One bride has spoken out about the 'arbitrary' stigma around men wearing makeup - and how her groom will also be sporting a full face of wedding day make-up.
Krittika Sharma, 27, of Lambeth, London, first lent her partner Alex Doyle her make-up palette to try when he felt self-conscious about having acne.
Now he has shared how this prompted him to create a make-up line for men.
When Krittika first met Alex six years ago at Warwick University, where they were both studying history, she paid little heed to his skin issues.
But it quickly became clear that Alex was very self-conscious about the acne that had plagued him for years.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here
So, inspired by her mum being a professional make-up artist, within two months of dating, Krittika had an idea.
She said: “I suggested Alex try some make-up to cover his blemishes. I’m Indian, so my tone wasn’t quite right, but we tried a palette that I had with various skin tones.
“We then went online and bought a few products just for him. I supervised a bit, showed him how to use a blender, but Alex did most of it himself.
“Those first few tries were hit and miss. We’d be out and I’d have to start scrubbing at his face where he’d not blended quite right. But he got better fast.
“I know there’s a stigma around men wearing make-up but that seems a bit arbitrary to me.
"With my mum doing the job she does, I know that behind the scenes of films and music videos all the men are wearing concealer and tonnes of powder. It’s common in the showbiz world.”
Krittika, who wears make-up nearly every day, has long been a fan. She fondly recalls visiting beauty counters in departments stores with her mum as a child and watching YouTube videos to perfect the latest looks.
But, despite her own passion for make-up, when she first met Alex, she did not realise how self-conscious he was about his skin.
She said: “To me, he’s always looked great.
"But, as time went on, I realised more and more how much his issues around eczema and acne were impacting his confidence. Men just don’t typically think of using make-up.”
After going online and buying a few items, she was delighted to see Alex’s confidence increase as he, too, began wearing make-up products like concealer daily.
The issue then became more about the type of products Alex was using.
Krittika said: “As most of the bits we bought were for women, the coverage was quite heavy and thick. That wasn’t what Alex needed.
“Talking about anyone’s skin condition is quite a private thing.
"It wasn’t anything we tried to hide from the people in our lives, but Alex didn’t want heavy coverage. He wanted something natural.”
Alex quickly became an advocate for men wearing make-up and, within months he began researching how he could develop his own natural male make-up .
And he is now the boss of a successful make-up line, Altr London.
Now looking forward to their wedding next year, after they were engaged last July, Krittika says she could not be prouder to be marrying a man who will be wearing a full face of concealer on the big day.
She said: “I’m so proud of how Alex has handled everything. Starting a business straight out of uni isn’t easy. I’m excited to see where it goes.”
Alex, of Clapham, south west London, said: “Krittika really helped me with my confidence and, ironically, using make-up cleared up my skin a bit, as I wasn’t so stressed.”
And, explaining the decision to launch his own make-up line, he said: “I wanted a lightweight solution that would cover spots, but wasn’t overbearing. I looked around and couldn’t find what I was looking for.
“That’s when I decided this was something I wanted to do.”
While the company has faced some trolling online, Alex said: “We don’t have time for homophobic comments.
"Men have a right to feel good about themselves just like anyone else.”
