Man up! It's only make-up

The metrosexual battle has been won and a new frontier has emerged. Moisturisers and nose-hair trimmers are old hat — now boys are experimenting with concealers, bases, nail colours and — believe it or not — brow mousse.

High fashion is following the common man, as Marc Jacobs launches unisex make-up for “groomed brows”, “kissable lips” and “bright eyes”. Tom Ford’s male grooming line is to launch this autumn, and Manglaze — “the only polish a guy can wear without looking like a douchebag” — is causing a storm.

The cynics said it wouldn’t happen — just because Russell Brand wears a bit of eyeliner it doesn’t mean my mechanic will, right? Well, actually that is right. But he just might be wearing a caffeine-laden moisturiser under his matte primer.

It’s not exactly new to me. Since the fateful day in 2009 when I was shown the video for Friday I’m in Love by The Cure on YouTube, I haven’t been to a nightclub since without the slap on.

For me, make-up is a brave way to show the kids at school — who have now grown up and haunt the smoking areas of gritty clubs in plunging v-necks — that I like being that awful thing I was teased for: weird. It’s New Romantic, it’s Warhol’s Factory, it’s Lady Gaga. Well, frankly, it’s cool.

But the Marilyn Manson look is a little much outside of the night scene. In the day, I opt for an oil-free moisturiser and a tiny bit of matte foundation because I don’t like my shiny afternoon nose. It’s here — it seems — that the pretty boys and the working masses collide.

Make-up artist Emma White Turle, who works with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Hardy, has seen a massive increase in men’s understanding of make-up.

“Men are much more aware about what they want to wear and what they don’t. Generally, it’s about matte-ifying— taking away the ‘ugly shine’. We use a moisturiser, lip balm, eye cream and then a MAC matte-ifying gel all over.”

Market researcher Mintel has shown that total sales of men’s grooming products are up 3.6 per cent on last year, with 28 per cent of men wearing some kind of lip balm and a further eight per cent making use of anti-ageing products.

Times when I used to have to tremble my way through the transparent excuse of my sister’s birthday in order to take a look at Chanel’s beautiful new nail colours has long since passed. Now, at a visit to the make-up counter, the only eyebrows that are being raised are mine — thanks to Marc Jacobs’ unisex Brow Tamer Grooming Gel.