When I heard that Chanel was launching their first made-for-men cosmetics line I of course was intrigued. Chanel has been leading beauty trends in the industry for years and the launch of Boy de Chanel was just another step further.
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Entitled Boy de Chanel and inspired by Gabrielle Chanel's lover, Boy Capel, the line includes a matte moisturizing lip balm, tinted foundation - which comes in eight shades, and an eyebrow pencil - which comes in four different shades.
In an age of beauty bloggers (a lot of them male), it’s no secret that men wear makeup - and frankly are really good at it! Considering my make up product experience is minimal, I was interested and seeing how these products stood out from their female product counterparts.
Foundation Fluid
I decided to start with a half pump of the foundation fluid which on first instinct I noticed the scent of the product which i can only explain as a faint floral scent. While applying the product the fluid was extremely lightweight and almost sheer.
It was a relief as I’ve tried other foundations and I always found them to be to heavy and overpowering, however if you’re looking for a full coverage look - it’ll definitely take a few more pumps to achieve. The foundation only took about 20 minutes and leaves a dewy, even toned no makeup - make up look.
The mens foundation also contains SPF 25 as well as hyaluronic acid to help keep the skin hydrated. Which within further investigation I found out the women's foundations can offer SPF but not yet with hyaluronic acid component.
As men are more prone to dry skin I found this to be the first element that really targeted male cosmetic issues rather than it just being used as another cover up.
Eyebrow Pencil
Other than the foundation I was most interested in trying out the eyebrow pencil. I’ve had a few different eyebrow looks in my time and find then very important in my daily routine to nail the perfect look.
I’ll admit, I’ve never used an eyebrow pencil before and have always leaned more to the powder and brush method. With the help of YouTube and Chanel’s campaign videos I was able to learn how to properly use the pencil to create the perfect “natural” eyebrow look.
The product was super smooth and easy to apply, it’s also waterproof for those warm days when you can get sweaty. The last thing you want to go for is a melted face look.
Lip Balm
I wasn’t expecting a lot of the lip balm, I already use one of the Chanel Les Beiges Lip Balm and I expected it to be very much the same - I was right.
The only thing is that the men's lip balm didn't have the added lip tint that you get with Les Beiges but instead you get a taste that I can only describe as a sweetener flavor which definitely took me by surprise.
The lip balm is a nice clean polisher to finish off the effortless Boy de Chanel look.
Final Thoughts
It’s worth stating that makeup can be worn by all genders, and that the idea that a product is "for men" is more about branding than literally men only. Hopefully branding as Boy de Chanel encourages those guys who are interested in trying makeup to do so more confidentially.
Chanel offers their philosophy: "By wearing Boy de Chanel makeup, products with an undetectable presence, men can feel self-assured and determined, confident about themselves and their appearance."
All of the Boy de Chanel products are sold separately on Chanel.com.
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Known for his Parisian influences, Ty Gaskins is a New York based contributor who focuses on fashion and skincare trends. Formerly at PAPER Magazine he has a fresh take on new products for the millennial guy.