Skincare pros St Ives have just published the findings of their latest research; a survey investigating men's opinions on women's makeup.
I know what you're thinking. Who gives a shit what guys think about your penchant for glitter and mascara? Most women wear makeup for their own benefit or to impress fellow beauty nuts when they whip out their latest YSL compact.
Still, St Ives have provided us with their findings so let's suspend our rational thought process for a minute and see what they have to say.
The not-very-surprising research reveals that the majority of men surveyed prefer women to wear 'natural' makeup -- although I doubt many men know just how much makeup goes into the natural look as seen in magazines and TV shows. In my experience there's more foundation and concealer used in one 'natural' look than an army of trannytastic models.
One in ten of the guys questioned said they prefer women who don't wear any makeup at all, while one in five wish that their partner would tone down their existing look. Rather entertainingly, one in ten men who had broached this sensitive subject with their girlfriends had been dumped shortly after. Ha ha.
That said, the study did also reveal that blokes were savvy to those embarrassing beauty disasters though, listing 'tide mark' foundation, panda eyes and the ever-classy lipstick on the teeth as the biggest makeup sins.
On a more serious note, it seems that the women St Ives chose to survey might have some deep rooted makeup issues of their own, with 39% admitting that they would never let their partner see them without any makeup on. Shame on you, ladies, you need a lesson in self-lovingA further 15% revealed that that they would never leave the house without any slap on, with two thirds admitting that they wore a full face of makeup every day for work.
One weird statistic that jumped out at me was that one in twenty women had been cautioned at work for wearing too much war paint. Sounds like those employers suck; unless you're working somewhere where hygiene is at a premium or perhaps somewhere dealing with seriously sensitive issues, is a bit of red lipstick really going to prevent you doing the job you love?
Finally, 12% of all the women surveyed admitted that they knew they wore too much make up, but were reluctant to do anything about it, confessing that they relied on heavy makeup to disguise what they viewed as imperfections and boost their confidence. Many of the women said that they used makeup as a mask (literally!) in an attempt to cover bad skin.
Ladies come on! Piling on foundation will not make your skin look better and it certainly won't help clear up the problems you do have. Foundation containing oil will only make bad skin worse, so try switching to a mineral foundation which will give great coverage while also letting your skin breath. Make sure you go to a counter to be shown how to use it properly too. I've dealt with so many women through work who claim that they've read the hype about bareMinerals but have been let down by the results, only to point them in the direction of a professional and have their opinion do a total 180. It's all in the application!
Anyway, lecture aside, here are the top ten beauty blunders as outlined by the boys. They actually get most of the major boo-boos, but they need to lighten up on the fun aspect of things; bright makeup is fun!
1) Lipstick on teeth
2) Too much blushe
3) Thick foundation
4) Panda eyes
5) Clumpy mascara
6) Bright lipstick
7) Foundation with a 'tide mark' around the jaw
8) Bright eyeshadow
9) Pencilled on eyebrows
10) Amy Winehouse-style eyeliner
Image via Annia316's Flickr