Visagism is a concept that is not part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE).
We can determine that it is a term that results from the sum of two important elements: the French word “rosto”, which means “face”, and the Latin noun “ism”, which is equivalent to “doctrine”. Therefore, it can be defined as the doctrine or practice of the face. The term is used in the field of aesthetics to refer to a combination of techniques that seeks to enhance the beauty of the face through makeup and hairstyle. The creator of Visagism was Claude Juillard, a French stylist who decided to focus on the study of the lines, volumes and shapes of the face. Based on these data, visagism proposes how to make up and comb the person according to their physical characteristics and wishes.
Visagism uses a three-dimensional mirror so that the woman can observe how the stylist develops his work. This way, she can understand where her visual change is headed and can even suggest modifications. According to Juillard, the three-dimensional mirror of her invention increases the satisfaction of the stylist’s clients by giving them the ability to observe changes as they occur. Those who develop visagism, when defining the way in which they will carry out their work, are attentive to three factors: the characteristics of the face (shape, lines and volumes), current trends and the client’s request. It is important to point out that visagism is based on certain precepts that are associated with the qualities of the face. For example: on a person with a long face, the color should be applied to the cheekbone, parallel to the eyebrow. On the other hand, if the woman has a wide face, it is better that the makeup is concentrated near the eyes so that, on a visual level, there is a stretch. In addition to all of the above, it should be noted that, when it comes to ensuring that visagism offers the expected aesthetic result, another series of important aspects must be taken into account. Specifically, you must strike a balance between facial features. Therefore, both the dimensions of the nose (length, shape, profile…) and the distance between the eyes or the shape of the eyebrows are taken into account. Within the so-called visagism, it must be established that not only makeup and hairstyles are used, but also colorimetry. In this last term we refer to the fact that to obtain the desired image, skin tone and eye color must be taken into account. Where visagism takes on a special role is in the field of entertainment, specifically in acting. And it is that the actors, to play different characters, with different personalities, go through makeup sessions, hairdressing and colorimetry. It is thanks to them that they manage to be the same person to be able to give life to figures that have nothing to do with each other, neither by age, ideology or forms of behavior.
