Skin Care Diet

We all know the age old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but what sort of truth does this really hold for our skin? Of course, many of us are conscious of time’s decaying effect on skin, and a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition has examined the connection between wrinkling, geographic location, and diet! With a study consisting of participants over the age of 70 from countries such as Australia, Greece, Japan, and Sweden, it came as no surprise that those with diets high in dairy, processed meats, butter, ice cream, full-fat milk, and soft drinks experienced a higher rate of wrinkles.

Evidence suggests the sugar in these food products led to the deterioration of the skin’s health, resulting in the unsightly wrinkles. As found in the study, the more sugar a person consumed, the more likely their skin was to deteriorate. EVMAN product developer Valerie Patton explains. "The collagen in your skin is what provides the framework for your skin, blood vessels, bones, etc. It is continually breaking down and re-synthesizing itself. Under conditions where there is oxidative stress (free radicals) and continual exposure to sugar in the body, a glycation reaction occurs where the collagen becomes bound to the sugar. At the beginning, this reaction can be reversed. Over long-term exposure, the reaction becomes a little more permanent and it cannot be reversed.The end results are called Advanced Glycation End-products, or AGEs. Over time, your skin, blood vessels, and other organs are affected by the lower amounts of collagen, since it can no longer do what it's supposed to do - provide support. In addition to making skin appear older, it can also be catastrophic where other inflammatory diseases of the skin and body are involved."

This of course, begs the question: what kinds of foods prevent deterioration of skin? Research has discovered naturally-occurring foods low in sugar and high in antioxidants are the best to prevent wrinkles; diets high in olive oil, olives, leafy greens, yogurt, legumes, apples, pears, nuts, and water were the best to keep skin intact. And while the study remained inconclusive as to whether or not these foods, in combination with others, could prevent skin damage, the fact the wrinkle culprits were discovered is a huge development!

So the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is sure true on this factor – not only will it keep the doctor away, but it’ll also keep the wrinkles at bay!

GQ Australia & The Perfect Watch

We couldn't help but love the series of watches GQ Australia put together in their October/November Issue. You may be asking, "Is it really necessary to own more than one watch?" That question can be answered with another question: you wouldn't wear Bvlgari's Steel Octo watch running, would you?

Male Polish: The Ultimate Ladies' Man?

When EVOLUTIONMAN rolled out its line of nail paints back in the fall, it got a lot of people talking. The reactions ranged from disbelief, confusion, and encouragement. For a commenter on The Undershirt Guy’s review of EVMAN’s nail paint, the idea of men’s nail paint proved to be transformative…at least for his love life! Upon losing a bet, Steve was forced to wear hot pink nail polish in public and update his social media presence with photos of him donning the bright pink hue. The results? A surprising personal reevaluation on the true definition of masculinity, and a complete upswing in terms of his dating life!

"I also discovered that most women (and hardly any men) noticed my polish... and a large minority of women are intrigued or even attracted by it. The percentage of women who are favorably impressed is DEFINITELY larger than the percentage of men who wear it - so overall, my odds with women increased dramatically. On PoF (a dating site), it took 3 months for the "regular me" to get 23 clicks by women wanting to meet me... and 5 DAYS for that number to TRIPLE after I posted the polish photos. On each of two weekends, I had 5 PoF introduction dates scheduled - I had to buy a dry-erase tablet to keep them organized! I picked an Irish hottie (Think "Elizabeth Kucinich"), we're going on 4 months now... I learned that before any girl can like you, she has to notice you... and women notice polished toenails."

Interestingly enough, while many men would turn the other way when offered a bottle of bright pink nail polish, some of Hollywood’s leading ladies men coat their nails with a rock n’ roll tint! Johnny Depp has been seen rocking a deep blue hue, Russell Brand has been spotted with a slick silver coat on his nails, and even legendary rock n’roll sex icon, Mick Jagger, was once photographed with some male polish. Clearly, these men who are known to continually be in the presence of a lovely lady are on to something! 

For better or worse, a nice coat of nail paint really makes a man stand out, but as demonstrated by Steve’s testimonial, there’s no such thing as bad publicity! Or a bad man-icure, for that matter.

While it’s certainly no deal breaker, can a shift in nail color really get the ladies pouring in? For one, it certainly is a conversation starter, and a stand-out attribute. As Steve has said, "There are PLENTY of good reasons for men to wear nail color, and no legitimate reason not to. Decide for yourself!" 

Got milk?

Image by David Buffington

From the milk carton to your face – who would have ever guessed that EVMAN's plastic tubes are made from recycled milk jugs? Not only are you doing good for your face with the formula contained inside, but you're also doing good for the environment! It's hardly a secret that plastic is particularly dangerous for the environment, and wastes precious resources. Regardless of the substance, it's always wise to err on the side of caution when thinking of the environment. EVMAN's plastics are purified from volatile substances and fragrances before yielding a product free of impurities. It's not only good as new - it's better.

What's so environmentally friendly about EVMAN's little black tubes? EVMAN's plastic packaging contain more than 55% recycled material! And, don't forget - our boxes also use paper generated from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and bear the SFI logo. Our packgaing is proof positive that being environmental can also be stylish.

So, next time you're applying our products - know you're not only saving your face, but the environment too!

Ingredient Spotlight: Green Tea Extract

Image via PrecisionNutrition

Not only is green tea good brewed, but it’s great for your skin too! Green tea has been steeped for over 4000 years by people all around the world, most notably discovered and brewed by the Chinese. Historically, most of Asia has utilized the tea for its healthy properties, and the green leaf was used to treat most medical maladies, including bleeding, blood sugar, and digestion. The tea was so popular it even inspired the book, Kissa Yojoki, outlining the many health benefits of the popular substance. Eventually, the tea found its way to the Western world, where it continues to be brewed just as it was in 600 AD.

Today, the tea continues to be revered for its many surprising benefits, even as an extract for your skin. Green tea extract, an herbal derivative of the plant, has been recently discovered to help combat skin cancer (when properly taken), and reduce irritation when applied topically. It’s so soothing, EVMAN has even ensured the extract is in some of its most popular items, including Conceal & Treat. The anti-inflammatory soothes skin and razor burn, eliminating some of skin’s biggest problem spots.

Used solely as a tea, however, the tea provides an effective and relatively inexpensive remedy for acne in general. By brewing the sencha tea in hot water and allowing the tea to steep for about 20 minutes, you can take advantage of the cooling tea’s healing properties with a cotton ball. Dab the cotton ball on your problem spots and use it like a face wipe, where the tea will soothe your face, gather excess oil, and dry up your acne.

Although it certainly is an acquired taste, the many health benefits resulting from the tea won’t leave a sour taste in your mouth – there’s a reason this tea has been a hit for nearly 4000 years!

Fall Trends: Clad Cavalier

When you buy from Clad Cavalier, you know you're going to look good. Browse the website and any man (or discerning girlfriend) will see the artisan effort exuding from these looks. Even though these models make the handpicked outfits look as effortless as rolling out of bed, with Clad Cavalier, you sure won't feel that way. And the best part is that there's a look for any time of day, event, or personality. Whether you're going out for a night in Hollywood or strolling around in Portland, Clad's got you covered. To commemorate the upcoming shift in seasons, we've compiled our favorite looks from Clad. 

The top left outfit is great for business-casual workdays, a library trip, or a long study session at your favorite coffee shop. The grey scarf is sure to be a favorite for those cool fall days, and when paired with the black backpack, you're sure to be the most stylin' guy in your lecture hall. And of course, we like the bottom right look for it's multipurpose function: a great outfit for everyday wear, or as a daring force to be reckoned with on a night out on the town.

The best part of Clad Cavalier is that these outfits come completely pre-styled for you. So when you buy the blue bomber jacket, you also get the black jeans. Don't forget the confidence though - these outfits look their best when you put them on, ready to rock them. 

Review: Skin Cancer Prevention App

Earlier this year, we reviewed an app from Solaveil that helped you to put on sunscreen. Now, we have another app for you. Just because you're done with fun in the sun, doesn't mean you don't have any work to do in skincare prevention. Aside from the fact you should be wearing SPF daily, all those days outdoors means you should monitor your skin for any changes. Luckily, researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an iPhone app for your phone that makes checking for cancerous moles easy. 

UMSkinCheck provides tools to help users identify suspicious moles and keep track of them. Since remembering how new a mole is can be hard, you'll have years of scans to help you figure out if it appeared before or after that trip to the beach. Since pictures never lie,the pics saved in this app can provide an accurate representation of your moles for your dermatologist to see. The only con we saw was that you'll need a second person you're comfortable enough with to get naked and take pictures of your skin in various poses, including your bum. 

This app also has other handy tools, including reminding you when you need to perform your self exam, and your yearly full-body scan. All in all, a very handy app that is free for download from the iTunes store. 

Are you fully protected?

In a 2011 post, we mentioned that you should be applying an average of one ounce of sunscreen to the exposed skin on a clothed body - face, neck, ears, arms. By applying less than this amount, or by mixing sunscreens, you may be getting less than the advertised protection on the bottle. Understanding how SPF is calculated and the errors in application will help you decide if you are achieving the maximum SPF. 

In the United States, SPF is tested and calculated by using real humans. We'll spare you the technical jargon and math, but in short, male and female volunteers go through a series of medical examinations and are given a skin type according to how easily they burn. Then, the test subjects are given 2 milligrams of the sunscreen moisturizer for every square centimeter of skin that's being tested, just before being subjected to synthetic ultraviolet radiation. The moisturizer is then given a sun protection number based on how well they were protected during that exposure period.  

Moisture Protect SPF 20 (and its Bronze brother) were given a sun protection factor of 20, based on applying 2 milligrams of formula per square centimeter of skin. 


As mentioned, the first mistake in sunscreen application is not applying enough. Since the SPF is calculated on a healthy dosage, which most people do not use, you need to apply that much to get the advertised coverage. Any less coverage means less SPF - this goes for tinted SPF moisturizers as well. Additionally, you can't apply SPF lotion once and expect to be protected all day. When it wears off, your protection wears off. 

The second mistake in application is when sunscreens are mixed. Combining products with two different SPF values does not give you the addition of the SPF, but rather an average of the two. Remember: 

In short, to achieve the advertised SPF, you need to apply generously and reapply often. 

Conceal & Treat Video Spotlight

Masc Skincare, in Vancouver, British Columbia, has been onto Conceal & Treat long before our feature in Details magazine. Here, shop-owner Jamie tells you a little about the product, and why it's so great at disguising and healing blemishes.  

(Pssssst! Check out the rest of their YouTube channel for other great EVMAN reviews!)

How To Wash Your Face

You've probably been washing your own face since you were a small child. While it's a simple, easy process, we could all use a little refresher.

1. Avoid bar soap. Most men cleanse their face with the same bar of soap that is used on their feet, pits, and groin area. In addition to that disgusting your girlfriend, bar soap contains occlusives that can cause your skin to break out. Bar soap is also not as gentle as a cleanser formulated for your skin. Hint: if your skin feels "squeaky clean" after the shower, you've stripped it of its natural oils, drying it out.Your skin then may produce more oil to compensate for the oil lost. 

Select a gentle cleanser like Cleanse & Shave (available at urbanoutfitters.com), which also doubles as a shaving cream for a close, soft shave. It contains tea tree oil to cleanse the skin and minimize breakouts, and is also sulfate-free, so it doesn't damage delicate facial skin.

2. Splash your face with warm water. You don't want to use water that's too hot (dries out your skin) or too cold (doesn't soften the hairs and open up your pores). This also helps the cleanser spread more easily over your skin. Hint: skip diluting the cleanser if you have extra grime. 

3. Massage the cleanser in a circular motion. Gently work the cleanser on your skin with your fingertips, in gentle circular motions. Don't press too hard - let the cleanser do the work for you. 

4. Rinse with warm water, pat dry. Splash your face again with warm water to remove the cleanser. It's important to pat your face dry with a towel, as rubbing creates friction and can lead to premature wrinkling. 

5. Apply your favorite SPF moisturizer immediately. Now that you've washed your face, you have a clean canvas to apply SPF to. Apply within thirty seconds of washing your face so that your skin does not lose too much moisture and dry out. 

Oh, and don't forget to add a daily or weekly exfoliatior to your routine, like Wash & Buff.