another and added a few inches for a longer fit, and adjusted my body measurements accordingly depending on the fit I was looking for. Pretty dope that I was able to customize the tee to fit exactly like I wanted! To take the customization to the next level they provide free monogramming of 3 initials on the bottom right of the tee. I got BCP stitched on mine – my first BCP labeled shirt – and definitely not the last. Overall the tee is a great quality and of course, the fit is perfect! Son of a Tailor also provides Free Worldwide Shipping – which is pretty amazing…no one likes spending money on shipping especially if it was for 1 t-shirt purchase – so with it being free it’s a no brainer. Get 15% Off Your First Order Now With Code BCPTEE! Can’t wait to get a white one next. I might be customizing this fit a little differently this time around. Any questions on the measurements I went with for my black one feel free to email me!

Reviews

KILLER BEARD OIL

Posted on November 19, 2014

I’ve been wanting to grow a beard for a while now, so in honor of No-Shave November I decided to get my beard on. My first week past my normal stubble phase was a tough one…my face was constantly itchy and I had a couple of moments where it was borderline unbearable. It was time for some beardcare products. A big thanks to Killer Beard Oil for sending me my first set of beard oils! They sent me their sampler pack which includes all 5 scents: Weightless, Mint Tea, White Mountain, Tomcat and Liquid Gold. The bottles came packaged in a simple, but cool little drawstring pouch. The first thing I did was open each bottle to have a sniff to see if I had an immediate favorite based off of smell. The first one I smelled was the Mint Tea (my wife was excited about this one). It has a nice minty smell to it and kind of reminds me of the mint chocolates that are left on your pillow at a hotel. It has a very soothing and fresh scent. Liquid Gold kinda reminded me of a lemon head lol with a tad of pine. White Mountain has a bit of a woodsy smell, also with a hint of pine tree. It definitely feels outdoorsy and kind of made me want to go grab a bottle of scotch and be a man lol. The 4th oil is TomCat. This one is hard to describe – a cross between woodsy and spicy maybe? The last oil is Weightless and doesn’t really have much of a smell to it. These were my initial reactions just from smelling them all. Of course when you’re sticking your nose in the bottle, the scent is going to be much stronger. I initially thought I was going to like the Weightless, due to it’s lack of scent, but after using the various oils these past 2 weeks, I realized the scent is no where near as strong once it’s on your face! KBO also included the instructions on a business card (which was helpful for a newbie beard wearer), and the ingredients of the oils and essential oils, which are all-natural. The directions told me to apply a dime size into my palm, massage it into my beard with my fingertips and then evenly distribute with a comb. The guys at KBO told me to pick up a boar hair brush to use with the oils – the brushing with the oil application felt amazing! Since it was my first time ever using facial oils it was hard to tell when and if I had enough on. When I looked close into the mirror and noticed my beard and face was looking shiny, I figured that was enough! If your face is itching, the oil isn’t going to be a miracle oil and immediately take the itch away but it does eliminate it more and more as you use it regularly. I’m curious if the insane beard itch I had last week wouldn’t have been that bad if I started using these products right from the beginning – either way it’s starting to lessen thank god! Not being a huge fan of cologne I thought I was only going to like the Weightless oil, but after using them all and realizing how subtle the scent was after it was applied I don’t really have a favorite. They honestly all smell equally good – you really can’t go wrong. Jeff and Rick at Killer Beard Oil are just 2 blue collar guys, like myself, (a carpenter and bad-ass barber) trying to turn their passion into a business. With the few conversations we had back and forth – I could tell they were down to earth and extremely knowledgeable on crafting beard oils. They formulated the oils over many months of clientele feedback in the barber shop. They were also open to suggestions, feedback and filled me in on some new scents they were testing out! It feels good to be able to receive and review a product from a company you can relate to. Thanks again guys! In the market for some beard care products? Check KBO out!

Family

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

Posted on October 21, 2014

Boys will be boys! From picking noses to riding tractors…there’s no better feeling than watching your son enjoy the outdoors and cruising around on a John Deere tractor. Something about it just feels all American. We recently went to Maryland to go pumpkin picking and there was a John Deere vendor selling adult tractors. Nathan kept telling me to get one and cut the grass. He couldn’t help but want to play on every single tractor they had – jumping from one to the other. On the way out they had set up some John Deere kids tractors and toys. Nathan saw this one and fell in love. We’re in the midst of trying to potty train Nathan – he did as requested and went on the potty. A couple days later he received his tractor. Though the tractor came in a lot of pieces, Nathan enjoyed helping me put it together and it was still fairly easy and quick to assemble. Looks pretty authentic. It’s actually a lot faster than I thought it would be. It has 2 speeds…in speed 2 you actually have to jog to keep up with him! Now Nathan is able to walk around with his mother and pick up twigs in the yard. If you have a son, I def recommend one of these. Your son will love feeling like he’s one of the guys working on the house. It also has cool features like reverse and a radio – so he can jam out while driving around!