What is Looking Young Anyway?

As a makeup artist, I get lots of questions from people on how to look younger. Maybe it comes in the form of “How can I erase my wrinkles?” Or […] More

Is Your Makeup Killing You? Decoding Cosmetic Scare Stories

You’ve seen the stories: There’s Lead in Your Lipstick! Pthalates in Your Shampoo! Parabens in Everything! Our cosmetics are awash in toxic chemicals, or so it seems. Are we in imminent […] More

Marilyn Minter's Subversive Beauty

What would happen if you ate all your makeup – and it was laced with LSD? What if piling on the trappings of glamour and beauty could give you an […] More

Painted Ladies: Madame X

To us in the 21st century, masterworks in painting convey a classicism and elegance that seem nonexistent in the modern world. But in the case of Madame X, the scandal […] More

We see them everywhere: some are serene, blissful, meditating in drugstore fliers. Others – lithe visions of feminine happiness, stretching in yogurt and maxi pad commercials. And then there are […] More

Beauty Archetypes: Tattooed Ladies, Part Two

When we look at Tattooed Ladies, we often think of them in the context of individuality, self-expression, and self-ownership. And in the United States, the history of women and tattoos […] More

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I’m Meli Pennington – a makeup artist in New York City. Here at Wild Beauty, I explore the interplay of beauty and culture from a creative insider’s perspective, looking at vanity practices, art, history, technology, and fascinating people who make beauty happen.More About Me
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