There's never been more transparency about the fact that men wear makeup too. From the full-on face beats sported by The Beauty Boys of Instagram to the more subtle, your-skin-but-better approach male celebrities often take on the red carpet, the secret's out. And thus, it's time to impart the tricks of the trade to all the curious males in our lives. Yes, they can use their beards to contour, but that doesn't make them immune to their own vain woes.
For tips, we looked to Jimmy Fallon's makeup artist Cyndie Lou Boehm, who manages to make one of Hollywood's hardest working men look I-get-a-full-12-hours-of-sleep-every-night fresh in the sneakiest of ways.
1. Prep the undereyes. For men and women alike, the eyes are perhaps the most important area to address. Boehm begins by cleansing the entire face with Iceland's Glacial Cleansing Cloths for Eyes as they're delicate enough for the undereye area. "The cucumber extract will be soothing," she says. Once the skin, is cleansed apply eye gels for 10 minutes. Her go to is Iceland's Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels. "They're so unbelievably cool, relieving, and instantly revitalizing," she explains. "They're the only eye pads I have found that truly deliver the most instant results to help tone and de-puff." The last step for addressing dark circles is to use a fast aborbing eye cream like Iceland's Relief Eye Cream.
2. Moisturize the face and neck. Now, it's time to treat the rest of the face, as well as the neck, so that the skin is reinvigorated and healthy-looking. Boehm likes to pat a moisturizing lotion, like the Antidote Cooling Daily Lotion, into the face and throat. "I love this lotion because it continues to feel minty, cool, and refreshing well after it's applied," she explains.
3. Apply light coverage. "[On the red carpet] the goal for men is to never look like they are wearing makeup, which means less is more," says Boehm. "Tinted moisturizers are foolproof as they provide color and may conceal what is needed on its own." If more coverage, she goes in with a concealer and spot treats on the undereye area, age spots, and acne.
4. Add a touch of guyliner. "For men that like their eyes to pop a bit more, but still look natural, I'll lightly draw a dotted line along the upper and lower lash lines so that the viewer's eye doesn't go to a drawn-on eyeliner look you would see on a woman," she explains. Find more tightlining tips here.
5. Add balm to the lips. Because men will typically go bare with their lips, it's extra important that they're moisturized. Don't let them be an afterthought! "Always apply lip balm and keep it in your pocket," says Boehm.
6. Trim the facial hair. ICYMI the first time around, facial hair is basically makeup—use it wisely. "Use a nose or ear trimmer and a small pair of scissors to groom eyebrows, mustaches, and beards," she instructs. "Unruly facial hair can easily make an unkempt man!"
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