2007 Plastique Magazine was the last publication brave enough to let me write about Beauty Theories. Huge thanks to @alexbyrnebeauty for her belief and contacts to instigate this. The Makeup was done at the end of a long day of advertising work, so not my best, but PLEASE read on as this is my FAVOURITE THING I've learned while studying THE PERCEPTION OF BEAUTY... We all have a mind map of how we see and recognise faces. Our desire to have the perfect nose, lips, eyes, face shape etc. is based on “average” features. The ancient Greeks were after this - a democratisation of the face- They didn’t sculpt faces that were unique, they wanted faces to represented the society, so they averaged noses, eyes, lips face shapes etc. Now, this Average face- which is a very attractive face- will certainly turn heads because it will be symmetrical with balanced features, BUT.... THIS IS NOT A MEMORABLE FACE!! This is easily proved by understanding how caricatures work. A caricature is a portrait where unique (NOT average) characteristics of a face are exaggerated. They work because this is how we REMEMBER faces. Cognitive scientist Gillian Rhodes, explains in “SuperPortaits” that we all have a mind map of faces where we separate known faces and features into distinct categories. This is why when we know and love someone we fall in Love with what is unique to them, including and especially their unique facial features. while the "first impression" face of average balanced features is what advertising pushes at us, it is the "lasting memory" of the idiosyncratic facial features we remember and cherish! To me - a wonderful truth to remember! which is more important to you.? the first impression or the lasting memory?? First photo @matthewshave