yesElma Blair grew up loving to play with makeup. But her relationship with her, and her beauty in general, changed after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
“I am notoriously impatient with apps now as my vision is a bit blurrier [and] my body is a bit more nervous,” the actress, who has been outspoken about the impact MS has had on her daily life, tells Well + Good. “While the world was learning to follow tips and tricks [on social media]I moved further away from beauty.”
While great strides have been made to make beauty more inclusive, more shadow rendering! better products for various hair types!—makeup in particular is not yet fully accessible to people with disabilities. For example, creating a cat eye with traditional eyeliner or applying clump-free mascara with a standard wand can present challenges for anyone with tremors or limited dexterity. So when Guide Beauty, the brand reinventing makeup design and application to make it easier for people of everybody makeup-wearing skills, announced that Blair is coming on board as creative director, brought more visibility to an issue in the beauty industry that needs to be addressed.
“Guide has given me the push to look at myself and give myself permission to make mistakes and create and correct again.”—Selma Blair
The brand launched in 2020 after its founder, celebrity makeup artist Terri Bryant, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She was experiencing a loss of hand dexterity, making it difficult for her to apply product, and she partnered with clean chemical and human factors designers to create tools that would make makeup accessible to people of all abilities. Her work resulted in the creation of the brand’s patented “guide ring,” which slides between fingers for a secure hold and easier control when applying makeup. The award-winning products, at first a mascara, gel liner duo and brow gel, were an instant hit and a game changer for many who had otherwise been left out by traditional makeup design.
“We want everyone to have that feeling and feel considered in every product we develop,” says Bryant. “Not only do we have fun together, but we also want to share in our larger purpose of making people feel and included in the cosmetics and beauty space.”
Blair met Bryant through a mutual friend and instantly fell in love with the ethos of the brand, which made the partnership feel like a natural fit. “Terri and I found important common ground in understanding how much I missed him, that the time in the mirror was the time I needed to find my face for the day, which gave me more self-awareness, spirit and confidence,” Blair says. .
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Along with the announcement of Blair’s new role, Guide also recently launched two new products, both of which Blair helped develop. The shadow palette contains six shimmering gold and pink shades that Blair says are easy to blend (a priority for the brand), but still have enough pigment to define the eyes. The Easy On The Eyes Brush Collection contains three eyeshadow brushes equipped with guide rings for ease of use.
“I put the wand in my hand, held firmly by the guide ring between my fingers, and stabbed my eye…and guess what? I didn’t panic and find my lid,” Blair says of her experience trying the new products for the first time. “I placed part of my hand on my cheek and began to slide the guide wand to transfer the product to my lid at the base of my eyelid. the lash line. Nothing painful or scary happened. I could make mistakes and go back to having the feeling of wearing makeup and so I did.”
Bryant says that the introduction of shadows and brushes to the collection was a natural progression. She is also hopeful that the beauty industry will start to be more inclusive of people’s ability to use products.
“We are recognizing that there are people who have life experiences that may differ from ours. Most importantly, we are valuing our different life experiences and drawing on them to create products and techniques that allow us to share our love of makeup,” says Bryant. “When that happens, our community grows and so do our connections. That’s what we’re seeing now and that’s exciting. I am hopeful that we will maintain this trajectory, but the industry must be intentional in its commitment and actions around inclusion.”
“I want people who have moved away from makeup or anyone who loves discovering new tools and sizes to feel like their needs are met,” adds Blair. “It is not essential to have tremor to appreciate this line; the luxury of facial care and attention is invaluable and uplifting.”
She continues: “Guide has given me the push to look at myself and give myself permission to make mistakes, create and correct again. She had forgotten how important this step can be in preparing for the day for the psyche, for the confidence. She hadn’t realized what she had shut down when I stopped valuing that time to get closer to myself with all that we have to accomplish.”
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Source: www.wellandgood.com