The other day I was thinking about a show I saw on TV years back. The show was challenging women to go a week without make-up.
The show was absolutely ground-breaking.
It documented what these women went through each day as they went about their lives- make-up free. One lady even went to bed with her make-up on and admitted that her husband had never seen her without make-up!
Personally, I have always used my make-up as a security blanket. I generally don’t go without it unless I am simply around the house or running to the grocery store. But even still, I tend to always put on my lip gloss when going out.
Some days I resent putting on make-up…I mean, it just adds another 10-15 minutes to my getting ready routine! It really can be a pain in the butt.
And expensive. Sephora, anyone?!
So as I started to think about this more and more, I realized that I have never gotten over my insecurity when I am make-up free. Sometimes I feel ugly, blotchy, or afraid to hold my head up high without make-up on my face.
This is really sad for me to think about.
I have always been self-conscious about the red undertones in my skin (much of my family has these rosy red undertones!) and I have always tried to cover it up and create a more even skin tone with foundation. I also have always been self-conscious about my beauty mark on my cheek. Many times growing up many people told me I had ‘a little something’ on my face and tried to rub it off, thinking it was dirt.
And you know what?
I’m sick of feeling this way.
I am sick of relying on make-up to make me feel beautiful! Now don’t get me wrong, I think make-up can be a wonderful tool to give us some kick to our step just like clothing can do, but I think we also need to ask ourselves if we RELY on make-up to make us feel whole.
I know I sure do.
And I think that needs to change.
So today I decided to come clean to myself and the world. I took this picture with Eric’s HIGH RES camera, so there is no hiding. ;)
ME: Make-up FREE!
I admit, I was nervous taking this picture. But I am even more nervous about the thought of challenging myself to go make-up free. I am honestly not sure if I can do it. A few years ago, I challenged myself to go 1 week without lip gloss (I am addicted). It was incredibly hard (Eric LOVED it- he hates that ‘stuff’!). It was so so hard for me.
Today’s SGBC Reflection Challenge is to think about this post and ask yourself whether you rely too much on make-up to feel ‘whole’.
ABC News wrote some tips for going make-up free:
- Concentrate on your skin care. The best way to go without makeup is if you’ve been taking great care of your skin, so you can show it off. If you’re feeling confident about your skin you’re going to feel good about going without makeup as well. (Time to keep up with the green monsters!!!!)
- Get a great cleanser, a very gentle exfoliant and a moisturizer with SPF. Most of the anti-aging creams out there are too rich for a woman under the age 35. If you still feel like you need anti-aging products, incorporate it; but, just like with makeup, less is more.
- Keep your hair and nails looking good so you don’t look unkempt, even though you’re not wearing makeup. Consider getting a manicure or get a blowout that you can wear for most of the week. (While I can see their point with this tip, I think it contradicts their message! You shouldn’t feel that you have to ‘improve’ other areas of your appearance to justify feeling good sans make-up!)
- Have your lip balm handy. If your lips look healthy and moisturized, you won’t look scraggly. (Well, gee thanks!)
- If you must have something on your face, try a tinted moisturizer with SPF. Clinique and Benefit make great ones. They offer moisture, a small amount of coverage and sunscreen — makeup or no makeup, you should wear sunscreen everyday.
Let’s think about some benefits of going make-up free:
- You will save money
- Extra time in your day to do what YOU want to do! Spend that extra 10-30 minutes relaxing, reading, or watching some TV!
- It will challenge you to find out how secure you can truly become in your own skin
- You will start to appreciate your natural beauty
We need to really embrace our whole selves- even if that means learning to love our skin make-up free….blotchy…freckled…broken out…wrinkly…and ALL!
I don’t know about you, but I feel STRONGER and more confident just writing these words.
~~~~~~
Today’s questions:
Do you ever go make-up free?
Do you rely on make-up too much?
Do you think you could go 1 week make-up free? Why or why not?
Angela, this is a great topic for discussion! I actually have always been one of those people who hates wearing makeup so much that I don’t wear very much, but that doesn’t mean I’m not insecure. I have criticized my skin many, many times in life (especially right now, because I am currently going through the pubescent acne stage that I should have gone through back when I was a teenager – gah!). I usually go with bronzer, blush and mascara, and sometimes will use a concealer stick to cover up blemishes. This is a great reminder that we should never let makeup cover up who we really are. I love all of the tips you provided, too!
I haven’t wore make-up in probably 20 years and I know my skin thanks me! Great post, Angie!
Pam
www.alovefornewrecipes.blogspot.com
I used to wear Bare Minerals all the time. But lately I can’t even remember the last time I did. I love the way my face looks naked with my new juice beauty products and the Green Monsters. Yes I do have scars from my cystic acne, but that is a part of me and if someone has a problem with them, thats their problem. They are getting better and fading since Im not longer having acne. I do wear lip balm though because sometimes my lips are really dry from eczema.
You look radiant without your make-up on so embrace that and enjoy it. I have always been a very minimal make-up person and have encouraged my daughters to go for tinted moisturizers rather than foundation if they feel a need to even out their skin tone.
But wait until you are older to se if you still think make-up is foolish. I look at my 56 year old skin in the morning and realize that for me to look my best I need to help it out a bit. But for me it is foundation, eyeliner, mascara, blush, and lip gloss. Anything else is just too much! I wish I could go back to the make-up free days of my 20s and 30s!! Enjoy it!
hey Angela!
I haven’t read allt he comments and I might be the 1000th person to tell you this, but you really look beautiful without makeup! Your skin looks so fresh and healthy and you have NO reason to be ashamed of your rosy cheeks ;)
This post really inspired me to try a week withour makeup myself. I think most of us really need it as a shield, so we can feel confident. I’ve experienced that the women I most adore are the ones that don’t need makeup to feel great. Their happiness and confidence really shines through and this picture of you is the best example!
i almost never wear it. i have no idea what colors look right or how to properly apply. blah.
hoestly, the first hing i noticed was how dark your hair looks and the vibrant color of your eyes.
I was blessed with pretty good skin so I don’t actually wear a lot of makeup. What I do use is bronzer because I’m trying really hard to avoid getting colour on my skin (anymore!) and bronzer helps make me look a little less pasty ;) I love makeup for going out though – it’s so fun!
I once went to a different gym in my city and saw girls caking their faces with makeup BEFORE their workouts. There I was with my hair back, headband on, face srubbed clean – about to sweat my little heart out and they were putting on makeup?!?! I never went back there…
Angela- your picture is great and you can tell how healthy you are! The skin is an organ afterall and it is an outward reflection of inward health. From the picute it looks like we have similar skin concerns. I read “The Skintype Solution” about a month ago and was amazed that I was causing many of my skin issues- uneven tone/texture, even my breakouts. I was using many top of the line products (lots that were “natural” as well) but I was amazed when I looked through their ingredients and matched them with the irritants in the book. I pretty much threw out about 75% of what I had and started over. 1 month later and my skin looks and feels amazing! I had been over exfoliating and over drying my skin to deal with breakouts. Low and behold, as soon as I stopped using acne stuff and switched to a gentle cleaser, alcohol free toner and oil free moisturizer (korres yoghurt cream) my skin is even and smooth. I exfoliate a few times a week, but with a gentle Murad product made for “aging skin” which tends to be more delicate than the ones we 20 somethings use!I had no idea that treating my redness and occasional acne as a “sensitivity” would actually work! But it makes sense, since they are both forms of inflammation.
Anyway- I think you look beautiful! If you decide to check out the book- don’t be scared by how huge it is! Only about 75 pages will actually apply to you! The best part- I only use a few products now and before I had a drawer FULL of things to treat or hide this and that! Saves money, saves packaging and I have great skin to show for it!
Great question today!
I’m not a huge makeup person but I do wear it at work and when I go out. But I don’t really feel like I hide behind it. If I didn’t have time to put it on, I’d just wear face lotion and deal. I usually go without it once a week and I never wear it to the gym. But I think if I was with a guy I was interested in, I would feel pretty uncomfortable letting him stare at my bare face. I guess we all have our limits…
I don’t usually ‘over do-it’ with make-up, but I still wear it to feel put together at work or going out. I usually don’t care about wearing make-up when I’m just running errands, or seeing people I know. I guess, I would feel weird if everyone else is wearing make-up and looking ‘professional’ and I wasn’t. I would worry about what others were thinking and wondering why I wasn’t wearing any. mmmm . . . I think I think about what others are thinking too much! haha
I often go makeup free on non work days. And since I walk 3 miles to the office, I usually freshen up and wait to put it on there. I know my husband loves me without it too, even if I have my glasses on (now that’s an insecurity I have! I hate glasses!)
You are absolutely gorgeous without it! Your skin and eyes truly glow.
You know what’s funny? If you hadn’t mentioned that this was a makeup-free photo I never would have noticed. You’re gorgeous!
Great pic.
I stopped wearing foundation about 10 years ago. I was breaking out a lot (acne made a strong reappaerance in late 20’s/early 30’s) and my Derm told me to try going without foundation and it helped my skin immensely. I also have reddish skin tone so always tried to cover it up. My skin looked so much fresher and younger without the foundation.
These days for work I use concealer under eye, neutral eye shadow, mascara, and lipgloss. Takes me 5 minutes. I do like to get more dolled up for a night out but no longer have issues going out with no makeup or very minimal (mascara and lip gloss) Especially now at 40, I find more makeup tends to age one’s face.
You look great make up free! This website is so amazing and inspiring. Keep posting these kinds of topics and you’ll keep challenging women and make them rethink their definitions of beauty and ideals.
-emma k.
Hi Angela,
You look gorgeous without makeup! That natural glow and your confident smile is so attractive. I feel the same way as you that we should cultivate the real confidence in ourselves, and be natural as what we are. Let’s call a stop to the overwhelming processed food, the over-packaging goods, and be eco-friendly to the planet.
Hey Angela, Great post! I find it much much easier to go without make up when I have a tan. But we all know what the sun does to us, so I try to stay out of it as much as possible. This would be a real challenge for me. Perhaps I will start this while I’m on vacation!
Diana
Angela, you are still too gorgeous even without makeup! The glow you have about you is so beautiful. And your skin is amazing.
Do you ever go make-up free?
-Not really. Sometimes I won’t wear eye-makeup or only mascara, but always my bare minerals. I find my skin breaks out if I skip a day or too. I guess its like a protective coating to the bacteria or something.
Do you rely on make-up too much?
-No, I love the way I look at night with my makeup off and my face freshly washed. I think I look so pretty. Not to sound conceited…
Do you think you could go 1 week make-up free? Why or why not?
-I don’t know I could do it. I could try but I’d feel so insecure. Hmm, now I’m thinking about doing it.
With putting make-up on for work every weekday, I actually LOVE going make-up-free on the weekends! When I go out at night I love getting dolled up, but for just the usual weekendy stuff me (and my skin) welcome the break! I think this might have to do with going to an all-girls high school. I NEVER wore make-up to school and learned to be very comfortable without it! Although make-up is amazing and fun, it’s certainly nothing to rely on. You look beautiful without make-up Angela!!
I think it is great that you brought this up and you look gorgeous without makeup. For me, though, I like the way I look with makeup. I use Bare Essentials and I find it is natural looking.
I think this is one of those things that has to work for you. For me to not wear makeup would be very unsettling. Maybe that is not healthy, but I like feel confident, polished and, yes, girly. I say, to each their own and whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
Great post!
What a great post! I totally know how you feel and applaud you for taking the photo of you without make up. You look stunning – no doubt because of your healthy lifestyle!
I wear make-up every day because I have such bad redness on my face. I went out without it one day and nearly cried when I saw myself in the mirror – I just feel horrible. It’s awful as I really feel that we shouldn’t HAVE to wear make-up at all and would love if I didn’t have to, but I just can’t face not wearing it.
The only saving grace is I wear an all-natural/eco and animal friendly (and cheap!) mineral foundation (www.everydayminerals.com) so I don’t feel like I’m putting loads of horrible chemicals on my skin. I’ve been wearing it for around 3 years and order it to Ireland from the USA I think it’s so good. (On a side note, I really think what we put on our bodies is as important as what we put into it, so natural cosmetics are great!)
But I would love, LOVE to have the confidence to not wear make up.
Keep doing what you’re doing Angela – every day (all the way over here in Ireland!!) I learn something from your blog and feel inspired.