Today’s modern men have gone from secretly pilfering some of their girlfriends’ moisturisers and lip balms, to owning enough beauty products to make some of us ladies look bad! From celebrities and actors to politicians and even presidents, they all sit in a make-up chair before making a public appearance.

“You need to look good in order to feel good. When you feel good, you then look good in everything you are doing,” explains Malaysian TV personality, Owen Yap. “It depends on what profession you are in. As for me, I am in the media and entertainment industry, so I need to portray a very professional image. Not to say that you should overdo it – you can do a lot of things with make-up. Unlike how the ladies apply make-up on, men should just put enough to enhance their features and to look better.”

Women’s make-up is known to embellish and emphasise; and the key to make-up for men is the opposite of women. Men’s make-up should look invisible on them, and be used mainly to hide imperfections such as wrinkles, under-eye dark circles, and razor nicks. M.A.C’s senior artist Haritha Shan shares some tips on how to achieve the ‘barely-there’ make-up look.

 It's All About the Base

“Do not be afraid to step into a make-up store and ask for advice. For a beginner, start with a good base. Get a moisturiser and a compact powder, followed by a Fix+,” advises Haritha. To start on your base, make sure you have a good skincare range. Moisturise and remove impurities on your skin before applying make-up. Start off with a mist of Fix+ to hydrate the skin.

Next comes the primer – but not everybody needs a primer. So before you start with one, analyse your skin. If you have a lot of open pores and oily skin, then a primer is suitable for you. “If you don’t have open pores, skip the primer. It will only dehydrate your skin further making it matte,” says Haritha. “If you do need it, then one pump is enough. Always start with the minimum. Same goes with the foundation, start with a pump first.” To find the best foundation shade for your skin tone, it is best to test it on your jawline.

For men, it is recommended to go for foundation that is a tone darker than your skin tone, because as you set on your powder, the whole shade will brighten up. So if you apply on a foundation that is your exact tone, it will come out lighter when you add on powder. “When you are working on a foundation, it is always best to use a blending brush, because you want the skin to look natural,” explains Haritha as she applied on the M.A.C Matchmaster Foundation on Owen’s face. For some men, foundation is enough to give them a flawless finish.  

Pay Attention to the Eyes

For men with dark eyelids, it is recommended to add a touch of highlighter onto the eyelids to help soften the colour, making the skin around the eyes to look more even. 

Groom the eyebrows with a stroke of M.A.C’s Clear Brow Set, which is a brush-on gel that strokes brows into shape. One can also groom sideburns using the Clear Brow Set as well! 

Finish with Kissable Lips

All a man needs on his lips is a touch of lip conditioner to seal in moisture and protect the lips from the environment. But shiny lips aren’t the look we are going for! So dab on a bit of powder over the lips and he is all set! Spray on Fix+ once more to set the make-up and voila! A flawless complexion is yours. 

 

This article has previously appeared in the October 2013 issue of Malaysia Tatler.