MAKE-UP… LESS IS MORE

Make-up is a tricky thing: apply too little and it looks like you couldn’t be bothered to make an effort; apply too much and it looks like you got harassed by Crayola. Just like everything else in life, there is a fine line between good and bad, and under many circumstances, with the exception of dress-up parties or carnival, too much war paint does not work.

Make-up is used by most women to accentuate their features and heighten their sense of beauty. We try and make ourselves believe that where nature went wrong, make-up can fix. This may be the case in some situations but certainly not always, and starts to work against the cause when it’s applied frivolously.

Without giving a chronological account of the history of make-up, it is worth noting how it was used in ancient civilizations.

Take Cleopatra, a widely-acknowledged symbol of Egyptian beauty. The Egyptians were among the first to develop a number of cosmetics. Their desire for beauty was not merely for beauty’s sake, but because they believed it kept the gods smiling, therefore linked to spirituality.

Dark, heavily-lined eyes was a very desirable look, and perceptions of beauty varied depending on the time and culture context. For instance, between the 16th and 18th centuries, a pale complexion was a sign of wealth, and was used as a means of distinguishing oneself from the poor tanned beggars that got scorched by the sun.

This was especially popular in China and Japan. Rice powder was applied to the face, and eyebrows were shaved and teeth painted gold or black. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that big cosmetic companies like Elizabeth Arden and Max Factor started researching healthier and safer options for cosmetics.

But what the big companies failed to do is attach a make-up manual with their products, to guide people on how to use it properly. Given that we inevitably seek out and follow celebrity trends- as subconscious as it may be- we must be cautious about which celebrities to follow.

Take Katie Price (or Jordan). Known for her excessively long fake eyelashes and volumes of black eyeliner (amongst other things, obviously), it’s best to leave the raccoon-eyes look to those who rock it best- raccoons.

Copying Christina Aguilera’s obsession with red lipstick or Lindsay Lohan’s fix with fake tans is also not highly recommended. As obvious as these things might appear, they are common slip-ups that may ruin a person’s image and shadow their greater capacities.

The way make-up is applied and the quantity used should be relative to the context. For instance a morning activity does not require super-dark eyes or deep lipstick colours, but rather a more natural look which brightens the face and illuminates one’s features.

On the other hand, for a smart evening event, more dramatic make-up and dark colours are often used, albeit also within limits. Therefore when in doubt, ask a relative for their honest opinion, or look-up tutorials online with step-by-step guides on how to apply make-up.

With the wealth of information available online, there is no room for excuses. Truly anyone can learn to apply make-up properly and in a way which suits them best. And as the saying goes, practice really does make perfect!

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Posted by Martina Said on September 15, 2011. Filed under Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry