Recently there has been a high influx of makeup aimed at the male consumer, the picture above shows the YSL L’Homme Bronzer and Highlighting Pen, yet it still isn’t mainstream. There are a hundred reason why men’s makeup hasn’t become mainstream but I think it’s slowly happening, a lot of young men nowadays own a concealer for spots they want to hide. I wear cosmetics but the goal is never to cover up or create – only to enhance. As far as this trend goes, I know that i’m comfortable with only minimal makeup that looks 100% natural. It’s quite a feat trying to identify cosmetics that lend a natural look – no shimmers, no obvious colours etc but I have built up a collection of very natural options that you can pick and choose from as I write my reviews.

As a general rule, I think a natural masculine look means – no foundation, no blush and no mascara. For this post I’ll be discussing Base makeup, this means the products I use to even out my skin tone.

If you want to start wearing cosmetics, a good place to start is a tinted moisturiser. Tinted moisturisers provide a healthy wash of colour to make your skin look even while providing sheer coverage – enough to cover faint marks but not enough to conceal your skin. The result is healthy looking, natural skin that doesn’t look TOO perfect.

Nearly every cosmetics and skincare company carries tinted moisturisers in both their women’s and men’s lines so they’re not hard to find. What IS hard, however, is finding the right formulation that will look natural and match your skin tone perfectly. When chosing the right shade of tinted moisturiser there is some room for error because the coverage is so light that a colour one shade too light or dark can be easily blended into your skin.

In my experience the best tinted moisturisers for men are:

La Mer Fluid TintThis provides a very sheer wash of colour that brings life to the complexion and makes it look even without the merest hint of makeup. The colour shades, while limited, are very forgiving. Great for normal or normal/combination skin.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

This tinted moisturizer is fantastic and offers a broad range of shades to choose from. The regular forumation is great for dry or normal skin while the oil-free formulation is great for combination to oily skin. A word of warning, this product has a bit more coverage than the average tinted moisturizer so you only need a pea sized amount for the entire face. Large bottle will last for about 6 months with daily use.

Clinique Moisture Sheer Tint

This tinted moisturizer provides a sheer wash of colour comparable to the La Mer one at a fraction of the price. Colours are limited but sheer enough to work for anyone. It may be a bit too hydrating for those with combination or oily skin but we’ll discuss a way to remedy that below.

There are many more that I will cover during the next few months including the ‘for Men’ ones.

Now to apply these tinted moisturisers, just empty a small amount (pea sized for the Laura Mercier, slightly more for the others) onto the back of your hand. From here dot the tint onto your face that should already be moisturised with sunscreen. One dot on either cheek, then one on the forehead, nose, upper lip, chin and underneath your chin. Blend the dots out with your finger tips so that they cover their respective areas, blending the dot under your chin outwards and downwards. Once this is done immediately start patting your skin rapidly with your fingertips, this is to ensure an even application of the product. Pat all over your face from your forehead to your eyes, cheeks, jaw, upper lip and chin and finally your neck. This will ensure a very natural looking, even application. Use a paper towel to remove any product from your lips and eyebrows and you’re done! Nice, natural, even toned skin that doesn’t look even slightly ‘made up’.