"Why do you always cake your face with makeup?"

Because I can?

"You know, you look just fine natural."

Thank you. I just really enjoy doing myself up.

"I prefer girls who don't have to wear makeup everyday."

Okay cool, that's not my preference.

Statements like these are ones I receive on a regular basis. I'm constantly pressured by others to feel comfortable in my natural state. I do feel perfectly fine without a bunch of makeup on, but there are plenty of reasons why I prefer to put in the extra effort of doing my face most days.

1. Artistic Expression

I'm a very artsy person. The principles of art aren't just for paper, sculptures, etc. The skin can be a medium for artistic expression. I specifically use all seven elements of art in my beauty routine (balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm and unity) along with contouring, shading and draw techniques. As an appreciator of art, it's fun to branch out into different artistic mediums to create on. The brush has become my favorite utensil; the face has become my favorite canvas.

2. Self Expression

Personalities can venture out of ourselves in many different forms. Makeup can be one of them. From a bold look through heavy eyeliner, bright eye-shadows, or intense lip-color to a more natural feel of subtle nude and pink products, there's room for everyone to express themselves through makeup.

3. Fun to Experiment

Along with artistic and self expression, it's also very fun to just experiment with the different realms of makeup. There are so many different brands and then different products within each brand to try out. Coming up with combinations of lipsticks and eye-shadows that compliment each other (or sometimes don't) is a bit of an exhilarating experience, especially when I find products that work exceptionally well together.

4. Acne Issues

Ever since I hit puberty, I have struggled with acne. I got bullied constantly in grade school for having a pizza face. Wearing makeup to hide the flaws and accentuate my strong features helped immensely with the back-flack I received day in and day out. By wearing foundation to cover the flaws, it has actually changed the tendency of my acne occurring. I have significantly less breakouts because wearing makeup forces me to clean my face every night. When I decide to not wear foundation for a couple days, it aerates my skin and helps with the acne issues even more.

5. Encourages Routine

Putting on a full face of makeup takes effort and time. If I want to get fully ready for the day, I'm forced to wake up earlier in order to complete my entire makeup routine. This makes me feel more ready for the day just by simply getting out of bed at a decent time. Once my body is used to waking up early most every morning, it just naturally becomes accustom to my daily routine and in turn, makes me feel like I'm not being lazy by sleeping in late.

6. Self-confidence

The way I feel while I'm wearing a full face of makeup is unlike anything else. So what if I'm less comfortable in my own skin on a regular basis? That's my business, not anyone else's. If I feel most comfortable walking about in public wearing a ten product makeup routine on my face, who is to say that's not okay? Why is that less acceptable than those who feel most confident with a bare face? If that's how they feel most confident, then why do makeup lovers get flack about "caking" on makeup? Let me be confident the way I choose to be.

7. I Can Do Whatever I Damn-well Please

I don't wear makeup to please other people. I'm not getting gussied up for anyone but myself. If people give me crap about putting on a full face of makeup nearly everyday, so be it. I don't really care when people say "you don't even need to wear it" or the like. I'm not going to lie, it's wonderful to hear that others see my natural self as beautiful. It's not that I have a lack of self-confidence in a more natural state of appearance, I just have even more confidence creating myself to how I want to look, not how other's think I should look. I feel as if I can tackle the world by simply accentuating my eyes and putting on a bit of lip stick. Why would someone not want confidence like that?