Men’s beauty is booming, with product sales soaring. So we asked five famous men what’s on their bathroom shelves
‘It’s all about the hair’
Actor Pierce Brosnan, 68
What’s your morning routine?
Outta bed, shower, brush the wet hair straight back, brush the teeth with Marvis Amarelli Licorice toothpaste (£7; lookfantastic.com), feed the chickens, put the coffee on. Then the hair is ready for “a little dab-a-do” of Trueffit & Hill Euchrisma Clay.
What was the first product you bought?
It all started with Brylcreem. I grew up in a country town in Ireland. Elvis was King. Brylcreem and Old Spice were the order of the day. That and a good comb in your back pocket. It was all about the hair in the late 1950s. Nothing has changed.
Any funny grooming tales?
I was dashing out to do the Today show with Katie Couric in New York, when my wife said: “Make sure you put on moisturiser.” So I give my face a good lashing of face cream. When I got on camera Katie looked at me and wondered what I had on my face. I’d put on a cream that sparkled and I looked like I should have been on Star Trek.
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‘I embrace my baldness’
TV host and Queer Eye expert Karamo Brown, 40
What is your morning routine?
I start with Face + Scalp Cleanser from Mantl (£20), my skincare range for bald men, and then apply moisturiser all over. Don’t forget to always rub upwards — you will thank me for this tip as you will avoid sagging skin later in life. Next I apply SPF 30 and to finish, I eat a piece of candy to make myself happy. All this takes about five minutes.
What rituals do you do before bed?
Stretch and meditate — it’s a way to calm my mind before bed and reflect on the day.
What was the first fragrance you bought?
I think it was Davidoff Cool Water. Now I wear Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue (£54 for 75ml EDT; boots.com). It’s fresh and light.
What’s the best tip you’ve learnt from your glam team?
As clichéd as it can be: drink water, water, water, water and more water. And get rest. That is how you look your best.
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Any funny grooming regrets or confessions?
Yes! Before I embraced my balding journey, I used to draw in my hairline with a make-up pencil. During the first season of Queer Eye, you would always know where I sat in the car on our way to location as a slight bump while driving would cause the top of my head to touch the roof of the car and leave an impression. It became a joke between the guys and myself. I now embrace my baldness and am rocking it with all my glory and with full confidence.
Mantl is available at mantlmen.co.uk from August 16
‘I like a room spray in the shower to set the tone’
Singer Craig David, 40
What’s your morning routine?
I love to jump straight into a hot shower for 15-20 minutes. Sometimes I’ll spray some Diptyque 34 Boulevard Saint Germain room spray in there to set the tone. Then I’ll put the shower on cold for a few minutes to make me super-awake and refreshed. One of my favourite shampoos is Malin + Goetz Peppermint Shampoo (£19; cultbeauty.co.uk), as it smells amazing and leaves a cool, refreshing feeling. And I love Rituals Happy Buddha [now the Ritual of Mehr] Foaming Shower Gel, as it smells great and leaves the skin hydrated.
What was the first product you bought?
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter was definitely my go-to body lotion back in the day. Mainly because it smells like chocolate.
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How long do you spend on your hair?
The beauty of afro hair is that some days a few minutes just combing the top through and brushing the sides is enough, especially if your barber has given you a good fade on the back and sides, and your beard and hairline is sharp. If I have TV or a photoshoot, I tend to comb it out and then add some natural pomade, which helps to style and add shine.
What do you do before bed?
I always have another hot shower followed by a minute or so cold before bed, so I feel fresh for my meditation before going to sleep. I use a lovely natural body moisturiser by Arbonne after the shower.
What was the first fragrance you bought?
As a kid I used to rock any of the Lynx deodorants. I worked out quickly that antiperspirants didn’t work as well when sprayed on clothes. Now I enjoy Dolce & Gabbana L’Imperatrice 3.
What are the best tips you’ve learnt from your glam team?
Smile and you’ll always feel — and look — younger.
Any funny grooming tales?
Let’s say that you find a deeper level of grace when you’re wearing a fresh white tee at a festival and you’re about to go on stage — and then someone comes in for the hug and leaves behind half of their beauty products on you in the process.
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Craig David’s Hold That Thought tour starts in April 2022
‘I always cleanse, serum and moisturise’
TV presenter Dermot O’Leary, 48
What was the first product you ever bought?
Almost certainly Biactol, the medical-smelling teenage soap. I didn’t really have acne but the adverts terrified me so they did their work well.
And the first fragrance you bought?
YSL Jazz: monochrome bottle, kind of unisex vibe, without going full Eternity. Couldn’t have been more glamorous.
What rituals do you do before bed?
Oh, where to start? I always cleanse, serum and moisturise. I love Kiehl’s products and Boots No7 serum. Also Perricone is really good. I like an eye cream too.
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What are the best tips you’ve learnt from your glam team?
Cold Clinique All About Eyes rollers (£26.50; lookfantastic.com). You stick them in the freezer — they are a godsend.
Any grooming confessions?
When I was about 19, I had a haircut so bad, I drove straight to my friend James’s house, as he was the only one of my mates who owned clippers and could use them competently. I kept it that way for about ten years.
‘As a teenager, you could smell me for miles around’
Model David Gandy, 41
What’s your morning routine?
When you have a two-year-old and a dog, you soon realise you get ready after the daughter’s breakfast and the dog walk, otherwise I’m usually covered in jam and mud for the rest of the day.
What was the first product you bought?
I won’t mention the name, but it was a very cheap hair pomade when I was about 15. I didn’t realise for a long time that my scalp and skin reacted badly to it and was very dry, so then I bought a cheap men’s moisturiser for my skin, which was equally bad. You learn to be very aware of what you are using on your hair and skin and that you should buy good-quality products.
How long do you spend on your hair?
The secret to good hair is a good hairdresser. I’m fortunate my best friend Larry King is one of the best in the world — he has been on my photoshoots and sets with me for the past 15 years, and now we own salons and a hair product range together. He has taught me the way to style my hair using a Dyson hairdryer followed by Larry King Velvet Texture Clay (£22; harveynichols.com) and finishing creme.
What are the best tips you’ve learnt from your glam team?
The facialist Teresa Tarmey has taught me to use hyaluronic acid toner and drops, which sounds strange to put on your skin, but you get instant results. After a long night or overnight flight, Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate (from £41 for 30ml; kiehls.co.uk) is incredible.
What’s your bedtime routine?
Rituals are the same before bed and in the mornings. The Lancer 3-Step system (Intro Kit, £68; lookfantastic.com) is the best I’ve found — the face wash cleanser, a serum and then the moisturiser. A couple of times a week I use Lancer’s The Method Polish exfoliator. It’s a simple and easy system for men to use.
And any grooming regrets?
I once went directly from a photoshoot — where the make-up artist had used a lot of powder on my face — to a launch event. Unfortunately for some reason the lighting they had used for effect at the party made my face light up like the Joker.
