I have been wearing makeup (pretty much) everyday of my life since sixth or seventh grade. It all started off with some eyeliner and mascara and trying to mimic what I saw the other girls in school doing. Seven or eight-ish years later, I'd like to think that my makeup skills have improved a little bit at least. Now I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm a makeup guru, but I know more than middle school me did. I now know what primer is, I found out that if you put on eyeshadow before your face makeup then it decreases the chances that you'll have to wipe excess power off of your cheeks, I learned what contouring is.
Years of trying new things and experimenting has lead me to find my 'everyday makeup routine'. Basically, this includes: eyeshadow, liquid eyeliner (I've recently discovered it and I'm obsessed), mascara, eyebrow shadow, foundation, powder, blush, and contour & highlight. I usually do this look everyday, or I'll switch it up a little depending on time/how I'm feeling. But for the most part, you can catch me with 'caked up' makeup for my everyday look. If you're asking, "why do you do this everyday?" my answer is; because. Because I want to, because I like to, because I like makeup, because it's fun, because it makes me feel good, because it helps my confidence. Just because. I have no problem spending an hour to an hour and a half on my makeup and neither should anyone else since it in no way affects them (except for my roommate. I sometimes hog the bathroom and run around in the mornings causing her stress. Sorry).
So for a fun little experiment, I decided to try and not wear makeup for a week. Part of the reason that I wear makeup is because I have features and flaws that I'm a little insecure about. For example, I have naturally red skin so covering it gives me the little boost that I need. I wanted to see how I felt and what I learned after not wearing makeup for a week, so here's what happened:
This week might not be the best week to do this. I'm sick, stressed, and sunburnt. But I'm dedicated to try this. I woke up at 8:30 like I usually do on Monday's and Wednesday's. I quickly realized that the reason I wake up so early is to do my makeup. I had so much time to just sit around and drink coffee, it was wonderful. I had more time to pick out an outfit and I actually felt better about what I was wearing and how I felt in my clothes because I wasn't rushing around trying to find things. I also made a decision that I wasn't going totally makeup free. I have naturally short eyelashes so I put on a clear coat of mascara and my eyebrows are fairly light so I put a light layer of brow shadow. So I went to class and almost immediately my first professor asked me if I was alright. He told me that I "looked out of it today". That wasn't super reassuring but surprisingly, that was one of the only comments I'd heard about how I looked all day. I felt a little insecure at first about walking around campus with a bare face. By the time I got home, I realized that it wasn't really that big of a deal at all. Nobody really cares what I look like. I wouldn't say I was super confident with not wearing makeup yet, but I was hopeful.
TUESDAY
I woke up and still had lots of time to sit around. I felt a little more sick today, so that made my confidence drop a little. But again, I had time to pick out an outfit that I felt good about so that made a world of a difference. I left the house and felt really good about how I looked and honestly forgot that I wasn't wearing makeup. For some reason I feel like I had to smile more at so people didn't think I was just super sick and a member of the walking dead. Smiling all day helped me feel better about myself and it made other people smile in response. The lady at Starbucks made me day because she was super smiley back and extremely helpful and she even complimented my eyes. So if she's somehow reading this, thanks Starbucks lady. I love you.
WEDNESDAY
I think I'm getting better and better each day so that's a plus. I woke up at 9:15 (45 minutes before I had to leave) and I still had time to relax a bit. I woke up, did my hair, put on my eyelashes and eyebrows, got dressed, and was set. I was able to eat something and make coffee and even get stuff together for dinner. All with no stress! Not being stressed is a magical thing and I highly recommend it. But I've realized that my face is extremely redder than I thought it was and I get stress hives on my face when I get too anxious. Also since I'm still kinda sick, my body temperature is high and that's making me redder. Overall, I still don't feel great so that's not fun but I'm getting used to not wearing makeup.
THURSDAY
I woke up super early even though I didn't have class till 12:30. My roommate had class early so I got to just lay on the couch, drink my coffee, and watch tv. I pulled my hair up so that didn't take that much time either. And I've found that since I'm not stressing about my makeup, thinking about what to wear becomes so much easier. I'm not as sick so I actually felt great going to class. I felt super confident and really proud of myself for coming this far. Before this 'experiment', I rarely liked to go out without makeup on and so it's refreshing to be able to go out and about with a clean face now.
FRIDAY
All I did all day was sit around my apartment so it didn't matter much that I wasn't wearing makeup. I did go to a movie later in the day, but everyone was basically in sweats and no makeup, so I didn't feel that out of place.
What I have learned from this experience is that makeup isn't necessary. Yes, it's lots of fun and it makes me feel good about myself, but I don't need to wear it every single day. I decided to end my experiment on Friday, but come Saturday, I didn't put on any makeup. I got so used to my routine of not putting any on that it just felt normal not to. I'm honestly so glad that I did this because I feel better about myself. I'm not as shy to go out into public with a bare face. I've realized that nobody really gives a crap what I do or look like or what I'm wearing. As long as you're comfortable and love yourself, that's enough.
