According To Gem

So not so long ago I told you how the kind folks at Niven & Joshua sent us Mikey, some fab Polaar products to try out on our ski trip. If you missed that post you can find it here.

Mike received the Hydraprotect UV+ Moisturiser which aims to protect the skin from the damages of pollution, stress and exposure to the sun, and the Extreme Care Intensive Hand Cream which we both used to keep our hands soft and smooth whilst on the slopes.

Now before I get on to the review I have not one, but two confessions to make. Firstly, I don’t know how it happened or where it went but somewhere between boarding our coach in Bride Le Bains and arriving home I managed to misplace the Extreme Care Intensive Hand Cream which means I sadly haven’t been able to take any close up photos and more annoyingly haven’t had anything to keep my hands from drying out. Speaking of photos, I stupidly forgot to charge my camera’s battery so I’ve had to take all my photos on my iPhone. Hopefully they won’t be too bad.

So now I’ve got my confessions out of the way let’s get on to the reviews.

Mikey has been testing out the Hydraprotect UV+ Moisturiser for a couple of weeks now. Usually he applies it once in the morning after shaving but whilst we were away he was using it both morning and night to keep his skin hydrated.

Polaar says it contains a unique formula that moisturises and protects your skin against damage induced by stress, pollution and exposure to the sun. 

I’ve had a look at the ingredient list and it seems their active ingredients are:

Arctic Algae Dipeptide  which protects skin from external stress and increases cell energy by 300%.

Wide Spectrum Solar Filters which sounds a bit vague, but is said to prevent skin damage induced by the sun.

And finally Shea Butter and  Squalane which help keep the skin hydrated.

That’s enough scientific waffle though.

The packaging is sturdy and feels fairly indestructible. Mike has carried this in the bottom of his gym kit and in his rucksack on the slopes and the tube doesn’t even have a scratch to show for it.

I also really like the smaller nozzle which is great for controlling the flow of the product and making sure you don’t end up with more than you need. Having let Mike (and past boyfriends) loose with my skincare products in the past this is definitely a plus point in helping to avoid product wastage.

As for the actual product, Mike’s initial issue with it was it’s really sticky when you apply it and left his skin feeling tacky as it dried. That said, as soon as it was dry he was asking me to stroke his face to feel how soft it was. It has a faint but pleasant, musky scent that definitely leans toward masculine which stops this being a product I’m likely to use.

When it comes to claims about protection from the elements it’s hard to judge as Mike’s not really the kind of guy to be that conscious of his skin, though I can say that despite skipping the sunscreen on several occasions whilst we were on the slopes he managed to avoid sporting the dreaded goggle-eye look.

Would he buy it again? He’s on the fence at the moment as whilst he likes how soft and hydrated his skin feels, he’s not a fan of the tacky feeling it leaves when first applied.

If you want your man to look as happy as Mikey, grab him a tube of Hydraprotect UV+ Moisturiser from the Niven & Joshua website for £25.90 with free delivery.

When it comes to taking care of our hands it tends to be an after-thought rather than something I do on a day-to-day basis. That said, I love a good hand cream so couldn’t wait to try out the Extreme Care Intensive Hand Cream when it arrived. Whilst this doesn’t state it’s just for men it does have that same light musky fragrance that suggests it’s not for us girlies, although I personally really like the scent.

Polaar describe it as a nourishing and soothing cream for dry, tired hands.

Active ingredient-wise it contains:

Arctic Rhodiola which protects from external stresses.

Algal Polysaccharides which help reconstruct the epidermis.

And finally, Shea Butter which soothes and moisturises.

It terms of packaging, it’s your usual hand cream tube, though the product is relatively thick which prevents you from ending up with more product than you need. I’m sure they’ve done this on purpose to help men cut down on their product wastage!

All in all we found it to be a great hand cream for injecting a little moisture into your mitts during the colder months. I just hope we find it again before the snow hits.

If you fancy having a man with softer hands but can’t convince him to do the washing up you can pick up the Extreme Care Intensive Hand Cream from those wonderful folks at Niven & Joshua for £10.50.