Tanning guru to the stars, Jules Von Hep, reveals how make-up boosted his confidence.

I’ll never forget buying my first foundation. It’s almost like that moment where you finally find a pair of jeans that properly fit you! That inner HURRAH as everything just looks and feel a bit better. I was sixteen and at that time working in home furnishings retail as my Saturday job, surrounded by a team of women who chatted endlessly about beauty. I have a brother and went to an all-boys school so had never really been exposed to the world of ‘lash chat’. I watched endlessly as my colleagues put their make-up on before a shift and noticed how much better their skin looked. I didn’t have the greatest self-esteem so wanted to do anything I could to improve what I saw in the mirror.

There were no tutorials, I just had to apply my make-up in secret before school using my fingers, leave the house before my mum saw me and crack on with my day. Most people didn’t notice I was wearing foundation – I just wanted to wear make-up to make my skin look flawless, not cakey. I wanted to encompass minimal effort, maximum output.

At university, I started to explore with concealers, bronzers, and mascara. I got cat called but I felt better in front of the mirror – and that’s all that mattered. I felt better.

Men buy make-up. Fact.

It’s funny how some believe that make-up is only for women. Trust me, as someone who works with almost every celebrity in London I can hands down tell you the men all wear make-up on television, on the red carpet and on photoshoots. In fact, most of the top make-up artists are men too. Over 15 years later, now men are being used in make-up campaigns; if you type ‘men’s make-up’ into any search engine a vast pool of tips, videos, and beauty know-how show up. Men buy make-up. Fact.

As a beauty expert and presenter who loves nothing more than sitting backstage with make-up artists chatting all things product, I’ve picked up my fair share of tips along the way.  Don’t get me wrong, make-up is great but I believe it has to sit on top of well looked-after skin. I scrub religiously, mask 3-4 times per week and apply Tan-Luxe The Water every other day to ensure my skin has that effortless natural-looking glow before any make-up is applied.

When it comes to my day look I am all about that perfect, even, lifted skin tone and an undetectable base – I like to fake good skin! My diary is ever-changing and I am (like most of us) time-poor. I need products that just deliver with minimal knack. Bareminerals Prime Time BB Primer SPF 30 (applied with a Full Coverage Bobbi Brown Brush) is still one of the greatest primers I’ve ever come across – it has a subtle but effective tint that disguises pigmentation, dark circles and gives skin an all-over immaculate texture. I mix Bobbi Brown Eye Cream with a touch of Bobbi Brown Full Cover Concealer, a real pro product that I use backstage in my own kit, mixing the two together to give a light but effective finish. I suffer with oily skin which means open pores – a complete pet hate. I use Benefit Professional Pore Minimizing Make-Up to blur over my pores on my nose and forehead and give the illusion I have front-cover skin. I also use this on models on shoots to give their décolletage and shoulders a blurred finish.

In the evening, I like to take my look slightly deeper with Laura Gellar Balance n Brighten Baked Foundation. It’s one of the easiest foundations I’ve ever applied with fantastic natural-looking coverage. If I’ve had one too many spritzers the night before I opt for Pixi H20 Skin Tint – my skin instantly looks glowy and alive again (my saviour!).

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