Stop telling me I shouldn't wear makeup.

I'm tired of hearing:

"You would look better without makeup."

"You're prettier without makeup."

"Why do you have a pound of makeup on your face?"

"Guys don't like girls who wear a lot of makeup."

"Do you really need eyeliner just to go to WalMart?"

"You're such an 'attention whore'."

"You are so fake."

No. Stop that. Yes, I am a feminist and yes, I am all for the raw movement, empowerment, and embracing the female body. But that doesn't mean I have to stop wearing makeup! Stop telling me I would look better without it, because you're telling me to stop doing something that makes me happy.

Stop telling me I'm prettier without makeup -- I appreciate the thought, but I don't wear makeup because I'm insecure, I wear it because it makes me happy. (Believe it or not, they are different.) I have a "pound" of makeup on my face because it's beautiful and artistic. It's not a bad thing. And yes, I want to wear eyeliner to WalMart: highlighting my best features no matter where I go is not being an "attention whore," it's feeling confident when I walk into any room. That doesn't make me "fake" or a "liar to men," it makes me an individual who just happens to love to express her favorite form of art with her face as a canvas.

And the biggest one of them all: I don't wear makeup for you. I don't wear makeup for my girlfriends. I don't wear makeup to impress any guy. I wear makeup for ME. I feel empowered and I feel confident, which makes me more comfortable talking to you, my girlfriends, and guys. I'm more confident in me, and it's the best thing ever for these reasons:

1. Makeup is empowering. It gives me confidence to go throughout each day feeling good about myself.

This is different for everyone. Some feel freer when they are au naturale with their hair, skin and nails, but I prefer "au naturale" to mean a brown smoky eye and some nude lipstick instead of a more bold look. And that's okay! If you're looking for confidence and you find it in being makeup free -- all the power to ya. If you feel confident when your eyebrows are on fleek, by all means don't let anyone stop you.

2. Makeup is beautiful and artistic.

Makeup gives me the ability to make myself look like whatever I want -- and that's a really cool prospect. I don't find the need to change myself for anyone else, but I find it so fun to find ways to use my face as a canvas for a whirlwind of artistic things.
I am not an artist. I can barely draw a stick figure. But you better believe that I can paint some killer eyeliner, which leads me to my next point...

3. Makeup stimulates not only creativity and art, but also relaxation, stress relief, and overall release.

Maybe it's different for you, but I feel at peace when I'm doing my makeup. It's me-time. It's probably the only time of the day where I get to just be with myself and watch my confidence rise in the morning. That confidence is relaxing and I get to unwind and release all that pent up creative mental busyness that I can't get out of my head because of my inability to perform other, more typical types of art.

4. Doing your makeup is fun!

Life is short. Do the things you love. Do things that make you happy. If makeup is something that brings you confidence, joy, and entertainment -- please just do it! Don't let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do with your body. Simply because you have fun doing your makeup and you enjoy a killer contour does not mean you are any less than anyone else.

5. Makeup is my morning coffee.

Awake and alive with fresh foundation? Yes please. Ready to conquer the day.

6. I'm not hiding my flaws, I'm highlighting my best features.

Yes! We are all so beautiful in our own ways! Some like to feature their flaws as a form of empowerment, some like to feature their best features to feel more confident and that is so okay! Whatever makes you happy and makes you feel beautiful and unique -- do THAT.

7. It's a celebration of my femininity.

Yay for equality! I love everything that has been done and is being done to ensure that male and female are treated equally. This does not mean that males can not celebrate their masculinity and females their femininity! Both of these things are portrayed in different ways, and the way I display my femininity is by wearing makeup! I feel strong, confident and womanly. (See #4 of this great article by one of my great friends).

8. I'm not changing who I am.

And that is the most important point. Makeup doesn't change who you are or what you stand for. For some of us, it helps us feel our best and brings out the confidence in our personalities. And as a matter of fact, makeup gives you a sense of individuality and self-expression that you would not have otherwise!

Do whatever empowers you, and GO YOU!