BEAUTIFUL
 

OBJECTS

 

RITUALS IN ADORNMENT
                                              

CHRISTIAN DIOR
ROSE LIP BALM

i use this every time i
reach into my purse. it
smells lovely and calms
me down.

                                   
                                   ESTEE LAUDER
                                   MODERN MUSE PERFUME

                                      this fragrance is really nice, i've had it since last
                                      march. it smells floral yet woodsy and makes me 
                                      feel confident

                                   ALEX AND ANI BRACELETS

                                   i think these are ugly but the
                                   sound of them gives me
                                   an ASMR feeling so i need to
                                   wear them. CHARMS: pisces,
                                   path of life, my birthstone

                                 TUNISIAN MUSK+ CHARM
                                  BRACELET

                              i apply oil 3 times a day to my
                              inner wrists and neck. this
                              charm bracelet is from italy and
                              has a hamster charm and a fake
                              coin charm that i don't really
                              like

Boscia Tsubaki Beauty Oil + Inner/Outer Glow

For the last month or so I have been religiously experimenting with beauty oils, using them nightly after I wash my face. I purchased the Boscia Tsubaki Oil from a Sephora and it retails for $48.00. I purchased this particular oil after my friend let me use some of hers.

           "An anti-aging botanical blend that works to provide serious hydration and protection against  free radical damage for all skin types." 

I love the way this makes my skin feel, I wake up the next day with significantly softer skin and a glow that I didn't have the day before. This beauty oil makes me feel better about my skin despite the acne scars and breakouts I have. I love slathering this onto my face at night and feeling like a goddess. 

My beauty routine is essential to my daily routine. It calms me and gives me a sense of control. I use my skincare routine as a way to calm down and de-stress from the day. Sometimes, my OCD kicks in and I will spend a ridiculous amount of time in the bathroom. This is when I feel extreme hate towards my skincare and makeup. I look around my bathroom at all of the products I've purchased over the years and grow annoyed at myself for spending ridiculous amounts of money on something so meaningless. 

Why do I participate and support this capitalist ideology. It feels so good to slather an oil on my face and experience the "satisfied customer" high that comes with being a consumer, especially a female one. This instantly brings up issues of worker productivity, desirability, and the "Dress for Success"  mentality that produces insurmountable anxiety in my head.  Nutricosmetics is a term used for vitamins and other supplements taken to enhance the skin and prevent aging. 

"With nutricosmetics, capitalism takes our abstract ideas about goodness and beauty—specifically “inner beauty”—and transforms them into products we can buy. Nutricosmetics marketing works specifically because it takes our most abstract and intrinsic of qualities—radiance, vitality, glow." - Autumn Whitefield-Madrano
the.beheld.blog 

 
While the Boscia oil is not a nutricosmetic, it does sell a "glow." The glow is such an important descriptor in the beauty industry. I've noticed especially in the YouTube beauty community, girls talking about how to achieve a "natural glow" or "inner glow." Instead of consuming vegetables and foods that are rich in vitamins, we are encouraged to buy expensive makeup and beauty products to essentially enhance our appearance, aiding in the power structure of the beauty industry. 

I would love to use this blog as a journal of my thoughts on beauty in society and how it relates to capitalism and neoliberal ideology. Please comment with articles, opinions or links!!!

That is all I have for now.

Radiant but Aware,
maggie