Fascinating Facts About Prison Makeup

A former inmate named "Princess" shares her old beauty tricks. She says vinegar works as a toner, and oatmeal makes good DIY face masks. Princess also suggests making eyeshadows with watercolor paints and hair dye using Kool-Aid powder. Hemorrhoid cream helps prevent wrinkles.

Prisoners invent things using what they can find.This is normal in prison. Most makeup is contraband. Prisoners cannot change their looks to become unrecognizable.

Ex-con Princess states only a few makeup items exist behind bars. Finding a powder foundation or liquid concealer is rare. Some commissaries lack face creams or moisturizer. Princess noted her commissary goods changed every six months due to a committee of Black and white prisoners managing inventory in rotating periods.

Princess explains how she would have toPlan ahead.: "I stocked up during those six months because I knew I couldn't get what I wanted for the next six months after that."

Some critics question why prisoners need makeup. Others argue makeup and self-care help prisoners feel worthy and normal. Women in regular society expect self-worth from looks and pride themselves on looking good. The founder of the Women's Justice InitiativeWomen's Justice Initiative.Deanne Benos explains it like this:

We send these messages to them publicly and place them in settings where we stop them from practicing self-care that could help them when they return to society, their families, and our communities.

Altering appearance with heavy makeup breaks prison rules. Jailhouse officials ignore inmates who rebel. Guards only punish certain beauty practicesSome guards skip punishing prisoners who break certain beauty rules.These rules can seem very threatening.

For instance, inmates in many prisons cannot get letters with lipstick or smeared makeup because makeup carries LSD or drug traces.

Benos maintains the prison population swell did not adjust for women. Men make upNinety-three percent of jails are not designed for women.of the incarcerated population, so jails and prisons mostly house men. However, the women's prison populationgrew over 700 percent since 1980.This design issue has been true since 1980.

Policies on commissary items and discipline seem better for male inmates than female ones. Prison staffing shows this too. Men create and enforce policies in women's prisons, which Benos claims shows up in current operations.

Inmates use candy to keep up their beauty routines.Inmates use candy for their beauty routines.to create their own cosmetics because sweet treats are easy to find in most commissaries. For example, Jolly Ranchers can be soaked in water and mixed with body lotion to make hair gel.

Soak M&M shells in hot water to make a lip stain. Crush peanuts in other candies and mix them with lotion to make protein face masks.

Former inmate Annie Burchard shares her favorite 'fakeup' trick. Since blush isn't at the commissary, many inmates fake a rosy look with newspaper. Bright pink T-Mobile ads provide the perfect pink flush. Burchard explains how:

Put baby powder on your hands and use it as a base. Then, run the newspaper ad on your cheekbone. This gives you a sheer blush.

Inmates enjoy sparkly eyeshadow sometimes. They make their own glittery shadow using a simple DIY hack: petroleum jelly and greeting cards with glitter.

First, rub the two cards together. This removes some of the glitter.Use petroleum jelly. Then, stick the glitter onto your eyelids.Women use petroleum jelly to stick the glitter onto their eyelids.

Prisoners use coffee grounds.Prisoners use coffee grounds.make more than just coffee. Grounds act as exfoliants. Mix them with lotion or face cream to make foundation. Inmates blend dry java with moisturizer, adding more grounds until shades match their skin.

Baby powder also works as a substitute for setting powder.

Most prisons forbid inmates from having tweezers. Some incarcerated women thread their brows to keep them tight. This usually involves a thin cotton or polyester thread pulling out hair.

Inmates use floss or rubber bands instead, though a thinner thread works better.

DIY nail polish is banned in prison. Many inmates risk trouble to keep their nails sharp. They make nail varnish by mixing paint with floor sealer, but floor sealer chemicals are often toxic. Another dangerous dupe usesPrisoners use colored pencils as eyeliner.Prisoners use colored pencils as eyeliner.

This makeup hack often leaves inmates with dry, red, and peeling eyes because the skin around the eyes is sensitive.

Netflix series Orange is the New Black.Orange is the New Black.The show glamorizes prison. While it shows hardships female convicts face, many former inmates want the public to know prison isn't perfect.

Deborah Jiang-Stein runs the unPrison Project.Deborah Jiang-Stein runs the unPrison Project., a nonprofit that helps women inmates prepare for life after prison. She pushes for changes letting incarcerated women express themselves through makeup. Jiang-Stein wants prisoners to feelPrisoners find beauty on the inside.Prisoners find beauty on the inside as well.

Let’s focus on the public's interest in prison beauty hacks shown inOITNBOther TV shows won't distract from the inner beauty of women in prison. We need to know this. Using Sharpies, Jolly Ranchers, and Crayola instead of over-the-counter makeup shows cleverness. But what about the ingenuity inside the souls of our women in prison? We seek hope. We need grit and determination inside. That is the beauty. True change happens from the inside out.