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Temptalia Asks You - What do you think about men who wear makeup?
What do you think about men who wear makeup? Love it, don’t care, hate it? Can’t wait to find your male MAC shopping buddy?
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I’ve seen people it looked awful on, and then I’ve seem people who look really amazing with it. I think for most ‘normal’ men, IE those who aren’t going for the goth look, look best with groomed brows, a touch of mineral foundation, and sometimes, depending on the fella, a little smidgen of brown kohl liner.
But on some men it does just look overdone, and I think you really do need a certain face type/style to pull it off without looking silly.
I’m so envious of my boy’s brows. They’re basically perfect (at least for a man, I mean for a woman, they wouldn’t quite work!).
ME TOO! lol
It really bothers me only when their make-up looks better than mine!
LOL, Liz!!
I’m not a big fan & I wouldn’t like it if my other half wore any – saying that some men can pull off eyeliner really well.
I have to admit it would be annoying sharing my eyeliner with my boyfriend!
I personally don’t care if men wear makeup or not. If they look great with it on, then why not?
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with eyelashes. It’s like all the men I know have *beautiful* eyelashes!! My boyfriend has ridiculously long lashes with just the right amount of curl to it. It makes me want to put a coat or two of mascara.. haha =)
LOL, I totally agree. I *really* want my brother-in-law to wear mascara.
🙂
I know exactly what you mean, Jenny! My boyfriend has super long lashes, too.
It doesn’t bother me any. Some of the best MAs I know are males.
I completely agree, DaniMae!!
Hmmm, I don’t know. I guess it would be ok, but not for my hubby! I don’t really like “pretty” men anyway…
Yeah, I’m totally cool with it on men, but my boyfriend doesn’t, and that’s just fine with me!
nice eyebrows a lil powder a lipbalm looks great on every guy
I think so, too! I think it’s a shame that some guys feel really odd about wearing makeup, when I’m sure some of them would LOVE to cover up acne or acne scars like us ladies do!
I personally dont care if gay men wear makeup but it irks me when straight men do. I was raised VERY old fashioned in Cuba and Men that wear makeup= gay. LOL!
Hey Tayma! Very interesting perspective. Are you still in Cuba?
No!!! i live in Florida now but Im still very old-school.
I wouldn’t date a guy who wears make up… but I think that there are some amazing drag queens out there. Oh, and guys like Mr. Jay on Top Model look AMAZING with make up on.
Hey Mary! How are you this morning?
It’s not a turn on for me, but I love seeing what guys come up with when they do more than just liner.
… sorry, time for some male intervention, ladies. I love the question. I’m a MA at a MAC store and the same dilemma crosses my mind from time to time too.
When we have events in the store, my colleagues like it when I go along with their look and add a male twist to it. Of course wearing makeup in a MAC store when you are a man is totally different to wearing it on the street. But still, I sometimes wonder what customers think of a male MA wearing makeup.
I agree that it can look over the top. But I strongly believe that guys can pull off a lot of makeup, as long as you don’t follow the makeuprules that apply to women. Makeup for women works well because you emphasize things. In the case of men you might have to change those rules.
Maybe I can prove my point with this : http://wizardofgloss.blogspot.com/2008/05/makeup-and-men-metalx.html
Hey Bart! Thanks for commenting 😀
When I first got into makeup, seeing men wearing FULL makeup at the MAC store was definitely a new thing for me, but I’ve ALWAYS had great service and advice from them, so now I totally seek them out!
One of the best things is that men see women differently than we see ourselves, so it is an opportunity for another perspective.
😉 thanks for seeking us out Christine… I have to admit, my colleagues told me that this was one of the reasons that they wanted to hire a male MA. I’m so very much for positive discrimination 🙂
I’ve seriously never had a bad male MA! And I feel like I am always learning something from them. I think because you rarely encounter men who work as makeup artists just as a job, but they do it for love, for passion, so they are more into experimentation, discovery, and finding new things and just being imaginative.
I think it’s compeltely fine for men to wear make-up, just ask my fiance. During this past semester I was taking a course in stage makeup and I was always trying to get him to be my test dummy. >.< And as a special surprise a little while back he let me put drag make up on him – face sculpting and everything – (and take a picture!!!).
congrats to you and your bf. I admire men (and women) who feel confident enough to play around with their appearence. At the end of the day it’s just good fun, and sometimes we look for too many hidden meanings and reasons behind someone’s appearance.
I have lot’s of male customers coming in to the MAC store asking for foundation and concealer. I’m sure 90% is not gay. The gay guys already have lot’s of experience and really know what they want :-). Most of the time it’s the girlfriends who send their bf’s to our store 🙂
LOL! That’s so awesome that he let you use him as a test dummy ;D
To each his own…if it works, go for it!
Great attitude ;D
i don’t really care if they wear makeup or not. you can’t judge someone until you know them. but i wish i had my nephew’s eyelashes, it would be so perfect for mascara. it’s long and thick so you would only put on one layer of mascara. his lashes are beautiful.
I swear men always are blessed with these gorgeous lashes, when it’s really us women who covet them!
My boy’s eyelashes are so long… I put eyeliner on him when he went as an emo for halloween and I stared at him all night! 🙂 Maybe I would have anyway. I know a few guys I have tried to convince to try blotting papers or blot powder, and maybe a little waterproof liner (smearing looks way worse on guys, I’ve noticed). I think the world needs just a touch more makeup, and some guys are definitely included. (Of course some people need a touch less makeup… haha! They’re making up for all those people who haven’t figured it out yet.)
Hey Erin! 🙂
I know a few guys who suffered TERRIBLE acne in high school and are left with scars now, and I wish they would feel comfortable wearing some concealer or something — I know it’d just boost their confidence so much, y’know?
Oh yeah, and drag is another story completely. Party on!
Interesting Q. If a man is insecure about having a blemish or something, a little concealer is fine, I think. As far as full-on makeup goes, I’d say save that for actors/makeup artists/models etc.
I wish more men felt OK about wearing concealer if it would give them more confidence! It’s not fair that us women get to hide a few of our flaws 😉
if a gay male wears makeup, its like no big deal because its almost expected. but if a straight (non-model) male wears it, it seems that people are either not into it at all or they find it kinda edgy in the sense that the guy isn’t afraid to show his feminine side or care about any stigma attached to wearing it…..
with that said, i’m a total sucker for pretty boys who just wear a bit of eyeliner and some dark nail polish 😉
my hubby also has lashes to DIE for…so jealous!
What is it with men and having long lashes? No fair.
I have a friend who was recently in a car accident and his window smashed into his face and hand. Now he has scars on the side of his face, and he admits he is jealous of women for being able to hide what he can only use Mederma on and hope it fades. I told him to “slap some spackle on it, honey!” But he doesn’t dare.
Awww!! Poor guy 🙁
Another girl with a guy who has amazing lashes… I’ve already asked more than once to try some mascara on him, but it’s always a no and I’m so sad :'( Haha! They probably think we’re crazy!
I have no problem with men wearing makeup; I think mine should consider it for his acne scars and such. But many men seem to have this mindset that makeup is for women and will instantly turn you gay, like a switch or something. My boy is a little more comfortable with himself than most, but he still needs some convincing! He’s afraid of losing masculinity or something, as if people will know he’s wearing it. I just want him to feel a little better about his skin. 🙂
I know exactly what you mean! I think a lot of women wear makeup to feel better about their skin or whatever, not necessarily because it’s feminine, so men should do the same!
i like when they wear eyeliner.
but when the shadow, mascara and lip products get involved it screams GAY!
but i thinks it adorable when the gay guys are all made up. its cute. but not for a straight guy.
it just makes me question their sexuality!
I’ve seen some straight guys with beautiful makeup before! It isn’t something you see everyday, though!
I don’t know any men who wear makeup. But I really wouldn’t care if I saw a guy wearing makeup.
I don’t have any friends that do either. I’ve pretty much have only seen guys at MAC!
I work in the beauty industry and I love the way the male MA’s do their makeup! Its usually not that noticable, just some powder and blush, maybe mascara. These guys are gay, though, so we relate on a different level. I love seeing them do drag makeup.
When it comes to guys I’m dating I like someone a little rough around the edges and very manly (balances out my femininity!) so the makeup thing just doesn’t work for me! That said, I had a guy come in once for major coverup-he had a black eye from a hockey puck-and had a job interview the next day. That totally makes sense to me. So does covering up a blemish.
I like when a guy cares about his skin as long as he doesn’t take longer in the bathroom than me!
I like my guys a little rough, too 😉
If you look at history, there were points in it that women didn’t wear makeup, and men did.
Makeup is an enhancer, an art form, a tool, a form of expression. To me, there is no difference between men and women wearing makeup, except that men are more rare at the moment. I would love if my husband would wear eyeliner, mascara, blush, basically anything, because that is just a form of expression, and showing confidence (not to say people who don’t wear makeup aren’t confident, they just show it in different ways).
The tides are turning, and men wearing makeup are being accepted more and more. I’m just happy to watch history in the making ^_^.
Thank you for this, Kaoru! You bring up some great points 🙂
Makeup can be appreciated by anyone, so I don’t mind! It’s not gender specific.
I think it could help some men’s confidence a bit. I know my brother suffered terribly from acne when he was a teenager, he has perfect skin now in his 20s but he still has a psychological hatred of photos or anything putting his skin on display, even on his wedding day, and he hasn’t had a pimple in 5 years! I think concealer would have boosted his confidence back then, and made a huge difference today.
But YES I’m dying to meet my male MAC shopping buddy! He might just be my soulmate beyond any boyfriend!
🙂
Hey Lou!
I so agree. Poor boys having to go bare faced even in the worst skin days. 🙁
Dont care as long as that guy is not my hubby))) He would never wear makeup anyway, i cant even convince him to use some lotion in winter time.
I hear you, I try to convince my boyfriend to moisturizer, and it just doesn’t happen!
Errr, unless they’re a makeup artist, some sort of stylist, or someone who dresses in drag, I have to say I don’t like it, LOL.
I appreciate your honesty 😀
I think some concealer is fine for maybe like a straight guy if he has some acne suppose because I know some guys be like “Why should I wear makeup that’s girl stuff”.The guy who does my makeup (I do my own too, but when I visit him I let me do my face) at the MAC counter is gay and he does a fabulous job and I love him to death and he wears makeup but only foundation and eyeliner.He is too firece!I seen a guy recently full face of makeup; his persona is so different because he dresses and act like a hard dude.It kind of scared me a bit.
How interesting! I bet it is a little weird to see a guy wearing makeup who is totally masculine, too, just because you don’t see it very often!
It’s ok, it doesn’t really bother me. For me they either tend to be the guys who work at MAC, hairdressers, emo kids and kind of come with the territory.
Hey Winnie! I love seeing what male MAC MAs are wearing!
I’m all for anyone wearing makeup if they like it, for covering flaws or for full-on personal expression. I think it can be adorable on men. For myself (I’m gay), I tend to only be attracted to the types of women who DON’T wear any except maybe for a costume or something. I’m girly but I’m attracted to the complete opposite! 😀 So although I think guys can rock makeup, I can certainly relate to the straight girls who are glad their husbands/boyfriends don’t. Heh.
Isn’t that funny? It’s amazing what we are/aren’t attracted to. But you and your honey are so cute together 🙂
As a male who wears makeup, I love it. I’m not a drag queen, nor do I want to be a female, but I recognize the power of transformation and embrace it. People like Bowie and Manson who are both pretty heterosexual have changed fashion and makeup history with their looks and they are totally inspirational. Same with queens like Divine and Leigh Bowery. I’m all about people who aren’t afraid of expression and changing people’s perception.
Makeup on a male doesn’t make a male gay btw, unless that male likes getting it on with other males.
Hey Jack!
Thanks for chiming in! It’s so GREAT to hear from the male perspective on this–especially from those who DO rather than just a macho man who is very scared of the concept of makeup on himself.
I love that you change yourself up with makeup and have fun with it!
I think its weird when guys wear makeup, but Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean- OMG! I think he totally pulls it off and is way hott! lol! I really want to see what my boyfriend looks like in mascara though! His lashes are already SO perfect (amazingly long with tons of natural curl) that I want to see what mascara would do! LOL
Hot, hot and MORE HOT! 😉 I’m actually surprised to hear so many girls don’t like it.
I love it and I think it takes real courage for men to wear make-up when it’s obvious, in Western society, it is seen as a female industry. It’s just not and shouldn’t be! And when I see a man wearing make-up, I do not assume he is not straight. I realize most people aren’t like this though, so I understand why most straight men would be intimidate or put off by even attempting it. As long as it is done in taste, it looks awesome, just like females wearing make-up. Make-up is not meant to enhance femininity–it’s meant to enhance your natural assets, and men have those too. I see nothing wrong with men wearing make-up and I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen male MAC MAs wearing it and thinking, “Hell, I wish I looked that good and had those make-up skills!” That being said, I also love drag queens. 😛 Not as regular, every-day make-up but I love drag queens in general so I can appreciate that wild, crazy side to male make-up as well. I’m just very open-minded, period. 😛
Oh, and just let me say… my boyfriend let me pluck his brows once (not shape them, just pluck the strays and almost-uni-brow *shudder*) and he has not let me do it since. If there’s ONE cosmetic-related activity I wish ALL men would do, it’s pluck and groom brows. It makes such a difference. So yeah, my boyfriend almost cried and refuses to let me do it anymore. Boo to that. It’s pretty funny that we, as women, can withstand so much more pain than men when it comes to beauty. Do you think any man in his right mind would be able to withstand a bikini wax without a tear or ten? They claim to be all big and tough and can’t even face the tweeze. *shakes head*
lol, Skyler!!
I love you 😀
I think if a person looks good in makeup, they look good regardless of gender. I love a bit of smugdey eye liner on men, like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean!
I think Johnny Depp increased eyeliner sales by 100%!