As the saying goes, ‘men age like fine wine’. But you need to store the wine in a dry, cool area that’s away from light to ensure an enduring vino. Detailed management applies to men too. A groomed self is often linked to charismatic qualities and lasting impressions.
Fragrances are a must, as are hair removal products that prevent men from looking like their primitive ancestors. In recent years, male make-up has mushroomed on the shelves of reputable personal care and beauty stores. What caused the rise of this phenomenon? We have hallyu and modern Korean male personalities to thank for the infiltration of facial cosmetics in our lives.
I’m not blessed with flawless skin. Puberty decided to leave its traces on me with acne marks. Once a contending heartthrob, I’ve now fallen from grace. Apparently abiding by basic skincare routines isn’t enough. I do not fuss about my blemishes as they’re permanent. By chance, I had an encounter with make-up for a public art performance. The process wasn’t as elaborate as my female peers who got their cheeks done first. It dawned on me that with the right concealer shade and technique, I do look better than my usual bare-faced self.
Mainstream cosmetics brands have always been trying to get a slice of the pie in the men’s grooming segment, but it is uncommon for guys to check their facial outlook (with the exception of hair) under social norms. Viewers of South Korean television know that make-up is used to enhance their features on screen and there’s a reason why Korean male celebrities are adored by many women of all ages around the world.
To say that make-up is made exclusively for women is sexist. Sure, advertisements, spokespersons and physical packaging are usually female-focused. UK-based online fashion retailer ASOS has even created a grooming tutorial called ‘How to do natural make-up for men’, which garnered more than 750,000 views on Facebook. Its ASOS Face + Body range is gender- neutral and promoted with models of both sexes in its online campaigns. French Fashion powerhouse Chanel has recently announced a male make-up line called Boy de Chanel, which will be available in most cities in February 2019. Nothing outlandish about this, so feel free to take baby steps. We spoke to award-winning make-up artist Larry Yeo on the existence of men-specific make-up.
ESQ&A WITH AWARD-WINNING MAKE-UP ARTIST LARRY YEO
ESQ: What do you think is the purpose of make-up to men? Is it similar for women, that it’s used to conceal blemishes and improves one’s appearance?
LARRY YEO: Make-up is make-up and it doesn’t recognise any gender. That said, you’re right that make-up helps improve one’s current look and cover up any blemishes to create an illusion of better skin. But make-up can also be used for role play, to channel who you are. Be it a K-pop star, a rocker or a bronzed-up Ken doll, the decision is up to the user.
ESQ: There seems to be an uproar on men-specific make-up. Why do you think not many companies are not making it unisex?
LARRY YEO: There has always been make-up that is targeted at men. One of the countries that kick-started this is Japan since the mid-1990s. Then Jean Paul Gautier had a beautiful but chunky men range. Now, you’ve Korean brands pushing their make-up on K-pop male celebs. Chanel has also jumped onto the bandwagon too, because… well, because they can. If there’s an uproar, it’s because people are feeling too ‘woke’ that they need the validation of being ‘lit’. Various professionally focused make-up brands like MAC, MakeupForever, NARS… they put their product in gender-neutral packaging so anyone can use it. But the bottom line is that there’s make-up for men because of sales.
ESQ: What about the stigma associated with men using make-up?
LARRY YEO: It’s only a taboo by conservatives who still hold onto the tired ideal that make-up is only meant for females. It’ll become commonplace thanks to Hollywood male celebs obviously wearing make-up (have you seen them without any on normal days?) and K-pop’s global influence. The men section at the make-up aisle will only grow as the pressure to look good and youthful takes precedence in the workplace and social life.
ESQ: Gender norms are an obstacle so how does one approach make-up without being tagged as feminine?
LARRY YEO: Start off small. Start with something like concealer under the eyes. Once it’s applied correctly,
the compliments will flow in; people become very receptive to it. And people should just think of make-up as akin to putting on clothes. You put it on and you take it off.
ESQ: From your experience, how receptive are men towards make-up?
LARRY YEO: They’ve always have been receptive. When I worked the retail floor in the early 2000s, many men were already buying make-up to hide the dark circles under their eyes or to conceal the love bites on the neck or to mattify their oily skin.
ESQ: Has make-up for men been around for long? Was it ever underground?
LARRY YEO: Make-up has never been underground! [It’s] just that men choose to deny it.
ESQ: What are some make-up products that are essential for men?
LARRY YEO: Under-eye concealer, redness concealer, a skin mattifying product and brow gel. All these take less than five minutes to apply.
ESQ: What’s the future of men’s make-up?
LARRY YEO: We can expect to see more selection in the men’s market. It can only grow.
