Is 2019 The Year Men’s Make-Up Goes Mainstream?

Men have had a long and complicated relationship with make-up, one that is inextricably linked with the changing face of masculinity throughout history. The Egyptians loved a smoky eye; the Greeks were into eye creams; Romans were partial to a pig’s-blood mani; and Brits daubed themselves in blue paint to frightening effect. Later, in the 18th Century, an alabaster complexion was everything. As society’s definition of masculinity became more rigid, the use of make-up among men started to decline, and by the 20th Century it was widely considered transgressive. Albeit with notable, iconic exceptions. There was David Bowie’s otherworldly metamorphosis into Ziggy Stardust at the hands of Pierre La Roche; the feline flick that intensified Prince’s lonely, lustful stare; and Brian Eno’s penchant for multi-coloured eyeshadow (Mary Quant crayons were his favourites). Read more at British Vogue.