A curate of 2018’s best luxurious grooming products selected for the high-flyers. Photographed by: Dominic Phua/Daydream
It took you a while to get where you are right now. But work never stops – you still need to keep your businesses up and running, all while keeping your family happy with your presence (your kid’s first piano recital, grandma’s birthday, your wedding anniversary… you get the drift).
Which is why keeping up with your appearance is more than just stretching out a polite smile – you need to look your best whether it’s at a business meeting or at your in-laws’. Trust us, it really makes a difference. So after trying and testing, we’ve curated these products – some of the most luxurious, dare we say – that will not only help you look your best, but also provide relaxing moments to destress whenever you have the time to. We know times like that are a luxury too.
Head
Shampoo: Brew Mint Shampoo, $29, Redken
Mint Shampoo, Redken Brews. Photo: Redken
When it comes to showertime, a refreshing shampoo is always appreciated especially after a long day of back to back meetings to get work pulled together. Which is why Redken Brews’ Mint Shampoo is one to turn to. Fortified with nourishing malt extracts that leaves hair feeling and looking healthier, the mint extracts promote healthy blood flow to encourage hair growth – a plus for those with weak follicles.
Conditioner: Repairing Conditioner, $35, L’Occitane
Repairing Conditioner, L’Occitane. Photo: L’Occitane
While you get your business running strong, it doesn’t mean your hair can be, no thanks to hours and hours of planning and accumulated stress. If you find your hair breaking easily (yes, it happens to men too), L’Occitane’s Repairing Conditioner from its Aromachologie range could help in restoring strength with a blend of amino acids, vitamin B5 and sweet almond oil. Helps that the soothing scent of ylang ylang, geranium, lavender, angelica and sweet orange brings calm to the senses.
Hair Styling Product: Redken Brew Work Hard Moulding Paste, $32, Redken
Work Hard Molding Paste, Redken Brews. Photo: Redken
Not only does this product give the right amount of hold to help you look your best throughout the day, it’s also infused with hydrolysed wheat extracts to condition and repair damage.
Face
Electric Shaver: ES-LV9C Shaver, $628, Panasonic
ES-LV9C Shaver, Panasonic. Photo: Panasonic
There’s nothing like a good, clean shave and this one does an awesome job at it. The 5D active pivot head fits to every contour of the face while the skincare rollers help to leave a smooth finish sans nicks and cuts.
Cleanser: Energising Face Cleanser, $52, Sothys Homme
Energising Face Cleanser, Sothys Homme. Photo: Sothys
Everyone loves a multi-tasking product, so those who are always racing against time, this might just do the trick in maintaining a face that’s always in good health. The clay-based cleanser draws out impurities, while rhyolite grains helps to gently brush away dull, dead skin, leaving the skin looking refined and well-rested even if you were up till late running through proposals. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes if you have some extra time to pamper yourself – your skin will thank you for it when it reaps this cleanser-mask’s full benefits.
Nourishing Cleanser: BC Facial Washing Cream, $55, Fancl
BC Facial Washing Cream, Fancl. Photo: Fancl
Drier skin types can experience fragility due to a compromised skin barrier. So let’s start with a good base – a nourishing skin cleanser that not only rids the skin of nasty gunk, but also strengthens the skin with all the good stuff. FANCL’s BC Facial Washing Cream takes the cake in which it forths up to a light foam, and is infused with regenetating sea buckthorn oil as well as fermented pear extracts that brighten the complexion. Tired skin looks instantly lifted.
Exfoliant: Facial Scrub, $62, IDS
Facial Scrub, IDS. Photo: IDS
Jet-setting while trying to get work done can leave your skin a little out of whack; oil-drenched on some spots and flaky on others. A simple facial scrub is all it takes to keep things in check, like this one from IDS Clinic. Jojoba spheres slough off dead skin while oiliness is kept at bay as they help to refine the pores.
Toner: Active Water Skin Toner, $35, Laneige Homme
Active Water Skin Toner, Laneige Homme. Photo: Laneige
Some may think that toners are absolutely useless but today, formulas are more potent and do more than “just wiping dead skin off”. Laneige’s Active Water Skin Toner for example is packed with green tea extract (great for soothing razor burns), yeast extract (to nourish the skin) and minerals like zinc, manganese and magnesium to leave the skin hydrated and radiant. And that’s why we love it.
Hydrating Serum: Intensive Hydrating Serum, $185, Sothys
Intensive Hydrating Serum, Sothys. Photo: Sothys
The busier you are, the more dehydrated your skin becomes so ashiness and dullness are common things you’ll experience when your schedule is packed. A good dose of Sothy’s Intensive Hydrating Serum will fix things up pronto thanks to its hyaluronic acid content that draws moisture to the skin and locks it in. A smooth, well-hydrated complexion follows and even fine lines will look less apparent. Great that it doesn’t feel like too much on the skin, given our humid climate.
Energizing Serum: Inner Charging Serum, $90, Sulwhasoo Men
Inner Charging Serum, Sulwhasoo Men. Photo: Sulwhasoo
Age and stress can deplete the skin of nutrients and the body absorbs all the good stuff before it reaches the skin, so it will almost always be left looking haggard – even more so during peak work periods. So why not do your skin a favour and feed it directly instead with something nourishing like Sulwhasoo Men’s Inner Charging Serum? Think of it as a tonic for the skin thanks to all the Korean herbs that really pack a good dose of fortifying ingredients to pamper and keep the skin in good health no matter when.
Daily Eye Treatment: MAX LS Power V Instant Eye Lift , $94, Lab Series
MAX LS Power V Instant Eye Lift, Lab Series. Photo: Lab Series
It’s better to take care of the eye area before fine lines, dark circles and eye bags start to show – and stay. Lab Series’ MAX LS Power V Instant Eye Lift is a daily grooming essential thanks to LS Power V Technology™ and Molecular Age-Less Complex™, ingredients that tighten, repair and moisturise the thin skin around the eyes, leaving it looking in good health over time.
Intensive Eye Treatment: Eye Lift Firming Treatment, $138, Murad
Eye Lift Firming Treatment, Murad. Photo: Murad
A weekly treat could do you some good, and one to add to that regime will be Murad’s Eye Lift Firming Treatment. A good 15 minutes of this is all it takes to firm and hydrate the skin around the eyes, eliminating darkness and the appearance of fine lines before you take a restful snooze. A more restful look awaits the moment you wake up.
Age-Defying Moisturiser: Men’s Age Defying Cream, $112, Sulwhasoo
Men’s Age Defying Cream, Sulwhasoo. Photo: Sulwhasoo
Sometimes it’s not about going against ageing, but instead embracing the thought of ageing well. Sulwhasoo Men’s Age Defying Cream provides all the nourishment aged and mature skin needs so it remains healthy while looking handsome and natural all at the same time. Who wouldn’t want that?
Night Cream: BC Intensive Night Cream, $175, FANCL
BC Intensive Night Cream, FANCL. Photo: FANCL
Evenings are perfect for unwinding after a long day – a good meal with the family and a swirl of wine is just feels so good. But nothing beats finishing your day with a good slathering of a nourishing cream to treat yourself to before you hit the sack. FANCL’s BC Intensive Night Cream is one to go to thanks to its light texture thanks sinks into the skin. The real magic is in how it repairs and rejuvenates the skin while you sleep with hydrolyzed soy and collagen alongside botanical extracts of rose and grape bud. Your well-rested skin will be something you’ll be looking forward to waking up to every morning.
Lightweight Sunscreen: S2 Non-Tinted Sunscreen, $69, IDS
S2 Non-Tinted Sunscreen, IDS. Photo: IDS Clinic
Our humid climate calls for something lightweight, so daily grooming essentials like sunscreen shouldn’t be something heavy and tacky. IDS Clinic’s S2 Non-Tinted Sunscreen does a good job at protecting the skin against damaging UVA and UVB rays thanks to its broad spectrum protection from zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. A vitamin C derivative found in its ingredient list provides antioxidant protection, which is always a plus if you’re worried about accelerated ageing from pollution.
Nourishing Sheet Mask: First Care Activating Mask, $72 (5 sheets), Sulwhasoo
First Care Activating Mask, Sulwhasoo. Photo: Sulwhasoo
A restful weekend calls for an indulgent relaxing session that calls for Netflix in bed with your wife and a powerful sheet mask to keep your skin well-nourished. A worthy investment will be Sulwhasoo’s First Care Activating Mask – a sheet mask that is soaked in the brand’s exclusive JAUM Balancing Complex™ – a fine mix of traditional Korean medicine like ginseng, lily, and fox glove to name a few – that balances and destresses tired skin.
At-Home Peel: Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel, $110, Murad
Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel, Murad. Photo: Murad
Depending on how you look at it, skin care can seem like a hassle. But those who are more hands on and don’t mind playing mad scientist, extra streps are always welcome. Murad’s Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel is a good place to start in that it involves two steps. First is the swiping your face with an AHA-soaked swab to slough off dead skin cells, and second is hydrating the skin intensely with a mask packed with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and aloe extracts. Skin is left looking and feeling brighter and fresher with a diminished appearance of fine lines.
Anti-Ageing Treatment: Genius Liquid Collagen, $168, Algenist at Sephora
Genius Liquid Collagen, Algenist at Sephora. Photo: Algenist
Haggard and sagging skin can benefit from Algenist’s Genius Liquid Collagen. The produt promotes elasticity and firmness thanks to its potent vegan blend including sunflower seed oil, chlorella, radish root extracts and not forgetting plant-based collagen. This pre-serum product sinks into the skin almost immediately, leaving the skin feeling velvety smooth upon application, and looking more lifted over the course of time.
Supplements: Hydro-Glow Supplements, $120, Murad
Hydro-Glow Supplements, Murad. Photo: Murad
All that topical application is all great, but sometimes a supplement could help. For overall skin hydration, Murad’s Hydro-Glow supplements does a good job in keeping the skin glowing and supple. It may not seem important, but you’ll be surprised at how good you look when your skin begins looking healthier over time, thanks to the glucosamine and taurine in its mix that boosts the body’s ability to produce and hold on to hyaluronic acid production. Do consult a doctor before purchase, because safety trumps vanity at the end of the day.
Body
Luxurious Shower Oil: Almond Shower Oil, $39, L’Occitane
Almond Shower Oil, L’Occitane. Photo: L’Occitane
Shower oils may seem like a bit much for our climate, but trust us, when your skin is parched and scaly, the extra conditioning properties of a shower oil is exactly what you’ll need. L’Occitane’s Almond Shower Oil is one to add to your shower shelf in that it pumps like an oil, but forms a nourishing emulsion upon contact with water to cleanse the skin while leaving it feeling like quick trip to the spa. The fact that it conditions without leaving the skin feeling tacky is also a plus point for us.
Invigorating Body Scrub: Spa of The World™ French Grape Seed Scrub, $55.90, The Body Shop
Spa of The World™ French Grape Seed Scrub, The Body Shop. Photo: The Body Shop
The older and more busy we get, me-time is always a luxury. One way to treat yourself is by giving yourself a thorough sugar scrub with The Body Shop’s Spa of The World™ French Grape Seed Scrub that invigorates and refreshes dull lacklustre skin. Improved blood circulation helps you to feel more relaxed, while the scent of grapes will set your mind ready for a swig of wine after you step out of the shower
Conditioning Body Lotion: Almond Milk & Honey Soothing & Restoring Body Lotion, $19.90, The Body Shop
Almond Milk & Honey Soothing & Restoring Body Lotion, The Body Shop. Photo: The Body Shop
Dry and sensitive skin can depend on The Body Shop’s Almond Milk & Honey Soothing and Restoring Body Lotion. It is ultra-conditioning and skin is left looking and feeling pampered after continued use. Great for winter climates when your schedule calls for travelling in those drying months.
Daytime Scent: Mojave Ghost Eau de Parfum, $310 (100ml), Byredo at Escentials
There
There’s nothing more annoying than a daytime scent that chokes, and it’s something that the mature crowd is find of. Keep it classy and comforting with Byredo’s Mojave Ghost that leaves a freshly washed linen scent in your track thanks to notes of sapodilla fruit, magnolia and violet. We appreciate that it lasts a long time, so reapplication is almost unnecessary.
Evening Scent: Sycomore, $590 (250ml), Les Exclusifs de Chanel at Chanel
Sycomore, Les Exclusifs de Chanel at Chanel. Photo: Chanel Beauty
If you want to leave an impression at dinner meetings and events, Sycomore from Chanel’s Les Exclusifs de Chanel range will get heads turning even if your outfit is sleek and simple. This handsome scent is a smooth blend of vetiver, tobacco, sandalwood and peppers, leaving a sleek, woody sillage everywhere you go.
Credits
Produced by: Syed Zulfadhli
Photography: Dominic Phua/Daydream
Styling: Chloe Cheng/Daydream
Assisted by: Alfred Phang/Daydream
