Earlier this year at New York Fashion Week, Luar designer Raul Lopez—who began his career as a makeup artist at Macy’s MAC counter before launching his cult-favorite label—sent male models down the runway wearing foundation, contour, and groomed brows. “Everyone wears makeup now,” Lopez said backstage before the show. “I won’t even go to the bodega without concealer.”

Lopez and I have swapped beauty tips before—he admired my highlighter, while I wanted to copy his eyebrows. At his February show, I made a mental note to ask about his lip color. But what struck me most was how many men, myself included, have worn makeup for years, yet it wasn’t until this past January in Paris that I first saw a men’s beauty look demonstrated at a fashion show. Between that and the rise of pre-red-carpet grooming posts from celebrity stylists, we’ve clearly hit a turning point in how men’s makeup is discussed.

Take 19-year-old TikToker Bách Buquen, who went viral this year with his “Normalizing Men’s Makeup” series. The French influencer—whose face somehow manages to look both youthful and sculpted (the perks of being 19!)—filmed himself applying a full face of makeup in Paris Metro stations or before a Valentine’s Day date, mixing these clips with jet-ski rides and basketball games. His message? If he can wear it, so can anyone. Buquen isn’t alone: more traditionally masculine men, straight or not, are incorporating makeup into their routines. Tyde Levi (Troye Sivan’s younger brother and Rabanne’s current makeup ambassador) recently shared his routine, while Brazilian model Chico Lachowski posted a video of his wife giving him a makeup tutorial last December.

It’s rare for commerce to outpace culture, but Peter Philips, Dior’s creative makeup director (who crafted a striking look for Dior Men’s Fall 2025 show), recalls Jean Paul Gaultier’s men’s makeup line from 20 years ago. “It was beautiful, but it tried too hard to be masculine,” he says. Men who wear lipstick don’t care about packaging—they’ll use anything.

Chanel’s understated Boy de Chanel line, launched in 2018, reflects how men’s growing comfort with makeup has evolved alongside product innovation. “As formulas improve, men are more willing to experiment,” says Chanel makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown, who’s worked with Denzel Washington and Michael B. Jordan. These products cater to beginners—think forgiving eyebrow pencils—and account for men’s often minimal skincare routines. Shaving demands different hydration, so Chanel’s moisturizer is lightweight for those unused to multi-step regimens. Another key difference in 2025? While women chase dewy skin, men tend to prefer matte finishes.

The real goal, borrowing a 2024 buzzword, is undetectable enhancement. The shift among women from sharp contouring to softer, polished looks has influenced men too. Philips ties this to our image-driven culture: filters have made people more open to makeup that mimics their online personas. Wanting to look as good IRL as on Instagram is a universal struggle.

As for my own routine, I learned most of it from drag queen friends and Vogue’s Beauty Secrets series (Troye Sivan’s and Rihanna’s, if you’re curious). I skip foundation, focus on brows, use concealer sparingly, and go heavy on blush—Highlighter. It’s such a subtle routine that even my editor didn’t realize I was wearing makeup when we first talked about this story. And while I’m no stranger to makeup by male standards, I recently tried out Philips’s Dior-inspired look and Brown’s signature routine.

For my Dior day, I had dinner with a group of gay men and women and was met with a wave of compliments. The real test came the next evening when I wore Boy de Chanel to dinner with a straight, traditionally masculine college friend I’ve known for over ten years. He said my skin looked like I’d used the Paris Instagram filter. When I revealed my secret, he immediately ordered the concealer as we talked—along with a Glossier skin tint I recommended instead of foundation and an Augustinus Bader lip balm. It was an unexpected moment, but our conversation ended with a simple, easy affirmation: “I’m down,” he said, shrugging with a smile.

Chanel
Boy de Chanel Eyebrow Pencil
$42

Glossier
Perfecting Skin Tint
$28

Dior
Rouge Dior Lip Balm
$49

Augustinus Bader x Sofia Coppola
The Tinted Balm
$46

NARS
Soft Matte Complete Concealer
$32

Kevyn Aucoin
The Contrast Stick
$53