Men and makeup
IGREW up in a society where men were supposed to act like men and women were supposed to act like women, and anything in between was not just done. I’m still kind of horrified that my husband uses the soap bar in our shower to wash his hair and he doesn’t have any scalp or hair problems. He uses that same soap to wash his face and body and he doesn’t have any skin problems, either.
But that scenario is rapidly changing as more and more men are becoming more conscious about how they look. And that’s a good thing, right?
The Korean entertainment scene has definitely changed the way we look at fashion and grooming in general. Male K-pop stars wear makeup when they perform. My EXO favorite Xiumin has worn a yellow highlighter while performing and it makes me want to order one from Fenty Beauty. In Korea, male idols endorse beauty products from lip tints to hand creams.
And this development isn’t just happening in Asia. In August, Chanel announced that it would introduce its first-ever men’s makeup line, called Boy De Chanel.
The inaugural collection’s premier campaign stars Korean star Lee Dong-wook, who is the face of the brand.
Lee, who has an impressive body of work that includes the big hit Goblin, embodies the ethos of the collection. The actor is currently starring in a new medical drama series, called Life, where he plays an ER doctor.
And what is this ethos? The Boy De Chanel collection embodies a person liberated from restrictions with a state of mind that celebrates fluidity and an art of living.
Not surprisingly, the collection made its debut in South Korea and is now available globally. I’m not sure if it will be available in the Philippines though. It is also available via the brand’s web site.
The inaugural Boy De Chanel includes three minimally packaged products, including a tinted fluid, which has SPF 25, as well as a lip balm and an eyebrow pencil.
Both the tinted fluid and the eyebrow pencil will come in four different shades, which, hopefully, will be expanded in the future.
I heard that two more ambassadors will be chosen. These two will probably be Western celebrities. I’m excited to how Chanel’s entry into men’s grooming will play out. If Chanel succeeds, I wouldn’t be surprised to see other luxury brands venturing into men’s beauty in the near future. ■