EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: MAYBELLINE THROUGH A STRUCTURALIST LENS

Hey everybody! In this post I'm going to be examining a company that you may be familiar with, Maybelline. Though this website was born as a "beauty and fashion" blog if you will, I'm sure it has become quite apparent that is not the case any longer. (Totally not to say that I don't enjoy makeup or writing about it...but that's not my point here.) In Crit Theory today we were discussing language and the relationship between ideas/objects and the words that we use to signify them. So, my friend and I decided to take a look at the makeup brand Maybelline in order to observe this phenomenon.  

Diachronically speaking, Maybelline represents the “ideal” woman in American culture: one that is seen and not heard. In other words, she is revered for her physical appearance and not for her personal beliefs or opinions. Although their ads have changed over time in terms of appearance and marketing techniques (i.e. slogans and color schemes), the message has remained static: women are made into meaningful individuals by making themselves up with Maybelline products. In Maybelline ads from the early 1900’s, the message is blatant and woven expertly into the descriptions of the ads. However, in more recent advertisements the sexism is implied in the language rather than said outright.

When you look at this specific ad from Maybelline in a synchronic sense, you get the idea that everything women are doing is for men, not for themselves. Women are told through this makeup ad that men always want them to be perfect. However, they are only perfect when it comes to their physical appearance; women’s thoughts and ideas are clearly not as revered as much as say, her eyes. Even if the women’s man is away, she should look the way he thought she would when he returned.

 The word “makeup” itself leads one to believe that those who use it are hiding something. Makeup acts as a façade, a mask that covers up the truth, and “the truth” is that women are undesirable without it. Many of the advertisements feature words like “accent” and “perfect” imply that women need to use Maybelline products because their natural beauty is understated, boring, and in need of improvement.

These Maybelline ads speak to the nature of American beauty ideals: women need makeup because they are not pretty without it. Natural beauty is something to be ashamed of, and the façade that makeup provides becomes the “truth”. The language that these ads utilize is persuasive and steeped in sexism, aimed solely at generating revenue and perpetuating stereotypes of women.

 Maybelline’s “target audience” is arguably white, heterosexual upper-middle class women. While this demographic is likely the main consumer of these products, it is important to keep in mind that there are a multitude of individuals (of varying races and ethnic backgrounds) who are consuming but not being represented. The ideas that construct Maybelline as a brand were once stable and static as women were trapped in a singular role by society. However today, as women continue to stand up for themselves and defy social norms, those ideas are outdated and fail to accurately support women as a whole.

until next time,

    

I'LL TAKE ONE IN EVERY COLOR: NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAM

Hi everyone! I took a little trip to Ulta the other day and, per usual, I drifted towards the NYX display. (It's so cheap, how can I resist?!) On a whim, I picked up the Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo. I would describe it as a cranberry color, perfect for fall! :) Now that I get to wake up an hour later on school days (I miss you yoga, but I don't miss waking up at 6!), I find myself willing and able to put more effort into my makeup look for school. I've been quite interested in finding some new lip products to try out because there are some truly beautiful fall colors out there! I'll admit it: I hate lipstick just as much as I hate lip gloss. Lip gloss is sticky and so impractical, and to be quite honest (I'm sure most of you will agree, especially if you're a student) I'm not conscious or time-savvy enough in the morning to spend 10 minutes struggling to put on lipstick!

Here is the color on me! I know, strange background...I have to go where the light is! ;)

This product is absolutely AMAZING. Why, you ask? Well, for one this product goes on like an absolute dream! It has a doe-foot applicator which makes putting it on (and reapplying) super easy! I'd say it probably takes me about 20 seconds to put on, which is such an improvement compared to how long it takes me to put on a lipstick. Another reason why I love it so much is because it legit smells like cake. So yummy! The formula in itself is great, it's a matte lip cream so it drys and makes your lips look wonderful. I wore it for about 6 hours at school today, and I only had to reapply once because I ate and drank. Today a girl in one of my classes complimented me while I was wearing it :) I love this product so much I plan on buying it in every color! No joke.

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod3020045

Have you tried the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream? Would you try it? What's your favorite fall lip color? Let me know in the comments!

until next time,

MY MAKEUP COLLECTION 2014

Hi everyone! I'm back today to show you my humble makeup collection! It's not as big as other collections that I've seen (due to lack of funding heheh), but I'm happy to say that it's mine! I would say I'm more of a minimalist when it comes to makeup (owning and wearing) as I prefer a natural look most days. However, there are occasions where I do go all out and create a more glamorous look! Let's take a peek at my collection! :) Disclaimer: Please excuse the terrible lighting in my pictures, sadly my house lacks an abundance of natural light :(

First things first, I keep my makeup in this simple five drawer organizer! I used to stash it all in a big makeup bag but I got sick of always having to dig around for ages trying to find what I needed. I have my own way of organizing my makeup, even though it might be a bit strange ;)

On top of my organizer, I keep my palettes! Of course, I have my Lorac Pro To Go, aka my one true love <3 Such a great everyday palette, and I definitely use it on a daily basis! Forgive me, but I have no clue what the name of my Urban Decay palette is as I got it quite a while ago! It's my "crazier" palette as it has some pretty bold colors in it! Oh, and I have my Naked palette that I forgot to include but I detest the packaging (the first one had that awful furry packaging *shudders*) and I've had it for a few years so it's not in the best shape!

I just realized that Toasted and Smog are both in the Naked One palette! :O

The first drawer of my organizer consists of my two BB creams (Maybelline Dream and Revlon Photoready), Revlon Photoready primer, Girl Meets Pearl highlighter by Benefit, UD Eyeshadow Primer Potion, and Covergirl Ready, Set, Gorgeous foundation. Not really sure what the organization strategy is for this drawer, but it works for me! I'm currently loving the Dream BB cream, it's light and has great coverage :)

The second drawer makes slightly more sense, as it holds my blushes and powders! I have the Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation (I was an idiot and thought I could get away without buying the special brush it comes with, so unfortunately I haven't gotten much use out of this product yet!), some kind of Covergirl setting powder that clearly has come to its end, a Physician's Formula blush that I absolutely love, my holy grail Neutrogena Shine Control Powder, and my lovely Coralista blush.

Third drawer: lip products! I have way too many and to be quite honest I don't wear half of them. I've acquired a few lip glosses but I don't wear them because I don't like the stickiness :( (I must say though, the philosophy Raspberry Sorbet lipgloss smells like heaven) I do like the Nyx Butter Glosses though, and I have Creme Brulee :)

I may not wear lip gloss, but I adore the Revlon balm stains! I have three normal ones, and I just recently bought a pretty plum matte one that I can't wait to try!

And in the same drawer (weird, I know), we have my concealers! I love my Maybelline Instant Age Rewind for my under eyes, and my Fit Me for everywhere else :)

The fourth drawer of my organizer makes the most sense, as it holds all of my eye products! So mascara (Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal, L'Oreal Butterfly, Great Lash Lots of Lashes, and a few samples), brows (Gimme Brow, holla), and eyeliner (mostly UD).

And in the fifth and final drawer are my Benefit minis! They are from the Primping With the Stars kit that I bought from Sephora. I have a mini Stay Don't Stray primer, Some Kinda Gorgeous foundation, Girl Meets Pearl highlighter (I loved it so much I bought the full size which you saw earlier), Benetint, and the Porefessional primer.

Well, that's my entire makeup collection! Comment down below and let me know if you use any of these products! Is your makeup collection bigger or smaller than mine? What are your dream products that you wish you had in your collection? I want to know!

until next time,