To Paint or Not to Paint… Your Face

You can always count on Facebook to provide different topics that spark conversation. As I was scrolling through my timeline, I came across a post with two photos of a young lady. The photo on the left showed her au naturel with no trace of makeup. You can see her freckles, a few minor blemishes and her slightly darkened under-eyes. The photo on the right showed her with her face fully made up with a dark red lip, glitter covered eyelids and a flawless complexion. My friend who shared the photo had as his caption,”No difference but I’d prefer her no makeup, you hear that ladies? No makeup!”

The post generated multiple comments, most in favor of the natural look and some appreciative of both. It interested me because I seem to see this kind of response to makeup from men often, not including those who wear it themselves. Even in my own relationships, I’ve noticed feeling completely comfortable in my bare skin because I know that the guy prefers and appreciates it. I guess if I think about it, I wouldn’t want to kiss someone with lipstick on either.

There also seems to be a no makeup movement from women as well. Alicia keys, for example, has bravely decided to stop wearing makeup altogether and has been doing photo shoots and making appearances makeup free. I love this because it’s empowering and it lets young girls know that they can be beautiful without the extra frills and I am in complete support of that. I have a two-year-old god-daughter who loves her lip gloss and gets all into my makeup stash when she see me putting on my fancy face. Although I think it’s adorable to see her attempting to apply blush, I also want her to know how beautiful she is without it.

While I was immediately proud and impressed at the stand Ms. Keys is taking for natural, God-made beauty, one thought that quickly followed is of course she can stop wearing makeup, she doesn’t need it! Her skin is flawless on its own. If you already had suspicions of her perfect, angel skin before she ditched CoverGirl, like I did, her makeup hiatus completely confirmed them!

What about those of us who aren’t blessed with those magical skin cells? Some of us struggle with acne, rosacea, eczema and other skin conditions that take a stab at our bare-faced confidence. Then there are those of us who are just really into that stuff. I decided to ask my Facebook friends what their position on makeup was. Do they wear it? How often? Does it make them feel more or lessconfident, etc.?

I got several responses to the subject, mostly from women who do indeed dabble in the use of cosmetics for one reason or another. While most of the women said that they don’t wear makeup daily, about half expressed a boost in confidence when wearing it. The other half just liked the fun of it. Ashleigh commented, “Wearing makeup, I feel, enhances my beauty and makes me feel more confident.”

Lakenya expressed similar feelings saying, “Wearing it makes me feel fierce.”

A few ladies, like Jillian, mentioned skin concerns. “I wear it so I’m not self-conscious if I have a breakout.”

“I wear makeup everyday, but not a full face. Most times during the week just to hide the bags under my eyes,” responded Ericka,

Then There were others who just enjoy the artistic element of it.

“Yes I do wear makeup,” said Toniya. “It’s a form of art and it’s fun to experiment with different colors and create different looks.”

The beauty world is ever-changing, sometimes going from one extreme to the other. I’m usually hip to most of the trends because I’m the ultimate girly girl, obsessed with all things pretty, but it can be a challenge to keep a happy medium and not get so wrapped up in it that it takes over who I am and how I feel about myself. Sure, I like to decorate myself in glitter and red lipstick, but it’s stillimportant for me and all women, young and old, to be confident just as we are. I can admit that I still have some struggles with this.

I don’t need to be fully made up every time I leave the house, and I’m usually not. I only really take time to doll myself up maybe once or twice a week when I have time, but can I honestly say that I’m as confident without it as I am with it? Not exactly. Definitely won’t be taking any pictures, and most assuredly would do my best to avoid running into my most recent crush, even though we’ve already established that he would most likely prefer me sans makeup. So, why? Why is makeup such a significant part my life?

Now don’t get me wrong, there are some days when I’m like “Screw societal beauty standards! Take me as I am or leave me be! I am woman, hear me roar with or without cake face!” and I feel all rebellious and extra feminist-ish. Honestly though, those are just the days when time wont permit extra sparkle. I would wear more makeup during the week if my schedule allowed. Is that wrong? Doeswanting to spruce up my appearance in some way, even if its just a swipe of lip gloss before leaving the house, make me insecure?Maybe, but aside from that, the truth is that I just really like it. It’s my…thing.

Lipstick, brow powders and highlighters excite me! It’s not about being unhappy with myself, or seeking approval from the opposite sex. I, simply, love it. And even if my confidence without it was through the roof, I would still love it! And while there will always be people who take it too far, I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to feel good about your appearance, and if a little blush helps you achieve that, then by all means, blush on! I know I will.