In regards to fashion, makeup is the finishing touch to any look. It can make or break an outfit. Doll lashes or spindly spikes? Smokey gold eyeshadow or neutral greyish-browns? Red lip or pink? Defined contours or a soft round face? In the world of high fashion, those questions are everything—but that’s all for runway shows and magazines. What about in everyday life? What about on our campus? Over the past few days, I made a point of noticing the faces of people I saw. One person wearing just mascara to accentuate incredibly long lashes, another with perfect red lips, another with enviable winged eyeliner…nearly everyone I saw was wearing at least a touch of makeup. So why is this? Why do we feel the need to paint our faces each morning before we face the world?
For Kate Stefanski ‘17, the answer is simply, “Because it’s fun!” She likes the way it makes her look, and says she does not wear makeup for anybody except herself.
Likewise, proclaimed makeup lover Alexia Della Valle ‘19 says, “I wear makeup for myself… Essentially, I love the creativity behind it, and it enhances my features in a way that makes me feel more confident.”
Maddie Crump ‘19 completely agrees, saying that her makeup is for her and worn because she likes it, not because she is trying to impress anyone.
For a lot of people, there’s a fine line between trying to impress others and trying to impress yourself. And of course, it is important to make a good impression each day, but makeup is not the only way we can do that. Walking into a job interview, the decision to hire you will not—or, rather, should not—depend on what eyeliner you wear. Makeup is just a tool to help us feel more confident so that we can be ready to make that good impression.
As long as makeup is used with the right intentions, many students believe it can be an amazing addition to your day.
For Zoe Kim ‘19, makeup is a “force of habit” and is a good way for her to wake up and start her morning. She ran through her daily makeup routine for me, as did Della Valle, Crump, and Stefanski, and all four follow the same basic routine: first foundation, then concealer, and finally blush. For the finishing touch, they sometimes add mascara, eyeliner and/or eye shadow, and then pop on some lipstick.
Yet, despite the similarity in their morning routines, all four girls have completely different aesthetics. Alexia often sports a dark lip and soft eyes, while Zoe and Maddie’s finished looks are quite natural and subtle. Kate, on the other hand, is usually seen with daring eyes and a natural lip.
This huge variation, due in part to how these girls choose to work with their face shapes, can also be attributed to personal taste. Everyone has a favorite brand, or at least a favorite lipstick or mascara, and often times that product reflects the style of the owner.
For Nicole Otero ‘18, her favorite makeups encompass just about anything Sephora has on its shelves, though usually she gravitates towards neutral colors and earthy tones because she is naturally tan and feels that such colors better accentuate her features. For Kim, a tinted primer from the brand Tarte takes the cake for her favorite product, because she loves the way it makes her skin feel. For Crump, her Smashbox eye shadow collection and her Sephora black liquid liner are favorites in her collection. For Della Valle, her all-time favorite is a custom lipstick from Bite Cosmetics that she had the opportunity to make herself while on a trip to New York.
No matter the product or aesthetic, all of these individuals derive their love for makeup from the same principle: “It’s fun!”
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