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June 15, 2012

Why women apply makeup on face?

Around 4,000 years ago in Egypt, pyramid workers went on the strike for a reason that might sound unbelievable for most of modern population. Those workers went on strike because they were running out of makeup. Yeah! Only a thin layer of cream prepared from herbs, fruit extracts and fat protected their skin under harsh temperature and intense sun rays in the desert.

In fact, today's modern skin creams, conditioners and sun blocking (SPF) lotions have almost the same ingredients, with few additions by cosmetic manufacturers to allure their customers. Thanks a lot to the ancient Egyptians for inventing makeup and the pyramid workers for using it perhaps at the first time in the human history!

Due to invention of fabric and textile and growth in cloth manufacturing, we are able cover our skin and body parts to protect them from sun rays, cold, rain and snow fall. Unlike barely clothed pyramid workers, we shouldn't need to put on makeup in modern era. However, modern women spend a lot of money and time on makeup, both at home and in beauty parlors.

For many husbands in the modern world, it’s quite irritating to wait for hours for their wives who are busy applying makeup while sitting in front of mirrors with bunch of bottles, brushes, tubes and containers. If you ask to your wife, she may not be able to answer that why she applies makeup in the first place.

Why women apply makeup on face? For them, it’s not about to protect skin most of the time but what men unconsciously want them to look like. Isn't it sounding strange in the first place? Let’s check that why we all love little kids and what exactly for.

Large eyes, very thin (and almost invisible) eyebrows, thin eyes lashes, silky soft and curly hairs, spotless and evenly toned skin, smooth and full lips and puffy cheeks that turns red after getting emotionally aroused. Isn’t it cute?

These facial features are survival gift from our evolution to human babies and we all tempt to protect and pamper them because of the same. Cuteness of a human child plays almost the same role in youth for (fertile) women.

Indian bride with makeup
If we closely examine a single or the whole group of makeup products, they help women to mimic the baby face. Products like foundation, moisturizer and face powder offers spotless, soft and tight skin and also hide uneven counters, pigmentation, wrinkles, dullness and dark spots.

They turn most of facial skin into a canvas by which attention of an observer can be drawn to most attractive and appealing features of face i. e. eyes, cheeks and lips. They play very dramatic and nerve sparking role during courtship and romance. Bridal makeup can transform an ordinarily looking girl into a queen who woos his groom.

Eye Liner, Kajal (Indian eye liner) and Surma (Middle-Eastern eye liner) draws outlines of eyes to make them look very large and attractive. Plucker and Eyebrow Pencil shape eye brows to look very thin, curvy and dark. Concealer hides wrinkles and dark circles under eyes. Eye Shadower paints area between eye lids and eye eyebrows to look darker to convey state of submission and tranquility during romance (Reference: Paul Ekman). Mascara makes eye lashes more thick, long and curly.

Blusher paints cheeks as if they convey the state of arousal and excitement. Flushed cheeks also convey innocence, excitement and shyness during courtship (Reference: Paul Ekman). Lip Liner, Lip Stick and Lip Gloss makes lips more attractive and appealing and also to look big if they are naturally thin and vice a verse. Flushed lips convey vitality of a woman (Reference: David Buss).

Bollywood actresses before and after makeup
(Courtesy: msn.com)

What we see is what we likely to believe by the most and therefore the makeup achieves the same. If somebody looks at a young woman at very first time and from an observable distance with facial makeup out on, it unconsciously compels the person to assume its her natural look.

Applying makeup is all about of creating artificial effect of cuteness, infantility, vitality and fertility. Moreover, contrasting colors and shades bring very dramatic effects and thus helps making a face look more appealing to an observer, especially the first timer.

[Critical Note: This article doesn’t advocate the widespread practice of applying makeup and also doesn't promote the massive usage of the artificial makeup products at all. Therefore reader’s discretion is kindly solicited before arriving to any conclusion.]

Related Articles:
1) Primary Attraction 2) Body Language with Poor Body Image 4) Woman's Courtship Body Language (Part 1) 4) Woman's Courtship Body Language (Part 2) 5) Courtship and Dance 6) The ways woman provokes her man to be protective