Everyone struggles with self esteem at some point in their lives. Be it weight, puberty, job/work, relationship. Some people more so than others. It's taken me a long time to figure out healthy ways to indulge myself in the beauty/cosmetic/fashion industry. Online and in real life. I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on cosmetics over the years, enough to know more about most brands and products then the women selling them to me. Enough to recognize marketing gimmicks and false claims. And to find them amusing. Enough to realize that when I am feeling fat and frumpy a new lipstick/polish/foundation/moisturizer isn't , in fact, going to make me look any less fat and frumpy, it's only going to eat a hole in my pay cheque and make me feel like a hoarder when I try to find somewhere to stash it. I see endless blogs, forums, Eotd, Notd, haul videos where ladies promote and review beauty products, some bought some promo'd about product. How much of this is fueled by low self esteem? Shopping is a pick me up for many many women. I see countless threads and posts where women are eagerly awaiting the release of collections of powders and such that they don't need. Specktra has an entire section dedicated to photographing your make up collection-and these women aren't even make up artists! Oh, I'm sure many of them want to be but let's face it most aren't. Being able to expertly apply shadow on your own eye shape and such is one thing, figuring it out on many different types of eye shapes is another. Do these women really need 5 different mineralize skin finishes from MAC? Stacks upon stacks of pigments they'll never use up? Granted, if cosmetics is your hobby (as it is mine) these things don't really expire. But a lot of it does, mascara, lipsticks, foundations creams etc. Do you really need another? This is why beauty is a multi billion dollar a year industry. The rational part of my brain shudders. The part that likes shiny things orders another nail polish (ALSO DOESN'T EXPIRE....sigh)
I also wonder how many of these young girls and women can afford to spend like this? (I hope not on credit. Please Jeebus) Picking up a shadow, skin finish and lipgloss at a MAC store costs about 100 retail. It worries me. I feel a lot of beauty bloggers feed into this when they post promotional materials emailed to them, as well as do raving reviews on free promo items. It's specifically why I dislike haul videos and posts.
At the end of the day it comes down to this-if you're unhappy with the way you look buying make up doesn't make your nose smaller, or make you less fat. It just makes you fat (and with a big nose) with a new lipgloss, or eye shadow, or nail polish. And less money for important things, like car repair, bills, retirement savings. So take stock of the things you have already and try to "hit pan" so to speak before spending your hard earned cash. I feel many women online keep searching for the one product that will make their skin less oily/dry, make their hair less curly/straight and somehow make them look like poreless wonders who never break out. It's not going to happen honey. Eating less makes you lose weight, not a "holy grail" foundation. Airbrushing in magazines makes you matte and poreless, not a new skin primer. Genetics give you smooth straight hair, or on the other hand wavy long manes. So learn to love yourself, or change the things you hate or you'll never stop hauling.
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