Mascara, foundation, blush, highlighter, eyeshadow, all of these things are products that we use to boost our physical image and make us feel more confident. But what if I told you you could feel just as confident if you wore none of that stuff? Would you believe me? I wouldn’t have a couple years ago, but now that I’ve readjusted myself to see what I look like without makeup, I believe it.

Now when we were younger, the only makeup we knew was the stuff that we would steal from our mom’s vanity. But it seems that more and more these days our social medias are filled with emphases on how our eyebrows or highlights look. Nowadays, it seems as though wearing makeup is the “norm,” while going barefaced receives looks of confusion.

After going without makeup for weeks at a time, I’ve found that it’s much more preferable to go without it instead of wearing makeup day in and day out.

For the most obvious reason, it takes approximately five minutes to get up, get ready and get out of the house when you aren't concerned with putting on makeup. And though that is nice and all, there is a bigger discovery that I have found from remaining barefaced: people get to look at you for all that you are with no bronzed or highlighted filter, which is a beautiful thing.

Now this isn’t to say that people who prefer to wear makeup aren’t beautiful because everyone is beautiful in their own way, but there is something so organic about wearing no makeup when you’re meeting new friends or potential suitors. When I wear makeup and I’m meeting someone for the first time, I always wonder if they’ll still look at me the same if I were to have no eyebrow gel or concealer on. But when you go without it, you get rid of all that worry and if someone doesn’t find you interesting or appealing without the cosmetics, you can know right then and there that they’re probably someone you don’t want to keep around in your life.

But you might be thinking about the reactions that you’ll get from people when you just stop wearing makeup one day – there’s nothing wrong with that, I worried about the same thing. The beautiful thing is that what other people think about how you present yourself is irrelevant. And when they do see the natural “you” and they compliment you for how beautiful you are, it will make it all that more genuine and special. There’s sometimes such a stigma that we, both men and women, have to look perfect at all hours of the day, but in reality, there’s so much more to life than what brand blush you use.

It takes some getting used to when you look at yourself in the mirror and no longer see the products that once made you look so different, but after a while, you gain a new type of confidence that can be unmatched by any feeling you had when you wore makeup. Now when you look at yourself in the mirror, you’re seeing the vibrant and natural beauty that you were born with, and that’s something that should be embraced way more often than it is.