Question Everything: Manufacturing Makeup

Remember in school there was one annoying kid that held up the class by all of his/her questions? Well that was not me. I am now 28 and I have personally and professionally developed into that curious kid. Within my state of regression, I am  reminded of something Marc Bolan once said, "I think I am a child. Everything blows my mind." I don't know if it's my age (quarter-life-crisis), how I was raised, my expanding lawyer student brain, my husband's conspiracy minded influence on me over the past 6 years or simply being a woman and putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 5; but I question everything which I deem unsatisfactory. I do not complain for the sake of it, nor do bathe in negativity. Quite the opposite really. However, I do believe that when you pay for a product or service, there should be a reasonable standard of customer care and transparency in how they conduct their business. Question Everything. 

I think I am a child. Everything blows my mind." - Marc Bolan

When I see advertisements such as toothpastes promoting their whitening qualities with before and after images, I get an urge to write to them to point out how misleading they are. More than likely, they know they are being misleading as the law allows them to advertise in a way that will make the consumer gobble it all up and shell out their cash for a product that they believe will give them that Hollywood smile. The delusion that such companies depict in their advertising is a far cry from the reality. The delusion is that you will have perfect pearly white teeth if you use said product. The reality is there is a minuscule amount of the active whitening agent in said product so unfortunately, you will not achieve results similar to George Hamilton’s perfect grin. For that smile, you need to see a dental professional. That is what the beauty companies don’t tell you. Read the label and check for yourself. A percentage may not be on the packaging but the less there is of an ingredient, the lower it is down the list. Question Everything. 

Image taken from The Daily Mail

For decades we have been inundated with words like, ‘diet,’ ‘sugar free’ and ‘low fat’ on billboards, in magazines and on supermarket shelves as way to change what we eat. Obesity levels skyrocketed throughout the Western world and so these apparently healthy food choices resonated with the average consumer wanting to lose weight. These seemingly healthy alternatives are, in fact, either laden with sugar or contain a manufactured product resembling a solid lard-like substance to bind the product together. Question Everything. 

Image taken from www.coachcalorie.com

This even affects food that is not labeled as ‘fat free’ as some brands of ice-cream do not actually contain ice-cream. Instead, your household brands are using reconstituted skimmed milk rather than cream.  I don’t know about you but I’d rather have the real thing than put refined sugar, processed flavourings and artificial sweeteners of any description into my body. In truth, the diet industry is not concerned about your weight or your health. It is a business. Actually it is multi-billion dollar industry that more than likely feeds into your Government’s wallet or is already an established state-owned organisation. This means the very administration which appears to be passing legislation in order to force global corporations to be more honest, are actually the ones behind the industry. That is crazy. Why? It is all to do with money and control. Make money for the big guys (and gals) at the top, and control us mere customers by overwhelming us with ‘facts’ so that we consume with the belief that we are fixing the problem. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Question Everything. 

Image taken from www.web2carz.com

It is only now, after years of making bad choices that people are starting to wake up to these scare-mongering phrases and instead, choose to actually put good, nutritional food into their body rather than junk designed to look like food. The internet has a had huge impact on this collective consciousness as we feel more empowered to make an informed decision on what we put into our bodies. At the click of a button, we can discover foods which contain good fats. Thanks to YouTube and blogs, we can share the knowledge of the dangers of aspartame. We can discover how to maintain a healthy lifestyle by making small changes rather than one big unrealistic overhaul which advertisers seem to unfairly promote. By sharing this knowledge, we can empower one another to make better choices. With familiarity and empowerment comes intelligence and strength allowing us to fight back to the big conglomerates pushing their synthetic laden rubbish in our faces. We can say no. But we need more than internet information to make a bigger changes in order to progress. We need to totally revolutionise how people think and feel - but it is a start.  All of this is of course, just my own humble opinion. Question Everything. 

We can do it.

Whoa! That was a big digression... What I am trying to say is that we have the capacity to query everything that multi-national corporations (and beyond) provide. So why are we not posing our doubts with everything? We should be questioning everything that we feel uncomfortable with which impacts on our health, our education and our money. Whether that is for a product or service that we are unsatisfied with - we should raise those issues to the service provider. Question Everything. 

"Question EVERYTHING!" - George Carlin.

One area which I feel really lacks in transparency is the beauty industry. Another multi-billion dollar corporation designed to help us look and feel our best by toying with our self-esteem. So imagine this... you go make-up shopping to your local department store in search of some new beauty toys. You have worked so hard this semester so you deserve a little treat for yourself.  You stop buy the Chanel counter to buy yourself the latest powder blush which at a whopping £31 each is making both your bank account and your mum cry at the very thought of spending that amount on a little pot of rouge (yes it's beautiful but come on, your rent is due and the fridge is empty). You sorrowfully deny yourself 3 of the luxuriously beautiful 'joues contraste' in shades orchid rose, star dust and reflex, and you  walk out of shop passing the drugstore brands. Sure it wouldn't hurt to have a look would it? Oh, what's that Bourjois? You have similar shades to the Chanel ones. Oh, and you're cheaper too? But how can this be for £7.99 each for identical products? Yes, that's right, Bourjois own Chanel. Bourjois equivalent of Chanel being rose pompom, prun intense and ambre d'or. Question Everything. 

Going to shamelessly plug a previous post - after all this is a beauty blog at heart so must keep in context. Click here for comparison review of these two products. 

Yes, alot of beauty bloggers already know it's no secret that many brands are sisters of one another and usually owned by a huge leading multinational. But in case you, my reader, did not know, here is a comprehensive list for you to follow to keep in mind for future purchases. 

And remember... Question Everything.