Makeup as Art

I mentioned Makeup as Art in a post last month, with self-isolating activities for adults. I had two ideas when I wrote that post. I was not sure it will turn out as I imagined, considering that this is the first time I’m doing something like this. My usual makeup is basic: primer (not every time) – foundation – brow cream – lipstick. Sometimes I use eye shadow too, but not every time. I’m delighted with how both of them turned out, considering my lack of experience.

Makeup as Art – Good or Evil

I asked my husband what did he think, what it represents. He thought, which I did too, after I finished my makeup and looked in the mirror that it can be interpreted that way too, that is a stance against racism, as black or white, we are all the same. I imagined he thought of that because the dark part of my face was such a rich colour. That is a really good message, which I would have embraced, but it was not what I thought of.

My idea was that we are neither good nor evil. There isn’t a dark side and bright side to us, but we are both. We can be both selfish and selfless, depending on the circumstances. We are not a blank slate when we are born, as our genes influence how we respond to stimuli, but the genes are neither deterministic. Also, have you noticed my jewellery?

If you look closely, the golden line between the good and evil is cracked. I made good use of my broken gel for this.

It was strange to put on so much makeup, dark eye shadow on the cheeks. I felt like it was not me looking at me in the mirror. It was quite strange, but fascinating at the same time.

I tried to make my eyebrows as light as possible, but I did not have the suitable makeup for this. Anyway, I still think it turned out great. Furthermore, I’ve enjoyed myself doing this.
It took me about 45 minutes from start to finish, including washing the brushes.

Makeup as Art – Mask

This was another idea I thought of, which is quite simple: we are wearing masks, but these too are just as much part of us. You might be familiar with the idea of makeup as a mask, to hide insecurities one might have. I think this is true for some people, but only for a small minority, and anyway, it was not what I wanted to convey. My aim was to think of the so-called mask that we all wear, metaphorically speaking. It is relevant when it comes to makeup or clothes, or even blogging, with some people assuming that reality also means “natural”.

The “masks” we choose are a part of us. The same applies to the mask we do not choose, and for which we are blamed nevertheless. I will not go into details about that, because I think we all know what assumptions some people make. On the other side I have no makeup, not even foundation.

I used the makeup I have, without buying anything specially for this. Links point towards reviews I made for some of these:
– Matte Foundation from The Body Shop
– Urban Decay Heat palette
– No7 make up palette
– Kat von D brow cream
– No7 lipstick
– The Body Shop lip gloss
– No7 mascara
– Illamasqua Broken Gel in Gold
– Olivia glitter