Lifestyle

Make-up for men has gone mainstream but is it really worth the hype?


According to a YouGov poll, one in 20 men now wear some make-up to some extent and this is expected to rise to one in four by 2023.

John Lewis in Oxford Street has become the first high street department store to open a make-up counter for men.

It stocks Warpaint, which was founded by Davd Gray, who launched the business after finding makeup helped with his own issues of body dysmorphic disorder.

Mirror writer Kieren Williams popped along to find out what the fuss was about. 

The Dragon’s Den success story has gone from strength to strength since appearing on the popular BBC show in September.

Kieren tries out the new male make-up counter at John Lewis

Men’s makeup is nothing new, having been popular on and off throughout history, but it looks set to be hitting the mainstream in 2020.

On the walk through John Lewis, we meet Judith Matthews, 75, from Central London.

She recalls an anecdote from “more than 50 years ago when my husband used to use moisturiser and people at that time used to think it was very odd. Fortunately times have changed.”

She smiles, adding she’s going to get the tinted moisturiser for her son-in-law.

Her hope is that times have changed once more.

Before we get to Daniel Gray, the man who had all five dragons reaching into their pockets, he’s already helping a customer.

John Raffles, 57, from London who works as a fundraiser in the charity sector, spoke about using makeup to “cover up some of the signs of ageing and [avoiding] face sags and trying to do something that’s not going under the knife.”

Daniel blends some concealer into Kieren’s kin

He added, “you’ve got more control over putting it on.” and described the makeup as “great” saying it’s a “good-mood feel as well being affordable”.

And Daniel says John is a “typical customer”. 

He adds: “Because we’re in the middle of such an established shop people are more willing to try it, whereas before being in a women’s section, men were less willing to.”

The branding of makeup specifically for men has come under fire by some.

But it’s clear that men do feel more comfortable coming up to the makeup section in the menswear than they would otherwise.

Whether this is for better or worse, breaking down often harmful ideas of masculinity, like the BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) Gray himself suffers with, is a step in the right direction.

The main products Warpaint offer are a concealer, a tinted moisturiser, foundation, as well as bronzer, anti-shine powder and a couple of brushes.

Daniel Gray started his range after realising it helped him with his body dysmorphia disorder

Gray talks about the line, saying: “It’s about subtleness. The gentleman before you, we put a little bit of concealer under his eyes, and he couldn’t believe it.”

Then it’s my turn to try it out for myself.

Daniel sits me down and takes a quick inspection of my face.

He notices redness across my cheeks and nose, resulting from a passing cold, as well as a scar on the bridge of my nose.

This, he decides, is where we’ll start.

Being in the makeup chair is an entirely new experience for me, as it will be for many men, but it’s an enjoyable and refreshing one.

It’s not a laborious experience, and no one gives you any confused or baffled looks as they pass.

The sentiment Judith, John and Daniel all touched upon seems true.

There does seem to be a changing of attitudes towards men’s makeup.

As Daniel works on hiding that scar and evens out the redness, it makes a noticeable difference.

Kieren takes a look at the products on offer

All the products feel nice on the skin and work well, with the concealer working best on my many blemishes.

“There’s so many people that wear it [already]” Gray says, going on to add it’s about trying to make it more mainstream and the popularity of makeup for men seems to be on the up.

Toran Grady, 22, London, who’s worked at the popup since it opened, commented on the sheer range of people who purchase and come over to look at the product.

“All sorts … anyone from 21-22 year olds to 60-70+. It’s an enormous range of guys who are interested in this area of male grooming.”

He adds that there is a “steady flow of people most days, even if they’re not interested in the product for themselves they appreciate it being there, that it is becoming more mainstream now it’s here in a store like John Lewis.”

In my first ever step into the world of men’s makeup, I’m sitting in the chair for less than five minutes.

Kieren is delighted with the results

But in that time Daniel sees to the scar on my nose, making it vanish – much to my mother’s pleasure – and evens out a lot of the redness across my face.

He doesn’t apply a lot of product but you can see the difference in that short time.

That’s the hope of emerging male makeup, not to suddenly try and force full faces of product onto everyone.

Instead they want it to be an open and accepted option for men of all ages, for whatever they want.

Warpaint offers this, whilst playing into outdated ideas of masculinity that it has to be about violence, it’s clear in this setting and with this branding men are far more open and accepting of it.

This, for better or worse, changes the counter on men’s makeup far more than a radical break likely would.

Men’s makeup is booming across all ages and looks to be set to stay.





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