Do men need makeup when appearing in front of the camera?

In short, yes. But not as much as you think.

A couple of Thursdays ago I was lucky enough to find myself watching the sun rise from the 35th floor of The Shard, inside the Shangri La Hotel (the view was incredible). 

Myself and a fellow makeup artist, Laura Barrow, had been booked by a lovely client of mine (a firm) to provide grooming for eight members of its senior team (one female and seven men), all of whom were due to appear on a live webinar, to be broadcast from the hotel at 8:30am.

The men were from all over...the Netherlands, the States and Ireland to name but a few. Some had had makeup applied before. For others it was their first time. As Laura and I started to prep each gentleman individually for the cameras the usual banter began: 

‘You’ll need to bring out the heavy stuff!’

‘What can you do with these eye bags?’

‘No blue eye shadow for me, thanks’ (there’s always one ;)

Not too shabby

Of course there's a macho thing at play here, regardless of one's sexuality. 

Most men don't wear makeup on a daily basis so having it applied (even moisturiser) can feel uncomfortable. If you think about it, not only does having your makeup done require you to allow a complete stranger to come into close proximity with your face, but it also requires you to experience having a number of different products applied to your skin, by someone else. Products you may not be used to. Combine that with a 'makeup is for women and never for men' attitude and you can see why some chaps find it difficult.

Later that afternoon the gentlemen were booked in to have their makeup reapplied in preparation for another webinar which was due to start at 6pm. One of the chaps had decided he'd rather not have makeup applied again and this influenced some of the others (although in the end we did manage to convince them to having some subtle concealing and powder). 

This one particular gentleman's hesitation to have makeup, having already experienced it that morning, got me thinking:

Is it the act of having makeup applied that has changed his mind or is it simply he's skeptical of its benefit?

Some of the grooming products I use on my male clients

What makeup can do
Strategically applied makeup (assuming the makeup artist is using the right products and an appropriate amount) will give a gentleman ten hours sleep when he's barely had two. 

Clever use of colour correcting concealers will gently soften dark circles (it's important not to get rid of them completely) and a light application of a product such as MAC's iconic Face and Body will turn the volume down on any redness whilst evening out the skin tone.

Before any makeup is applied, however, it is essential the skin is hydrated.  And that's the key really to good male grooming: good skin (or the appearance of good skin). Any makeup applied thereafter  needn't be heavy. In fact, when done well it should look invisible.

A good blot powder to finish will get rid of any shine and will set the makeup. This is particularly useful on gents whose hair line is receding or for those who tend to get very hot under bright lights.


What makeup can't do
No amount of makeup will drastically reduce a person's weight or shape, however, clever use of light contouring on a man will help to add definition to his face (this can quickly go wrong so it's essential to have it done by someone who knows what they're doing!!).

Whilst makeup can help imbue health and give a person the appearance of being well rested it can't get rid of genetic factors including puffy eyes or under eye bags. There are a number of products on the market, some of them specifically for men, to help de-puff the under eye area (e.g. Clinique For Men Anti Fatigue Cooling Eye Gel £24), although it's important to bear in mind this will be a subtle, quick fix as opposed to a longer term solution.

Back to whether or not the gentleman was skeptical of the makeup's benefit on the day. As a makeup artist, of course I can immediately see the effect of strategically applied makeup on a man appearing in front of a camera and under professional lighting, but for the gentleman himself the benefits may not be as immediately visible. Perhaps what he needed to see on the day was a before and after :)

What I do know is that the makeup products available today are so good a man can have them applied a) without him feeling he's wearing anything and b) without his audience noticing.

With an increasing demand for better profile shots and the need for business men and women to appear on live webinars, never before has there been more of a need to look one's best. And makeup is just a small but important tool that can help us achieve that.

Have you had a bad experience with makeup in preparation for an important work event or special occasion? What did you learn from it? Are you a gent who's had makeup applied for a TV or other recording? How did it feel? Did you notice the difference? I'd love to know.

Male Grooming: Chaps, The 3 Key Areas You Need To Be Looking At

Male models must have skin of the gods right? Some have amazing skin but the majority have skin just like any other mere mortal, namely, a bit dehydrated, the odd spot (try twenty) and great big shiny patches (hurrah!)

Here are the 3 things I look out for when I'm doing male grooming.

Happy as Larry with my own makeup station at the Gieves & Hawkes show at Christie's recently
(it's got LIGHTS and everything :)

Official skincare sponsor 

If you pay even a little bit of attention to the following 3 things I guarantee you'll feel and look on top form:

• Skin
• Under eye area
• Brows (and other hairy bits)

1. Skin

A person's skin is one of the first things I consciously (or perhaps subconsciously?) notice about someone. When do you notice a person's skin? When it's looking great or when it's looking not so great?

I believe that the skin is as much a window to the soul as the eyes. Our skin speaks volumes about our lifestyle, diet and general stress levels so it's worth thinking about how you can take better care of yours. Us girls, well, we're lucky given it's arguably universally accepted that we will turn to makeup to hide signs of tiredness, a hangover, or illness. But what about guys? What can you do?

The best starting point is to work out your skin type*.

Next time you spot a mirror in a room with good natural light take a good look at your skin (and I mean a GOOD look). A great time to do this is during the middle of the day and preferably not after a shower (water strips the face of its natural oils).

Ask yourself:

- Does my skin feel tight anywhere? (you are probably dry or dehydrated)

- Do I have a shiny t-zone? (forehead, nose, chin)

- Am I oily all over?

- Does my skin feel/look quite sensitive or congested?

Once you know how your skin behaves it's far easier to choose the right product to treat it.

Ever wondered what the differences are between men and women's skin? Click here to read what skincare specialists Dermalogica have to say.

* If you're unsure, ask a female and they should be able to tell you.

John from Next models was my first model on the day.

My Top Skin Tips 

• Guzzle water. Like, all the time. It's without a shadow of a doubt the best thing you can do for your skin (I'm talking to the girls here as much as the guys).

• Invest in a decent moisturiser that is appropriate for your your skin type (think oil-free for oilier skins, hydrating for dry etc). Also, look for moisturisers with built in SPF/broad spectrum. Some of my favourite skin ranges for gents include: 
• Cowshed Bullocks range (my soon-to-be brother in law has been requesting the Bullocks moisturiser 2 Christmases in a row now. I think he likes it)
• Kiehl's (super impressed with their new liquid SPF 50....it's like a milk and is so easily absorbed. Perfect for guys!)
• Aveda

• For the more adventurous among you why not take a look at some of the tinted skin products now available for men: 
• Energizing Bronze Cream from Recipe For Men (£30, available from yes-sir.com)
• Sheer Tint SPF20 (£33 approx, comes in 3 shades, for women and men)

Highlight of my eve: having my photo taken with 

ex-porn star (ahem) / super successful model Aiden Shaw *sigh*

Clinique Anti-Fatigue Eye Gel (£23)

2. Under Eye Area

What's your concern? Puffiness? Dark circles? Dryness? 

For puffiness:

• Choose a cooling eye gel or roller ball (like this one by Clinique or Mazorin's aptly titled Working Late Eye Serum £21). Any eye cream that has caffeine as an ingredient will also help with puffiness as caffeine boosts circulation.
• Home remedy: Lots of makeup artists swear by cold used green tea bags kept in the fridge. Wrap them in cling film to keep the air/bacteria out. When you want to use one unwrap two and place one over each eye for 5 mins.

For dark circles:

• Don't be afraid of a tinted eye cream/product (like this one by Recipe For Men). Orange cancels out blue on the colour wheel so a peach tinted eye cream/concealer will give your under eye area a bit of a subtle lift. Strike the right balance and no one will know. When I'm doing grooming or prepping a gentleman to appear in front of the camera, if he has really dark circles I only conceal a little bit. Guys aren't meant to look flawless but you can certainly dabble ;)

For dryness:

• For dryness an eye cream is best (rather than an eye serum). Be careful not to overload the eye area. Take a tiny amount and apply it using your ring finger to the outer edge dabbing inwards. Pat, pat, pat until it's absorbed. Do not wipe (waste of product).

Declan from Elite. 22 and has had a beard since he was 19. He told me he doesn't
actually know what his adult face looks like without a beard! (bless)

3. Brows (and other hairy bits)

The key thing here is subtlety.  Personally, I like a guys' brows to be groomed but not preened. 

Top tips:

• Thread much? If your brows are bushy or you've got a bit of a mono brow going on it's worth asking your barber if they offer a threading service. Or you can pay a visit to one of the Blink bars where an expert threader will subtly (and discreetly) give you a bit of a tidy. Decide ahead of the appointment what you want tidied (a good threader will know how to thread men's brows versus a woman's brows).

• Watch out for the rogue brow. Gents, even I get these every now and then...a brow hair that seems to triple in length overnight and can awkwardly catch the light the next day in your business presentation or date if you're not careful.

Other hairy bits:
- beards should be well maintained no matter the length. Consider investing in a beard oil (Tom Ford's launched one!) or one of the fabulous beard products available on yes-sir.com.

I'll leave you with some more images from the show...

 Minutes after this shot was taken someone managed to stream *a live football match* from their laptop.
You should have seen these 6ft 4 adonises suddenly become goofy smiling kids!

The guys are briefed by the brand's creative director. Lots of talk about being the creme-de-la-creme, how they need to ooze confidence...etc.

Check out the pony-skin coat

The show took over two of the great rooms at Christies with each model stood on a plinth. The centre of each room was devoid of light so that the lights streaming down onto each model were the primary focus. It looked FANTASTIC.

I should have called The Hat Appreciation Society whilst I was there....you've never seen so many fabulous hats!

Fellow makeup artist Angus and I enjoying a rather lovely glass of champers

Hope you found that useful/interesting and thanks for reading :)

Introducing grooming wondersite: Yes Sir!

It's no secret that I love a bit of male grooming. Take grooming for male TV appearances, for example: How to groom a guy using makeup products but without leaving him looking like he's wearing anything? It can be challenging and that´s why I like it.

Over the years I've been lucky enough to provide professional grooming for fashion shoots, magazines, TV appearances, celebs and everyday gents. What fascinates me as a makeup artist and former marketeer is that the landscape of male grooming is continually evolving. In the UK alone the male skincare market is worth an estimated £600m (source: The Guardian, Sept 2013). £600m!! And if you think about the exploding popularity of beards over the past five or so years...I actually find it odd now when a man´s face isn't partially hidden from view :)

Yes Sir!
One person who is at the very pinnacle of the grooming zeitgeist is Rupa Ganatra (@RupaGanatra), founding partner behind a new grooming wondersite for the modern man, Yes Sir!.

Yes Sir! champions the not-your-run-of-the-mill grooming brands. A Space NK-style eShop for the modern gentleman, beard or no-beard. You gotta check out some of the names of some of the brands...  Scaramouche and Fandango (how brilliant is that), Billy Jealousy and my favourite, Triumph and Disaster.

Gratuitous 'hot grooming pic', courtesy @TomFord (no no Tom...thank YOU).

Ahem, where was I.....yes, grooming!

I was lucky enough to spend an hour with Rupa a couple of weeks ago and was fascinated to hear about the latest mover and shaker products in the male grooming market right now. 

The hugely inspiring Rupa Ganatra, founder of Yes Sir!

Some of the best selling products on Yes Sir! include:
- Beardsley´s Wild Berry Beard Shampoo (£14.95) - the marketing insight behind this clever little invention is that guys dislike washing their beards with regular shampoo because it doesn´t taste nice. Genius.
- Captain Fawcett´s Moustache Wax (£9) which comes in three scents: Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang and Lavender. I was surprised to hear that Sandalwood is the most popular of the three which is curious as it means gents must err more towards a traditional ´old school´ fragrance (grooming brands take note).

I asked Rupa what she thought the big grooming trends of the future will be. She said that brows will probably feature quite heavily (a brow gel perhaps? Or perhaps an increase in popularlity of threading services for men?). She also said a brand called Mazorin featured on Yes Sir! is gaining noteriety because of its business-focussed products (you should have SEEN the excitement on my face). One of their executive care products bears the title ´Working Late Eye Serum´ (£21) and is a tipped as a ´must-have eye roll-on´ for those who ´work hard and play harder´.

Another interesting example is Recipe for Men´s´Energizing Bronze Cream´ (£30) which gives the skin ´a hint of colour for fresh and healthy looking skin´. Check out too the Recipe for Men Concealer Pen (£17, comes in two shades) which promises ´a creamy and caring liquid concealer with vitamin E´. Male concealers are regularly shunned by male friends of mine but I secretly wonder how many of them might be tempted to try one out (nothing ventured...).

Makeup for men will always spark a controversial debate but when looking purely at the principle that says that health is imbued through the skin, if our gents are working hard, just as we are, why shouldn´t they have a little helping hand? In business, good skin, teeth, nails, hair...it´s all part and parcel of presenting a complete package that confidently says "I am the best person for the job. You can trust me. I look after myself." For me a man is no less a man if he chooses to use a moisturiser, a face scrub or even a light concealer. It shows he cares about his appearance and that can be incredibly attractive.

Hold the phones: Get a FREE wet shave or beard trim with Yes Sir! at their pop up shop in Marylebone. 18th - 20th September, 2014

From Thursday 18th until Saturday 20th September Yes Sir! will be launching the world's first social media pop-up barbers in the heart of Marylebone (23 George Street). To enjoy your free wet shave or beard trim all you have to do is post to Facebook, twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #SHAVEMESIR. What's not to love! Hell, I wish I had a beard to trim!! I wonder if they do legs? (lolz).

Favouring the undone

image: gq-magazine.co.uk

Woah, that Harry Styles.

Now, I'm old enough to be his mother (eek..well, almost) and whilst I'm in no way a One Direction fan (unlike my friend B! Tsk) the cover of GQ certainly caught my eye this month...but not for the reason you think.

It was actually Harry's brows that caught my eye, in particular the one on the right. Why? Because his brows are 'undone', slightly askew, and not preened to perfection. Which I liked. He is a man, after all (ahem, OK, a young man).

Harry's brows got me thinking...when it comes to our own makeup, can we get too perfectionist about it all? Is 'undone' a good quality to nurture when it comes to our own routine?

Whenever I find myself doing a bit of male grooming on set I automatically reach for the brow gel and a clean mascara wand (to comb through the brows). But it's always at the back of my mind not to make them too neat. Same goes for concealer...some guys - especially those who are about to be photographed/filmed - need a touch of concealer under the eyes, not a lot, just a little, but in applying it there is always a fine balance.

Photography: © James Champion; hair and makeup: Natalie James Makeup

I love it when boyish/undone makeup enjoys a renaissance in women's magazines and on the catwalks, which it does with unsurprising regularity. The kind of 'barely there' makeup that favours boyish brows and bee-stung lips. There is something quite primal about this look which I've always liked. It seems to allow a woman's femininity to shine through all on its own, giving it a break from the usual mask of kohled eyes and bronzed cheekbones.

I guess the point of this post is to say there can be a time and a place for perfection (gala dinner? wedding?) but that our day-to-day makeup is far best left slightly undone. So what if your eye liner's a bit askew or your lip line not quite perfect. Get out there and don't sweat it. You'll still shine...

A little grooming goes a long way

I recently had the tough job of grooming three gorgeous male models for an Olympic-inspired menswear shoot for Phoenix Magazine. It got me thinking about the kinds of grooming tips I'd recommend for real guys. 

Did you know, the UK male grooming market was worth £711m by the end of 2011? (that's some serious moolah!). Gone are the 'metrosexual' days of slapping on a bit of moisturiser after a shower. In 2012, the male grooming market has completely exploded with product launches spanning cleansers, eye creams, exfoliators and masques - all designed with male skin in mind.

So what is male grooming anyway? And does it involve make-up?! <holds breath>

Chaps, let me break it down for you; there are 4 key areas you need to think about when it comes to personal grooming:

SKIN

HAIR

TEETH

NAILS

Let's start with SKIN. For as much as you might like to think you are, you're no more protected from the elements (weather, the environment, ageing) than we are. So as a basic care regime, looking after your skin is a great place to start. For one, hydrated and cared-for skin can take years off you (I've seen this first hand, particularly on older gentlemen).

Like your female counterparts, your skin will fall into 4 categories: normal / dry / combination (oily T-zone) / oily. You should know instinctively which one you are. If you're unsure, ask.

For an overview of moisturisers for DRY SKIN, check out this handy review from Ape to Gentleman from 2011. For more GENERAL MOISTURISERS - including ones with built in SPF - see Mankind. Also worth checking out are Kiehl's and Cowshed Bullock (my man uses this and he says it's 'good').

Another great tip is to exfoliate once a week (click here for the low down on what it is/how it works/why it's good). Exfoliating gently sloughs away dead skin, to reveal younger, 'cleaner' skin. Alongside moisturising, it will be the single best thing you can do (providing you remember to do it).

Next up, HAIR. If you've still got it, flaunt it! And if you don't see above and keep that head moisturised.

Two things you need to do:
1. (an obvious one) keep your hair clean and smelling good (there are so many male shampoos to choose from I can't tell you! I like the look of Redken)
2: never underestimate the power of a little styling (clay, wax, gel).

Killer smile but low on wattage (image courtesy of Starpulse.com)

TEETH: <cha-ching!>

A killer smile can work wonders but even if you're not particularly blessed with pearly whites, daily flossing and teeth whitening are a good place to start. Basically, the rule with teeth is be sensible. Keep up appearances at the dentist (I've been going to private dentist Doug Jarvis for years and cannot recommend him enough); watch out for bleeding gums and keep that breath minty-fresh (coffee breath can kill a woman at 20 paces!).

And finally, NAILS. May seem like an odd one to include but I'm the kind of gal who notices a man's hands. I'm not suggesting for a moment you have a weekly manicure (to each his own) but:
- keep nails short (unless you're a guitarist, and even then....)
- watch out for dirt under the fingernails (easily removed with soapy water and a pair of tweezers)
- don't shy away from a bit of hand cream once in a while (go on, it won't kill you)

For those who want to dip their toe a little further into the world of male grooming, check out these bad boys:

Anthony Logistics (available at Space NK and online)
LAB Series for Men (old kid on the block but looks reassuringly premium/manly <grrrrrr>)
Clinique Skin Supplies (possibly my favourite packaging of all the ranges, gun-metal grey and clearly 'not for girls')
Liz Earle Men's Skincare (don't knock it til you've tried it. British-born Liz has won countless awards for her Cleanse and Polish™ - having been a fan of Liz's products for years, I reckon her Men's Skincare range is worth a gander).

Do you have any faves in your wash bag?
_______
For those wondering what I used on the Phoenix shoot:
- Kiehl's Facial Fuel (oil-free moisturiser with built in SPF)
- Bobbi Brown hydrating eye cream
- a little concealer* (Bobbi Brown)
- Lucas Paw-Paw (cult Aussie lip balm)
- MAC blot powder (a staple on shoots to combat shine)
* not necessary for every day but hey, it's fashion daaaarling...

All images courtesy of Phoenix Magazine
Photography: © Cecilie Harris 
Styling: Rebekah Roy
Grooming: Natalie James