Luckily, there aren’t many photos of me from that time, though it would be interesting to compare how much and in what ways my style has changed. Back then, like many others, I believed makeup added a lot to my look and was essential. Years have passed since, and now I see this opportunity in a completely different light.
Most days, my routine is just mascara, though I should mention my eyebrows have had cosmetic tattooing. I don’t feel the need for more, only wearing makeup on special occasions. Interestingly, my partner only notices the latter; he doesn’t really see if I’m wearing mascara or not. Of course, I see the difference — but what do studies say?
First, men don’t really like makeup
I can understand that to some extent. Heavy makeup can be deceiving and isn’t always practical. It requires careful care to stay looking good for long. On the other hand, it can boost confidence — and that glow isn’t just attractive to women. Men definitely enjoy that vibe.
A study by St. Ives surveyed 1,000 women and 550 men about their makeup habits and opinions on makeup wearers. It found that 45% of men think women don’t wear makeup well.
They believe women apply makeup in a way that tends to repel men rather than attract them. Meanwhile, 40% said women wear too much makeup.
This means nearly every other man thinks women either wear makeup poorly or overdo it. That’s a thought-provoking ratio, especially since — no matter how much we beautify ourselves — we mostly do it for their sake.
Other studies found similar results
It’s not just St. Ives experts — researchers from the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology reached similar conclusions. They showed participants photos of women wearing varying amounts of makeup. Regardless of gender, everyone preferred and found more attractive the women with lighter makeup.
The researchers concluded that women often wear heavy makeup for the wrong reasons. The results suggested we do it because of expectations — but those expectations are misleading. In reality, neither women nor men favor bold makeup. So, wearing strong makeup every day can feel like a waste of money, time, and energy according to this eye-opening insight.
Meanwhile, we know more than half of women wear makeup simply to feel better in their skin. 28% feel uncomfortable stepping outside without makeup, and 14% wouldn’t dare leave the house without it. That’s a sad statistic…
Here’s what we can take away about our makeup habits
Basically, we spend money and time on something that makes us feel better but might make us less attractive to at least half the people around us. True, these studies mainly compared heavy makeup to natural looks and subtle makeup. So, there’s definitely room for balance between the extremes. What’s clear is that today’s trend of overly bold eyebrows and artificial-looking lashes doesn’t really fit the natural vibe.
