Insecurities are a part of life. We all have them and have to try to get through them to enjoy life. For most girls, makeup is a key insecurity because either way we don’t want to be judged by what we do or don’t do, or how we look or don’t look. Makeup is something that guys don’t have to worry about so we’re lucky enough to have to deal with it daily.

It’s okay to not want to go out in public without makeup on and it’s also okay to never want to wear makeup. There is nothing wrong with either way- the best advice I have heard regarding this was from my grandma. She told me something I will never forget: You can wear as much or as little makeup as you want, as long as you feel like yourself. If that means that you wear every type of makeup every day and spend hours on it in the morning, so be it. If that means that you get out of bed in the morning ready for the day, that’s more than fine too. You need to feel like yourself in order to be comfortable and secure with how you look throughout the day, and it doesn’t matter one bit what others think. Who cares if the girls that can get away with never wearing makeup think you “try too hard” because you can’t leave the house without makeup on, and vice versa? You do you and they will do them because that’s what life is about- making yourself comfortable in your own skin, and living your own life.

Personally, my love for makeup exponentially grows because I am the type of girl that has to put at least some type of makeup on every day to cover up my acne that I despise (that’s another story, though). I have gotten so accustomed to wearing makeup every day that I really, truly don’t feel like myself without it. On top of face makeup that I wear every day, I wear mascara to cover up my all-too blonde eyelashes and fill in my eyebrows to symmetrize my face. I’ve tried so many different kinds of makeup that I have found what I love and what I hate. The more you use makeup and the more your love grows, you begin to realize the real truth that brands like Urban Decay and Tarte are one-hundred times better than the cheaper brands like Maybelline and Revlon. They may be more expensive, but they’re so worth the price in the end. The quote “you get what you pay for” is all too true in the makeup world in terms of long-lasting and overall quality of your makeup. Walking into a store like Ulta or Sephora, for a girl like me who loves makeup, is like waking up on Christmas morning to a bunch of presents under a tree. It gets me giddy and ridiculously excited! There are so many possibilities, opportunities, and fun to be had with all of the makeup you’re surrounded by. I love buying new makeup because I get so excited to come home and try it on. I live by makeup tutorials and videos to give me ideas, and even though I don’t go all-out every day, I love it when I do.

Makeup is a form of art and if some girls can’t live without it, let them. Live your life how you want to and feel good about yourself, and let them do the same. You never know other people’s insecurities and battles, so don’t judge them because they’re different from you. Do what makes you happy and what makes you feel comfortable, and feel like yourself no matter what that may be!