Makeup is as much about a women’s morning routine, as it is about ancient ritual.  When you look more deeply into wedding makeup for example, with every seemingly insignificant product used – you are literally being prepared, or preparing yourself to meet your husband, and so married life.  Simple items such as blusher, used to create a false ‘flush’ of youth is still appealing today as it would have been in Egypt all those thousands of years ago.  The outlining of the eyes was as much a sign of holiness as it is to beauty, and suddenly everything takes on a different meaning.  It is something that is so easily over looked, this ritual of transforming a women into a bride – with many brides just often seeing it as annoying, especially as the groom just has to jump into the shower!

Often when I talk to clients they tell me that they feel ‘naked’ without makeup on – something which I think again has been imprinted onto us from ancient times that makeup somehow makes us feel like our natural selves, perhaps even closer to holiness?  The Greeks loved a no makeup, makeup look like we do in modern times and often tried to perfect a red lip look – sound familiar?  We are never that far away from our ancestors when it comes to wanting to highlight our best features, and disguise what we consider our flaws.  And I find that strangely comforting x

“A woman without paint is like food without salt.”- Roman philosopher, Plautus

Photography by New Forest Studio