Painting your face with various colours is something that has been done for centuries, whether in the form of ‘war paint’ or to make yourself look and feel more beautiful.
Thankfully these days we don’t have to use products that are poisonous or toxic as the Elizabethans did!
Coming from being a teenager in the 1980’s with the neon blue mascara and amethyst shimmer lipstick (I still have that colour), I learn my craft from the likes of Adam Ant, Toyah and Boy George. Although I am not sure if that is a good thing or not…
I do wear makeup a lot, every time I go out pretty much, although not just for walking the dog!
But it has a magical side to it.
Modern make up can be ‘war paint’, although with less woad…Often I refer to putting my makeup on as ‘putting on my face’. It can be used as a shield or a defence, something to protect you from the outside world. It can also be a big confidence booster.
I would like to break it down and look at the magical properties of each item, because not only can be it be a shield of power, each item has its own energy that can be turned into spell work.
Foundation – I have only started wearing foundation in the last few years, once my menopausal skin hit me! But it does exactly what it says on the tin – it is a foundation, it is the base, the solid stability required and you can work that into your magic. Whether you use a chant when you apply it or just visualise, it can be with the intent to provide you with stability and a strong foundation for your whole day.
Concealer – used by every teenager throughout time and menopausal women…concealer hides things, it covers up and draws a veil over things you don’t want to be seen. This works for all kinds of invisibility magic.
Eyebrow pencil – eyebrows are weird if you think about it. Basically we all have facial hair growing above our eyes. I may rename them eye beards… Eyebrows in particular have travelled through a huge range of fashion designs from tiny skinny lines, tadpole shapes and big bushy brows. On a personal note from me, your eyebrows get thinner the older you get, just so you know. It is also worth remembering a comment made to me by my daughter (who is a whizz with makeup), ‘your eyebrows are sisters not twins’. This was in response to me complaining that one of my eyebrows is longer than the other one. Your eyebrows are frames, they bring structure to your face. When we use a brow pencil we ‘fill in’ and ‘shape’ the brows, so this can be used for magic.
Blusher/rouge – this brings rosy colour to your face. It brightens you up and makes you feel happy. Blusher is usually in the red, pink, brown scale of colours so it is all about love, passion and friendship. It puts you ‘in the pink’. Definitely bringing a dash of happy, positive energy.
Eyeshadow – the key here is in the name ‘shadow’. Eyeshadow is used to shape the eye and bring a shadow. It could therefore be added to any kind of spells to help with shadow work. But in applying it to your face you could work with colour magic. Blue eyeshadow if you need better communication, pink if you are going on a date (ooh la la), green to bring in prosperity magic, you get the drift.
Mascara – oh how I loved the neon blue mascara of the 80s sigh…What is mascara applied with? A WAND! You couldn’t get more magical than that! Use the wand to whip up some magical energy and direct it where you need it. Mascara is obviously used on your eye lashes, so for me it brings the magic of clear sight, clarity in any situation or gaining a different perspective on an issue. Work with this intent as you apply it. You could also chant as you do so, something like ‘magic of mascara help me to see clearly’ or anything far more poetic than my sad effort.
Eyeliner – similar to mascara in that it can be clear sight or clarity. It enhances your eye shape and size so it can really bring in a boost of ‘seeing’ energy, work with the magic of ‘the all seeing eye’.
Lipstick – this perhaps brings a final flourish to the face. From a magical point of view it is applied to your mouth, so it stands to reason that lipstick can work magic for communication. Whether you want to be heard above the noise or make yourself understood clearly, lipstick can bring that intent. And of course colour can have a big impact, there is nothing more powerful than a woman in scarlet red lipstick.
Powder/setting spray – In my day (and still now) a final dusting of powder set your makeup in place. These days you can purchase setting spray, it’s a bit like hairspray for your face. In the magical realm it can be used to ‘set things in place’ or to finalise a spell. It is the ‘so mote it be’ of the make up world.
Nail polish – not only can you work colour magic in with your nail polish; red for courage and power, blue for communication or healing, green for prosperity etc. But each finger on your hand has a different meaning so you could correspond the colour to your intent.
index finger for goals and success, middle finger for intuition and inspiration, ring finger for creativity and on your left hand, love and the little finger for transitions and change. And your thumb is all about energy flow.
Perfume – slightly off the make up genre, but perfume can add all kinds of magic to your world. Particularly if you use essential oil based scents. The magic of the plant or flower can be brought into play. If you use perfume in a roller ball holder you can also draw symbols and sigils onto your body with the scent.
And of course any of the above could actually be used as ingredients in spell work, a drop of foundation in a spell for stability or a sprinkle of eye shadow in a spell to gain clarity. Think outside of the makeup box and expand your horizons!
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