In defence of tacky dazzler: Why we're reclaiming the makeup of our teenage years

Photography by Peter Stigter

It's a great fourth dimension to exist a teen girl. The beauty earth has rebirthed the majesty of sparkly lip gloss, glitter, and yes, even blue eyeshadow (which actually matches the season'south blue blast polish trend). You can buy shimmering body oil as a grown-ass woman (by Tom Ford, no less) and vesture temporary tattoos without apology (and at the behest of Beyoncé and Rihanna). Personally, I've been wearing Clinique "Happy" with the confidence of a high school freshman who's stoked equally hell her parents finally listened when she asked for it for Christmas. (Even though I bought information technology for myself with the money I make from my task.)

Tackiness is hither, and information technology is wonderful.

Now, let's dial down the defence and take that glitter, loud colours, and fifty-fifty French manicures which were once judged and shamed—especially as we coined terms like "basic" while congratulating ourselves on beingness unlike and interesting. The good news: we grew up and ultimately realized that our affinity for beauty products (or lack thereof) does not make us either. The better: nosotros've become the teen girls nosotros want to come across in the world. Or, even more specifically, we can finally afford to exist the teen girls nosotros wanted to exist in one case upon a fourth dimension. Why? Because beauty used to exist fun as opposed to . . . well, serious and stuff. I hateful, I don't want to say that my Hi Kitty glitter lip gloss and Bonne Bell shimmer trunk spray was a high betoken in life — simply it was a lot more than fun than minimalism.

Of course, as an developed, I sympathise that at that place is a time and place for everything — and that 2015'southward pilus mascara equivalent (a.k.a. pilus chalk) is probably not the most advisable vibe for, say, a merger meeting or a funeral. Simply acknowledge information technology, this season's tacky-centric beauty trend offering (black lipstick!) is a lot more than fun than pretending we're non wearing making up at all. Because guess what? Nearly of usa are. And it honestly took me like, xxx minutes to make it look like I'thousand not. Contrary to "Flawless," many of us exercise non wake up this way. This morning, I woke up wearing last nighttime's makeup. Tomorrow, I will wake up desperate to cover up what my skin has decided to practice in an attempt to punish me.

And this is why I similar "tacky" beauty and so much. Finally, after years of "I don't even wear makeup!" rhetoric (I feel similar if you lot're reading this, y'all probably practise wear makeup and that'south fine), we've stumbled upon the completely unapologetic arroyo to beauty that were supposed to have dulled downwards one time we "grew upwardly." Even though every bit working adults, we've been able to afford and invest in more cool things, we're supposed to steer away from glitter and blue eyeshadow and all things fun and opt for a "mature look."

While we're more than mature than we were at 13 (during glitter's height), we're still live enough to recognize that nosotros can nevertheless look strong, capable, badass, and any-else-word-you'd-like-me-to-insert-here while decked out in Basic Beauty™. No one is going to look at your French manicure and think, "Oh, I remember I'll actually laissez passer on hiring you lot equally my lawyer, cheers." No one will run across you out at night with temporary tattoos and remember, "Ugh–but I thought she was hardcore." (Does anyone actually fifty-fifty say that word out loud?) And just a monster would scroll their optics at your sparkly shadow and say annihilation other than, "Cool shadow!"

Ultimately, the resurgence of tackiness is a reclamation of makeup from the pretentious-ridden mid-2000s until recently. Information technology's congenital around fun and dressing up and refusing to apologize for being the glitteratzi. Information technology's appeasing the thirteen-year-old version of yourself who looked at hair mascara whimsically and whispered "1 day." Considering, immature friend, that mean solar day has come.