Does the Smashbox’s selfie makeup tutorial mean the death of the instant selfie?

By Lulu Chang August 14, 2015

yecup smart mug selfie — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Is the spontaneous selfie no more? While the history of photography has never strongly favored candid shots, the selfie (not the mirror variety, but the actual front-facing camera kind) once seemed to be the most whimsical and impromptu of photo opportunities. But now that Smashbox has released its selfie makeup tutorial, it appears that even this last bastion of impulsivity has gone astray. Of course, the five-minute Smashbox video is meant to leave you selfie-ready for the rest of the day, meaning that your glowing countenance would look wonderful regardless of lighting or Instagram filter. But still, the selfie was once the hacked-together, down-and-dirty, let’s remember this moment really quickly regardless of how we look type of photo, and now those days seem long gone.

Smashbox selfie-ready makeup tutorial, inspired by the HTC Desire 620

From celebrities and socialites to politicians, the ubiquity of the selfie cannot be denied. It is now easier to snap a selfie with a presidential candidate than to shake his or her hand, and if there’s an expert on how to quickly commemorate a meeting, it’s those on the 2016 campaign trail. Hillary Clinton, whose face has appeared in countless self-taken photographs with countless eager supporters, recently found herself in a selfie with the queen of the camera herself — Kim Kardashian West.

Of course, this isn’t the most surprising of developments in the selfie world. The rise of Kardashian West and her gratuitous use of the medium has made it nearly impossible to take a selfie that feels entirely organic. Sales of her aptly titled book Selfish have now topped 125,000, and it is now in its fourth printing. And while the reality television star’s shots are certainly glamorous, spontaneous they most certainly are not.

So like them, hate them, or don’t care one way or the other about them, one thing’s for sure — the selfie is inescapable, and with the Smashbox makeup tutorial, you can be ready for one at any moment.

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