Grooming makes a massive difference in the way you’re perceived by others, first impressions – after all – are usually the most lasting. People won’t notice the odd blemish or patch of redness but it’s a good idea to minimise the most glaring imperfections like a greasy face or a beard that looks like it was shaved with a shard of glass.

Following a number of requests, here’s a quick guide on how to look polished on a date featuring tips from Youtube’s gossmakeupartist who has been interviewed by SCforM in the past. Feel free to use as many or as little of these steps as you want! Every step contains a link to an expanded article on each product category.

Remember, don’t use anything new on a day when you have to socialise. You have no idea how your skin may react to a given product so stick to things you know to be safe and effective!

If you’re confused about which steps to follow for your particular situation – here’s a rough guide:

Conservative – Go through all the skincare tips and possibly try an anti-shine product.

Day time – Go through skincare tips and add anti-shine product and concealer where needed. Or you can skip the concealer and try a little tinted moisturiser.

Night time – All of the above plus a little bronzer and concealer.

However what you use and how you use it is completely up to you. For example, if I need to look particularly good I’ll do all the skincare steps and then wear an anti-shine product, a tinted moisturiser, a touch of concealer only under my eyes and perhaps even a little bronzer.

Skincare

Firstly, if you have a massive pimple on your face, read this.

Shower! – Take a nice hot shower to steam open your pores and soften up your beard hair. The bathroom should be nice and steamy once you’re done.

Exfoliate - As a last step while you’re in the shower, gently exfoliate your face. This will rub off any dead skin cells leaving you with brighter skin and a closer shave. Remember to exfoliate across your lips too!

Shave – Go with what works best for you. Personally I would lubricate my beard with a shaving oil and follow up with a nice foamy shaving soap. This provides a nice cushion for your razor so it can glide across hairs without any irritation. Aim for a nice, close shave but don’t be over-zealous with your razor!

Masque - If you have any blemishes or oily skin, try using a facial masque post-shave in order to draw out oil and impurities from your face. This will calm down any blemishes you have and control oil throughout the day. Make sure to rinse the masque off thoroughly! Start with warm water to wash everything off and then splash your face with cold water to get rid of any residue and tighten up pores.

Treat – Try a BHA treatment like my favourite, Skin Relief Treatment from Paula’s Choice. This contains aspirin – a potent anti-inflammatory that’ll deal with any residual facial redness. Follow the process up with your favourite moisturiser (a gel-based one is better for warm evenings). Try a spritz of Avene Thermal Water or an anti-redness product from Clinique if you still have a ruddy complexion (perhaps due to rosacea).

Cosmetics

Anti Shine – Try an anti-shine product to control facial oil like the one I recently reviewed from Shiseido Men’s.

Tinted moisturiser - A tinted moisturiser will give your face a sheer wash of colour, evening out your skin tone and adding a healthy hue to your face. Try Per-fekt Skin for a very sheer, barely-there look. Careful though, tinted moisturisers can transfer ever so slightly so avoid them if you’re wearing a white shirt. Set your tinted moisturiser with a little Blot Powder and you’ll be shine free and healthy looking for the whole day!

Now here are a few date tips from gossmakeupartist! If you’re wondering about how to apply the products simply follow the links and, better still, take a look at the male cosmetics videos by gossmakeupartist – they’re fantastic and easy to follow.

If shaving, make sure to have exfoliated beforehand to lift the beard hairs and get a closer shave. Consider using hair conditioner instead of a shaving cream – its easier to see what you’re doing and you get a better, easier shave.

• Use concealer only on darkness and never lighter than the skin tone otherwise you risk it looking “obvious”.
• Consider investing in a good matte bronzer. This will make you look polished but not “made up”.
• Darken upper lashes with a eyeliner pencil at the base of the lashes, this will make the eyes stand out without looking like mascara.
• Apply lip balm on the lips – no one likes cracked lips.

So that’s it! The more of those steps you include, the more polished you’ll look for a date, meeting or wedding. Throw some blotting paper in your wallet and you’re good to go!