Boys And Makeup

There are a few surprises in my adult life. I never thought I’d wear a shirt and tie much less a suit. I never thought I’d wear make-up. I do every working day.

Richard Nixon was the first to find that TV without make-up is problematic. It was worse in those black and white days with extremely harsh lighting. Any stubble was darkened and exaggerated by the shadows cast on your face.

When I first went on TV I wore Max Factor pancake. I was hosting PM Magazine/ Buffalo, a show always shot on location. I figured I’d look good with a tan year round. As it turns out pancake is somewhere around SPF one million! I worked outside and was pale as a ghost.

Nowadays I just rub some make-up on with a sponge. It’s a creamy goop from a company called Celebre. That’s it. No eye stuff. No jowl enhancement. My lashes and brows are left alone. There’s nothing used but the stuff in the photo. It takes me around 30 seconds to apply.

I used to work with a male anchor, a reasonably plain man from the Midwest, who had a regimen of stuff he’d apply before going on-camera. I remember getting in after he’d begun and leaving long before he was finished. He looked the same to me before and after.

I’m sure a professional make-up artist would cringe at my final result, but it works for me. And if I’m a few Benjamins short of a million bucks, so be it. No one’s watching me because I’m eye candy.

The reason I’m mentioning this is because I was astounded to walk into our little make-up room today and find what’s pictured below on the counter! A guest was taping a segment for our 12:30 PM show and they had a lot to hide or enhance or…. I really don’t know. Do people really use all that stuff?

Mind boggling!