Every month I like to highlight one of our Panelists, and this month is very special. This time I'm pleased to introduce Geoff, Cosmetic Connection's very first male Panelist, and his review of Clarins Men. Whether you are interested in these products for yourself or for someone you know, the men's market is really taking off and we can all reap the benefits. Enjoy!

Geoff is a 31 year old entrepreneur living in Portland, Oregon. He has dark brown hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion with normal skin. Geoff and the concept of "real" skin care are just getting to know each other, so we look forward to reading his perspective on all the new men's lines.

Take it away, Geoff!

I've never really had much of a "skin care" routine. Aside from washing, shaving and the occasional splash of aftershave, I really haven't given it much thought, time or consideration. When the opportunity to try the new Clarins Men line came about I decided to approach it with an open mind, add steps to my morning routine, and use products which I wouldn't have normally done. After all, I am married to the Makeup Diva, so I am surrounded by every type of product imaginable, why not give it a go.

All in all I'm extremely pleased with the Clarins Men line. After using the products for about two weeks I did notice an appreciable difference in my skin. It just "looked better". Some of the problems I've had with my skin - ingrown hairs, razor burn, and flakiness - all seemed to improve with using the regular routine.

My favorite Clarins Men product hands down has to be the Total Shampoo. This has to be one of the best shampoos I've ever used. A little (and I mean a very tiny amount) goes a long way so the tube should last quite a while. The shampoo's fragrance is a nice combination of woodsy and citrusy and it does an exceptional job getting hair clean and leaving it with a great deal of body. I have a very sensitive scalp so some hair products can really irritate or dry out my scalp. Clarins Total Shampoo never irritated or dried my scalp out. If you're buying products as a "gift" for someone you wouldn't think to include a shampoo, but I'd highly recommend you pick up Total Shampoo if you decided to get any of the Clarins Men products.

The other product which I used in the shower daily is Clarins Men Active Face Wash. Like the Total Shampoo, the Active Face Wash has a really nice fragrance. Before giving this skin routine a go I really hadn't thought much about what things smelled like, but the Active Face Wash has such a nice sent, it's a nice way to start the day off. More importantly Active Face Wash does a great job at cleansing the skin, it's very gentle and feels good going on and left my face feeling fresh and clean.

When I first tried it out, one of the products I was most skeptical about was the Shave Ease Oil. Meant to be put on under your shave cream, Shave Ease is supposed to improve your shave, soothe the skin and reduce razor burn. After using Shave Ease a few times I found I was no longer a skeptic. Shave Ease does its job and seems to reduce razor burn. Also it has mint oil in it, so it can give you that fresh clean shave feel without having to use an after shave splash. Unfortunately I didn't get to try the Clarins Men Smooth Shave so I don't know how Shave Ease would work with that product. I used it with my trusty Gillette Foamy which I've found to be one of the better shave creams out there. Although I was "sold" on the Shave Ease, I would classify it as a "luxury item" and considering the cost of Clarins Men it's a product that you could skip if you're trying to stay within budget.

After shaving, Clarins Men has two great options: Moisture Balm and Moisture Gel. Both of the Moisture products are a very soothing finish to shaving and do a great job of hydrating the skin. Of all the products I used from Clarins Men I'd have to credit these two for being the most important to making my skin look and feel better. The Moisture Balm is the heavier of the two and is probably best suited for people who tend to have drier skin or to use when you're doing a lot of outdoor activities and your skin is drier. As with some of the other Clarins products a little goes a long way, so use the Moisture Balm sparingly. For everyday use I'd have to pick the Moisture Gel; it's a lot lighter and is probably suited for a greater range of skin types. But you really can't go wrong with either of these two products. They're simply fantastic and together are a convincing argument to take up a more involved "skin care routine" for men.

In addition to the shower and shave products Clarins also makes a few products called Skin Brighteners. These products are aimed at treating tired looking skin and eyes, and are only meant for occasional use (as needed). Unfortunately I had very poor experiences with two of the products I tried in this category. The Clarins Men Undereye Serum is supposed to help alleviate tired looking eyes, which I often have, and which it does do, but I found that throughout the day the Undereye Serum really irritated my eyes. It made my eyes burn and sting pretty bad, not something you want from something you put on your skin. I gave Undereye Serum a few tries including using less and making sure it was "lower" under my eye, but in all applications it ultimately did negatively affect my eyes.

I had a similarly miserable experience with Clarins Men Fatigue Fighter. Rather than a refreshing and energizing experience, Fatigue Fighter just simply burned my face. It was neither energizing nor pleasurable which is surprising considering how refreshing many of the other products in this line were. Unless pain is your thing I'd recommend steering clear of Fatigue Fighter.

Before trying the Clarins products I was told that their Antiperspirant Deodorant Stick was supposed to be "the cat's meow". I tried it several times and found that I sweat right through it. Antiperspirants are a funny thing as everyone's body chemistry is different, so your mileage may vary. In addition to sweating right through it, I found the fragrance of the Antiperspirant to be way too strong. My regular antiperspirant (Gillette Series Clear Gel Antiperspirant & Deodorant) is much more subtle smelling than the Clarins brand and it dissipates quickly. The Clarins Antiperspirant Deo Stick was still strong smelling several hours after putting it on. Price might also be a factor with this product as it's hard to justify spending around $12 when a $4 Antiperspirant/Deodorant (Gillette Series) does the job just as well or better.

After a month of using the Clarins Men products I was able to refine down to the "essentials" or the products I'd highly recommend buying: Total Shampoo, Active Face Wash and Moisture Gel. If you find you're a real fan of Clarins Men you might also want to look into getting the Moisture Balm and Shave Ease. I'd recommend skipping Fatigue Fighter and the Undereye Serum and Antiperspirant Deo Stick. All in all Clarins has done an exceptional job creating a skin care line for men. I never felt like I was using one of my wife's products and felt that the products in the line were really tailored to men's needs and skin.

You can find Clarins Men at Clarins counters in department stores and on Gloss.com starting in October.

Thanks, Geoff, for the great start to our men's products reviews. I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!