Makeup is finally becoming accessible.
For makeup brands in today’s social climate, transparency is important. The audience wants to know what is in their products, how they are being tested and how inclusive the brand is. These steps allow consumers to feel included in the process some way or another, and the ethical climate of the makeup industry is continuing to expand.
Companies are finding ways to create products that are not just useful to able-bodied people. The majority of the western world is built and engineered for the average physically healthy person; this enables those with disabilities to effectively perform tasks able-bodied folks would find simple. Certain makeup brands are working toward changes to this within the beauty world so that anyone can easily apply makeup.
Co-creator of the iconic BeautyBlender, Veronica Lorenz lost the strength and feeling in her hands in 2013. Being diagnosed with a benign spinal cord tumor opened the celebrity makeup artist’s eyes to the struggles of disabled folks who still had a passion for makeup. This all prompted the birth of The Vamp Stamp: a brand equipped with eyeliner stamps to make application a breeze for anyone.
Photo courtesy of @the_vampstamp on Instagram
“Veronica plans to continue to launch innovative solutions for makeup application and formulas that defy tradition and embrace inclusion so that all skill levels – and those with physical limitations – can easily create true makeup magic,” according to the company’s website.
Lorenz is just one of many people trying to make a space for physically-constricted people in the makeup world.
Grace Beauty is an aspiring company creating add-ons for pre-existing makeup products so that those held back by their physical abilities can still use whatever products they desire. The brand’s Instagram currently displays three different tools that can be added to mascara wands for maximum comfort and accessibility. Products like these are not only innovative but start an important conversation about the ableist ideas the world is built around.
Photos courtesy of @gracebeautyforall on Instagram
Meag Gallagher is a comedian adding her own ideas into the conversation by creating makeup tutorials using her limited physical abilities. Gallagher is a quadriplegic who is bringing a sense of comfort to the disabled community with humor and relatable internet content. Her video, “Makeup Paws 1: Intro Makeup tutorial with Quadriplegic Makeup Lover Meag Gallagher,” is a display of the way disabled folks must adapt. Her being a public voice brings the disabled community one step closer to complete acceptance.
While Gallagher’s video is lighthearted and fun, it explicitly shows how even something as mundane as makeup deserves to be accessible, and tools created by brands like The Vamp Stamp and Grace Beauty are absolutely necessary.