Face value: Does makeup matter?
By Elsa K. Simcik The other night I decided to give myself a little more face time. I put on my foundation with a sponge instead of just spreading it around my face with my fingers. I experimented with some funky new eye shadow colors, and even sprinkled on some of that sparkly glitter that is so popular with 14-year-old girls. After a good half hour of tweaking, pinching and painting, I looked good enough to go to the Oscars. Well, maybe the MTV movie awards."I'm ready," I announced to my husband. He responded, "Are you really ready or do you still have to put on makeup?"
How could he not notice my precise eyeliner or my extra curled lashes? I even used the hair dryer on my eyelash curler to give my lashes that extra hold. Now that's dedication.
So why do we spend so much time and money on these ridiculous products when guys don't even notice? I'll tell you why: Because they do notice. They just don't know they notice. I conducted an official survey of 57 guys. Okay, when I say "official" I mean I talked briefly to a couple of guys in the elevator, a few at the dry cleaners and a group of single fellows at a bar. And it was more like twelve. Nonetheless, their answers were consistent:
"Do you care if a girl wears makeup or not?" I asked.
"Doesn't matter to me," said elevator guy #1.
"To tell you the truth, I can't tell if a girl is wearing makeup or not," noted dry cleaner boy #2.
"I'm more of a legs man," slurred inebriated bar dude #3.
After reviewing my findings, you may come to the conclusion that guys don't give a flip about makeup. I disagree. Let's evaluate three celebrities that most men agree are attractive: Britney Spears, Jennifer Garner and Pamela Anderson. Sure, they've all got great bodies but what else do they have? Makeup, makeup and a lot more makeup. And they're not just sitting in front of their own bathroom mirror fiddling around with drug store makeup, they spend money, they spend time and they enlist a crew of professionals to expertly apply every ounce of goo, glob and glitter. If your guy saw Brit, Jenn or Pam first thing in the morning, he certainly wouldn't have anything to drool about.
You may argue, "But my man loves the way I look first thing in the morning. He says that's when I look the best." Every woman has heard a man make that comment to her at some point. I bet he also says he prefers your "natural" look, right? Wrong. This is a hoax concocted by all the men of the world to cut down on our "getting-ready" time. It's true. They hate waiting for us so much that they are willing to let us go out in public without an ounce of makeup and without even running a brush through our hair.
Don't fall for it, girls. You're not Jennifer Garner, and you don't have an arsenal of people to help you. My advice? Stick with the makeup. Oh, and another thing — don't fall for the hair dryer on the eyelash curler scam. Trust me, it's not worth it.