A day in the life of Jean Baptiste Mac Luckie

Chances are you have among your friends and relatives at least one person who put themselves through a drastic sport and diet regimen to completely change who they were. Jean-Baptiste Mac Luckie is one of those people, and it only made sense for us to pick his brain on his sport, diet, and grooming routines. He was kind enough to welcome us in his home, where we discussed tattoos, acne breakouts, and personal training around a masterfully dosed coffee.

Hi Jean Baptiste, can you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Jean Baptiste, and I’m 27. I’m a social data consultant, and I specialise in social listening, which is basically monitoring social media to help brands understand and engage with their audiences. I’ve worked at Linkfluence for 5 years, and I’m also currently training to become a personal trainer.

Really? Can you tell us more about this training?

CIt’s a distance training programme from the UK. Over the years, I’ve worked on my appearance a lot, and this physical transformation has also changed who I am, mentally. I want to help people who might have the same needs and questions I had when it comes to strength training and nutrition. Simply put, I want to help people be more confident. I’ll probably do online coaching, that’s how I’m currently being coached, and I think it works out well for both the trainer and the trainee. First off, it’s less expensive and therefore a better option for small budgets. It’s also less time consuming for the coach, which in turn means you can work with more clients. The idea is to supplement my salary via online coaching.

That means you’re not quitting your day job, then. Do you enjoy it?

I do! I’m afforded a lot of freedom. The company is rather flexible, and I can work from home. I’m a consultant, both internally and with our clients: I assist both our teams and our clients for which we create marketing studies. My workdays are pretty intense, but I don’t leave the office after 7pm anymore, those days are over.

Did you have trouble switching off?

Yes, so much so that I nearly burnt out, to be honest. I’d put huge amounts of pressure on myself and work through entire nights. It helped advance my career, but it took a huge toll on my personal life. Since then, I’ve learnt to switch off.

Let’s move back to working out, how often do you train these days?

I started training seriously again 11 months ago. I’d just gone through two particularly tough breakups and I asked my coach for some help. I wanted visible results. Since then, I train 1 to 1.5 hours a day, 4 to 5 times a week. I also pay attention to my diet. I track my food intake, to monitor what I’m eating and to find a balance. It’s a way of life for me: I’m careful about what I buy and use, as well as what I eat.

Since when have you been into skincare?

I had an acne breakout when I was 24 or 25, and it seriously undermined my self-confidence. I’d get comments to which I’d react by locking myself up at home. I went to see a dermatologist for a permanent solution, and came out with a prescription for a treatment with isotretinoin. It worked and my self-confidence started to grow back. While I was taking this medicine, I didn’t pay particular attention to the rest of my skincare routine: I never used a face cleanser, for example. Once the treatment was over, I had a few spots and I immediately panicked. Isotretinoin is pretty rough, and can induce drastic mood changes, so I definitely wanted to avoid taking it again. This led me to researching products with the intention of following the best possible routine. I started going to the chemist’s, and then Kiehl’s, but I pretty much hated it. Then I discovered Horace.

How did you start using our products?

I started with the extended face kit. In all honesty, it’s amazing value for money. The cleanser is incredibly effective. I love it. My current grooming routine consists mostly of Horace, but there are a few other brands in there too.

Would you mind walking us through your routine?

I start with the Horace purifying face cleanser. Then I use the Horace tonic lotion, before moving on to a vitamin C serum, a retinol serum, and finally a more comprehensive serum; The Ordinary’s Buffet. I really like their products. Because the isotretinoin-based treatment left me with dry skin, I use Horace’s rich face moisturiser. I love it for its perfect texture and fragrance. I finish off by applying The Ordinary’s hyaluronic acid cream. While my routine might sound super long, it’s actually very easy to follow. The entire foundation of this routine is built on Horace products, and the rest just completes this solid base!

You have several tattoos. What grooming products do you use for your body?

I like the Horace and Rituals shower gels. I put aloe vera on my tattoos. I currently have five and the sixth one is in progress. By the way, I also use the Horace deodorant. It took some time to get used to, but I have to say it’s amazing. I never used to pay attention to the deodorants I bought and used, and I’d never tried a natural deodorant before the Horace one.

Do you shave regularly?

I do! I use a safety razor. 3-blade razors would set my skin on fire, to be honest. I find just the one blade to be better, and definitely more suited to my skin. It’s also more cost-effective, and the razor looks so cool! I prefer shave creams to shave foams. I shave every other day. I don’t have the hair growth necessary for a proper beard, which is frustrating, but there’s not much I can do about it! All these routines are time I get to spend taking care of myself, and I really enjoy it. I’m very much attached to rituals.

Really?

Yes! I like taking my time in the morning. I grind my coffee and filter it, it’s entrancing! Then I’ll check my emails, and meditate for 5 to 10 minutes with these two apps I use: Calm, which is the go-to meditation app, and Primed Mind, which is eerily similar to hypnosis and really impressed me. These rituals help make me happy. Time spent doing them brings me joy.