Empow(d)ering women

At the Edinburgh book Festival, Zadie Smith asked if women were paying the hair and makeup tax, and she has a fair point: should modern women be spending up to four hours on their hair and makeup? If they do spend that long, then she is surely justified in limiting her seven-year-old daughter's mirror time. Mind you, she looks pretty glamorous in her makeup!

I also think that four hours is way too long. I'm not sure what these women can be doing, unless they are straightening their hair daily. Which, as any hairdresser will tell you will eventually leave you with no locks to straighten at all, as straightening is very bad for your hair. 

So can it be the makeup? 

Can you spend two hours on your makeup? I can't. At a push (i.e. most mornings) I spend about five minutes putting on my makeup. In fact, being fairly sad like that, I just timed myself to check, and I can slap on the slap in just under five.That includes foundation, eyeshadow, eye liner, mascara, lip liner, lipstick, blusher and bronzer, by the way. As I am a trained MUA, maybe that doesn't count, but my clients are also taught how to makeup quickly, as really, who wants to spend that precious time painting their face on a daily basis?

If you want to do all that contouring, though, it might take longer

I'm not a huge fan of contouring on the High Street; it usually looks as if the wearer has war paint on. Contouring was really designed for photography and bright lighting, but, if it makes you happy, and you have damn all else to do with your time, by all means watch some YouTube videos and learn how to do it properly, with the caveat that what looks splendid in the bright light of your room might look a little 'Frankenstein's bride' in the great outdoors. Fine if you like the Goth look but otherwise, maybe save it for the Insta filter?

Wasted time?

Back to that wasted time, though: it's only wasted, if you feel that you have to wear makeup. You don't. You look great without it too, so only wear it if you really want to, not because you feel imposedupon. Feminism is about free choice, and if you choose to spend your precious time painting yourself, fair play. In fact, recent studies suggest that women do better in exams if they are wearing makeup! So maybe that time is not wasted!

So makeup can be empowering! 

If you feel more confident with a little paint and powder, that's fine; just learn to do it faster, and enjoy it! Makeup should be for fun and enhancement, not for hiding behind.  

What to wear to vote?

Something I rarely get asked, in fact, almost never, is "which lipstick should I wear to vote?" In an attempt to lighten the mood a little, here is the answer to that question, which is undoubtedly one of today's least important issues, but should you be terribly excited about the election, you could make sure that your makeup is in keeping with your political choices. 

Eye definer Green

Brow & Lash gel

Green Goddesses should be totally happy with the entire Dr Hauschka makeup range, as it is undoubtedly 'green', being biodynamic/organic and produced in a factory that recycles its water and uses green electricity, amongst many other environmentally-friendly policies. 

Should they wish to wear their colours on their sleeves, or rather, faces, a good choice might be Eye Definer 04, a soft green eyeliner, and eyeshadow Verdelite 04, a darker green with added sparkle. (All politicians can do with a little more sparkle, in my view.) As Green types are often too sérieuse for much makeup, a nice addition might be the transparent Brow and Lash gel for eye lashes and brows (who would have guessed?) and a light lip gloss, like Cornelian 05.

Eyeshadow Trio 01

Azalea Lipstick

Conservatives and 'True Blue' types have plenty of choice with eye colours: there is the Blue Mascara, an Eye Definer 03 in a bright blue, and a lovely soft blue shade in the new palette called Sapphire. Plenty of choice there.


For lipsticks, it might be best to avoid a red, unless it really is a really blue-toned one, but the bluish-pink lipstick Azalea might be just the ticket.

Rubellite for eyes

Labour lovers will want to avoid any blues, of course, but can plump for really red lips, so something like Dahlia topped with Goji lipgloss would be fab. 


On the eyes, the closest thing to red is the Rubellite eyeshadow, which comes in a just left-of-centre soft pink. Brown mascara goes well with this. 

Amber Eyeshadow

Fire Lily

The poor LibDems seem to be slightly confused about which colour represents them, them having meandered from yellow to orange then back again. So how about the lovely Amber eyeshadow which is particularly flattering for blue and green eyes and those who aren't quite sure? If that's a little bit too out there, a soft vanilla shade of Alabaster might be more subtle.  Brown Mascara might be a good choice with either of these. 

For lips, there is a fab orange called Fire Lily, which looks as it sounds, but is surprisingly flattering, whatever your political persuasion. 

Ametrine Trio

Along with Voltaire, (and the writer who actually wrote that this was his attitude, a woman called Beatrice Hall)  ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" describes pretty well many people's thoughts about the last party. 

Chessflower

UKippers seem to go for purple, so there is plenty of choice for them with Plum volume mascara and eye definer and a lovely palette of mixed purples called Ametrine. The purplest lipsticks are Hollyhock, a deep plum with a hint of pink, and Chessflower, a deep purple shade. 



All types of politicos will benefit from the Colour Correcting powder, which does what it says on the tin and also looks pretty and smells delicious.

Colour Correcting Powder: only works on faces,  not policies.

Best of luck to you, whatever you decide to vote! 

If you would like a totally non-political, personal colour assessment and makeup session do get in touch. I am the only Dr Hauschka Certified Makeup artist in the UK and I promise not to mention politics! jane@theorganicbeautician.com

New makeup coming soon from Dr Hauschka

New looks and colours are always exciting and the Dr Hauschka makeup range has been extensively updated as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.

I can't post any pictures as yet, but I have seen and tried some of the products and am very excited about the new range. There are new additions and tools as well, which are worth waiting for!  

This means, of course, that the old makeup range will be phased out soon, so I am offering all that I have left at 20% off while stocks last. 

This is a great opportunity to bag yourself a bargain 

or stock up on a favourite.

Watch out for more news, or sign up to my newsletters for further info!