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Makeup: How Much Should You Be Wearing?

A makeup study, co-authored by Dr. Alex Jones, a researcher at the School of Psychology at Bangor University in Scotland, is making the rounds on media outlets and, for the most part, the conclusions are being taken as gospel.

One such conclusion that's being broadcast is actually a direct quote by Dr. Jones: "We know that makeup increases attractiveness, but before we did our study, we didn't know--at least scientifically--that not only was there an amount that looked the best, but also that people out there in the world agree on how much that is."

Really? We have a few bones to pick about the research team's findings.

• The study was conducted at Bangor University, located in a tiny hamlet in Scotland, which isn't exactly a microcosm of the world. Would the same findings be replicated in London, Berlin or even mid-sized cities in the United States?
• All the participants were students. This age group alone is problematic when trying to interpret the researchers' findings for a global population.
• Subjects started with freshly washed faces. No mention was provided regarding appropriate skin care post-wash and pre-makeup.
• Researchers emphasized that they had provided an array of popular, high-quality cosmetics to test subjects. We're happy they did this, but no one took into consideration the different skill levels of the participants.
• The subjects' faces were closely cropped in their before and after pictures, which effectively eliminated any possibility that the varying amounts of makeup would have reference points in terms of clothing fashions (evening, casual, etc.) or colors.

HOT On Beauty: Study Challenges and Solutions

Despite the study's finding, and whether you agree with it or not, let's get real: No gal worth her Jimmy Choos is going to give up her go-to makeup applications for day or evening, based on one egghead study.

To broaden your beauty strokes, we have many tips and tricks in our makeup section that promise to inspire you with new colors and designs, as well as techniques that promise to deliver rave reviews.

Professional makeup artists have provided them with your good looks in mind. Check them out!

Makeup Study by Researchers at Bangor University in Scotland
How it was done:

• 44 female college students were photographed with freshly washed faces and then with makeup that they applied themselves for a night on the town.
• Researchers digitally created a series of 21 photos for each subject with progressively heavier makeup.
• The study concluded that 30% to 40% less makeup than the heaviest makeup shown was preferred by male and female students who were asked to judge the images.

Shown: Model with bare face on the left; 100% makeup on the right and a computer-generated image with 50% makeup in the middle.

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