Make-Up: Our War Paint

                Make-up has always been subtly controversial. We all have varying opinions on it- whether you can wear too much, whether you should wear it to school/work or whether you should even wear it at all. It is mostly women who go through daily rituals of applying mascara and stroking on foundation and it can be so exhausting and expensive. But shouldn't we just be content with our natural beauty? We all have blemishes and spots so why should we cover it up? We know that the flawless models we see on billboards are chiselled and photo shopped to the extreme, so if they aren't kidding anyone, why should we kid ourselves?

                As someone who wears make-up most days of the week, I can honestly say that I wear it simply for myself- and a lot of people seem to agree with me. When I put on my make-up I have a new wave of confidence simmer up to the surface and I feel that bit more capable to take on the day. I have my war paint on and it's in the form of red lipstick. Then when I wipe it all off, I am equally as empowered by the feeling of cleanliness and freshness, a strange vulnerability that also seems to give me a sense of security. Make-up helps me to express myself in my desired way- it's my psychological armour against the different obstacles I have to face. Sometimes I want to feel fierce with red lips and sometimes I want to feel at ease with bare cheeks. People may want to experiment with a new eye shadow and it can take a lot of confidence to step away from your usual routine and go out knowing that people will notice that your appearance is different. Which is why we should surely just leave them to it? We may have our opinions on what looks nice and what doesn't, but that doesn't mean we should necessarily bitch about how someone looks and knock their self-esteem. It's completely up to us how we want to depict ourselves to the rest of the world and if we need a little help with that, that's fine by me.

Fozz.