As a middle schooler, I remember watching beauty gurus like macbarbie07, juicystar07, dulcecandy87, and others on YouTube. I would take notes on their beauty tips, buy the products they used, and recreate their looks on myself. I did it because I thought it was fun. But now, I’ve found that applying makeup doesn’t bring me the same joy it brought me before. It’s like I do it as a chore now. Here are a list of the reasons why I’m quitting makeup:
1) My acne became too hard to manage
When I was in fifth grade, I desperately wished for a blemish, a patch of redness, or any imperfection to appear on my skin. It was because I wanted to be able to wear foundation, just like the beauty gurus I watched. One morning, I woke up with a red bump on my forehead, and I stared at the mirror in pure glee, thinking I had gotten my first pimple. It was a bug bite, but I got foundation anyways and used it religiously. Since then, my skin became progressively worse. It was always my forehead that had the most blemishes; however, going into college it became even worse than before. Large red craters are all over my cheeks. I hate it, and I think one of the reasons it has gotten worse is because of makeup. I have acne in the same places where I would apply my blush and bronzer. So as a way to alleviate my acne, I think I need to stop using makeup and focus more on skincare.
2) I don’t have the time
I really like to sleep. I don’t like getting up in the morning. In high school, I would get up at 5:30 A.M. just to put my makeup on. Back then, I put up with it because I enjoyed it. I told myself that wearing makeup made me happy and it wasn’t to appeal to others. But now, I don’t find it necessary and would rather use those extra 30 minutes to sleep instead of applying makeup.
3) It’s bad for the environment
It is really hard to recycle makeup because of the different types of plastics used in the creation of the packaging. Yes, there are some amazing recycling programs for beauty products out there, but those programs are usually hard to come by and could even involve spending money on shipping. Despite the recycling programs, there is still so much makeup that gets thrown away, which accumulates in the environment. I think reducing what we intake is much more important than trying to recycle everything. By not wearing makeup, it would be another way to reduce the amount of waste I produce.
4) It’s really expensive
I’m a broke college student, and makeup is really expensive. My whole makeup collection cost thousands of dollars. I could have used that money for something more useful, like for tuition, gas, food, clothes, laundry, etc. By not buying any more makeup, it will be a way to save money.
5) I want to get over my fear of being in public without makeup
I’ve grown so accustomed to putting makeup on everyday that without it I feel naked. I don’t want to feel like I have to go the extra step of applying a new face to feel like myself. I want to feel like myself without any modifications. Quitting makeup is a way to become more comfortable in my own skin.
I want to set this as a challenge for myself. I love applying eyeshadow and fun lip colors as a way to unwind, but as of now I need to feel more comfortable in my skin and tackle the insecurities I have with the way I look. I realize that as a kid, the way I treated makeup was a manifestation of wanting to be like the beauty gurus I watched. Now, I’ve outgrown that part of my life, I need to step away from makeup for a little while, in order to take my first steps towards individuality. I hope that this article can help anyone else make the switch or even consider going makeup-free!
If you would like to write for Her Campus Mount Holyoke, or if you have any questions or comments for us, please email mt-holyoke@hercampus.com.