The festive season is nearly upon us, bringing with it the perfect opportunity to over-indulge in all of our favourite party food and drink. However, with the sheer volume of Christmas parties, holiday get-togethers and after work drinks, no doubt sprawled across your calendar over the coming weeks, it's not uncommon for them to join forces and dish out one or two blows to your skin's health and vitality along the way.
Steer well clear of dull and fatigued skin this December with these world-class tips from some of the male grooming industry's most coveted gurus. Regardless of your plans this festive period, we've put together a treasure chest of products and hints to help gentlemen maintain a truly champion complexion - right up to the big day and beyond.
During these cold winter months, it's more important than ever to maintain your skin's hydration levels. Gianni Casagrande, founder of award-winning men's blog The G-Edit recommends switching your moisturiser to a gel based one at this time of year, to protect your skin's natural moisture barriers throughout your day and night. Drinking alcohol has the tendency to dehydrate the skin and bring with it a dry and uneven surface. Use a men's face gel like Anthony Logistic's Wake Up Call to instantly blast your skin with hydration and kick your skin's recovery into the fast lane, with an awakening dose of caffeine.
Hydration is also at the top of Zoel Hernandez's grooming hit list, who suggests investing in a good quality night cream to super-charge your skin's freshness overnight. Zoel can't stress enough the importance of taking on board plenty of water, before and after those festive functions, to help further protect your under-fire epidermis.
With the growingly abundant amount of men's grooming products entering the market, you'd be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed at times. If you're embarking on yet another new skin care ritual, littered with the latest and 'greatest' to try and tackle hungover holiday skin, Anton Welcome stresses the importance of sticking to your new routine for the full course. Anton is co-editor of Maketh-The-Man, which boasts a captivating collection of male grooming and skin care posts, designed to help modern men put their best face forward.
Giving your skin a boost from time to time is an essential part to maintaining its cleansed and clear surface says John Bingham, author of his self-titled men's lifestyle blog. Once a week, take the time to give your skin a little helping hand John explains, by applying a face mask, or going for a facial at your local grooming room. You can even take some steps to master the perfect at home facial and save yourself a pretty penny in the process.
When it comes to male skin care, simplicity will always reign says Peter at The Gentleman Select. Although the cold harsh weather can make it tempting to grab every single cream under the sun, too many products can actually end up having an adverse effect on your skin's performance and lead to the clogging of pores and unwanted breakouts. Get to grips with the basic building blocks of successful skin by cleansing, toning and moisturising twice daily and exfoliating your skin one to two times each week.
For a fuss-free and effective way to keep skin clear, Marc Gamboa regularly endorses the positive impact and skin care scope of maintaining a healthy and balanced diet. Whilst there may be one or two extra takeaways, meals out and office buffets on the menu in the next month or so - it's still crucial to try and cram in your five-a-day or Monday morning power-smoothie.
As crucial as it is to maintain a good diet, it's equally as important to make time for your beauty sleep - quite literally. Tired and dull skin, dark circles and eye bags may be running riot across the country in the run up to Christmas. However, indulging in the odd lay in or early night really will get your skin back on the right track says Peter Mitchell, who authors the hugely popular I'm Peter blog.
Putting the perfect finishing touches to your brand new skin standards, Curtis Roscoe, a self-proclaimed men's grooming junkie, suggests investing in a good quality men's concealer - to tackle all the stresses and strains that the party season has to throw at your complexion. This type of men's cosmetic product proves that a little touch up can go an almighty long way, in your bid to correct the effects of all those late nights that are on the horizon.