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CONCEALER, bronzer, self-tanner, eyeliner—it sounds like
a checklist of items in a woman’s makeup bag.
But they
could be items in, yes, a man’s makeup bag.
The last
decade saw the “metrosexual” phenomenon, with men paying
more attention to shopping, dressing and grooming. Now,
established companies known for makeup and skin-care
products for women are catering to the other gender with
products to push men’s style boundaries. Clinique has
nonstreak bronzer and concealer for men. Jean Paul
Gaultier, which is mostly a fashion house of haute
couture, has a two-in-one stick of concealer and
eyeliner, also known as “guyliner.” Pete Wentz, a member
of the musical group Fall Out Boy and husband to singer
Ashlee Simpson, has a line of guyliners called “WentzPentz.”
The new
products have some people proclaiming a new wave in
men’s grooming.
“Globally, the men’s grooming market continues to grow
as many men are striving to take better care of their
skin. The male consumer is becoming more informed about
the health of his skin and [how] to slow the affects of
aging,” says Megan Marsanico-Byrne, assistant manager of
Clinique Global Communications.
“Conventional men’s grooming lines usually offer a
one-size-fits-all approach...but Clinique Skin Supplies
for Men products, just like the women’s line, address
your particular needs, allowing you the same opportunity
as women to obtain that healthy, great-looking skin,”
she says.
Patty
Bunch, a celebrity makeup artist who has worked on
actors Halle Berry, Billy Crystal, Tony Danza and
Jennifer Aniston, says she knows men who dye their
lashes or wear waterproof mascara to give new dimension
to their lashes.
“Men are
finding that they can use skin-care products that
protect and enhance their skin. They can take away shine
and cover unwanted imperfections that keeps skin looking
natural, masculine and not ‘done up,’” Bunch says.
She
believes it only takes a few people to start a trend,
and cosmetics companies have begun trying it out at the
right time. Men can sample makeup by using undereye
products, such as antiaging serums and concealers, for
important business meetings and social events.
“The
truth of the matter is, women are taking advantage of
all the antiaging makeup and are looking fabulous, so
the men better catch up. A little extra help never
hurts,” she says.
And then
there are those who are embarrassed by the direction
cosmetics has taken.
Tyler
Thoreson, executive editor of men.style.com, the online
home of Details and GQ magazines, says he’s noticed “man
makeup” but doesn’t believe it’ll ever become popular.
In fact, he laughs at the suggestion.
“I think
it’s completely idiotic. It gives true men’s fashion and
men’s style a bad name. All of that should accentuate
your masculinity, not undermine it,” Thoreson says. He
acknowledges a demand for more grooming options for
men—almost $5 billion was spent in 2006 on male grooming
products, a 42-percent increase from 2001, says
Euromonitor, a London marketing and research firm.
But
Thoreson says there probably are very few guys who would
wear concealer or bronzer and stick with it.
“If one
of my friends showed up to my house wearing a Thom
Browne suit, I’d say, ‘Cool, pushing some boundaries,’”
Thoreson says.
“But if
he showed up wearing some bronzer, I’d say, ‘Hey, you
got something on your face.’” |
