This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montclair chapter.

There’s always been this assumption that people who wear makeup are insecure and are not comfortable in their own skin. That we are afraid of the world to see our bare skin. To be completely honest, all of those thing couldn’t be further from the truth. I happen to love everything about makeup and splurge a good portion of my pay on as much makeup as I can. I wear makeup because I like feeling confident and showing off different makeup looks.

However this past month, I decided to try going an entire week without putting an ounce of makeup on. At first I was a little hesitant and kept doubting myself that I was not going to make it a whole week without my makeup. I decided that the only way I was going to be able to do this was if I took all of the makeup palettes, lipsticks, eyeliners, and mascaras and put them out of sight. I figured if I didn’t see makeup, I wouldn’t be tempted and would easily get through the week.

After 5 years of wearing makeup every single day, I was going to step out of my comfort zone do my daily tasks with no trace of makeup on my face. Here’s what I learned during my makeup-free week:

Day 1

The first day of no makeup was hands down the hardest day for me. I’ve always been a little insecure about my skin and never wanted anyone to see the many dark spots that reside on my face. I try to hide them as best as I can because I have always been certain that I look 10 times better if they were hidden. I felt as though everyone kept staring at me even though in the back of my head I kept saying to myself, “Girl no one cares about how you look,” but in my mind I was getting judged by everyone who looked at me.

Day 2

I was still waking up an hour before class thinking I needed time to put my makeup on, but realized that I could actually sleep in. The anxiety of going out in public was still weighing on me.

Day 3

Wednesday was not bad at all actually! I’m usually swamped with classes and meetings on this day so it was nice to be early to class instead of doing my makeup and showing up to class 10 minutes late (which almost always happens). It was also pretty warm this day so not having to worry about sweating my foundation off was like a breath of fresh air.

Day 4

So day 4 was not my best day. I woke up to a huge glacier resting on my chin and was a little upset that I couldn’t just run to my handy dandy concealer and cover the nuisance up. I just had to endure it and kept my hair covering the pimple the entire day.

Day 5

They say that leaving your face bare for a couple days will make your skin smoother. I am a witness of this statement because by Friday, my face felt so soft and wasn’t being weighed down by my makeup. Washing my face every night and applying face cream actually does the trick!

Day 6 & 7

Once the weekend came, I just chilled out at home without makeup since that’s what I usually do on Saturdays and Sundays. My skin felt better than ever and my skin actually had a glow to it.

I learned a lot from my week without makeup. I was able to look into the mirror and not feel insecure about my discoloration and dark spots. I’ve come to the conclusion that I am naturally beautiful and even though makeup is fun to put on, it doesn’t define who I really am. I encourage everyone who feels the need to wear makeup every single day to try going a week without makeup. You will learn to embrace your flaws and love yourself even more!

Sources: 1, 2, 3

I Went a Week Without Wearing Makeup