If your math doesn’t quite add up, simple advice: fake it
By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, UnionvilleTimes.com
Beyoncé was just named People Magazine’s “Most Beautiful Woman in the World”.
And, in other shocking news, the Pope is Catholic.
While it’s no big surprise that Beyoncé is a gorgeous cover girl, I recently read an article about the “mathematics of beauty” that did astonish me.
Did you know that the symmetry of a person’s face contributes to their overall rating of attractiveness?
It’s true!
In fact, the ancient Greeks devised a formula to measure beauty. “The Golden Rule” of 1:1.618 was determined to be the perfect ratio of the width of the nose to the width of the mouth. Likewise, the ultimate distance between the hairline to the nose and the nose to the chin is….you guessed it….1:1.618.
Now, I am taking these Greeks on their word because that math makes ZERO sense to me. I may have graduated from high school with AP Calculus on my transcript, but, anything higher than single digit addition or subtraction is just a random gibberish of numbers. (If you don’t believe me, ask my 5th grader. He’ll tell ya.)
The bottom line (mathematical equation, notwithstanding) is that the more symmetrical the face, the prettier the person.
So, what to do if you were not blessed with a 1:1.618 ratio? I say: fake It.
If you have one lip that is fatter than the other, lip liner is your magic wand!
Now, normally I am not a fan of lip liner. Not because I do not think that it is a useful tool to enhance the mouth…but, rather, because the wrong application can have disastrous results. Choose a color that is one shade darker than your natural lip. With a gentle hand, you can extend the outline of the upper (or lower) lip to eliminate asymmetry. *WARNING: this is an “advanced” make-up application. If you have ANY doubt as to the correct color, please consult a professional. You do not want to look like you drank a glass of Kool-Aid outside the confines of your mouth like you did when you were five.
Next problem…
If your nose is too wide, use concealer on either side to create the illusion of length. Easy and effective!
As for the whole “hairline to nose to chin” part, unless you are willing to invest in a nose job or some sort of chin implant (OUCH and ewwww) there’s no real solution that I can think of.
Guess that’s why some people are on covers of magazines and others just write about them…
Happy Weekend!
