Makeup for Men?

Why should women get to have all the fun? Sure, there are many men out there who would rather go shoe shopping with their wives or sit through a chick flick than to wear makeup, but for guys like me it's a brilliant idea.

My first encounter with makeup came during my high school days. I was the kind of guy who liked to stay out late on school nights, which often left me looking like Lon Chaney in the morning. One morning, I decided that I could use a little makeup in order to get rid of the dark circles under my eyes. Fishing around in the bathroom closet, I found some of my mother's concealer. Of course, I had no clue what I was doing at the time, but after a few days of playing around with the makeup I was able to come out of the bathroom looking half-decent. Before long, I had mastered the art of covering up various bruises, pimples, and blemishes. I even found a good use for my mother's brown eyebrow pencils; using them to pencil in the missing hairs of the bad-boy goatee I was trying to grow.

After I grew up and moved into my own place, I abandoned my morning makeup routine. As a man, I was much too embarrassed to go to the beauty aisle of the local supermarket in order to purchase makeup. But whenever I went shopping and found myself walking past the rows of concealers and foundations and eyeshadows, a hidden part of me secretly yearned for the day when some enterprising company would come out with a line of makeup geared specifically for men.

You see, the main reason why men do not purchase makeup is because of the embarrassment. No man wants to look into the puzzled face of a cashier as she scans his Maybelline Custom Face Perfector Cream Foundation (which provides both full or sheer coverage, depending on your taste). It is not a question of, "What will it take to get a man to wear makeup?" It is a question of, "What will it take to get guys to purchase makeup?" The answer is packaging. Stick a picture of a hockey player or a lumberjack on that compact of pressed powder and guys will buy it.

Maybe I represent a small percentage of men in my fascination for makeup; but then again, maybe this country is full of millions of guys just like me. Guys who don't plan on stocking up on lip gloss and mascara, but who nonetheless would like a little help looking a little more presentable in the morning.