Beauty Becomes A Beast

The magical influence of makeup presents itself in two obvious forms: psychologically, makeup allows one feel attractive, beautiful, and self-confident; externally, it provokes a tempting, irresistible beauty to the onlooker.

There is, however, a third influence beneath the powdered mask that is unseen and unfelt by the consumer, and that is makeup’s ability to cause destruction: pre-mature ageing, deteriorating collagen production, and potentially in extreme cases, sickness and disease.

Consider the experiment conducted by Anna Pursglove, a journalist from London’s The Daily Mail, who embarked on a 30-day trial to not only leave her makeup on each and every night, but to apply more makeup on top of old makeup every morning.

The single most important observation: make-up disrupts the body’s natural cellular processes and functions.

In Anna Pursglove’s article dated July 29, 2013, she states, “By night three… I had developed a series of tiny white cysts around my eyelashes and my skin was so dry and taut, it felt like a mask.” As time progressed, her “lips became dry,” and she had “visibly blocked and enlarged pores” all over her nose.

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Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

Does Revlon, Mac, and SK-II make you the fairest of them all?

The answer is a resounding yes, according the Harley Street Clinic, a prestigious, private London hospital. Results from their 2013 survey uncovered that women in the United Kingdom sacrifice on average one year and three months (474 days) of their life scrutinizing and contemplating their image in the mirror.

Currently, skincare sales account for nearly 31 percent of the global cosmetic industry, with the greatest market share coming from the United States (U.S.) where sales exceed 53 billion dollars annually. A report titled Beauty At Any Cost from the YMCA stated that “if a woman invested the average amount of money she spends on a monthly manicure-pedicure treatment ($50) into her retirement account every year for ten years, she would have almost $10,000 in her account at the end of that time.”

True Beauty Begins with Healthy Cells

Are make-up, masks, or other enhancing forms of cosmetics part of your routine skincare ritual?

If so… ask yourself:

What’s my motivation for wearing makeup?

What is my makeup concealing or hiding?

What am I trying to enhance?

Whatever your answers are to these questions, beauty-enhancing products are not the solution. Skin problems run deep, whether it’s acne in our teenage years, the signs of ageing in our later years, or everything in between; these issues are merely symptoms and signs of greater problems that must be treated, festering deep below the epidermis.