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The base coat for the make up is Kooya, a red/orange powder which is applied to the whole face
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Wodaabe participants spend hours applying make up and checking their face in the mirror
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Narcissus is a hero among Wodaabe and a hand-mirror is the most prized possession after cattle
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Wodaabe contestant with a plaited braid on each side of the head and a first application of face makeup
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A sense of camaraderie prevails with Wodaabe men helping each other during the long makeup session
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After applying the base coat a narrow white stripe is painted down the nose to make it look sharper
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Small flowers and dots are added on the cheeks and nose using a white paste made from a mixture of ground chalk and milk
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At the end of the rainy season two large Wodaabe clans, the Sudosukai and the N'Japto, get together to celebrate Gerewol an all-male beauty contest
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N'Japto decorate their face with red or orange paint and wear ostrich feathers on their heads to accentuate their height
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For hours the Gerewol dancers stand shoulder to shoulder chanting mesmerising songs praising female grace and beauty
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Wodaabe dancers of the Sudosukai clan wearing cylindrical hats adorned with buttons and hair braids extended by cowrie shells and beads
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Wodaabe man of the Sudosukai clan with a white and blue strip painted from the hairline down the nose, resuming again on the chin, to elongate his facial features
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Sudosukai dancer with a saffron coloured makeup and kohl-blackened eyes, eyebrows and lips
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With their eyes bulging and a wide-open smile revealing white teeth, Gerewol dancers look like participants in a funny face competition
