MANSCAPED Ultra Premium Collection Review
If there is one phenomenon I can always count on, it’s the mid-to-late January realization that routine is, truly, the best way for me to operate. It always seeps in as the days start to get lighter and I find myself crawling out of holiday commitments and the inevitable slump that follows the always-busy holiday season.
Settling Into a New Routine
Routine is the solution–waking up not too long after the second snooze, budgeting the time to stop for a coffee on the ride into the office on a day or two of the week when I’ve earned the extra treat. Of course, it bleeds into the day, and the emphasis on a solid routine is often the best barrier between my work life and my personal life, especially in the era of work-from-home. That being said, the morning is where it all starts.
After my first experience with MANSCAPED™, I’ve found myself reaching for the dopp kit that holds their razor and all the goods that go with it – truthfully, more than I had anticipated. This has nothing to do with the product–I just thought it would be hard to break my routine, even if it’s for my own self-betterment. Adapting a routine is hard, but it is often the catalyst for growth. So, given my experience with the brand, I wanted to give their new Ultra Premium™ Collection a try, and expand my territory when it comes to routinely taking a little extra care of my body and skin.
Building a Grooming Routine
It’s not as easy as flipping the switch, though. A good routine takes research. Not unlike most other angles in my life, I can be very picky when it comes to the quality of goods I use in my daily routine, which can make sourcing even the most generic daily-use products a difficult task. Some of the high-level boxes that a self-care product have to check for me are as follows:
- A strong foothold in ethics–for body care, that means a fairly strict stance on anti-cruelty, rid of additives like paraben and unnatural dyes, and when possible, sourced from natural or vegan ingredients.
- A pleasant smell–but definitely not an overpowering scent. Growing up in a household with a few sensitive noses, I try to be extra cautious with smells that may be abrasive to those a little more sensitive than me. That being said, a good, clean scent that elevates the experience of use and lingers pleasantly through the day is a big selling point for me.
- A low barrier to use. I am lucky to not have needed to employ any heavy-duty or medicated products in my day-to-day life, but often settling for the easiest application instructions has trained my mind to expect a fairly minimal sequence of events. An upgrade in product for me would also have to mean a minimal lift when it comes to changing up my routine.
At first glance, the Ultra Premium Collection checks all of those boxes. Upon digging in a little deeper, I feel comfortable and eager to use the products given the attention they pay to ingredients, testing, and ease of use. The signature MANSCAPED fragrance you find throughout the line–the Refined™ Cologne–is pleasant and lingering, evocative to me of a more user-friendly and lower tone version of the clean, fresh smell we’ve come to associate with men’s grooming products. As far as ease of use, we aren’t talking about anything more complicated than uncapping a lip balm and smacking it on your lips. (Come on. I can do it.)
I think the element I appreciate the most about the Ultra Premium Collection is the curation–the products contained don’t just come into play in your morning routine but can play a part in the quality of your day as it goes on. That’s smart–you have to keep in mind that some of your self-care needs are on an as-needed basis versus a structured part of your day that you set aside to take care of yourself. Ultimately, that’s a smart investment in you.
So–we hit the showers. Here is my play-by-play of each product, and how they fit into my first week or so of use.
2-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner
These days, I’ve been a separate shampoo from conditioner kind of guy, but that’s just the luck of the draw lately. Whether or not it’s a good idea to admit it, I have historically gone for cheap over quality in that department. Hypocrite, I know. 2-in-1 is a familiar format but often leaves me feeling like it’s heavy on the shampoo side and non-existent on the conditioner side.
MANSCAPED’s blend is the opposite–they strike a really nice balance between the two, with what feels like a heavier emphasis on the second part. This is obvious right out of the bottle, with the product feeling denser and less opaque than other 2-in-1 products that I have used. That’s definitely my preference, especially in drier times of the year like the winter.
Body Wash
Hey, self-proclaimed bar soap guy here. Even on my face. Yes, I know I can do better. I am trying! This is a step in the right direction–for whatever reason, body wash is one of those things that feels extra fancy for me. Like the rest of the package, the smell comes through here but definitely works the hardest, in this case, to keep the whole body smelling good. All in all, I feel clean–which is a feeling that you know when you feel it, and you definitely know when you don’t feel it, too. I encourage you to try it out and be your own (clean) judge and jury.
Deodorant
I have long operated on the belief that one should be hypercritical of and deeply involved with their relationship to their deodorant. It’s better for you, it’s better for me–it’s a true win-win. So, coming from a tough critic–the Ultra Premium Deodorant is a good one.
Most important in my book is the feel immediately after application–I’ve found that as long as the skin is dry before applying, it dries very quickly. That’s a big win – there’s nothing worse than putting a shirt on over wet armpits. As for durability, I used to often find myself reapplying mid-day for the fear that there could be stink arising (spoiler alert, I sit at a desk most of the day, so never much stink) but mostly for the sake of comfort, and I never felt compelled to reapply when using MANSCAPED’s. Win-win again.
Hydrating Body Spray
A big selling point for me when it came to the Hydrating Body Spray was the benefit that the hydrating power would have on my two fully-tattooed arms–despite investing a lot of money into tattoos over the year, I can’t say I’m proud of how little care I have put into maintaining their quality amidst summer sunburnt trips to the beach and the small cuts and scrapes that come from working on your feet from time to time.
I have tried a few oils and balms over the years but rarely do I feel an effect outside of the first ten minutes where your skin is still shining. The MANSCAPED Hydrating Body Spray was different–as the course of the day goes on, my skin retains the softness I ask for from a product like this, versus the surface-level treatment and eventual fade of anything else I’ve tried.
While it’s good all over, I am extra excited to see the longer-term effects of adding the Hydrating Body Spray into my routine and dedicating a portion of my self-care routine to taking care of my tattoos. It does some serious good for the rest of me that isn’t as heavily tattooed, too, so let’s tally that as another win.
Lip Balm
Since having a weird, untraced allergic reaction to a conventional lip balm in high school, I’ve been pretty selective and cautious when it comes to lip care products (and, let me tell you–rightfully so). The three-pack of MANSCAPED Lip Balm is the free gift that completes the Ultra Premium Collection–and after a careful read of the ingredients, I’m happy to give their generosity a spin. Functionally, the best part of the balm is that it doesn’t leave a shine. I’ve found that a lot of lip balms off of the drugstore shelf leave me feeling like I just put lipstick on. Not here.
And for the sake of aesthetics–which may not be a big driver in your everyday carry, but definitely is in mine–the design on the tube is sleek. A little gold goes a long way. I jive pretty heavily with the dark and minimal aesthetic across all of MANSCAPED’s product and packaging design, but for something that I carry with me all the time, it feels good for it to look as dialed in as it does.
Final Thoughts
Somewhere in between the lather, rinse, and repeat, you realize that these ‘new routines’ are actually just an evolution or level-up from the routine I had before. It wasn’t like I wasn’t shampooing or wearing deodorant before, right? (I assure you, that is the truth.) Like anything else in the world of grooming and body care, it’s more about the investment in yourself.
Going back to an earlier point about curation, one of the things I love the most about this collection is the thought that was put into the full experience, versus just one product. I have often found myself paralyzed and overstimulated in the grooming aisle at the big box stores–trying to make an upgraded experience for myself but also tasked with making sure it all clicks together. I have often found myself turning out of the aisle and moving on. MANSCAPED™ did that work for you–five hyper-curated products that work as well together as they do in unison.
From where I’m sitting, that pretty much does it for me. I’m sold. If you’re ready to give it a spin too, take advantage of MANSCAPED’s offer for Next Luxury readers–20% off and free shipping is something to bat your eyes at this Valentine’s Day. Check that out and get yours here.
