Here’s How Men Can Wear Makeup to Fix a Few Flaws, According to a Celebrity Groomer
Men have come a long way since leaving the cave - we style our hair, groom our beards, and we’ve even learned the benefits of makeup. Yes, it’s 2018, and even manly men can wear some concealer, bronzer, finishing powder, lip balm, and a little brow pen to cover up their imperfections, while highlighting their stellar features for a great-looking mug.
For the record, this is nothing new - men have been wearing makeup for centuries! What’s new and amazing are the multiple beauty brands like Chanel who are now catering to men for a natural look that guys can apply, without feeling like they’re dressing up in drag (though there’s nothing with that!). So, how does a guy look as fresh and flawless as the men of Hollywood hitting a red carpet? We went straight to the source, with tips from celebrity groomer Benjamin Thigpen.
Meet the Expert
Thigpen’s list of clients includes Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, and Nate Berkus, to name a few, but his career surprisingly started as a photo assistant to legendary fashion photographer Arthur Elgort. With a strong love of hair and grooming, Thigpen decided to study at the Aveda Institute and work with famed hair stylist Christiaan Houtenbos. Soon after, he was highly sought-after to work on editorials for publications like GQ, Esquire, Vanity Fair, W, Harper’s Bazaar, and many more. With his professional skills and years of experience working with makeup for Hollywood’s leading men, we got Thigpen to give us the scoop on the five makeup items all men could use to look their best.
If there’s one makeup item for men worth purchasing, it’s concealer. Whether you’re lacking some much-needed sleep and want your under-eyes to look fresh for an important morning meeting, or have a memorable event where you don’t want the focus to be those dark circles, concealer is the trick to low-key covering up those darkened under-eyes. Plus, when you have an acne breakout, this makeup works like magic to conceal those pesky suckers!
“To me, the first thing I look at when I meet someone is their eyes,” says Thigpen. “We all have our under-eye issues, including puffiness, dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles - concealer is a simple way to just hide these problems.”
How to Apply It
"On clean skin, apply a daily moisturizer thoroughly to the face and neck. When applying, I always suggest starting off with a little concealer on the tip of your ring finger. Simply dab your finger in the palette and tap on the skin starting from the inner lower corner of your under-eye. Continue to tap in a left-to-right motion until it is blended. Some may prefer to use a concealer brush (I use Hourglass, medium size), which might help blend in a bit more for the less experienced user."
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Summer is gone, but no guy wants dull-looking skin! Give yourself a natural-looking glow with a great tinted moisturizer or bronzer. When done right, no one will be able to tell you’re wearing makeup - they'll think you just got back from vacation. Thankfully, Thigpen shared some easy to use glow-up options, including a stellar new release.
"I recently discovered a product that looks like a legit Instagram filter," says Thigpen. "Lab Series created this for the sole intention of hiding redness, enhancing brightness, visibly smoothing out flaws and giving you a balanced overall skin tone (#nofilter necessary!). It gives you a small amount of color with its touch-activated blur technology, which disperses a sheer tint when gently applying to the face. What I thought was really interesting was that it somehow worked with almost every skin tone I tried it on - no orange!"
How to Apply
"My trick for using bronzing gels is to put a little on your hand or a small dish and mix it with your moisturizer of choice. I apply the gel mixed with my moisturizer with a beauty blender by just tapping into the skin. You can apply to your whole face or just in the areas you’d like to highlight (like your cheekbones). Continue to apply with or without moisturizer to achieve the look you desire, but always test on your skin first before going for all-over application."
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Dashing dudes like Chris Pine, Colin Farrell, and Zayn Malik all have great big brows to highlight their eyes for a masculine, bold look. Overgrooming your brows is a big no-no, but giving them a little extra thickness can sometimes make a world of a difference.
“As we age, guys can experience brow-thinning and sometimes even fade in color,” says Thigpen. “Using a brow sculptor like Tom Ford Brow Sculptor that I use on my clients will enhance the thickness and color to your brow. Plus, it’s one of my tricks I use to cover up gray hairs in beards!”
How to Apply
"Simply apply a small amount of the sculptor (on the color side) to the brow, and flip the applicator around to the brush side and comb through the brow in the shape of your arch for even distribution."
No need to feel self-conscious about your chapped lips anymore, boys! The cold-weather months, long hours in the sun, and a lack of hydration tend to dry out our puckers, but thankfully there are next-level lip balms and other lip treatments to smooth your skin and decrease the visibility of wrinkles. You can even get a tinted lip balm to bring some color back to your lips.
“When attacking the lack of color in your lips, you really want to make sure you aren’t getting something that is going to make it look like you are wearing a shade of lipstick,” says Thigpen. "My all time favorite is Burt’s Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm. It hydrates and glides onto your lips, while giving you a hint of color for an even, warm-toned appearance.”
How to Apply
"When applying, I use the actual applicator or my finger. Just reapply as needed throughout the day."
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Even with clear skin, some guys tend to get an oily shine throughout the day, but there’s a solution for this. Finishing powder will reduce shine and even help set your concealer, with just a few dabs.
“It’s perfect for looking photo-ready for the holidays, events, and speaking engagements whenever you’re looking shiny and oily,” says Thigpen. “Having your skin beaming with a flash from oily skin in a picture is just never flattering. My go-to brand is Shiseido Translucent Loose Powder with a small buffing brush, like the one I use by Real Techniques.”
How to Apply
"You don’t want to gather a lot of powder on the brush at one time. First try dumping a very small amount into the lid of the product and tap the brush very lightly to pick up the powder. Test a little on your hand to get an idea of what it will look like before applying to your face. Simply dab the brush in the spots you feel are shiny. Powder is mostly used in the T-zone."
Just like your Mr. Fix-It tool box below your kitchen sink, a durable dopp kit will keep your makeup gear organized (and concealed if you want to keep your man-things under wraps). Along with these men's makeup essentials, you can also keep a blender and a brush that can be seriously helpful for guys who don't have a stellar skillset for seamlessly applying makeup. Think of it this way - would Van Gogh's The Starry Night look more like a nightmare if he didn't have the right tools on hand? Store these trusty tools in a stylish dopp kit to ensure you'll be able to turn that mug into a masterpiece.
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There you have it, guys! Don’t be afraid to apply some man-makeup to look fresh, especially on those days when you’re not feeling so hot. Just a few tiny touches of glam and BAM - you’ll look so good, you’ll have to do a double-take in the mirror!
Read More:
Avoid Bad Hair Days With Our Guide to the Best Hairstyling Products for Men
The Best Manscaping Grooming Products You Need ASAP
Dopp Kits Are the Key to Keeping All Your Grooming Essentials Organized
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