I am serious you have to hand it in and put on a skirt if your using cosmetics. 
June 28, 2004, 9:02PM
Men's cosmetics put a new face on masculinity
By DANIEL J. VARGAS
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Blake Smith is a modern man, and in this manicure-pedicure, metrosexual era he feels comfortable using eye gel to reduce puffiness and dark circles, and a face scrub to exfoliate dead skin cells, as part of his morning regimen.
Occasionally the pop singer, who was raised in Houston, dabs a little concealer to hide blemishes and pats some anti-shine powder on his face when he's preparing for a live performance.
"If it's going to make you look better, very few people would shy away from actually enhancing their appearance," reasons the 35-year-old who now lives in Nashville, Tenn.
It's not new that men -- and manly men, at that -- have dabbled in the art of cosmetics. (Most guys probably have borrowed their mothers' concealer to hide that untimely mountain of a zit at some point in his life.) What is new, though, are lines of cosmetics developed and packaged specifically for the XY crowd: Tout Beau Tout Propre from Jean Paul Gaultier, XCD (ex-CEED) from King of Shaves, 4VOO and Menaji Skincare. And the selection of products may surprise or delight you:
Mascara. Eyeliner. Lipstick. (That's right, we used the L-word.)
Of course, these products are not called by those names. In the emerging world of men's cosmetics, they are lash-styling glaze, eye pen, nail pen and lip balm/lip agent. And makeup isn't called makeup; it's "men's enhancement products."
"The M-word is out of the question; we don't use it at all," says Michele Probst, who developed Menaji about seven years ago. "The M-word just terrified men."
As a professional makeup artist, she was using women's cosmetics and theatrical products on men. The products, however, weren't suited for men's skin, which is about 20 percent tougher. So Probst developed her line of products that are masculine and easy to use and give instant, unrecognizable results.
"Guys are wearing it in the gym. It's that undetectable," Probst says, adding that military officers, entertainers including Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, pro athletes, politicians and, yes, even women have taken a shine to the products.
Some men can be skittish when it comes to cosmetics. So manufacturers give their products more masculine-sounding names ("confidence corrector" versus concealer) and package them in more masculine colors such as black, brown and dark orange. One product -- a dual eyeliner and concealer -- is even disguised as a black pen.
Along the way, Probst has learned some things about men. Like you have to spell things out for them. For example, with the eye gel, instructions tell men to "close your eyes" before applying. Also, most men did not know what a tester product was.
"We had to put `Try me' on it," Probst says.
And men, she says, don't care if the product wasn't tested on animals, so that declaration has been eliminated from the label.
Industry estimates gauge men's grooming products to be a $7.7 billion business, according to Packaged Facts, a publishing division of MarketResearch.com. By 2008, sales will hit $10 billion. How much of that is spent on "enhancement products" is unknown, but companies are betting it's a gold mine.
NPD Beauty, a division of the marketing information company NPD Group, tracks the sales of men's skin-care products sold only in U.S. department stores. Though it doesn't reflect all sales of men's skin care, its numbers do show a flourishing trend, from $46 million in sales in 2001 to $52 million in 2003. Menaji also is seeing robust figures, growing 70 percent in sales from 2002 to 2003.
Men are easing over to cosmetics because they're beginning to understand increased societal pressures of appearance both at work and in their personal lives, cosmetics industry experts say.
"Let's face it, we live in an era when looking good is important," says Marek Hewryk, founder and co-owner of Toronto-based 4VOO men's cosmetics. "Right now, young women want men to look good -- clean, shaven, wearing nice clothes. Women have higher expectations for men.
"A year or two ago it was the `makeover.' Now we have the `extreme makeover.' "
During focus-group discussions on 4VOO, men confessed to using women's cosmetics to combat blemishes and oily skin, a major problem for men because they have larger pores. Oily skin, Hewryk says, gives off an unsightly sheen that often is wrongly associated with nervousness and sweating.
Herwryk says the time is perfect for men's cosmetics.
Gender roles are more relaxed. Younger people are more progressive (take the metrosexual movement and the popularity of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and other makeover shows). And frankly, we're living in a time when youth and flawless beauty are coveted.
So men are being nudged to look better, says Hewryk, who is an applied chemist and biologist.
"I'm surprised the face was the last castle to be conquered," he says, discussing how for years men have been coloring their hair or undergoing hair transplants to look younger.
"Are you less of a man than you were before because you put on eyeliner? No," he says. "People pay too much attention to those external attributes."
Smith, the pop singer who has used Menaji for more than a year, agrees.
"I think if (men) tried it, the effect would be very positive. They would be hooked," he says.
Men and cosmetics are hardly strangers.
Centuries ago European men wore wigs and powdered their faces. The same is true of America's Colonial forefathers.
"This is nothing totally, totally new," Hewryk says.
Still, don't expect to see men getting makeup lessons in the middle of a fluorescent-lighted department store. Men, the experts say, don't want any fuss or attention -- just some discreet help.
"Men will go to the stores and purchase (the products) if the environment is right," Hewryk says. "So it has to be in a more private setting."
The products, Menaji's Probst says, also must be easy to use and reasonably priced. The Menaji line is available primarily but not exclusively via the Internet. The Jean Paul Gaultier line can be found in select Macy's, and King of Shaves products are carried at CVS Pharmacy.
"Men don't want to add steps to their routine," Probst says. "They will walk away from something if they don't think they'll be good at it."
But so far they're streaming into CVS stores to purchase the XCD products, although the company does not release sales figures.
"It's been great. The line is certainly meeting our expectations," says Todd Andrews, CVS spokesman. "Men's skin care is growing at a double-digit rate."
Shelf space for those products quadrupled from February to March at CVS stores, says Andrews, adding that most purchasers of XCD products are younger men.
Probst believes that as men become more familiar with the products, they also will be open to using them.
"Men will be wearing more color -- using tanning gels, colored lip products and wearing mascara," Probst predicts. "The future is going to be more accepting.
"It's not going to be a big deal at all."
But even Smith, who isn't shy about using a little concealer or anti-shine powder, has his cosmetics limits. When asked about a lip agent (lipstick), the pop singer said: "I would not consider it."
Baby steps, guys. Baby steps.
June 28, 2004, 9:02PM
Men's cosmetics put a new face on masculinity
By DANIEL J. VARGAS
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Blake Smith is a modern man, and in this manicure-pedicure, metrosexual era he feels comfortable using eye gel to reduce puffiness and dark circles, and a face scrub to exfoliate dead skin cells, as part of his morning regimen.
Occasionally the pop singer, who was raised in Houston, dabs a little concealer to hide blemishes and pats some anti-shine powder on his face when he's preparing for a live performance.
"If it's going to make you look better, very few people would shy away from actually enhancing their appearance," reasons the 35-year-old who now lives in Nashville, Tenn.
It's not new that men -- and manly men, at that -- have dabbled in the art of cosmetics. (Most guys probably have borrowed their mothers' concealer to hide that untimely mountain of a zit at some point in his life.) What is new, though, are lines of cosmetics developed and packaged specifically for the XY crowd: Tout Beau Tout Propre from Jean Paul Gaultier, XCD (ex-CEED) from King of Shaves, 4VOO and Menaji Skincare. And the selection of products may surprise or delight you:
Mascara. Eyeliner. Lipstick. (That's right, we used the L-word.)
Of course, these products are not called by those names. In the emerging world of men's cosmetics, they are lash-styling glaze, eye pen, nail pen and lip balm/lip agent. And makeup isn't called makeup; it's "men's enhancement products."
"The M-word is out of the question; we don't use it at all," says Michele Probst, who developed Menaji about seven years ago. "The M-word just terrified men."
As a professional makeup artist, she was using women's cosmetics and theatrical products on men. The products, however, weren't suited for men's skin, which is about 20 percent tougher. So Probst developed her line of products that are masculine and easy to use and give instant, unrecognizable results.
"Guys are wearing it in the gym. It's that undetectable," Probst says, adding that military officers, entertainers including Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, pro athletes, politicians and, yes, even women have taken a shine to the products.
Some men can be skittish when it comes to cosmetics. So manufacturers give their products more masculine-sounding names ("confidence corrector" versus concealer) and package them in more masculine colors such as black, brown and dark orange. One product -- a dual eyeliner and concealer -- is even disguised as a black pen.
Along the way, Probst has learned some things about men. Like you have to spell things out for them. For example, with the eye gel, instructions tell men to "close your eyes" before applying. Also, most men did not know what a tester product was.
"We had to put `Try me' on it," Probst says.
And men, she says, don't care if the product wasn't tested on animals, so that declaration has been eliminated from the label.
Industry estimates gauge men's grooming products to be a $7.7 billion business, according to Packaged Facts, a publishing division of MarketResearch.com. By 2008, sales will hit $10 billion. How much of that is spent on "enhancement products" is unknown, but companies are betting it's a gold mine.
NPD Beauty, a division of the marketing information company NPD Group, tracks the sales of men's skin-care products sold only in U.S. department stores. Though it doesn't reflect all sales of men's skin care, its numbers do show a flourishing trend, from $46 million in sales in 2001 to $52 million in 2003. Menaji also is seeing robust figures, growing 70 percent in sales from 2002 to 2003.
Men are easing over to cosmetics because they're beginning to understand increased societal pressures of appearance both at work and in their personal lives, cosmetics industry experts say.
"Let's face it, we live in an era when looking good is important," says Marek Hewryk, founder and co-owner of Toronto-based 4VOO men's cosmetics. "Right now, young women want men to look good -- clean, shaven, wearing nice clothes. Women have higher expectations for men.
"A year or two ago it was the `makeover.' Now we have the `extreme makeover.' "
During focus-group discussions on 4VOO, men confessed to using women's cosmetics to combat blemishes and oily skin, a major problem for men because they have larger pores. Oily skin, Hewryk says, gives off an unsightly sheen that often is wrongly associated with nervousness and sweating.
Herwryk says the time is perfect for men's cosmetics.
Gender roles are more relaxed. Younger people are more progressive (take the metrosexual movement and the popularity of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and other makeover shows). And frankly, we're living in a time when youth and flawless beauty are coveted.
So men are being nudged to look better, says Hewryk, who is an applied chemist and biologist.
"I'm surprised the face was the last castle to be conquered," he says, discussing how for years men have been coloring their hair or undergoing hair transplants to look younger.
"Are you less of a man than you were before because you put on eyeliner? No," he says. "People pay too much attention to those external attributes."
Smith, the pop singer who has used Menaji for more than a year, agrees.
"I think if (men) tried it, the effect would be very positive. They would be hooked," he says.
Men and cosmetics are hardly strangers.
Centuries ago European men wore wigs and powdered their faces. The same is true of America's Colonial forefathers.
"This is nothing totally, totally new," Hewryk says.
Still, don't expect to see men getting makeup lessons in the middle of a fluorescent-lighted department store. Men, the experts say, don't want any fuss or attention -- just some discreet help.
"Men will go to the stores and purchase (the products) if the environment is right," Hewryk says. "So it has to be in a more private setting."
The products, Menaji's Probst says, also must be easy to use and reasonably priced. The Menaji line is available primarily but not exclusively via the Internet. The Jean Paul Gaultier line can be found in select Macy's, and King of Shaves products are carried at CVS Pharmacy.
"Men don't want to add steps to their routine," Probst says. "They will walk away from something if they don't think they'll be good at it."
But so far they're streaming into CVS stores to purchase the XCD products, although the company does not release sales figures.
"It's been great. The line is certainly meeting our expectations," says Todd Andrews, CVS spokesman. "Men's skin care is growing at a double-digit rate."
Shelf space for those products quadrupled from February to March at CVS stores, says Andrews, adding that most purchasers of XCD products are younger men.
Probst believes that as men become more familiar with the products, they also will be open to using them.
"Men will be wearing more color -- using tanning gels, colored lip products and wearing mascara," Probst predicts. "The future is going to be more accepting.
"It's not going to be a big deal at all."
But even Smith, who isn't shy about using a little concealer or anti-shine powder, has his cosmetics limits. When asked about a lip agent (lipstick), the pop singer said: "I would not consider it."
Baby steps, guys. Baby steps.
alright tear me to pieces. Im metro
