Editor-in-Chief
James "Jamie" Aldridge
Background
42, Kent-born, London-based. Senior Creative Director at a mid-size ad agency. Worked on grooming accounts for years (can't tell you which — you know the drill). Started Looksmax Man because the internet kept feeding him looksmaxxing TikToks in 2024 and he couldn't decide whether to laugh or take notes. Ended up doing both. Still co-runs [Off The Record](https://otrfragrance.com) with Mariana V. — this is his other thing, the grooming side. The running joke is that he started looksmaxxing at 41 out of spite for the internet; the undisclosed part is that his skin has never looked better.
What Jamie Cares About
Cares about what actually works vs what's being sold. Takes grooming seriously because the results are real. Takes the discourse around grooming — the looksmaxxing subculture, the alpha-mogging TikToks, the $400 jade rollers — ironically, because most of it is cope dressed up as optimization. Will trash an expensive product with a grift narrative. Will champion a $12 drugstore moisturizer if it outperforms the $180 one. His whole editorial thesis: men who care about how they look are fine — men who pretend they don't are the weird ones. Now let's skip the bone-smashing content and talk about what adds a point or two.
Hot Takes
- Hardmaxxing is cope dressed up as self-optimization. If your path to attractiveness involves hitting your face with a hammer, the problem isn't your bone structure.
- Softmaxxing — real softmaxxing — is just what every adult man should've been doing since his twenties. The branding is new. The practice is ancient.
- If a skincare brand won't tell you the percentage of the active ingredient, assume there isn't one.
- A good haircut does more work than any product on this site. Find a barber who'll charge you £40 and tell you you're wrong. Everything else is maintenance.
- I will die on this hill: fragrance counts as grooming. If you smell like the 6am Tube, your jawline doesn't matter.
Sample Voice
Look, I spent three weekends reading mewing forums so you don't have to. The tl;dr: you can't bone-smash your way to Paul Mescal, but you can absolutely go from a four to a six with a razor that costs more than twelve quid and a moisturizer that isn't actually a body lotion your ex left behind. I'm not being reductive — I'm being generous. Most of you are a seven already. You just smell like gym kit and forgot what SPF was.
Guides by Jamie (21)
BEST OF
Best Safety Razors for Men 2026: The Merkur 34C and the Beginner DE Kit That Actually Works
The Merkur 34C paired with Astra Superior Platinum blades is the best beginner DE setup in 2026. The razor costs around £35, lasts a lifetime, and with blades running about 2-4p each, you're looking at roughly £6-10 a year on blades versus £50+ for Fusion5 cartridges. There's a two-to-four week learning curve and you will nick yourself. Still worth it.
ROUTINE
The Five-Minute Morning Routine: The Minimum Viable Setup That Actually Adds a Point
The single highest-return product in a five-minute morning routine is EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 - it combines SPF 46, 5% niacinamide, and a matte finish that actually works on skin, replacing two or three separate steps with one product you'll use every day because it doesn't feel like wearing a face mask. If you do nothing else, do this.
HOW TO
SPF Myths That Won't Die in 2026: What Sunscreen Actually Does (and Doesn't)
If you're only buying one daily SPF, EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 is the one - matte finish, 5% niacinamide for sebum control, fragrance-free, and invisible enough on most skin tones that you'll actually use it every morning instead of telling yourself you'll start tomorrow.
HOW TO
Skincare Actives Layering Order: What Goes On First, What Cancels What Out, and What's Just Cope
Starting from zero? The sequence is: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, your active (niacinamide or retinol depending on the time of day), moisturiser, then SPF. The EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 goes on last every single morning - full stop. Get the order right and your actives actually reach your skin and do something. Get it wrong and you're moisturising over an acid and quietly wondering why nothing's changing.
SIMILAR TO
Similar to Baxter of California Clay Pomade: 5 Matte Clays That Hold Better, Cost Less, or Both
Layrite Cement Clay is the best alternative to Baxter of California Clay Pomade - same matte finish, same 6-8 hour hold, and roughly half the per-ounce cost. If you've been buying Baxter on autopilot because it's the one you've heard of, that's a cope dressed as a choice.
VS
Baxter of California Clay Pomade vs American Crew Fiber: Which Matte Hold Is Actually Worth Your Money?
For most men, American Crew Fiber is the better buy - same hold quality as Baxter of California Clay Pomade at roughly half the cost-per-use, with a two-decade track record that no amount of clay pomade marketing can argue with. Baxter wins on finish purity and reworkability if you have medium-to-thick hair and genuinely care about the difference between matte and matte-adjacent - but that's a premium most people shouldn't pay.
BEST OF
Best Sunscreens for Men 2026: The Single Anti-Ageing Move That Actually Works
EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 is the best daily sunscreen for most men right now - matte finish, 5% niacinamide, virtually no white cast for a mineral formula, and dermatologist-recommended without the dermatologist-speak price tag. If you do one thing for your face this year, this is it.
HOW TO
Retinol for Beginners: How to Use It Without Burning Your Face Off
The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane is the right starting point for most men getting into retinol - same active concentration as products costing six times more, the squalane base is forgiving enough to take the edge off early irritation, and at under £6 for a bottle that lasts four months, you've run out of financial excuses. Pair it with the CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, La Roche-Posay Toleriane moisturiser, and EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 and you have a complete protocol that a dermatologist would recognise as legitimate.
HOW TO
How to Build a Men's Skincare Routine: The Three Steps That Actually Add a Point
If you're starting from zero, build around CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, and EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 - cleanser, one active, SPF. That's it. Three steps, under fifteen minutes a day combined, and your skin will look measurably better in six weeks. Everything else is optional.
VS
Safety Razor vs Cartridge Razor: Which Actually Gives You a Better Shave in 2026?
The Merkur 34C paired with Astra Superior Platinum blades wins on shave quality, skin health, and long-term cost. The single-blade geometry cuts ingrown hairs meaningfully versus multi-blade cartridges, and your running cost drops to roughly £6-12 a year once you're past the two-to-four week learning curve. If you can handle three weeks of slightly worse shaves while your technique catches up, you'll never go back to paying £4 a head for Fusion5 cartridges.
DUPE GUIDE
CeraVe vs La Roche-Posay 2026: The Drugstore Wars, Decided
If you can only buy one brand, go CeraVe for the cleanser and PM moisturiser, and La Roche-Posay's Anthelios UVMune 400 for SPF - or EltaMD UV Clear if you're in the US and can't import. Splitting the two brands by category beats going all-in on either, and your skin won't care about your brand loyalty.
BEST OF
Best Men's Shaving Gear 2026: Razors, Creams, and the Aftershaves That Don't Burn
The Merkur 34C paired with Astra Superior Platinum blades is the best shaving setup for most men in 2026. The razor costs around £35 once and the blades run to roughly 2-4p each - after the learning curve (give it three weeks, not three shaves), the shave quality beats a Fusion5 cartridge and the annual cost is embarrassing by comparison. If you're not ready to commit to a safety razor, Harry's Truman is the honest cartridge option that at least doesn't pretend the pricing model is fair.