Outfit Post: Kiss and make-up - what's your relationship with cosmetics?

Weeks ago, I embarked on a trip to the mall to replace my beloved MAC Viva Glam lipstick (whose loss I lamented here.) I'd planned to breeze into the MAC store, grab my desired lipstick, whip out my debit card, and leave. But somehow, in between my lipstick and the cash register, I got distracted by the glorious display of cosmetics. Oh, pretty pretty eyeshadows! Oh, sparkly lip glosses! And eeew, Lady Gaga's lipstick (which, I'm sorry, looks like foundation, and why in God name would ANYBODY want to slather foundation on their LIPS??) A "helpful" sales associate informed me that I absolutely needed lip liner to accompany my Viva Glam. And as long as I was there, I might as well pick up some foundation - see those little crow's lines around my eyes? And pressed powder would help set the foundation...need that too. And blush, because the foundation made me look kind of washed out. By the time I left I was $120 poorer and so heavily painted I could hardly recognize myself.

Back in January, a study of 3,000 women conducted by Superdrug found that one in three women refuse to go out in public without wearing makeup. As in, they can't even run out to the grocery store or to pick up their kid without makeup on. Nearly half of all women say they prefer to wear cosmetics than to show their bare face. But what's the most shocking of all: one in ten women polled said they would never ever let their partner see them without a full face of makeup on.

Here's some other interesting results of the study:

• The average woman waits 2.5 months before going makeup-less in front of her partner.
• 14% of women get out of bed early to put on makeup before their partner wakes up.
• Six in 10 women will not go to work without makeup.
• Nearly 25% believe they would be ignored for a promotion if they didn't wear makeup.
• 37% think their managers would assume they didn’t take care of themselves if they didn't wear makeup.

I was never really into wearing make-up. In high school, when girls  traditionally become infatuated by things like multi-colored eye shadows and bright pink blush, I stuck to the rare swipe of Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers, preferably in a sugary artificial flavor like bubble gum. In my eyes, cosmetics seemed reserved for grown-up, adult women, the kind that got bi-weekly blow-outs and never, ever had runs in their tights. I was fascinated by these woman, whom I quietly observed during my commute into Manhattan. In their glossy red lipstick, they were utterly sophisticated and glamorous. I imagined they lived in full-floor penthouses and spent their free time perusing antique furniture, drinking espresso and hosting elaborate dinner parties where they ate canapes and discussed surrealistic art.

But there were other women who wore so much makeup that they looked embalmed. One of those was my own mother. Her sharp, spidery lashes, coated by sticky layers of mascara and aggressively contoured cheeks, frightened me. And her cosmetics collection - overflowing bags of shadows and polishes and lipsticks - would have easily classified her as a hoarder. So, in fear of becoming like her, I stuck to my lip gloss. But eventually I married, turned thirty, and started wearing mascara, which was my gateway drug to lipstick, eyeliner and eyeshadow, and finally wound my way to foundation and blush. And now, I am one of those women who will not leave the house without my face on (as my mother was fond of saying.)

Sara Wolverson of Superdrug told the Daily Mail: "For many women, putting their makeup on is animportant part of their day, and the thought of people seeing them without can be horrifying. We know that when it comes to cutting back, cosmetics are seen as an essential. Wearing and buying cosmetics is not about vanity. It’s about giving a woman confidence to succeed in every area of their life."

I confess that in my Nars' Orgasm blush (which I swear I do not buy solely based on name) I feel pretty. Better yet, putting on make-up is a fun activity. I like trying out new lipsticks, and blending eye shadows to create a smoky eye, and experimenting with different colors of liner. The artistry of applying cosmetics is appealing, as is the playing of color and technique. But I don't feel like I have to be "done" all the time, and I certainly don't believe that I'm "horrifying" without my mascara. I have a few Urban Decay shadow palettes, one MAC lipstick, two Maybelline eye liners, a Dior Show mascara, a MAC foundation, and the aforementioned Nars blush, and that's it. Compared to this video featuring a woman in one years' worth of cosmetics, I'm under-performing. 


So what do you think about this study? How much makeup do you wear on a daily basis? When did you start experimenting with cosmetics? Do you regularly leave the house without makeup on? Are you self-conscious without it? 

Thrifted vintage top; thrifted vintage skirt; Michael Kors espadrille platforms; thrifted belt; Charming Charlie bracelets; Forever 21 hoops; Michael Kors rose gold watch