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Makeup has become a multimillion-dollar business internationally and locally, but it also allows the opportunity to address pertinent social issues.
Marry this with the current influence that social media makeup artists have and you have the award-winning formula that is James Charles Dickinson, recipient of the 2018 E! People’s Choice Award for Favourite Beauty Influencer.
The 19-year-old, who goes by the name James Charles, is an American internet personality, makeup artist, and model known for being the first male spokesperson of cosmetics house CoverGirl.
He uses Instagram to grow his business and show the latest makeup trends. He has four million YouTube subscribers and 9.6 million Instagram followers who tune in to view his daily YouTube tutorials.
On Charles’ Instagram page, he experiments weekly with some never before seen makeup looks on both male and female.
Two people who attended the awards got the opportunity to have their faces done by Charles, who personally chose them from the red carpet.
In the cosmetics industry, gender has become fluid and many beauty houses are looking at just having a male face to represent them.
South African Idol’s judge, actor, dancer and reality TV star Somizi Mhlongo, who has broken boundaries and stereotypes, is the face of Black Opal Cosmetics and his image is used to show the trends for the season.
For Africa, this is a bold breakthrough that shows beauty is adaptable and wearing makeup should not be restricted to a certain part of the market.
Not only is Mhlongo a celebrity, he has shown he has a good heart. Part of his ethos is giving back to those who have less, as he demonstrated on his reality TV show.
His selection as a brand ambassador for Black Opal is a masterstroke, as humility resonates with most South African.
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