Singaporean society—especially the older generation—still has a certain “image” of what a real man should look like. But honestly? It’s 2026. If you’re still walking around with massive dark circles, angry red cystic acne, and a face as oily as a plate of Char Kway Teow because you think “skincare and makeup is for ah guas,” you’re just playing yourself.
I started about two years ago. It began with just a bit of concealer to hide some nasty breakout scars before a big presentation at my finance firm. The confidence boost was instant. I didn’t look like a “pretty boy”; I just looked like a version of myself that actually got eight hours of sleep. Since then, it’s evolved. My daily “low-key” look involves a blurring primer (essential for our humidity), a tinted moisturizer with SPF 50, and a bit of brow gel to fix my patchy eyebrows.
The biggest misconception in SG is that if a guy wears makeup, he’s going for that K-pop idol look with the glitter and the red lips. Realistically? Most of us are just doing “stealth makeup.” I’ve sat through countless drinks at Boat Quay with the “boys-boys” clique, listening to them complain about looking tired or old, while I’m sitting there with a full face of product that they can’t even see. They just think I have “good genes.”
I’ve noticed it more often now at the gym or in the CBD—you see the subtle matte finish on a guy’s skin or the way his beard looks suspiciously well-defined. We are everywhere. We’re in tech, we’re in finance, we’re uncles trying to look younger for their wives, and we’re NSFs trying to cover up camo-induced breakouts.
It’s not about wanting to be feminine. It’s about the fact that in a hyper-competitive city like Singapore, looking “sharp” is a currency. When you look polished, people treat you differently. They listen more. They assume you’re disciplined.
To the guys still stuck in the 90s mindset: stop being so insecure about your masculinity. Putting on some BB cream doesn’t change who you are, but it definitely changes how the world sees you. If looking like a “man” means having skin like a textured wall, you can keep that title. I’ll stay over here looking refreshed.
Anyone else secretly packing a beauty blender in their EDC bag? Let’s hear it.