• Men's Grooming

Men’s Grooming Problems: Tired/Dull Looking Skin

My last article focused on oily complexion problems caused by the natural processes within our skin, but this article pinpoints a common skin care problem that’s caused by circumstances often within our control – tired and dull looking skin. Whether it’s a poor diet, weekend binges, daily excesses or a lack of a good night’s sleep your lifestyle choices literally show all over your face. Dark circles, dull skin and a knackered complexion are all by-products of living a non-stop modern day life.

But rather than kerb your weekend antics, or resort to a life of nothing but yoga, hummus and carrot juice – I’ve pinpointed the top 5 ways you can combat a less than perfect complexion to make sure you never give the game away.

1. Recharge & Re-energise With L’Oréal Men Expert Hydra Energetic

L’Oréal Paris Men Expert is one of the most recognizable men’s grooming brands in the world today. Yes they have a multi-million pound marketing budget and a few recognizable faces to ensure their products make their way into your consciousness, but they also have a hell of a lot of research, planning and expertise to be sure that the products behind the marketing live up to the hype.

Following vigorous laboratory testing, L’Oréal Men Expert have been able to understand the different characteristics of men’s skin and how it’s effected by the environment – which is after all the crux of what this article is hoping to help you with. They also understand that guys need effective products to combat all the signs of tired and dull complexions, which is the ethos of their L’Oréal Paris Men Expert Hydra Energetic range, designed to combat the signs of male skin fatigue.

One of the main problems with tired skin is that it’s lacking moisture, which in turn leaves it lacking energy and life. Not only will this set of L’Oréal Men Expert products re-hydrate your skin to give it a plumped, fresh appearance, but all the products are packed with vitamins and minerals designed to put back in what your lifestyle takes out.

The Foaming Cleansing Gel is the first product on the agenda as it kicks off your routine. This is designed to wake up your skin; cleansing and invigorating without drying it out (which as we’ve discussed is very important). But for even more damage control L’Oréal Men Expert have got three moisturizing products which step up to the plate to replenish, refresh and totally invigorate your tired complexion.

For all round protection use the Anti Fatigue Moisturising Lotion, after shaving apply a quick dab of the Hydrating Boost Post Shave Balm or for a really intense energy boost I’d recommend the Hydra Energetic Turbo Booster. Stick with L’Oréal Men Expert Hydra Energetic whenever your skin feels tired or fatigued, and add one of these products to your routine and you’ll have regained a fresh faced look in no time!

• Loréal Paris Men Expert Hydra Energetic Foaming Cleansing Gel 150ml
• Loréal Men Expert Hydra Energetic Daily Anti-fatigue Moisturising Lotion 50ml
• Loreal Paris Men Expert 100ml 24 Hour Hydrating Aftershave Balm
• Loreal Men Expert Turbo Moisturiser 50ml

2. Scrub Up Nicely

While a face scrub should be one of your key products whatever your skin type, they’re a great way of keeping you and your complexion looking fresh as a daisy. Using small ‘polishing’ particles which vary depending on your chosen product, face scrubs help to remove haggard looking dead skin cells to reveal the new, fresh complexion underneath. Simple right? So just by buffing away the top layers of dull looking skin you’ll be left with the fresh faced glow of someone who’s been in bed by 9.30pm every night even if you haven’t!

The L’Oréal Men Expert products featured above are more of a ‘quick fix’ than a long term solution, where as adopting a face scrub into your routine is a sure fire way of looking fresh in an instant, as well as improving your skin health in the long run. Not only that, but using a face scrub once or twice a week will also help remove dirt ingrained deep within your skin which means you’ll be less likely to develop other skin conditions like greasy patches or spots as well as improving your shave.

Using a face scrub to target tired and dull looking skin really is a win-win. Here are some of my energizing favorites…

• Nickel Bio Energising Facial Scrub 125ml
• Elemis Energizing Skin Scrub 75ml
• Ren Jojoba Microbead Purifying Facial Polish 150ml
• Vitaman Face Scrub 150ml

3. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize

When it comes to looking tired, your eyes really do give the game away. If your skin is de-hydrated or you haven’t had enough sleep you’ll begin to notice dark circles, under eye bags and a general swollen feeling which contributes to a fatigued look that’s far from fresh faced. This is mostly down to the fact that the skin around the eyes is fine and vulnerable, meaning that even a subtle in balance can result in panda eyes. Where tired looking eyes are concerned there are two main problem areas:

Dark Circles

Panda eyes, dark circles – whatever you call them, they’re a real pain in the behind. They’re caused by blood vessels showing through the thinner skin around your eye area, something that’s escalated if your cream-crackered. Your first task is to cool and fresh the troubled skin, something that any of the eye creams below will tackle with ease. If your dark circles are particularly bad then you could also opt for a subtle concealer to help mask your problem area. If you opt for the latter then remember that less is more – it will be more embarrassing to have dark tanned rings around your eyes that it is to have dark circles – so apply with care a little at a time.

Under Eye Bags

Caused by fluid retention around the eye area, puffy eyes are a common occurrence in the morning as fluid builds up while you sleep, but again this can be severely escalated by a lack of sleep, or a poor diet – making the swelling much more prominent. When it comes to picking out a product to combat eye fatigue and puffy eyes, you’re looking for something to cool and refresh the area. Lucky for you guys, all the lotions and potions below are formulated with key ingredients designed to specifically deal with puffy eye and dark circle symptoms.

Grooming Editors Tip: When applying your chosen eye product (unless you’re using a rollerball applicator) do so with the tip of your ring finger (the choice of finger is important as it helps reduce the pressure applied to this vulnerable area) applying in light patting motions from the bridge of your nose out towards your ears – thus helping to drain the fluid from the area.

So first off, it’s good to get as close to the recommended eight hours sleep every night as possible, which isn’t the easiest thing if you’re attending to a new-born, or out on the town until the wee hours. So if you can’t get the sleep you need – what does the grooming world have to offer as a solution? Plenty that’s what.

• Loreal Men Expert Hydra Energetic Eye Roll-on
• Lierac Homme Diopti Anti-puffiness And Dark Circles Eye Contour 15ml
• Nickel Bio Moisturising Eye Energiser 15ml
• Ole Henriksen Fresh Start Eye Crème
• Guyliner Disguys Concealer – Medium
• Nubo Perfectionist – Transparent

4. Glow With The Flow

Glowing skin isn’t just reserved for pregnant women, it’s also a by-product of a nice healthy complexion! Some guys are unlucky and suffer from a dull, ‘pasty’ outlook all year round, and for others it can be the result of sleep or nutrient deprivation – but having a healthy glow can elude even the most savvy modern gent, particularly those with a lighter skin tone. Yet again the grooming world had served up a cunning little healthy-look shortcut in the form of tinted moisturizer! But tan-a-phobics don’t panic – we’re talking the subtle bronze of demigods David Beckham and David Gandy rather than the full on bronzed look of Joey Essex.

Now while fake tan is a staple in the lives of many women (and I’ll admit I’ve even dabbled myself in an attempt to appear bronzed) it still requires time, precision and an eye for detail in an effort to avoid streaks and blotches. Plus there is still a lot of negativity surrounding ‘fake tan’ in the male world. Tinted moisturizers however are an easy to use solution to the afore mentioned pasty skin dilemma which even the most inexperienced grooming gent will take to like a duck to water.

The idea is that you replace your moisturizer with one of these professional tinted moisturizers in order for them to gradually impart a natural looking tan – thus combating that overnight tan look that’s difficult to avoid when using a standard fake tan. But please remember to wash your mitts after use, otherwise the signs of fake tan will be written all over your hands, rather than your face! It’s also worth noting that depending on your skin tone I’d advice that you alternate your tinted moisturizer with your normal moisturizer to make the seamless transformation into tanned-dom even more subtle. Piece of (nicely bronzed and healthy looking) cake!

• Lierac Homme Auto Bronzant Self Tan Daily Moisture Gel 50ml
• Nickel Le Grand Bluff – Self Tanner 50ml
• Henri Lloyd Ocean Mineral Tinted Moisturiser Spf15 75ml
• Loreal Paris Men Expert 50ml Hydra Energetic Gradual Tan Moisturiser Natural-looking Tan

5. Support Your Skin From The Inside

It’s no secret that a balanced diet, plenty of exercise, an increased water intake and equal amounts of rest makes a huge difference in your overall health, and the health of your skin is no different. To try and make it as simple as possible to improve your skin health through your diet I’ve broken down the key health points which relate directly to the health of your skin. They may seem obvious, but bearing these simple lifestyle tips in mind will work wonders for your skin.

Choose anti-oxidant packed foods

Fruit and vegetables in general are great, so you should try and get as much of them into your diet as possible. But you should really put your money on anti-oxidant packed foods to help fight the harmful free radicals which damage your skin cells and hamper your skin’s ability to repair itself. Blueberries are one of the more well known sources of anti-oxidents, but you can also try incorporating beans, pulses, prunes, pecans and other berries such as cranberries and strawberries into your diet for a skin boosting punch.

Drink 2-3 litres of water a day

Dehydration doesn’t just leave you with a dry mouth, it also leaves your skin parched and thirsty for natural moisture. Try filling a 2 litre bottle of water at your desk, or in your man bag and challenge yourself to drink it by the end of the day and you’ll begin to notice a big difference in the clarity, texture and feel of your skin.

Not all fat is bad fat

Cutting all types of fat from your diet can be a mistake, particularly if you hope to keep your skin oil and spot-free. Now we’re all aware the damage that bad fats can do, but healthy skin needs fat too so it’s up to us to make sure they’re the right ones. Get as many Omega-3s from oily fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines, while nuts and seeds are great sources of Omega-6s and essential fatty acids which keep your skin in tip top shape.

Get your vitamins

If you’re Vitamin A deficient the upper layers of your skin can produce too much keratin (the hard, tough protein that forms hair and nails), making it rough and scaly. Likewise, a lack of Vitamin C can mean your skin looks more ‘lived in’ than fresh faced. So the solution is to get plenty of Vitamin A from the likes of meat, dairy products or dark leafy greens, and an influx of Vitamin C from kiwis, citrus fruits, strawberries, blackcurrants and (the lesser known) red pepper.

For those of you who don’t seem able to get your required multivitamins a day through naturally food groups, why not try a multi-vitamin tablet or fish oil supplement? MyProtein are world renowned within the exercise/weight lifting supplement market, and produce some of the best available to men:

• Alpha Men Super Multi Vitamin
• Daily Vitamins
• Vitamin C With Bioflavonoids & Rosehip
• Super Omega 3 Highly Concentrated Fish Oil
• Omega 3 Liquid
• Omega 3 6 9 500mg

The Last Word

With so many external factors affecting the health of our skin, it can be difficult to remain cool, calm and refreshed. But thankfully all the products I’ve recommended are designed by professionals to give you the best results, and improve the outlook of your skin. Obviously these products aren’t a substitute for a healthy lifestyle, but at times when our skin really needs a helping hand they’re always useful to have as a back up.

As always, if you want any specific recommendations then please do get in touch by leaving your comment below. A tired looking complexion and skin fatigue can be a real pain, but it’s a pain that can easily be prevented with the right products and an easy routine change.

Good luck in your fight against under eye bags and dull complexions.

Duncan

Duncan Copeland

Our resident grooming expert. Has many years experience within the grooming industry after working for Lookfantastic.com. Articles are invaluable for men who want to look and feel their best all year round.