by Anna Peel

Created on: February 25, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Make-up is essentially used to either cover up flaws or enhance our natural features. Like fashion, make-up and cosmetics have become an intrinsic part of out culture. Make-up has been around for a very long time starting with the ancient Greeks and Romans, even though a lot of the cosmetics they made and used contained ingredients with high toxicity including mercury and lead. Make-up is still very much a part of our lives and often worn by women, men, and even children who want to achieve a certain look, improve overall appearance and, in some cases, look more grown-up. These all are perfectly good reasons to wear make-up. I'll go into more details as you read below.

No matter what look you're going for, you can achieve it with make-up. It also helps change your appearance on the camera and in photographs, that is why actresses, t.v. personalities, and other entertainers wear it. Make-up can also make the average woman more confident. Maybe that is why the average annual yearly cost expenditures of cosmetics and beauty products reaches almost 20 billion in the United States alone. There are tons of products that will help enhance your look and thus give you more confidence, everything from flavored lip gloss to advanced formula mascaras to natural mineral make-up. Cosmetics gives you what mother nature didn't and then some. Whether it's glamorous, natural, sexy, or girlie, make-up will help you look the part.

Speaking of improving overall appearance, that is what a lot of cosmetic, beauty, and make-up companies claim their products can do. Whether it's anti-aging, skin clearing, moisturizing or even preparing your skin for foundation, some of these products actually help your skin. Just remember a few things, you might want to get recommendations from your dermatologist on what products are good, and you'll definitely want to do a small skin test to make sure that you don't get a negative reaction or allergy. There is nothing worse than getting a rash or skin allergy when trying to improve your appearance.

As for looking more grown-up, many children and teens will wear cosmetics and make-up to make themselves look a bit older. But here's a general rule for everyone to remember: the more make-up you wear the older you will look. So for a lot of us who actually want to appear younger, we need to learn that less is more. A little bit of concealer, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, and lip gloss will go a long way.

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