More Than My Makeup

“The worst thing is going to a makeup shop and trying to get your color tested, and then they turn around and tell you we don’t have your color. It makes you feel down. It makes you feel like… “am I not worthy for people not to have my color?” 

When you’re out meeting new people it’s kind of fun to mess with them a little bit. What they perceive you as and then to act with that, or act against it.

What’s More Than My Makeup all about? Real conversations with real women about the impacts of makeup on self-esteem and confidence.

My grandma used to give us bleaching cream – face whitening cream which had bleach in it – because being more fair over there is seen as more beautiful. And then my dad would say put on sunscreen before you go outside, so that you don’t end up looking really dark, because then no one is going to want to marry you.

“When I was maybe 13 or 14 I hated my freckles. I used to use a moisturized cream called ‘fade out’ to try and bleach my freckles, and I’d put loads of concealer over my freckles to try and get rid of them. That was my main thing.”

“I have big sisters, so they’re always ratting on me. When I was going through my angsty teen phase, they’d make comments about me wearing heavy eyeliner. And looking back on it, I don’t like it either.”

“Makeup can be brilliant, and it can bring out such creativeness in people. It can allow you to change, it can allow you to be artistic, but I think the thing with makeup is you need to allow yourself to still be a kid.”

“It wasn’t until a few years back that I decided to buy my first foundation. I think I was twenty-one, every other girl had it already, and I was like, oh my god it’s my first foundation. I didn’t feel pressured into it, but I saw that it can make you feel pretty and look pretty so yeah.”

“I’ve been told ‘oh, you need to get some sunlight’, because I’m very pale. And sure, people wear fake tan, but I never liked fake tan. I get why people like it but it’s just not for me.”

“I hated getting up in the morning and having to go the bathroom to slap on some Maybelline or whatever just to go into school and worry. Is it too much, is it too little, do I have a slut line?”