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Listen to the article on this audio clip (read by me – the author Christoph Trappe):
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Back in the day, when I was giving updates on an over-the-air television station, it wasn’t uncommon that I would put on makeup. Just touching up my mostly bald head and maybe my face would help with the glare form the overhead lights.
In recent years, my on-camera appearances are mostly livestreams of my podcasts or when I’m the guest on somebody else’s podcast. Some of these shows get tremendous viewership so, of course, there’s an element to wanting to present ourselves in the best possible light. Makeup can help with that.
Why makeup for men on livestreams is even worth discussing
The biggest reason is that livestream and video podcast setups are getting more and more sophisticated. For example, I used to stream from just my iPad. Today, I have a number of lights set up, a microphone and even a physical backdrop.
While those lights make me look better and brighter on the livestream, they can also add a glare to my bald head and even my face. Other times, I wear baseball hats during the day when I’m not on-air and those hats can leave slight marks on my skin. They aren’t terrible but can be noticeable on livestreams. Makeup can also cover those up for when I’m going on-air shortly after taking the hat off.
What makeup do I use?
Covergirl offers a number of foundations or powders that work. I use a Covergirl true blend. There are plenty of options available on Amazon.
I simply powder my head, cheeks and forehead while in the Restream Live Studio – backstage, of course. That’s the studio from where I will stream so I want to see how anything I’m doing changes my appearance.
It is important to do this in the setting where you’ll be going live or recording a video podcast. The lighting is the way it will be and you can see what areas might need to be powdered up and which areas are just fine.
When I’m done with my livestream or podcast recording, I either wash off the powder in the bathroom or use these makeup removal wipes.
But, is makeup really necessary?
As often is the case, the answer is that it depends. Sometimes we need to powder up some and sometimes we might look fine the way it is. But, I’m a fan of understanding the options and this is another option to evolve my appearance on livestreams. If I want to cover up that glare on my bald head, the Covergirl powder is within reach.