Are men ready for makeup?

They are, say some in the business, if you don't call it makeup.

"Discretionary facial enhancement products" are what British King of Shaves founder Will King calls his company's men's cosmetics line, XCD (pronounced ex-CEED), which is sold at CVS.

XCD joins Clinique, Menaji Skincare for Men and Tout Beau Tout Propre by Jean Paul Gaultier and others in the growing field of men's cosmetics that cater to appearance-conscious, often self-described "metrosexual" men --- urban, stylish straight guys who do what it takes to look their best. Most of the lines have been sold for just a few years.

"I've always been willing to try cosmetics to take care of myself," said Buckhead public relations and fund-raising consultant Harrison Perry, 42, who uses a bronzer, concealer and eyebrow pencil daily. "Not because I wanted to look made up, but because I wanted to look healthy and be healthy."

U.S. department stores sold $85.8 million in men's grooming products --- including fragrance and skin-care items --- during the first nine months of 2003, according to the NPD Group, a market information company. Skin-care product sales --- 40 percent of that total --- were up 7 percent over the same period the year before. Men's fragrance sales were down 10 percent. No figures were available for men's makeup sales alone.

A stroll through the Men's Store at Rich's-Macy's in Lenox Square brings shoppers to Gaultier's Tout Beau Tout Propre line, which first appeared at the store in February. The firm said its bronzing powder works for a variety of skin shades. Prices in the line run from $16 to $42.

Gaultier also has a double-sided concealer and eyeliner disguised as a black ballpoint pen. A lip balm, lip gloss and a nail pen --- it gives the appearance of clear nail polish --- round out the line.

But some beauty professionals are skeptical about the Atlanta market and men's makeup. They say makeup hasn't caught on with local men the way it has in more cosmopolitan cities like New York and Los Angeles.

"The Atlanta market seems to be a bit hesitant to applying colors and that sort of thing," said Lee Taylor, a cosmetologist at Helmet Hairworx, who has also worked in Miami and New York. "But in other cities that I've worked in, it's not uncommon at all to see men sitting in the middle of a department store having powder or bronzer applied." There is also a vocabulary barrier.

"There needs to be a language that men can understand," King said. XCD includes a tinted moisturizer --- called an "improver." It is formulated to smooth and blend skin tones, just the way bronzers are. The line also has an eye cream --- dubbed a "reviver" --- that promises to eliminate puffiness and dark shadows under the eyes.

XCD products, priced at $15 each, are packaged in black, basic boxes. No pink packaging here. No frilly letters. Just the company logo at the top, with a clear window below, displaying the product. It --- like the language of XCD --- is all about masculinity.

But will all that testosterone-inspired marketing get men to cross that invisible makeup line? Some users say absolutely.

"I'm so excited because guys are finally coming around to getting things done," said 67-year-old Dunwoody resident Jack Cenna, an Yves Saint Laurent fragrance representative who uses a Clinique bronzer every day. "I'm out in the public 35 hours a week, so I've got to look pretty good. . . . You're selling yourself no matter what business you're in."

Some guys can't help but smile when complimented on their "tan" --- which really came out of a bottle. Decatur resident Tristan Pratt, 19, started using a unisex bronzer a year-and-a-half ago when his mom, a doctor, discouraged him from tanning outdoors.

"She was very worried about skin cancer," Pratt said. "A lot of people think that I have a tan and can't tell I'm wearing anything. . . . It's one of those things that men don't like to tell that they do, but they do it anyway."

If that's true, for-men-only makeup lines could be on the right track. Nashville-based Menaji Skincare for Men was created by makeup artist Michele Probst. Her motivation? Men need "undetectable, problem solving" products they feel comfortable using, she said. The line is sold in Midtown at Helmet Hairworx and the Boy Next Door clothing store. Prices range from a $5.50 item to a $98 bag of products.

Menaji products are all about the language. "I have learned so much about men with this line," Probst said. "Men don't know what the word 'tester' means. So I had to put [on displays] 'try me.' '' And the color of Menaji's anti-shine powder, skin toner and concealer packaging? Black.

Probst said some clients shave a second time during the day to get rid of a midafternoon shadow. If they opt for a midday shave and are wearing powder or bronzer, they should wash it off with warm water (opens pores), then shave, then rinse with cold water (closes pores) before reapplying makeup.

But what about guys who like that 5 o'clock shadow? Any danger of breaking out midday when their makeup meets facial hair? No, said Probst, who indicated that the products are so light they're not hard on skin.

One limitation of some men's lines is the lack of shades available in the bronzing powders and lotions. The tinted moisturizer in King's XCD line comes in one color, a shade "designed for the average white guy," King said, so it "won't work for dark skin or Asian skin." XCD is looking at working with an African-American makeup artist to develop products for darker skin tones, King said.

Other lines are one step ahead. Menaji offers its powders in light, medium, bronze and dark shades. The concealer comes in light, medium and bronze.