Man make-up anyone?

Recently actor Johnny Depp made a red carpet appearance at The Lone Ranger premiere wearing his signature tinted glasses, a pinstripe suit and a face full of man make-up. The powdered up and bronzed-out look with dots of pigmented powder on his cheeks had the paparazzi go into a tizzy. However, men in India, who wear make-up don’t just belong to the actor/socialite category. Today grooms and even corporate men are not coy about taking the vanity route and want to hide every blemish and dark circle under the layers of concealer.

New homme essentials
“Make-up for men is very much acceptable. Today everyone wants to look good. There are concealer sticks, which men must carry in their bags. They come in pencil forms and you need to make lines around your eyes and rub them with your fingers. You need to understand your skin colour. Men who have acne, need a thicker foundation, which covers everything. Today in the corporate world everyone is used to getting photographed and hence wants to look great. In fact, a lot of grooms demand make-up for all their wedding functions. Once you understand your skin, you can easily carry it off,” says make-up artist Vipul Bhagat.

Vanity no apologies
“Of course men have every right to look good. I do so many weddings and get requests from brides, who want make-up for their grooms. However, in their case it is important to remember that the make-up should not be visible or caught by the camera. Men should stick to an under-eye cream or a roll on. If you are very fair then avoid the bronzer else it’ll appear golden. Understanding your skin tone is crucial. While using concealer to hide scars, go for a tone darker,” cautions make-up artist Kapil Bhalla.

A tad pansy?
“I find make-up on men too pansy. If countless men have found fantastic mates over decades past, I don’t think they should give in to unnecessary vanity in 2013. If you are a drag queen or someone interested in make-up as an artist, then you just follow the same rules as women. Learn everything and discount the irrelevant,” says make-up artist Elton Fernandez.