Matthew McConaughey's Beauty Rules

The Oscar-winning Texan talks fake tan, fooling the paparazzi and what exactly constitutes a good massage.

Matthew McConaughey

The Oscar-winning Texan talks fake tan, fooling the paparazzi and what exactly constitutes a good massage.

I wanted to get in good shape for Magic Mike. After I did, there was a man in town with a mobile tanning service - Jimmy Jimmy Coco. He would come over once a week and spray me down, then make my skin a bit sweaty with baby oil. It was a hoot.

I’m not worried about ageing, but I’m not in a rush to age, either. I take care of my skin. My routine is kind of basic: I shower at night, then I like to have a rinse in the morning to freshen up. I don’t like gels, and use Cetaphil soap. Jurlique’s face wash is great and their calendula cream is thick, so it’s great at night. If I’m just going to get up and go, there’s a Kiehl’s men’s SPF15 that contains menthol. It’s not greasy and my skin soaks it up real quick. I’ll then use a serum at night, like Jurlique.

I’ve had a Clarisonic for eight years. It’s a good tool before events. I forget about it sometimes, but I like to take it with me when I go away. It takes off that top piece of epidermis, gets rid of the dead skin, tightens up some fine lines and freshens things. I don’t do many peels or stuff like that.

I like to smell like myself, but I don’t mind a little scent. That’s what I like about Dolce & Gabbana The One. It’s masculine and classic, but still young.

For [my weight loss in] Dallas Buyers Club I was eating healthy meals and even had the odd glass of wine. I wasn’t starving myself. I also gave myself four months to lose the weight, so it wasn’t all at once. My appearance scared other people more than it did me. I actually didn’t do any exercise, but if I did it again I would probably do more just to keep the joint integrity up. I take glucosamine for my joints now. It’s taken me a while to get back to my usual size - it’s much more dangerous gaining the weight back afterwards than losing it.

I know how my body works and what it reacts to. I handle exercise and nutrition myself. One of my favourite things about when I first got successful was to invest in my health. I did my own research, talked with different doctors, tried different exercise routines. I’m not puritanical about it, though - we have pizza night on a Friday and steaks on the grill. I also believe that the pleasure of eating what you want is good for you. I know what to eat on set to keep my energy up - fish, rice and vegetables.

I don’t like to waste my time on a sub-par massage. I have massages but, the thing is, it’s got to be a good one. Oh man, have you ever been in a massage where the first 15 minutes in you’re like, ‘Oh my God!’, or you’re thinking, ‘They’re gonna really kick in here in a minute,’ and they never do, or you need a deep-tissue massage and the masseuse starts to go, "What’s your horoscope?" As if my star sign has anything to do with why my back hurts!

With exercise, the hardest part is getting out the door. If I’m gonna be doing exercise outdoors where there’s paparazzi, I’ll wear the same thing and wash it and then wear it again the next day, because then they don’t get to make any money on that shot.

Visit healthyskinsecrets.marieclaire.co.uk where we reveal expert tips, celebrity secrets and readers reviews for healthier looking skin. The Cetaphil sensitive range is available at Boots, Superdrug, Lloyds Pharmacy and Amazon online.

This article has been developed by Time Inc, publishers of Look, Now and Marie Claire online. The article has been independently developed by Time Inc and the views / opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of Cetaphil (or its manufacturer, Galderma (UK) Ltd). The Healthy Skin Secrets campaign is operated by Time Inc and sponsored by Cetaphil (Galderma (UK) Ltd).