When the "before" photo is done under unfavorable lighting, and "after" photo is done under professional photographer's lighting to the maximum advantage of the depicted person, it is not a fair comparison, but cheating. Just shine the only light on a human face from the chin upward - and you'd create a Halloween monster out of the most beautiful face on the planet.
Yeah. The title should be "Why women need airbrushing."
How true.
The lighting is partly true. The main and most important reason for makeup is to even out the skin tone, which everyone needs (the evidence is in the pictures above). And a good foundation will have a similar effect as does good lighting, as you mentioned. Why women say it takes too long to put on makeup is a little overstated -- it takes me approximately five minutes every morning.