All women tend to have some kind of morning routine. We wake up, get dressed, and put on our face before ever leaving our homes. For some this process has been streamlined to a 30 minute charade, and for some it requires waking up hours prior to ever being seen to obtain a perfect look. While to outsiders it may sound superficial, looking confident and beautiful can do wonders to a woman's self esteem. My makeup process is not about creating attributes that do not exist to please the people around me. It is about highlighting the features I feel the best about to feel like a strong, beautiful woman.

Whether you're the type to whisk on some mascara and be out the door, or the type to spend extra time looking in the mirror to fix your contour, it is important to ask yourself why you are doing it. Many people believe women wear makeup because society tells them to do so. Either that or they want to impress that cute guy at work. But this is untrue and should be untrue in anything and everything a person does to his or her body.

All too often women are sucked into mainstream culture, and as social media grows young girls become hard wired to do what is "cool" or "trendy." The question I like to ask myself as I get ready every day is, "What makes me feel beautiful?" much rather than "What will make him think I'm beautiful?" One of the most attractive qualities in a person is confidence, and starting with making yourself happy will do wonders for your outlook on your day. Spending all day obsessing about what others may be thinking about your external appearance is not mentally constructive. The most important thing for you to be happy and healthy is to be content and pleased with yourself.

Constantly relying on others for reassurance is a dangerous way to live life. You cannot put all of your eggs in one basket and then hand them to your boyfriend because there is always a chance he will drop them all. Focus on yourself, not because it's selfish, but because you are the only one who truly knows yourself. Every scar, every tear, every achy joint, only you have been there for every moment of your life. Wouldn't it be nice to like the person you spend all of your time with?

So next time you are working on your winged liner think about the reason you're spending 15 minutes on only your eye makeup. I can promise you that the boy in your english class is not worth poking yourself in the eye or being late to your lecture. But if those black wings make you feel fierce as hell and ready to conquer your day then you wing until the day you die.