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