Makeup, especially across the eyes, was more prevalent than ever on the Paris catwalks throughout the men’s ready-to-wear season for spring 2024.

“[It challenges] traditional beauty norms,” said makeup artist Stéphanie Kunz. “These revolutionary styles and trends have the potential to influence street fashion, as society becomes more accepting of diverse expressions of beauty and self-expression. As people embrace these changes, we may even see men adopting more adventurous and artistic makeup looks of their on a regular basis lives.”

Others agreed.

“As a makeup artist, I’ve noticed an exciting change on the Paris runways. There’s been a greater deal with daring looks for men, featuring a wide selection of styles like vibrant colours, gradient effects, shimmery finishes, iridescent elements and ornamental details,” said Mandy Gakhal. “It’s inspiring to see more men embracing makeup as a method to express themselves.

“While these daring runway looks are rooted in artistic expression, slightly than solely gender identity, they proceed to encourage and empower individuals to have fun their individuality and express themselves through makeup in truly extraordinary ways,” she continued.

Kunz headed up makeup for the Jeanne Friot show. It included one look with eye shadow under eyes, running down a model’s face, and others used blues, greens and iridescent hues. She said they “drew inspiration from the ocean to create a charming and enchanting appearance.

“The goal was to evoke the sweetness and colours present in underwater life while promoting sustainability,” said Kunz.

For Sean Suen, Gakhal created a glance where some male models had a swath of white coloring spread over a corner of their face, over a watch, while in one other, black paint was spattered across the eyes, almost like a mask. “The inspiration behind the style collection was dreams and falling into samsara, the wheel of life, death and rebirth,” she said. “The search for the attention was driven by the concept of multidimensional space, whilst the skin was kept fresh and dewy.

“By employing a mixture of stencil brushes, toothbrushes, face paints and products like Danessa Myricks Colorfix, I used to be in a position to bring the spray paint effect to life,” she continued. “The result was a visually striking and unique makeup look that captivated the eye and showcased the fantastic thing about artistic expression.”