Makeup has its advocates and its critics. Referred to by its French origin ‘maquillage’; British slang ‘war paint’ and cockney slang ‘slap’ (the latter two, heavily applied). Notwithstanding the adage “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, the assisted beauty of makeup is a blessing, though not a marker of beauty.
The Good
As a makeup advocate, with an emphasis on good makeup, its positives are, it makes you look good; is an excellent way to help accentuate a natural feature (e.g. eyes can be emphasised with eye shadow, eyeliner and mascara); is a confidence and morale booster and is a great way to express personality. Admittedly bordering on conceit it creates a façade of a polished look to enhance the very best version of ourselves. But at 50+ its application cannot remain the same as that of our 20s-40s, but must be minimalist, creating the ‘fresh-faced’ look of makeup looking like no makeup and can make you look younger.
Thankfully there is now a host of choices of black-owned brands, Fenty Beauty; Iman Cosmetics, Pat McGrath Labs; The Lip Bar; Mented Cosmetics; Sasha; Black Opal and Uoma Beauty to name but a few. The big beauty houses such as Estee Lauder, Revlon, L’Oreal, Lancome, Laura Mercier, Mac, Bobby Brown etc. long overdue, thankfully in recent years cater to Black, Indigenous and People of colour.
Day makeup should be minimalist compared to evening makeup, which is bolder adding to the glitz and glamour effect.
The Bad & The Ugly
Bad makeup usually means too much and is tacky. Wearing the wrong and heavy foundation; too much blusher; applying the smokey eye incorrectly; equally highlighter and contouring and heavily fully lined eyes in black are major negatives. After all, if you are not making up for events such as a photographic shoot, carnival or fancy dress party, makeup should be toned down. In comparison, the naturalists who wear no makeup at all, view makeup as bad overall, relishing what nature provided. This is all well and good, for those with clear blemish-free, smooth skin. But for those who suffer from pigmentation, hooded eyes, dark circles, bags etc., makeup can level the playing field, creating an illusionary façade.
It’s never too late to learn how to apply makeup correctly. YouTube and Pinterest offer a multitude of makeup tutorials for those who are interested.
As 50+ black women, do you wear makeup? Do you think you are past wearing it or are you a naturalist?
