When I first looked at the cover Allure’s November 2012 issue, I laughed at the apparent contradiction between two headlines. The first reads, “Haven’t Slept In Forever? Cures For Dark Circles, Page 186.” Immediately below this, a second headline promises, “Makeup Artist All-Stars Reveal Their Best Tricks (#1: Get Naughty Black Eyes).”

So, which is it? Dark/black circles/eyes or not? Yes or no?

On second thought, I was bothered by that second line.

On page 169, we’re introduced to makeup artist Tom Pecheux, “The Seducer,” who advises us on “How to Get ‘Naughty Black Eyes'”: “The technique shouldn’t be too perfectly done or you won’t read ‘bad girl.'”

Yes, when I read the four-step directions, I see that this is a how-to for applying black eyeliner, dark eyeshadows, and copious mascara for a dramatic effect. Still: I wish that Allure had considered the connotations of the phrase “black eye,” and of a male “seducer” advising us “bad girls” how to go about getting them.

“Sooty, seductive eye”? “Decadent eyes with depth”? Even the over-used “smoky eye”—there must have been some other glossy-mag way to get this idea across, without implying violence.

You can tell me that I’m taking this too seriously and too literally. It’s just a beauty magazine. But many, many women read beauty magazines, and more than a few of them are physically abused. Unfortunately, that’s more than a “trick” or a trend.

Images: shots of November 2012 issue of Allure by Tinsel Creation.