Some time last year the term “makeup blindness” made its rounds in the beauty community on platforms like TikTok. Content creators take to their comments section to ask what people think the weak spots of their make up are: “too much blush”, “too thick eyebrows”, “wrong foundation shade”, “wrong lip color”, and the list goes on.
We don’t want to sound dismissive of the people who participated in these conversations online. It is quite vulnerable to put yourself open for others to point out things about your makeup – and by extension your face and complexion. But looking back at it I don’t think it’s not a big deal as people made it out to be.
Before we tell why you shouldn’t worry about any form of makeup blindness, let’s clear up some things.
Makeup blindness is not just about blind spots in your makeup.
During the height of the trend, many used the term ‘makeup blindness’ for how people might be unaware of how poorly they might apply their makeup or how unflattering the style of their makeup is to their face shape and skin complexion.
The term encompasses many types of makeup blindness: brow blindness, blush blindness, foundation blindness, and more.
However, the term does not only encompass your technical skill in cosmetics. It’s a larger conversation on our attitude towards beauty trends.
What Harper’s Bazaar refers to as ‘beauty blindness’, it alludes to how we are somehow unable to see past a certain beauty or makeup trend until it passes. That’s why you might see other creators stitching photos of themselves or other celebrities from years ago and proceeding to a rant that is somewhere along the lines of “what were we thinking?”
@harpersbazaar What beauty blindness trend have you been victim of? #makeuptok ♬ vlog, chill out, calm daily life(1370843) - SUNNY HOOD STUDIO
Sadly, what started off as lighthearted entertainment and genuine seeking of objective advice about makeup, became an opportunity for social media fodder for people to scrutinize and unnecessarily comment on people’s looks.
And that’s one of the reasons why we encourage you to take the idea of makeup blindness too much into heart.
“It’s not a phase, Mom!” Well it kinda is.
As mentioned, a big part of any type of beauty blindness has less to do with your makeup skill and more so makeup trends. You shouldn’t blame yourself for not having the foresight to know that the look you’re going for might not be the best because trust me you are not alone.
Women in the 1920s think their smally drawn lips and thin eyebrows were the most beautiful and no one can tell them otherwise. No one can stop girls in the 80s from covering their face with a lot of blush and neon colored makeup. And if you tell someone in the 2010s that their eyebrows are too thick or their foundation is too thick, you might be in the minority.
It is also not your fault to conform to these standards of beauty at that time. Every beauty trend is a reflection of the zeitgeist of the time. The reason why you might’ve considered heavily bronzed skin with exaggerated brow and lips to be beautiful is because we are in the age of social media and a lot of influencers and media are telling you that is the look that registers well online.
Not to say the look is not beautiful. You just realize that it might not be the look for you. Trends come and go and return- I mean side bangs are making a comeback. Now, when a certain trend comes back, you also have the foresight to not make the same mishap again.
That’s another reason why you shouldn’t be scared of makeup blindness because everybody is at a different point in their makeup journey.
If you are someone who doesn’t wear a lot of makeup or just starting to dabble in cosmetics, having some sort of brow blindness or foundation blindness is expected. You are still figuring out your skin and facial features, so it’s okay to be at a stage where you haven’t nailed down the makeup look that looks best on you. But with a lot of practice – and a few trial-and-error – you will definitely get there.
Is there a cure for the blind?
If we haven’t convinced you enough that you should be worried about makeup blindness, it’s fine, we get it, you still want people to not notice your makeup is off. Luckily, if you think you’re a certain type of beauty blind, there’s a myriad of ways to fix it. Here are some of our suggestions.
One ask a friend or close person of yours for help. We don’t think the internet is the most conducive place to ask for makeup advice. One, they are judging your makeup through a screen (which can work in certain cases), and two, you just want to stay away from potential trolls. A close friend can be honest with you and not hurt your feelings.
If you are brow blind, do not go straight to black or dark brown pigments. Choose a color that is slightly lighter than your hair color for a natural look. Do not fill it in, rather just trace slightly outside of your natural brows.
@jooshica Detailed brow tutorial! I LOVE the new precise brow detailer from @Benefit Cosmetics 💖 #benefitbrows #preciselymybrow #fyp #korean #makeup ♬ original sound - JJ
If you have blush blindness, you can fix it by simply swapping steps in your routine such as layering concealer over your blush.
@robertalricciii There is truly no other order you should be following for your blush and concealer #blushblindness #blushblindnessmoment #blushapplication #blushandconcealer #pinkundereye #midtownblush #blushoverload #howtoapplyblush #blushhack ♬ original sound - robertalricciii
If you are foundation blind, always consider your undertone when choosing your foundation or concealer shade. You can utilize your phone through your camera or other apps to help you in finding the right shade for your complexion.
@haley_kim_ undertones REALLY matter and here is why ✍️ #makeup #makeuphacks #makeuptips #makeupartist ♬ original sound - Haley Kim
Finally, it’s just makeup. It’s supposed to be fun and make you feel pretty. It doesn’t matter what other people think, if it makes you feel good, then continue doing it – as cliché as it may sound.
