Glamour: We know your brother accidentally leaked a first look at the palette. Were you freaking out?
MG: I was shocked at first, but then I realized that it was literally only two shades that were shown. Plus, the packaging was ripped in half. I was kind of like, Ugh, that’s frustrating, but at the same time, he's my little brother. He was on set with me and excited for me, so I wasn’t devastated or mad—just like, damn it, I wanted to show it first. It's actually really funny how so many people screen-shotted it. He only had [the photo of it] up for about 20 seconds!
Glamour: With Pride month coming up what does this launch mean to you in particular?
MG: I'm a member of the LGBTQ community, and I feel like we need more representation. In the makeup world, especially, it’s always been really, really hard for men in beauty to kind of be seen in a way beyond being a "fad." That's why I timed the launch to Pride month: not only to bring awareness to my brand and who I am, but also to bring awareness to the LGBTQ community as a whole.
Glamour: You spoke with us a year ago for our America the Beautiful series about how society's attitude toward men in makeup was starting to evolve. Has anything changed since then?
MG: I feel like as a whole the world has shifted a bit. People are much more accepting and are willing to go to bat for you nowadays. If someone is making fun of you, commenters are so much more eager to chime in and say that it's wrong to make fun of people for who they are. I think that’s a big thing we’re headed toward now. [Men in makeup] is much more normalized now. The conversation is no longer "OMG, that’s so fucking weird." Now it's "OMG, that’s really different and unique."
Glamour: Do you have any advice for boys into beauty who may be feeling discouraged?
MG: You know, honestly, I get it. When I was starting off in the beauty world, it wasn't easy. My family wasn’t the most forthcoming. My friends didn’t understand what I was doing or why I liked doing it. Especially four years ago, it was much less of a "normal" thing for men to be wearing makeup. I would just say continue to do it if you love it. That’s what I always tell men who ask me how I continue to do what I do. It’s just because I love it. It makes me happy, and I feel like people will come around eventually. Time heals all wounds and if you’re having a hard time in that moment, just remember that it becomes so much better. The more confident you become in yourself—which will happen—you’ll start to care less and less about what people think.
Glamour: Are there any juicy teasers you can give us for what’s next in Lunar Beauty?
