I’m a makeup addict. It’s a full-blown passion of mine, and I can spend hours, time, and far too much money just trying to find that perfect shade of lipstick.
A while back, one of my fellow writers wrote an article about looking flawless without the need to wear makeup. Honestly, I thought it was madness – it sounded about as crazy as leaving the house without wearing clothes. But, she actually had a point.
Whilst I wasn’t ready to completely hang up my brushes, I decided to cut out my fancy routine and only allow myself a bit of powder and mascara. I set my challenge – locking away most of my makeup for a WEEK. It might seem like a short amount of time, but as someone who hadn’t even answered the door without a full face on in years, it was a big deal.
You can argue that I’m still wearing makeup, but let me put it into perspective for you:
This was my daily makeup before:
And this is now:
Here’s how my makeup free week went:
Day One:
We’ve officially gone from this being me at 7 AM:
To this:
I feel naked. And not in a sexy way, in an overly exposed way that I just don’t like. I haven’t stepped out of my front door without makeup in years, but I’m gonna try. I got to work without anybody commenting on how naked my face looks.
I keep checking myself in the mirror and am feeling really self-conscious, because when you look good, you feel good, and I just don’t. Especially when someone at work has just told me I look ill today. On a happier note though, another colleague didn’t even realize I wasn’t wearing makeup, but said I looked different but that it looked good.
Day Three:
On the way to work, then and now.
It’s getting easier, and it’s only been a few days. I still have to really resist grabbing my makeup bag before I head out, but so far so good. The thing that’s really shocked me so far is that nobody else had seemed to notice how different I look, which is making me think maybe I don’t look so bad after all.
When you’re not slathering your face in pressed powder, you really notice how oily and sweaty your skin can get, and I’ve never paid much attention to it before because I always just grab a brush and put another layer on, if it started to look shiny. My skin truly feels so much cleaner and lighter, even after just a few days of being makeup free.
Day Five:
Big step for me today – I’m going out to a bar with a nearly naked face. If you thought my daily makeup routine was excessive, you haven’t seen my going out makeup. It’s normally bright red lipstick, glitter everywhere, ombré eyeshadow and giant eyeliner flicks. I’m actually shocked. I think the less makeup look is actually better. I can dance around without worrying about smudging my makeup, and I’m not always excusing myself for a touch-up in the bathroom.
I usually have so many breakouts on my face, but while it’s too soon to say for sure, I haven’t seen as many as I usually would. I suppose it’s funny…I wear makeup to make my skin look better, but all that makeup makes my skin worse. To top off my excitement of clearer skin, I’m a big fan of the extra hour of time I’m getting every day (thank god for more sleep).
Day Seven
It’s the last day of my challenge! Did some shopping today and as usual I walk by all the gorgeous makeup. I couldn’t believe I didn’t even buy a single thing! I don’t think I’ll be giving up makeup for good, I still love putting it on, but this has definitely opened my eyes to the perks of not having it be such an important part of my life.
As it’s the last day of my challenge, I thought I’d go all out and forget about the mascara and moisturizer. I just washed my face, and left the house with an entirely natural face. I almost changed my mind, but I spent the whole day without worrying about it.
I don’t think without detoxing my face (and mind) this week I’d have the confidence to share this on the internet…my first completely makeup free photo:
I never believed I’d say this, but I think every girl should have a face detox now and then. Not only does it make your face feel lighter and cleaner, you save so much time and money. While looking after my skin has now become a priority, the most important thing I’ve learned from this is to stop caring about how I look so much. Girls are conditioned from a young age to believe they need to be flawless at all times, and makeup is one way of achieving that, but now I know different. I needed to learn to have a little more confidence in my skin, and the fact that hardly anybody noticed I was baring my real face just goes to show; you don’t need anything but a smile to be beautiful.
Feature Image via Kylie Jenner.
