Is one kind better than another? M akeup has been around for thousands of years. In the earlier stages, makeup was made out of harsher, toxic materials, such as: Powdered charcoal (mostly carbon), animal fat, starch, and tin oxide, etc. Modern companies stay away from ingredients that come from animals and, instead, use plant based ingredients and chemicals materials made in a lab. These cosmetics go through many tests, which can include: freezing, heating, keeping them at higher altitudes, etc. Companies may hire people to wear the products, to see how they hold up and react with their skin. They may even be tested on animals first, to see if they are safe for humans. Foundations today are now made up mostly of water (H2O) and silicon (Si) bases, with emulsifiers (Molecules with one water-loving end, and one oil loving end. Food example: egg yolk) added to keep everything from separating. Now that we know this, is one brand of makeup better than another? The answer depends on many factors, one being the kind of skin you have: normal, dry, oily, or even a combination. Normal skin is well balanced skin, called eudermic.
If you have this type of skin, you’ll have fine pores, good blood circulation, smooth texture and no blemishes. Normal skin is also not prone to sensitivity. Dry skin produce less sebum than normal skin, and is called Xerosis (¨Xero”meaning dry, ¨Osis¨ meaning disease or medical disorder). This is more common amongst women, but all skin becomes drier with age. It is due to a lack of urea, amino acids, and lactic acid, as well as lipids, fatty acids, and cholesterol. It can also be caused by water loss. Mildly dry skin is dull, tight, brittle and rough. Very dry skin will have scaling and flakiness in patches, a rough and blotchy appearance, tightness, and possible itchiness. Extremely dry skin is characterized as rough, with chapping and Rhagades, calluses, and frequent itchiness Oily skin has a heightened sebum production, and is called Seborrhea. It has enlarged, clearly visible pores, a glossy shine, thicker pale skin, and is prone to comedones (Blackheads/Whiteheads). Mild acne includes comedones appearing on the face, and frequently on the neck, shoulders, back and chest. Moderate and severe acne have Papules (small bumps with no visible black or white head) and pustules (Medium sized bumps with a noticeable white or yellowish centers)
With combination, you may have an oily T-zone, with drier skin surrounding. With this being said, some products on the market may be better fitted for your skin type, opposed to others. Higher end products use higher end materials to make their products, while drugstore products may not use the pricier materials in their cosmetics. Although this is true, sometimes it’s good to splurge on certain types of products, such as foundation. Foundation covers your entire face and is the literal FOUNDATION to your entire makeup look. This is when you should make the choice to spend a little extra for better quality. Another product to bring into the light would be lip colors. When it comes to finding the perfect lipstick, don’t stress too much, as a drugstore lip color can look and feel almost identical to a big brand lip color. When comparing the ingredients of a higher end foundation (NARS) to a drugstore foundation(elf), you can see there are some similarities, but also many differences.
