Fake freckles have been trending in the beauty world for a couple of years now. You can find tutorials online on faking freckles. There are people actually getting freckles tattooed onto their face.
Make-up companies like Colourpop, Freck, Lime Crime, and others have released their own freckle pens that you can use to create a splay of dots across your face. It's not a bad look and some people pull it off really well. But I just don't get it.
I started developing freckles as soon as I first stepped out into the sun. My red-headed dad is covered in freckles. My mother is less susceptible to getting freckles, but she has a few here and there.
I was a typical freckle-faced kid and while some teased me, some adults told me my freckles were beautiful.
I had no control over them and so it just was what it was. But as I grew older, I became more cognizant of how I looked and was envious of the girls that could go out into the sun and develop a beautiful, even tan.
At the age of sixteen, I started working as a lifeguard at an outdoor pool. Three months of spending up to eight hours a day in the blistering North Carolina sun, my skin went through the same pattern every summer.
No matter how much sunscreen I applied, I ended up covered in fresh freckles all over my face, arms, legs, chest, and shoulders.
My arms and shoulders are the "tannest" parts of my body. I'm 100 percent convinced I will eventually turn into one big freckle.
Paige Ryan
In the winter and spring, most of my summer freckling has faded, but I have some that are permanently tattooed onto my skin. In summer, I develop so many freckles that I might look somewhat tan from a distance, and the freckles on my face multiply and darken.
I wear foundation and concealer, so it's not very noticeable.
Less makeup, less airbrushing, and more realness across magazine covers and social media platforms mean natural-looking skin is officially in – finally. So what's with the faux freckles? Some people just think they're cute and youthful.
For others, it's all part of the natural beauty movement.
"It gives the illusion of wearing no makeup. Freckles tend to make a face look younger and are the ultimate anti-aging tool," makeup artist Mira Parmar explains.
On the positive side, this trend is about enhancing a natural feature—what many might call a flaw—of your skin. And while I'm still envious of people who tan easily, I've embraced my freckles. They aren't going away any time soon and they are a testament to the years I've spent outside in the sun doing the things I love most: kayaking, exploring, and being by the water.
Even though I still don't really understand why anyone would choose to include faux freckles as part of their make-up routine, I think it's time for me to embrace that too.
Let's break the cycle of judging people by their skin; whether it's freckly, pale, melanated, or tan.
We all deserve to express ourselves and if freckles (real or not), make you feel more confident or beautiful, then all the power to you!
