Middle Eastern Makeup
Our journey exploring different cultures through makeup has brought us to the Middle East! Personally, I have always been intrigued by the eye makeup that I have seen Middle Eastern women wear either on television or through social media. From what I understand, women in some Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, are required to wear an abaya in public. An abaya is a floor length cloak. Some women wear only this, while others are required cover their hair and more of their face due to more government or religious restrictions promoting modesty.
Because these women often have their hair and body covered, eye makeup in particular can be a popular beauty statement for Middle Eastern women as a means of self-expression without disrespecting any restrictions. The Muslim religion is greatly practiced in the Middle East, therefore many cultural norms, as well as societal laws are based on Muslim tradition. There is a strong emphasis on modesty for women, which is interested considering how much money they spend on cosmetic items. Upon doing further research, I found that Middle Eastern women spend over $500 million per year on cosmetics. Many employed women in Saudi Arabia spend up to 80% of their salary on cosmetic products. I found this to be particularly interesting since most Middle Eastern women are required to express modesty while in public settings.
Middle Eastern makeup looks are very bold and dramatic. Our group partner Madison attempted to recreate this look on her own face. Her elaborate makeup look definitely emphasizes the eyes. Middle Eastern women often have full, think, angular brows with very defined lines. When it comes to eye shadows and liners, Middle Eastern women are far from shy. They tend to bring their shadows out pretty far to elongate the shape of the eye. They also focus on using bolder colors like golds and pinks. Before the eye is finished, middle eastern women often go for a bold cat eye with a large wing to complement the dramatic shadow. They then often smoke out the bottom and top lines with black shadow. For lashes, middle eastern women often prefer large dramatic lashes. This look is often achieved using false lashes. Apart from the eyes, many makeup looks we researched for inspiration did not focus on much else in terms of makeup. Foundation, contour, highlight, and lips did not differ much from an average American look. This is probably due to the fact that most Middle Eastern women have to cover that part of their face in public. I believe Madison did a wonderful job recreating a Middle Eastern look on herself. Of course, it is always interesting to see a makeup look on someone who has no ties to that particular culture. Personally, it allows me to better appreciate Middle Eastern culture and makeup trends. They are stunningly gorgeous and intricate!
