For years, I have been asked if or when I'm going to start wearing make-up. Truthfully, I do like to experiment, just as everyone else does, but wearing make-up every day just doesn't seem realistic to me. I tried by wearing mascara and a tinted lip balm a while ago, but as any college student can attest, it becomes a hassle, especially with early morning classes. What I have learned through not wearing make-up is that I don't need it and that my beauty will shine through without enhancing any of my features.

I do have to say, while in high school, I wanted to get into it. Everyone was wearing make-up, so I felt I needed to wear it too. When working on musicals, I did have to wear make-up for those. I thought it was so fun to do your whole face up and be considered beautiful. But it wasn't worth my skin being tortured for hours just to feel half as beautiful as I did on stage. Now, I understand the difference between stage makeup and natural day-to-day looks, but I was never able to pull off a natural look. Having been taught how to properly apply it, I know just how to wear it, but it always feels like there is too much on my face or I look like a clown. I also have incredibly sensitive skin, so either buying the wrong product or wearing cosmetics for too long can have a profound effect on my face.

I'm not going to lie, it took me years to feel beautiful without a full face of make-up. It wasn't until college that I spent every day without it. I had it all set up on my desk, ready to be applied, but I just never felt the need to use it. I only wore it for one formal event, and then it wasn't touched again until the spring semester of my freshman year. That entire semester, I wanted to start using it again, especially because I was in a relationship and had heard for years that guys will find you beautiful if you wear makeup.

However, to this day, I have not worn any form of cosmetics on my face around my boyfriend, and he believes that I am beautiful without it. I was never looking for validation in my own beauty, but to have someone so important and special to me remind me that I don't need full coverage foundation and sparkly eyelids to be beautiful in his eyes has opened my eyes. He helped me believe that I am, and have been beautiful for years without it. It also helped to have the influence of Alicia Keys, renowned recording artist, living her life make-up free in the spotlight.

To all the people who feel like they need Anastasia Beverly Hills to have perfect eyelids, Fenty Beauty to have the perfect highlighter, or Kat Von D to show off your flawless skin, I issue a challenge. I challenge you to go one week without make-up. That includes BB creams, concealers, anything sold in Sephora or Ulta Beauty. Within a week, you'll notice just how much extra time you have, how much money you have saved, and how different people will look at you. This is in no way meant to discourage anyone from wearing it, as it is a personal preference, but I have gained perspective as someone who has worn both. You are beautiful no matter what, and I wish everyone would understand that.