Here's why men can - and should - wear makeup - Augustman
Augustman Logo
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
E-Magazine
Most Trending
Here’s why men can – and should – wear makeup
Most Recent
Here’s why men can – and should – wear makeup
Most Trending
Dior Gets Festive With Its New Chinese New Year Men’s Capsule
Most Recent
Catch The Hermès Autumn/Winter 2021 Show Live From Paris
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Most Trending
Shattered Faith. Broken Alliances.
Most Recent
Will Music Streaming Spell The End Of Radio As We Know It?
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Most Trending
Automotive Technologies That Will Help Drive The Cars Of The Future
Most Recent
Review: The Fourth-Generation Apple iPad Air Is The Ultimate Portable Workhorse
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Most Trending
Glenfiddich celebrates a prosperous Chinese New Year
Most Recent
Sip On These 5 Cocktails That Are Under 200 Calories
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Most Trending
Detourism: Can The Past Year’s Lessons Teach Us To Become Better Tourists?
Most Recent
See Singapore Through Fresh Eyes With These Unique Tours And Experiences
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Most Trending
Razer Has Created A Futuristic Face Mask Equipped With Built-In Microphones And Lighting Effects
Most Recent
Free Workout Apps That Will Help You Smash Your 2021 Weight-Loss Goals
  • Fitness
  • Health
Most Trending
AUGUSTMAN Singapore: Free Digital Issues For The Next 3 Months
Most Recent
Uncover Mindful Living with AUGUSTMAN x LIFESTYLEASIA
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
  • sg
    • MY
    • SG
  • Search
Here’s why men can – and should – wear makeup
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Style
Catch The Hermès Autumn/Winter 2021 Show Live From Paris
Style
Dior Gets Festive With Its New Chinese New Year Men’s Capsule
Style
Lance Patterson, CEO Of Penhaligon’s, Shares All About The Brand’s Timeless Heritage And Success
Augustman Logo
sg
Here’s why men can – and should – wear makeup
Back
All  Style
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Back
All  Culture
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Back
All  Gear
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Back
All  Food & Drink
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Back
All  Travel
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Back
All  Wellness
  • Fitness
  • Health
Back
All  AM Select
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
E-Magazine
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Style

Here’s why men can – and should – wear makeup

Xiangjun Liao
03 Sep 2018
Article Hero Image
Trending Now
Review: The Fourth-Generation Apple iPad Air Is The Ultimate Portable Workhorse
GearRead More
Catch The Hermès Autumn/Winter 2021 Show Live From Paris
StyleRead More
Sip On These 5 Cocktails That Are Under 200 Calories
Food & DrinkRead More
Will Music Streaming Spell The End Of Radio As We Know It?
CultureRead More
What's up in the world of fashion, jewellery and watches? Sign up to receive it all.

So the news that high fashion house Chanel is releasing a makeup line for men (Boy de Chanel) is a clarion on more than one front. The brand has historically specialised only in women’s clothing and accessories. Outside of a few niche items per season, capsule collections and fragrances, they’ve largely cleaved to this philosophy, and have even had to issue the occasional statement that they are not intending to focus on men or menswear.

That the billion-dollar fashion house is gently breaking suit with a dedicated makeup range, of all things, is a powerful statement that is indicative of two things. One: us guys are, collectively, becoming big spenders on fashion, enough to perhaps justify getting more than a shared floor in certain department stores. Two: cracks in the traditional definition of masculinity are showing, like cheap makeup under the Singapore sun – at least, enough to warrant earth-shattering business decisions by one of the industry’s biggest players.


The packaging certainly looks masculine enough. When’s the last time you saw lip balm in black casing?

Well, call me a traditionalist, but as with a good section of males out there, the concept of putting on makeup has been dismissed without hesitation.

Now, to be fair, I’m not the most-image conscious guy imaginable. I’ve let myself (and all my old suits) go over the last four years – ask any of my colleagues, past and present. It’s jeans every day of the work week and berms on the weekends. Most days I come to the office bleary-eyed with Guile-level bedhead, and only crush the hair into submission after my morning cuppa.

What I’m driving at is: I am close to the epitome of laziness in grooming, and here a gent named Peter Khor is changing my mind about makeup. Khor’s a highly-regarded makeup artist with more than two decades of experience, and his hands have worked the visages of international superstars and supermodels like Fan Bing Bing, Alexa Chung and Du Juan.

(Read also: Many men are leading the charge on the male makeup front. )

There’s royalty in there, too – he counts Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece among former clients. The list rolls on. A huge slice of the local glitterati are his personal friends by now. Starstruck by proxy, I shake those hands twice more during the interview. That these A-listers repeatedly entrust him with their livelihood speaks to his skill with million-dollar canvases and associated paints.

Khor works a model’s face during Takashimaya’s launch of its reworked Beauty Hall (coinciding with its 25th anniversary celebrations.) The seasoned veteran employed Three’s A/W makeup collection to achieve an editorial concept, “Cosmic Wild Child.”

And here he is with me at a Takashimaya beauty counter, breaking down the pseudo-taboo of male makeup that’s lifted in the western world and certain bits of East Asia. “Being a man – that’s something inside of you. It doesn’t matter whether you have makeup on or not. If you’re man enough – you’re man enough to do anything,” opines Khor.


“Being a man – that’s something inside of you. It doesn’t matter whether you have makeup on or not.”


Nowhere is this principle more starkly illustrated than during bridal shoots, says Khor. Some grooms make a show of refusing makeup in front of the bride, while others don’t feel the need to assert masculinity quite as much, and gamely do what’s best for the photos. “The more you worry about having makeup on, well, (I think) it just means you are, in fact, more ‘sissy’.”  Touche.

But far from recommending that men dive deep into the intimidating sea of products, Khor advocates just picking up two to three simple practices and tools that will make a world of difference (details below). And they’re all apparently easy as sin to work into the morning wash-up. Yet, why would I do that on non-bridal-shoot days?

“Making up is a form of professionalism and (a way to show) respect,” Khor explains. “You want to be presentable to your bosses, clients or subordinates. When you know show that you know how to take care of yourself, you’ll inspire confidence… or be entrusted with good (assignments).”

Gaining an edge in the workplace? Now that’s a cold-hearted spiel many could find more appealing than servicing vanity. I instantly ask for the shortcuts, lout that I am. Here are the three simplest (yet most impactful) steps a guy can begin with.


01: Grab an eyebrow pencil, or groom it

We raise an eyebrow at Khor’s number one priority for the male face, but that’s precisely why he ranks it so highly – the impact of full, shapely eyebrows is often severely underrated. “For guys with lighter eyebrows, you will always look tired or haggard, even if you are not! With well-groomed eyebrows, you will always look very sharp, focused and stunning.” Colouring it in with a pencil is also hard to notice.

Conversely, those gifted with luxurious tufts should visit a beauty counter or specialist, and learn how to keep it neat and in check.

 

Full, focused brows lend intensity and definition to the face.

 

02: Apply light amounts of the right foundation

“Maybe just one palm of foundation, and spread it over the face.” Pick one that is slightly darker than your skin tone – most men don’t like appearing too pasty anyway. Do note – foundation is only there to even up the skin tone. It is no substitute for concealer.

If you do venture into using concealer but have no idea where to start, tackle your undereye issues first.

03: A little bit of lip balm goes a long way

A male essential, especially in today’s world, according to Khor. We can see why – copious amounts of alcohol, fried food and air-conditioned offices don’t do favours for the smacker.

“Chapped lips are awful when you speak to people. Imagine you’re at a presentation (or meeting with clients). It’ll just distract them.”


These products happen to make up the Boy de Chanel line. Coincidence? Well, Khor has recommendations for those not looking to start at the high end.

“Korean brands are a great go-to. Laneige and Sulwhasoo, for example.” Among the brands launching at Takashimaya, Tom Ford and Japanese brand Three, with a dedicated men’s skincare line, have thrown up a presence as well. Score one for the modern-day gent.

 

chanel
Makeup
Takashimaya
#TakashimayaSG
Peter Khor
Boy de Chanel
Trends
Xiangjun Liao
XJ is the associate digital editor and works the F&B, tech, watch and motoring beats. Correspondingly, he's an alcoholic carnivore with a boyish fascination for all things mechanical. No prizes for guessing which Jaguar he wishes to commandeer.
Talk to Me About:
Technology
gaming
alcohol
restaurants
cars
Watches

Up Next For You

Keeping Time: Here Are Our Watch Resolutions For 2021
Shatricia Nair
Style
Luxury Watches To Welcome The Year Of The Ox
Richard Augustin
Style
Shawn Stussy x Dior B27 Is The '90s Throwback Sneaker You Want Right Now
Richard Augustin
Style
Nike Has Released Its First Self-Lacing Air Jordan Shoes
Richard Augustin
Style
What's up in the world of fashion, jewellery and watches? Sign up to receive it all.
×
Where are you?
Tell us so we can display what you want to see.
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
Malaysia Singapore
Advertise About Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
© 2021 Copyright Augustman