WITHIN the last year, 21-year-old Vincent Shelto went from being the new kid on the block in the makeup industry, to one of the more sought after local makeup artists. More than just being one of the only male makeup artists in the game, Vincent serves as a living advertisement of his talent by pushing the envelope, and wearing makeup on his own face.
And, whereas in the wider world, such an occurrence would not be so uncommon, in Guyana, Vincent attracts much attention every time he steps out the door.
Though he admits that such attention is oftentimes negative, he has some choice words for those naysayers: “Live and let live!”

As he told The Buzz in an interview, “People should really get rid of that type of negativity and let people live and be what they want to be.
“I live to please me; my family accepts me. And if people don’t have anything nice to say, they shouldn’t say anything at all.”
A frequent traveller, Vincent attests to the fact that in other places such as New York City, men wearing makeup is no cause to stare. “But if I go down Georgetown,” he said, “people would be like, ‘Oh my God! What is that!’ and so on. We are very selective of what we want to think good and bad about over here, but we really need to open up our minds in Guyana and stop trying to make people feel uncomfortable.”
UNDENIABLY TALENTED
Negativity aside, Vincent’s talent is undeniable, and can be seen by his own perfectly made up visage as well as the faces of his satisfied customers. Moreover, the young makeup artist has also started offering makeup classes at his recently opened store in Sharon’s Building on King Street.
The week-long class teaches students such techniques as foundation application, highlighting, contouring, blush application, bronzer application, eyeshadow blending and lip techniques and eyebrow filling. Each class hosts eight persons per session to allow more attention to be given to each student.  “Makeup is my passion, and I love to help my clients feel confident and beautiful on the inside and the outside, and to help to make their personality shine,” Vincent said.
And this is what makeup does for him as well, as his passion for makeup started when he began experimenting with the art on himself. “At first, I would just wear it indoors,” he said. “But this is 2016, so when people stare, we should make it worthwhile. I love doing it; it makes me feel comfortable.”
For those who may be in a similar position where society is banging down on them for being different, Vincent has some sage advice.
“Anyone out there who is being judged, you should just keep doing what you want to do. You have to do for you and only you; You only have one life to live,” he said. Topped off with the ever famous bit of encouragement to follow their dreams, Vincent encourages that once they follow that advice, they will find that anything is possible, even while people continue to discriminate.