I'm an avid makeup user. Every morning, I throw it all on, foundation, concealer, bronzer, blush, mascara, eyeliner...the whole shebang. It's not that I need all the layers, it's simply that I like putting makeup on. Putting on makeup is a destresser for me, and a way to get my day started on the right foot. My hour-long routine has become just that -- a routine. It now only takes me an extra 20 minutes to get ready, and it ensures that I'll be happy and confident all day.

This is where people get it all wrong; I don't need makeup to be confident in my own skin. Just because I'm confident with makeup on doesn't necessarily mean I'm self-conscious without makeup on. Sure, I have a few bumps here and there and I definitely have a bit of an uneven skin tone, but then again -- who doesn't?!

I used to compare myself to other girls on Instagram. I would obsessively stalk their social media profiles, panicking when my friends called any girl but me "pretty." In my head, it seemed like they were telling me that if I didn't look like the girl in the Instagram or VSCO picture, I wasn't pretty enough. I fought this battle of insecurity until a close friend calmed my nerves instantly and hit me with the most freeing comment anyone has ever given me.

She looked directly into my eyes and said to me, "You know, you don't have to be pretty like her. You can be pretty like you."

That's when it all hit me: Instagram is a highlight reel, not real life. Social media users upload their best pictures and use editing apps galore to make sure every shadow and angle is absolutely perfect.

Of course, the girl on my phone looked gorgeous; it probably took her 45 minutes to put on makeup, another 30 to pick out the perfect outfit, and at least 30 more minutes to get the ideal shot. That is not how people live their day-to-day lives.

Makeup can give a girl cheekbones in 30 seconds flat, but you know what it can't give her? Confidence. Respect. Self-love. These are qualities I admire in other people and also qualities I have found and admire in myself. Makeup or no makeup, I take these traits (along with many others) with me every day.

That is why when "makeup shaming" went viral and became a "trend," it hit me in the gut. Boys kept saying that they would "take a girl swimming on the first date" because they felt lied to. They claimed that wearing makeup is "false advertising." Well, last time I checked, boys, girls never wore makeup for you. Please take me swimming; I own waterproof makeup.

The past year has been one of growth and self-discovery for myself and many other avid makeup-users. After being criticized and humiliated for being a "cake face," I have come to realize that people's negativity towards makeup-users is only a reflection of them, not me. I have so much to be proud of -- my drive, my passion for what I do, my ability to be caring and kind, and so much more. And wearing makeup doesn't take away any of those traits or make me any less worthy of them. Wearing makeup makes me confident and happy. It's therapeutic for me.

I am so much more than the products on my face -- I am happy. Passionate. Hardworking. Lively. Determined. Kind. And so much more. Just because the camera can't pick these traits up doesn't mean they aren't there.