PRETTY BOY

Men do get it when it comes to make-up and skincare, says Leong Su-Lin

For the past five years, Clavin Lee tried almost everything to conceal the dark rings under his eves.

The 36-year-old partner in an events management company used eve creams, visited the doctor and slept longer hours. All had no effect on his "serious emblem".
He even borrowed his then girlfriend's Lancome concealer, but found it was only a temporary solution. "I sweat a lot, and it didn't stay on for very long," he explained.
So when he read about www.simplymenz.com, a website specializing in men's skin care and make-up, six ,months ago, he decided to try a concealer formulated for men.

Although he bought the wrong, shade initially, he later exchanged it for a more natural looking one. Impressed by its staying power, he also bought a bronzer, cleanser and toner from the website.
He is one of a growing number of men ,who are buying make-up from men's make-up brands like Menaji, 4VOO and' Tout Beau Tout Propre by Jean Paul Gaultier

Menaji and 4VOO are available through www.simplymenz.com, while the JPG, range is available at its counters in Tangs and Takashimaya.

And the risen are proving to be big customers, with the average spend at Simply Menz being $150.

In fact, when it started offering Menaji, a American brand of skincare and make-up, and 4VOO, an up-market Canadian brand, last July, it was, pleasantly surprised.

"We never expected the sale of concealers to be higher than cleansers," said Louis Ng, a spokesman for Simply Menz.

Still, some things don't change. Most men, while prepared to spend on beauty products, are not always keen to admit it.

Sales of Simply Menz products that are also sold at Pimabs in Chinatown are 30 per cent. lower than online. Said Ng: "There is still a stigma attached to walking into a department store and buying make-up from a counter."

But for JPG, counter sales for its grooming range has seen double-digit growth since its debut a year ago.
JPG Perfumes brand manager Amy Chua said that this spurred a business decision to introduce a new make-up range for men last month.

These include a kohl pen and concealer, brow and lash groomer and a face bronzer.

While Chug conceded not all men would he comfortable with whipping out a compact and touching up in public, "they are quite comfortable with purchasing products in person".

Sales executive Arthur Ong doesn't mind buying make-up at the counter, The 27-year-old longtime user of Shiseido concealers was introduced to make-up during a grooming course.

After he got som advice for his blemishes, he bought his first cosmetic product - a Shiseido concealer - and was hooked. "I have no problem buying from a counter, as I can have all my queries answered and no beauty adviser has ever treated me differently," He said.

To educate men in grooming, Simply Menz has an online forum and trained beauty adviser on weekdays form noon to 6 pm.

At JPG, a grooming workshop held last month proved to be so popular that it planned to have it monthly.

Participant Aw Yong, a marketing executive in a media company, said the workshop helped convince him that make-up is "not just for girls".

As the 26-year-old put it: "If wearing make-up helps make her husband or boyfriend look even better, I can't really imagine why any woman would complain."

Unless it's because they look better than the women.