Chinese and Western men tend to have different priorities when it comes to applying makeup. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Wang Chuande, a 39-year-old marketing manager at an advertising company in Ji'nan, Shandong Province sits in front of the dresser in the morning and applies BB cream to his face to even out his skin tone, applies concealer to cover up his acne and wrinkles, then fills in his eyebrows to make them more thick and straight.

"My skin condition looks so much better after I put on makeup, and the thickened eyebrows make me look more energized," Wang said. "I look healthier and younger, and feel more confident after the makeup."

In China, the number of men who are turning to makeup to enhance their looks is increasing. A People's Daily report published this month quoted a national study conducted by the famous cosmetics retail chain Watsons and the US-based market research company Nielsen which showed that more than 30 percent of male respondents are willing to wear makeup to improve their image and professional presence. The report also showed that 22 percent of the male respondents put up makeup everyday, and the most favored type of makeup was BB cream.

It's a phenomenon that's most likely catching on from trends in the West. According to a report published in October last year by Cosmetics Europe, a cosmetics industry portal website, 20 percent of British men put on makeup everyday. The products they use include lipstick, eyeliner and tanning creams and sprays.

Cui Shanshan, a teacher from Ximan Color, a personal image consulting company in Beijing, told Metropolitan they started a course in 2008 to teach male students how to apply makeup and dress properly, but they barely had any students in the beginning. Now, they have around 100 male students a year.

Cui said that even though the trends may be similar, how men are applying makeup in China is different compared to the West. In the West, makeup marketed to men is more focused on skincare, and outside of that, they are mostly focused on using facial hair to define their features. For Chinese men, the key is to achieve a clean and natural look by improving the skin and giving their bone structure definition, said Cui.

Since an increasing number of Chinese men have started to apply makeup, industry experts are focusing more on giving men makeup tips. According to Liu Donghao, a stylist who has worked for famous magazines like For Him Magazine, the first thing Chinese men need is to use foundation to make their skin smoother and even-toned. "The color of the foundation should be in line with their natural skin color or one color darker than their neck color," said Liu.

Another aspect that is important for both Chinese and Western men is making the eyes and eyebrows stand out.

"Men's eyebrows should be thick and straight because this can make men look more masculine," Liu said. "They should use a gray eyebrow pencil."

Liu said men can opt to add bronzer on the cheeks and the sides of the nose to make their facial structure look more defined, and eyeliner should be along the base of their eyelashes to make it more invisible and natural.

Wang began using makeup in April 2014, because he was having trouble at work and in his social life because of his appearance.

 "Once I went to my daughter's school, and her teachers and classmates mistook me as her grandfather because my appearance looked too old," said Wang. "And people in the advertising industry like creative people with fresh ideas, and some of my clients don't believe 'corny' people like me are up for the task." 

After he put more attention on his appearances, Wang looked young and energetic. Wang was more active and confident at work, and got better business.

"My wife even paid more attention to me after I started to wear makeup," he said. "She didn't care about hanging out with me before. Now wherever I go, she goes as well, even on business trips."