Essentials: Terry Barber, make-up artist

I dress like a classic mod – Paul Weller is my style icon – so of course I love Fred Perry, who makes sportswear chic. You can't beat their short-sleeved polo shirts and V-neck sweaters in boy-scout claret (www. fredperry.com). It's a classic British look and reminds me of when I was growing up, although I was a New Romantic back then. In those days I had a full face of make-up on every day but now it's more about a little grooming.

I get to try lots of different products but I've settled on a few favourites. Crème de la Mer moisturiser and eye balm are both cult products. If anythingI think they work better on male skin than female (www.cremedelamer. com), but most products are unisex. Exfoliation a couple of times a week is essential for good skin so I use a MAC skin refiner (www.maccosmetics.co.uk, right). Origins makes a great clay mask that draws out impurities (www.origins.co.uk) and Shu Uemura has a fantastic mineral water mist that tones your skin before you moisturise (www.shuuemura.com).

YSL Touche Eclat is another unisex product; the trick is to buy it in the right shade (www.touche-eclat.com). Women can go for the lighter tone but men should opt for number 3, which will lift the shadows around your eyes without looking too obvious and feminine.

My haircut is probably the cheapest going – I use a good, old-fashioned Bic razor and MAC shave cream every day. Overly plucked eyebrows are a pet hate and if you are a guy it will just make you look like you cross-dress of an evening.

The key to style is finding something that suits you – a cut of jeans, say – and being unafraid to stick with it, regardless of fashion. Never be a slave to trends.

Terry Barber is director of make-up artistry at MAC cosmetics