Women are the victims of on-screen glamour

 Women are the victims of on-screen glamour

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Today, girls (aged 20-80), not all, but most of us, are, on average, spending a percentage of our budget, be it salary or pocket money or borrowed money or loan amount on cosmetics, makeup products, etc.

Looking beautiful has evolved into a complex but profitable industry.

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Serums, hitherto unknown to us, are now packaged into bottles that resemble infants' cough syrups.

Social media is flooded with reels from influencers suggesting the application of AB, BC, AH, HB, BH, CH, AHA, BHA, and various Alphabetically evolving serums, each claiming to address different skin concerns.

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Sunscreens were once applied by people who had prolonged exposure to sunlight, but now they are considered a daily necessity, even for those who spend most of their time indoors. The reasoning? Artificial lights in rooms are just as harmful as the sun itself. And we need to reapply them every three hours.

We are now sucked into a cycle of an ever-growing list of products we "must" buy to look YOUTHFUL and beautiful.

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There are different skincare routines for days and nights.

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let us start with the daycare routine

wash the face with a hydrating facewash consisting of aloevera+banana+orang peel and rice water++++

apply four layers of serums (for glow, acne, blemishes, wrinkles)

top it with a moisturizer, followed by a sunscreen.

Apply kajal, eyeliner, lip gloss, and lipstick.

Then dab dab some sun protection compact over it.

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for special events

top the above with

A sticky gel called primer

then a cc cream to hide blemishes

then concealer to conceal dark patches

and then a foundation, bronzer, highlighter, contour, plus ten layers of various products.

Then, crown it with a fixer spray to stop the products from melting and bleeding.

Ultimately, paint the eyelids like a canvas with eye shadow pallets from 4 different brands. It is a multi-step process involving outlines, fillers, glitters, and then blending everything to give it a natural look(how ironic)

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In the handbag, a compact mirror, lip gloss, and a hydrating spray are carried to maintain the makeup.

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A strict nightcare routine involves serums, lotions, and creams, all sold by beauty gang influencers. Fraudsters mostly.

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Please remember that influencers are paid to promote makeup products. One day, an influencer might declare a Masaba foundation excellent; the next day, another one will say that MAC products are unmatched as a foundation. The day after, her fellow influencer may claim that Charlotte Tilbury is the best.

As a result, we buy all three products, often using them just a couple of times before forgetting about them as soon as a new cream is launched.

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Influencers promoting cosmetics and creams are reimbursed a percentage of the sale amount. Don't fall into their trap.

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We should watch reels of comedians, yoga teachers, musicians, chefs. Reels of people who are achievers are experts in their domain, not reels of people selling and promoting products; the moment you notice an expert endorsing products regularly, just unfollow them and do not let them exploit your admiration for the skill in their art.

Be it a kohli or a Bachhan.

Once upon a time, people subscribed to a simple skin and haircare routine like the occasional application of haldi, malai, dahi-besan, and henna, and our biggest influencers were our dadis, mothers, and neighborhood aunties who shared their secret beauty tips with us.