I love makeup. I love the application, the end result, the glitter, the colors, everything about it. It gives you the total freedom to to express yourself the way YOU want to, by adorning your face with different powders and liquids.
I won’t lie, I’ve definitely used makeup for insecurities at times, but I mainly use it as a way of expressing the fact that “Hey. I love pink and sparkles.This is me, deal with it.”. In general, I usually have a coat of mascara or a dash of glitter somewhere on my face.
So when the idea came up of going barefaced for a whole week, I decided to pack up my brushes and go back to my baby faced roots.
“It will be super easy, it’s the perfect time.” That’s what I told myself. I had a busy school week already and an upcoming trip home,
“I wouldn’t even notice after the first day.” I thought.
Let me say the week is over, and surprisingly, going cold turkey off of makeup was not easy. Sure, I like my face without makeup overall, and it definitely made getting ready for the day easier. I also learned what makeup meant to me, and what it might mean to others. But while I did learn about my relationship with makeup, I just didn’t enjoy not being able to wear any makeup for a week.
It was a pretty easy start. On Sunday, I went out once to grab lunch. It was a lazy day in pajamas with my roomies. The real “barefaced” challenge started when I began to focus on my appearance and self expression throughout the school week.
I found myself grabbing for my makeup bag in the bathroom, and I caught myself more than once throughout the week looking for my mascara. It wasn’t even a matter of discipline, rather a matter of habit. The challenge was somewhat easier due to masks,
While I didn’t mind very much how I looked without makeup, I really did begin to miss it. My Tarte H20 Lip Gloss was calling my name.
(YES, no one can really see it with a mask. I don’t care).
To note, not all of no makeup week was negative. I drank way more water than usual out of fear of dark circles and I was on top of my skincare and lip care routine due to a fear of breaking out or chapped lips. Also, very unexpectedly, my outfits were much more put together than usual.
I spent way more time picking out my outfits due to my bareface. While I wasn’t too focused on my clothes for class, my attire was more bold and sparkly than usual when I went to study or to see friends and family.
While I probably wouldn’t do this week over as a makeup lover, I think it proved something that I’ve always felt I had to defend to others. I truly do wear makeup for me. All of my family and friends really didn’t notice a huge difference until I spoke about the article, or at the very least didn’t mention my lack of sparkles. The only person who really noticed was moi. Not even due to my slight fear of breaking out or chapped lips.
If I ended up having forehead bumps or dark circles that week, that would suck. But I really felt naked without my KAJA Roller Glow. Not because I have an insecurity about my naturally non-sparkly cheek bones, but because wearing sparkles somehow gives me confidence. Makeup really is a part of me, and while I don’t need it and can go a day without it without feeling too bad, it’s a form of self expression, not a blanket for insecurities. With my own makeup looks, my appearance truly does just get shinier. But for me, it isn’t about looks. It’s about expressing who I am on the inside, on my face, if that makes sense.
Which I know it does, for many makeup lovers out there like me.
Overall, bareface or full face, it doesn’t matter. I feel like my most confident self with a bomb highlight and a Tarte SEA H20 lip gloss. Others feel their most confident with nothing at all. And both are equally beautiful and amazing. As long as you do what makes you happy and the most confident version of yourself, it truly is no one else’s business.