Makeup used to be reserved for women for hundreds of years. However, now everything starts to change. Obviously makeup for men is not very popular all around the world, but there are more an more brave men who decide to apply makeup. If not every day, so at least for some big occasions. Is this trend something that will catch on and stay with us forever? Why do people think that makeup is reserved only for women? In this article you’ll find a bit of history connecter with men’s makeup and some references to the present. If you’re interested whether this trend will be accepted by all and become something normal – read this article through.
History of makeup for men.
As you can easily figure out the history of men and makeup is long and complicated. The fact that for thousands of years men stopped doing makeup has its reason. It is inextricably linked to the changing faces of masculinity throughout history. Men used to love to decorate their faces. The Egyptians wore smoky eye, the Greeks loved eye creams, the Romans made manicures out of pig's blood, and the British decorated themselves with blue paint to scare their enemies. Over time, the definition of masculinity has narrowed. At the end of the 20th century, men's makeup began to be considered as something not normal, even unusual and transgressive. In previous decades, the exceptions were David Bowie turning into Ziggy Stardust, Prince with cat-like features, or Brian Eno with multi-colored eyeshadow. However “normal” men weren’t supposed to wear makeup every day as women have been doing over all of these years.
As you can see, historically men’s makeup wasn’t anything special. However throughout the years and changing perspective the way of perceiving men’s makeup has developed a lot. Nowadays it is not obvious for a regular man to start a day with applying foundation or emphasizing his eyebrows with some shadows or pencil. Men’s makeup is still reserved more for actors, singers and other professions that appear on the stage. Will it change in the nearest future?
Will men start doing makeup?
Men's cosmetics account for only 1 percent of the market valued at $ 465 billion. Pretty little, don’t you think? But this trend is beginning to change. In the UK, as many as 15 percent of men under 45 years of age bought cosmetics for makeup. That shows that men start to come back to their roots. There are more and more youtubers who show their makeup techniques doing makeup on their own faces. This way they show others that makeup for men is nothing wrong, unless you are not pushed by anyone to wear it. Makeup for men will become more popular in the nearest future. Step by step men who want to apply makeup every day will come out of the closet and show the world their “real” faces. However, before this trend stays for a long time, there is something that a lot of men do regularly. It is skincare. What should men use to take care of their skin before they put any makeup on it?
Men’s skincare – how should it look like?
Each man should take care of his regularly. The best would be every day both in the morning and in the evening. The first step to do is to cleanse skin precisely. This is an important step for the whole skincare routine. If you don’t cleanse skin deeply, it won’t absorb any cosmetics that you apply afterwards. That is why use some gentle cleanser like micellar water, cleansing gel or a foam that will clean your skin with or without water. After that try to tone your skin. The toner regulates the pH level on your skin which is also essential for the rest of the process. Use some gentle toner, even if your skin is oily. The best choice will be the one without any alcohol, because it dries skin. He next step is to apply serum. It is optional, buy obviously it is worth using. Why? It is more effective that any face cream and helps your skin regenerate. You can choose serum with vitamin C or hyaluronic acid. After that apply a face cream that will moisturize your skin both in the morning and in the evening. You can also apply an eye cream if you want to take care of this very thin and delicate skin. However, as with a serum, it is an optional element of your everyday skincare routine. In addition, from time to time, it is recommended to use some peeling to remove any dead skin cells and pollutions that remains on your face.
Bear in mind that the sooner you start taking care of your skin, the better results you get. If you’re not much into men’s makeup, at least try skincare. It will help your skin regenerate and look bright and healthy every day.