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!!!!!
