Natural, Low-Maintenance Makeup For Men

Beauty & Personal Care

It doesn't seem fair that only women should get to accentuate their looks and cover up physical imperfections with makeup - as a man, makeup should be one more tool in your physical grooming arsenal in addition to shaving and skincare. After all, everyone wants to put their best foot forward and in this day and age, more men than usual wear makeup, especially those in the spotlight. In this article, we look at ways on how you can enhance your looks and cover up flaws using subtle and natural-looking makeup and other related products.

Your Face

You don't want to look like you're obviously wearing makeup but would still like to cover up uneven skintone, pigmentation,
acne scars, large pores, conceal dark circles, cover up redness and neutralise oily skin. Here are some tips on how
to choose the right makeup products for your face:

Foundation

Choose foundation that has light to medium coverage depending on the condition of your skin. It is better to cover
specific problem areas using a concealer than to use a heavy-coverage foundation all over your face - it will make your face look artificial and mask-like.

Choose long-wearing / water-resistant foundation - apply once in the day and forget about it - no need to worry
about retouching it to keep it fresh.

Choose a foundation that is not too shiny or shimmery - a matte finish with medium coverage is best.

Mineral makeup foundation such as Earthnicity Mineral Foundation ticks all the above boxes - it does not look mask-like compared to traditional foundations and it lasts all day. You might find powder mineral makeup too fiddly to apply. One good tip is to mix mineral makeup powder with your favourite facial moisturiser or lotion to make an instant tinted moisturiser - you don't even need a mirror to apply it.

Before applying any foundation, it is advisable to use moisturiser first.

Bronzer

Don't use a dark foundation to make your skin look more tan - your face will end up looking orange. Use a matte bronzer instead. You can use a powder bronzer or an instant liquid or gel bronzer which can be washed off with soap and water. A more low-maintenance option is to use a facial sunless tanner - you only have to apply it once and it will last you all week and is waterproof to boot.

You can also use matte bronzer to contour your face - use it to sculp cheekbones or make your nose look narrower but don't overdo it!

Concealer

If you have good skin to begin with, you only need to use concealer to cover a few problem spots. You can also use
concealer to cover up dark under eye circles. Use concealers in stick or wand form like The Men Pen Concealer Stick
so you won't need additional tools like concealer brushes.

Your Eyes

Eye makeup is not the preserve of rock stars only! You can use eye makeup as a subtle way to enhance your eyes, especially if you are a blond or redhead and have very light eyelashes and eyebrows.

Eyelashes
If your eyelashes are light or sparse, your eyes can look invisible. Bring out your eyes by darkening your lashes or lengthening them.

Tint your eyelashes - if you have light eyelashes, you can tint your eyelashes at a salon or do it at home using an eyelash and brow dye kit like Godefroy 28 Day Mascara Black Permanent Eyelash Tint Kit
or Roux Lash And Brow Tint Kit
. By tinting or coloring your lashes, the color will last longer than mascara and is waterproof as well. There is also no clumping or smearing as you are just coloring your lashes
a different color instead of layering product over it. Be careful with this procedure as it is close to your eyes.
Use mascara to darken and lengthen your lashes -
Most mascara can be too obvious, especially if it is thick, clumpy and smeary. You could also rub your eyes without noticing it and smear mascara all over your face - not a good look for a guy!
Use a 'tubed lashes' mascara - choose a mascara that forms tiny, water-resistant 'tubes' around your lashes. With these kinds of mascara, the tubes bind to your lashes and can't run, smudge or flake. One such mascara is
Blinc Kiss Me Mascara

Eyebrows

Strong and groomed eyebrows brings out your eyes and enhances the structure of your face.

Pluck or wax stray hairs around your brows but be sure not to overpluck to avoid feminine looking brows.

If you have light colored eyebrows - tint your eyebrows using an eyelash and brow dye kit as mentioned above, or use a long-wearing eyebrow pencil or pen like Anastasia Brow Pen - Long Wearing Brow Tint
. If your eyebrows are sparse, use an eyebrow pencil to fill them in using short, light strokes. You can
also use a brow gel like Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel Espresso
to color and groom your eyebrows (this product can also be used to color your eyelashes).

Use a brow gel or Vaseline to keep your brows in place.

Eyeliner

Eyeliner doesn't have to look obvious (unless you want it to). Waterproof pencil eyeliner applied very close to the base of the lashes makes your lashes look fuller and defines your eyes. We recommend Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Black, a waterproof and smudgeproof precision eyeliner.

Lips

Dry, chapped lips look unattractive on anyone. Use lipbalm to moisturise your lips. Choose a tinted lip balm
to add some color to pale lips. You can also use a lip tint - it is waterproof and looks natural when applied with a light hand. Lip tint can also be used on your cheeks to give a subtle flush to your cheeks.

General Tips

Here are some general tips for choosing male makeup

Choose unscented and unfragranced products
Nothing frosted, glittery or shimmery
Choose waterproof / water-resistant and long-wearing products

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