The Power of Makeup

Makeup and the cosmetics industry have been around for decades and will continue to amaze us. From coloured mascara to metallic lipstick, it has taken over the 21st century and continues to accommodate a younger and younger crowd. To some, makeup may be a waste of time or money, but to some of us, it is a literal hobby. Makeup is another way to express yourself and it makes you feel confident and empowered. Not that you should not feel this way without makeup, but it is always nice to enhance what you already have.

Makeup has been a controversial subject for the longest time now as many different people have different opinions on makeup and what it should be, or how both genders have to use it. There are no boundaries to makeup . Makeup does not have rules to it, makeup has no gender to define it. People of any skin colour and any gender should be respected and allowed to do whatever they want with makeup and they should not be judged for it.

Beauty is something that many in this world strive to attain. One of the reasons that there are so many people with low self-esteem can be traced back to the early years of their development, a time when they come into their own and learn who they actually are. If not for the pressures of a “perfect” beauty, one could live a considerably happier life. The beauty of a women's face has been described throughout history; the term "beauty" has evolved over time. Not until recently that woman have been told that they must have the latest trends in cosmetics or, otherwise, they would be overlooked. Personally, I believe that true beauty lies within a person’s soul.

Make up has been around for about 12 thousand years. A while ago, woman got the idea that they should use some things found in nature to put on their face. At first, it was a poisonous thing to use. Nowadays, makeup has evolved greatly and a lot of money is invested into making sure that it is safe and environmentally friendly.

There are always pros and cons to everything, including makeup. Although it is not very healthy for skin, it can hide and cover imperfections. These imperfections include acne, acne scars, and discolouration anywhere on the skin. Covering these imperfections and insecurities can boost a persons’ confidence. The makeup that covers these imperfections is called foundation and concealer. These products are usually cream or powder based, and can include SPF protection from the sun and anti-wrinkle/blemish ingredients.

Unfortunately, there are always cons. Makeup can clog pores and cause acne and imperfections on the skin. Also, it can set into deep wrinkles and cause further wrinkling in the future. If not used regularly, makeup can expire quickly. Once expired, if used, it can cause more severe imperfections, such as cystic acne. Makeup has quite of a price, too. On average, a woman in her lifetime spends about $15,000 on makeup. Out of the $15,000 spent on makeup, $3,770 is spent on mascara, $2,750 is spent on eye shadow, and $1,780 is spent on lipstick.

We live in a society in which perfection is considered as almost a requirement to fit into this “standard” which is why techniques such as contouring, strobing, colour correcting and so many more exist and continue to develop. Whilst some people are blessed with nice skin, many others are not and that’s when make up comes in.

It is so ironic how the media and society itself pressure everyone into this idea of being perfect but the moment people try to fit in and try to be closer to perfection, they are judged for it. The amount of times that I have heard someone say “Oh, why is she wearing so much make up?” or “Wow, is that a man wearing make up?” are countless. “She” is wearing as much make up as she is wearing because she wants to and if “he” wanted to do so too guess what? He can.