makeup blog for men

Makeup for men is a strong trend in men's beauty today. Moreover, there are many tutorials on Youtube in particular to teach men how to apply makeup, or to give them makeup advice. And it goes in all directions: either a very discreet make-up, or a very exuberant, very colorful make-up made by real make-up artists (and who are enormously followed by women). But makeup for men, although we hear more and more about it today, is not new.

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In ancient Egypt, men applied kohl around their eyes as evidenced by paintings that have managed to resist time. And of course, during the various French monarchies, the men of the court did not hesitate to wear makeup in a very obvious, very visual way, in particular by applying white powder to the face (a white face was considered the face of a man of high society, in contradiction with the tanned faces of the peasants, who work outdoors). Then, once the era of Louis XVI passed, French men stopped wearing makeup, it no longer entered into the codes of masculinity, of virility. Make-up is therefore not new among men, but yet, in recent years, there has been a real boom.

The recent history of men's makeup

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There have been many attempts at men's beauty brands that have entered the men's makeup market. We can of course mention the Jean-Paul Gaultier brand which, almost 20 years ago now, in 2003, launched a wide range of make-up products for men in partnership with Sisheido, the Japanese brand. A range of products, called "All beautiful, all clean" which has had some success since it sold more than a million make-up products in the 1st year. A real success. This range of make-up included among other things:

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• a mattifying sun powder, sold in a box with its shaving brush

• three shades of lip balms

• a shiny gloss

• a kohl pencil and concealer

• nail polish.

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If there is a brand that could launch men's makeup in France, it was Jean-Paul Gaultier, who had previously paraded men in skirts. This range of makeup for men was very masculine in its packaging, very sober, black, because the idea was not to offer a flashy and colorful range. No, the brand's goal was to provide straight male enhancement products that are sensitive to their appearance. Thus any vocabulary specific to make-up was to be avoided. Thus, lip balms, even if they looked a lot like lipsticks, should not be called "lipstick" but "pigmented lip balm". Then in 2008, the range was reworked and renewed, particularly in terms of textures. A range that still exists today.

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Today, the major brands of cosmetics for men now offer make-up products, pardon embellishment, for men. We can thus cite Erborian or Biotherm Homme, which offer a BB cream, or even the luxury brands Chanel or Givenchy.

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Makeup for men is becoming more democratic

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Because yes men are no longer afraid to reveal their part of femininity. They no longer hesitate to take certain products from their girlfriend to hide certain imperfections in their skin or to look better. And this affects all men today.

Nevertheless, it is still today necessary to avoid talking about make-up for men. The term make-up has indeed, in France and in Europe, a too feminine connotation, and men are not yet ready to use this term. We will therefore rather talk about beautification products rather than makeup products for men. Even if the purpose remains the same: to make up, and therefore hide, what they don't want to show: dark circles, redness, pimples, gray complexion...

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Because French men are now ready to buy products of this type to show themselves more beautiful. Not only men are now aware that appearing beautiful, prepared, is more and more important today. You have to have a neat haircut, a well-shaven beard, a look. The repercussions can be great in the professional field in particular: many studies have shown that taking care of yourself has a real impact on a professional career. Thus, men no longer hesitate to take care of themselves, of their skin:

• they buy many beauty products (serums, moisturizer, anti-aging care, etc.)

• they do not hesitate to enter beauty salons for special care (massage, exfoliation, hair removal, etc.)

• these are increasingly important customers for spas and other thalassotherapy centres.

• they become as important as women in cosmetic surgery centers to erase the signs of time (peeling, botox, lifting, etc.)

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Today, men no longer hesitate to show that they take care of themselves, it is no longer a taboo subject. And especially among the younger generation. And yes, taking a selfie or showing off on social networks is important today, and you have to show yourself in your best light. So makeup for men is only one element of this new trend among men. It is therefore not surprising to see more and more brands offering make-up ranges for men, such as Chanel with its Boy line or Givenchy with its Mister line.

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The rules of makeup for men

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It's one thing that men are putting on more and more makeup for men, but you should know that the use they will make of it will not be at all the same as women. Indeed, makeup for men is based on certain rules:

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Makeup for men must remain discreet

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Discretion is rule number 1! Men agree to apply makeup on the condition that it must remain discreet . Concretely, it should not be seen that makeup has been applied, it must be invisible. Concretely, the man must not have thought that he would have applied make-up. So of course, on social networks such as Instagram or TikTok, you will see some men applying very colorful makeup, especially around the eyes. Attention, we are here on men who have an artistic vision of make-up, even who do not find themselves in any gender, and therefore the male gender.

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Thus, make-up for men must be invisible and therefore take on, in terms of color, the complexion of the skin or hair, beard and eyebrows.

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Men's makeup for a healthy glow

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This is somewhat the counterpart of the previous point. If men decide to apply men's makeup, it's simply to look better . Bulk :

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• to hide fatigue, especially around dark circles

• to hide a dull or gray complexion

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But makeup for men will also mainly be used in men to hide skin imperfections , such as small red spots or pigment spots that may appear on the forehead and cheeks. This can also help mask rosacea in the nostrils.

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How to make up when you're a man?

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Are you a man and want to apply makeup for men? Here are our tips for knowing how to wear make-up when you're a man, with a view to discretion and to look better, look brighter.

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Hide your dark circles

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If there is one element on the face on which you must linger, it is your dark circles. Moreover, many men try to hide their dark circles, to have a fresher look, a less tired face. But be careful, do not apply your concealer product in any way! Here are my tips:

• you should buy a concealer product that is slightly lighter in color than your skin tone, or skin tone. If you take a darker color, of course it will be clearly visible. You can buy a concealer intended for women.

• Apply a small amount of concealer to the inner corner of the eye, near the nose.

• to apply I advise you to tap with the tip of your finger to better penetrate the product and make it look natural. So don't apply a concealer like you apply a moisturizer.

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Even out your complexion

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In addition to dark circles, you can also apply foundation. So, as with any makeup product, you can buy makeup products for women, there's no worries. It is true that the make-up man exclusively dedicated to men is still relatively small, and the products rather expensive. The foundation will allow you to unify your complexion and therefore hide any imperfections you may have (spots, couperose, etc.). But be careful to apply it well, because if you put too much, you could have an absolutely unnatural powdery effect.

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• I advise you to choose a fluid foundation rather than a powder foundation to be applied with a sponge. This will not only be more convenient to apply, but the result will also be more natural.

• take the same complexion as your skin color. Do not take a foundation with a color darker than your skin, at the risk that it turns into a self-tanner!!

• apply a very small layer of foundation, starting from the middle of the face and ending on the outside.

• so that the application is natural and that those around you do not see that you have applied it, also apply it to the level of the front root of your hair and on the neck.

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work on your gaze

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Another type of men's makeup you can do is work on your eyes to make them look brighter. But above all, to better highlight your eyes. It is true that the look is a part of the face that is not yet taken into account by men when they take the plunge to wear makeup. Surely because it is necessary to use a mascara, and it is still a product that has a very strong feminine connotation.

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The mascara will have a double advantage:

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• open your eyes, better highlight your eyes

• lengthen eyelashes. If you have short eyelashes, this can be a good thing because it will give depth to your look.

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But be careful to choose it well, because applying mascara can be very noticeable: if you have brown hair, opt for black mascara. If you have blonde hair, opt for a mascara bun. Know that there are transparent mascaras, which will just allow you to lengthen the eyelashes while keeping your natural color.

Then for the application, you are going to have to brush your upper lashes starting from the root and then bringing the brush back to the pint.

Makeup products for men

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Makeup products for men all have a certain particularity: discretion! This is the main word to respect when talking about makeup for men. Moreover, if we take a good look at the make-up products offered by the brands to this target, we will not see any flashy color, any visible product. This must remain as discreet as possible, and not be seen. It would therefore be inappropriate in France to say to a man: you put on foundation today. And also far from the idea of seeing a man take his make-up out in the restroom of a restaurant or a bar to get a little touch-up! No, they do it very discreetly in their bathroom, out of sight.

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In make-up products for men, we will find the following products:

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Self-tanner as makeup for men

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Self-tanning: this is certainly the treatment most used by men when winter arrives to mask a complexion that is too white, a pale complexion and find colors that will enhance the complexion. Personally, for example, I use ClarinsMen's self-tanning Booster tan, which for me is the best self-tanning product. It does not leave an orange color on the skin.

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Good-looking powders as make-up for men

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Good-looking powders: to give a boost to a bad look quickly, this is certainly the most effective make-up product for men. Be careful, however, not to put too much and have a powdery effect on the skin. A powdery effect that men hate.

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Lip balms as makeup for men

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Lip balms: to moisturize the lips and prevent you from having chapped lips . A gesture still very little made by men today (except when they go skiing!). Be careful, the lip balm must not have a gloss effect!

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BB cream as makeup for men

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BB creams for men , lightly tinted moisturizing creams that will give a beautiful complexion immediately, in a very discreet way (no powder applied to the face).

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Other makeup products for men

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The list of makeup products for men is long and is getting longer as men take care of themselves and are no longer afraid to confess that they use such products. As well as more specific products:

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• mattifying sticks, to have a better skin texture and erase the shiny effect of combination or oily skin.

• eyebrow gels, to offer a plain and well-drawn eyebrow.

• blemish correctors to hide redness or pimples, or to be applied to very specific areas of the face.

• mascara to better highlight the eyebrows or hide holes in the beard.

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makeup brands for men

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But brands are completely launching into men's make-up, offering very advanced product lines, like the English brands MMUK or ALTR London. I had the opportunity to do a test of the MMUK men's make-up brand recently, which has become somewhat of a benchmark in this market. It offers concealer sticks for men, mascara, palettes for men in several shades, liquid foundations for men who already have some knowledge of how to apply makeup, etc.

I can also mention the Recipe For Men brand, of which I recently wrote an article entitled my anti-dirty glow routine with Recipe For Men men's makeup , which, in my opinion, offers the best blemish correctors.

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My selection of makeup products for men

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It is a fact today, more and more men are using makeup for men. It is no longer a taboo subject at all, men do not hesitate to take make-up products from their girlfriend or wife. They put on foundation, they use CC creams, even BB creams. More and more men are also using concealers to hide their skin imperfections, such as redness or pimples. Many brands have entered the men's make-up market, such as Chanel with its Boy line or Guerlain recently with its Mister line. But specific brands for men offer a wide selection of men's makeup products, such as Recipe For Men or MMUK.

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As more and more of you are asking me for makeup tips for men, here is my selection of makeup products for men.

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Clarins Tanning Booster, self-tanning for men

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It must seem strange to you to see a self-tanner for men in my selection of men's makeup products. Yes, but hey, self-tanner for men is considered makeup for men. The reason is that men seek above all discretion when they wear makeup. Also, the purpose of men's makeup is to look good and hide skin imperfections. The self-tanner for men is therefore the ideal product to get a healthy glow, quickly. I chose the Clarins Tanning Booster because it is very easy to use, practical and really gives my face a healthy glow. I wrote an article after testing Clarins Booster Bronzant self-tanner for men .

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