Renowned beauty editor Rosie Green tells us why she expects her makeup to multitask as skincare (and her Tropic favourites to do just that)...
MAKING UP WITH
Makeup
M
akeup. As feel-good fixes go, it’s up there with watching Daniel Craig emerge from the sea in swim trunks, a cold glass of rosé on a hot day or the smell of baked cookies fresh out of the oven. I don’t need to tell you of the power of bronzer, eyeliner, mascara and blusher to transform your face, and, in turn, transform your day. Who doesn’t rejoice in makeup’s ability to enhance beauty, to boost confidence and fake eight hours of sleep (when in reality you got less than five)? But is makeup good for the skin? The standard response is… not so much. Perhaps that viewpoint comes from all the adjectives that swirl around it – suffocating, clogging, drying, cakey. Our mothers talked about trowelling it on. For decades, makeup and skincare sat at the opposite ends of the ‘care’ spectrum. The former compromising the work of the latter. When they were first introduced, foundations were called ‘pancake.’ They were heavy, mask-like, sitting on top of the skin (rather than blending in with it). For those prone to oily skin, breakouts were exacerbated, pores were blocked, skin irritated. For those
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with dry skin, the moisture-zapping formulations left skin feeling thirsty and looking dehydrated and aged. When ‘all-day’ formulations surged in popularity, this only increased. Yes, your makeup now lasted twelve hours, but the pay-off was flaky lips, parched skin and brittle lashes. In the noughties there was a rebellion against the perceived fakery of makeup and skin became the star. “Let it shine through” was the mantra of the style set. It was chic to go makeup-free. Glowy became an adjective in its own right. I was backstage at countless fashion shows where makeup artists eschewed their products and sent the models down the catwalk with nothing but a devil-may-care attitude and lip balm. This was great for the sixteen-year-old supermodels, but more challenging for the rest of us. So, makeup couldn’t stay down for long. And when it returned (thank the Lord), the cosmetics industry had upped its game. Right at the forefront of this was Tropic. A company known for caring passionately about people and the planet, but also for believing that makeup shouldn’t compromise the skin, but actively improve it. Tropic’s makeup has skincare benefits as standard, which is why I love its Beauty Booster
