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Maldives makeup

Let’s take a break from all the heavy constitutional and free press issues and talk about… makeup!

These anchors and reporters on the national TV channel are literally the face of Maldives. Above are three of the prettiest: Fatima, Zihunath and Nazleena, looking great after their makeup lesson. However, they often go on the air with little or no makeup, not even powder to minimize the shine. Some have uneven complexions with pockmarks. The station had makeup supplies that were kept in a locked cabinet and none of the talent had a key. Some were using the Arabic or Indian version of Max Factor pancake from the 1950s.
The CEO allowed me to set up makeup lessons for the primary male and female anchors at the Wings salon, where a Sri Lankan named Geethika taught makeup techniques customized for each person. She also applied a chemical straightener to Heena’s hair so it could finally be taken down from her severe-looking ponytail. Notice how pretty she is with her professional TV makeup on!
Waseem came to the makeup lesson after staying up all night covering the fatal fishmarket accident. He fell asleep in the chair.

The idea is for each talent to learn a routine to be camera-ready, men in five minutes, women in 20 minutes or less. The women who wear burugaas don’t have to worry about their hair, although the burugaa presents some other challenges on TV, such as looking bunchy or rubbing up against the microphone.

We are still waiting for the jackets and tailored burugaas we ordered from the designer Shamla, and time is running out. I’m in the final two weeks of my visit here.