Rahual Das hopes to inspire as 1st British Indian Man on BBC’s Glow Up

A make-up artist from Birmingham is hoping to win the latest season of BBC Three’s Glow Up using his Indian roots as inspiration.

Rahual Das is one of ten contestants competing to become the UK’s next make-up star.

Originally from Handsworth Wood, he is proud to be the first British Indian man featured on the show. But he said he didn’t always feel accepted.

Rahual said: “I experienced a little bit of oppression or feeling like I wasn’t fitting into societal norms or standards.

“A lot of that did transmute into limiting me and stalling my journey.”

Rahual, who now travels globally for work, often returns to India for projects. He said his time there has deepened his connection to his ancestral homeland:

“A lot of ancient history fuels my artistry and how I apply my techniques.

“The kings and maharajas were wearing eyeliner before it was even a thing.”

He added that Indian culture plays a central role in his creative process.

Rahual explained: “For me it was the magic I felt through the art of make-up and also the connection it gave me to my ancestry and to my heritage.”

In the first episode of Glow Up, Rahual created a look called ‘The Light Within’, drawing on the role spirituality plays in his culture.

While working in India, he noticed something missing in the UK beauty scene.

He said: “Why has that been lost in translation in Britain?”

“We can count on our hands how many South Asian make-up artists there are and male make-up artists.”

Determined to change that, Rahual spoke to more than 150 students at a BBC outreach event held at University College Birmingham.

Also speaking at the event was Black British supermodel and Glow Up host Leomie Anderson.

She said: “The industry has come along leaps and bounds. But there’s still a long way to go when it comes to representation both in front and behind of the camera.”

For Rahual Das, the show is about more than make-up, adding:

“It’s about breaking the word minority and making it something that’s just a standardised norm.”

Glow Up is on BBC Three at 8 pm on Wednesdays and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.