Men’s make-up: the great debate

August 04, 2021

Skin, Unfiltered

Contributor - Rob Chilton

In light of War Paint For Men opening the world’s first men’s make-up store in London, Project bYouty checks in with our men’s contributor, Rob Chilton, who asks, would you wear tinted moisturiser or concealer? It’s a no-brainer for him…

If you’d asked the 18-year-old me if I would consider using a smear of eye balm to get rid of dark circles and puffy bags caused by hours spent playing video games, I’d have run into my bedroom, shut the door, and fired up my Sega Mega Drive for another session of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Fast forward a few decades and, today, applying a soothing eye cream before I go to bed, or using a hydrating moisturiser loaded with vitamin E before I leave the house in the morning is as normal to me as brushing my teeth.

Make-up for men is surely just a continuation of the ‘conventional’ grooming products that we use every day such as facial scrub, moisturiser and post-shave balm.

We shouldn’t be scared of men’s make-up. Let’s strip away all the preconceptions about gender and get down to basics: make-up for men is a variety of gels, powders and lotions that have been designed to help men’s faces look better – simple as that. They have nothing to do with notions of masculinity, they’re cosmetics.

The packaging of men’s make-up currently on the market from the likes of hipster brands such as War Paint For Men looks great, while the products inside contain meticulously-researched and expertly-formulated premium ingredients. What’s not to like?

I admit, I might decline an eyebrow pencil (my bushy caterpillars are beyond taming and don’t need any more definition), but if we’re talking about a dab of concealer to disguise a honking zit on my nose or a smear of tinted moisturiser to take a few years off my sleep-deprived face… mate, hand it over.