Ladies! How many times have you been asked why you wear so much makeup or had derogatory comments directed towards the simple fact that you wear it? As an avid makeup enthusiast, I am constantly finding myself explaining to a vast amount of individuals that I don’t just wear it to doll myself up; that it’s a form of entertainment and something I have a genuine passion for.

As a little girl I would constantly get into my mom’s makeup creating numerous looks and that interest only heightened throughout the years. Once I started to wear makeup I became so interested in all the products out there that putting on a full face of makeup became a hobby, not a way of changing my appearance.

The past few years, my ideas and makeup looks have evolved into looks that interest me and brought up the debate of whether I truly need to wear it all or not according to others. To me, makeup is a form of art. It’s a form of taking something that you love and creating a masterpiece. Do you think someone covered in tattoos wants to hear they shouldn’t cover their body and change their body’s natural appearance? Well if you really think about it, telling someone they shouldn’t “wear all that makeup” is practically the same thing. Tattoo enthusiasts use ink to create art on their bodies, while makeup enthusiasts use makeup to create art on their face. There’s nothing wrong with self-expression in the way that makes you happy.

Now don’t get me wrong. Makeup is a really great form of expression, but by no means does anyone absolutely need it. We are all born beautiful and should feel comfortable in the face we have. Just because one person loves to wear makeup doesn’t mean someone else has to. It’s all up to us all individually.

I don’t judge you for not wearing makeup, so don’t judge me because I do. The term “cake face” to me is so degrading and cold. If someone is expressing them self in a way that others may not agree with, what good does it do to call them something they are not? Why degrade them and make them feel self-conscious? Personally, I feel extremely ugly anytime someone calls me this and that is never a good feeling even when it is said as a joke.

I know that almost always comments such as “You are so much prettier without all that stuff on your face” or my favorite, “You don’t need all that” are by no means meant to be rude. In fact, they are positive. But no matter how nice the meaning behind these comments are, it’s still not what us beauty gurus want to hear. After spending all that time preparing our face for others to see, we would much rather hear compliments on how our makeup looks. “That’s a really pretty eyeshadow you have on today!” Or “That highlighter really brings out you facial features”. THIS is what we like to hear. While I smile and nod and say thank you, a part of me is hurting a little bit that something I enjoy so much is frowned upon.

I am not hiding behind a liquid mask, I am simply expressing myself in a way I find pleasure in. My gold eyelids and nude lips are still me. I don’t become someone else when I put on my makeup, I stay the same. So contour and highlight the heck out of your face until you see the reflection of those haters in your cheekbones, girls!

Don’t let anyone dull your sparkle and do what YOU love whether you wear makeup or not. I came, I self-expressed, I contoured.

XOXOXOXO,

Christina