5 Man-Repellant Beauty Trends

By Sophia Panych,Allure magazine

If you're a fashion and beauty addict like moi, you may already be familiar with The Man Repeller, a blog dedicated to the high-fashion trends women love to wear and men hate to look at. Recently, this has become my daily online obsession-I can't wait to check out the latest outfits and wacky inspirations writer Leandra Medine comes up with, and always with a witty comment to boot.

According to the site, a "man-repeller" is someone who "outfits themselves in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling members of the opposite sex." Such outfit choices include, but are not limited to, drop-waist pants, shoulder pads, turbans, and lots of lots of animal print. So what exactly is the beauty equivalent of a pair of harem pants?

Inspired by my new favorite blog, I asked our editors (and their beaus) for their top man-repelling beauty trends:

Our beauty director's husband Grady Laird (who writes GQ's grooming blog) says, "Those jet black, bowl cut wigs from Yves Saint Laurent's Fall 2008 runway show-those were definite man-repellers. When it comes to makeup and hair, anything too over-the-top is going to turn off most guys-extreme runway looks like Day-Glo lipstick or rainbow eye shadow probably won't appeal. Personally, I think less is more. I prefer the natural look."

Many of our staffers' significant others felt the same way. One writer admitted her boyfriend hates when she wears dark nail polish, for that exact reason-it doesn't look natural. Another editor's favorite fuchsia lipstick gets only one comment from her husband: "Wow, that's bright-really bright."

But in true man-repeller spirit, who cares what guys think anyways? Walking around with natural-looking makeup all the time can get monotonous, and it's fun to experiment with a braided updo or a new shade of lipstick. So tonight, I'm putting on the new lime green shadow pencil from Nars (out tomorrow!), and you know what-I don't care who I repel, because as long as you wear it with confidence, you can get away with anything.

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Photo Credit: Condé Nast Digital Studio