Is Your Skin The Most Valuable Asset?
Why would you want to spend thousands of dollars to look like you have no makeup on? Because it allows you to humblebrag for your effort to be authentic and genuine.
The current beauty trend of “no-makeup makeup” has taken the beauty industry for a ride. Don’t let the name fool you. Women from regular walks of life, such as stay-at-home moms, drivers, and registered nurses, are no strangers to stepping out without makeup. But now, women of glamourous professions, such as vloggers, actresses, and dancers, go the extra mile to look natural and use makeup that melts into their skin tone without being noticeable. So, when did this trend start, and why?
In 2014, social media was flooded with selfies posted by celebrities such as Blake Lively and Gwyneth Paltrow wearing no makeup with the hashtag #nomakeupselfies. The New York runways were inundated with the “raw beauty” look by forgoing blush, eyeshadow, and mascara the same year. Soon, the no-makeup look became a cult favorite for celebrity makeup artists. Does this mean that makeup artists spend less on makeup products, and some even lose their jobs? Not quite.
In an interview with Slate, Ummi Nasir, a Malaysian makeup artist, said that the trickiest part of the nude look is not to use fewer products but to cover dark circles and spots to make your complexion look clean. To achieve this, you need products to wake up the face before applying makeup and set the face after it is applied. This adds more products such as moisturizers, primers, color correctors, and setting sprays to the line-up. Instead of removing the extra steps, you now have four more things to apply to look fresh and radiant.
Using no makeup takes zero effort and time, yet the trend we observe does the opposite. The spotlight has shifted from spending money on makeup to products required to prep the skin. According to the research carried out by The Cut, dermatologists are now focused on developing a new cocktail of serums and techniques that help clients achieve a natural look. Women now empty their wallets over laser treatments, lash extensions, and fillers that force them to be on house arrest until the skin heals. Being able to gather quasi-medical resources has become the quintessential status symbol.
The no-makeup makeup trend has redefined the meaning of authentic beauty. The privileged phenomenon has made women skim the world for that perfect nude lipstick or that non-clumping mascara. The beauty industry is banking on the trend more than any past trend. But the quest to look effortlessly beautiful has an escalated price only a few can afford. Rather than feeling liberated for not applying makeup, it now creates pressure to spend more money on expensive treatments that are permanent.
The beauty standard keeps shifting, but the no-makeup makeup look stays. After all, looking natural and flawless is the dream, makeup or no makeup.
For queries, contact Naina Anand, naina@allure.com.
