Grooming Gods Share Their Go-To Products
Fashion is one thing. You wouldn't wear a $1,000 suit with a flimsy pair of lace-ups. Grooming is different. You can pick and choose what you value most. We love Tom Ford Neroli Portofino eau de parfum, for instance. It's oil-based and lasts a long time. And for $300, it should. We love drugstore deodorant, too. Because it works and it's cheeeeeap. (Go for lightly scented. You don't want Fresh Mountain IceBlast interfering with the Neroli.) Thinking we couldn't be the only ones to employ this approach, we asked a few friends of the family to tell us the grooming products they splurge on and the ones they save on. Even we learned a few things.
Illustrations by Lauren Tamaki
NasGodlike MC
Splurge: “I'd recommend the Bevel hair trimmer, even if I wasn't a spokesman for it. It's lighter in the hand—easier for someone who's not a barber. I'm searching for what works.”
Save: “Lotion. One day I'll be trying Eucerin. Some days it's Vaseline. Or any kind of lotion with aloe vera. I'm always dry! I need lotion on my hands at least three times a day. You gotta stay smooth with it.”
Willie GeistNBC Anchor
Splurge: “I got a proper shave one time, and they used Baxter of California aftershave. I was like, ‘What is that?!’ A lot of aftershaves smell like your grandfather's coat closet. But this has aloe in it. I put on way too much. It smells so good, you just want to taste it.”
Save: “Drugstores treat razor blades like they're the crown jewels. I refuse to buy the expensive-locked-cabinet-razor-game razor! I go the other way. Gillette MACH3 razors. Not even the Gillette MACH3 Turbo! Just the regular. I can't even bring myself to do the Turbo.”
Tim CoppensRadical Fashion Designer
Splurge: “Fragrance. Byredo. If you're ever in SoHo, their store sells a little leather travel set that you can fill with smaller bottles of colognes. Super handy.”
Save: “Toothpaste. Colgate. It's, like, five bucks. You buy toothpaste only because you need it. I'm not going to get the special toothpaste from France.”
A-TrakInfluential DJ
Splurge: “I use Perricone face wash and moisturizer. But they have this face cream: Perricone MD Cold Plasma. It's one of their most expensive products—and one of their tiniest. But I like it. I don't even know what it really does. It just has a rejuvenating function after a night of partying.”
Save: “Old Spice Original Scent deodorant. I've tried artisanal deodorants, but they end up not really…working as deodorants. I stick with Old Spice.”
Mark Anthony Green is the Special Projects Editor at GQ.XRelated Stories for GQCelebritiesGrooming