Win a luxury men’s skincare collection (worth £116)

In which G.M. Norton valiantly tests out skincare products.

In order to look one’s best; one must have a well-stocked bathroom cabinet.

Colognes, a manly safety razor, pomade and horn comb all take pride of place, along with other items such as tweezers and skincare products. Yes, that’s right – men need to look after their skin too.

As I don’t have my own personal valet to make sure my grooming arsenal is in plentiful supply, I was tickled pink to be sent a full skincare collection from luxury brand, The Refinery.

I received a face wash, moisturiser, scrub and face mask. I must confess at this point that until now, I have never used a face mask. Read on as I take you through my thoughts on each product.

Face wash (100ml, £20)

Mixed with warm water, I felt immediately refreshed upon rubbing the hairy face that stares back at me each morning, like a startled rabbit in the headlights.

The face wash contains bergamot and spearmint. As a regular quaffer of Earl Grey, I’m a close personal friend with Bergamot. Whenever I come across Bergamot, I immediately imagine a private detective, operating from the Devon coast. The spearmint certainly comes through strongly, in a most pleasing way. For a little added manliness, the antiseptic properties includes cedarwood. Grrr.

Revitalising moisturiser (50ml, £43)

As part of your daily grooming routine, after cleaning your face, it’s important to dab a little moisturiser on. 

This revitalising moisturiser boasts of it’s anti-ageing qualities. Given that I look about 12 with a clean-shaven face, perhaps I should hold back on this stuff and revert to a wild libertine lifestyle, like a Rolling Stone.

Essential oils include frankincense. If it’s good enough as a gift to the Son of God, it’s good enough for me. 

The moisturiser quickly soaks into the skin, leaving me ready to face the day feeling very refreshed indeed.

Face scrub (100ml, £23)

This is a fine face scrub, I must say. 

I’ve been using the face scrub a couple of times a week and have noticed a big difference in my skin and those pesky blocked pores.

Face mask (100ml, £30)

Finally, we come to the face mask. As I mentioned earlier, this is my first face mask experience. 

A clay substance, I spread it across the old face, reaching beneath the mass of chin hair. Leaving on for a good five minutes, my skin tingled. Mirroring the face wash, the face mask contains peppermint which did have a cooling effect, as well as black pepper for extra seasoning and ginger. I do love a ginger.

Final thoughts

There is no doubt that these are high quality products, packed with only the best ingredients. My skin has never looked or felt so good before. The packaging is simple with clear instructions. I have really enjoyed testing them out.

After all this pampering, I quite like the idea of popping off to one of The Refinery’s luxury retreats in London’s Mayfair and Harrods Knightsbridge. Here you can bask in barbering and spa treatments on top of the skincare. Spa treatments are surely the next logical step for an aspiring gentleman. 

Competition, worth £116!

Do you fancy winning your own Refinery skincare collection, as tried and tested by Norton of Morton? It would make a splendid Christmas gift for a man in your life. 

To enter, simply tell me why you would like to win these men's skincare products in the comments section below.

You may also enter using Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, again, telling me why you would like to win them. Simple enough?

The competition ends at midnight on Friday 6th November 2015 (only open to UK residents - sorry!). All the entries will be put into a hat and the winner will be picked out at random. I might use a Fez for this one.  

G.M. Norton

Protagonist of 'Norton of Morton'

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