Oksana calls this project 'Blind Makeovers' and it has been going on for about 7 years now.
"I came up with this concept after I worked in a beauty salon and saw women coming in and telling me to 'do something,' but not knowing what they wanted," the makeup artist said in a previous Bored Panda interview.
Oksana then started observing women on the street, trying to imagine the things she would change in the passer-bys' appearance. This allowed Oksana to constantly keep brainstorming new ideas which she and Olga could later implement when someone uncertain would ask for their services again.
A typical 'blind' makeover consists of a haircut, hair coloring, makeup, and a photo. "Girls and women visit us from different corners of the country," Oksana said.
"We talk, me and Olga always find out about their hobbies and other things that could give us an idea about their likes and dislikes when it comes to looks. Then, we cover the mirrors and start creating." The clients can only see themselves after the work is done.
You might dismiss all this female primping as vanity or silliness. Still, an interesting paper from two sociologists suggests that women have good reason to spend so much time and money on their appearance. If they don't, they risk losing a substantial amount of money.
The research by Jacyln Wong of the University of Chicago and Andrew Penner of the University of California at Irvine, used data from a long-running national study of more than 14,000 people to look at the association between attractiveness and income. In the surveys, the interviewers asked people a variety of questions about their income, job, education, personality, and other attributes. Interviewers also rated their interviewees on how attractive and how well-groomed they appeared.
The study found that attractive people tended to earn higher salaries. But that wasn't all. It also suggested that grooming – practices such as applying makeup and styling hair and clothing – was actually what accounted for nearly all of the salary differences for women of varying attractiveness. (For men, it didn't make as much of a difference.)
Research shows attractive people are more likely to be hired and promoted in the workplace, and end up with higher earnings.
Academics and researchers have various explanations for this. Some say it's discrimination against people who are seen as unattractive, but others think there is a subconscious bias, a halo effect, in which we assume that ,because people are beautiful, they have other positive personality traits, too.
