Tag: Makeup

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Makeup Free Month Day 22: Sexuality and makeup

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For me sexuality has often played a large part in my makeup wearing. Largely due to my reliance on makeup to feel attractive, and feeling attractive playing a large part in my own sexuality. Is this common for women in general? Women in the west? Is it just as much an issue for straight/gay/bi/trans women? Does class, income, race affect it? Or is it actually as individual as I think it might be? Depending on upbringing, culture, confidence, lifestyle, …… I could go on!

Going without makeup has forced me to look at myself, my face and body in a different way. This month I have had times when I have felt less attractive, but I’ve also had times when I’ve felt much more confident in myself. Attractiveness (or how attractive I feel) and sexuality are two very different things, I am aware of this, however for me personally they have always been intrinsically linked.

As I have grown older I have found both more and less confidence in my appearance, but more confidence in my sexuality. And more confidence as a woman.

Through having children I felt a strength and empowerment over my body that I had never felt before. An ownership that I wished I had known when I was younger. Those who know me know I can talk for days about birth, I won’t here except to say one thing about it. I experienced both a Caesarean birth and then a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean). These two experiences have played a very large part in how I see my body and how I feel about myself. Both negatively and positively.

More recently through my art I am finding an expression of my female strength and sensuality. Being able to explore these elements through art is very liberating.

In terms of makeup it could be argued that it takes away our power and natural sensuality. Feeling so reliant on it as I have, does this somehow dampen my body ownership? I’m sure there are many arguments towards cosmetic companies and advertising to perpetuate this reliance too. Marketing which encourage us to look younger, fresher, smoother, painted, pouted and lashful! And then profit from our reliance on their products to do this!

But as we have already discussed, makeup is not new. It’s use has not appeared alongside mass media production. Men and women alike have used it for centuries for health, ritual, practical as well as enhancing reasons.

And personally I don’t think it does ‘take my power’. My reliance on it has been a pain definitely. But it’s at times given me a sense of power through the confidence it’s given me.

I’ve always worn makeup for both myself and my perceived appearance to others. What may make me feel fabulous after this month is to wear it only for me in future. Id love to hear other views on this. Whether others feel a similar reliance on makeup, have done previously and gotten over it? or is it just me?

If you haven’t yet seen my Street Art video – Skin- please take a peek!

If you would like to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support please do so via my Just giving page or via text as described below. xxxxxx http://www.justgiving.com/Susan-Merrick

or text MMFM £1 to 70070

 

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Makeup Free Month Day 21: A couple of cool resources!

 

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Online I’ve found a couple of interesting resources. One is called the Makeup Museum.

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The curator comes from an art history background and uses, reviews, collects, exhibits and talks about makeup and cosmetics, alongside art, beauty, feminism and much more. The aim of the website is to be a virtual museum, discussion place about makeup and to explore cosmetics as art objects.

As I have discussed earlier this month makeup seems to have been around for centuries, and cosmetics therefore can potentially play a huge role in social history, female history and art/fashion history. The site is really worth a look and her idea if eventually having the museum as a physical space really interests me.

The other site that I’ve found and want to explore more as I come to the end of my makeup free month, is

http://www.starkhechara.com

Star discusses the links between what we eat and our skin, as well as having a plethora of information on natural or organic products.

As I head towards my final week I am thoroughly used to not putting on makeup in the morning now. My skin feels wonderful, it looks better, and I feel generally more confident without it. And there is a little bit more ‘I don’t care’ attitude too! I can’t hide when I’m tired without makeup, but to be honest in not sure how good a job my makeup did of that before!

I am excited however to throw away my old makeup (which is all old, probably past it’s best and definitely full of chemicals). I want to replace it with just a few good natural or gentle products if I can find them. Then for nights out I can still enjoy painting my face, creating characters or looks but feel better about what I put on my skin.

Someone already recommended a product by Benefit called benetint. It’s not chemical free but it is a simple product that can be used sparingly on lips and cheeks and potentially with nothing else.

I have to admit, scrolling through the benefit makeup list just then actually made me crave applying some makeup! How mad is that? So… I definitely miss the art side of makeup wearing. Let the hunt for some good makeup begin… And only for when I fancy!! Xxx

If you haven’t yet seen my Street Art video – Skin- please take a peek!

If you would like to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support please do so via my Just giving page or via text as described below. xxxxxx http://www.justgiving.com/Susan-Merrick

or text MMFM £1 to 70070

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Makeup Free Month Day 20: Words, and makeup as protection

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Today I thought I’d chat a little about words. Comments and words about our appearance whether meant negatively or not can affect us, affect our confidence, so we doubt ourselves and our looks. I’ve experienced this about several aspects of my appearance.

I remember growing up with many comments about my ginger hair. Terms that were nearly always meant as an insult. To have red/ginger hair was to be mocked. People were and still are often horrified if their child is born with red hair. Family members comment. Even strangers. A good friend (a fellow redhead) recently told me one such tale.

In his office at work a client came in and they were chatting about their children. She asked if his son also had red hair. When he replied to say that no he was actually blonde she responded with ‘oh that’s lucky then’.

As a teenager I remember changing shape and having comments shouted at me about my small chest, and my ginger hair.

My dad made a couple of jokey comments about a bit of weight gain when I was 16 and it stuck with me for so long!

As an adult I’ve had stages in my life where I’ve lost weight or been very toned and I at one point when I was a student I became quite obsessed with the positive comments about the change in my body…. When they stopped it was tempting to keep losing weight in order to keep getting the comments.

Since having children I’ve on both occasions lost the baby weight quickly, which has led to positive comments from some and negative comments from others. I’ve been told I look drained, tired, too skinny, a bit like a lollipop… And actually I was trying to eat as much as I could to gain a bit of flesh!

So what has this to do with makeup? Well, I’ve used makeup to:
Hide my colouring,
create new characters when I lacked confidence,
look less tired,
look younger/older,
look slimmer,
look plumper,
look more bronzed,
and even as a teenager look paler!

So we then have two takes on makeup in this sense. It can be argued that we are surrounded by ‘fake’ looking images of women, who rather than having normal colouring and shapes are photoshopped and heavily made up, which we then feel pressured to look like. But also makeup can help our confidence.

What a shame we are so crap at communicating with one another (or so good if that is then intended message). And how frustrating (I feel) that we can be so easily affected by what others think and say.

If you haven’t yet seen my Street Art video – Skin- please take a peek!
http://youtu.be/2Mj1rQduYKM

If you would like to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support please do so via my Just giving page or via text as described below. xxxxxx http://www.justgiving.com/Susan-Merrick

or text MMFM £1 to 70070

 

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Makeup Free Month Day 19: Why the Street Art?

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I’ve been asked on Twitter what I got out of doing the Street Art and what it was like as an experience. So I thought I would answer here.

To begin with, it was an opportunity to bring use my Art alongside a current social theme – skin product health and pregnancy. However, in talking about the project and doing the painting itself I discovered further questions about skin products, cosmetics and makeup for myself.

Whilst the film was edited I’ve changed what I use on my skin quite dramatically, stopping using any tanning products, bought moisturiser or soaps and turning instead to homemade scrubs and salt stick deodorants/essential oils. Then more recently, I decided to do this month of no makeup.

Through thinking and talking about skin and the products that we use I have become aware of what a huge area of debate this is. I have had so many discussions with men and women over the last few months about skin and chemicals, the consumerism and mass financial market of skin care products, our appearances, judgements and our health. It seemed so apt to bring this project to life.

So, the painting, my street art, I loved because I love painting and creating art.
I was anxious but proud to create with an audience.
I relished the challenge of creating using only cosmetics, and doing it in a short space of time (under 2 hours).
I felt excited to be asking a social question through my art.
And I’ve absolutely LOVED seeing Ashley bring it together as a video with The Glass Child’s music!

Oh and I’ve also been asked about the piece itself. My painting. I love painting women, strength, vulnerability, emotion. To do this in cosmetics was a challenge but the products actually worked really well and gave me a good range of colour and texture to work with.
The finished painting is currently sat in my home studio while I decide what to do with it!

I hope that answers the question somewhat 🙂

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Makeup Free Month Day 18: A night out!

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(My vintage look without the makeup!)

After my Street Art video being ready and shared yesterday (including on the gorgeous The Mother Magazine website!) I was able to celebrate when I went out for a friend’s birthday last night.

We were a small group of women (all in our 30’s and early 40’s) and we all wear makeup for nights out. We had much discussion about makeup, with me not wearing any, and about what we felt about makeup and why/when each of us wear it. One of my friends has been reading this blog (Hi Rach :)) and she herself has realised she has often assumed women who look barefaced have probably got ‘natural looking’ makeup on.

Through the night I saw a vast range of women, of different ages, styles and with varying amounts of makeup on. I hold my hand up and say I did still covet a woman who had on quite strong retro makeup, but in general, I felt quite good! My skin looked clear, fresh and smooth. After a few drinks and a little dance I didn’t have to worry about makeup streaking down my face or even taking it off when I got home.

I will however be quite excited to wear eye makeup again when I go out. Whilst I was dancing in the bar last night I missed my mask. Not because of my skin, or because I want to hide, but because I like to look different in a night out, and I also did feel more vulnerable without makeup.

Yes, Vulnerable…. And I’m not quite sure why. Was it because of confidence? I held my head and shoulders high and felt good, but probably being an older women in a younger crowd, having a makeup free face possibly made me feel that my age was exposed. Even if my skin looked better… Internally I couldn’t get passed what I looked like.

Hmm so age is definitely a big element in my makeup wearing now. So what’s my excuse for when I was younger! Have I wasted years of applying makeup on my younger face when I should have been enjoying young skin?? Do you know what? No. For whatever reasons, my confidence needed the makeup and mask.

So for now, I will give myself a break for worrying about age, put on some more coconut oil, and enjoy the freedom of the rest of my make up free month. And hopefully enjoy some long term changes too!

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If you haven’t seen my street art video already, check it out here
http://youtu.be/2Mj1rQduYKM

If you would like to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support please do so via my Just giving page or via text as described below. xxxxxx http://www.justgiving.com/Susan-Merrick

or text MMFM £1 to 70070