I had planned to write a post on makeup. I was going to take a photograph of me before, during and after. I had it all planned. And it just didn’t happen this morning. So it is on for the next post. Promise.
But it got me thinking, how many people actually wear make up to hide their imperfections? I am certainly not one who wears makeup everyday, even if I am being seen by hundreds of people, I don’t see the need for it at times. Like this morning, I wore no makeup to the primary school.
I know some women who refuse to let their partners see them without makeup. Wear makeup all day long and do touch ups during their lunch breaks. I see the women who are applying their makeup on the train.
Visit any department store and there will be a makeup counter. And usually there is more than one.
What is it about our own skin that we do not love, that we feel we must wear makeup?
Sure I have the freckles, but I don’t see them as a bad thing.
Do we wear makeup so we look pretty?
Do we wear makeup to feel better about our imperfections?
Do we wear makeup because it is apart of us being professional?
Do we wear makeup to impress others?
For me, it is usually either the first or the third. I use to have to wear makeup for one of my roles as a room leader. I needed to ensure that my nail polish wasn’t chipped, my hair was pulled back neatly and that I was wearing makeup or looked decent {i.e. no bags under eyes etc} if I did not wear any. I disliked that job. And as for feeling pretty, it is usually when the boyfriend and I are going out for dinner or when I was younger it’d be when I was going out.
A while ago now, Jodie from Mummy Mayhem wrote a post, asking YOU to bare all. Then what followed was a massive day where bloggers and tweeters bared all. They did not wear makeup and proudly showed off their photographs.
I just wonder what the importance that society places on being pretty and that we need makeup or plastic surgery to fix our imperfections. It is just not true.
Love the skin that you are in. Cherish every freckle, every beauty mark, the colour of your eyes, the colour of your skin, the colour of your hair, the size of your lips, the size of your nose. Cherish them. Don’t try and hide them away because YOU don’t see them as perfect. Sure you have lived with them for so many years, but they are perfect to someone else.
YOUR imperfections are perfect to someone else.
So before you apply all your makeup, think about it, do YOU really need to wear it?
<3
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post. I religiously wore a full face of warpaint from about 17 until I went travelling in my late twenties and stopped wearing it. My hub seemed to like me with or without, I loved getting to ‘dress up’ with makeup when the time was right and I never missed those constant touch-ups. To this day I barely wear it unless I’m going out. Occasionally I surprise and delight my work colleagues by slapping up, but it’s rare and appreciated.
It’s so freeing to go bare most days. I can spend my time thinking about a million other things besides ‘has my lipstick worn off’ and ‘have I got panda eyes’.
Thanks Maxabella for the link here – interesting questions! I don’t really wear makeup at all, to be honest, but it is nice to have around to play with on occasion…
I have a friend who wears makeup every day, and wonders that I don’t at all. I just say to her, this way if I do get dolled up I might get told “you look nice!”… whereas if she leaves it OFF she gets asked “are you feeling ok” because of how people are accustomed to seeing her…
I’d rather be seen as I am, at least most of the time! But that is personal, as well as a style / identity thing. Interesting :)
wonderful post, Carly! I used to feel the need to cover up my freckles with foundation too, when I was in my teens I was much more self conscious about my looks, my skin in particular.
I am very pale and used to think that I needed make up to look “more alive!”"…
These days I dont feel like i have to wear it. I wear a little if I am feeling really tired and enjoy a little more when going out for the evening but i never wear a lot.
I am an odd person. I wear makeup because I like to. It’s nice to put on mascara and look a little more awake, or just put a smudge of eyeliner on to make my eyes look bigger. I am not makeup obsessed, I enjoy it. Somedays I hate not wearing make up (usually after a crying jag) but other days, I just don’t wear make because I don’t want to. It doesn’t matter much to me, and it’s not always necessary. I could live without makeup, but right now, I don’t want to.
P.S. I have always wanted freckles and was jealous of anyone who had them when I was younger! Cherish them ladies who have them! :)