CoverGirl, the American cosmetics company, has revealed that a 17-year-old make-up artist names James Charles has just been selected to become a face of the product, joining the likes of Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Drew Barrymore and Ellen DeGeneres. Charles is the first man to ever represent the cosmetics brand, known the world over for its iconic tagline “Easy, breezy, beautiful.”

Singer Katy Perry, the current face of CoverGirl, announced Charles’s appointment on Instagram yesterday, revealing the beauty blogger would be representing CoverGirl’s forthcoming So Lashy mascara.

CoverGirl is not the first make-up brand to use male models in its cosmetics campaigns, with MAC having recently run advertisements featuring American figure skater Johnny Weir and brothers Peter and Harry Bryant, the sons of 90s supermodel Stephanie Seymour. CoverGirl’s decision to employ Charles is considered game changing, considering CoverGirl’s brand identity is typically fronted by familiar faces and celebrities like Queen Latifah and Sofia Vergara.

Among the growing community of male make-up enthusiasts, James Charles is a leading ‘beauty boy’, the name given to digital-native beauty bloggers who offer tips and advice on social media platforms to thousands of fans. In the competitive world of YouTube beauty blogging, which CoverGirl has revealed it is approaching with an “aggressive” strategy, Charles’s channel and tutorials have hundreds of thousands of views, while his Instagram account, from which he announced his CoverBoy role, has more than 500,000 followers.

“I truly hope that this shows that anyone and everyone can wear make-up and can do anything if you work hard,” Charles said.

 

I am so beyond excited and overwhelmed and happy and astonished and of course, SHOOK, to announce that I am the newest face of @covergirl. First ever male ambassador for the brand and I am so honored and excited to be working with such an iconic brand. I started my Instagram one year ago to inspire others and as an artistic outlet to challenge myself creatively. I truly hope that this shows that anyone and everyone can wear makeup and can do anything if you work hard. I can't wait to share with you all what we have in store, but trust me when I say it's gonna be real good. 😊💕 make sure you check out @covergirl's page for more info coming soon, and my new bff @katyperry as well for a cute pic! 😉 Thank you all so much. This would not be possible without all of you.

A photo posted by JAMES CHARLES (@jcharlesbeauty) on Oct 11, 2016 at 1:17pm PDT

In a statement, CoverGirl said that it seeks for every one of its faces to be “role models and boundary-breakers, fearlessly expressing themselves, standing up for what they believe, and redefining what it means to be beautiful.

“James Charles is no exception. One year ago, he boldly chose to launch his Instagram to the world, using transformative, dynamic make-up looks to showcase the many facets of his personality, serving as an inspiration to anyone who might have been afraid to do the same.”

For more lifestyle news on Newstalk.com, please click here.