The real reason Manny MUA wears makeup: 'It's not about me wanting to be female'

·2 min read

You don’t have to be a Sephora VIB member or subscribed to tons of beauty Youtube channels to recognize Manny Gutierrez, aka Manny MUA, and his brightly made-up face.

The 27-year-old is one of the most popular beauty influencers, with over 4.6 million Instagram followers and almost 5 million subscribers on Youtube. And while men wearing makeup isn’t a new trend, Manny MUA broke gender barriers when he was appointed Maybelline’s first-ever male brand ambassador back in 2017.

Like many children, he grew up watching his mother apply makeup as she got ready for work every morning. Manny MUA tells Yahoo Lifestyle that he hid his love of makeup from his parents by doing his “glam to work” and then wiping off his beauty secrets with a makeup removal towel before returning home.

It wasn’t until he was 21 and tried drag for the first time that the San Diego native really delve into the makeup world. But if you believe Manny MUA wears a full face of foundation and fluttery eyelashes because he wants to be someone he isn’t, you’ve got him all wrong.

“Wearing makeup just makes me feel powerful. It’s not about me wanting to be female. I’m a man in makeup… I like wearing it because it’s fun,” he explains.

As the head-beauty-boy-in-charge of his cosmetics brand Lunar Beauty, Manny MUA creates an array of makeup products that appeal to people from all walks of life. His go-to: the nude Selene Lip Gloss.

“A nude lip with a little bit of gloss in the center goes a long way,” he says. “It gives you a really plump appearance because it catches the light ever so lightly.”

Watch our exclusive video with Manny MUA, above, to learn more about how he uses makeup as a “form of creative expression,” his expert tips for men who are interested in experimenting with makeup and the three beauty products he must have if stranded on a desert island (“I wanna be cute because I will be rescued!”).

– Video produced by Kat Vasquez

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