The remarks run contrary to an argument that is regularly upheld by those in the cosmetics industry – that makeup should be worn to make the user feel better.
Last week, beauty mogul Charlotte Tilbury made headlines by sharing how she keeps “the magic alive” in the bedroom with her husband. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a cosmetics entrepreneur, the secret to her marital bliss is never letting her husband see her without makeup.
The businesswoman told The Daily Mail: “I have my bedroom eye. I take off my makeup, do my skincare, then I put on my Color Theory eyeliner that lasts 16 hours and my mascara.
“George has never seen me without a bedroom eye. Never! I tell you, keep the magic alive.”
The reception to Tilbury’s comments were perhaps not what she may have expected. Many felt her comments reinforced unrealistic beauty expectations for women.
One Twitter user shared a makeup-free selfie and wrote: “Hey Charlotte Tilbury, I look great without makeup. Stop trying to get women to conform to your nonsense beauty standards.”
Writer Jill Foster wrote: “My advice to single women is never marry someone who you feel you need to do this for.”
Another Twitter user pointed out the obvious. It is, of course, well within Tilbury’s business interests to promote wearing makeup at all times.
They wrote: “Sounds exhausting, Charlotte Tilbury! Although I guess that’s *the secret* to a successful make-up line – convincing women they need to wear it 24/7.”
Tilbury’s comment – which, it’s important to note, name-drops the exact shade she uses to keep the magic alive – succeeds in packaging product endorsement in woeful relationship advice. Indeed, if the success of your marriage hinges on having “bedroom eyes”, then is it worth saving in the first place? Probably not.
Additionally, the beauty mogul’s remarks run contrary to an argument that is regularly upheld by those in the cosmetics industry – that makeup should be worn to make the user feel better, as opposed to anyone else. Tilbury’s comments are revealing of the inner workings of an industry that feeds off feelings insecurity and inadequacy – an industry that generates profit by upholding unattainable beauty standards.
The final nail in the coffin is that even from a cosmetics point of view, Tilbury’s comments are flawed. When left on for too long, mascara has a drying effect on the lashes, which can lead to them becoming brittle and falling out. This, ultimately, renders her advice completely unsustainable in the long-term.
