Yes, I am eighteen years old, and I have a beauty routine. I love my acrylic nails, my dyed, dark brown hair, my waxed eyebrows, my clay-mask facials, and my abundance of makeup. I do all of this because it makes me feel beautiful. It makes me feel like myself.

When I feel beautiful, I feel confident. When my nails are long, I feel like I can conquer the world. When my cheeks are perfectly contoured, I feel unstoppable. When my eyebrows have an impeccable arch, I feel powerful. My beauty routine is all for my self-confidence, and I am most definitely not ashamed of it.

I do have my days when I feel bad about myself, and all I want to do is stay in sweatpants, wear my glasses, and not even put foundation on (yikes). However, having an established beauty routine has helped me feel good about myself, and to be quite honest, it has helped me get through many rough days.

I probably get judged for all of the things I do for the sake of beauty, but I really don't care. I love feeling pretty. What’s wrong with that?

I have learned a lot about having a beauty routine from my mom. My mother is and always will be a woman with long acrylics, flawless makeup, split-end free hair, and outfits that could be in magazines. She is my biggest inspiration for my beauty routine. When I was a little girl, I would always watch her wash her face and put her moisturizer and under-eye cream on (which has saved me from many sleepless nights). She would then put her foundation, bronzer, eyeshadow, and mascara on. Eventually she would do her hair and pick out a killer outfit. I used to think her routine was absurd, but now that I am older, I have come to adopt a very similar routine. The apple truly did not fall far from the tree.

Now, let’s talk about makeup. Makeup has saved me from the random zits that show up in the morning and the dark circles under my eyes. Makeup just makes me feel better in general. BareMinerals, Too Faced, Becca, and Naked are my best friends (okay, Haley, you are too).

It bothers me when ignorant people say, “oh, makeup is just hiding your face.” Makeup isn’t hiding anything. It definitely covers up acne or any other imperfections, but it certainly does not cover anything up. What makeup does do is enhance beauty. That’s the beauty of it!

When people wear makeup, it could be for a variety of reasons, whether it be for a confidence booster, to enhance one's beauty, or because they simply like it. Personally, I wear it because it makes me feel beautiful and confident in my own skin. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own body, and makeup has the power to change a person's mindset about their own self.

"Makeup is a way for a woman to look and feel like herself, only prettier and more confident. "- Bobbi Brown