I helped my little sister groom some of the guys in her group for a concert performance last December 29 and I realized that doing makeup for men, specially those still in puberty stage, the hardest. Teen years are usually a stage where skin breaks out easily and more coverage is needed. Doing makeup for teenage girls isn't as hard as doing for teenage boys since girls are OK to look like they are wearing makeup while guys are not.

At first I was under impression that I only need to make them look flawless on stage but later that day I was told that I need to put liners on their eyes too (I was like WTF no!) Anyway here are some things that I have learned and steps I followed in doing their makeup.

1. Start with a clean face - this is a must for all genders but male skin is oilier than female skin so it important that at the oil and dirt are removed from the face.
2.  Make sure that you match the correct foundation/concealer shade with the skin tone - I have to mix alot of shades to really match the color on their skin to make it appear that the foundation is like their skin. I brought 3 shades - light, medium and dark - and mix them together to get a perfect match
3. Use waterproof foundation - guys tend to sweat more than girls so I used waterproof foundation to make sure that it will last for a longer time and prevent reapplying or retouching throughout the event.
4. Do not use products with SPF - since these guys are expected to have their photos taken, I ensured that I do not go beyond 15SPF for the products that I used.
5. Apply very thin layer of foundation to even out skin color and gradually build up to specific areas that need coverage - I used a buffer brush and applied the foundation using the stippling technique just to have a very thin layer of the foundation over the skin to even out skin. Then for areas with breakouts or acne scars, I gradually build up the product until I get the flawless coverage that I want. For areas that require alot of work, spot concealing is recommended so their face do not look so made up.
6. Bring back the contour on their face - guys have more prominent contours than women so it is important that their masculine features are still visible. Contours should be very subtle as they would tend to look like a drag queen when overly done.
7. Groom their eyebrows. - Sometimes there are brows that would require a little bit of shaving and cutting, but if your client doesn't want their brows touched then just use a brow gel and comb the brow with a spool brush to keep the brows in place. When needed, apply a brow powder using an angled brush to define the shape of the brows.
8. Apply a transluscent gloss on their lips to make them appear moisturized and hydrated. Do not apply too much to make it look natural.
9. Set everything with a powder.