The last thing that a girl wants to worry about during the hot and humid summer weather is her foundation streaking or her mascara smudging. With this in mind, I decided to completely remove makeup from my daily routine and was determined to last at least two weeks without even a swipe of mascara.

To my surprise, I loved the experience.

1. My skin cleared up.

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It was like a miracle! My redness faded, my blackheads and blemishes went away, and my pores shrank. My skin felt and looked so much smoother and I rarely broke out. Better than any fancy serum or cleanser money could buy.

2. I felt more confident in my own skin.

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Although I never wore a considerable amount of makeup, I used to feel the need to put on at least some (i.e. concealer, mascara, and eyebrows) before leaving the house. Once I got into the habit of omitting makeup completely from my daily routine, I felt so much more confident with a bare face. Plus, I no longer saw a need because of my clear skin, as mentioned earlier.

3. I had more time.

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Without makeup in my daily routine, I had more time to get ready which meant more time to sleep in. This became especially convenient when working as a nanny from 7 a.m. on every day. Rolling out of bed and getting ready for the day is so much easier when it doesn't include stabbing myself in the eye with a mascara wand!

4. I saved money.

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As most girls know, makeup is expensive! One tube of mascara can be around $25 and a bottle of foundation can be around $50… and that's not even including the eyebrow pencil, eyeshadow, bronzer, etc. All of those products add up, but since I wasn't using them, I found myself in Sephora and Ulta less often that I used to be, which meant more money in my pocket.

When I did choose to wear makeup, I used less and found it to be more enjoyable!

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On the rare occasion that I did choose to put on makeup before heading out, the process was less of a task and more of a fun step. I opted away from anything heavy, such as foundation or black eyeliner, and focused on highlighting my natural features.

Through this experience, I have developed a healthier relationship with makeup. What began as a two-week challenge to myself turned into a daily preference and lifestyle choice. I always encourage others to embrace their natural beauty, whether that means wearing little to no makeup, as I did, or wearing makeup to enhance their features and empower themselves. The last and most important lesson that I learned was that contrary to my prior beliefs, I didn't need to wear makeup to feel beautiful!