Words Francesca Specter. Photograph Getty
On the face of it, make-up is about changing the way you look, like applying mascara to make lashes look darker or adding colour to your cheeks. However – as the more astute advertising campaigns have guessed over the years – for the 83 per cent of us who wear make-up, it actually has more to do with how we feel. In a Mintel study of make-up wearers, 64 per cent said wearing cosmetics helped them to feel more confident, compared to less than half who primarily used it to make themselves feel attractive. What’s more, others said make-up helped them to feel more professional (16 per cent), empowered (15 per cent) and energetic (nine per cent) – all qualities that go far beyond your appearance.