As I've been using up my makeup this year I've been thinking about what I want my makeup collection to look like in the future and what I want each item to be. My main concern is how natural the ingredients are and the environmental impact the production of these items have, but there is also the question of the human cost as well. Looking at mineral foundations sent me researching one of the most common ingredients in beauty products, mica, and I came across this video by Refinery29 called 'The Dark Secret Behind Your Favourite Makeup Products'. It looks at how children are being used to mine for mica in terrible working conditions with no health and safety to protect them and very low pay. It also showed the issues behind regulating it and the debate on what the best methods for dealing with this issue are.
This video was part of the Refinery29's Shady series and I decided to watch the other nine videos on the playlist. These videos aren't really on subjects that are connected to me and the field of beauty I go into, such as hair extensions, skin whitening, and cosmetic surgery. However, it was interesting to see just how dark something like the beauty world can be and what effect the choices we make when buying items can have on the people on the other end of the production line. Perhaps the most obvious thing was how the industry is still geared towards a very narrow standard of beauty and, like many industries in our culture, prey on those who are most vulnerable. It's too obvious to say that this needs to change, but hopefully these exposures will help with the changes that need to be made.
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My favourite video was the one about what beauty is like for homeless women in America. It highlighted many of the issues faced by women living on the street, but is was good to see the people who were using their time and beauty treatments as a positive force for these women. Giving them dignity and basic human kindness, even when other help isn't available to them.
And as for my foundation, I think I'll make my own. After all, there are enough recipes out there - Live Simple and Don't Waste the Crumbs are just a couple.
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