Looking for insightful thoughts about the art of makeup? These makeup quotes will empower and make you feel beautiful every day.
Makeup enthusiasts come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and genders. Confidence, power, and sexiness are inclusive, and makeup enables people to express themselves.

How important is makeup?
Makeup has been used as a tool of expression since Ancient Egypt, and the industry continues to grow, with nearly everyone having an opinion on makeup! I will admit that I am not a fan of makeup myself, in part because I don’t really know what I am doing! However, after reading these quotes about makeup I might be inclined to throw a little gloss on today and tackle the day!
Below is our collection of funny, inspiring, and empowering makeup quotes and sayings, collected from a variety of sources over the years.
Don’t forget to also check out our list of the best sassy quotes.
Makeup quotes on the power of a little lipstick
1.) “Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.” – Gwyneth Paltrow
2.) “Lipstick is really magical. It holds more than a waxy bit of color – it holds the promise of a brilliant smile, a brilliant day, both literally and figuratively.” – Roberta Gately
3.) “If you’re sad, add more lipstick and attack.” – Coco Chanel
4.) “Sometimes you just have to put on lipgloss and pretend to be psyched.” – Mindy Kaling
5.) “Put on some lipstick and pull yourself together.” – Elizabeth Taylor
6.) “Heels and red lipstick will put the fear of God in people.” – Dita Von Teese
7.) “The only way I’d be caught without makeup is if my radio fell in the bathtub while I was taking a bath and electrocuted me and I was in between makeup at home. I hope my husband would slap a little lipstick on me before he took me to the morgue.” – Dolly Parton
8.) “I believe in manicures, I believe in overdressing, I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick.” – Audrey Hepburn
9.) “Joy is the best makeup. But a little lipstick is a close runner-up.” – Anne Lamott
10.) “Boys will never understand the struggle of long hair and lip gloss on a windy day.” – Unknown
Makeup quotes that will inspire you to express yourself
11.) “But if you want to know who the scariest person in the group is, look for the one who’s been fighting zombies without smearing her eyeliner.” – Mira Grant
12.) “Black eyeliner. It’s standard. It’s all you need. It just makes the world a better place.” – Marilyn Manson
13.) “Life is short. Your lashes shouldn’t be.” – Unknown
14.) “Every woman deserves a man to ruin her lipstick, not her mascara.” – Charlotte Tilbury
15.) “I do put on a little makeup every day because it helps me feel put together. Mascara is essential.” – Emma Stone
16.) “And who’s to say a little mascara doesn’t make you feel more confident when you pop it on and look in the mirror?” – Christina Aguilera
17.) “Thank god for Redbull and fake eyelashes.” – Jeffree Star
18.) “To be honest I’m just winging it. My life. My eyeliner. Everything.” – Unknown
Also read these quotes from Karl Lagerfeld about fashion and art.
Makeup quotes about confidence and success
19.) “I love the confidence that makeup gives me.” – Tyra Banks
20.) “Makeup can contribute to our success.” – Sahara Sanders
21.) “Makeup, lipstick, nail polish, high heels, sexy lingerie are all some of the tools that can help keep the portal of sensual into your relationship opened.” – Lebo Grand
22.) “Makeup is part of my daily routine. It’s the time in my mornings when I can concentrate on me, and me alone. Giving yourself the kind of attention is so important – and is something that is definitely glossed over by too many women.” – Kat Von D
23.) “I don’t wear makeup for others the same way I don’t decorate my house for others. This is my home and everything I do is for me.” – Amanda Lovelace
24.) “I feel beautiful without makeup on, but when I do put makeup on, it just gives me this extra pop.” – Cardi B
25.) “I believe all women are pretty without makeup – but with the right makeup can be pretty powerful.” – Bobbi Brown
26.) “Makeup can be used to express yourself as well. Those experiences should not be limited to women. Everyone should be free to be as colorful as they want to be.” – Ian Thomas Malone
27.) “When I put on makeup, I’m not doing it to pander to antiquated patriarchal ideals of feminine beauty. I’m doing it because it makes me feel good.” – Sophia Amoruso
28.) “I will not retire while I’ve still got my legs and my make-up box.” – Bette Davis
29.) “I’m very proud of my skin and face, and I have no problem not wearing makeup. I don’t wear makeup because I feel like I need to cover myself up or because I don’t feel confident. I wear makeup because it’s fun; it’s like painting on my face.” – Zendaya
30.) “I don’t understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little – if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that’s the day she has a date with destiny. And it’s best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.” – Coco Chanel
31.) “Makeup is part of my daily routine. It’s the time in my mornings when I can concentrate on me, and me alone. Giving yourself the kind of attention is so important – and is something that is definitely glossed over by too many women.” – Kat Von D
32.) “Makeup is no different than clothes and accessories – it’s embellishments for your face. And it also gives you creative freedom. You get to have that moment in front of the mirror every morning and give yourself self-love. You’re making yourself up beautiful, which is essentially self-love.” – Michelle Phan
Profound makeup quotes to empower you
33.) “My dad used to say makeup was a shallow girl’s sport, but it’s not. It’s armor.” – Courtney Summers
34.) “I fought a killer and didn’t even smudge my makeup.” – Rose Pressey
35.) “Calliope leaned forward on the vanity, which was littered with gleaming silver beauty wands and powders and a fresh mani color mitt—all of it arrayed carefully before her like weapons polished and laid out for battle. Her own lethal tools, which had always made her so dangerously beautiful.” – Katharine McGee
36.) “Makeup is not a mask that covers up your beauty; it’s a weapon that helps you express who you are from the inside.” – Michelle Phan
37.) “I came. I saw. I contoured.” – Unknown
You might also like these stylish hair quotes that will boost your confidence.
Quotes about the art of makeup
38.) “Makeup should be just a frame for the eyes. When you lay on all the bright-colored goop and slather white under the brows the eyes themselves are lost in camouflage. Just accent whatever God has given you with a subtle hand.” – Joan Crawford
39.) “Remember that true beauty comes from within – from within bottles, jars, compacts, and lipstick tubes.” – Jeffree Star
40.) “The best thing is to look natural, but it takes makeup to look natural.” – Calvin Klein
41.) “Makeup is about balance. When the eye makes a statement, the lips should be quiet.” – Francois Nars
42.) “To me, beauty and makeup and color is like the finishing touch on everything.” – Marc Jacobs
43.) “That’s why I began doing makeup in the first place: I was hoping that through helping people see the beauty in themselves, I could try and find it in me.” – Kevyn Aucoin
44.) “Color is key to making your makeup pop and have your unique look stand out amongst the rest.” – Jeffree Star
45.) “Creativity is your best makeup skill, don’t be afraid to experiment.” – Pat McGrath
Makeup quotes from Queens, Princesses and a Lady
46.) “You can be a woman who wants to look good and still stand up for the equality of women.” – Meghan Markle
47.) “An artist is the only thing I want to be. I only want my freedom and my creativity. It’s all that I live for. I reject the idea that I have to take all the costumes and makeup off to be f – king authentic.” – Lady Gaga
48.) “That’s one of the things I love about makeup. You can change your whole attitude by just doing your eyeliner or lipstick differently.” – Beyonce
49.) “The notion that wearing makeup is anti-feminist is silly. Cleopatra pretty much invented the eyeliner, and she ruled a kingdom!” – Natasha Scripture
50.) “I don’t think I could live without hair, makeup, and styling, let alone be the performer I am. I am a glamour girl through and through. I believe in the glamorous life and I live one.” – Lady Gaga
More makeup quotes and sayings
51. “A smile is the best makeup any girl can wear.”― Marilyn Monroe
52. “Treat your makeup like jewelry for the face. Play with colors, shapes, structure—it can transform you.” – François Nars
53. “Make-up can only make you look pretty on the outside but it doesn’t help if you’re ugly on the inside. Unless you eat the make-up.”― Audrey Hepburn
54. “I just like playing with makeup and clothes–so I really don’t feel like there are rules, and if there are rules, then I think it’s up to you to break them.” – Kesha
55. “Any woman can look her best if she feels good in her skin. It’s not a question of clothes or makeup. It’s how she sparkles.”― Sophia Loren
56. “Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
57. “Makeup can make a woman look more beautiful at every age.”― Francois Nars
58. “Sometimes you just have to put on lip gloss and pretend to be psyched.” – Mindy Kaling
59. “The right tools are just as important as the makeup itself.”― Bobbi Brown
60. “We’re just so lucky as women to be able to wear [makeup]. If you’re having a bad day, you can change that.” – Gwen Stefani
Which of these makeup quotes is your favorite?
I am not going to argue with Queen Bae! I think all of us should do whatever we can each day to feel empowered. If cosmetics help you to do that, then you do you! “Cosmetic”, is a word with Greek origin, derived from “kosmos”, which means to arrange or adorn. We all have the power to arrange our day, and our lives, how we see fit.
Depending on the era, makeup has been used to express your wealth or the fact that your morals were loose. Thankfully, in today’s world, it’s synonymous with confidence, boss status, and a little attitude! Whether you wear a little or a lot of makeup, I hope you feel beautiful every day!
Which of these makeup quotes and sayings resonated with you best? Do you have any other favorite quotes to add? Let us know in the comment section below.
