Since making-up is synonymous with lying and pretending, the final issue is always related to what we want our face (or our body, for that matter) to look like. The lips from the Avon catalogue on the right are clearly intended to attract our attention in a most direct manner.
Current trends are more in favor of the “bare face” look, which, as we all know, requires as much, if not more, work, with foundation and blush carefully applied, minimal eye shades and difficult-to-create nude lips. Goes without saying that the basic canvas ought to be excellent, but THAT was Mother Nature’s job.
In western society, the wearing of lots of make-up was still a declaration of little virtue at the beginning of the 20th century, later confined to actors, until ordinary women took to wearing lipstick and “rouge” in the roaring twenties. The sixties brought us heavily made-up eyes and pale lips, with winged eyeliner, false and painted eyelashes, which went very well with beehived hair…for a look most unnatural. Revivals being very much a thing of the present times, we have seen how the late Amy Winehouse adopted these trends to create her image…and we have also just seen how French designer Jean Paul Gaultier made Winehouse the muse of his S/S 2012 couture collection. Below is one of the outfits.
What now, as far as make-up is concerned? Prevalently little or (apparently) none, heavily made up eyes definitely not being the now thing, but red lips make most women so attractive…didn’t Victorian ladies of proven virtue bite their lips and pinch their cheeks to make themselves even worthier of men’s admiration?
