Christmas is rapidly approaching, the nation are descending on beauty gift sets for family members. It’s hard to pick the right one, do you pick from price? brand? or what the product does? To help you with these decisions we’re going to test out some of this years beauty gift sets.
The first one, which is being tested by our deputy editor, Mike, is the Action Hero gift set from L’Oreal Paris Men Expert, £10 from Boots. The limited edition duo comes with a Thermic Resist 48hr anti-perspirant (150ml, usual price £2.69), and L’Oreal’s new Hydra Energetic moisturising gel (50ml, usual price £10.99). The products are aimed at the man on the go, and are ideal for anyone who is sporty or leads a busy life. So with this in mind, I thought why not put the products through their paces and do a 5km run.
The products have an initial chalky feel, but after a while I forgot they were there. The Thermic Resist anti-perspirant felt like any other, but even after the 5km run I was dry as the Sahara and smelt great, unlike similar products I’ve tried previously. The smell isn’t as strong as an aftershave, but it’s woody musk tone still lingered, even after I’d showered.
The Hydra Energetic moisturiser has a matte finish when applied to the face. It looks like hair gel with its aqua green appearance; which aims to hydrate your skin all-day without feeling greasy or sticky. On my face it felt fine, even though I found the “instant icy feeling” off putting after about 15 minutes of tingling. Another issue I have, is that even after I washed my hands, they still felt like they had a residue left behind and a chalky/squeaky feel to them. The smell to the product is similar to the spray, so together they create a great smell of musky manliness. I also found after 48 hours of wearing the moisturiser, my spots and their redness had been reduced and my skin felt smoother.
The gift set duo work in unison together well, with being light and airy and virtually non-existent after a while. The only issues I have is that the moisturiser left my hands with an odd feeling to them, and the tingling ice feeling got annoying after a while. But the over effects are great, my skin looks better even after a few days, and the matte finish reduced my oily skin and the 48 hour protection has left me smelling great.
