About Us
Early Exfoliations
We're two gay gays who became friends in Chicago and, after working together for a while, realized we shared an
interest in skin care. On our lunch breaks, when all the straight boys were talking about work, sports and girls,
when all the gay boys were talking about creatine and crisis, Rob and I were comparing notes on the latest Sisley
product, or the latest La Prairie samples we'd cajoled from the rock-and-roll gal behind the counter at Saks (Alix,
we love you!). We would engage in in-depth analysis of how the latest Nuxe cleanser affected our very different
skins, and whether Retinol was really for us. And no one else understood. Indeed, ours was an obsession that dared
not speak its name. When other guys sat down to eat with us, we would have to pretend that Estee Lauder was a drag
queen we'd seen the night before at a bar.
Finally, after years of internalized self-oppression over the issue, years spent hiding samples in locked drawers
in our cubicles and ascribing our consistently luminous complections to clean living (hah!) we were radicalized
by some rocking facials and Niall's timely move to Los Angeles. We decided that we would come out of the closet
as proud devotees of skin care - from a male perspective. We're toned, we're moisturized - get used to it! was
our battle cry.
So we decided to come out by establishing this web site, dedicated, as all good web sites should be, solely and
completely to our obsession. We also thought there must be lots of other guys like us out there, guys who hide
the Darphin in a footlocker and stock their medicine cabinets with generic aspirin and shaving cream to throw people
off the scent. As well as guys who know they have to do something, anything, about their skin but are entirely
clueless about what to do.
Don't worry guys, we're here to help.
Our Methods and Goals
This site is mainly devoted to reviews, so we should let you know what we base them on. The short answer is : our
own experience, period. We aren't making claims for anyone else, so don't take our reviews as Gospel. Remember
: it's on the internet, so act accordingly. Having said that, we feel our experience is not so narrow that it can't
enlighten others. Niall has very combination skin (super oily in the T-zone and super dry on the cheeks) with lots
of sensitivity and redness, even when he isn't drinking. Rob's skin, on the other hand is dry, dry dry, even when
he's sober. So between us we cover a lot of the basic bases.
We want this site to be not just a source of information, but also fun. We want this to be the kind of place people
bookmark on their computers at work. Also, don't be afraid to drop us a line with your own opinions and experiences.
If you want us to, we'll be happy to post them on this site. This is the one area in our lives where it's not all
about us. And believe us, it takes some getting used to.
Have fun, and don't forget the sunscreen!
-Niall
-Rob
