Urban Beards: Men Rocking Makeup

Ahmed Kiki Ismail has been killing it on the makeup scene in Cairo – that is when he’s not busy working with the likes of Cara Delevingne and Liu Wen in New York. He’s already made a name for himself in the stylish circles of our city, he’s worked with everyone who’s anyone on the fashion scene, and he even got in on our April Fool’s prank, helping us to get some of the girls in our office to look bruised, bloody and banged up with a few deft strokes of his hand. His latest endeavour is a photoseries called Urban Beards.

Though the human canvas for makeup is usually a female one, Kiki kicked that notion to the curb for this shoot, opting instead to select bearded men across the city to use for the almost warpaint-esque shots. “I just wanted to do something different from the typical photoshoots. I chose a few random badass bearded guys in Cairo – most of which weren’t models,” Ismail elaborates. “The project just shows a different perspective.” The final images are striking – almost ominous, but in the coolest way possible, featuring bearded men coated in paint and studs. “I wanted to create something visually interesting, using colours and face paint and utilising different materials,” Ismail explains.

This is the first batch of photos from what he’s intending to make a series out of. You can check out the pictures below.

Urban Beards Part I

All photography by 35mm Creative Studios.

You can check out Kiki Ismail's Facebook page here or follow him on Instagram @kikiismailmakeup