Is Your Make Up Safe?

        Makeup or cosmetics are often associated with women. It seems some women, in the Philippines and in any part of the world, are make-up artists of their own. They have a natural talent of turning an ugly duck into a beautiful swan. Makeup application requires an artistic eye and a natural skill. The result should be pleasing because makeup’s main purpose is enhancing one’s beauty. Exaggerating the use of it could be an instant Halloween look.

It is not only the manner of applying a make-up you must pay attention to. Are you aware of the ingredients of the foundation you’re using right now? Are you sure the cosmetics you’re applying on your skin are safe?

In the 18^th and 19^th century, women’s concern when it comes to their physical appearance lies solely on the aesthetic side. At that time, they had yet to discover methods on how to make cosmetics.  Understanding the simplicity of life then, people rely more on the natural ways, meaning they depended on what nature offers them, in its rawest form. Unaware of the ingredients of these “concoctions”, some use it frequently and in large amounts. The toxic substances carelessly used were lead, mercury, belladonna (deadly nightshade), zinc oxide, and sulfur.

Those were the things of the past though. As time progresses, humans developed new ways of creating cosmetics and discovered more dangerous ingredients. Below are some of the harmful chemicals in cosmetics consumers must avoid:

1.    Parabens = may cause breast cancer, DNA damage, and skin aging.

2.    DEA (diethanolamine) = causes skin and eye irritation, and is a carcinogenic. Related chemicals are MEA (monoethanolamide) and TEA (triethanolamine) that has the same effects.

3.    PEGs (polyethylene glycols) = can cause cancer, skin irritation, nausea, and headache.

4.    Phthalates = causes birth defects and cancer.

5.    Petrolatum = can cause cancer, skin irritation, and allergies.

These are the common ingredients found in cosmetics today and, unfortunately, not explicitly found on labels. It doesn’t mean you should avoid using makeup at all but instead do it in moderation. It is not bad to look presentable and putting on makeup can improve someone’s image. Still, the true test of beauty is on its natural form, without the use of any cosmetics or beauty products.

Halloween Company Blues

Halloween is just around the corner.  A day all about ghosts, witches with their broomsticks, pumpkins and of course, trick-or-treat. Mostly Western countries practice trick-or-treating where kids wear cute yet scary costumes and go door-to-door to collect candies from their neighbors. Because of the fun and as well as scary spirit of this festivity, Philippines also adopted Halloween complete with their best costumes and by being artistic by putting on makeup or prosthetics.

For the sake of giving you a background of this holiday, it was originally from the Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-in). This was a ritual in the eve of All Saints Day celebrated on every the last day of October. Celts believed that on this day, October 31, spirits of the dead returned to the living world and wander to possess bodies. To prevent these presumably demonic possessions, Celts offer sacrifices and even wore costumes and paraded around town making loud noises to ward off bad spirits.

Today, Halloween evolved into something enjoyable and a chance to mingle with others. Companies include this on their list of celebrations along with Christmas parties and company anniversaries. Yup, one of the most awaited (or most feared?) company parties is Halloween. They even hold contests for the best in costume or room decoration.

Some break the norm and think of creative ways while still aiming for that spooky look. Speaking of costumes, enthusiasts of this holiday invests time, money, and sweat to go extreme by adding make-up or prosthetics. When you’re in the Philippines, for the knack of Pinoy taste, some wanna-be artists may try the white lady look donned with long white gown and the whitest of make-up. This is only a suggestion, okay?

Whatever you’re trip this Halloween, simply enjoy it, with or without a costume. Just be sure that if you’re going to scare someone, do it in76 good nature.