During the holidays, many women prefer to forget this gesture, but in the city they can’t imagine how you can leave the house without touching up your eyelashes. Why is it so important to them?
Eyelashes, hair and nails can be considered a kind of “expansion”, a continuation of our body and, as a result, our personality, says psychoanalyst Sarah Stern. – Piercing arrows of eyelashes or a wave of thick hair – such images carry an idea of u36buXNUMXbstrength and sexuality. Think of the Old Testament hero Samson, who was exhausted and defeated when Delilah cut off his hair…”* Makeup artist and creator of her own cosmetics brand, Bobbi Brown, explains: “Well-dyed eyelashes clearly define the contour of the eyes and make the look more expressive.” Unpainted eyelashes can look touching and homey, and mascara seems to complete the transformation when a woman goes out into the outside world, replacing comfortable shoes with crisp heels, a loose T-shirt with an ironed blouse and a business suit. “Tinting up my eyes, internally I seem to become more collected, tune in to communication with the outside world,” says XNUMX-year-old Lyudmila.
Permanent black
It is curious that from time to time fashion designers decide on a provocation, releasing models with whitish, colored or completely unpainted eyelashes on the catwalks in contrast to brightly painted lips. But none of these images, no matter how spectacular it may seem, does not take root in our everyday life. Just as our grandmothers a century ago blackened their eyes with a mixture of charcoal and petroleum jelly, today most women prefer black or dark brown mascara to everyone else – albeit with different effects.
Someone only lightly touches light lashes with mascara, and someone likes doll-like, twisted, as if slightly surprised … Some prefer perfectly traced natural eyelashes, while others, on the contrary, are theatrically rich, voluminous. Many modern types of mascara promise all the effects at once, although the result actually largely depends on the brush: wide and round provides volume, thin lengthens the eyelashes, similar to a comb – separates, curved twists. The most important thing is to find one that is comfortable to color eyelashes – the gesture should remain light and simple. “Maked eyelashes can hardly spoil the image, like, say, the wrong shade of eye shadow or blush,” says Bobby Brown. “Since mascara only continues our virtues, we can say that it suits everyone – if it is used correctly.”
Accurate and accurate
It is worth remembering that any mascara, even the most expensive one, can cause allergies and thus be unsuitable. Not everyone likes to wash it off, not everyone is able to get used to the feeling of mascara on their eyelashes or, for example, not to rub their eyes. “Try to always apply mascara to dry eyelashes,” advises Yannick Vaudrey, Chief Makeup Artist at Yves Saint Laurent. – If there are drops of water or particles of a cosmetic product on them, the mascara does not fit well. See if there is too much product on the brush. But do not wipe excess mascara on the edge of the tube (this way it will not close tightly, and the mascara will dry faster). Start painting eyelashes from the middle of the eye – where there are most of them. Try to paint over the base of the eyelashes as much as possible: then the look will turn out to be more expressive. Move from the base to the tips in a zigzag motion. To visually enlarge the eyes, paint over their outer corners and touch the lower lashes with a brush.
* C. Joubert, S. Stern “Undress me: Psychoanalysis of clothing behavior” (Hachette, 2005).
“A woman emphasizes her desire”
Nicolas Dejennes, Chief Makeup Artist, Givenchy
Psychologies: Why does the fashion for color in makeup change, but the requirements for mascara – to give length and volume – remain unchanged?
N. D .: Imagine that the artist sketches a portrait: the oval of the face, the shape of the eyes, the lips, but something is clearly missing. Until the eyelashes are drawn, the look remains blurry, indefinite, it is not readable. We may not have red for lips or peach for cheeks, but a few millimeters of deep black lashes make all the difference. After all, it is the look that attracts, by it we recognize each other, we fall in love with it.
Make up your eyes – what does this gesture change for a woman?
N. D .: By itself, mascara may be completely invisible to others. But when the eyes are made up, the woman definitely changes. Although it all starts much earlier, when she comes to the mirror, looks at herself, wants to please and seduce. This is shown in her eyes. She takes the mascara and strives to emphasize this desire of hers. Mascara, it seems to me, is the main tool of seduction, even more effective than lipstick: lipstick makes the image emphasized sexy, and mascara works thinner – it makes a woman noticeable.
How has mascara changed lately?
N. D .: The idea to blacken eyelashes comes from Ancient Egypt, it was known in the Middle Ages. And technologies – flexible polymer compositions, rich pigments, various brushes – have simplified the process, added convenience. And today, most types of mascara also care for eyelashes.