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"We often describe makeup as fun, transformative, and sexy. But in a recent interview with Style.com, budding style icon Felicity Jones used a different adjective: [\\\"I like the process of applying makeup,\\\" she said. \\\"It's cathartic.\\\"](http://www.style.com/beauty/beautycounter/2012/05/felicity-jones-on-playing-the-part-with-a-full-beauty-kit)\\n\\n\\n\\n                   \\n\\nHer choice of words is unusual, but not entirely unexpected, since I\u2014and I'm guessing a lot of other women\u2014understand exactly what she means. If I'm having a rough day, I always find that sweeping on some mascara and lipstick lifts my mood. By looking prettier, I actually feel prettier.\\n\\n\\n\\nFor you skeptics out there, before you judge me for referencing *West Side Story*, think of it as the equivalent of taking a walk. When I'm not at my best, my instinct is to retreat to bed, eat the deepest-fried-anything I can find, and stay in my pajamas and bare face. But if I can motivate myself to get dressed and go outside, things rarely seem as bad. I am a better version of myself, whether or not I look in the mirror.\\n\\n\\n\\nDoes putting on makeup feel like a fresh start to you?\\n\\n\\n\\n__RELATED LINKS:__\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n  [Daily Beauty Reporter: Do You Feel Beauty Pressure?](http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2011/04/do-you-feel-beauty-pressure.html)\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n  [Daily Beauty Reporter: How To Look Well When You Feel Like Hell](http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2011/11/how-to-look-well-when-you-feel-like-hell.html)\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n  [Daily Beauty Reporter: Beauty Cures for Winter Blues](http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2011/01/beauty-cures-for-winter-blues.html)"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.allure.com/story/is-makeup-cathartic>