Editor Adam Hurly Discusses Grooming, Global Adventures, and Blue Print's Vision for the Modern Man
Meet Adam Hurly: OG grooming editor, grooming guru, travel nomad, and now a startup founder. He's traveled the globe, from Seoul's skincare labs to his current home base in Lisbon, which have made him a leading voice in men's grooming and lifestyle. With a background that spans editorial roles at Birchbox as well as freelance roles with GQ, Men's Journal, Robb Report, Forbes, Gear Patrol, Men's Health, Esquire, and more, he brings a unique blend of expertise and worldly perspective. Currently, he's channeling his experience into Blue Print, an exciting new platform at the intersection of grooming, travel, and modern male culture.
Our Founders Jen and Alex sat down with Adam to chat about his career journey, his favorite products, and what to expect from him next.
Q: Tell us about your background and career journey.
A: I graduated college in 2008, moved back home to South Dakota temporarily, and fell into a job teaching social studies while bartending – this wasn't my initial plan but the opportunity became available and you just need a college degree to reach where I’m from.
I saved up to move to California, where I took on a handful of internships, including one at Pixar and worked with the SF Film Festival. These opportunities gave me exposure to so many things and next thing I knew I was off to NYC where I worked in SEO, talent management, and publishing. From there, I joined Birchbox as the men's grooming editor; I knew nothing about grooming but I had all the other skills for the job based on my random work experience—they said I could learn the grooming stuff as I went along.
We grew the men's traffic to the site from 5% to 22%, which was amazing, but men’s was a smaller business and the team was laid off after a couple of years unfortunately.
I took some time off to travel and ended up in Berlin for 3 months – this idea initially came when being shy of being able to take a sabbatical for Birchbox (a three week paid leave after three years of employment). So Berlin was, for me, a personal three-month sabbatical, but a working one where I could flex my freelance chops. I took meetings with Esquire and GQ, the network I had made during my time at Birchbox. In that time, I went from an impressionable young gay man to really knowing who I was, and that’s when I decided I could be a freelance writer, for both travel and grooming, while living internationally. I lived in Berlin for six years before moving to Portugal.Q: How did you get into travel writing, and how does it intersect with your grooming expertise?
Q: What led you to create "Blue Print," and what are your goals for the platform?
Blue Print is designed to offer in-depth content focused on men’s grooming, travel, and lifestyle – I envision it as the "Allure for men." My partner comes from an engineering and tech background, and I have an editorial one, so we make a great team. He built the website from scratch while I focused on creating content. We spent long nights working together, driven by the opportunity to create an ecosystem around men’s grooming.
Originally, we planned to launch in 2023. I wrote 90 articles, though we only launched with 30 due to the complexities of our custom site. It’s very introductory content on there now. Three months from now, I hope the platform looks drastically different, and continues to evolve, especially across social media.
Here you can check out Adam’s grooming vertical Blue Print by Adam Hurly, sign up for his newsletter or check out the platform’s YouTube Channel, Instagram and TikTok.
Q: What have been some of your most memorable experiences in the grooming industry?
A: A main highlight of mine is stepping back and realizing the longevity in my career where I’ve gotten to see new small brands that end up being around long enough to become decorated and continuing these years later. Jaxon Lane is the perfect example.
There are so many I see and never hear from again, but when brands continually do well, and seeing that some got a mortgage and put their kid in school while starting a company from scratch, it’s been an awesome thing to witness over time. I feel a deep connection to the brands and founders after years of getting to know them as people and I know editorial placements can make a difference so that's my little part to help see these brands succeed and grow.
Q: What are your go-to skincare and grooming products, especially when traveling?
A: My essentials include Dr. Bronner's hand sanitizer and lip balm. I love an SPF moisturizer, and the Jaxon Lane sunscreen is one of the best. I also need antiperspirant, it's a life-changer for me. I prefer a stick at home, but aerosol is great for travel. I also use a heavy moisturizer like CeraVe night cream for flights. I’m also a big fan of Happy Nuts for chafing. Their tapioca starch cream is amazing. It creates a powder finish, so you have to wash your hands well to avoid getting it on your clothes, especially before flying.
Q: What are your favorite Jaxon Lane products, and how do you use them?
A: I love Boom Cica Wow cleanser - hence why it received an award from Robb Report. I'm also just now getting into powder cleansers, like Shake and Wake. I embraced this in Korea and it’s such an innovative product. I also love the Bro Mask and Eye Gels; the mask in particular I appreciate that it works with my facial hair since it is split into two parts. I do try to save it for when I have shorter stubble as opposed to a beard, so that I don't waste any of the serum from the chin mask. The Rain or Shine sunscreen is also fabulous; it's really elegant for daily use and easy to incorporate.
SHOP: Boom Cica Wow Gel Cleanser
SHOP: Shake and Wake Face Wash
SHOP: Bro Masks
SHOP: Eye Gels