Eyelure False Lashes For Men - Just a Publicity Stunt?!

I have written a couple pieces over the last few months about the latest craze with 'Man-Make-Up' that is exploding all over the cosmetic counters these days! We now have 'Manscara' & 'Guyliner', not to mention a fairly extensive range of cleansing products as well concealers & bronzers now available to men, however I was pretty surprised to see these new False Eyelashes by Eyelure for men! The main difference is that they have an invisible strip to make them seem as natural as possible, if I'm being honest I think it's maybe a little OTT to say the least! I don't know of many men that will feel the need for false lashes, male grooming products defintely have their place in the market & will only become more popular, but these particular items are purely about the marketing buzz to get us talking about the brand rather than men actually buying them.... So will they be a sell out when they hit the shops this month (??), probably as I don't imagine that many will actually be on the shelves in the first place, however the rest of their range will certainly see a boost in sales after all their free publicity!

Latest Craze with 'Guy-Liner'!!

Just launched from Superdrug is the latest offering in male grooming - cosmetics for men. 'Man Make-Up' is becoming quite a craze these days despite doubts that it actually take off, more and more cosmetic brands are creating a range for men. Superdrug's new range entitled 'Taxi Man' includes a pencil called 'Guy-Liner' & a mascara called, wait for it....'Manscara'! Very creative & fitting names but as mentioned before there are a lot of doubts about this catching on for the average male regardless of how image conscious & 'metrosexual' men are these days, Russell Brand & Robbie Williams might get away with it but it may take time for it to catch on in the high street or down the local pub!
Superdrug's director Jeff Wemyss commented on the the new brand - 'We believe there is a real market for cosmetic products. The majority of our customers are women and we believe that these products will be bought by women for their partners, as well as by men themselves'. The brand creator also remarked - 'We've developed essentials any guy would borrow from his other half. It's about subtle make-up rather than wanting to create the drag queen look.'
The guy-liner pencil is supposed to be chunkier making it easier for men to use, although the 'manscara' appears to be a repackaged form of the female equivalent... Still, only time will tell if these products will really be bought & used by our other halves..!!!
The Taxi Man range is available now from Superdrug.

Male Grooming - Man Make-Up!

Yesterday I was invited to talk on radio about the new craze in male grooming - 'Man Make-Up', it was on a football radio show believe it or not & they wanted to address the male attitude towards cosmetics these days...
It has been a well known fact that men have been stealing their girlfriend's moisturisers & concealers to cover up their spots for years, although none would admit to it! However with the emergence of more & more specialised male product ranges, it makes it a little easier for our men to come out the cosmetic closet & take an open pride in their appearance! Boxed up in a masculine & sleek style these products feel acceptable for the modern man to pick up on his shopping trip to Boots! Of course whilst face creams, exfoliators & eye creams are becoming a lot more acceptable, the issue of 'Man Make-Up is still a little taboo, Russell Brand may carry off this look with style but I'm not sure most men would feel the need...! Although the make-up ranges offered for men are based around light & natural make-up which is to 'enhance' rather than look obvious, such as a concealer to cover up dark circles under the eyes or shaving nicks & spots, also a mattifying product in an invisible powder or gel to get rid of any unwanted shiny noses or foreheads (!!), plus some ranges include a bronzer as well as eyebrow defining pencils & gels, eye liner (or 'guy-liner' as some would say!) as well as lip balm! All of these are specifically designed for men & are set to become a huge success with more & more male celebrities openly admitting to using them such as Justin Timberlake, Johnny Depp & even Barrak Obama!
Men the same as woman feel the need to hide to odd spot or dark circles after a late night, especially if they have an important meeting to go to or an event, I predict it'll defintely become common place for men to have a little pot of concealer tucked away in their cosmetic cabinets!
There are many ranges out just now, Jean Paul Gaultier was the first to release a make-up line for men with his 'Monsieur' range (pictured above), which was recently featured in GQ & includes all the make-up products mentioned above, and more recently Clinique have launched their 'M-Concealer' designed for Men as well as No7 & Biotherme offering a male make-up range, and believe me it won't be long until most cosmetic brands are following suit to meet this new market! So we all now know what will be the stocking fillers this Christmas!!!!!