What’s wrong with men’s makeup?

The Internet is discussing how Karan Kundra’s makeup looks cakey on Desi Bling. PIC COURTESY/NETFLIX

Why does he look like that?" a friend asked us when this writer was watching Desi Bling. The show is OTT's latest offering which follows the entirely unrelateable and cringe lives of ultra-wealthy Indians in Dubai. At the centre of the show are reality TV veterans Tejasswi Prakash and Karan Kundra. But all viewers can talk about is Kundra's makeup, which looks exceedingly cakey.

In April, Nitesh Tiwari unveiled the first look for the highly anticipated Ramayana, where once again Ranbir Kapoor's makeup took centrestage in conversations. Time and again, the on-screen man shows up in a "full beat" (a makeup look that includes full-coverage foundation, concealer, and contouring) that doesn't look quite right. So, we decided we'd answer our friend's question.

In April, there was also a conversation around Ranbir Kapoor's makeup looking patchy in Ramayana. FILE PIC

"You need to consider how makeup reads on men, because people don't expect it. A lot of people have a very hetero-normative view of society and don't expect men to wear makeup, so it can come off as a little jarring initially when we see men with a full beat," says 22-year-old Aman S, who is a budding makeup artiste. He adds, "But in these cases, the problem is that it's not a great job of makeup."

One of India's most popular makeup creator Ankush Bahuguna says, "Sometimes, makeup artistes take the concealer all the way up to the waterline, which makes the under eyes look unnatural especially for men. You then start to lose your skin's natural texture, and only see the concealer's texture."

Katrina Kaif's MUA and Subhash Singh

Aman explains the technicalities. "Men's masculine features need to be highlighted - their cheekbones, their jawline," he explains, "Concealer and foundation make a plain base for your face, almost like a blank canvas. You lose the dimension that's naturally present in masculine features. And so you need to bring that dimension back to sculpt the face, with shadows and highlights."

India has another problem: "Foundation is always two shades lighter than skin tone. This makes the makeup look quite unnatural. You see it with brides too," says Aman.

One thing he's noticed, working in both the stage and the camera format, is this: "When you're doing makeup for cameras, you have to be subtle. In a public appearance or stage show, you don't really see every detail of someone's face," he says, "But on camera, everything is visible.

ANKUSH BAHUGUNA and AMAN S

In maybe Amitabh Bachchan's generation, the camera wasn't picking up as much. Now it picks up everything." Bahuguna adds, "It also depends on the light sometimes. The makeup you do could look very good under natural light, but the minute you switch to studio lights, it could appear yellow."

What are some tips that might help? "Underpainting [applying contour, concealer, and blush before foundation] is a wonderful technique that doesn't look like there are layers and layers of product. Powdering is very important. You can cover your dark circles very well. But if you have natural hollows underneath your eyes, those natural contours will show if your face is shiny," Bahuguna says, "One product you really need is a colour corrector. Without it, you might put on too much concealer. And, always blend your makeup into the hair line. It shouldn't look like you're wearing a mask of makeup. Another very important product is a contour. You lose a lot of dimension with a foundation and concealer base. So, it's important to bring it back."

Subhash Singh, who has been in the industry for decades and is best known for his work with Katrina Kaif, says the long hours of TV production do not allow for finesse in makeup. "Makeup has to be done in such a way that it doesn't come off for 8-9 hours," he says, "TV and web series also run on much lower budgets than films. With such little budgets, what can the makeup artiste even do?"

In his experience, "men sweat a lot more. So, that leads to a lot of creasing. Then makeup starts looking yellow in some places, orange in others," he says, "You have to make sure to moisturise and prime very well. Use as little coverage as possible."

He's also worked closely with Govinda and Shah Rukh Khan for many years. We ask him, are we just not used to seeing men in makeup? "In the old days, what great makeup Jeetendra ji used to wear!

Amit ji [Amitabh Bachchan], Dharam ji [Dharmendra] - all of them have been doing beautiful makeup since their days," Singh explains, "Hrithik [Roshan] too is always in full makeup, with proper contouring and highlights."

The financial lull in the industry is affecting their artistry. "These days, shoots stretch from 12 to 15 hours. Before, we would never have such hours. I have never worked for more than eight hours, and even when I did, I was paid overtime," Singh says, "Even the actors get too tired for touch-ups. They want to rest in that free time, where MUAs can do touch-ups. Producers are squeezing artistes and technicians, and minting money in that process."