Men in full-blown makeup is nothing new. From drag queens to rock stars (think Prince, David Bowie and Russell Brand among many), men – acclaimed or not – have long relied on makeup to sculpture their public persona. It is a trend that has never really gone away. Today, in the age of technology and instant connectivity, it is reaching a whole new level of glam and fame.
Meet the “beauty boys” whose bold experiments with makeup have garnered them millions of social media followers as well as contracts with top beauty brands. Belonging to the millennial generation that embraces fluidity, these men and teenagers are not cross-dressers. They are simply gender-defying adept makeup artists who practice on themselves.
Their skills – and significant fan base – have turned them from industry pariahs to the hottest models out there. In January, Maybelline New York appointed Manny Gutierrez, who boasts more than two million Youtube subscribers, as its first male ambassador. Having launched his makeup tutorial channel in 2014, Gutierrez stars in the label’s That Boss Life campaign.
January saw another leading beauty label – beauty boy collaboration. Rimmel London teamed with 17-year old Lewys Ball to front the brand’s #LiveTheLondonLook campaign. With over 50,000 Instagram followers, Ball joins forces with Cara Delevingne in a video that propagates that “there isn’t one London look; it’s whatever you want it to be.”
Both Gutierrez and Ball follow in the steps of James Charles, “a 17-year old kid with a few blending brushes,” as his Instagram introduction states, who last October became the first CoverBoy. The fad grows with makeup whizzes like Patrick Simondac, who Marie Claire declared “arguably one of the most influential men” in the movement, and Alexander Rivera, who lean toward more masculine beauty looks.
Next time you browse Instagram or Youtube for exciting makeup hacks, check out these guys. Chances are their game is scores above yours.
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