Bare faced may well be the ‘in thing’ in beauty, but there are some make up tricks that even the most cosmetic-averse of us can still benefit from keeping up our sleeves! One of these tools is LIPSTICK. And not just any lipstick, but a brightly coloured one at that. It’s not uncommon to lack belief in your ability to ‘pull off’ bright colours such as red and plum, or to fear the attention it might draw, but neither concern is necessarily well founded, and more people can wear these shades than think they can. Often, just taking the initial leap to try a different, bolder lip shade can be enough to set off a self-perpetuating cycle of lessening lipstick fear, and increasing self-confidence, which could then have knock on benefits on everything from our social life to right through to success in the workplace. . The makeup giant Covergirl surveyed this effect, focusing on women and their lipstick and lifestyle habits, and found that the more often you wear lipstick, the more confident you are. . And the reason? Lipstick plays a role in strategic self-presentation, helping us to feel put together even if this is far from the reality of how we’re feeling. A lipstick can describe our current mood, or even open the door to new and untapped aspects of our personality. Pretty impressive for such a little tube! The discovery time and time again is that the combination of cosmetics and confidence is a pretty potent one, particularly in situations and contexts which command authority and self assurance.
Youtuber Hannah Martin has made a career from showcasing this very skill. That is, the ability to choose and create whatever façade we like (or is most appropriate) to face the world with, at any given time, and all through the infinite power of pigments.
Another interesting aspect of lipstick is the links it often has to our personality. Some of these are fascinating, and some clearly just for fun. For example, who knew that women who wear berry shades come across more independent and self-sufficient, but are also the most likely to own the least number of shoes!?
For more inspiration on taking the lipstick leap check out this article by Glamour. 📸 Photo credit: @hannahmartinmakeup