Pop culture often tells makeup wearers that everything needs to be blended out and that clean crisp lines are a no-go.. Same goes for color, it is okay to use a light color to pop your eyes, but stick to the natural shades in order to present a clean look.
Makeup over the last 10 years has become narrowed down to either a glittery eye or a natural eye especially after the introduction of Glossier. The makeup industry went from popping color to a refined look of glam or minimalism, which reflects trends across other fashion and design sectors. However, I have never been a fan of minimal or “natural”. . Which is why I am pleading with everyone to wear color! Bright blues, greedy greens, rosy reds, and every other color you want to use are just waiting to be used.
There are a lot of things holding people back from expressing their style with color. Firstly, workplace standards of professionalism. Once you enter the workforce, there is this idea of dress code that limits makeup looks to minimal and neutral. To appear professional, makeup covers “imperfections” and highlights certain features with little variation. This is typically a small amount of eyeliner and a brown tone eyeshadow with the addition of a nude lipstick. There is nothing but social conformity when it comes to the idea of business/work makeup. The other stigma of bright makeup is that it is “too much” or “it looks like clown makeup”, which is completely ridiculous. Don’t base what you want to wear on what other people think, what is important is that you feel pretty and are having fun.
I absolutely loathe wearing neutral colors and minimal makeup if I have to wear makeup. I love using the different color combinations to match my clothes or express myself. All of my lines are sharp and my colors are bright, and other people would say it is a lot. I find it fun and seeing the colors clash with a touch of sparkles is amazing. Don’t concern yourself with societal or media beauty standards because they don’t matter when it comes to what makes you comfortable. I personally feel super uncomfortable when it comes to simple and plain, which is why I don’t care what other people think and throw on blue eyeshadow whenever I can. When it comes to recommendations, I highly suggest a couple different brands and products for color. I originally started with Urban Decay palettes and I love the full spectrum palette, but the fall out is ridiculous even after primer and clean up. While the pigment was amazing, the constant need to touch up my under eye wasn’t worth it. Plus, the price was super expensive for something that didn’t hold up over time. Which is what led to my love for BH cosmetics! I started with their Galaxy Chic palette, but then I discovered their Take Me To Brazil palette which has every color I would ever need. I use this palette on a daily basis because of how nice the pigment and the blending ability of the hues are. My other suggestion if you want to tone down on bright neon colors would be Tarte Cosmetics; their pigment is also good but it’s a little more muted. I received their Pro Remix Amazonian clay palette and it has become another of my favorite products. I beg everyone to try expressing themselves as they want and try to integrate color into your style. Life is bleak, but your look could be poppin’ with your expression of style.