October 24, 2016

My experience at Cosmopolitan: I am beauty exhibition

This weekend, I had the opportunity to be a panelist at one of the talks that Girls Talk London hosted at the Cosmopolitan x Estée Lauder #iambeauty exhibition. The event brought together brands such as Clinique, Smashbox, Michael Kors and Aveda for a day of talks and workshops. The exhibition featured pictures from women around the world who had submitted  pictures and had portraits taken as part of the social media hashtag for the campaign #iambeauty. 

The Girls Talk London talk focused on answering the question: What does beauty mean for young millennial women? We had a great audience as they engaged in our lively discussions on the Alicia Keys led no make-up movement, wearing make- up in the workplace, celebrities that capitalise on beauty trends and the ever so current issue on social media and it’s ability to define global beauty standards.

If you sadly missed out on the day here are my top #iambeauty discussion take away points:

Always listen to your skin!

My fellow panelist, Lori Bee who is a make-up artist gave fantastic advice that got everyone thinking. She gave  tips on making sure that we have a healthy and well balanced diet in order to have radiant skin-rather than using expensive beauty products as a cover up

Wearing make up in the workplace does vary depending on the industry you are in

It was mentioned that women in corporate or client facing industries who wear make up to work tend to have better opportunities, higher tips, and even promotions! In other industries, wearing make up in the workplace could be seen as unprofessional and women who do, are not taken seriously.

Unfortunately, social media does put pressure on us all to look a certain way even if we don’t want to.

With the rise of the Kardashian/Jenner family, beauty standards have been dictated to show that they are the standard of what a beautiful woman should be. At Girls Talk London we disagree, as we believe that there is beauty in our differences, rather than uniformity. We all come in different shapes, sizes and races and this should always be celebrated!

Nobody is perfect

We can’t all say that “I woke like this” (like Beyoncé) The focus should be on cultivating self love from the inside – out. Don’t follow what everyone else is doing as we are all unique. Host, Dean Quinton, fabulously reminded us all to “not be sheep, but be a Shepherd” when it comes to defining what beauty means to us!

To find out more about the I am beauty campaign click here

Amaka Uche 

Girls Talk London Ambassador

Follow Amaka on Twitter @amakauche_ey

Check out what Amaka wrote about the Alicia Key no make-up movement here