No Star Appeal? | The Healthy Beauty Project -by Todra Payne

Ads are suppose to make you want something you don’t really need and get you addicted to it so you’re a customer for life. I’ll be the first to admit makeup isn’t one of life’s dire necessities in the same way as food, shelter and chocolate. But it’s something we girls tend to love and use on a regular basis.

Ad agencies are well aware of this. And since there’s so much competition for your (and my) limited funds, ad execs know they need to work hard to convince us that 1)beauty products are an inherent need and 2) that we aren’t desirable, loveable or glamorous without them.

This is where celebrity endorsements come in. I remember back in the stone ages, when I first became a makeup artist, Supermodels who were known on a first name basis (Naomi, Cindy, Christy) were the faces peering out from magazine covers. Their bodies displayed the latest fashion trends and their features glowed with the makeup look of the season. Their pretty faces were effective for their time. But somewhere in the last 20 years, women have decided they hate models – all models. Even really sweet models who don’t hit people with cell phones.

So ad agencies came up with the idea that actresses and pop stars should be on magazine covers and beauty commercials telling us what to wear. This baffles me because celebs have makeup artists. And wardrobe stylists. Rarely do they create the look they wear on the red carpet. But that’s a different discussion.

The point? Mainstream cosmetic brands with the help of ad agencies are pulling out all the stops.  They’re hiring the familiar faces from our favorite television shows, big screen movies and iTune hits to convince us we need their products. I mean if Beyonce wears Revlon, then why shouldn’t you?

Well, because there are far better lines out there with healthier ingredients. Because celebrities are paid to say they love the brands they’re wearing. And lastly, because the photos of celebs are retouched past any hope of reality. And forget integrity in advertising. I mean celebs are telling us that certain products keep their hair beautiful and shiny when in reality, they’re wearing $50,000 (seriously!) handmade lace front wigs.

Working our way through the fluff of advertising can be difficult, even for those with a resistance to advertising.

I have to admit, I am always blown away by the Cover Girl ads with Queen Latifa. I like her music and she looks stunning. But I’d never, ever, on my death bed, wear Cover Girl. My commitment to natural and healthy makeup just won’t allow it. But when I go to visit the websites of brands I trust and love – lines with great, health conscious ingredients and organic certification, I am sometimes disappointed that there’s less “sparkle and glitz”.

Why can’t my favorite singer endorse a brand that grows it’s ingredients on an organic farm and ships products out fresh the day I order them? Why aren’t top tier movie stars lining up to lend their likenesses to small beauty brands with a conscious? Because celebs aren’t choosing brands based on what’s good, but on who pays them the big bucks. Even reality “stars” are trying to cash in on product endorsement.

That’s reality. So the next time you visit the website of a small, mom and pop beauty brand (perhaps one we recommend), don’t bounce off the page because there aren’t any stars. The “stars” for these brands are the products they sell.

How much are you affected by advertising? Have you ever bought a product because your favorite celebrity endorsed it?