Interesting Facts

According to laboratory tests carried out by scientists at the London Metropolitan University, out of date beauty products can contain deadly bacteria. (Tests on 5 makeup products; mascara, blusher, foundation, lip gloss and lipstick, revealed that makeup is a breeding ground for some really nasty stuff: 6 different types of bacteria were found, including the deadly meningitis bacteria Enterococcus Faecalis/Faecium, and bacteria that can cause acne and even septicaemia, a severe blood infection that can lead to organ failure and death. The research was funded by online beauty retailer www.escentual.com.  I think I'll just go and check my makeup bag now.)

A study carried out by Fragrance Direct showed that nearly half of young girls in the UK start wearing make-up between the ages of 10 and 15. (Girls start feeling the pressure to start wearing make-up at the age of 10, and the average age at which girls start wearing make-up is 11 (3 years younger than a decade ago). With the pressure to look perfect, especially for that "selfie", make-up is increasingly being marketed to preteens: One Direction launched their own make-up line ‘Little Things' in 2013, despite their hit single, What Makes You Beautiful, saying girls 'don't need make-up!' Well there is a saying in English, "little things please little minds".) !Note - make-up or makeup, it's a word in transition. http://www.english-magazine.org/poetry-and-song/silly-poems-and-rhymes/3033-silly-poems-and-rhymes-make-up

According to a study commissioned by Escentual.com, the average value of the contents of a woman's make-up bag is £172. (This valuation doesn't even take into account the cost of the make-up bag, just the contents. It was worked out using the following:- lipstick, £14 eyeliner, £11 mascara, £23 foundation £27 concealer £11 eye-shadow £16 blusher £11 bronzer £11 eyelash curler £5 eyebrow pencil £5 lip-liner £5 lip-gloss £11 Funnily enough, the women surveyed admitted having quite a few products in their bag that they rarely used, but they took them out just so they could be ready for every eventuality. The only make-up in my handbag is lip salve.  Cost? 1 pound.)

According to a study by Imperial Leather. working women look their best for just two hours and 22 minutes in the morning. (The study found that the average woman spends 38 minutes getting herself ready and leaves the house at 7.40am looking and feeling like a million dollars, but the beautifully styled hairdo and fully made-up face is history by precisely 10.03am.  I have to admit, I look a mess first thing in the morning, and nothing changes till last thing at night. Why else do you think I don't use video for the English sessions?)

If a woman spends 15 minutes a day on hair and makeup (a pretty conservative estimate) it will cost her 3,900 minutes a year, or almost two working weeks. (So, why do women go through this routine, day in / day out? Well according to research by makeup manufacturer Procter & Gamble— professional women who wear makeup are perceived as more likeable, trustworthy and competent. Doh! That's what I've been doing wrong all these years, I just needed a bit of slap and I'd have been CEO of Post Office Services by now!)

According to a study by Bionsen, women in the UK spend more than £100,000 on makeup in their life time. (That's a shade over £2000 during every year of adulthood, or nearly £40 in an average week. Who are these women? What on earth are they buying, gold dust?) Source - Daily Record

Any substance that measures less than 100 nanometers (one tenth of a micrometer) in at least one dimension can be considered a nanomaterial. (You might think it is all science fiction, but you'd be wrong, synthetic nanomaterials can be found in cosmetics like sunscreen and make-up and, are added to food, to extend shelf life. Which means you probably have some inside you as you read this.)

According to New Woman magazine British women spend a whopping £3,000 a year on beauty products and treatments. (81 per cent of British women wear makeup every day. Yet again I buck the trend.)

Many lipsticks contain fish scales. (Yes, the pearly effect in many lipsticks is provided by our fishy friends - it's called pearl essence, or "pearlescence." And it's also used in nail polishes, ceramic glazes, etc., to give that shimmery effect. This isn't so much a 'makes you think' fact as a 'makes you sick' fact! Ugh!)