Beauty standards we take too seriously
Somewhere along the line, beauty somehow evolved into a set of rules.
You need to know your undertone.
Your foundation must match your skin tone perfectly, while your lipstick shades should complement your complexion.
Moreover, your makeup should suit your face shape, and your blush needs to sit at just the right angle.
On top of that, your skincare routine somehow requires seventeen different products to achieve that supposedly effortless look!
And somehow, if your face shape hasn’t got makeup appropriately designed for it, the world will end.
Okay.
Let’s take a deep breath.
Although cosmetic techniques can be genuinely helpful, makeup can easily feel suffocating when makeup magazines expect us to follow rigid rules.
So here’s where we have some rules we will never ever abide by again.
Rule #1: Foundations need to be entirely matte.
No.
If you like matte foundation wear matte makeup and if you like shiny, dewy, luminous or glassy skin wear dewy, luminous or glassy makeup.
There are many finishes to choose between, so choose an appropriate finish according to your desired look and your skin type.
Rule #2: You need a perfect foundation match.
Although a good foundation shade match does make a big difference to the final makeup look, looking at a mirror all day to ensure your skin tone and foundation match perfectly can get really stressful.
So focus more on the whole look itself to see if the makeup is looking harmonious with the face and surroundings-if a difference of a shade is barely noticeable that’s okay!
Rule #3: You need a ten step makeup routine.
No you absolutely do not.
If a comprehensive twenty step makeup routine does help you relax, I say it’s important you have it; but more layers of foundation don’t necessarily provide a better result.
A very short makeup routine that you can adhere to, might be more effective than a twenty step one that you would probably forget how to do by step 5 and end up abandoning it within two days.
Rule #4: The more expensive your makeup the better.
Don’t assume a makeup product is instantly better just because brands use expensive ingredients and market it in luxurious packaging.
Some makeup companies can justify the ₹5000 price tag for their foundation by advertising luxurious packaging rather than offering a superior quality makeup; thus I say keep your eyes peeled on affordable brands which could provide you with an equally better-or in fact superior-quality.
Rule #5: You need specific makeup for a specific occasion.
I doubt anyone needs a specific makeup look for college, work, a supermarket trip, brunch with friends, or an informal coffee date. After all, no one needs to apply five to twelve makeup products for these everyday occasions.
Although if you really like full face makeup even if you’re only going to the super market I say fine, live life! Conversely if you are attending a posh wedding where only bare lipgloss would suffice, you don’t necessarily need to dab it onto your lips unless you want to!
Rule #6: The lipstick shades have to be a combination that suits the undertones of your face.
While understanding makeup colours and having them selected to suit our complexions is highly beneficial when choosing makeup to define ourselves on special occasions, it is not something that needs to become a restricting factor.
If a bold lipstick shade makes you look and feel radiant while sitting on the couch-then go for it, you can never look too done up if it enhances your already naturally perfect appearance!
Rule #7: You must apply makeup that corresponds with your face shape.
From blusher placement to defining your features through highlight and contour application, tutorials typically propose that we should always aim to define every facet of our face, which can seem more like building up with makeup rather than defining with it!
Ultimately I suggest applying blush where you desire, it could be under your brow line or along the cheekbone itself.
In actual fact contour can simply work as an enhancer rather than needing defining proportions to a face, if you just enjoy makeup, have fun trying out application methods different to the prescribed norms and simply apply cosmetics so that you yourself feel glamorous, instead of the expectations from the beauty industry.
Rule #8: To be natural the more makeup you have on you the less beautiful you must be and wearing zero make up makes one more beautiful
You no longer have the right to believe such rubbish;
Wearing makeup makes one just as naturally beautiful and not wearing makeup makes us neither more or less beautiful than any one else, it is just something you have the free option of participating or not participating in to feel more put together/glamorous/ sexy/whatever it is that makeup offers you each day.
Rule #9 You Must Follow Trends
Negative.
Absolutely not.
1. The beauty industry loves a trend, and when a brand has a product launch, your social feeds start to fill up with the exact same stuff from everyone you follow. When something becomes “the hot new thing,” suddenly there are demands to adapt; whether that’s using the right brush, only wearing it with an orange lid or… you’ll notice you’re suddenly buying into hype, whether it’s for you or not.
Nope. Not to the algorithm, nope.
2. You Need Every Viral Product
This one is probably the most expensive beauty rule.
And again: you don’t need it! A product being viral or “the best product of the year” is all to do with marketing.
If you personally like the product, don’t let us stop you from enjoying it, but also, please scroll, a product will live to be purchased by another person when the algorithm moves onto their new obsession!
Not to yourself – not your product stash – unless you genuinely fancy the product!
3. Makeup Is For Covering Imperfections
Let’s say instead that makeup is what we chose to wear. “Imperfections,” “flaws,” “mistakes“-these labels imply we are somehow broken or less than just because we have pores, pigmentation or acne!
These things are a normal part of healthy, functioning skin, not failure.
Makeup can be a tool used for all of us to cover whatever we want whether that’s blemishes or simply… an urge to embrace the glowy aesthetic for a couple of hours.
We simply don’t need to think of anything being “imperfection” in the first place.
4. You Must Look The Same Every Day
Again no! So your face changes colour every day.
Not an insult!
That is… normal!
And your mood isn’t fixed. Some days you want to look really, really fierce. Or soft. Sometimes you want to put a new colour on and realize you really hate it.
That’s fine; that’s part of having fun.
5. Makeup Is Solely For Looking Attractive
Of course, makeup can be used for enhancing attractiveness.
It’s also a beautiful art form that inspires creativity, fashion, and self-expression while offering fun and relaxation!
There are no rules on our end.
Why should our looks also be prescriptive or based around the eyes of an audience?
FAQ’s :
- Do I have to follow rules about makeup according to my shape?
Answer: No. Face shapes offer inspiration, not strict rules, so you can apply blush, contour, or highlighter wherever you like.
Makeup should be experimental, not dictated by tutorials. Makeup artists offer suggestions, not rules you must follow religiously.
- Does more expensive mean more or better makeup?
Answer: Not necessarily.
A product’s ingredients, packaging, and research can affect its price; however, what matters most is whether it works for you.
Drugstore makeup can also prove to be our favorites of all when the formula, color, and finishes meet your requirements.
- Do I need to know my undertone when I am purchasing any shade of lipstick?
Answer: Knowing your undertone can come very handy when searching for your right shade of foundation, not the lipstick!
If you absolutely love a lipstick shade that may be for another undertone-then so be it.
Recommendations for beauty cannot be restrictions.
- Is less makeup more “natural”?
Answer: Not inherently.
Natural beauty isn’t about how many products you use; even a full face of makeup can look natural.
“Naturality” can serve as an aesthetic-not that you don’t exist under makeup!
- What is the most vital beauty rule?
Answer: There doesn’t have to be ONE in essence.
Get knowledge about techniques, experiment with trends and get acquainted with your skin; however you should use what will make you comfortable because it is makeup that gives us the space for selection, not limitations.