13 May Cosmopolitan Beauty Scholarship Competition – Safiyah Bennington
Introduction: For my submission, I decided to enter the Cosmopolitan Beauty Scholarship Competition. The requirements for this competition were: Three suitable beauty feature ideas, with a headline, introduction and synopsis (no more than 200 words each), two ideas for a short online feature or a gallery, a memoir piece of no more than 500 words on the topic of beauty and a 750 word development of one of my ideas. Due to my submission being for Cosmopolitan, I wrote in the same style, using an informal approach and acronyms, I have a consistent style of writing where I have tried to implement a scientific approach to beauty. For my development, I decided to cover the Bratz Challenge as it is a current event that would gain a lot of traction.
Long features
The Best Products To Cover Tattoos
Visit to a religious place, day at the pool with your parents or interview at a job where you’re not sure if your tattoos will be accepted? Don’t laser them off just yet!
Tattoos are becoming more normalised in today’s everyday society but some aspects are still old fashioned in their views, looking down on the body modification. Family, religion and work are just three aspects where tattoos aren’t always warmly welcomed but that shouldn’t mean you should retain your expression!
For example, in japan, tattoos are still somewhat taboo and often associated with gang association and therefore looked down upon. In many places of work, unfortunately tattoos are still seen as a lack of professionalism. Tattoos are a common form of expression in todays’ society but for some careers and cultures, they have to be covered and it’s not always the easiest thing to do. Expression should be free flowing and accepted but sometimes it may need a temporary cover. Thankfully, there are products that are durable enough to give you a tattoo free look. This article would give recommended products and a description of how to quickly and simply cover your tattoos.
Is the Bratz challenge the viral beauty trend that our nostalgic minds didn’t know we needed?
There is a new trend in the socialsphere that is taking the world by storm and sending beauty fanatics right back to the noughties.
Think toys – and no, its not troll dolls, it’s better. People have been trying to copy the sometimes problematic ‘Barbie’ competitor, Bratz. Since 2001, the dolls, Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin have been seen as a diverse, fashion forward, glam to the nines group of friends.
The chic outfits, striking eyeshadow and big lips (Bratz made big lips trendy before Kylie Jenner did FYI) were all the rage when we were young and now that we’re old enough to buy our own makeup, beauty bloggers, MUA’s and girls and boys across the world are recreating these looks.
I think this would be a good feature as Cosmopolitan is known for being up to date on their social media beauty trends and this challenge is taking Instagram by storm. By reading this feature, readers may also want to look into the challenge and maybe even try them. As this would be an online feature, the feature may gain traction when the ‘Bratz Challenge’ is searched for because it is popular at the moment.
Is it time for your skin to go on a diet?
We’ve all heard the term ‘food for the soul’, but what about ‘food for the face’?
Our skin isn’t only benefitted by the products that we put on our skin but also the foods that we put into our bodies.
We have a rough idea of what we should and shouldn’t eat and while wine and chocolate may be a guilty pleasure, it may explain why your skin isn’t looking as flawless as you would like it to be. Everybody loves a good snack and having good skin doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t indulge every now and then! For example, eating dark chocolate actually boosts the moisture in your skin due to the stimulants found in the cocoa.
This feature is for the scientific, health conscious woman. For this feature, I would delve into looking at how foods can benefit our skin (for example, butternut squash having a lot of beta-carotene, which reduces skin cell damage). Cosmopolitan likes to cover original stories and many publications are focusing on how the food we eat makes us feel. I feel that readers would also want know how it alters the way that we look as it’s very easy to not notice the effects of what we digest.
Short features
Skincare guide – A product for every problem
For every problem, there is a solution and the same applies to skincare. There is a product that can target any blemish, hyper-pigmentation, de-hydration and a guide to direct readers on what their skin needs could be helpful to skincare fanatics and newbies. This feature would be a long length beauty bible which can cover every skincare sorrow that a person may have, covering skin affected by hormones, diet, lifestyle and allergies. In this feature I would get women with extreme versions of problems (e.g. allergies or acne) and discuss how they were tackled. I believe that this feature could do well as it would be something that people can come back and refer to. It would not only be informative, but also educational. There is a misconception that skincare and beauty are ‘ditsy’ topics but by applying a scientific approach, it will allow the reader to see that beauty is more a basic subject. In this feature we can look at how acids and chemical peels affect and benefit the skin and explore how the reader can confidently bring clinical treatments into their homes for a fraction of the price.
Beauty bible – The best season transitioning products
As the warmer weather starts to make its’ way over (goodbye chilly days), our skin requirements change too, which means you need to be ahead of the seasons and buy the products before they fly off of the shelves. Moving your beauty products into the new season is not always easy and what would have worked before, may not work now. If readers have a guide on how to transition then it will make it easier for them.
As the weather changes, the skin craves different nutrients, it is key to be kind enough to your skin, to update our beauty cupboards. In order to make this feature acceptable for every person, this beauty bible will include a range of expensive products and inexpensive, similar products. Cosmopolitans readers come from many socioeconomic backgrounds, hence why a range of prices is a necessity for this feature. The aim of this piece of content would be to make it as inclusive as possible. This kind of feature could be an annual post where new products can be added or updated year by year. By making it annual, readers would look forward to the feature every year and it could be something that gets the publication more attention.
Is the Bratz challenge the viral beauty trend that our nostalgic minds didn’t know we needed? (Requested developed feature)
Beauty trends have been going for as long as social media has been around. Faux freckles, clown contouring and squiggle brows (we’re glad this was just a trend tbh) are just three of the trends that MUA’s and beauty fans went crazy for.
Here at Cosmopolitan, we love a good challenge (especially when it makes us feel young again). There is a new trend in the social-sphere sending beauty fanatics into a frenzy and right back to the noughties. Think toys – and no, it’s not troll dolls, it’s much better. People have been trying to copy the sometimes problematic ‘Barbie’ competitor, Bratz. Since 2001, the dolls, Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin have been seen as a diverse, fashion forward, glam to the nines group of friends and today beauty gurus and fans are transforming themselves into the characters. What started as just a show, grew into a media empire that resulted in their creator, MGA Entertainment, releasing games, merchandise, studio albums and a live movie.
The Bratz dolls were the gal pals that we all wanted. Their ‘passion for fashion’ and style conscious ways made us want to be the latest addition to the group.
With chic outfits, striking eyeshadow, heels to the heavens, and big lips (Bratz made big lips trendy before Kylie Jenner did FYI), Bratz dolls were all the rage when we were young. Now that we’re old enough to buy our own makeup, beauty bloggers, MUA’s, girls and boys across the world are recreating these looks.
The challenge originally blossomed when makeup fanatic Natalie Martinez took to Twitter to share a picture of her glam look alongside an image of the character Cloe. After Natalie’s tweet went viral, fanatics decided to try out their Bratz doll inspired looks. The internet began to flood with men and women transforming themselves into the famous dolls.
In order to ace the look of a Bratz doll, you need to have over the top, bold lips and huge eyes. The challenge consists of participants glazing their eyelids with the most pigmented, sparkly eyeshadows, over-lining and plumping their lips, dramatic contour, building up layers of foundation to create an airbrushed look and gluing on their longest lashes to achieve the ‘it’ girl look. Once everything is done, the fan places a picture of their desired doll alongside their transformation for comparison.
The diversity of the dolls has allowed makeup artists of all skin colours, genders, and skin conditions to feel as though anyone can have a place in the challenge. While some have questioned why the doll competitor ‘Barbie’ is yet to have a challenge created, the lack of diversity refrains it from becoming a viral trend. What set Bratz aside from Barbie was the majority of ethnicities, allowing little girls to feel as though they had a doll that looked like them, particularly in the black and Hispanic communities. Common features such as big lips and wide noses were glorified rather than shunned.
Although the challenge has allowed makeup fans to channel their inner ‘it’ girl, like many viral challenges, there is a darker side. People have been creating looks and using makeup to replicate burns, scars and skin conditions such as vitiligo, in a bid to find a niche look that can therefore go viral.
The Bratz Challenge’s presence online is on the up, with the hashtag being used a whopping 108,000 times so far. The aesthetic of the common ‘Insta baddie’ look has a clear influence from the Bratz dolls, so it hasn’t come as a surprise that this challenge has had so much attention. It’s been over a decade since the Bratz started and it’s fair to say that if Instagram was around in 2001, then the dolls would have had an influence on the makeup techniques seen on the platform. 18 years on, the dolls with ‘a passion for fashion’ are still the ‘it’ girls and boys are who we all want to be when we grow up (don’t worry, we have time).
Memoir: Journey to loving my skin
Like many, I was an acne prone, self-conscious teenager. Cameras weren’t my friend and my facial features were always seen as my downfall. I was your typical, hormonal, out of place student.
I would contour my nose to extremes in order to look more appealing and less wide. I would cake my face in ‘Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse’ (it was never even the right shade, because finding colours for darker skin was almost impossible).
I focused on the red bumps on my skin and dreaded looking in the mirror every morning. I tried EVERYTHING – toothpaste to dry out the spots, bicarbonate of soda to lighten acne scars and even apple cider vinegar to tighten my pores (though it only made me smell)!
Unfortunately, my homemade lotions and potions didn’t work.
I decided that my acne was too much and went with my mum to my local GP to see if there was anything to reduce the bumpy skin and hyper-pigmentation. Until my doctor had pointed out what should have been obvious, I was completely oblivious to the fact that the beauty products that I was putting on my skin, were not only a temporary fix but also irritating my skin and making it worse! To my surprise, my doctor was a bit of a skincare or ‘dermatological’ fan (as she called herself) who had a love for skincare.
She prescribed me a gel, best known as ‘Duac’ which contains Clindamycin and Benzoyl Peroxide, two agents that work together to stop the growth of acne-causing bacteria. Finally, I had found my saviour – cue the trumpets! It allowed me to find a new confidence that I didn’t think I would have and a love for looking into chemicals in skincare products. It was also a small corner of science that I didn’t feel absolutely clueless when learning about. Acids, chemicals, botanics, serums and oils have become my top interest ever since and I have finally got my once uncontrollable skin, under control. I wouldn’t have thought that by fixing and caring for my skin, I would love my features and rather than trying to hide them, I accentuate them.
Today, my understanding for what works on my skin has allowed me to look good and feel good too. My go to brands today are The Ordinary for my foundation (as it is dewy and hydrating and very cheap) and night time skincare, Galinee for my morning routine (as it is bacteria based for sensitive skin), Benefit for my mascara (as it’s lengthening and long lasting) and Zelens for my lipstick and body wash (amazing for washing away the day.)
The journey to happy skin is just that, a journey. It’s trial and error, you have to see what works for you and what you should steer clear from. No one knows your skin better than you and your skin is ever-changing. Playing around with products is the best way to figure out what is suitable (and its fun too!)
