NOCTILUCA February 2017

CULTURE Appleton, Wisconsin February 2017 Volume XXII

Issue IV Page 10

Millennials and the changing face of makeup Modern makeup artists influenced

up bloggers like her, em- phasized and ingrained in young adults and teens both the importance of perfecting techniques and owning cer- tain products. They equated this consumerism with mas- tering makeup itself, shift- ing the way our society ap- proaches makeup today. Social media and it’s ever- growing hand in the fash- ion industry has taken the consumeristic, streamlined mentality of the makeup community on YouTube and obtained an even larger audience through Instagram and Twitter. Each look hosts the signature “Instagram brow” which is identified by the color and solidity of the eyebrow increasing from the center of the face out- ward. Though the color pal- ette and eyeshadow is often changed up, the look con- forms to a certain formula specific to the social media platforms: heavy contour- ing, smokey eyes, sharp winged eyeliner, shimmer- ing highlight, and a clean but over-exaggerated brow. This formula is exhibited by not only beauty bloggers but also by many influential celebrities: Kylie Jenner, Lilly Collins, and Zendaya, to name a few. Kylie Jenner brought relevancy to the In- stagram formula and forced mainstream fashion outlets to acknowledge the trend. Though Kylie Jenner

brought the look to themain- stream media, she didn’t create it; drag queens did. Drag stars have been using techniques such as the fade- in eyebrow for decades, and only in the past few years have women started using it as their own. Trends such as extreme contouring are used by drag artists to cre- ate the illusion of an exag- gerated, heightened woman. The contouring of the face to achieve an impression of high cheekbones, thin noses, and intensely light under- eyes is a technique that is needed to transform men’s facial features into softer, feminine ones. Smokey and acute eyeshadow cut off by extremely distinct liquid eyeliner exaggerating the cheekbone even more has been used in drag for many years. With the Internet available at every turn, these tech- niques have been shared over and over, and it’s about time the makeup world ac- knowledges the ingenuity of drag culture. Though some may argue that these techniques need to be dilut- ed on a feminine face, or in extreme cases, claimed the style should be completely eradicated, they cannot ar- gue that drag artists and the Internet have both opened up an era of self expression unlike any other.

by Internet and drag community

By Sophie Plzak

Things have changed be- cause of the Internet, from the way we listen to music, to the way we share memo- ries, to the way we do our homework. But those are the tip of the iceberg when you look at the miniscule things in our life that will be forever different because of this digital age. Makeup has never been more easily accessible and widely understood than it is right now. There are four vital parts of the makeup industry that need to be un- derstood in order to fully grasp the shift being wit- nessed pertaining to the public’s consumption and view of makeup: YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and the drag community. Guessing the first three subjects’ play in the makeup industry may be easy, but drag culture has more to do with makeup to- day than anything else; peo- ple of the drag community are just not given enough credit. The initial change to makeup culture that acted as the catalyst for the easi- ly-accessible, easily-under- stood makeup trend was the invention of YouTube. For

Senior Addisyn Kohlbeck exemplifies the heightened interest and complexity in the makeup styles of modern teens. Photo by Maddy Schilling

years now, viewers have had instant and free access to beauty tutorials, result- ing in an entire generation of people trained in the makeup techniques used, and then, taught by profes- sionals. Now that YouTube has gathered a community of beauty gurus such as Mi- chelle Phan and Bethany Mota, looks and tech- niques have rapidly become streamlined. Certain prod- ucts have grown from noth- ing to a necessity within a few years’ time because of the promotion companies and goods received through videos and tutorials. Mi- chelle Phan was one of the first makeup icons of You- Tube, starting with simple videos about Halloween

looks and everyday makeup application from within her own home. After ten years of building her beauty empire, Phan has over 8.7 million subscrib- ers and has started her own makeup company, Ipsy, which is based around the idea of sharing new makeup with customers consistently. Each person who sub- scribes to Ipsy gets a monthly package with five personalized makeup prod- ucts picked through a ques- tionnaire they receive at the beginning of their subscrip- tion. The entire business is all made possible by Phan’s ability to freely build her beauty empire and reach millions of people over the Internet, particularly via YouTube. She, and make-

What’s on your playlist?

By Maddy Schilling

Freshman Nick Rodriguez •“Take Your Time”-Sam Hunt •“Baby”-Justin Bieber •“Chains”-Nick Jonas •“I Got a Feeling”-Black Eyed Peas

Sophomore Taylor Strauch •“Something about You”- Majid Jordan •“Alaska”-Maggie Rogers •“La Mordidita”-Ricky Martin •“Weight in Gold”-Gallant

Junior Caleb Sites •“Both”-Gucci Mane and Drake •“Maybe”-Social Club Misfits •“Too Cold”-Triplee •“24K Magic”-Bruno Mars

Senior Abbey DesRochers •“The Weight of Lies” -Avett Brothers •“Agape”-Bear’s Den •“In the Long Run”-The Staves •“These Days are Numbered”-The Head and the Heart

Staff Mr. Eastman •“The Monkey and the Engineer”-Grateful Dead •“Hold On”-Wilson Phillips •“Dancing Nancies”-Dave Matthews Band •“Alberta (acoustic ver- sion)”- Eric Clapton