Alford & Hoff Moisturizer Review
Shaun, aka The Tech Guy, aka my boyfriend, has been kind enough to grace us with his first beauty review! He’s twenty-seven with normal-to-dry skin and suffers from no more acne (much to my envy!).
Shaun enjoys long walks on the beach, vegging out on the couch watching chick flicks, and cuddling with Mellan. Or maybe not! He handles all the behind-the-scenes action here at Temptalia, from tech support to server woes to being my shoulder to cry on.
I take on this task with an open heart and an empty stomach because Christine won’t feed me until it’s complete.
I’ve been using Alford & Hoff’s Moisturizer for what feels like a year but is more likely about two to three months. It’s a very thin moisturizer and goes on smoothly. It dries as quickly and easily as it goes on and requires very little working into the skin. By the way, I’m just making up all of this terminology as I go, so forgive me if I’m sounding pompous.
What’s great for us guys is that the packaging is lightweight and easy to use. It’s simple… yet sophisticated. You also have to twist the top to get the pump to appear, so I played with that for a half hour before my first use. The most miraculous thing about this particular packaging was when I sadly finished the bottle.
I pulled and pried on the top of it to see if there was a precious morsel left in the bottle, but I found that it was COMPLETELY EMPTY. I don’t know what kind of space age science they used when creating this bottle, but it didn’t leave anything left. And when I say it didn’t leave anything left, I mean the thing was bone dry! I was prepared to take a hacksaw and saw it in half to get the precious bits left at the bottom, but to my amazement it was all gone.
I’ll give this moisturizer one critique–and it’s not so much a critique than a warning–if you’ve just shaved and plan to put this moisturizer on then you might want to reconsider. It BURNS!!!! If you aren’t used to using aftershave or some equivalent then be prepared for your skin to feel like it was pressed into a waffle iron. And what guy can’t relate to having their face pressed into a waffle iron? Am I right?!
The most painful part about this moisturizer isn’t the post-shave sizzle–it’s the price tag. It’s hard enough to get us guys to put on moisturizer but paying 75 bones for it will be nearly impossible. This is where the ladies come in! If you want your man to moisturize, don’t show him the price tag. Just buy it and sneak it next to the toothbrush. You may also want to chip in the extra 5 bucks for the version with SPF, because a lot of times I had to choose between this moisturizer and a moisturizer with SPF and the SPF version almost always won unless I was moisturizing at night.
Recommendation: While reluctant to conform to my “review structure,” I (Temptalia) was able to weasel out, “I liked it, but I can’t justify $75!”
Availability: Alford & Hoff
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OMG… EMPTY! This review made me laugh so hard!
Christine, don’t let this one slip 😉
woo hoo! you know… i really wish you had more male readers because i’d LOVE to see more reviews like this, from another guy – who knows how bad it hurts to shave (which is another reason why i so rarely do it).
this was fun to read! thanks shaun! thanks christine 🙂
p.s. went to the website… yeah… don’t look at their “celebrity” list. eek. (i’m terrible i know). lol
No problem, it was fun to write. I completely share your disdain for shaving, which is why I so often look like a Yeti.
Much to my dismay!
Haha! Noo! Yeti’s are supposed to be sexy right? Yeah, I’m sure that’s true… I think I read it in like, National Geographic or something… LOL 😛
And btw – The best aftershave I’ve ever used is plain Aloe Vera gel. It gets rid of the sting RIGHT AWAY. If I DO shave I use that first, then wait awhile before moisturizing. Just get your face a little damp if you moisturize awhile after your shower – otherwise you’re just lubricating your face and that does nothing… Unless you’ve got some sort of special activity planned where your face needs to be lubricated – but I don’t even want to SPECULATE what that might be.
Haha so funny to hear from a man’s point of view! The last time I heard one was when I caught my boyfriend using my creme de la mer as an aftersun body lotion, “smells a bit dodgy” was the response having used up the majority of a medium sized point. Easy come, easy go! Careful Christine, he might be after your job soon! xxx
i gasped when you said he used your creme de la mer. how much did he use?!? i hope he didn’t use a sunscreen size amount. lol
Wow. There is no way I could ever get my husband to use a moisturizer. I’m still working on getting him to use shaving cream.
It took me about a year to get him onto cleansing his face… and then another year to be religious about SPF!
That’s so cute! it’s great getting guys’ perspectives on products too!!
The Iron Chef reference was priceless! I might pick this up for my husband 🙂
Ha ha ha ha I LOVED this review 🙂
Cool! I love airless pump technology! I bought bottles like that and transferred my Colorstay so that I won’t waste a drop. 🙂
Where do you get your airless pump bottles? I use moisturizers from Origins. I love it b/c it smells like oranges, but I absolutely HATE the packaging. This would be a great alternative!
I get it from a store named beabi. Do take note that I’m from the Philippines. Somebody told me that Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Enhancer comes in one so if you’ve got that, once it’s finished up you can use the bottle. 🙂
I think this is really sweet for your b/f to be so supportive of you 😀
Also I think it kicks ass that you’re getting manly men (like your b/f) to review skincare products… It’s important!
I have bought a few moisturizer products for my b/f(lancome has been making an extensive line recently). He enjoys it and it gets rid of the bad flaky white chin after shaving 😀
Yeah, of course for mine, I start him on some skincare and his acne MIRACULOUSLY ALL DISAPPEARS.
I spent years on it and still have acne!
Lol! I loved this post! More please!
Great review! I too am impressed that the pump took out all the product. Pumps are great because they keep the product clean and stable. However you lost me at the sting. Any product which stings can’t be good for your skin, even if it is just after shaving. If anything, it should help to soothe your skin after shaving. Maybe it has alcohol in it? Alcohol has no place in a moisturiser. What a shame, if it wasn’t for the sting the sleek packaging makes it exactly the kind of thing I would have bought for my “tech guy”.
i liked how a completely empty bottle blew his mind hahaha
cute review, what a good boyfriend to do this
AWWWWW this is too cute!! The review was excellent nice job Shaun!!
And you two are just darling =)
I couldn’t stop laughing. I hope you finally fed him, christine. XD
Good review, Shaun! You’re totally right though, if I gave my bf a moisturizer (or any skincare product, for that matter) that cost $75 he’d go into cardiac arrest right then and there! (Also, it’s totally adoreable how you obviously didn’t want to show your face, lol!)
Thank you! My face still needs a few more months of moisturizing before it graces the pages of Temptalia.
Ah! I love it. Reading a male perspective on Product X was great. Do it again Shaun.
You guys are way too cute!!! And super funny!! Hopefully he was given a big meal after this review! Hahaha
That’s Hilarious! But agreat idea to have reviews for guy stuff!
You should definitely get him to write more reviews! I love the way you do yours, Christine, but that was a nice once-in-a-while post and it totally made me giggle. Boys are silly, and I’d love to see stuff from them randomly pop up!
That was hilarious. I wish my products would steal whatever kind of packaging they’ve used!
thanks Shaun!
You’re welcome!
Very humorous to read 🙂 I hope to see some more in the future!
My boyfriend just finished my Lush Ocean Salt face scrub. He loves it. He said he’d feel too emasculated to go to get it himself. He have me a $10 bill to grab another for him. I don’t have the heart to tell him it’s $21.95 cdn. LOL.
great review! this was fun to read, refreshing, and really compliments temptalia overall!
Leaving the product, but loving the review!
lol, this was so funny 🙂
Great review. It had me laughing all the way through.
LOL that was such a funny review! much more detail than the regular guy answer “i liked it”
please feed ur boy! =]
that was both hilarious and informative….please do more of them shaun!
I will try, but my beauty routine is rather limited. 😛
This review was too funny not to comment on. I guess all guys are the same. They dont like to spend that kind of money on maintenance. My BF makes me buy his stuff all the time.
Cheaper alternative is LUSH face produts. My BF has been using it for several months and it works great! His face has cleared up.
I remember showing him some, and he was like, “Are you sure this isn’t food?”
Ha h. He gets the love lettuce and it looks like gucamole dip. I can see how he would think it’s food!
Loved this review. It made me smile. I’ll make sure that my boyfriend reads this one.
Haha! Great review! Tell your bf he did fantastic! I am amazed though that this thing emptied itself so completely! It’s nice to be able to get all the product out without having to saw the bottle apart! (I’m looking at you Urban Decay Primer Potion!!) But it bums me out that the inside of the bottle looks so much smaller than the outer shell of the bottle! It looks like they’re hiding how big the bottle really is!
that was so cute, great to see a guys point of view on it 🙂 not that my guy would use it 🙁
That fact that you got your boyfriend to do a review is so freakin’ awesome! I knew there was a reason I loved this blog! =)
Haha good review, good for giggles 😛 It’s nice to see some reviews of men’s products too because it’s definitely something I know nothing about – nor does my boyfriend lol. I don’t think I can even get him near a cosmetic/skincare aisle, he looks like a deer in headlights 😛
Loved that review — I am impressed that you moisturize and use SPF. My husband never moisturizes and he only will wear sunscreen if we are at the beach. I keep telling him that he’s going to look 20 years older than me!!
OMG! LMAO! This was HIL-arious!!!! Especially the part about Christine not feeding you Shaun! 🙁
Shaun – any tips on how to coax a boyfriend of husband into using skincare? Was there something Christine said or did in particular that made you decide to give it a try, or that kept you sticking with it?
What really got me to use moisturizer was the fact that around my nose and under my eyes really started to dry out and I hated the way the flaky skin looked. Once I got going with moisturizer, Christine had bestowed the virtues of SPF, so I started to use a moisturizer with SPF. I guess my best advice would be to start off very simple and let them work their way up.
Nice to read some humour in the review and comments.
I do have a question. Is it 100% natural ingredients?
Thank you.
I don’t think so – I don’t see it touted as 100% on the front page of the website!
Hah!! I love this — you need to sneak Shaun onto Temptalia more often, Christine 😛
HAHAHAHHa! More reviews from Shaun the tech guy please. He’s a hilarious writer.
I think you should always withhold food from Shaun prior to writing a review because it obviously gets his creative juices flowing. That was a hoot to read!! Great job, Shaun!
My bf would rather poke his eyes out than spend $75 on something he’d refer to as ‘just cream’. I got some Vichy day and night moisturizers for him to use and that was a struggle!
I Loved this review! its so sweet that he supports you and helps you! Girl you are so lucky 🙂 lol
Your bf should do more of these! :p
Okay – I don’t know what I love more: the review itself, or the awesomeness that is your BF. Men who get the whole ‘beauty’ thing are hard to find – hang on to him, girl!
Since you can remove the pump (it looks like, anyway), maybe they should consider selling refills. Refills cost less, and are (more) environmentally sound.
Nice work, Shaun!
wow… thumbs up to u shaun … u rocking hard even harder then christine …
m saying it coz i know its ur first time so pls dont take my words seriouslly … my honesty for christine would never shake, just kidding dear…
but seriouslly i was waiting for it as she had said u gonna post a review in a day or two..
that was great i will tell my bro-in-law (sandy) who is in USA , to look for it
but again yes the price tag is too much rather would buy olay + one good perfume for $ 75 what say???
best of luck
hope to see u atleast once in a month, next time with front face pic ..
or you gonna start with left pose , right pose n then front face
aahhh then in ur fourth review we will see ur face
aawww :(:(:(
christine what happened to ur camera skills dear
always smile my love n be happy in each others company
Give that man a steak!
Loved the review! I may have to sneak this into the bf’s regimen
LOL you have to get your boyfriend to do more reviews. the two of you together must be hilarious!
SO CUTE! He should review more often! =)
It would be nice to see the elusive Mr.Shaun. Just a suggestion.
It’s his decision not to show his picture – sorry!
Wonderful, insightful review! This should be a weekly installment! (ok, maybe monthly);)
i can’t believe he uploaded a picture of his back … camera-shy maybe ???
Yes, we thought that a photo of his back would be a clever way to indicate such 🙂
I have gotten my fiance to use moisturizer exactly once. He went to a college football game and came home with his face wind/sunburned – he looked like a big red tomato. I handed him a jar of something (I think it was one of the Korres creams) and he stared at it with a completely baffled facial expression – “what do I do with this?”
Needless to say, it’s a special, special guy who can latch on to a skincare regimen. High five to Shaun. 🙂
Christine, you are one of the few lucky women in the world. Humor is one of the best qualities in a significant other, isn’t it? 😉
I <3 my bf too 😀 Maybe I'll grab him this and 'slip it next to his stuff' for fun…
btw Shaun, you should write more reviews & blog posts. I bet my bf would LOVE reading this alongside me. He is currently using Baxter & it's working for him 🙂 check it out?
Aww so cute! I’m glad we got to hear from your boyfriend! 🙂
This review is pure gold.
Shaun, the Tech Guy, thanks for enlightening us. I’m definitely looking forward to your next piece of work.
I really enjoyed this post! Shaun is very funny! I’d love to hear more reviews about men’s products so I can start scheming ways to get my hubby to use them
Woohoo for Shaun’s first review! Good job buddy!
Christine, I like this addition to your blog. It will help me with getting gifts for my boyfriend so please continue. 😀
Good job! hope this becomes a regular once in a while “men’s product reviews” portion in Temptalia
My God…it IS empty! Can every brand employ this magical pump technology, please?!
LOVE the review LOL!!! Hilarious, informative. Even my guy enjoyed the review. Nicely done
Crying so hard – this was a fantastic and hilarious review. Thanks Shaun!
I loved this review! Thanks, Shaun! I am greatly amused!
This is awesome!!! Good job, Shaun! Hope to hear more from you!!!
Christine – I’m so jealous your man actually tries and STICKS to using a product!!! I have brought home many products for my bf to try and after weeks he finally tries it once or twice and then it sits in his shaving bag…. I have a sad face to think of the nice skin he could have! lol
He is always outraged at the prices of products I bring for him so now nothing is over $10…. white lies don’t hurt, right?? lol
LOL! I don’t usually tell him until he’s like, “I like this… how much is it?”
LOL! I love it. Shaun is a great writer. 🙂 Hope to see more from him in the future.
My boyfriend has really sensitive skin and doesn’t like shaving very much either. I don’t blame him; I used to get the most terrible razor burn on my legs and I would not want to deal with something like that on my face!!
Woah! Christine, your hubby has a beautiful back. Haha
The packaging uses the same vacuum suction technology iqqu beauty uses, it’s really weird and kind of a pain when you run out.
<3 the review!
More posts from the boyfriend please, this was so much fun to read! 🙂
Loved the review! So funny. The redesign looks awesome so kudos to you and your boy.
I love his writing style. Very funny and detailed !
I loooved reading that! 🙂
& yes… $75 is far too pricey! The bottle reminds me of YSL Rive Gauche. Also, my bf said he thought the top pic looked like a bottle of fake tan lol.
this review made me crack up like no other. Please do write more! maybe not as often as Christine’s posts, but I’m sure these are useful not just for the male readers, but also for the female readers who are fretting over what to get their SO. I’m sure some of the more technologically inclined SO’s would be thrilled to get a product where they get to twist the top and play with it (sort of like how I jacked a friend’s slider phone and kept sliding it until my friend grabbed it back and claimed i was breaking his phone LOL) AND attempt to figure out the mystery of the bone dry bottle. 😀
His last paragraph spoke directly to me and my boyfriend. Forget my b/f buying anything for himself. I’ve had to sneak in the moisturizer, cleanser, cologne, hair products, etc! But I am glad he is a manly man not so worried about what his looks are! I respect that and know where you are coming from Shaun!
The tech guy should write more articles..it’s just a fresh think knowing guys opinion on this kind of product, be it a man product..
Will wait for his writing soon enuff?? 😀