The rise of cosmetics for MEN: Hundreds of Chinese male vloggers share beauty tips online to help their peers look more attractive

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Blushes, eyeshadows and concealers are no longer exclusively found in a woman's cosmetic bag as more and more men in China discover the power of make-up.  

Hundreds of male vloggers are now sharing beauty tips online as young urban males have become more appearance-conscious in recent years.

'We're seeing more men in the media wearing make-up. This will naturally become the norm,' video blogger Lan Haoyi said. 

The 27-year-old make-up artist has more than 1.4 million followers on twitter-like Weibo and spends up to 10,000 yuan (£1,140) on beauty products every month.

Beauty blogger Lan Haoyi, 27, applying make-up before recording video at his home in Beijing. Hundreds of young male vloggers are now sharing beauty tips online as the urban male becomes more appearance-conscious

Beauty vlogger Jiang Cheng, 24, recording video at his home in Beijing as part of China's booming male cosmetics industry. Jiang says a firm that manages bloggers pays him around £570 per month to feature products from companies

Jiang applies lipstick before recording a video in his Beijing flat. He was instantly hooked after using concealer in university

Despite what appears to be social progress in many of the country's cosmopolitan cities, the video blogger says he still receives hate messages and criticism for appearing in smoky red eyeshadow.

'"Why would a man look like that? Why does a man need to wear make-up?" These are some of messages I get,' Lan says, adding he has been called a 'sissy' and other slurs.

Nonetheless, these beauty stars form an enormous industry in China, with internet celebrities known as 'wang hong', or online stars. 

When blogger Jiang Cheng first tried a bit of concealer during his first year of university in China it gave him self-confidence and he was instantly hooked.

'I found that putting on make-up is actually quite easy,' the 24-year-old said as he gently brushed his face with some foundation.

Jiang Cheng preparing for a male beauty video in front of a large mirror. He said make-up gives him self-confidence

Lan Haoyi  27, shares beauty tips online as part of China's booming beauty industry for men

Lan has more than 1.4 million followers on Weibo and spends up to 10,000 yuan (£1,140) on beauty products every month

'Women may not fully grasp the concept of male make-up. If a girl puts on my make-up, they may not be able to achieve the effect that I really want,' Jiang said.

Every weekend, Jiang spends a couple of hours in front of his iPhone at his cozy makeshift studio in Beijing trying on the latest balms and blush for hundreds of live viewers, who can simultaneously buy the products he reviews.

'This colour is not that outrageous that men can't wear it safely even in a conservative environment,' he explains to his fans.

Chinese e-commerce companies such as Alibaba and JD.com have launched live-streaming platforms that allow viewers to purchase the products while watching the videos, blurring the line between entertainment and consumerism.

At the same time, cosmetics brands pay big money for online celebrities - almost always female - to review their new products.

The male beauty market is expected to grow 15.2 per cent in the next five years in China, according to Euromonitor

24-year-old vlogger Jiang Cheng swatches different shades of lipsticks from his make-up collection

'We're seeing more men in the media wearing make-up. This will naturally become the norm,' video blogger Lan Haoyi says

But now the market and gender norms are changing, with cosmetics no longer seen as exclusively for women and male celebrities showing that it is okay for men to dab on a bit of blush. 

Jiang says a firm that manages bloggers pays him around 5,000 yuan (£570) per month to feature products from cosmetics companies.

The male beauty market is expected to grow 15.2 per cent in the next five years in China compared to an 11 per cent global increase over the same period, according to research firm Euromonitor.

Increasingly, foreign firms like La Mer and Aesop work with video bloggers such as Lan, known as Lan Pu Lan online, to promote their products to his nearly 1.4 million followers.

He said China's 'Little Fresh Meat' - a term referring to young good-looking men - is spearheading the trend of men spending more money on cosmetics.

Lan, known as Lan Pu Lan online, introducing a cosmetic product during a recording of a video at his home in Beijing

Every weekend, Jiang spends a couple of hours in front of his iPhone at his cozy makeshift studio in Beijing to record videos

Jiang sets up a backdrop. He is now among hundreds of Chinese men sharing beauty tips online in the booming industry

However, many people, especially the older generation, still find men putting on make-up weird and unacceptable in the largely conservative country.

For Jiang, the fear of being ridiculed by his own parents stops him from picking up the make-up brush in front of them.

'I don't want to have conflict with my parents. We don't see eye to eye, our values and concepts of life are different.

'I'm not saying that they don't think me putting on make-up is bad or anything, but they are just unable to accept the daily make-up routine for a man,' he says. 

Mo Fei, the executive director for Chetti Rouge, a Chinese cosmetics company targeting men exclusively, says that will change over time.

Lan applying eyeshadow from a colourful palette before filming for his 1.4 million followers on Weibo

For Jiang, the fear of being ridiculed by his own parents stops him from picking up the make-up brush in front of them

Jiang prepares to film a video at home. Chinese e-commerce companies such as Alibaba and JD.com have launched live-streaming platforms that allow viewers to purchase the products while watching the videos

'There will be more and more men who take more care in how they look and the demands will increase. Men in the East are more accepting,' Mo says.

He opened Chetti Rouge in 2005 with few products. Now the beauty company sells a wide variety of cosmetics ranging from foundation to lipstick solely for men and has moved the entire business online.

'We saw potential in the market very early on,' Mo told AFP, adding that the company expanded to Thailand three years ago.

'It might be that men have accepted make-up. For men to browse products in shopping malls, may be for some men a little intimidating, hence the best way for them to buy is online, which is why our sales strategy is mainly on the internet.'