Normally, I don’t wear that much makeup. I’ve never quite understood how to contour, or apply foundation without looking like Donald Trump, so I’ve avoided it for most of my makeup-wearing days. However, I love mascara. It’s always the most time consuming part of my beauty routine, and it gives me a sense of confidence whenever I’m out. In addition to mascara, I also dabble in eyeshadow (smokey eyes <3) and eyeliner when I'm going out or for a special occasion. Additionally, I'm a huge fan of tinted moisturizer and concealer to even out my skin tone.
With this “new year, new me” persona that I’m attempting to embody, I went a week without makeup to prove to myself that confidence shouldn’t stem from what’s on my face. So, here’s what I’ve learned.
1. I had so much more time to sleep in, something that is DEFINITELY not overrated. I traded my beauty routine for beauty sleep and wouldn’t change a thing.
2. At first, I didn’t love looking in the mirror. I was pretty self-conscious and avoided taking pictures at the beginning of this journey. However, I embraced my natural skin, and by the end of the week, I was more than comfortable leaving the house (and even going out!) without a stitch of mascara on my lashes.
3. My skin felt cleaner. I’ve read articles like this before, and I’m not going to lie, I’ve always been skeptical. But, I promise you, my skin feels clean and has avoided breaking out… I’d call that a success.
4. No mascara on my pillow! Although I normally wash my face using makeup wipes before going to bed, I feel like there’s always a little bit of pesky eye makeup that doesn’t come off. So, even though it seems like a small victory, I didn’t have to use any stain remover when washing my sheets this week!
5. To be shallow for a few moments, I did notice that the perfect selfie is more about lighting than what makeup is on your face.
6. No one treated me differently. Not that I went in and expected this to happen, but I recall numerous conversations that I’ve had with friends about when they go without makeup, and some people note that they look “more tired” or “ill”. I was appalled by these observations, and really hoped our society wasn’t that shallow. Luckily, it made me regain some hope in humans.
I’ll be honest, I won’t say that I’ll never wear mascara to class again, or that I’ll throw away my concealer. Because, in reality, I did miss it throughout the week (especially when a pimple the size of Mount Everest appeared on my forehead). However, I did learn that makeup doesn’t equate to confidence, and that I don’t need to be wearing it to have a good time. Moving forward, I want to find a balance between these two because in the end, it’s all about what makes me happy.