VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

Makeup for Manly Men

In the past, mens cosmetics fell into three different categories. The first was the Halloween category. Pastes and pancake makeup were relegated towards creating a ghoulish look that certain time of year.   I would consider Gene Simmons in the first category.  After all, he is a bit scary.  The second category is just simply male skincare. Lotions, creams, and aftershaves just got a little more fancy. The third category was corrective, though it was hardly tapped into. There are guys out there that have suffered major burns or other disfigurements and chose to camouflage it a bit, at least for photo opportunities. For the most part, however, guys just live with it. Perhaps that is the slightly more manly way to deal with things.  Oh, I almost forgot.  There is also makeup that you would wear daily if you were a Punk Rocker, and that isn’t a stereotype.

Now, there is the Men Pen. On the site, one of the front page quotes is: “There’s nothing gay about covering up a zit when you go out!”   Sure, but is the average guy going to go with it?  This sort of mens makeup has been used for years on the stage and in film, but I still wonder if it will truly catch on. To my surprise, there were more comments that seemed to be from average guys, rather than only guys that were models or were into the club scene. There was a Gent named John who uses it to cover up a big scar on his face he has had since he was a kid.

One Gent named Kyle said: I discovered The Men Pen works great for covering Tatoo’s (sic) I have a tatoo  (sic) on my arm and It can’t be seen at work. I can actually hide it using The Men Pen. Thanks much. At $17.95, I guess it is a BIT more economical than tattoo laser removal.   I wonder if it is a similar item to what was used to cover up Angelina Jolie’s many tattoos for the Tomb Raider movies.

One Gent, Kevin, commented that he ran out after a year. Maybe guys should take a cue from ladies and dispose of it every six months, and get a new one at that time, because of bacteria.  He probably will find he has to cover up acne less using a clean Men Pen.  Just a thought.

What are your thoughts on products such as the Men Pen?  Do you think that its something that works for a niche, or do you think it is going to catch on? Some people believe that something like this is just a “gateway” and a slippery slope to men wearing a complete foundation application and curling their eyelashes.  I don’t really think that’s the case.  I am also wondering if this isn’t just the same makeup that is made for ladies, just in a format that is a bit more manly?  I would have to do a little more digging to find out.