The new Creme De La Mer Moisturizing Matte Lotion is said to defy the laws of moisture with nourishing hydration from the sea combined with unique mattifying technology to help soften away the appearance of age, shine and pores. 

Their smallest moisture sphere ever is suspended in a buoyant gel layer to deliver nourishing hydration rapidly—with a fresh finish. A sea-sourced, micro-fine powder surrounds each gel capsule, creating a Mattifying Mesh Network that works intuitively to minimise shine for a beautifully balanced, refined looking complexion in even the hottest, most humid climates.

TheChicGeek says, “Creme De La Mer or La Mer, I’m not sure what it’s called anymore, has always been the pricey mainstream option. I’ve always found the original product, containing the famous ‘Miracle Broth’, a little rich for me, so was pleased to hear about this ‘Moisturizing Matte Lotion’.

I wanted this to be rich and nourishing while leaving a matt and non-shine finish, especially as the majority of men’s skins are thicker and oilier. 

Unfortunately, while matt, I didn’t get the glow I was wanting or expecting. It just seemed to disappear and not have any lasting effect.”

Left - Creme De La Mer Moisturizing Matte Lotion - 50ml - £180

Tom Ford introduces this woody marine oud fragrance as part of his ‘Private Blend’ collection with key ingredients including salty seaweed, pink peppercorn, oud blend, styrax, ambergris accord, and fir balsam.

TheChicGeek says, “This is really boozy. The smoked wood gives it an overwhelming whisky feeling and is a reminder of how wooden barrels flavour whiskies in their ageing process.

Tom Ford is well known for his ouds, particularly the cult Oud Wood, and they give his fragrances the richness and depth those paying the money want.  This is as masculine as cradling a cut-crystal tumbler with scotch on the rocks wearing a shirt open to the navel. So, it’s very Tom Ford!

The only thing I would say about Tom Ford is I feel they are releasing too many fragrances. They need to slow down the releases to keep the prestige, exclusivity and allow consumers time to appreciate and focus on quality new fragrances like this one.”

Left - Tom Ford - Oud Minérale - 50ml - £155

Established in 2012, Lqd is a proudly Australian brand and a collection of superb and effective skincare solutions ‘designed specifically by men for mankind’. The Lqd range is targeted towards men who care about their appearance, with products that address common skincare concerns, such as dryness, redness, breakouts, and ageing. Lqd understands men’s skin, and has built a loyal following across the fitness-focused community— it is not merely women’s skincare, repacked and marketed to men.

Left - Fresh from Australia Lqd - Liquid - Skincare

Melbourne-based founders and life partners Anthony McDonough and Chris Glebatsas are the living, breathing embodiment of the brand, impressive physical ambassadors who both embrace a holistic lifestyle philosophy built around three pillars:  Diet, Training and Skincare.

McDonough originally trained as an organic chemist, and applies a no-nonsense practicality to Lqd’s innovative product line-up. “If you’re anything like me, you’re active.” he says, “and when you train hard, you shower often, so you need products to remove the sweat and grime of life that aren’t too harsh, with the ability to replenish the balance of oils in your skin. I searched the world to find products that lived up to this and after 20 years of not finding what I needed, I created Lqd to fill that void.”

TheChicGeek says, “LQD - Liquid - Skin Care launched with great fanfare during the recent London Men’s Fashion Week - LFWM. Fresh from Australia and said to be the biggest selling grooming brand in Sephora - that’s a big deal - I was interested to see what it had in store.

On first glance, on the branding and packaging, I thought this was in the ‘affordable’ category, but with Face Wash at £30 and Moisturiser at £45, this is ‘prestige or premium.

I tried the Face Wash, Eye product, ‘Calm’ moisturiser and ‘Hydrate’ moisturiser.  They also have a Blemish product, Shave and a Face Scrub.

Overall, these products are good and feel like quality. The face wash is a nice, thick consistency yet light and gentle. I presumed the ‘calm’ moisturiser was for after shaving and is a decent everyday moisturiser. I couldn’t tell any difference between the two moisturisers and was disappointed from an Australian company there wasn't any UV protection.

Left - The Eye product looking a little bit like a bottle of poppers?!

The negative I have is the branding and packaging. It doesn't look prestige and the logo feels a bit 90s sex education show - remember Margi Clarke?! - the Blemish and Eye products even look like bottles of poppers. I feel it needs more maturity.

It’s also a shame it doesn't feel more Australian especially considering the modern, outdoors/gym focussed start to this brand and something which Australia does well.”

Available exclusively at Harrods and directly from www.Lqd.co.uk

Based in South Korea, Dorco has over 60 years’ of expertise in offering advanced blade technology. With seven precision-aligned blades, this razor is said to be a world first and is, now, available in the UK.

The Dorco Classic has slimmer, denser blades to reduce any irritation to the skin.  It has an open structure design to enable easy rinsing, helping to keep blades sharper for longer.  A honeycomb guard bar with soft rubber surface allows effortless gliding over skin, adapting to the contours of your face. An advanced lubricating strip with antioxidants from argan oil and calendula extract helps sooth sensitive and dry skin, and heal razor burns.  

Left - Count them! All 7 blades of the Dorco Classic Razor

TheChicGeek says, “We’re entering “Razor Wars” within the grooming market with so many new or new to the market shaving brands launching. It’s a bit like the “Cola Wars”, but without the sugar! The dominant players challenged by young upstarts beating them on innovation and price.

Anything from South Korea always makes you sit up and take notice. They are insatiable consumers of grooming products and provide quality and newness to men’s grooming. 

It wasn't that long ago that manufacturers kept adding the number of the blades to their razors and this was the tah-dah moment of their new launches. I’ve never seen 7 before and they are very compact here.

On first impressions, this looks quite old-fashioned. The chrome and plastic is along the lines of a classic fountain pen and looks like a razor that would come with a matching chrome stand.

I tried it on fairly long stubble and it worked well with no discomfort. It rinsed easily, even with the large number of blades. I didn't really notice the lubricating strip doing anything.

I did think it would be more expensive then it is. Prices for the Dorco Classic start from £8.74 and there’s even free shipping for orders over £10. www.razorsbydorco.co.uk So, it’s very affordable, it’s just a shame it doesn't look more contemporary.