"I'd rather shock him when I put my makeup on instead of when I take it off!"

"The makeup industry preys on insecurities to sell products."

"Girls these days wear too much makeup, whatever happened to natural beauty?"

These are all statements I have not only heard throughout my life, but have seen posted all over the web. From sub tweets, to direct comments on videos and photos, these attacks do not go unseen.

Women (and yes, men too) who love makeup, deal with comments like these daily. People go out of their way to make us makeup lovers feel like we are not confident, or that there is something wrong with us for wanting to wear makeup all of the time. We are assumed to not be as intelligent as others because we appreciate the artistry of makeup. We are assumed to be shallow because we spend so much time and money investing in products. But what about artists who invest their time and effort into traditional art mediums? Are painters shallow for using acrylic paint to change the way a plain white canvas looks? No. They are encouraging creativity and bringing something to life. Makeup does the same thing, my canvas just happens to be my face and body. There is so much more to makeup than just "looking pretty." You can create art with makeup. Illusions, special effects, makeup is a truly amazing form of art. There are no rules to makeup, and people should be allowed to wear what they want on their faces.

I remember being a little girl watching my mother and my grandmother get ready, wanting to put on a full face of glam, just like them. I would ask them eagerly "Can I wear some?" and when they would give me that light touch of lipstick or mascara, I would instantly feel like a goddess. When I got a little older, my mom started to let me do my makeup using some of her own. I sucked at first, actually for a pretty long time, but I NEVER put it on to make anyone else happy but MYSELF. I loved how I could wear a different shade of eyeshadow every day. I loved the bright lipsticks. I just loved the feeling of putting effort into something that would come out looking so cool. It was almost like learning to draw or paint. I remember my first little plastic makeup palette. It was filled with gooey lipsticks and chalky eyeshadow. Even though my brothers would tease me for how I did it, I always loved it. I felt proud about teaching myself something that let me use my creativity. I used to ask my friends at sleepovers if I could do their makeup, just because I loved doing it so much. I was so excited about this whole world of colors and glitter, I couldn't wait until I could start wearing makeup to school.

Well, as soon as my mom let me wear makeup out of the house, I realized something really fast. My friends didn't seem as interested in it as I was, and some of my peers would even make me feel bad about it wearing it. One of my friends even looked at me and said: "Why are you wearing blue mascara?" As if to say to say "Ugh, what the hell? That's so weird." I remember feeling so empowered to respond with: "Because I like it, and that's all that matters." I was not about to let someone tell me how I should wear my makeup.

Ever since then, I have stood by the belief that I do not wear makeup to make myself more appealing to anyone. If I want to wear some God damned colored mascara, I sure as heck will. Makeup should be celebrated as an art, and whoever is putting it on their face, has the right to do it as they please. You want to wear glittery eyeshadow? Go for it. You want to wing your eyeliner up to Jesus himself? Work it, babe. There should be no limits with makeup. I love myself with my thick eyeliner, and without it. My boyfriend loves me with or without my makeup on. My family and friends love me whether or not I contour my face. Makeup is there to make you feel even more special. Not just to make you look great, but proud of the masterpiece you created. If you want to look a certain way, makeup is there for you! You can be a different person every day. People need to understand that transforming my face with makeup is not me covering up what I don't like, but rather showcasing what I do like. When I go into Sephora, Ulta, or even the makeup department in my local drugstore, I don't walk in thinking "my God I'm so gross, how can I make myself more appealing be to the general public?" I'm thinking: "I cannot wait to try that new purple lipstick! I'm going to feel like a cute little grape." So quick note here: LET PEOPLE ENJOY THINGS. You don't have to be a certified makeup artist to collect makeup and teach yourself techniques. My self-confidence is not low because I love makeup. Makeup is not about covering up your flaws, it's about making yourself stand out from everyone else. Whether you're into super glam or natural looks, colorful, dark, drugstore, high end, it makes us all feel unique and amazing. Makeup brings people together. With all of the negativity surrounding our community, we all can bond over something we truly love. We will continue to build each other up, and blind the haters with our perfect highlights. We will get those compliments on how good our skills are, and feel even more fab than we did before we put it on. Girls, boys, old, young, fat, skinny, it does not matter. Makeup is for everyone, and I will never, ever, apologize or make excuses to anyone for caking it all on.