Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video, we're going to discuss
the concept of men's makeup and whether or not you should introduce this into your styling regimen.
♪ The Gentleman's Gazette theme song ♪
Now, it surprises many people to learn that men have been wearing makeup for
most of recorded history. And while this may not be as common today, shifting
views on gender norms have increased interest in men's cosmetics, both as a
form of personal expression and to look one's best. Now, in this video, we'll
discuss the latter and cover a brief history of men's makeup
before introducing you to some makeup types, brands, and techniques. By the end of this
video, you'll have all the information you need on whether to try men's makeup
for yourself. Men have worn makeup throughout history and a variety of cultures for a
myriad of reasons. Now, these include ancient Egyptians who lined their eyes
with coal and ancient Babylonians and Incans who painted their nails as status
symbols. Noblemen in Asia and early modern Europe who wore face powder for a
fair complexion. And ancient Greeks and Romans who used ochre and iron gall to
paint their lips and cheeks to appear younger. There were also social forces at
work that criticized men for wearing makeup. Religious and secular authorities
sometimes associated makeup with the effeminacy, decadence, vanity, or
homosexuality. And this was especially true during the reign of Queen Victoria,
whose policies against male makeup led to its decline in Europe and in North America.
After World War I, men's makeup largely disappeared in the Western world
outside of the dramatic arts. Performers were makeup to become more visible and
to account for stage lighting, and this carried over to the silver screen. In the
second half of the 20th century, politicians, actors, and other prominent
men wore makeup at public events. As we move further into the 21st century,
makeup for men is becoming more and more common in many regions. Should you
consider wearing it? Now, that being said, some people still find it inappropriate
for men to wear makeup, often believing it to be girly or indicative of
homosexuality. Just like with people who think of dressing up as strange.
You shouldn't let others' feelings dictate what you would like to do. Now, it might
interest you to know that both Raphael and Preston do wear makeup from time to
time in videos on this channel. Unfortunately, my skin was a little bit
too flawless to put me on for this video, sorry! So, we understand that it can
sometimes feel daunting to try something that people will feel is unmanly or wrong.
But, it is important to keep in mind makeup isn't for gay gentleman or
straight gentleman and it isn't for masculine gentlemen or effeminate
gentlemen. It is for any gentleman who just simply wants to wear makeup. It also
means if you're not interested in wearing makeup, that's perfectly alright
as well. But, if you're thinking that makeup is something you like to try,
how would you get started? What you need to know prior to getting started with
makeup. Men wear makeup for different reasons, from non-conformance to creative
expression. In today's video, we're going to focus on what is called "corrective cosmetics."
Makeup used for creative expression is well covered by many other
channels. Corrective cosmetics uses makeup to correct or enhance the natural
appearance of the face. By "correction," we mean covering up anything that you
prefer to have more seamlessly blend in with the rest of your skin. This includes
dark circles under the eyes, zits and pimples, scars, hyperpigmentation (also
called dark spots), and of course, redness. Now, ideally, this makeup will make it
look like you're not wearing any makeup at all. Now, to achieve a natural look,
you'll need makeup that works with your natural skin tone. Now, this will require
knowing some basics about your skin and buying the right kind of makeup and tools.
Now, here's the process. First, determine your skin type. Now, if you have
dry skin, you will typically have small pores and a matte complexion. You may be
prone to redness and visible lines. If you have oily skin, you may have larger
pores and a shiny complexion. You may be prone to acne and other blemishes. If you
have balanced or normal skin, this means you are neither particularly oily nor
particularly dry. And if you have combination skin, this means you have
some combination of the above, usually in different quadrants of your face. So, for instance,
an oily t-zone and dry cheeks. Next, let's determine your skin tone.
Now, this refers to the particular shade of your skin. Many cosmetics are tinted to
match your skin tone. It's very important to get this part right. Just a few shades
off can be very noticeable. If you have a warm undertone, this means that there's a
greenish, yellow, or peachy undertone. If you have a cool undertone, this means
that your skin has a bluish undertone. And if you have a neutral undertone.
This means you can't really discern if you have a blue, green, yellow, or gold
undertone and there's simply nothing present that you can make out. But, that's
okay. It's simply a neutral skin undertone. Now, if possible, we suggest
getting professional help. The makeup departments in most major department
stores and malls and specialty retailers like Sephora,
Ulta, or MAC. They have staff that will be happy to help you select makeup that
will match your skin tone. Now, you will not be the only man interested in makeup
in these stores. If you aren't able to visit a storefront or prefer to do this
yourself, many cosmetic brands offer online services for matching. Make sure
the retailer will allow you to return lightly used products. Colors can look
different on your skin than on the swatch. Remember, whenever testing, buying,
or applying makeup, remember to see how it looks under different light sources;
in particular, both artificial and natural light. Next, choose the makeup
type that best suits your skin type and needs. Typically, concealers come in
liquids or creams. Liquids typically offer light to medium coverage because
the product is thinner. These work well for all skin types. They typically come
in a tube container with a doe foot wand. Creams are thicker and often have a more
waxy texture. They typically can be applied more thickly and, therefore, offer
greater coverage and more longevity when compared to a liquid. Creams are less
compatible with dry skin, but work well with oily skin. They come in pots, sticks,
and pans, depending on the brand. The more contrast there is between the blemish
you like to cover and your skin, the more coverage you're going to need. But, take
into account, the higher the coverage, the harder it is to maintain a natural look.
Next, choose a translucent setting powder if your skin is combination or oily or
if you simply want another layer. Next, shop for the makeup. Male cosmetics is a
burgeoning industry and many new startups focus on makeup exclusively for men.
These products are specially formulated with male needs in mind, like
thicker dermis, variable sweat production, more oiliness, and hormones that create a
rougher skin texture. These brands carry everything you need for a basic
concealed look, but can be limited when it comes to the number of shades.
They also tend to favor cream formulations. These can sometimes be too heavy for
certain skin types like dry skin. Check out Stryx, Formen, Altr, War Paint, and
Menaji. None of these brands carry more than five shades. Most only carry three.
They are all cream products. And getting the shade wrong is the worst mistake you can make
It will make it obvious you're wearing bad makeup. Many brands have
created special lines geared towards wider audiences. Consider Tom Ford
products, specially designed for men. Or Glossier and Fenty, whose products are
marketed as unisex and come in an impressive shade range. Finally, makeup
that is marketed toward women can work perfectly well on men's skin and there's
a lot more variety. But, keep in mind, products not marketed toward men may
have features you may not want. For example, a fragrance or a luminous or
shiny finish. But, consider also that existing makeup brands tend to be better
established and have wider selections than male cosmetics-exclusive lines.
Some examples would include NARS, Make Up For Ever, NYX, bareMinerals, Urban Decay,
Hourglass, and L'Oreal. These are all great places to start. Next, select the
application tools. There are three main ways to apply concealer.
These are: using your fingers, sponges, or using brushes. Fingers: you always have
them with you so they are, typically, the most convenient tool. Fingers can be
great for simple large area applications like under the eye
or over a large spot of redness. The heat of your skin helps melt and disperse the
product. But, they can be too big and clumsy for small blemishes. Sponges,
like fingers, do a great job of dispersing product. But, it's hard to get them to
thoroughly cover blemishes. That's why we recommend brushes as an excellent
concealer tool. There are many types of concealer brushes. But, we recommend four
kinds: detail brush, flat brush, small fluffy brush, and a large powder brush if
you decide to use powder. All four brushes will prepare you to cover almost
anything. But, you can get away with having just one small detail brush and
using your fingers to blend. First, carry out your normal skin care routine before
applying makeup. Start with a clean and moisturized face. Even if your skin is oily,
makeup will look patchy over dry areas. You can learn about some of our
favorites here. Select your concealer. Concealer as the name implies is great
for concealing blemishes. Select the liquid concealer for light or medium
coverage and a cream for high coverage. I would generally recommend liquid
concealers as is the easiest to use. Now, for pimples and scars, apply a small
amount of concealer onto your skin and into the problem area. Add this product
in layers. You want just enough of the product to conceal the blemish, but not
so much that the makeup is obvious. Blend by gently tapping with your ring finger
or a damp sponge. Now, don't rub. You'll simply lift away or disperse the product
too thinly. Blending is essential because an unblended patch of concealer might
not look as bad as a pimple, but it will be just as noticeable. And for bags under
your eyes, especially dark bags, consider applying a concealer that is one to two
shades darker than your normal skin tone. This will help neutralize the dark areas.
Dab two dots of concealer on the inside of the eye and one on the outside and
then, blend. Now, we recommend checking out Fenty's Pro Filt'r Concealer for its
range of shades, NYX's HD Concealer Wand for its light appearance, or the
extremely easy-to-use Stryx Concealer Tool. Because concealer tends to fall
into fine lines and wrinkles, consider only using it for problem areas.
Try to avoid applying it around the crow's feet at the edge of your eyes. Now, for larger
blemishes like redness, prominent pores,
or razor burn, consider using foundation. Now, please remember that you're going to
have to match your skin tone. Foundation can be a cream, a liquid, or even a powder.
But, we generally recommend a liquid. Now, some foundations are especially suited
for dry skin, often referred to as "beauty" or "blemish balm." And we recommend
offerings from Bobbi Brown or Altr. They offer great hydrating qualities and
blemish blurring. For oily skin or heavier hold, consider color correctors.
This provides a more even complexion. But, it will also be more noticeable.
Check out what Formen and bareMinerals have to offer. They offer products with great
coverage, but not too much weight. NARS, Urban Decay, and Hourglass all make
foundations for great general use. Now, with your ring finger, dab equally-sized,
fingerprint-sized portions on your forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin.
You should probably skip the chin if you have a beard. Pat the product in and blend with
your ring finger or a damp sponge. Apply any excess product to your neck or ears
or else the color contrast will be very noticeable. Now, to finish, you may want to
use a translucent finishing powder. If you have oily skin, finishing powder
removes shine. But, all gentlemen can benefit from powder as it will help keep
the makeup in place while also minimizing the appearance of the makeup
to begin with. It removes an overly smooth texture and makes it difficult to
see you're even wearing makeup at all. Consider L'Oreal Infallible or NYX's Finishing Powder.
They have great endurance and are nearly invisible on
the skin. Now, to apply, use a brush to dust it evenly over any makeup or any
areas that have shine. When finished, bearded gentleman will want to go over
their facial hair to ensure that there is no makeup or powder in the hair.
As mentioned, this is only an extremely basic makeup routine intended to
diminish blemishes. Now that we've told you how to apply makeup, we should also
tell you how to take it off. Don't sleep in your makeup. This can dry out your
skin and clog your pores. Now, thankfully, removing makeup is a lot faster than
applying it. Now, just wash your face with a makeup remover. While brand names can
have some added benefit, any makeup remover will do. Micellar water is an
industry standard for removing makeup. Use a generous amount of product and
don't scrub. Gently work the product into your skin and let it lift the makeup off.
Finish by cleansing your face with water and cleanser. Yes, another one.
Makeup remover is designed to dissolve makeup and remove most of it. But, you're going
to need a cleanser to completely remove it. And with that, you've learned the
basics of putting on and removing makeup. Now, we hope that today's video has
provided a good introduction to makeup. Now, we also hope that this makes you
feel empowered to give men's makeup a try if you feel it's right for you.
Now, today, I'm wearing a blue cable net sweater and a brown and white dress
shirt and green slacks, brown dress shoes, and brown shadow-stripe Fort Belvedere
socks. Check out the Fort Belvedere shop here for socks like these.
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