030 Inspired or Intimidated By Make Up

I have been inspired by all your comments after my recent make up tutorials on IGTV. It is such as minefield as none of us NEED to wear make up but many of us do and for lots of good reasons. The industry is laden with messages that tell us what we need to look like or what products to use so it takes real confidence to find our own groove with it. The key for me is in understanding our relationship with make up and also in discovering whether it is aiding us in being ourselves, or whether it is encouraging us to hide and hold back.

Firstly, there is no right or wrong, one of my best friends NEVER wears make up, its just who she is and that's brilliant. Make up is there for enhancement if we so choose to wear it ….which got me thinking, why do we choose to wear it?

So using the opening lines of the famous monologue from Shakespeare's As You Like It "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players…" I'm taking a theatrical turn on this one. My take on why we wear make up is that it offers to us one of the following:

A MASK – for those who are anxious and insecure tend to use make up to boost their confidence, or perhaps it might be to hide a spot or blemish.

A SPOTLIGHT – for those who want to be noticed, feel confident, more assertive – celebrity make up artist Lisa Eldridge, calls it the element of war paint and tribalism, that make up can make you feel more powerful and ready to face any situation.

A STAGE – for those who want to express themselves, who love to be playful and creative, to try different looks and trends, it's all about enjoying the creative process and sharing it with the world.

Beauty is such a tricky word, we talk about the beauty industry and make up being products designed to enhance our physical beauty but how do we define that and why do we feel the need to look younger? We need to start valuing our life experience and each year we have successfully navigated our way through.

I think the nuts and bolts of it is there is no one given reason as to why we wear make up. The reality is we are fine as we are and those who love us will tell us so – whether or not we wear make up boils down to a bunch of different reasons on a daily basis. It might be that you're tired and need something to help you feel like you can face the world, it might be that you want to look polished and put together just like your outfit is because you wouldn't dream of looking otherwise, it might be that you've got a hideous spot that needs hiding and you aren't going anywhere without make up on or it might be that you just love it regardless.

For me, I have played with make up since my very early teens, I used it at first to find my own space, to discover who I was and then in my 20s I used it to hide who I was and then in my 30s I used it to boost who I was and I would say now in my 40s, I use it because I can but I've come full circle and have forced myself to be confront my own pride and ego so that baring my naked face isn't an issue, but instead is just another side of me and if I can't accept that, then why should anyone else.

It really does go back to knowing how to love ourselves doesn't it? So much does!

Listen in to hear my break down on the different products from primer to eyebrow pencil and tune in to my IGTV for tutorials on how to use different products. Please also get in touch if there is something you would like for me to cover, I will be more than delighted to do so!

Enjoy xx

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