mens makeup skincare henry golding

The Unstoppable Rise of Men’s Makeup

And every product Henry Golding is using

Not long ago, the only men wearing makeup in public were the tawny-toned TV personalities; the small, fierce band of early boys behind the M.A.C counter; and lead singers in throwback cover bands of the glam rock, emo or metal-head variety.

But at the dawn of this year, from the red carpets of awards season, to international runways, to bathroom shelves near you, there was a sea change in equal opportunity beauty.

Beauty brands began sending out press releases detailing the products used on male celebrities. Tom Ford Beauty (an early adopter, having launched its male beauty collection in 2013) broadcasted the products used by dashing star Henry Golding at the SAG Awards. The British-Malaysian heartthrob, who was in both Crazy Rich Asians and A Simple Favour this year, went with a medium-toned concealer, bronzing gel and anti-fatigue eye treatment, finished with a hydrating lip balm. The look was polished, not theatrical.

The same can be said about the style created at the Fall 2019 Dior show in Paris last month. The luxury brand described the model looks as “naturally groomed.” Peter Philips, the creative and image director of Dior Makeup, gave the boys a once-over with the Dior Homme Dermo System line, including an “invigorating” moisturizing emulsion, pore-control perfecting essence and anti-fatigue firming eye serum. As for evening out skin tones, he went with the Dior Backstage foundation, which now comes in 40 shades.

“Beauty is not a matter of gender; it is a matter of style.”

Last fall, Chanel launched its male beauty capsule, Boy de Chanel, first in makeup-mad South Korea, where male consumers are early adopters, then online internationally in November. There are three products—lip balm, eyebrow pencil and foundation—with the messaging that “beauty is not a matter of gender; it is a matter of style.” The press communication went on to say the line “offers men a more polished version of themselves and helps improve their self-confidence.” Indeed, as women have long known, good eyebrows can help assuage a multitude of insecurities.

Mass brands such as L’Oréal and BeautyCounter have brought out men’s makeup lines, which can only mean that male makeup is moving into the mainstream. Perhaps inspired by the societal leap forward in recognizing diverse gender identities, overwhelming machismo is giving way to a broader definition of maleness, allowing men to present themselves in a more fluid way. And if that means the freedom to spend $100 to shrink their pores, they are welcome to be just as beauty-counter poor as us women.

Men have actually been painting their faces for millennia, though—it is only recently that it was cool for them to have nothing more than soap-on-a-rope in the shower caddy and a dull blade on the vanity. Egyptian men really did wear kohl around their eyes, exactly as you see on their sarcophagi. The French and English courts of the 18th century led the way for both men and women to don white paint (which, creepily, was lead-based) and red makeup (red dyes were rare and expensive, thus highly coveted and something to show off with).

The better to stand out on the silver screen, early silent stars Chaplin and Valentino pioneered the guyliner look in the ’20s. Then we have the original gender-benders, the Glimmer Twins, Mick and Keith, who wore women’s clothing and makeup with great aplomb through the ’60s and ’70s, opting to balance the look by also being hard-partying womanizers.

Of course, there was also the great David Bowie, whose otherworldly talent and performance-art-persona transformations brought the conversation about men in makeup to the fore 40 years ago. (Yet another instance of how he proved to be the seer of our times.)

The male metal bands of the ’70s and ’80s took makeup and ran with it.

The male metal bands of the ’70s and ’80s took makeup and ran with it, from Steve Tyler to KISS, Mötley Crüe and Poison. But it was gothy-emo ringleader Robert Smith of the Cure, and the rise of the New Romantics—Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Flock of Seagulls—who brought makeup for all into dance clubs.

The look lived on through the decades via Kurt Cobain, Pete Wentz, Jared Leto and Billie-Joe Armstrong of Green Day. In fact, last year Armstrong partnered with Kat Von D to launch a male eyeliner called Basket Case, in honour of the song from Dookie. This year, Justice League’s Ezra Miller was so enthusiastic about his Fenty gloss on a recent premiere red carpet that there were calls to make him an ambassador for the brand.

The world-wide beauty market is estimated to be $US465 billion (as of 2017, according to the widely quoted Euromonitor figures). Of that, approximately 1 per cent is spent on men’s products—and most of that is made up of shaving gear right now. But as with fashion, the men’s market is growing faster and obviously has huge potential.

Look to YouTube and Instagram for a hint about where the future of beauty is heading. The tutorial phenomenon has some groundbreaking new stars: @Patrickstarr, @Thomashalbert and Covergirl’s first male ambassador @Jamescharles all stand out with their witty, deft wielding of makeup wands. The New York Times flagged now-12-year-old @makeuupbyjack’s Jack Bennett as a grade-school new media sensation. These influencers have some mad skills—and the longer you watch these videos, the less you see the vamping and the more you see leaders in a new community rising up to claim their place: When we get used to seeing these trailblazers with a full face of glam, it will start to feel more familiar when our partners, fathers, sons and neighbours add a little definition and complexion smoothing to their lives.

There is a vanguard, and then there is a vast market waiting to follow behind. Professional actors, models and musicians have always had to wear makeup to stand up to harsh lighting and look good in pictures. But it is more than skin deep: Makeup for creative artists has also long been a means for self-expression.

We are relearning something ancient civilizations long knew: that self-adornment is good, clean fun. Makeup can simultaneously be used to indicate belonging to a social tribe and to celebrate our individuality. Because beauty—with its potential for transformation, its magic box of glorious colours and tips and tricks—is for everyone.

 

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