Men’s Beauty Products For Women

My boyfriend doesn’t use soap in the shower.

He thinks it makes his skin dry and that his shampoo does a sufficient job of cleaning his whole body. Gross, I know.

So you can imagine my horror when I came across a marieclaire.com article chronicling the experience of writer Claire Fontanetta using only her bf’s products (or lack thereof) for a week.

Claire Fontanetta
Photo credit: marieclaire.com

Here’s a summary of what went down:

Day 1:

Claire realises she usually uses 26 beauty products daily. She is confronted in the shower by just one Kiehl's cleansing product, which she has to use as a shampoo, conditioner, body wash and shaving “cream”. She is pleased by the absence of bathroom beauty clutter.

Day 2:

The writer has a work event in the morning, so she invests in some Dove Men+Care face lotion and men’s concealer (yes, there’s such a thing!). She is pleasantly surprised and impressed by the concealer. To combat the growing frizz, she puts some beard oil on her strands. #genius.

Day 3:

Claire is starting to miss her staple bright orange/red lipstick (*sad face*). She stays strong, though, and continues to rock a bare lip like it’s no big deal.

Day 4:

Unsurprisingly, the writer is enjoying some extra sleep in the morning, and she’s therefore feeling more energetic. Her skin’s also visibly clearer. Not a bad result!

Day 5:

By now, Claire’s gotten so used to wearing cologne that she doesn’t even notice it. But her friends do, with one telling her she smells “like her ex”. Awkward. The barefaced writer feels a bit out of place at after-work drinks, even though everyone says she still looks gorgeous.

Day 6:

She caves and hides behind some big sunglasses. Understandable.

Day 7:

It’s Sunday, which is a low-maintenance day for Claire, anyway. She realises she’s quite keen on her L'Occitane Cade Shower Gel for Body & Hair: “It's manly, but in a chic musky firewood kind of way.” Hilarious.

L'Occitane cade shower gel

Here’s what we can take away from Claire’s experience:

Streamlining your morning beauty routine allows you to sleep longer.
Not wearing make-up for a few days can be very good for your skin.
Conditioner is essential for frizzy-haired gals (I suspect beard oil can only take you so far).
Bright lippie is still every girl’s best friend.

You can read the full article here.

Do you ever use men’s beauty products? Could you handle using only men’s beauty products for a week?

52 Member Comments

neha.gamine 11 Jul 2017 11:58 PM

Lol! I don't think I can live without my fragrant body washes, body lotions and perfumes. I did try to use the nivea after shave lotion as a primer after reading raving reviews online but it broke me out badly. Yes I do admit that limiting your makeup helps you sleep a bit more in the morning and makes your skin clearer as during my pregnancy I started using very less makeup to prevent breakouts as I didn't want to use acne treatments etc during that time and it did clear up my skin to a great extent

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Miss19 20 Jun 2017 12:16 PM

Nope definitely not

jlsta 4 May 2017 10:52 PM

only deodorant!

Peta908 4 Mar 2017 6:25 PM

After 13 years together i've finally convinced my partner to start moisturising!

Shop A Everyday 25 Apr 2016 6:45 PM

I know I wouldnt last a week lol

lynx 6 Apr 2016 7:54 AM

Oh when thinking about it I have in the past used mens deodorant a few times and also have used mens face wash and moisturiser.

lynx 6 Apr 2016 7:52 AM

I think there are a few basics in the mens skincare I would use without a problem.

itslinda 4 Apr 2016 8:27 PM

Great article

annieleex 4 Apr 2016 9:53 AM

Interesting!

Shop A Everyday 15 Mar 2016 4:50 PM

I know I could not survive

talk-a-lot 24 Feb 2016 9:27 PM

No I don't think I could use just men's products for a week. I would have withdrawals, love my serum and face mask.

Shop A Everyday 6 Feb 2016 4:45 PM

I prefer my own creams but am sure theya re still very good

Linda_Vesinger 1 Jan 2016 11:23 PM

Nope, not something I'd ever try. My hair & skin would both become so dry & uncomfortable

Vivian007 13 Oct 2015 2:32 PM

I don't think I could go back to living without all my products!!! The only products my hubby will use are shampoo and body wash - he washes his face with water and uses an electric razor! No moisturiser, lip balm or eye cream......If anyone has tips/advice on how to get your man to look after his skin properly, please let me know!

Nas007 11 Oct 2015 4:14 PM

Very brave..it's a good experiment and shows the difference between what us girls go through on a daily basis compared to the men.. Then they complain we take too long!

Wittyusername 11 Oct 2015 2:35 AM

That would be a fairly miserable week for many gals.

Michelle240 10 Oct 2015 4:28 PM

Nope just could'nt deal with the fragrance!

survivor2012 9 Oct 2015 8:25 PM

I couldn't see myself using men's products. I'm a feminine type

sporty_ytl 7 Oct 2015 1:46 AM

Such a brave girl. I can't imagine myself doing that. If I did I would probably just stay at home 24/7.

sootyblack_14 4 Oct 2015 12:33 PM

I love this!!!! I love the simplicity!!!!! I am a bit like this.... I only have 5 products I use!!!!!

Petal 27 Sep 2015 11:19 AM

So the writer uses 26 beauty products each day. I haven't yet counted how many products that I use on a daily basis, but I'm sure that it is a lot.

Shop A Everyday 20 Sep 2015 7:21 PM

Great article, makes you realise how many products we use

josella432 20 Sep 2015 6:52 PM

I think I could substitute some products. The Checkout had a segment a while ago comparing mens and womens beauty products, essentially the same products but so much cheaper for men!

Gilded 14 Sep 2015 12:31 PM

I don't have a boyfriend but even if I did I don't think I could switch to man products. I don't mind men's shaving cream and razor though.

Bobbin01 13 Sep 2015 9:29 AM

No I couldn't do my partners routine. body wash, shampoo, deodorant and shaving cream are the only things he uses. No moisturiser. No sunscreen. No lip balm. I would need those three at a minimum

The only "mens" products I use are shaving cream and a razor... I dont see the point in paying more for women shaving cream and razors simply because they are a girly colour.

We share the same body and face wash in the shower, but my partner just uses whatever is available for shampoo and I wont let him waste my expensive kerastasse stuff so he usually lives on the steady supply of hotel shampoos we both wrangle from work trips

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