The Beginning of "Real" Make Up Ads?

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting up on my rooftop, catching up on some magazine reading, when an ad caught my eye.

I noticed this ad because it was for the foundation I use ... Make Up For Ever. Then I read that it's the first make up ad with no retouching. Of course I did the "ha" laugh until I read the fine print on the right stating, "certified by a notary public." Once I realized it was actually legit, I couldn't get over how much the girl looks like Blake Lively ... oh the genetically blessed.

Anyways, I have to say, I like this marketing idea. Us women want to look beautiful, yet natural. Blue eyeshadow up to our eyebrows was cute when we were six years old and experiencing with mom's make up ... not so cute in adulthood. Not only does the girl in the ad not have caked-on make up, the make up she is wearing is subtle, yet gorgeous. And, her eyebrows aren't perfect, she has slight dark circles under her eyes and you can tell that she does have a pore or two. These imperfections, even though they are small, make this ad! It's because this girl still looks great without Photoshop.  Smart move Make Up For Ever marketers.

That marketing team knows we all want to look great and the real world doesn't allow us to walk around with a computer, constantly snap photos of ourselves, fix them up, and have people look at the screen instead of us. Neither are we going to tie a Photoshopped picture around our head. So, a make up ad that looks good without being touched up might just increase the number of ladies holding a Make Up For Ever foundation while standing in line at Sephora.

It's about time we see a "real" make up ad ... even if the girl looks like she belongs on Gossip Girl. The women in the other 57 ads in that magazine don't really look that way on a day-to-day basis. Who do they think they are fooling? They have pores, a stray eyebrow hair or two and maybe they even have split ends. So, I'll put my thumbs up for Make Up For Ever and their non retouched ad. Maybe they're onto something.

There is one thing about this ad that drives me crazy. She's acting like a sorority girl taking a picture of herself ... just herself ... and in public. I know we all take solo pics, but do it at home ladies.