Make up Myths

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Since my last article on skin care myths was rather well recevied, I thought I would do a follow-up on Make Up Myths. 
Many of these myths are created and spread due to lack of education and half-truths perpetrated by articles and advertisements in fashion magazines. These myths are then carried into the workplace by makeup artists and salespeople to sell product. These myths are confusing and cause consumers to become discouraged when the results are complicated, less-than-desirable, and can look artificial.

Makeup Myth 1. You can do harm to your skin if you wear makeup every day
On the contrary. The makeup layer protects the skin from the harmful sun’s rays, from the wind and the dust. Most makeup products contain many moisturizing and nourishing ingredients as well as sun protection – SPF 15 or higher to protect the skin from the sun’s rays and to prevent skin discolorations or sunburns. And no, foundation will not block your pores or make you break out. Unless it is infected. Look out for non-comodogenic makeup.

Makeup Myth 2. Black eyeliner can make your eyes appear bigger
It isn’t true. The dark shades of eyeliner can make eyes appear smaller, rather than bigger. If you want to make your eyes appear bigger you should use lighter colors (brown, gray, violet). Before you apply mascara on your lashes, line the inner rims of your eyes with a white/ nude / skin colored pencil to open up your eyes and to create the illusion of bigger eyes.

Makeup Myth 3. If you use waterproof mascara your lashes will become brittle
Most waterproof mascaras contain silicone oils which create a protective coat on the lashes and nourish them. Yes, it’s true that waterproof mascara may be very difficult to remove in the evening but you won’t have any problems if you use good makeup remover. Just apply the remover to the lashes and let it rest for a minute. The remover will dissolve/melt the mascara and it will all come off in a gentle swipe. No need to tug and pull.

Makeup Myth 4: You can use make up to contour your face
Don't use makeup to correct the shape of anything on your face, especially the lips. Close up and in person you can tell when lipstick has been applied beyond or inside the natural lip line. To make small lips look fuller, wear medium to light lip colors, or use lip gloss. Shades that are too dark make small lips look even smaller.
The principle of contouring (highlighting and/or shadowing) came to the world of makeup from the theatre, where it was important for the audience to see the facial expressions of the actors from a distance. Thus, their features were magnified and enhanced by contouring.
Contouring continued in motion pictures. In the early days of motion pictures, consumer retail cosmetics came on the scene and it was because of the glamour of Hollywood actresses that film makeup techniques were adopted. Women to this day are continually bombarded with this antiquated concept and are only told half of the contouring story. The half they don’t hear is that 
  • the stars of Hollywood have their makeup and contouring done by professional makeup artists 
  • they are filmed under a controlled lighting source from a controlled point of view (the camera); 
  • and then they are viewed on a two-dimensional medium (a movie screen).
Subtle contouring under controlled conditions can be effective for motion pictures, television, and print work, but not for the consumer. The average consumer is certainly not a makeup professional; the day-to-day (and nighttime) lighting sources can come from above, below, to the right or left, the back or the front, and even underneath and there is no control over the kind of light you are viewed in. You are viewed from 360 degrees. 
If you were to highlight a receding chin and turned sideways, others would see a receding chin with a highlight on it; if you were to shadow a double chin and turned sideways, you would see the double chin with part of it painted dark (shadowed). Contouring cannot change facial shapes or features.

Makeup Myth 5: Undesirable skin coloration can be neutralized with makeup undertoners or neutralizing colors.
Color theory tells us that when any two colors are mixed, the result is a third color. Mixing opposite colors on the color wheel, e.g., green and red, blue and orange, or yellow and purple, results in an unattractive grayishgreen- brown color. This changes the intensity of the two colors and causes them to become dull. The cosmetic industry calls this neutralizing.
The makeup neutralizers/undertoners that are offered— green to neutralize redness, lavender to neutralize sallowness—do nothing more than create a third color, they do not create a skin color. This third color must then be concealed with a color that matches the skin, which adds an extra step and additional thickness to the makeup, not to mention the possibility of dirty looking makeup.

Makeup Myth 6: Blue eyes should wear blue eye shadow to make their color pop
Imagine putting a ruby into a red velvet box, what happens to the ruby? It disappears, and becomes less noticeable. The same applies to eye shadow. Contrast your eye color with a complimentary shadow, not the same color.
1.         Brown eyes: turquoise, mauve/lilac, purple, gold, bronze, silver
2.         Green/Hazel eyes: dark blue, purple, mauve/lilac, silver, turquoise
3.         Blue/Violet eyes: gold, bronze, copper, pink, peach, chocolate

Makeup Myth 7: Mature ladies cannot wear shimmery/frosty makeup
Completely false! Shimmery makeup can be worn at any age. More important is how you wear it; you may want to wear a little less as you get older. Try small hints of it, such as only on the bottom eyelids or only on your cheekbones or lips as gloss.
Makeup Myth 8: You must always wear foundation
A complete fallacy. You do not ‘have’ to wear foundation, nor do you have to apply it to your entire face. If you only want to cover up a few blemishes or smooth out skin tone in certain areas, simply apply it where you feel you need it and blend well. If the foundation tone matches your skin well enough, you won’t have to smooth it over your whole face. Then again, if you prefer a strong coverage, applying it to the entire face is fine too!

Makeup Myth 9: You should never sleep in your makeup
This is actually not a myth. Statistics show that you can age up to seven times’ more if you go to bed each night with makeup on. 
Those were my make up myths. Do share your thoughts & experiences. 
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Comments

  1. yeat another great post! :) I use waterprooof mascara and I have had no issues with the brittleness of my lashes or anything as such. By the way, is maybelleine mascara waterproof. My colorbar mascara is starting to dry out now so I was thinking of giving the fat yellow tube a try. :P

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  2. Amazing post!!!Btw wat is non-comodogenic makeup??
    Also I used to believe in Myth no.1 and 3..Bt I think if u u use bad quality make up esp everyday it will harm ur skin eventually!!
    And oh,evn I used 2 think dat wearing black eyeliner wld make my already huge eyes look like dinner plates until i tried it out n realized dat dat is not d case!

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  3. Thanks for the tips, esp. the contouring part; i had no idea of that one!

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  4. @ Rati: Thks for the appreciation :D

    The maybelline mascaras are generally available in two types - water resistant & water proof. I prefer the water proof ones.

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  5. @ Simran: Non-comodogenic make up is make up that won't block your pores or give you acne.

    Yea, cheap china made make up may have a lot of abrasive particles that can harm the skin upon daily use. In fact for daily use it is better to invest in good quality branded products :D

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  6. @ Ashwini: Glad to be of help :D :D :D

    ReplyDelete

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