Daytime or Nighttime Makeup. Do YOU Know The Difference?

A new trend of heavy contouring, too thick/too long lashes, and over arched, heavy brows is becoming the norm. Pictures of this sort of makeup are frequently posted via social media. A quick browse through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr will reveal pictures and whole pages dedicated to nightclub makeup looks for the daytime, or “Cirque de Soleil” makeup (i.e. glitter, sparkles, sequins, glow-in-the-dark), which can be beautiful or avant-garde, but is NOT “daytime” at all. These looks are becoming the norm and I worry that makeup artists are setting up clients for unrealistic beauty expectations. Without naming names, I recently stumbled upon a reality show about a famous music family and noticed that in certain scenes, the people looked like they had all had bad nose jobs, while in other scenes, their noses looked normal. I realized quickly (HDTV shows it all) that the people were victims of extremely heavy contouring. The heavily applied makeup and false lashes literally altered the way these people actually look and that’s not good, but THIS is the TREND. 

I believe the trend is unrealistic because it sets the tone for over the top makeup that is not appropriate for daily wear and doesn’t always showcase a variety of skills for the artist. If all I did as a makeup artist was create dramatic, heavy, wildly colored looks for my clients, I’d be locked into doing one type of look, which would cut me out of the equation for other MUA jobs. Being able to service a diverse clientele is important to me.

As far as clients go, if all they see is dramatic makeup, they start thinking that glitter, feathers, neon lips, etc. are what they should be asking for, and that’s not really okay either. Options are a beautiful thing in life, and in the world of cosmetics, you should have plenty of choices for how you want to present yourself to the world, however, one must know the difference between daytime and nighttime makeup.

This trend trickles over to the consumers or clients, who may think that “this” is how they should look. It creates an almost falsehood about makeup and can scare off the more makeup-timid people who may have wanted to try out some looks but are now shying away from cosmetics. Being able to create a basic, daily, wearable look is extremely important for a makeup artist who wants to be taken seriously. Having the ability to create all sorts of looks makes the artist’s portfolio more diverse, and attracts all sorts of clients.

The focus of today’s blog is not about “natural makeup” versus “nighttime makeup” and who’s right or wrong, and my goal is not about offending anyone.  I’m just pointing out that we should understand the difference between the two, and create/wear those options at the appropriate times.

The pictures in today’s post are from my collection and showcase a little bit of what I’ve discussed. These looks work for some, and not for others. It’s ultimately up to the makeup artist and client to determine what the best look is for the situation.