I’m going to preface this with there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing makeup. I might not be able to tell you any of the names of the Naked palettes (despite my roommates’ best attempts to educate me), but I still enjoy putting on and wearing makeup.
My week without makeup happened by accident. I ran out of my usual foundation and just didn’t have time to go buy more. I then decided to take a break from all of my makeup cold turkey. So, instead of the time in my morning and evening routines that I had used for my makeup, I started using that time on more intensive general skin care.
 Monday, I was admittedly a little self-conscious about the dark bags under my eyes and the acne that peppered my face. But, by Wednesday, I didn’t even think about the absence of my makeup. As the week progressed, not only did my skin improve with the more intensive care regimen but my ability to be comfortable in my own skin—without my typical painted façade—improved as well. I even went out on the weekend without any makeup.
The lesson I learned extended beyond simply becoming more comfortable in my own skin. This simple transition from covering my flaws with makeup to in my routine led to a change of mindset: instead of spending time trying to hide my flaws, I was spending time trying to fix my flaws.  By removing my ability to hide what I needed to fix, I was forced to ask how I could improve. Who knew you could learn life lessons from running out of foundation?
Now I’ve finally bought more foundation and am back to wearing makeup, but I’ve continued to take better care of my skin. The life lessons have stuck with me as well.  I’m really glad I had a chance to embrace my natural beauty beneath the paint and be honest about what I needed to work on to improve myself.
So set down the bronzer and the eyebrow curler and look at yourself in the mirror. Be honest with yourself about your flaws—beyond just the superficial ones—and instead of trying to cover them up, take the time to fix them. But don’t get so focused on self-improvement that you don’t learn how to accept and love who you really are! You don’t have to hide it! Embrace your inner and outer beauty!
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