Today I felt like writing something a bit different. You see "why we choose to wear makeup" and "does it improve or hinder our self-esteem?" have been just two questions that have been on my mind later.
Over the last 4 months with the help of chemical toners (mainly Pixi Glow Tonic) and various AHA products my skin is looking brighter and clearer than ever before. I'm thrilled about it! So thrilled that I thought, why not go foundation-free on occasion. Have I done that as of yet? no. I sit down to apply my makeup and the lure of foundation to conceal every single imperfection is too strong and within 20 minutes I end up with a full face of makeup. Of course, it's not a major issue but it's clear to see my self-esteem is not as good as I'd thought.
We are now in a time that's centred around perfection, whether that's perfectly filled in brows with just the right amount of highlighter to the browbone to air-brushed skin. Over time if you wear makeup in public often enough (which is most of us), it becomes a part of you and going bare face or even sans mascara can make you feel less in some way, especially when met with genuine concerns of whether you're ill! This can quickly lead to feeling less attractive, less confident, less too many things.
Social media has a gigantic role to play in this. With contouring and 'carving' out brows becoming the norm and with the addition of Snapchat filters we all quite like the idea of being pore-less and to be honest, alien-like. But it runs deeper and I guess darker than that, with the beauty gurus (I use that term lightly) of Instagram showing us how we can slim/straighten our nose, along with other body parts, without resorting to surgery or needles. But what about all the young girls and women that hadn't critically looked at their nose until watching that 20-second video? *puff* They instantly have what they'd consider another flawed feature to worry about! But don't worry that beauty guru made her commission on the contour kit she was promoting... because that's what it boils down to, right?
Makeup can of course help people feel better about themselves but with the media and the rise of the new style of beauty guru is this a new era of face shaming to increase beauty sales numbers?
I don't have the answers, but remember your body is strong and that pretty face of yours is just as good as anyone else's.
Fee xo.
