If your first thought was 'what the fuck is the golden ratio?' You’re not alone, let me explain!
The Golden Ratio, about 1.618 🤷🏻♀️ is often seen as the gold standard for beauty. It’s a mathematical principle that’s been applied to art and architecture—and yes, even faces. Some makeup artists use it to measure and adjust features, aiming for 'ideal' symmetry and look each to there own and I don’t want to be a bitch but I don’t buy it. This approach can erase the unique features that make us who we are. Which leads me to ask how would life be interesting if we all looked the fucking same?? It is very likely there is something or someone in your life that you find incredibly beautiful that doesn’t fit this ratio - not even buy a long shot but does that make you love it/them any less? The same goes for you, there is someone out there who looks at you and sees perfection - even on the days you might struggle to see it yourself. I digress…
When we try to fit everyone into the same proportions, we risk losing the individuality that defines us. Our faces aren’t blueprints, and beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why I don’t use the Golden Ratio in my work. Instead, I focus on enhancing what’s already there—celebrating the natural beauty that makes you, you. That beauty you struggle to see in yourself sometimes? I see it.
Makeup should build confidence and reflect your personality, not hide it behind someone else’s idea of perfection. By letting go of rigid standards like the Golden Ratio, we can embrace the richness of real, diverse beauty. That’s where the magic happens.
Makeup should never feel like a science experiment. Yet, the Golden Ratio—this so-called "perfect" mathematical formula—has somehow made its way into beauty. It’s a principle that suggests there’s an ideal proportion for human features, and in the makeup world, it’s used to justify contouring, shading, and reshaping faces to fit a standard that, frankly, just doesn’t sit right with me.
Let’s break it down. The Golden Ratio assumes beauty is about symmetry and balance, where certain facial features should align in specific ways to be deemed "ideal." Sounds fancy, right? But when you think about it, trying to mold every face to fit this rigid framework only erases what makes each of us unique. Your face has a story—it’s your identity, your quirks, your ancestory and I’m not here to rewrite that story to meet someone else’s standards.
The Problem with Chasing Perfection
When we use makeup to force our faces into a so-called ideal, we’re not enhancing beauty; we’re conforming to a singular vision of it. And even if you do achieve this arbitrary standard, it’s not going to make you look like anyone else. What it will do is make you feel off. Why? Because you’re no longer going to look like yourself.
Think about it: we’ve all got features that set us apart—maybe it’s a freckle, a slightly asymmetrical smile, or the way your nose crinkles when you laugh, one eye higher than the other. These are the things that make you recognizable to your loved ones and to yourself. Why should we hide or reshape them just to fit into a mathematical equation that doesn’t account for individuality?
Makeup Should Be About Feeling Good, Not Fitting In
My goal is for you to look at your makeup and think oh wow it looks like I've had a good night’s sleep and a restful holiday or I could make you glow like you’ve just had the best sex of your life 😈 (the post orgasm look was my favourite for a long time!) but none of that involves changing your features to match a universal standard of beauty. It’s about using makeup as a tool to enhance what’s already there, not to hide it.
For me, the real magic of makeup lies in the way it can make you feel. Confidence doesn’t come from looking like someone else; it comes from recognizing and celebrating what you already have. Makeup should feel like an extension of your personality, not a mask you put on to meet an impossible ideal.
I prefer Margaret Wolff Hungerford‘s take 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'
The Golden Ratio has been used to define beauty for centuries, but it has no place in my makeup kit. It’s too clinical, too prescriptive, and frankly, too boring. There’s nothing empowering about telling someone they need to adjust their features to fit a mathematical formula. It’s not just limiting, it’s dehumanizing. Your face doesn’t need fixing. It doesn’t need reshaping, realigning, or reimagining. It needs celebrating. Those so-called imperfections? They’re not flaws hun they're what make you fucking awesome.
A New Standard of Beauty
Instead of trying to bring everyone into line with one standard, why aren’t we celebrating individuality? Why aren’t we using makeup to express who we are rather than erase it? I believe makeup should be about finding joy, about feeling good in your own skin, about showing the world who you are—not about hiding.
And here’s the truth: even if you did reshape your face to match some arbitrary ideal, you’d ultimately still look like you but with a heavier face paint. The disconnect you’d feel wouldn’t come from your reflection; it would come from losing touch with what makes you unique.
Jumping Off My Soap Box
This is why I do what I do. I don’t follow the Golden Ratio because I don’t believe in forcing anyone into a mold they weren’t made for. Your face is a masterpiece, just as it is. And my job isn’t to "fix" it—it’s to celebrate it, enhance it, and help you feel incredible in your own skin.
So let’s drop the ratios, the rules, and the ridiculous standards. Let’s start celebrating faces for what they are: unique, individual, and completely, unapologetically beautiful.
If this at all resonates with you please interact with me in some way. DM me, leave me a comment, let me know you're out there and you agree because coimmunity is what keeps me going ♥️
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