Why the everyday make-up?

Welshwoofs

MrsE wrote: »

I used the term wedding, but really I meant anywhere where its the norm for everyone (even those that don't normally) to glam up.

I guess it's all about perspective; for myself, I just don't view makeup as part of the routine of 'glamming up'. I'll put on a nice dress, do my hair nicely...but I won't put on jewelry or wear any makeup.

As I said, I have had comments from people at such events - not criticising, but usually along the lines that I must not have some on because I've either forgotten or not had time to. I've had women offer to lend me makeup in the loos at such events and react in a bemused way when I say that I never wear it.

I suppose I just find it all rather curious. So would you (or anyone reading really) feel that a woman hadn't really made an effort if she was at a posh do and not wearing makeup - even if her clothes/hair were well presented?

I'll add that I'm not supremely confident in my looks either - I'm pretty damn average; neither pretty nor bug ugly. I do have good skin....but ironically I put that down to never covering my skin up with cosmetics and using coconut oil or mayonnaise to moisturise.

MrsE_2

Welshwoofs wrote: »

So would you (or anyone reading really) feel that a woman hadn't really made an effort if she was at a posh do and not wearing makeup - even if her clothes/hair were well presented?.

Probably:o

If I noticed, I might not notice.

I think make-up is part of grooming - but thats how it is to me & we are all different.

Tiddlywinks

Welshwoofs wrote: »

So would you (or anyone reading really) feel that a woman hadn't really made an effort if she was at a posh do and not wearing makeup - even if her clothes/hair were well presented?

I'll add that I'm not supremely confident in my looks either - I'm pretty damn average; neither pretty nor bug ugly. I do have good skin....but ironically I put that down to never covering my skin up with cosmetics and using coconut oil or mayonnaise to moisturise.

Firstly, TBH, I would be very surprised about someone not wearing makeup at a formal 'do'... again, that says more about me than about you.

I was brought up by a mum who thought that you should be 'presentable' when you went out. She always matched accessories and even took makeup into hospital when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour - that was her way (Italian) and her generation but some of her 'standards' have rubbed off on me.

Mum always said people should make the most of what they had and that has also stayed with me.

We can't all look like Angelina Jolie but we can appreciate what we have (if we want to, of course). I see that you describe yourself as 'pretty damn average'... but by whose standards? We all have best bits - it's just focusing on those and forgetting about the rest. I get ready to my satisfaction, for me... not for anyone else.

As long as you are comfortable, that's all that matters.

By the way, here's something interesting about Hillary Clinton:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2142722/Hillary-Clinton-Give-war-paint-Dont-powder-puff.html

raven83

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Firstly, TBH, I would be very surprised about someone not wearing makeup at a formal 'do'... again, that says more about me than about you.

I was brought up by a mum who thought that you should be 'presentable' when you went out. She always matched accessories and even took makeup into hospital when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour - that was her way (Italian) and her generation but some of her 'standards' have rubbed off on me.

Mum always said people should make the most of what they had and that has also stayed with me.

We can't all look like Angelina Jolie but we can appreciate what we have (if we want to, of course). I see that you describe yourself as 'pretty damn average'... but by whose standards? We all have best bits - it's just focusing on those and forgetting about the rest. I get ready to my satisfaction, for me... not for anyone else.

As long as you are comfortable, that's all that matters.

By the way, here's something interesting about Hillary Clinton:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2142722/Hillary-Clinton-Give-war-paint-Dont-powder-puff.html

It's the same here, my mum never would leave the house without her lipstick on, I remember this one time we got into the car to go somewhere and my mum had to turn back and go home because she had forgotten to put her lips on. My 2 sisters and I all wear make up, my big sister where's quite a lot of make up and even goes swimming with it on!

I get sick of having to justify why I wear it to some people. A couple of people have asked me why I bother to "tart up" first thing in the morning to do the school run, well the truth is because I'd rather lose 15mins in bed and use it to apply my make up, because when I step out the door I feel better for it! Makes me so cross sometimes.

claire16c

Welshwoofs wrote: »

I guess it's all about perspective; for myself, I just don't view makeup as part of the routine of 'glamming up'. I'll put on a nice dress, do my hair nicely...but I won't put on jewelry or wear any makeup.

As I said, I have had comments from people at such events - not criticising, but usually along the lines that I must not have some on because I've either forgotten or not had time to. I've had women offer to lend me makeup in the loos at such events and react in a bemused way when I say that I never wear it.

I suppose I just find it all rather curious. So would you (or anyone reading really) feel that a woman hadn't really made an effort if she was at a posh do and not wearing makeup - even if her clothes/hair were well presented?

I'll add that I'm not supremely confident in my looks either - I'm pretty damn average; neither pretty nor bug ugly. I do have good skin....but ironically I put that down to never covering my skin up with cosmetics and using coconut oil or mayonnaise to moisturise.

Make up wont give you bad skin. Genes will. If you had bad skin you might think differently. And/or wear make up.

freyasmum

dibuzz wrote: »

I ahve noticed lately though that my eyebrow hairs have grown very long, more than an inch and wonder whether it is possible to have them trimmed or is that just silly?

There's a treatmend right now that's quite popular. It's called 'HD Brows', it's a 7-step treatment that encompasses waxing, threading, tweezing, tinting, cutting, pencilling and shadowing.

Personally I think it's a bit of an overkill but yes, you certainly can trim them - just brush them up and 'chip' into them a little. Don't trim them straight across as this can look slightly odd

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

When I was younger, I hated my looks so much I looked at the ground all the time so people couldn't see my face. In fact, when people asked me if I knew so-and-so, I had to know what type of shoes they wore as I'd never actually seen their face. No exaggeration. In year 8 or 9, a girl once said to me "you're pure ugly (insert name). You'll never get a boyfriend". All this did was confirm what I already knew. 30 years later, I'm still driven by this statement

Hence the daily make up.

You poor thing - what a horrid, horrid person to say anything like that to you

I was that kid at school, and I can promise you that you are NOT ugly. I think that it might be helpful for you to talk to someone because you are most certainly NOT an 'ugly person', and they will help you to realise that :grouphug:

Softstuff

I find it funny that make-up is such a controversial thing. I don't judge people for wearing it, but I have been judged for not wearing it.

If I wear make-up I look different, not necessarily better, but different. And I might wear it a little more, but maybe not everyday, if I wasn't allergic to it. If I wear it for the one day I get an itchy face and runny nose, if I continue on for a few days eczema kicks in and I get patchy flaky red bits the make up won't even cover, to go with the itching and runny nose.

I was berated at a job once for not wearing it, despite the allergy. I was quite offended yet tried to conform, trying every brand going (from the quite cheap to the truly ridiculously priced), but had the same reaction.

To me grooming comprises being clean all over, having clean tidy hair, no visible mustache, 2 distinct eyebrows, wearing deodorant, having neatly trimmed, clean nails and shaving my legs and underarms. I don't subscribe to removing bikini hair, I don't dye my hair, though it is turning grey and I seldom wear makeup. But that doesn't mean "I don't make an effort" when I go out, I make sure I'm groomed, well dressed and try and style my hair a little more.

It'd be nice if we could look at a person and see the best bits, rather than looking to find fault. I'm not saying I'm guilt free in this either, generally I couldn't care less if someone doesn't shave their armpits or legs, but confess to being surprised seeing Julia Roberts so made up in a lovely dress with hairy armpits!

lessonlearned

Hello again all - this is a very interesting thread.

Just a tip - as a fully trained beauty therapist - to those of you who are tempted to dig out old make up and start re-using it please be aware that even though modern cosmetics contain preservatives they do have a limited shelf life.

Most creams and potions should be discarded after 1 year and mascara should be replaced every three months. And of course you should never, never share another person's mascara because of the risk of eye infections and cross-contamination.

Sorry ladies but hoarding and then using old make up is an MSE step too far.

I was so sorry to hear about how some of you have been on the receiving end of such cruelty about your perceived "ugliness". This must have been very hurtful and it has obviously caused some of you some long term psychological distress.

I was born with an angry red birthmark. Fortunately for some reason I was never bullied at school, nor did it ever cause me any hardship throughout my teenage or adult life. I still had my fair share of boyfriends and happy relationships. In fact most people didn't seem to notice it.

Occasionally the birthmark would become itchy and rather angry and then someone might ask me if I had scratched myself. When I explained that it was a birthmark they would be astonished.

I genuinely believe that half the time most people do not notice our imperfections, we are often more aware of them ourselves than other people are.

When I was 55 I noticed my birthmark was become increasingly itchy and starting to bleed. It turned out that it had "gone rogue" and had developed into a Basal Cell Carcinoma - a mild non life threatening cancer.

I had it removed. I was very nervous and requested laser surgery to avoid the scarring that going under the knife would cause. My surgeon advised me to go the scalpel route to make absolutely sure they would get it all. Now I just have a fine white scar, scarcely visible. I make sure I use extra sun protection on that area.

Again no-one ever notices my scar or the fact that my face is now very slightly lop-sided as a result of surgery.

To those of you who are still tormented by those awful childhood experiences I would say this, both as an experienced beauty therapist and as an ex birth-mark sufferer I can guarantee that you are not ugly. You may not confirm to a "Barbie" stereotype but you will not be ugly - you will be unique and individual. Please celebrate that rather than beating yourself up over your imperfections.

If you face does what it is supposed to do, i.e. your eyes can see, your nose can smell, your lips can eat and speak, your skin is not a mass of open weeping sores then you are beautiful. You have a wonderful working face.

If you do not have a hair lip, or a missing eye, major burns or a serious disfigurement then again you are beautiful - in your own unique way.

As a matter of interest have you ever looked really closely at some of the worlds most beautiful women. Often they do not conform to a rigid idea of beauty - the prettiness of Barbie Doll Syndrome. They often have a face which can look slightly "odd" or out of sync.

Iman, Jerry Hall, Sophia Loren (often referred to as the worlds most beautiful woman) Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock etc - literally dozens and dozens of very beautiful women in the public eye are not at all pretty, pretty in the traditionally accepted sense. And yet, they all possess a certain something that makes them individual and unique which sets them apart and which makes them beautiful.

I wouldn't set too much store by the marketing and advertising nor blame the big cosmetic houses for making women feel pressured into wearing makeup.

Women and men have painted and adorned their faces and bodies for millennia - without commercial cosmetic companies. They simply made their own. Cosmetics as we now know and use them were largely invented by the Egyptians over 2000 years ago.

On another point raised - I think that on the whole cosmetics are generally safe - although of course allergic reactions do occur. However, we no longer paint our faces with white lead like they did in Elizabethan times so we are unlikely to contract lead poisoning. We no longer use candle black to enhance our eyelashes so we are unlikely to lose our sight.

Provided that you take reasonable care of your makeup and do not use them after their useful shelf life - then they should be safe enough.

Where I would advise caution is to make sure that you buy cosmetics from a respected supplier. I am truly horrified that people buy hyraulonic acid over the internet to do home skin facial peels. These suppliers are not regulated and there have been several cases of severe acid burns and scarring because the strength of the product was far higher than stated.

Please be careful.

raven83

Gigervamp wrote: »

I think men should wear make up! As another of the goth persuasion, I like my men to wear some eyeliner.

Girl after my own heart, I love guyliner too :blushing:

onlyroz

lessonlearned wrote: »

Hello again all - this is a very interesting thread.

Just a tip - as a fully trained beauty therapist - to those of you who are tempted to dig out old make up and start re-using it please be aware that even though modern cosmetics contain preservatives they do have a limited shelf life.

Most creams and potions should be discarded after 1 year and mascara should be replaced every three months. And of course you should never, never share another person's mascara because of the risk of eye infections and cross-contamination.

Sorry ladies but hoarding and then using old make up is an MSE step too far.

If I followed your advice then I'd have to buy new make-up every time I fancied putting some on

The only make-up I own is the stuff I bought for my wedding 10 years ago. I agree that the mascara has probably had its day but the foundation and lippy still look OK...