If you’re the average man in the USA or UK you probably leave with blemishes intact, as a study by marketing communications company JWT found that in a survey of 1,000 men only 10% used concealer. But if slapping on a bit of makeup before you headed to the office could improve your career prospects would you be more likely to indulge your metrosexual side?

The undeniable link between appearance and competence

Rightly or wrongly, appearances matter – before you’ve even said a word to someone they will have inevitably judged you on how you look. That judgement acts as a prism through which everything you say is filtered. If you look like you haven’t washed in a week and you got dressed in the dark your words will come under more scrutiny. After all, if you can’t even bother to make sure you present yourself well what are the chances that you’ve done your research and checked your facts?

On the other hand if you look smart, professional and friendly your audience will be more inclined to trust what you say and give any proposals you make serious consideration. You make plenty of decisions about the image you want to project on a daily basis, from the colour of your tie, to whether you wear contact lenses, all in the aim of looking as professional and reliable as possible. So if getting rid of tired looking eyes can help you look more alert and engaged isn’t it worth investing in an under eye concealer? After all, studies prove that people judged to be more attractive are hired sooner, promoted quicker and paid more.

Look good, feel good

If you believe that looking your best will have a positive impact on the way others receive you then taking a bit of extra time and care during your grooming regime should logically make you feel more confident. This added confidence can help suppress any anxious or nervous feelings you might have, in turn allowing you to communicate your ideas with more conviction.

Then again, if you’re so uncomfortable with the idea of wearing makeup that it only adds to your anxiety wouldn’t it be best to leave concealer to the fairer sex? Perhaps, but ultimately if your problem with male makeup means that your colleague who doesn’t is more likely to land a promotion, isn’t it worth trying to overcome your fear?

The secret groomer

Male grooming is a subject that usually splits men into one of two camps. The first are fiercely opposed to all but the most basic of grooming regimes – even using conditioner would be a step too far. To these men cosmetics are for women and real men don’t feel the need to cover up markers of manliness. The second camp believes that there’s nothing wrong with moisturising, or indeed using a bit of concealer to maintain a healthy, professional appearance. After all, how different is it from visiting the barbers once your hair gets a little long and unruly?

However, even those men in the second camp might be a little reluctant to publicly acknowledge their positive relationship with male beauty products. So feel free to publicly disagree with this article and lament the passing of old-school masculinity. Feel free to claim that you’re not vain and that you don’t care about your appearance enough to spend an extra couple of minutes in the morning making yourself look that 10% better. And feel free to turn on private browsing, purchase some male concealer and modestly bat away the compliments come Monday morning.

This post was written by Matt Harris Feel of Feel Good Contact Lenses, sellers of contact lenses, solution and eye drops. 

This is a guest post for TheEmployable