Call It What You Will: The 'Mancake' Revolution

Will Reid, Man about Town muses on the rise in Mancake

Male make-up is taking the entertainment industries (that's cosmetics/ fashion/ music and film) by storm. No longer is a touch of bronzer and a dab of lipstick meant only for dressing-room gents; 'guyliner,' 'mancake' and 'mank-up' are all terms being more frequently used amongst the youth of today.

Everyone is searching for an adopter of this trend (because, let's face it- after Beck's 'sarong' drama no-one wants to be the first man standing.) Zac Efron seems to have been hoisted up as the sail of this cosmetics boat but I, as an image-conscious male, don't exactly see Efron as one to mimic.

The teen heartthrob has been dubbed "Zacquisha" by feisty blogger Perez Hilton for his line-free, pore-free, made-up and pretty perfect visage. So, will 'Mancake' (that's the semi-official term for guy's make-up) become the playground of pretty-boys and Camden-rockstars or could it develop into an actual practice and artform?

I'm sitting across from Kiss and Make-Up's Zara Rabinowicz and her face is like an actual art-work; a mixture of obviously well-cared for porcelain skin and magnificent eye artistry [The cheque is in the post. Ed] doubt 'Mancake' will ever reach this level of endeavour.

When I was handed a sample of Taxi's 'Guyliner,' I opened it up and knew after a childhood spent performing and living with three sisters that it was basically a girl's product in guy's packaging. Now, I'm not saying that the product is meant for women, I just can't see the difference between Jean Paul Gautier's 'Monsieur' Bronzer-Powder and something I could nick from a girl's vanity case.

However, despite the Brit's stiff upper-lip, Clinique reports that their make-up for men range sells much better in Europe than in America. In 2005, a US GQ poll showed that "92 percent of men would not wear makeup even if it guaranteed them a more fulfilling sex life."

My opinion is that when us males see someone we idolise wearing a face of 'Mancake,' we might consider adopting the trend. I'm talking Ewan McGregor, Daniel Craig, Clive Owen- sex gods to adults, not tweens with a habit for High School Musical Karaoke. We just have to sit it out my friends- and wait for someone with mass-appeal to pick up on the fact that his eyelashes could be 2x bigger with the help of a guyliner.

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