Male beauty is finally having its moment

While the tail end of 2016 really got the ball rolling for male beauty with CoverGirl announcing its first male model and Die Beautiful making waves in the entertainment scene, this time we’ve got our eyes on a new commentary show that’s pushing the bounds of beauty. We’re talking about Lipstick Prince, South Korea’s latest solution to the gender binary.

The Concept

Geared towards empowering men to wear and learn about makeup, Lipstick Prince teaches its male cast a variety of makeup looks and beauty hacks. After all, who says only girls can know their undertones or wing their eyeliner?

The Culture

Home to some of our favorite skincare brands, South Korea has built up its reputation as a hub for cosmetics of every sort. This beauty-centered mindset trickles down not only to its female population, but to Korean men as well. Fans of all things Korean would know that in the land of idol groups and flower boy actors, seeing men wear makeup or being willing to cash out to keep their looks in check isn’t quite as taboo as it is in the rest of Asia or in the West.

The Cast

Super Junior’s Kim Heechul, known and admired for his flawless skin and delicate features, takes the reigns as Lipstick Prince’s main MC. As if his slapstick humor and hosting experience aren’t enough, Heechul is joined by a cast of 7 boy group members. An unlikely combination, the lineup brings together idols from a range of generations. Tony An of H.O.T. represents the first wave of idol groups, while U-Kwon and P.O. of Block B and Seo Eunkwang of BtoB are from groups that debuted as the Korean wave started to pick up speed. The rest of the cast is made up of fresher faces on the K-Pop scene like Shownu of Monsta X, Doyoung of NCT and Rowoon of SF9. In addition to the regular cast, a female celebrity guests on the show to enthuse the boys about a makeup style she has a soft spot for or would personally like to try out.

The Catch

What good is a show without a little challenge? After the female guest shares her makeup look of choice, the male cast learns how to achieve the look with first-hand help from a professional makeup artist. After a little practice, the boys then tag-team to test out their new makeup skills on the celebrity guest.

Watch the latest episode of Lipstick Prince on Tribe!