The Makeup of a Confident Woman

Trish McEvoy's book is a lovely read - there's a lot about makeup technique - radically simplified and organised to learn general principles of looking your best with makeup using as much time as you have/need. 

But the provocative theme of this book lies in its defense of makeup as a tool of confidence for women in a cultural moment when the "no-makeup" movement is gaining currency when women are rebelling against the pressure to present curated versions of themselves especially in social media and with selfies. Trish's position is that looking better and taking care of themselves makes women feel more confident - it's the equivalent of faking it until you make it. Which goes to show to a woman who wants to feel confident she can do it with or without makeup - either position can be self-affirming. She invests the act of makeup with putting your best face forward - taking time to care for yourself even for a few minutes it becomes an empowering ritual - a gateway behavior to give yourself the gift of time and invest comprehensively in your stores of confidence. It's behavioral and Trish McEvoy's view is sensitive to the fact that appearance matters more to women as the currency of femininity.

That said, while she discusses skincare there is no longer a divide between makeup and skincare with the evolution of makeup as skincare largely by the green beauty movement that is raising standards of safety and efficacy in cosmetics and women are becoming more confident in their routines and enjoying makeup rather than locating their self-worth in their appearance.