Psst read until the end. There's a list of suggested products. You're welcome. ;)

Makeup is a phenomenon largely misunderstood and generalized in our culture today. A lot of the memes out there point to this, the ones joking about drawn on eyebrows, caked on makeup, and those circling about how men should "take her swimming on the first date," as if all of this changes or effects the true value of a woman. There is also this trend that my best friend and I were talking about, how some women are empowering themselves against other women through staying natural. They make their refusal to wear makeup a statement, and are somehow placing themselves above women who chose to wear makeup, which, could really be compared to slut-shaming, my friend said.

I was interested to hear more about what my friend, Tessa, had to say about this, seeing as she herself is a makeup artist, and very passionate about the industry. Her artistic background, as well as her love for history, made our conversation that much more dimensional.

She started by saying, "I personally love this industry, but there's definitely two sides to it. There's the obvious corruption, forcing women to believe they have to fit certain standards, but on the inside, is this world of talented artists, of men and women looking to support and empower each other, working to create unusual art forms, teams of people working together on works of art."

Tessa explained that she had been taking fine art lessons her whole life, and that, when she began wearing makeup, she saw the similarities, "how contouring powders compared with graphite pencils, how you do the same things with art utensils, shading, blending, how, as an artist, you have to understand the materials you use, as well as have talent. That you have to become in touch with the products you are using."

She fell in love not only with the art form but the ritual of it all. She mentioned how soothing and relaxing it is, and how the art is not just the product, but the process, of how the artist's hands flow, how they go back to switch brushes or hold the chin still to smudge in some shadow. "It's the same as if you were watching an artist's paint an oil painting outside." What she found especially beautiful, though, was how temporary this art form is.

"Makeup is the ultimate form of contemporary art, you wear it, it's there for a split second, and then it's gone. That makeup doesn't exist anymore, and it won't exist again. It's new every day. Art that you apply and somebody lives in it."

She went on then to re-emphasize the versatility of makeup, "It's a medium, like water colors, or sculpture, an expression of who we are, who we want to be, a component: like fashion. And makeup can be the full body! Like prosthetics in scary movies, or fantasy worlds like Lord of the Rings."

Bringing her love of history into it all, Tessa talked about how makeup is an age-old tradition, "Make-up has been used for centuries, for all different purposes: religion, politics, you name it. Great art in museums is made out of makeup pallets." She when on to mention how men have had a huge role in make-up, in fact, men were the original makeup artists in Hollywood, it was considered a man's job. Stars like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, all of them, had a male makeup artist. Makeup is rooted in history, and simply getting rid of it, is not the solution.

"And--" Tessa added, "outside of the Western world, make-up has never been exclusively for women. Never started out exclusively for women, that it should be is harmful, reiterates bad connotations." I mentioned drag queens to Tessa and her eyes lit up, "Drag queens' techniques are age old, including this recent baking trend. They are master makeup artists, who use it to personify themselves, and it takes them hours to do it."

Now tackling something as difficult as societal misconceptions about makeup isn't easy. I ended with asking Tessa what we can do to begin to lessen negative connotations around her craft. Her response, "I think the easiest solution, especially as women, is to stop telling people what they can and can't wear makeup wise. Instead of viewing makeup as a way to trick others, change your attitude to seeing it as an accessory just like shoes or jewelry, it's another form of communication and expression we wear. People need to stop placing a person's value in the makeup they choose to wear. Ultimately, people judge by appearance, that is something we are never going to move past, but as long as we change our attitudes after the initial judgment, we can begin to empower each other versus trying to rival."

And ironically, she said this all without a drop of makeup on her face.

There's this healthy balance that needs to take place, here. Makeup is beautiful, and as women, we have the power to not allow this to become a tool or medium in which we use to rival or compete against each other. If we refuse to tolerate this attitude, we can stop perpetuating this idea that makeup's only purpose is feminine trickery. It's so much more. To celebrate the beauty and craft of makeup, here's a list of products Tessa swears by—it's ok, you can get excited.

1. Covergirl Supersizer Mascara

"I love this product!"

2. Kat Von D Tattoo Eyeliner

"For all those struggling with doing the trendy cat eye."

3. Rimmel London Provocalips Liquid Lipstick

"It doesn't move all day or dry out lips, it's a little frightening how well it stays."

4. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecters / Hourglass Ambient Lightning Powders

"For those addicts that want to splurge, these are the best highlighters. You can also just use a shimmering eyeshadow to highlight."

5. Maybelline and NYX brands

"Brow mascaras are great for those who don't want to fill them in harshly. Maybelline and NYX make great drugstore tinted brow gels that you brush through like mascara and they color your brows."

6. Maybelline Age Rewind (drugstore); IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye (high end)

"Concealer can often take the place of foundation on a day to day basis. Here's a great drugstore option, as well as my favorite high end. Also, you can use concealers all over the face, you never have to listen to what the packaging says, just get familiar with the product."

Tessa Allebach

Makeup artist freelances through an advertising agency & has done make-up for fashion shows, commercials, proms and personal events in the Philadelphia area.