Article written by Valeria Lasso.
For many people, when they think of makeup the first thing that pops into their mind is vanity. Girls trying to cover up their flaws and tricking people into thinking they are pretty. But, there is so much more to makeup than just covering up things you don’t like. As a person that does her makeup basically every day, I can tell you that it is not an easy task. Making sure your concealer is well blended, and that you contour and blush don’t look like harsh lines across your cheek is not as easy as it might seem. It takes time and effort to look good when you’re putting liquids and powders on your face. This said I am not in any way claiming that I am a makeup artist. Just because I can do the basics and do them decently doesn’t make me a makeup artist (by the way, can we just acknowledge that I just said makeup ARTISTS? Yup. Again. ARTIST. There’s not a lot more to discuss).
Also, don’t even get me started on winged eye-liner. Getting it right on the first try is an achievement not too many of us can claim to do. It’s actually a goddamn miracle if you don’t even have to touch them up once you finish them. If you don’t end up looking like a racoon from touching up your eyeliner, you have been blessed. Take a second to thank the Gods of makeup.
The makeup industry has been evolving for a couple of years now. The quality of makeup and the skills people have when it comes to applying it, whether to themselves or others, have been improving with each passing year. A couple of years back people didn’t care as much as we do now about eyebrows, contour or even highlight. Eyeshadow was simple and the term blending was nowhere near as used as it is now.
Now, things are very different. Young girls and boys actually care about how their makeup looks and how others’ makeup look. Even though you can still get away with a crooked wing or uneven eyebrows, just know that most young people will notice it, even if they don’t point it out. This new feature in millennials to look for details and imperfections is both a blessing and a curse. While makeup is certainly looking way better now than ever, it is also a huge pressure for those that are not professionals or skilled in the art. Lipstick on your teeth and running mascara are just not mistakes that many can afford to make.
Even though there are a few cons, the evolution of makeup and the way younger generations regard it has made a big change in many people’s lives. Many young individuals can call makeup their profession, their way of earning a living. A few years ago, the people that did makeup as a career were the ones that did celebrities’ makeup for magazines, live shows, runways and movies. Never would have people imagined that you’d be able to make a career out of making videos of you, doing your own makeup. Even though it might seem easy, it is still not something that just anyone can do. It really is art.
Makeup artists don’t just know how to apply makeup and that’s it. They understand the symmetry of the human face. They know how to combine colours and they master skilled techniques. They know where to put each product because they understand the way in which light hits the face. They know what will look flattering and what won’t; just like an artist knows where to add shadows and lighter tones.
If you think about it, makeup artists are quite similar to regular artists; they both have palettes and brushes, and they know exactly which ones are used for what. While artists do their paintings on canvases, makeup artists use the human face/body as their canvas, whether it’s their own or someone else’s.
It might be hard for some people, especially older generations, to accept makeup being an art form since it has had a very vain connotation for an extensive period of time. Makeup was and is still used to cover up insecurities, but now more than ever, it is used to highlight beautiful features that you already have. It is about being creative and doing things that maybe haven’t been seen before in an every-day makeup look.
Being a makeup artist requires a lot of imagination because they need to find a way to change up their looks while staying within the same spaces. Eyelids can only hold so much eyeshadow. Apart from working with colours, they also know how to shape eyebrows and how to apply fake eyelashes. If you’ve ever put on a pair of fake eyelashes, you’ll know how much of a hassle they are. Makeup artists get those on so effortlessly that one would actually think it’s easy to do it.
If you still don’t think that makeup is an art, just know that there’s a long list of beauty and makeup enthusiasts that are ready to fight you on that. I encourage you to try to do a makeup look. And I don’t mean an everyday look. I mean get yourself all glammed up (look up videos on YouTube if you need some inspo). When you’re done, look at yourself in the mirror and just admire the masterpiece that you created. You are the masterpiece. *wink, wink*
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