A controversial take for many, makeup for men has taken a surprisingly pleasant turn in the norms of society where individuals are more at liberty to choose how to carry themselves in a way that pleases them.
This applies to both men and women where the lines between gender specific clothing and styles have changed and many gender neutral elements have been added to both men and women fashion.
This includes makeup for men and women and a more androgynous form of clothing, implying greater equality. Makeup kits made specifically for men are being sold at famous brand stores, suited to their skin type and texture.
They include all the essentials for makeup for men that helps you in looking classy and masculine, all the while hiding your flaws and enhancing your features.
It all depends on how you are using the make up products, and the look you are trying to create with it.
Best Makeup For Men
Now that you have decided to undertake this journey, the product you choose for your makeup routine will be your next dilemma.
There’s a wide variety of products available, many of them are from known brands such as Chanel makeup for men, that have been selling make up since the last century.
You can go for a bold look or try something subtle, a zero makeup look that you can wear on a daily basis. The types of cosmetics have the power to make or break your look, so make sure you are using good quality makeup for men.
Here’s a list of products that you can keep in mind to give your men’s makeup game a head start.
Foundation Makeup For Men
Foundation is the first layer of makeup, and acts as the base product for all other make up that you apply afterwards. Make sure you have prepared your skin for the base to sit nicely and spread evenly.
You do not want a smudge here and there, where it is too much in some places while there are areas where the product hasn’t been applied at all. This causes your foundation to look patchy and unnatural.
The best way to counter this, is to first moisturize your skin well and then apply a primer. A primer makes it easy for the foundation to spread on your skin, blurs your pores and gives your foundation a nice finish.
There are many men’s makeup lines that have great quality primers including the Makeup Forever Step 1 Pore Minimizer Primer and the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, Blur Face Primer for normal skin.
The Neutrogena Healthy Skin Radiant Prime + Serum is a good choice if you are looking forward to brightening up your skin tone or even the Make Up For Ever Color Correcting Primer that reduces the yellowness of your skin’s undertones.
Natural Makeup For Men
The next step in makeup for men is applying the foundation. When buying your foundation, always test the shade on your neck since this is the area closest to your face.
Sometimes the tone of the face is a shade darker or lighter than the neck, which doesn’t create a good impression in male makeup, if the foundation is chosen according to the shade of your face.
You can either mix the foundation with the primer, or apply the primer first and the foundation on top of it, wouldn’t really make a difference.
However, do remember to keep your foundation light and blend it well with the help of a makeup brush or sponge, since a heavy layer will distort quickly and create an unnatural appearance.
Some of the best foundation men’s makeup products are Tom Ford Traceless Flawless Foundation Makeup Stick and the Stryx Men’s Foundation, which are available in a wide range of shades and help create the no makeup look for men.
The Best Liquid Concealers For Men
Concealers are one of the most crucial elements in makeup for men, and at most times those are all you need to cover up and look bomb. Liquid or cream concealers are both available, where the former has a lighter coverage as compared to the latter.
There are some factors that you might need to take into consideration while buying your concealer.
- Choosing Your Concealer
When choosing your concealer, you want to go for something subtle in men’s makeup, especially if it’s your first try. Avoid going for formulas that state brightening or illuminating, since these aren’t very helpful in creating a subtle look and aren’t safe for playing around.
It looks especially questionable when applied on blemishes since they can actually highlight them, rather than hiding them, if you don’t know how to apply it properly. There are a variety of concealers, to be used for different purposes, such as under the eye, to cover up blemishes, as well as for irritated skin.
Men’s Concealer For Dark Circles
Some of the best concealer for under eye includes Dior Backstage Flash Perfector Concealer, as well as the L’Oreal Paris True Match Eye Concealer, that conceals your dark circles and blends your under eye seamlessly with the rest of your skin tone. Tom Ford Men’s Concealer is also a cool choice for men who want to create a no makeup look.
Men’s Concealer For Blemishes
If you’re looking for a concealer to cover up your blemishes, then you want to look for something light to avoid clogging your pores, since thicker formulas with heavier coverage often lead to further problems for your acne.
Lighter weight concealers are mostly suited to covering up your blemishes, some of which are Fenty Beauty Pro, Instant Concealer as well as IT Cosmetics Breakout, Full coverage concealer.
Men’s Concealer For Irritated Skin
We all know how annoying the after burns and post shave rashes can get, and can be even harder to conceal.
First things first you’ll need to treat the bad boys properly, cooling them down with something soothing like aloe vera gel or aloe vera based product.
After they have tamed down, apply the Photogenic wand concealer, or Morphe Fluidity Color Correcting concealer.
They prove especially effective for hiding blemishes without distorting the skin further, and concealing any form of redness.
- Before You Purchase
Now that you know what kind of concealer you are looking for and you’ve done your search, it’s time for the next step; buying your concealer.
Since subtle makeup for men is all about looking as natural as possible, you want to pick a shade as close to your natural skin tone as possible. The staff at the stores will also be there to assist you, and give you advice on picking the right concealer for yourself.
You can also buy a concealer online, however it’s better to purchase in person since it will help you choose your concealer with more precision.
Always remember to try the concealer on your face and not anywhere else on your body, since the skin tone on various parts of your body may differ. Most stores allow returns and exchanges, so you can always change if you think it’s not the right shade for you
- How To Apply it
The application method depends on the purpose you are using it for. Whether you want to hide your dark circles, cover your blemishes or burns, each purpose requires a different method.
There are a few things that you’ll need to keep in mind, while applying your concealer.
Make sure your skin is moisturized and well hydrated, if you want the concealer to sit on your skin and blend better. If you are applying it on broken skin or blemishes, then you want the area to be relieved and cooled down before applying the concealer.
Apply one dot on the inner corner and the other on the outer corner of your eye. If you’re covering up a spot just dab it on the blemish and dab it a few times with the help of your finger or beauty blender. Having an oil based concealer will blend better
You want to be careful with a cream concealer, since you don’t want to apply too much. Remember, less is always more.
Dust it with a light layer of powder to settle it down.
And, there you have it. All your flaws gone away in a poof.
Not implying that having flaws is a bad thing, however it is a natural desire in humans to look their very best. So, why should guys be exempted from it?
Bronzer Or Contour To Add Emphasis
Now that you have got your complexion out of the way, you can now focus on enhancing your features and add more depth to your facial structure by contouring.
Contouring is essential after getting done with your first step of makeup, that is applying your foundation, since it flattens out your features, creating a blank canvas. This isn’t always obvious through the real eye, but can be seen through the camera which is why it is always better to double check by taking a selfie.
Powder contours and cream contours both are available for you to use in your men’s makeup routine. It also depends on your ability to handle either product, as well as your skin type and texture.
The Best Bronzer For Men
Powder contours are generally easier to use and blend such as the War Paint Bronzer, while the Stryx bronzing gel is a hydrating formula that works well and is a cool option to consider if you are looking for a cream contour that’s not too heavy.
How To Apply
The best way to contour your face is to first analyze your face and decide what features you want to accentuate.
Then, create an outline around these features and blend it with a beauty blender or makeup brush, but make sure you do it as neatly as possible.
You don’t want to create harsh lines all over your face but you also don’t want to create a messy painted face. Blend it inwards rather than outwards. This will avoid getting the product all over the place and allow it to do its job effectively.
Highlighter To Increase Brightness And Glow
The most fun part of makeup for men has arrived, boys. As we all know, highlighter has changed the makeup game ever since it came into the industry.
Its use was prominent in the makeup trends of 2022, what styles are in right now, as well as what we might witness in the coming new york fashion week 2023.
Guys who are new to makeup, might confuse this for shimmer. However, that’s a completely different thing and the term mostly applies to shimmer eyeshadow. Highlighter is added to the highest points of your face and further enhances your features, which were accentuated by contouring.
It also adds a certain glow and a ravishing touch to your makeup that you didn’t know you were missing.
Some of the best men’s makeup products available in the market are Tower 28 SuperDew Shimmer-Free Highlighter Balm, which is extremely hydrating, along with the liquid highlighter formula, Perricone Md No Makeup Highlighter, which you can use to create natural makeup for men, look.
Always Finish With A Setting Powder
Well gentlemen, this might be a big break for you but baking isn’t just reserved to the kitchen anymore. In fact, it is one of the steps considered integral in your makeup routine, where powder is used to set all the makeup in place.
Too Faced, Born This Way setting powder and Lancome Dual Finish Powder Foundation are some of the safest men’s makeup products to try, especially at the start of your makeup for men journey.
Formen, Translucent Powder To Banish Oil and Shine, is also a cool men’s makeup product , where the formula is designed, keeping in mind the type and texture of the men’s skin.
Remember, you don’t want an over baked cake at 350 F, so don’t over do it. You don’t even need to bake in the first place, you can just use the setting powder to dust your face loosely, to set your makeup in place.
However baking does give you an edge if you add it in your makeup routine, but it may be a step that you want to take once you’ve got some experience on your hands in makeup for men.
Brow Filler For Perfect Brows
One of the essential elements in eye makeup for men, are bomb brows. Brows frame your face and making sure they are perfect should not be underestimated in any way.
So make sure you have got your eyebrows tamed with Gentle Homme Men’s Clear Eyebrow Gel, and pencil, to fill in any missing spots. You can always outline your brows for extra sharpness, but you don’t want any harsh lines there.
Keep it simple and subtle for natural makeup for men, and remember to always brush your brows upwards with the spoolie rather than downwards. Doing the latter will create a droopy and old look.
Halloween Makeup For Men
One among many reasons to love Halloween is that everyone gets to have fun dressing up, and try new stuff, for once. This also applies to Halloween makeup for men, who don’t wear makeup in their usual routine, giving them a chance to shake their taboo to the core.
There are many kinds of makeup looks such as skull, joker or have some fun with SFX makeup for men and create a zombie or other gruesome look.
Experiment with your costume with different types of jackets and types of sneakers to make the most of your Halloween makeup for men.
You can look for inspiration in the 90s makeup look which was bold and unique in every way and just the perfect thing to try out if you can’t or don’t want anything too complicated but just enough to blend into Halloween celebrations.
FAQs
Which Makeup Is Best For Men?
It wouldn’t be prudent to ascribe one brand as the best makeup for men, since there are many awesome brands out there. However, one should make the effort to find good quality makeup and look out for products that are being sold at a price too good to be true. You can always try a new men’s makeup line, but make sure you keep the guidelines provided above in mind, as well as your skin type.
Can A Man Wear Makeup?
Why the hell not?! Makeup is (and should be) for anyone who wants to wear it. It is one of the forms of self expression, which applies to both men and women. If a man wants to wear makeup then there should be no one stopping him, not even the society.
How Do Men Apply Makeup?
You want your skin to be cleaned and moisturized before applying makeup. Apply primer to blur out your pores as well as make it easy for the foundation to blend on your skin. Next, put on a light layer of foundation, contour your features, and highlight to accentuate them further. Shape your eyebrows with a brow gel , add a dash of lipstick or lipgloss, dust your face with some powder to set it in place. And, voila! You’re all done!
Conclusion
Makeup for men isn’t just reserved for celebrities or men of the showbiz any more. More men are incorporating makeup as part of their daily routines, even if it’s just concealer under the eyes or a hint of gloss on the lips.
Whether it is a day at the office, a cute date in the evening, or even a casual day in your favorite street style brands, or sustainable fashion outfit, makeup can help you look cuter in an instant. However, it is important to remember that makeup is meant to enhance your natural beauty and not change your features.
You can try natural makeup for men and level up your game from there. Get your information and products right to really step into the realm of make up for men.
The fact that more men are wearing makeup with greater freedom is something to be celebrated rather than shunned. We’re all humans and we all reserve the right to look our every best.