Skin Health Magazine Issue #6 / Winter 2018 | Page 31

Highlighter is another beauty product lifting cheekbones as much as it is lifting moods. Using a shimmery, light-catching cream or powder over the high points of the face creates lumi- nosity and shape that knocks years off a wear- er’s perceived age and disguises dull skin de- pleted by one too many poor nights’ sleep. And let’s not forget the eyebrows. Shaped, sculpted and shaded to perfectly frame your eyes, a good brow can totally transform the face, even if the rest of your make-up is kept to a minimum. The eyebrow market in the UK alone is thought to be worth around £42 million, so it’s safe to say the make-up buying public can’t live without their perfected arches. GRAB YOUR BRUSHES! These products are only a small section of the make-up landscape employed daily by women all over the world. You might be partial to a good eyeshadow palette or a skin-awakening blusher. Maybe you never feel yourself without a slick of black eyeliner. London-based make-up artist KSAVI sees the transformative power of make-up in action regularly: “When working with private clients, I’m often surprised by their lack of confidence without make-up. Without a doubt, wearing make-up, even if it’s simply to cover small blemishes using concealer, boosts confidence. How you look and how you feel go hand-in-hand, and the people around you feel that. If you feel uncomfortable without make-up on, small accents on the eyes and lips are an easy way to get your confidence back.” “We can all relate to a time when we have felt a bit drab looking in the mirror,” agrees Dr Schnack, “a slick of lipstick later and our feel- ings seem to become more positive. Studies looking at body-image as a whole indicated that more positive body-image related thoughts were noted in the women that wore make-up than in those that didn’t. Studies have also shown that wearing make-up makes women feel more confident in their social interactions.” Make-up is often described as ‘war paint’, some- thing akin to donning a suit of armour to protect the wearer against the world, but it is so much more than that. It provides those so inclined with the tools to experiment and reinvent them- selves on a daily basis; it’s a fun distraction from the mundane daily grind; it’s a security blanket on uncertain days; and it’s the quickest route to self-confidence I have ever found. Dr Schnack sums this up perfectly: “Our physical appearance is not a fixed attribute, but something that we can alter to manage and control our self-image, who we want to be, how we want to feel, and how we want to be perceived by others.” We’ll see you in the make-up aisle. ISSUE #06 | 2018 | SkinHealthMagazine.com 31