Dear beauty bloggers,

You know, I appreciate you. I love seeing you on Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and other social media. You're all beautiful men and women, and the fact that you're noticed so much on social media is great.

Unfortunately, sometimes it's not so great. Recently, I saw a video on Instagram by Karolina Maria (karolinagriciute on Instagram) on beauty standards after seeing so many women on Instagram. After watching that video, it made me think: why are we so obsessed with beauty? Why do we cover our faces in makeup just to take it off when we get home and (for some of us) hate the way we look?

I know so many women that are beautiful with makeup and without makeup, and I am guilty of perpetuating a standard of beauty that we shouldn't have to look to achieve. Every day, I'm suggested videos of women putting on makeup (usually contouring videos), and the makeup ends up looking perfectly flawless and their eyeliner is always sharp enough to cut glass. It's gorgeous, but the process videos are always showing how much makeup on their faces.

Each time I watch those videos, I'm bombarded with how plain my face seems in comparison. My skin isn't clear, my eyebrows aren't strong and thick, and my hair is not styled to fit my makeup (or lack thereof). I don't have the money to buy a lot of makeup, and I only own three tubes of lipstick.

This is what I feel other girls feel like when they're on social media and there are all of these videos with the "perfect contour." Maybe they question their natural beauty because they don't look like the women that they see online. Maybe they want to avoid makeup altogether because they think they could never get to that level. Maybe they start to resent you.

I don't want that to happen. You beauty bloggers are so inspirational and have practiced for hours to get your makeup just right. You've had to try different foundations that worked well with your skin and have had to keep your face moisturized and clear.

I only ask one thing of you. Please tell all of your followers, all of the people that want to look just like you, that the key to getting so good is practice and self-confidence. Yes, some things will be a hit and miss, but practice is important. Self-confidence is key.

Sincerely,

A beauty blog follower