Watch: We Tried Male Makeup

We Tried is a series where RADII staff try out unique foods, experiences, and phenomena in China. Drop us a line if you have a suggestion.

The era of male beauty in China is now.

These days, you can’t even take the Shanghai metro without gazing into the pixelated smoldering looks of the handsome, fresh-faced Chinese idols who decorate every billboard or in-train advertisement with their dewy skin and tastefully drawn brows.

In today’s China, male celebrities, livestreamers and media influencers can often be found promoting and wearing male makeup, from B.B cream to guyliner to manscara. Young, trendy, and forward-facing, these men are pioneering a significant shift in China’s sociocultural definition of a desirable man.

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So as economic growth, shifting social norms, and really hot guys wearing foundation continue to fuel the male beauty market in China, we decided it was time to test the waters.

In this episode of We Tried, we commission a Chinese makeup artist to give 2 male RADII members their first male makeup makeovers. Thankfully, there’s an app for that — with He Li Jia we were able to order a seasoned cosmetics pro in just a few simple steps.

Watch below to see these guys’ first time tapping into China’s male makeup phenomenon: