Blog 3
I have reflected a lot throughout the Better Lives unit and through choosing “Makeup Breakdown” as my Better Lives theme I have realised further how relevant the topics of sustainability, social responsibility and diversity are in everything we do.
I chose ‘Makeup Breakdown’ to enhance my skills in makeup, as a creative direction student who often uses photography, I wanted to be able to have the skill of makeup for times when I didn’t have a makeup artist for my models. I found exploring makeup to be interesting and useful in learning the basics of makeup application on a model, however I also learnt the art of ‘imperfection’, which is one of the themes we explored within our classes. This idea of ‘imperfection’ was my most valuable lesson that I had taken away from the whole experience in the makeup classes , as it reminded me that not everything had to be executed perfectly in order to have a successful outcome.
This idea links well to the theme of diversity, as within the workshop we spoke about enhancing what were considered ‘flaws’ or ‘imperfections’ and normalising these qualities in people and in makeup looks.
During the finalisation of our project we were asked to produce a final makeup look based off of the themes we have experimented with in class : colour theory, fashion mistake and imperfection. Unfortunately due to COVID 19 these looks had to be presented on ourselves and we had to use the materials that we had at home. Personally, I do not own a lot of makeup products so I think it was a good idea to curate the project to encourage the students to use non cosmetic and non traditional products on the face to create a look. I found this much more stimulating than using traditional makeup products and I found that it was a good way to challenge our creativity.
Personally, as I resonated so much with the lecture by Kate Fletcher on ‘Nature’, I wanted to produce a final outcome that reflected our connection with nature within the look. During the time that we have been in lockdown I have been using the time to do gardening and to spend as much time outside as I can. There have been many flowers growing in my garden and I decided to use as the main material for my final makeup look. I liked the idea of a material that supposedly had no more use, and found that this was much more sustainable than ordering products or objects for this specific look. As one of the flowers had fallen, instead of binning it, I decided to re-use it and re-purpose it by using it within the look. Inspired by makeup artists such as Wendy Rowe and Anastasia Durasova, I attached the petals directly onto my face using Vaseline as the adhesive. I found that the petals began to wilt and break apart however I think this highlighted the fragility of nature and the beauty within the imperfection of the look itself.
The Better lives theme have definitely encouraged me to think more about how I approach certain projects by thinking more sustainably and more mindfully in terms of what message I am portraying to my audience. I think my final outcome was successful; it portrayed the beauty in the imperfect and clearly presented how something previously dead, can once again come alive in another form.
30th April 2020 @ 9:47 pm
I really enjoyed reading Tara’s third blog post because it was interesting to see someone’s experience with Better Lives, who embarked on the topic of “Makeup Breakdown,” as this kind of course is something that I do not have very much knowledge on. I related to Tara’s statement on her further realisation on the relevance of the Better Lives’ themes within our work as fashion students, and I feel like the Better Lives unit has connected many students in this way.
I think that because Tara chose to participate in the “Makeup Breakdown” project in order to enhance her skills and benefit her future work in creative direction, made clever use of the Better Lives unit. This opens up opportunity for her to be able to use any tricks and tips that she has learnt during this time and will be able to put them to use in her career in creative direction.
It is clear that the “Makeup Breakdown” course had a strong focus on diversity, shining a light onto normalising people’s “flaws” and “imperfections” and in place of hiding and covering them, embracing them instead. I really resonated with this message as this is something that is often over-looked within the fashion industry, particularly as there is such a heavy emphasis on the beauty ‘ideal’ – a highly problematic term. Not only this but I believe that the idea that “not everything has to be executed perfectly in order to be successful” is an encouraging message, especially to fashion students, who more often than not, struggle with perfectionism within their work.
It was quite inspiring to see how Tara adapted to the current situation of Covid-19, despite not having an abundance of makeup and cosmetics, and even incorporating in a connection with the lecture of ‘Nature,’ which was delivered right at the beginning of Better Lives. I liked this interlink because it gives her project a circular feel and displays a journey from start to finish.
It would be nice to hear more in detail about how the Better Lives’ themes of sustainability and social responsibility were represented in Tara’s work, but I appreciate the running theme of diversity throughout her final project. It might have been interesting to explore makeup brands, such as Glossier and Plant Makeup who are trying to become zero waste and sustainable – according to Forbes over 120 billion units of packaging is produced every year by the beauty industry. In addition to this, it might be nice to look into how the makeup industry deals with its social responsibility, this ties in with the sustainability issues within the world of cosmetics but the industry also needs to acknowledge the influence it has in today’s society.
Overall, I thought Tara’s blog was a really interesting read, it is clear that she has benefitted from partaking in the Better Lives unit and will incorporate the skills that she has learnt and the experience she has had into her future work.
References:
Sherriff, L. (2019) The Minimalist Beauty Company Tackling The Industry’s Waste Problem. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lucysherriff/2019/09/17/the-minimalist-beauty-company-tackling-the-industrys-waste-problem/#5a7b91424326 (Accessed: 30/04/20).
5th May 2020 @ 5:08 pm
I really like this article by Tara. The beauty of the flaws she expresses and the reuse of items are consistent with my thoughts, and she makes me want to make myself a makeup decorated with flowers in this way.
First of all, I think that many people now use cosmetics to cover up their original beauty, such as making their own characteristic eyes very large or plasticizing them into double eyelids, because the current aesthetic trends are big eyes, and people have formed stereotypes, Therefore, most people follow the trend and lose their aesthetic judgment, thus forming prejudice. I think that as fashion students, we should promote aesthetic inclusiveness to the outside world to slowly eliminate stereotypes because I think everyone is very good-looking, but need to explore the style that suits their best. It is impossible for any beautiful artwork to have no small flaws, but true beauty must be able to cover up these small flaws.
Secondly, I think to reuse any flawed or idle items to make up or make clothes, etc., and regenerate the items. This not only creates new things but also environmental protection.
Finally, I thought about the sustainability of the cosmetics industry. The most detrimental impact of the cosmetics industry is deforestation, primarily an effect of palm oil production. By 2020, palm oil production is set to release more than 558 million metric tons of carbon into the environment, an amount greater than all of Canada’s current fossil fuel emissions. Water is also a large concern for the cosmetics industry because it is a rapidly depleting resource palm oil production that contributes to high Co2 levels, warmer temperatures in water, as well as the adverse quality of freshwater sources. I think we as consumers should choose products with few recyclable packaging and materials and to be responsible for society and raise awareness of environmental protection.
All in all, thanks to Tara for making me think a lot of questions.
References:
Kelly Airola (2020) Sustainable Innovation in Cosmetics. Available at: https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/resources/sustainable-innovation-cosmetics/ (Accessed: 30/05/20).