This is a video of a South Korean girl removing makeup.
I’m sure most of you would have seen this video a million times and I have to admit I’m just as bewildered as you are. I feel this video pities all Asian women for their underrated natural looks and I sympathise with them all. Why can’t the media and the general public respect and accept their natural looks? Why should there be an expectation of supermodel beauty from every woman in public? To be honest, I find the left side of their faces more approachable and attractive than their right side. Their right side seems more intimidating like they’re wearing a supermodel mask. This creates uncertainty in me whether their facial image matches their personality, voice, attitude and intelligence. I notice many people especially men look so shocked to see these women’s real image. It goes to show how today’s women in society don’t have the confidence nor the bravery to reveal their natural beauty in public. It seems they are selectively imprinting an image of what they want us to see them as rather than view their true selves under the makeup mask. Every woman around the globe somehow are trying to replicate each other or achieve their dream face with the hope of validation, positive compliments (rather sarcastically but obscured from viewers), and stacks of love hearts and thumbs up on social media. Since I’m not a woman myself hence I have no experience in slopping beauty products on my face, I had to dig out articles, websites and makeup tutorials about the different and miscellaneous makeup products almost every woman use every day. This is what most girls have in his accessory and fashion collections:
— Eyeliner
— Mascara
— Drawn eyebrows
— Lipstick
— Brushes, contours
— Smiles after using braces, gummy smiles
— Fake nails
— Nail polish (with colours e.g. red, black, pink, blue, patterns etc.)
— Lip balm
— Sunglasses
— Teeth whitener
— Coloured eye lenses
— Bleached hair colour, Ombrè
— Nose rings, nose piercings
— Tattoos
— Breast implants
— Butt implants
— Short shorts
— Ripped jeans
— Nike, Adidas, New Balance Runners (Mostly black)
— Heels (Flat, short, high)
— Dresses (Singular colour, formal) rather than casual with patterns like flowers and stars
— Double eyelid stickers
— North Face, Nike, Adidas raincoats, Caps, Bras, T-Shirts
— Beanies (Obey)
— Handbags (Michael Kors)
— Converse, G-Star Raw sneakers
— Gym pants, yoga tights
— Leather coats
— Denim jeans and coats
— Plastic surgery and liposuction on face, body and waist
— Zara, H&M, Mecca Maxima, Gucci, Georgia Armani, Victoria’s Secret, Swarowski, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger,
— Perfume (Dior, Georgio Armani, No. 5, Hugo Boss) / Deodorant / Antiperspirants
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=QQfTDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137&dq=how+does+makeup+refract+light&source=bl&ots=do9_gDewaH&sig=EHeo1JBw5Ba_0aHDeDLHDc3PNHY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRvNujy9zRAhUEVbwKHb6lDJkQ6AEITzAJ#v=onepage&q=how%20does%20makeup%20refract%20light&f=false
Book review of No More Dirty Looks: The Truth about Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics
As the size of this list above illustrates, it’s quite amazing how girls can remember what they need to write on their shopping list for that 1000 likes on a Instagram picture. If I asked you to name as many fashion brands as you can, you probably would struggle to reach 100 unless you are Google. Despite not being a girl myself, I somehow take notice of the different cosmetics, accessories, popular fashion designs and brands I listed in the brackets. This explains the dilemma of girls taking longer than usual to prepare themselves for an event, class or a dinner date and I feel sorry for the boyfriends who have to play the waiting game consistently. Why girls require numerous chemicals, accessories and various brands of the same clothing is not the only thing that got my mind boggling. Also how did the earliest humans discover the chemicals that have become the foundation of modern cosmetics and how did the development of fashion begin from animal skins to hydrocarbon polymers in today's fashion world?
Apparently we have invented 1000s upon 1000s of cosmetic products, using complex combinations of chemical ingredients. A typical cosmetic product may contain between 15 to 50 ingredients and considering the average woman uses between 9 to 15 products daily, it is estimated that women splash on over 515 individuals chemicals on their skin through makeup alone every day. If you’re reading this ladies, what chemicals do you think you are putting on your faces for that London look? For those who don’t know what a cosmetic is, defined under the Industrial Chemical (Notification and Assessment) Act 1989, "a substance or preparation intended for placement in contact with any external part of the human body including the mouth and teeth.” The purpose of cosmetics is to cleanse, perfume, protect and alter the appearance of the human body along with its odours. This is not to be confused with products that claim to modify a bodily process, or prevent, diagnose, cure or alleviate any disease, ailment or defect like Melanoma, skin cancer and sunburn. These products are called therapeutics. Here is a list of chemicals that you may or may not suspect slapping on:
(a) WATER (H2O) — It forms the basis of all bottled products including creams, lotions, makeup, deodorant, shampoos and conditioners. It acts as a solvent to dissolve accompanying ingredients and form emulsions for consistency. This type of water is NOT regular tap water, but “ultra pure” water meaning there are NO microbes, toxins and other pollutants. Thus you may see labels refer it as distilled or purified water or just aqua.
(b) EMULSIFIERS — These help keep unlike substances such as oil and water from separating like in everyday detergent. Since oil is less dense than water, meaning water molecules are more attracted to each other than to oil molecules due to their polar character forming intermolecular Hydrogen bonds, emulsifiers help change the surface tension between water and oil, producing a homogeneous and well-mixed product with an even texture. Examples include:
— Polysorbates, Laureth-4 and Potassium Cetyl Sulfate
(c) PRESERVATIVES — These help extend the shelf life and prevent the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and moulds which can spoil the product and potentially harm the user’s skin. Since microbes live in water, preservatives have to be water-soluble. Popular preservatives include Parabens, Benzyl Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Formaldehyde and Tetrasodium EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetra-Acetic Acid). If you’re considering purchasing ‘preservative-free’ products, just be aware of their shorter shelf life and be vigilant of any changes to their appearance, feel or odour which may give an indication the product has gone off.
(d) THICKENERS — Known as Thickening Agents, they work to give that appealing consistency. They originate from 4 different families of thickeners:
i. Lipid
= Usually a solid at room temperatures, it is liquefied and added to cosmetic emulsions. They work by imparting natural thickness to the formula. Examples: Cetyl Alchol, Stearic Acid and Carnauba Wax
ii. Naturally Derived
= Natural polymers that absorb water, causing swelling and increased viscosity of a product. Examples: Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum and Gelatin
iii. Mineral
= Also natural, hence they exhibit the same effects as natural derived thickeners. However they give different results to the final emulsion than the gums. Examples: Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Silica and Bentonite
iv. Synthetic
= Often used in lotion and cream products. The most common synthetic thickener is Carbomer, an Acrylic Acid polymer that swells when in contact with water which is used to form clear gels.
Other examples: Cetyl Palmitate and Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate
(e) EMOLLIENT (MOISTURIZERS) — This softens the skin by preventing water loss. It is found in a wide range of lipsticks, lotions and cosmetics. The first use of emollient came in the form of beeswax as well as many other natural and artificial chemicals. Examples: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Lanolin, Petrolatum (Petroleum Jelly), Mineral Oil, Glycerine, Zinc Oxide, Butyl Stearate and Diglycol Laurate
Natural colours can originate from plants such as Beet Powder or animals like the Cochineal Insect. Meanwhile pigments can be split into 2 categories: Organic (Carbon-based molecules) and Inorganic (Metal Oxides). Organic refers to the organic chemistry most of you learn in school and it should not be confused with natural or non-synthetic or chemical-free products. Same with inorganic, it should not be confused with synthetic or artificial as most inorganic metal oxides are natural occurring compounds in the form of ores. The 2 most common organic pigments include Lakes and Toners. Lake pigments are made by a combination of a dye colour with an insoluble substance like Aluminium Hydrate which gives it its water-resistant or waterproof properties. A Toner pigment, however, doesn’t combine with any other substance. Inorganic metal oxide pigments are usually duller than organic pigments, but are more resistant to heat and light, giving colour its durability. Examples include: Iron Oxide (FeO…), Chromium Oxide, Ultramarine (Na8-10 Al6 Si6 O24 S2-4), Ammonium Manganese (III) Pyrophosphate (H4 N Mn O7 P2), Iron blue / Prussian Blue, Titanium Oxide (TiO2) & Zinc Oxide (ZnO).
(h) FRAGRANCES — You wonder why cosmetic products are compellingly aromatic to the human nose. The term used by manufacturers, fragrances, are not only found in perfumes but also in creams and lotions if you didn’t know. Because there are over possible 3000 chemicals used by scientists that fragrances are regarded as a trade secret, here’s a link below that lists these fragrant chemicals:
http://www.ifraorg.org/en-us/ingredients#sthash.gXFj7VXo.dpuf
Because cosmetics involve the use of many chemicals, there are fears from critics that they may cause more bodily harm than anticipated. Since I’m not a cosmetic chemist nor makeup critic myself, I’ve shared a link below that lists the most talked-about chemicals:
http://www.nova.org.au/people-medicine/chemistry-cosmetics
There seems to be some disagreement between historians regarding the first use of cosmetics by humans. Some argue that cosmetic body art was the earliest form of rituals, some over 100,000 years ago during the African Middle Stone Age. The discovery of red mineral pigments (red ochre) including crayons were believed to be associated with the emergence of homo sapiens in Africa. According to archeologists, the first known use of cosmetics were in ancient Greece and Egypt. Humans back then used castor oil as a protective balm and organic skin creams such as beeswax, olive oil and rosewater. The Old Testament describes 2 Kings 9:30 when Jezebel pained her eyelids at around 840 BC. Cosmetics were also used by women in ancient Rome including lead-based makeup to whiten their skin and kohl to line their eyes.
Kohl is a black powder used widely across the Middle East to darken the edges of the eyelids similar to the modern day eyeliner. During the 10th century, an early teacher named Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi, or Abulcasis, writer of the 24-volume medical encyclopaedia Al-Tasrif, described cosmetics as a branch of medicine called the "Medicine of Beauty”. His speciality involved perfumes, scented aromatics and incense where the earliest use of present day lipsticks and solid deodorants came in the form of perfumed sticks rolled and pressed into special moods.
Around 3000 BC, the Chinese were the first to paint their fingernails with gum arabic, gelatine, beeswax and egg white. The colours used were a representation of their social class: Chou Dynsaty (1st millennium BC) royals wore gold and silver, and later royals wore black or red. Lower classes were forbidden to wear any bright colours on their nails. If you have seen Chinese opera performances before, you would notice the full extent of makeup applied to both male and female performers. Legend has it that during the 7th day of the 1st lunar month, Princess Shouyang, daughter of Emperor Wu of Liu Song, rested under the eaves of Hanzhang Palace near the plum trees after wandering into the gardens. While she was dozing, a plum blossom drifted down onto her face, leaving a floral imprint on her forehead enhancing her beauty. This enhanced appearance impressed the court ladies so much, they began decorating their own foreheads with a delicate plum blossom design. This brought about the mythical origin of the floral fashion, MeiHua Zhuang, that originated in the Southern Dynasties (420-589) and became popular amongst ladies in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1275) Dynasties.
When I watched TV shows and films set in the 19th and 20th century like Bewitched, Hogan’s Heroes, The Newlywed Game, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeanie and M*A*S*H, it was amazing to observe the women in those days hardly wore any makeup and preferred to reveal their natural beauty. What contributed to its unpopularity was that it was used only by the rich and famous in the theatre industry. Face enamelling that involves applying paint to your face to give it a paler look, despite its popularity among the wealthy, had a hidden danger because of its main ingredient Arsenic. Arsenic is a metalloid found in minerals and lead alloys that is considered to be toxic for the body and dangerous for the environment. Having a face covered with makeup was indicative of a person’s wealth because makeup back in those days were not commercially available in department stores. Those who did use makeup developed their own “makeup routines” which often consisted of rouge and papier poudré, which is a powdered paper/oil blotting sheet that whitens the nose in winter and shines the cheeks in summer. Believe or not some used burnt matchsticks to darken eyelashes and Geranium and Poppy petals to stain their lips. Vaseline was also used to moisten choppy lips. By the 1880s, cosmetic deodorant was invented by a Philadelphian inventor whose name was unidentified and trademarked under the name Mum. It wasn’t until the 1920s that makeup was heavily popular by Hollywood movie stars like Theda Bara and her makeup artist Helena Rubinstein. You know that metal container that you twist to ascend and descend your lipstick, well that wasn’t invented until 1915 by Maurice Levy. Eugene Schueller, who was founder of L’Oréal, invented the modern concepts of synthetic hair dye in 1907 and sunscreen in 1936. In the period after the WW1 (World War 1), there was a boom in cosmetic surgery where plastic surgeons would be asked to change the facial configuration and social identity of their patients. Although face-lifts back then were beginning to become popular especially amongst women, it wasn’t until the 1960s when cosmetic surgery began to reduce the clear signs of ageing like wrinkles. Men did use cosmetic surgery but only when they thought it was necessary like facial disfiguration caused by physical trauma during the war.
In this modern generation in the 21st century, it seems that makeup has become the norm of a daily life amongst many women of all ages and cultures. Beauty products are now widely available online including major department stores, online retailers. The market of cosmetics is now an integral component of the world’s economy like in Japan (2nd largest), Russia (5th largest), Australia, France, USA, North & South Korea and the UK. Combined with fashion designers and popular brands, the public image of women has indeed evolved around the years and it’s looks like this aspect of a women’s weekly life is here to remain in human society. Now women across the globe especially Asians don’t have the confidence, validation and commitment to reveal the true natural beauty and convincing them otherwise is now more difficult than ever. Although still rare today and if not without controversy, but I’ve started to notice more men using makeup mainly for their cover photos, modelling careers and theatrics like Bretman Rock and Barry Humphries (Dame Edna). Because of the growing popularity of makeup tutorials on Youtube and Instagram, I have mixed opinions on whether cosmetics suits a man’s personality and improves a man’s appearance but I need further exposure to this new trend before I can make an unbiased judgement. I’m not sure if they’re aware of this, but women nowadays are putting themselves into precarious positions where the audience especially the men are expecting this false image to be their real appearance when apparently the drawn makeup mask is hiding their true identity like a superhero mask. If at the worst occasions they reveal their actual selves after beginning to date a significant other, there’s a possibility the boyfriends will lash out out of sheer shock and outrage realising what they actually saw shatters their expectations of them based on photographic evidence online. I wish that women retained the same mindset as those who lived in the previous century when makeup was not a necessity when preparing for a dance party. They shouldn’t be afraid of public opinion and criticism targeting their makeup or no-makeup public image. Those critics are expressing jealousy on how glamorous you are and the level of beauty is almost unreachable for them. Beauty shouldn't be defined by what you look like visually because this concept is quite subjective with everyone having their own opinions and views on what is beautiful to them. Beauty is actually found within. We are beautiful in our own way. It is a gift from our DNA. That is why it is always best to love yourself. That what makes you you.
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