Today, we were contacted by Matthew, who was seeking advice on the best men’s makeup routine for his oily and often shiny skin. Like a lot of makeup for men newcomers, visiting our site for the first time, he felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer variety of products on offer. We therefore enlisted the help of our chief men’s makeup artist Adam, who has put a routine in place that every guy out there with oily and blemish prone skin can follow, in order to get the very best results. Read below Matthew’s concerns and exactly what we’ve been able to do for him and other guys alike.


Hello, I'm wondering which shade you'd suggest for my skin? (i've attached a few photos so you can hopefully get my picture in a range of lighting too). I think the most accurate picture is probably the file starting "DSC". I was also wondering which products you'd suggest? I'm completely new to men’s makeup and want something which is as natural and unidentifiable as possible! I have very oily, shiny skin which is acne prone (my skin in those pictures looks a lot better than it really is). My skin is also somewhat red on my cheeks.


I don't necessarily need my skin to look flawless but I just want something to even out my skin tone and reduce the shine from the oil. Like I said I'm a complete noob at this so the site is a bit overwhelming given I don't know where to start but the two products I'm drawn to are the MMUK anti shine powder and the MMUK liquid foundation Cheers, Matthew


Good morning Matthew,

I hope you are well and thank you very much for getting in touch with us. I can confirm that the colour N4 is the most appropriate colour on our MMUK MAN colour palette to match your skin tone. Most guys tend to start with a foundation and concealer and either a bronzer or anti shine powder, but if there is any more help you'd require picking your products please let me know and I'd be delighted to help.


After reading your e-mail and current concerns, there's a few products that instantly spring to mind and have worked well for other customers in the past. The first is our Mineral Matte Foundation, which is extremely kind to the skin and has superior healing power, perfect if you suffer with redness across the face. This foundation can be applied easily using its sponge and does a great job at evening your skin surface and acting as a first line of defence against your oily skin.


After you've applied that across your face, focusing more application to the areas that you require natural coverage on, take our Concealer Pot and Blending Brush, and gently apply concealer to any lingering imperfections. The foundation will do a great job at covering minor skin blemishes, but the more defined ones you may still be able to see, which is where the concealer pot comes in. Simply dab a little concealer onto any lingering rough areas, spots or large blemishes and gently blend it in to disguise them.


Although it sounds like a lot to learn, within a couple of practices, you'll soon get the hang of it, so I'd recommend doing a couple of trial runs at home before you're ready to go out as you're brand new to men's makeup. I'd also recommend getting some men's makeup Application Sponges to apply your Mineral Matte Foundation. Although it comes with one, if you're using these products regularly, you might wish to have a new sponge every few days.


Finally, you're right with our Anti Shine Powder! However, I would recommend our mineral version, again, as this is kinder to sensitive skin. You can simply dust this over your face with a Powder Brush and you'll enjoy all day long protection against shine and oiliness. Anti-shine also sets your products even better and ensures that it stays in place all day, maximising its discretion even further.


With these three products and three applicators, I'm very confident you'll master a discreet and natural finish, giving you a nice boost in confidence. I'm alway here if you have further questions both before and after your purchase to make sure you get the most out of your products.

Have a lovely day and speak to you soon. Regards, Adam.