This year I wanted to get into makeup. Like, really get into it. Like transform my face. Make it glow, make my eyes pop, make me look retro, make me look more “put together”, etc. So I started off at Target and bought the basics, such as: BB cream, powder, blush, mascara, tinted chapstick, lipgloss, and all that other pink stuff. My breakouts have gotten worse so I decided, “Why not go to Sephora and buy something that will ACTUALLY match my skin tone because I have no idea what color I am!” I ended up spending 50 bucks on a small tube of primer and pink blush.
Now that I have all this stuff, let me play! So I played….every Friday…every other Friday… I have all these products and I rarely use them to be honest. I think makeup should be fun, why am I not having fun? Why am I not trying to learn how to contour my face?! Then I read this article :http://www.manrepeller.com/2014/04/why-i-dont-wear-makeup.html
I am so lazy. That’s it. I don’t wear makeup because I am lazy. I know the basics, but I am SO lazy I won’t even add mascara to my morning routine. Then I read this: http://www.refinery29.com/why-wear-makeup .I see her point, but why is makeup a deciding factor on how to treat someone? Why is it a symbol for being “put together”? I thought not being an asshole was enough.
For some occasions, yeah, slap on some makeup. For some occupations, yeah, slap on some makeup. For days when you feel like it, yeah, slap on some makeup. To each their own. I suppose I am blown away by the fact I spent a GOOD amount of time contemplating if I was doing some sort of wrong by not committing to this sort of “beauty” ritual, and the fact we humans are still puzzled by a bare face.
Unruly Bodies 
Makeup is such an interesting phenomenon, and I think it’s absolutely fascinating (and appalling) the way that it has become so ingrained in our cultural images of women. On the one hand, I don’t think that makeup itself is inherently bad (and obviously people should never be made to feel bad for wearing makeup/how much makeup they wear. Policing is never cool). Makeup can make you feel fierce and fabulous, and allow you to control aspects of your appearance in ways that are positive for your self-image. Makeup can also be disruptive, and it can be used in ways that upset norms and blur boundaries. But of course, makeup *culture* is a very different story; beauty standards that valorize an unattainable ideal and demonize anything that does not meet this image of perfect beauty are detrimental to people’s self esteem everywhere. I’m really impressed with your ability to go without makeup because I honestly still struggle to make a trip to the grocery store without “slapping it on,” as you say. And I think it’s this sort of self-policing, combined with the symbolic value of makeup that you mentioned, that is the real power of makeup culture.
I’m having the same crisis right now. I haven’t been wearing makeup much at all this semester, partly because of laziness but also because I figure it will only worsen my breakouts and clog my skin. But yet, there are some days where I am just adamant about wearing makeup, because it seems imperative to my performance of femininity. I’m sometimes caught off guard by my own bare face and somewhat disappointed in my laziness and in the fact that I just don’t always want to wear makeup, and yet at times I feel insecure when I go out in public. I had an interesting (and awful) moment the other day. I was having lunch with a friend and noticed a cute person walk by. We made eye contact but I immediately looked down because I assumed that because I wasn’t wearing makeup, that I would not be attractive to that person whatsoever. That says a lot about ingrained ideas perpetuated by movies and TV shows of how people communicate desire and that an essential part of communicating desire seems to be having a perfect face–not “too much” makeup but enough to hide every imperfection. I think media tends to leave us feeling very out of place in our bodies, with our faces…for me personally, the natural inclination to compare myself to others is something that I need to work to unlearn.
I also feel connected to this post. Some days, wearing make up feels empowering, and others, downright wrong. When I am feeling less naturally beautiful, like when my face breaks out, I have sunburn on my nose, or I have bags under my eyes, I immediately want make-up. I often assume that women who go along without makeup are naturally gorgeous and therefore don’t even need it. However, I haven’t ever seen someone without makeup and thought they “needed it”- except for my own self! Maybe we just naturally see the beauty in others or are much harsher on our own selves when it comes to appearances. Thanks for sharing!
Make up can be a tricky thing since you can be judged for wearing too much or not enough, but I think it can also be a really good way to express yourself if you want to wear it. I definitely agree that makeup should not be the deciding factor in how to treat someone.
Makeup has been a part of my daily ritual for a while. Ever since high school, I would wake up early, or even make people late, just so I can make sure my eyeliner wings were even. This year, I decided to do the opposite of what you did. I stopped wearing makeup everyday. I found that I have more control over my breakouts, and more time in the morning. It’s amazing how something that seemed to take even a few minutes can give me so much time in the morning.
I do not think there is anything wrong with wearing make-up. We are all beautiful in God’s sight. Make-up is used to enhance our beauty. If we chose not to wear it, we are still beautiful. Some people are not fortunate enough to wear make-up due to sensitive skin. Beauty is in the eye of the holder. One should make one happy.