It was 10:15 on a Thursday morning. I walked quickly to my first class, hoping that nobody would notice my bare face and disheveled clothing recycled from the day before. I shoved my bed hair into a beanie and slipped on a pair of sunglasses to hide the bags under my eyes. I met my friend in front of our classroom and quickly began to explain why I looked so horrific.
“Don’t ask.” I said, “I spent the night at someone else’s house last night and came straight to class. I didn’t even get a chance to put on any makeup.”
She gave me a stunned expression before saying, “I didn’t even know you wore makeup. You look exactly the same.”
I was shocked. I thought surely that the extra 20 minutes I took to apply makeup in the morning made a difference. Admittedly, I never wore much. I’m no contour queen; I just wore enough to make myself look presentable.
“Really?” I asked her, still in disbelief. “I don’t look like crap?”
“No.” She shook her head. “You really don’t.”
I sat back and took this in. If a friend I saw every day didn’t notice I wasn’t wearing makeup, would anyone else notice? This thought made me question why I even wore makeup in the first place: was I doing it for me? Or was I doing it for others?
To answer these questions, I decided to challenge myself to a week without makeup. While I thought I’d look forward to the reunion with my favorite mascara, one week turned into three weeks once I realized the many benefits that came with committing to a bare face. Here are three big reasons why I think everyone should take on the no-makeup challenge.
1. More relaxed mornings.
I never spent very much time on my makeup in the morning. I took at most 20 minutes to complete my minimal routine. By taking away that routine, however, I found myself with an extra twenty minutes to either sleep in, whip up my favorite breakfast, or even do a little morning pilates. I started off my day more relaxed and focused.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ll take the time to apply a dab of blush or a fun blue eyeliner here and there, but I quickly realized that makeup doesn't make me feel as good as the extra 20 minutes does.
2. Softer, clearer skin.
Towards the middle of the week, I was sitting doing homework with my friend, when suddenly he blurted out, “your skin looks so good. It’s like, glowing.”
That’s right. Glowing.
I thought I had noticed a difference in my skin, too, but the fact that others were praising my bare skin was the ultimate confirmation. I felt like eliminating my makeup routine allowed my face to breathe. I also began to switch my focus from covering up problem areas to actually taking care of them. I stepped away from the concealer and looked towards better skin products and even a better diet.
3. A renewed sense of self.
I was always afraid that if I wore makeup all the time, I'd never find myself beautiful without it. After a whole semester of makeup every day, that is exactly what happened. Once I got into the habit of primping myself daily, I would feel incomplete, ugly, even, if I skipped a day.
Looking in the mirror and seeing my true, natural self was humbling at first; there are about a million things I could change about myself if I had the chance. But there was also something very empowering about being honest with myself. I slowly began to accept that my thin eyelashes and pale skin were enough, that I was enough, and that I didn’t need makeup to feel confident.
Let me clarify: I am not anti-makeup. There is nothing wrong with committing to an hour-long contour routine if that’s what makes you feel good. I understand how makeup can act as a great confidence-booster and a vehicle for self-expression. But feeling beautiful shouldn’t be tied exclusively to your outward beauty; there is more to a person than the precision of their winged eyeliner.
Therefore, I challenge you to pack away your MAC products and retire your makeup brushes for a while. Even if you run back into their welcoming arms after the week is through, I can guarantee that you will learn more about yourself than you expect.
