Canberra make-up artist Danh Doan remembers the first time he wore hot pink lipstick to a Year 9 maths class at Lyneham High School.
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"It was just completely no f*cks given," he recalls.
"Since Year 7, I'd been building up, starting with foundation, then blush, then eye shadow, and then in Year 8 I wore a full face of makeup to school for the first time.
"My friends loved it. I would just walk through the school halls and be known as 'that guy'."
Today, Danh's (pronounced Yahn) passion for makeup, which started when an aunty plucked his eyebrows at age 11, is more than paying the bills. He's an in-demand makeup artist for fashion shoots, weddings and formals across Canberra and Sydney.
Danh is one of a growing number of Canberra men self-teaching makeup artistry from YouTube, marketing their talents via a glamorous Instagram profile and scoring paid work for events and photo shoots.
The new breed of artists is ditching the traditional "spend thousands at a makeup academy" model and instead honing their skills through video tutorials, practising on girlfriends, mums and sisters, and - some night say courageously - wearing their talents out and proud on their own faces.
"I do get lots of attention and reactions when I have my face on," Danh said.
"Most people tell me how amazing I look and even on the way here I got winked at by a guy in another car."
Canberra barista and makeup obsessive Justin Namoch loves nothing more than preparing a skinny flat white for clients while showing off a perfectly contoured face. He's one of two male makeup artists working behind-the-scenes at Fashfest this week.
The 27-year-old, whose dream is work on Jennifer Lopez's face, remembers raiding his sisters' makeup kits as a young boy in the Philippines.
"I had my moments where I'd sneak into my sister's vanity kit and my mum's vanity kit and put on their most glittery eye shadow - I was trying to do contour before contour was even a thing," he recalls.
"But makeup artists in the Philippines work hard and don't get the recognition or get paid much money, so I always just thought of myself as being an office worker.
"Things changed when I moved to Canberra two years ago. I instantly felt more free to be myself, to explore my love of makeup and while I can't say I'm a full-blown makeup artist yet, I'm really eager to learn and eventually travel the world as a makeup artist."
Hairdresser Justin Brunton, 23, doesn't mind being stared at. He started out "wearing a little bit of mascara" but learnt to do his entire face after graduating a modelling course. He's now paid by brides across Canberra to create a stunning look for their big day and hopes to move into editorial fashion.
He said with the weather warming up in Canberra, he'll be getting his glam on and drinking at Hopscotch with his besties.
"When I first went out in full makeup it was good, it was different, but I liked it," he said.
"I don't care if people stare. Most people are positive, they say how great I look, and negative people stay quiet - but I can sometimes tell they're judging me by the way they look at me.
"My friends are jealous of my makeup skills, and mum's my biggest fan. She conveniently drops in whenever she has a night out but I love doing her makeup."
So what are the mens' tips for women when it comes to makeup?
"There are these whole makeup myths that women buy into," Danh says.
"Like 'oh I can't wear eyeliner, it doesn't suit me' or 'I can't wear glitter, I'm too old'. My advice is to just put it on. Go for it. You can always take it off."
Justin Namoch says women should buy less product and double-up on functionality.
"I use highlighter on my cheeks and also as eye shadow," he said. "And lipstick can be used on lips, cheeks and eyes. Be creative."
Follow Justin Namoch on Instagram
Follow Justin Brunton on Instagram
