Why do women wear makeup?

Women wear makeup for a variety of reasons that may include covering a blemish, looking healthier, feeling more confident or trying to appeal to other men or women. Women may have started wearing makeup to exaggerate differences between men and women.

Since women tend to have redder lips than men, women may have started wearing lipstick to make that difference stand out, notes Olga Khazan for The Atlantic. Some women also wear makeup to correct perceived flaws on their face. If a woman has light eyelashes, she may wear mascara to make them appear darker and fuller. If a woman tends to have dark circles under her eyes, she may wear concealer to cover up those circles.