A few months ago I decided to go cold turkey on wearing makeup throughout the week. In the past I’d had comments like “Ooh you do look tired,” or “You look pale,” or “You look run down,” when I’d not made much of an effort with my appearance! However, I was determined to start a no makeup routine. Why? I was positive that it couldn’t be doing my skin any good wearing makeup when exercising. I hoped going bare-faced would improve the overall look of my skin.
By and large it has helped me keep a clear complexion though sadly I still suffer with milia just as much as before (those small white bumps which are sometimes mistaken for whiteheads but are actually keratin-filled cysts) Unfortunately no makeup doesn’t mean no breakouts. I’ve suffered with quite a few pimples recently which I am putting down to stress and tiredness.
You might be thinking why don’t you just go back to wearing makeup everyday then if it hasn’t made a miraculous difference going without? Well the simple answer is I don’t want to! Many other positives have come from going makeup free which don’t involve how my skin looks.
Here are the advantages of having a naked face on weekdays…
Less stress
Firstly, putting on makeup is one less thing to do in the morning! We all lead busy lives. Our daytime routines are hectic and mornings are rarely relaxing for anyone. Getting wrapped up in doing your makeup in a morning can be time-consuming and anxiety-ridden. You do it but it doesn’t look right. You start obsessing over that blemish you just can seem to cover up properly. You smudge your mascara. You end up feeling worse about your looks than you did before you even picked up your make up bag! These worries about how you look distract you, hijack your focus and can stay with you all day.
Since I’ve been spending less time getting ready in a morning my mornings have become more productive and less stressful. I feel more relaxed about how I look because I’m spending less time worrying about it!
Less worry
Since I quit weekday makeup, I’ve really accepted how I look. I’m no longer trying to cover anything up or make myself look a certain way. I’m just me. I feel like I’m becoming comfortable in my own skin. That isn’t to say that I’m ready to go tee-total on makeup. I still love to wear makeup on the weekends when I’m going out or for special occasions. But now it’s no longer a necessity. I see it as enhancing how I look rather than hiding or transforming how I look.
Sometimes I get to the end of a working day red-faced, sweaty and disheveled and think “Wow, have I really been walking around looking like this all day?!” But I’ve realised that no-one cares. Everybody looks like that after exercising and most people don’t look their best after a long day!
Since I stopped wearing makeup for work no one seems to have really noticed. Nobody has made any comment on the matter. If the topic of makeup has come up in conversation and I’ve mentioned I’ve stopped wearing it most people have shrugged and said “you don’t need it anyway.” I’ve been surprised to hear this but it’s got me thinking that so many people in my life don’t wear makeup all the time either and I think they look amazing without it.
More confidence
I thought that going without make-up Mon-Fri would have made me more self-conscious. Instead I feel more confident. At first it felt a little odd. I stepped outside the front door thinking ‘Will everyone notice?’ Will anybody be looking at me and judging me for not making an effort? Of course I soon realised that whilst I was highly concerned about how I looked, everybody else going about their daily business was not! Nobody stared, nobody gasped and nobody turned away and whispered to their friends about me.
These people were far too busy thinking about their days and their lives. When you walk down the street are you more likely to be thinking about how you look or how someone else looks? The same can be said for going to a fitness class like Dance Fit! Yet so many of us worry what others will think when others are too busy thinking about themselves! We can all admit to being vain at times, I can definitely hold my hand up. I think it’s a fair comment to say we all want to look our best. But the freedom that is gained when we realise that many around us aren’t as obsessed as we are about how we look is empowering. Close friends, family members and other halves certainly love us as we are (if not, they should!)
Lastly the more you see yourself without makeup on the more you get used to seeing yourself without it on! Obvious I know. But the more you do wear makeup the more strange you can feel without it on. The made up you can become the norm and you might be inclined to view your naked face as ugly in comparison. I’ve read time and time again that to get comfortable with your body you need to look at it in the mirror, spend time thinking about things you like about it rather than dislike. The same can be said about looking at yourself without make up on. The more I’ve seen myself bare-faced the more relaxed I feel with my image. I think it’s made me happier. I no longer catch sight of myself first thing in the morning and think ‘urgh!’
Why not give it a try?
