Nighttime Makeup?

I had a conversation with my wife about women’s makeup -- how it could disguise a myriad of things during the daylight hours, but what happens when a woman removes everything at sleepy bye-bye time?

My wife brought up some interesting points, but none that exactly zeroed-in on my main concern. She brought up things like permanently tattooing eyebrows, eyeliner and a few other solutions.

Whether men know it or not some women wear layer upon layer of makeup to disguise blemishes or otherwise imperfect skin. Part of what can be alluring about a woman is her makeup, and this has become a huge, capital-rich industry. Of course some women will get a nose job and others will have silicone injected into their lips. But these things are a subject for another Hub.

So, I asked my wife “What about night-time makeup?” Is there such a thing? Is it necessary? The “necessity” factor might depend on what you see during daylight or early evening hours and what you get when your companion is finally ready to crawl into bed -- having washed her face and maybe applied some kind of facial cream.

Clearly, there are women who do not need any makeup at all, but they tend to be rather young (not always). These women tend to be the type who can get by with no or very minimal makeup during the day -- and when these cosmetics are removed, the difference is not startling. These faces are rather rare. Most women will use some amount of makeup -- usually not so much that their night-time appearance is drastically different from how they appear during the day. So, there is no big shock upon seeing her au natural.

To the best of my knowledge, no one is manufacturing any kind of makeup that can be worn to bed. But, I’m wondering, shouldn’t someone create night-time makeup that isn’t harmful to the skin but still creates the same (or near) daytime illusion? Are men put off once the ruby red lips, the Cleopatra like cat eyes and all the rest get rinsed down the sink?

I don’t have an answer. It’s an open question. And some will say, well, if the man really loves a woman the disappearance of all the artifice disappearing shouldn’t make a difference. That could be true, but what if does make a difference? What if a man is in love with the amazing illusion a woman can create during the day then finds that this is indeed an illusion? I suppose most women would simply say that this type of male can buzz off.

In the movies, a woman goes to bed wearing her day-time “mask,” but in reality, women use all sorts of creams to remove their carefully applied makeup and come out of the bathroom looking like who knows what. One woman I was intimate with screamed when I touched her face after we had gotten into bed. She said something about now she would have to reapply some special cream because of my outrageous behavior. I had never encountered anything like this and was definitely stunned. The odd thing about this encounter is that I had seen this woman absent any makeup, and she still looked great. She looked different, but still quite attractive.

My male-centric solution is for someone to create night-time cosmetics that at least approximate their day-time appearance -- something that can be worn throughout the night without any side-effects … and maybe can replace some of those awful, nighttime creams.

Again, this really only applies to women who are not “naturally” beautiful and don’t really need makeup even during the day time. And I’m not seeking an argument that all women are naturally beautiful. You can think that if you wish, but I have a different opinion. From my observations, some women can be stunning with carefully applied makeup and without it are a tad on the scary side. Some statics show that men prefer women without makeup. I’m not one of them. Unless you happen to be born as a “natural” beauty, I think it’s interesting/fascinating what women can do to their faces. In some cases it demonstrates a lot imagination and creativity. Some women feel “naked” without their application of makeup, and I can understand why. Carefully, skillfully applied makeup can make a plain/average/or even subpar woman into a sort of enchantress. Makeup can add sorts of effects -- sultriness, sexyness, mystery, fantasy, etc.

Some transgendering males really put a lot of effort into the art of cosmetics. One need only explore the subject on YouTube to see the skills they have developed. But I suppose they are faced with the same dilemma when it comes to the night-time experience. Sooner or later, the “mask” has to come off.

My answer (as absurd as it may sound) is the development of night-time cosmetics, but this may not be feasible. I know nothing about cosmetics or dermatology. Such night-time cosmetics would probably not be necessary for most gals, but for some portion of the female population, it could provide them a measure of assurance that their partner isn’t going to be setback by the before/after picture.

My answer (as absurd as it may sound) is the development of night-time cosmetics, but this may not be feasible. As previously stated, I know nothing about cosmetics or dermatology. There are probably a myriad of reasons why my thought-idea is worthless. Such night-time cosmetics would probably not be necessary for most gals, but for some portion of the female population, it could provide them a measure of assurance that their partner isn’t going to be setback by the before/after picture.

Additionally, a lot of men are "face men." Some men have fixations on breasts or buttocks, hair and even feet. But, for the face men, they can feel a real sense of disappointment if a woman exits the shower only to have turned herself into a very unglamourous (or even attractive) self. He may still love her and learn to set aside his uneasiness, but it will take time to make the adjustment. Of course, this is what women are counting on. They believe that beauty is only skin deep (or makeup deep) but they want a man who will love them, not just for their exterior beauty (real or enhanced), but someone who will bond with their inner-self, their personality, their intelligence, their wit and charm. And they have every right to expect all of this.

As you can see, there are many different ways to make the before/after shots more dramatic without relying on the use of makeup alone. Lighting makes a big difference, as do the actors’ facial expressions, clothing, hair design, age the photo was taken, focus, etc. I discount it all as being unreliable and sensationalistic.

Apologies in advance if I offended any women or trans with this thought experiment mixed with my own anemic observations.