The Manchester skincare brands treating ‘maskne’ during the pandemic
‘Maskne’ is the latest skin struggle that everyone is facing, but getting rid of these uncomfortable blemishes is easier than ever thanks to these Manchester skincare brands.
Everyone gets bad skin from time to time. Whether it’s due to hormones, stress or an unhealthy lifestyle, a sudden burst of blemishes can function as a reminder that we should be kinder to our skin.
But the newest influx of breakouts is completely out of our control: ‘Maskne’. A hybrid of the words ‘mask’ and ‘acne’, this skin invasion is caused by the heat and friction produced by regularly wearing a face mask.
Whether it’s from the trapped air, the oils of your skin or the moist environment created by talking, this is a breeding ground for blemishes to develop and can’t easily be avoided.
If you’re struggling with spots during the pandemic, these Manchester skincare brands have got you covered to minimise your maskne.
Calendula and Mandarin Hot Cloth Cleanser – Stripped Skincare
The first step to blitzing any blemishes is to ensure that your skin is clean and free from any bacteria.
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Calendula and Mandarin Hot Cloth Cleanser is suitable for spot-prone, oily and combination skin, as it balances the production of sebum.
Not only is it relaxing and gentle to massage this product into the skin, but it’ll leave your face feeling revitalised and ready to fight off any acne.
This revolutionary product from Buddha Beauty is your skincare saviour in a sponge.
Infused with black konjac and activated charcoal, it will deeply clean your skin and help to eliminate any dirt and excess oils. The natural antioxidant ingredients also offer a natural treatment targeted towards acne.
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All you need to do is add water to this sponge and apply it to your face to start seeing results, which is much less abrasive than using a flannel that may irritate any blemishes.
Manchester City finally release special Year of the Horse collection for Lunar celebrations
Danny Jones
Manchester City have officially launched their new ‘Year of the Horse’ kit, along with several other items in their latest lifestyle range.
The collection, which has been released as part of the Lunar New Year Celebrations, was leaked online in late 2025 before being officially teased earlier this year, but now Man City have fully unveiled the limited edition clothing items.
It follows the commercial success of their previous Chinese New Year-inspired kits and wider fashion lines over the last few seasons.
For anyone not up to speed on their Zodiac calendar knowledge, 2026 is officially (you guessed it) the year of the horse, hence this choice for the new ‘Capsule Collection’.
“Set in earthy, neutral tones, the limited-edition Year of the Horse Capsule Collection captures both the stillness of vintage Chinese portraiture and the motion of a team in full stride.”
Revolving around a grey and almost beige colour palette, the full drop includes a new pre-match ‘Anthem’ jacket, a dark graphic design tee, a baseball cap, as well as a soft horse plushie.
The focal point, however, is obviously the jersey itself – though it remains to be confirmed whether or not the special seasonal strip will be worn in any games this campaign as other one-off/special limited edition shirts have been in the past.
The price points range from £15 for the soft toy to £90 for the adult shirt, with the aforementioned Puma KING Anthem zip-up jacket already available in six colours.
What do you make of the latest lifestyle collection, Blues?
Somewhat fittingly, the Year of the Horse and other items finally debuted on the same day that their local rivals across the other side of town, Manchester United, released some new threads of their own: the second Adidas x The Stone Roses collection.
As for this years Lunar celebrations, the official plans for here in Manchester city centre have now been revealed. You can find out more down below.
Manchester United officially launch second Adidas fashion collab with The Stone Roses
Danny Jones
After several weeks of teasers, the latest fashion collab between Adidas, Manchester United and The Stone Roses has officially revealed.
We have no doubt this one will be lapped up just as quickly as the first.
Following images of the new Stone Roses x Man United kit and the focal point of this new collection being leaked online earlier this month, the second drop by Adidas has now been unveiled in full.
Releasing another stylistic video to the tune of the legendary Manc band’s famous anthem, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, players both past and present from the men’s and women’s team star in the launch video.
As you can see, not only did the players get involved with the shoot as expected, but the clip also includes a snippet of archive footage featuring a young Ian Brown in a short but profound talking head.
The Stone Roses frontman, and indeed other members of the band, have never made their love of United a secret – none more so than the late, great Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield – and the supporters have also shared plenty of it back.
Be it through ‘This Is The One’ being chosen by Gary Neville as the official walk-out song at Old Trafford and various chants sung to Stone Roses tunes, to the previous collab back in February 2024, the two iconic cultural brands pretty much go hand in hand.
Besides the next multi-coloured paint-splashed shirt, which leaked first, as well as a new bucket hat (again, very era appropriate), there are scarves, a graphic design t-shirt, two sets of shorts and even two different pairs of shoes.
Images of the white Stone Roses trainers also popped up in leaks across various Man United fan accounts on social media, but few had seen the black ZX 600 Adidas trainers until now.
What do you make of the latest batch of lifestyle fashion from the club?
Meanwhile, with just days left in the transfer window, it remains to be seen whether new interim manager Michael Carrick will be rewarded for his first two wins against the top two in the league with any reinforcements before the end of January – but there are some rumblings…