Pampering pressies aren’t just for the girls. From cool colognes to sophisticated gift sets, Katie Wright rounds-up the season’s best buys for blokes
Though 2015 will undoubtedly be remembered as the Year of the Beard, that’s not to say men have given up on grooming altogether.
In fact, spending on male beauty products continues to increase year-on-year, with the average 30-something now shelling out over £100 a month on looking good.
So, whether he’s a burly, beard-toting bloke, a cultured city dweller or anything in between, you can bet there’s a perfect present waiting in the beauty aisles…
FOR ELEGANT GENTS
For certain discerning fellows, only the finest fragrance will do, so cross that bog-standard cologne and body wash set off your list and treat him to one of the crop of new scents that are as sophisticated as they are seductive.
Whiskey aficionado’s will be drawn to Molton Brown’s Tobacco Absolute Eau de Toilette, £39 for 50ml (www.moltonbrown.co.uk), which is smoky, spicy and little bit boozy.
Issey Miyake Nuit D’Issey Eau de Parfum, £48 for 75ml (www.theperfumeshop.com), is fresh, peppery and more gutsy than its EDT predecessor.
FOR FRAZZLED FELLAS
Haven’t you heard? Staying in is the new going out, and bragging about how many hours of brain-boosting shut-eye you got last night is way cooler than shouting about how many pints you sank.
Ergo, a soporific gift like This Works Dream Believers, £25 (www.thisworks.com), which includes the legendary snooze-inducing pillow spray – is bound to please your sleep-deprived bro or stressed out pal.
And if a spa visit is deemed too ’girly’ (his loss), Temple Spa Relaxation Room Ultimate Calming Ritual set, £50 (www.templespa.com), contains all the ingredients you need to invoke total zen at home: an aromatic lotion, a lavender-scented ’eye duvet’ and a CD of serene tunes.
FOR THE JET-SETTERS
If your gift recipient is the kind who spends more time in airport lounges than in his own bed, a luxe travel kit will go down a treat.
The Grown Alchemist Travel Kit, £58 (www.spacenk.com) is a sleek, black seven-piece kit of minis that will suit even the manliest of men,
while the Baylis & Harding Citrus Lime Men’s Sport Weekend Bag, £19.99 (www.lloydspharmacy.com), comes with a stylish navy holdall, ideal for overnighters.
FOR THE JOKERS
Even dads who don’t have what could be described as a ’grooming regime’ will get a kick out of a gimmicky gift set.
Get ’DIY Dad’ the ESPA Ultimate Finish Collection, £39 (www.espaskincare.com), a trio of sink essentials that comes in a paint tin complete with screwdriver.
Top Gear 3-in-1 Bath Soak, currently reduced to £5 from £10 (www.marksandspencer.com), which looks like a bottle of diesel, will raise a chuckle from ’Petrolhead Papa’.
FOR BEARDED BOYS
For those who are following the follicular trend, a trove of beard-taming treats won’t go amiss.
Atkinsons Beard & Moustache Salve, £39 (www.selfridges.com), will help him whip those whiskers into shape and leave them seductively scented with the famous 24 Old Bond Street fragrance.
Combine it with Men’s Society Beard Grooming Kit, £30 (shop.royalacademy.org.uk), and he’ll never have a bristle out of place again.
