Anyone who knows me knows that I have never regularly worn makeup; I will put a little on for select special occasions, but I am makeup free the rest of the time. I have multiple reasons for this.

For one, I am sensitive to a lot of different types of makeup. I have to be careful with what products I buy and how much of it I put on my face; otherwise, I just end up with itchy eyes and red, blotchy skin. I feel as though it isn’t worth all the time and effort to find the items I can actually use. Not only that, but the nice, hypoallergenic makeup can cost a lot of money. I would much rather spend that money on something that is going to be more worthwhile and pleasing to me.

But my choice to not wear makeup goes beyond that. My biggest reason is that I feel less confident and less like me when I wear it. When I cover my face in all those layers of makeup, my face just feels heavy and unnatural, and I always rush to take it off as soon as I possibly can. It makes me feel like someone I’m not.

I think this stems from the fact that I am comfortable in my own skin. I am who I am and I won’t let anyone tell me differently. That being said, I am not perfect. I don’t have the whitest teeth. I have acne. I wear glasses. And I definitely don’t always view myself as beautiful. But I am learning to love and embrace the parts of me that society doesn’t deem to be perfect. What better way to do this than to put away the makeup and let the world see my flaws in all of their imperfect beauty?

This is why I have the wish that more girls would choose to leave the makeup in the bag, at least for one day. I believe that confidence is really what makes a person beautiful, not makeup. Instead of covering up our blemishes, we should be celebrating them with assuredness, because they are what make each of us unique. Our flaws make us beautiful because no one else has the exact same ones. It is through our imperfections that we are made perfect, so we should be wiping off the makeup, wearing whatever clothes we want, and screaming to the world, “Look at me! I am strong, I am confident, I am courageous, I am beautiful, and I am me!”

So try it sometime. Take a leap of courage and leave the makeup at home. You might feel uncomfortable at first, but you might just surprise yourself and find some confidence along the way.