I test men’s skincare, fragrance and grooming for a living, and I have the background to tell you the truth about it. I’m a qualified beauty therapist and skincare expert, with an MSc in psychology and around twenty years in the beauty industry.
It started on the shop floor. I came up through beauty retail and skincare education with The Body Shop and Clinique, learning the products, the skin, and how to explain both to real people, and I qualified as a beauty therapist (NCFE Beauty Therapy Level 3) in 2013.
In 2011 I started writing about men’s skincare here at Manface. It became one of the UK’s most prominent, award-winning men’s grooming blogs, with features in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, the Daily Mail, Professional Beauty and El País. The reviews were the surface. Underneath, I was learning how to make people care about something online: audience, content, search, and the value of the honest word.
That took me into agency and brand marketing, working with some of the best-known names in and beyond beauty, including Estée Lauder Companies, Procter & Gamble and Philips, and alongside industry figures such as Jo Malone, Lyn Harris, Amanda Lacey, Marian Newman and Mark Constantine. More recently that has meant growth and digital work for the likes of Renude, SALLE PRIVÉE, Perfumer H and Amanda Lacey.
Going freelance let me bring it all together: a qualified skincare background, an MSc in psychology and fifteen years of beauty authority, joined to two decades of digital craft. That is TJ Double You, my growth consultancy for beauty and lifestyle brands. Coming back to Manface is the fun part, writing only about the things I want to, with none of the old pressure.
The rule here
It has never changed: test it properly, then tell the truth. No fluff, no affiliate-farm nonsense. Where I link to a product and earn a small commission, it never changes what I say about it.
Credentials
- Qualified beauty therapist — NCFE Beauty Therapy Level 3, gained 2013
- Around twenty years in the beauty industry
- MSc Psychology
- Began in beauty retail and education at The Body Shop and Clinique
Elsewhere
I also founded Phatstix, a natural lip balm, and I run TJ Double You, my growth consultancy for beauty and lifestyle brands. You’ll also find me on LinkedIn.