The Beauty of Makeup as an Art Form

Makeup vs. Art – Similarities and Differences

What exactly is the definition of art? What is your definition? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, art is defined as work that is produced with “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination” – sounds like makeup, right? Just like art, makeup can be simple and natural (like everyday makeup), striking and dramatic (for special occasions, like prom makeup), or anything in between.

Both art and makeup can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Art can turn a blank white canvas into a colorful display of just about anything. The same holds true for makeup – it can transform the face from a natural, “plain” canvas to a sweeping, alluring one.

Aside from the general observations, there are also more specific traits of art that are used with makeup. These include tools of the trade, color, balance, lines, and a love of beauty and creation!

The Tools of Makeup Artists

Just like the artists who love photography, drawing, pottery, or painting, makeup artists are passionate and are always looking to create. As painters have their brushes, photographers have their cameras, and artists have their pencils and chalks, makeup artists have all sorts of tools at their disposal, including blush, eye shadow, primer, foundation, mascara, concealer, and lipstick. The art of makeup mainly requires a series of brushes – and each serves a different purpose!

Various makeup brushes are ideal for various techniques in makeup application. Use wide brushes to cover large areas of the face and smaller brushes highlight important details. You may also have to use makeup pencils and other fine points to bring your vision to life.

Every painter has a favorite brand of paint, and the same holds true for makeup art. You can choose from a range of different beauty products and brands when creating the ideal look, such as Guerlain, NARS, Laura Mercier, Chanel, and Kevyn Aucoin Partners.

The Color Work

The perfect shade or tone can leave you feeling good. Makeup artistry is all about color. Creating mood with colors is something that makeup artists do as well as painters! Just as painters mix colors to create shades and moods, a makeup artist can use lighter shades for wear during the daylight hours and dark, dramatic colors to create a sexier, sweeping, mysterious look for the evening. Various colors can create illusions on the face – the illusion of drawing out the cheekbones, slimming the nose, or the illusion of enlarging the eyes. It’s all the same as painters create the illusion of three-dimensional scenes on flat canvases.

Drawing the Lines

Symmetry is critical in all forms of art – the presence of it as well as the lack of it. Faces are created from lines, and various lines can create different looks for faces. Using a variety of colors and blending techniques, makeup artists can create a bold, angular look for a face or a soft, subtle look. Using stark, hard lines to create stopping points is a technique used by artists of all kinds, from painters to those who hold makeup brushes.

The Impact of Makeup

The world wouldn’t be the same without the beauty of makeup. It has become a staple of fashion industries around the globe. Celebrities such as Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, Grace Jones, and Christie Brinkley made the makeup industry what it is today when they started experimenting with new techniques in the 1980s. Designers, fashion brand, and celebrities of all kinds now regularly incorporate makeup into their looks.

Makeup can have a dramatic effect on a person’s life – even if they’re not a supermodel. With applications ranging from the light to the lavish, the dainty to the dramatic, and from the mundane to the marvelous, the power of makeup can be summed up by the power of optical illusion. Whether women use it to even out skin tone, look younger, create a look that isn’t so sleep-deprived, men use it to enhance their brow bones or jaw line, or children use it to transform themselves into someone else for Halloween, the impact that makeup has on people every day can’t be disputed.

With the right knowledge and the right tools, along with a passion for true art, makeup artists can make their mark and influence the way people view others and themselves for good. Use your greatest talents to create memorable looks that have a lasting impact.

Interested in expanding your makeup and cosmetology knowledge?

We cover all of these techniques (and much more) in our Cosmetology school in Iowa. If you are interested in cosmetology, feel free to send us an inquiry.

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