What Is Beauty?

Beauty is often defined as a subjective aspect of things, which makes these things pleasurable to see. These objects can be natural, artistic or cultural in nature. Beauty, along with art and taste, remains the most important theme of aesthetics, among the various branches of natural philosophy. According to Sir Alfred Wallace, the aesthetic sense is the one that “reverses all the rules of conventional science”.

In order to know what beauty is, it helps to know what makes-up. While beauty may vary according to culture, a common feature is that beauty consists of “colors, lines, shapes, and texture”. While understanding the beauty through the use of make-up might appear a little strange, it is important to realize that make-up assists in masking defects which would otherwise be obvious. For example, a pimple on the lip may not always be easily seen under normal circumstances; but a beautiful shade of lipstick may make this blemish stand out drastically, drawing attention to its beauty. Similarly, some defects may not be immediately noticeable, but a beautiful blush or eye shadow may obscure these blemishes, rendering them less offensive.

When you attempt to look like someone else, or try to copy someone else’s appearance for a piece of clothing or jewelry, the attempt is made to make the appearance match. Unfortunately, there is no way to actually attain or even approximate the essence of beauty through make-up or clothing, for beauty is always relative. While a certain variation of one’s facial features may help to accentuate parts of a person’s appearance which one would prefer hidden, the concept of beauty is essentially subjective and dependent upon your own preferences. It is thus important to realize that beauty is a very personal concept, and what may seem beautiful to you, may seem ugly to someone else.