Constantly buying makeup, obsession with wanting to look different and being unable to wear your natural face qualify you as a ‘cosmoholic’. Watch out, say experts...
You’ve heard of shoe fetishes and other obsessions that people have. But did you know there is a makeup addiction, too? Do you end up buying lip colours that ‘look similar’ to ones you already have? Does your bathroom look like a storehouse of cosmetics? Watch out, you might be a makeup addict or a cosmoholic.
Someone who may go to any lengths to buy makeup, cost and quantity no bar. Plus, like other addicts, these women will also not admit at the onset that they have a problem. A recent study has raised the alarm on the issue, saying an addiction to makeup has become like a ‘crutch’ for women.
What the study showed
A few research studies might startle you. In one study, out of 1,292 women who were surveyed, 44% felt negative about themselves when not wearing makeup. While about 16% felt they were “unattractive”, 14% felt they were “naked” without it. Another study showed how ladies who ‘donned greasepaint’ were regarded as more ‘competent’ than those who didn’t wear any. This linked makeup with success, which is wrong.
Experts have their say
So, what’s with the constant obsession of looking perfect all the time? Explains psychologist Dr Seema Hingorrany, “People who have an intense desire to please others also have an intense need to look good. Often, these women have a whole drawer of unused lipsticks, shadows etc and still can’t resist the urge to buy more. This makeup addiction is like an obsessive-compulsive disorder. People like to hoard things and are unable to discard old, unused items. It makes them anxious to think about it.”
Makeup artiste Marvie Beck elaborates, “For many women, putting on their makeup is an important part of the daily ritual. They see cosmetics not as a splurge, but as essential buys. They dislike the thought of people seeing them without a well made-up face and harbour the notion that it makes their appearance more accepted. In a sense it boosts self-respect, too. While I agree one should wear makeup, it’s also important to ‘dress the face’; it’s about confidence really.”
5 signs you know you’re addicted when:
1. You buy at least 20 eye shadows that are more or less the same colour.
2. More than washroom breaks, you take concealer touch-up breaks.
3. In supermarkets, you always find yourself in the makeup aisle.
4. You have a monthly budget for your makeup (but never stick to it).
5. The suitcase you pack on a weekend getaway has more makeup than clothes.
