Cosmetics! Surely a two edged sword for magical folk and muggles alike, cosmetics, also known as "makeup", serve a dual purpose. On the one hand, and at its best, some might use cosmetics to enhance their natural beauty or emphasise their aesthetic look; while others might use the same to hide some embarrassing imperfection, scar, or inconvenient mark of some dark magic.
At its most basic, the magic of cosmetics is simply found in the material's ability to conceal that which lies below. If beauty were truly only skin deep, one's choice of cosmetics would only affect the shallowest aspect of one's beauty! Thus far, muggles and wizarding folk alike can concur.
But magic and enchantment play a much deeper role in our lives, often employed to perform the most mundane tasks such as lighting a room or doing the washing up after dinner. Likewise, there are numerous spells, potions, and charmed gadgets that we can use to enhance or conceal or even change the shape of a person's look.
Spells such colorvaria & crinus muto & cauda incrementum or potions such as manegro and the beautification potion can all change or alter one's appearance. Some can have disastrous or unpredictable effects like mutatio skullus, whilst others like pulchra are far more innocuous in nature!
First years Mey & Jun opined: "Honestly….if I could do make a makeup like that…" and "The only thing I can do is Mascara..."
It's more the gadgets we're going to examine here! Enchanted items are nothing new to the young wizard, of course. Who among us didn't have a cupboard with enchanted games like Citadel or Arthur's Gambit? Or a toy broom? Wizarding life is surrounded by such items. And many are the enchanted objects that can be used to change or enhance the appearance. From enchanted barrettes to cheeky curlers, and the cosmetic puff these are just a couple of the items one can purchase for their cosmetics kit. And what might these delightful little trifles do? In fact, there are many varieties and brands one might choose from that do a variety of things!
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For example, Wicks Enchanted Barrettes don't just change colour, they are enchanted to randomly let down multicoloured spiders that will spin a web over your hair spelling out the name or word you teach it to when you tap it with your wand!
Whilst Brandys Brights line of barrettes style your messy bird's nest of hair as easy as one, two, three! |
is a favourite among younger witches. According to one young Slytherin, Gabriela Marquez, this super cheap little kit is
kind of like your skills, but less than half as good. Perhaps of dubious quality, at least it allowed her to add some fake eyebrows and freckles. "They look pretty realistic, and if I wear a hat I bet no one will notice!" At only two sickles, it's a bargain no one can pass up!
| Croack and Coffey's line of cosmetic self applicators are often preferred by older girls suffering from a lack of preparation time before an all important Pureblood soirée or even a school ball. Coming in a variety of interesting designs, from simple brass compacts with an enchanted powder puff and mirror, to the costlier designs in engraved silver with multiple compartments, they all share the same basic magical foundation: a suite of applicators and puffs that are enchanted to do the actual work of applying makeup to the user. Just be careful not to get the stuff in your nose, or you'll be sneezing purple bubbles all through the ball! |
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Be sure to check out Winken, Blinken & Nodd's line of enchanted blinglets! These are small rhinestones with a self-epoximising backing that, once applied, will flash merrily in a variety of colours when tapped by one's wand. These are popular with boys, who might wish to spell out the name of their beloved on their chest in flashy letters, but also with girls who might desire to add an attractive flash to their kit! Blinglets are fairly cheap, mind, and at only a couple sickles for a packet of six, one can't expect them to either light up an entire room or last more than a couple of hours! Keep in mind, blinglets should not be eaten, unless you don't mind your stomach flashing like a glow-worm! |
| Some magical adventures require one to not only engage in potentially dangerous activities like confronting the perils of shadow creatures or fighting off deadly hag dolls, but they require the young witch or wizard to look good whilst doing it! While it's true that most wizarding cosmetics are designed to be easily applied and easily removed, Hardanger's Dang Hard line of hard wearing cosmetics take the cake at the other end of the spectrum. Waterproof, soapproof, scourgifyproof, and impervious to most cleaning potions and charms, the Dang Hard line of cosmetics are truly dang hard to remove! Long lasting and durable, Hardanger's Red Hot lip balm has been tested by several Hogwarts students to outlast even the scorchiest of snogging sessions! Available in a variety of colours, Hardanger's is the go to line for the wizard who needs his lip balm or eye liner to last longer than he does. Hardanger offers a guarantee that if their products can be removed within seventy two hours of sever scrubbing or bundimun acid attack, you'll get a voucher for half off facial restoration at St Mungo's dermatology clinic! |
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Not all cosmetics seek to be flashy and gaudy! There are many fine lines of makeup, cosmetics and beautifying artifacts that enhance the beauty in a much more classy and refined style. For example, one very popular line is Akiko. Specialising in beauty potions, this Japanese line are renown in Britain for their hair styling products, including circlets, barrettes, braid buns and the like. Just give the circlet a tap with your wand and your hair will instantly be done up in a highly fashionable style fit for the highest couture and most dignified of Pureblood events!
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One last cute little device, such as can be found in shops where children like to buy cheap magical toys and such, is Helga Halfhelm's line of odd little trinkets called SQUEE! Disguised as an innocuous little tie tack or pin or even a cheap ring or charm, SQUEE are guaranteed to (temporarily) turn the most dour of world domination planning Pureblood children into happy little kiddos ready enjoy a friendly game of gobstones followed by some warm hot choco by a nice cosy fire! Frankly, it's not just kids who are after these, but often times parents who feel that their ickle Tommy Riddle needs to chill out from time to time!
SQUEEEEE!!!! |
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