Man vs. Makeup

I remember when I got my first job in makeup over 15 years ago. My first thought was, "I am going to be surrounded by hot, fabulous women all the time!" My mind reeled with the hopes of gossip,  free samples, and helping others feel beautiful. How could I go wrong?

As an artist with a passion, I  sometimes get lost in my work. I have been doing makeup for so long that there are times when I have been oblivious to the fact that I am the only male in the room. Then the other day, a straight guy friend of mine pointed out what a lucky son of gun I am—I can compliment a woman on her cleavage and, by simple virtue of being a gay male makeup artist, it's received as a compliment rather than a come on, and I'm minus one big fat slap across the face.

Then I really started thinking: Have I been surrounded by women in beauty for so long that my natural male instincts have been tossed aside? I'm a long way from my days of bucking bales of hay on a farm in Northern Nevada as President of Future Farmers of America. Back then, I knew a lot more about helping cattle give birth than I did about the difference between a parfum, eau de parfum, and cologne. It wasn't until I got lost in the world of lipstick (or I should say found myself?) that I started to really think: "Does a man like makeup on woman?"

To find an answer, I asked friends, coworkers, and searched online. Here's a sampling of responses:

"Less is more."

"I prefer kissing a woman who is wearing lipstick. It lights up her face and makes an average-looking woman pretty... and a pretty woman look gorgeous. It makes her lips more 'kissable' in my opinion."

"It makes no difference to the kissing, but I find a girl sexier in lipstick, so mentally it'd be more enjoyable."

"I prefer to kiss a girl without lipstick on—I think it looks nice but smells funny and is mucky to kiss, (yuk lol)."

More to the point: ladies, you're going to date one of the following men:

* The one who's way TOO involved, to the point of actually choosing colors or Insisting on certain looks for their other half.  

* The one who doesn't care one way or other.                                                                                                                                                                

* The one who insists on natural, and this is a big deal to him.  

* The one who likes their loved one to look like—let's just say it—a hooker.

* And of course, the worst: the man who never notices. Yikes! This really pisses women off, by the way.                                                                                             

The truth of the matter is that we all look and feel better when we take a little time to spruce ourselves up. Makeup can be a Godsend to even out skin tone, hide a night of sin, and make you look more approachable. Most importantly, a little makeup can lift the spirit.

Makeup should never wear you: you should always wear it.  A good friend once said to a customer who did not want to wear makeup, yet she wanted to look like a glamazon. " You cannot go natural and look like a beauty queen if you are in fact not a beauty queen naturally... so break out the makeup honey if you want to look glam!"

The key and the point to my ranting and ravings is that, in my opinion, natural is good but take the time to put on a little mascara, a little bronzer, and a little gloss.  EVERYONE looks better with a hint of color and in most cases, I hate to say it, it just looks like you are taking the time to take care of yourself. Spend two minutes on a more beautiful you and it will show in many more ways than a smidge of color on the cheek. I may not be the butchest guy in the world but I certainly appreciate when a woman looks beautiful. And my gut tells me your guy does, too.

XOXO