Confident is the new sexy when it comes to makeup

New research out today reveals that the majority of British women want to exude a look of confidence (65 per cent), over any other trait; including appearing sexy (26 per cent), intelligent (12 per cent) or youthful (3 per cent).

Going against oversexualised female icons such as pop siren Jennifer Lopez and “S&M” singer Rihanna, the desire to display a look of confidence was supported by 70 per cent of women and 69 per cent of men1, voting a ‘confident woman’ as being most attractive to them.

The moments that women voted as wanting to look most confident included job interviews (28 per cent), a night out with friends (26 per cent) and a date

(11 per cent), with make-up (37 per cent) found to be a leading tool for Brits to convey a confident appearance.

The poll of 1,000 women carried out by shopping channel QVC for June Beauty Month, also revealed that the beauty icon that best represents the look of confidence two thirds of Brits desire, is Jessie J (64 per cent), who is recognised for a strong make-up look with bright lips, colourful eyes and rosy blush. However, 77 per cent of Brits admitted they didn’t have the courage to showcase such a look and instead opted for a natural appearance like Kate Middleton, whose look 46 per cent of Brits try to replicate.

The top five traits that women want to convey in their appearance and the beauty icons that were voted as reflecting that look, were revealed as being:

1) Confidence (65 per cent) – Jessie J (64 per cent)

2) Femininity (52 per cent) – Gwyneth Paltrow (54 per cent)

3) Glamour (33 per cent) – Cheryl Cole (55 per cent)

4) Sexiness (26 per cent)  – Rihanna (58 per cent)

5) Sophistication (13 per cent) – Kate Middleton (69 per cent)

QVC spokesperson and psychologist Dr. Bijal Chheda-Varma, explains:

“Make-up choice can greatly influence how a woman wants to be perceived by

others   around her as well as how she feels about her self-confidence. Make-

up has been used for centuries to help women enhance aspects of their persona and improve their self-esteem in a quick instant manner, yet the study shows how many women don’t have the courage or knowledge of how to create a confident look.”

Tanned skin (36 per cent) was found to be the ultimate confidence boosting make-up fix, closely followed by a defined eyebrow (26 per cent), rosy cheeks

(17 per cent) and red lips (14 per cent).

Jo Lee, QVC’s Buying Director for Beauty and Jewellery, comments:

“Women love the look of a confident icon but don’t have the courage to wear it themselves which is such a shame. You don’t have to go from neutral to pillar box red lips in one jump, start with a cherry gloss and build up from there.

Make it a rule to try something new every month and before you know it you’ll be wearing that bold make-up look you’ve always craved.”

In order to help women create the confident look that they desire most, Dr Chheda Varma has worked with QVC make-up artists to create a beauty map of how to create a confident look – available at www.qvcuk.com.