Ever since I started puberty, I was self-conscious. My weight has fluctuated quite a bit since middle school. I even went on crash diets but realized those were only harming my body even more. I’ve come to accept the fact that I will always be a little curvier than the stereotypical size-two model.
While going through puberty, my skin decided it also wanted to act up. Not only was I a little overweight, but my skin started resembling a pizza. I was so self-conscious and wanted so desperately just to be happy with myself.
One thing I turned to was makeup. My mother did her best to teach my how to cover up my acne. She herself dealt with acne, so she sympathized with what I was going through.
As years went on, my makeup skills became more advanced. I went from just wearing powder to using foundation as well. I experimented with different blushes and mascaras. Eyeliner took a little more time for me to master but eventually I found a way that worked for me.
Once I got to college, the amount of makeup I was wearing was more than most girls my age were. Looking back on pictures from freshmen year, I giggle to think about how little makeup I wore in comparison to now. As a senior, I was wearing a full face of makeup almost all the time. Sophomore year, one of my sorority sisters taught me how to do a smoky eye and since then, I’ve been a Naked-palette lover.
I wear a lot of makeup. So what? I wear makeup for me. Nowadays, women are being shamed for almost everything they do. The idea of “makeup shaming” really bothers me. Memes, like the one below, are completely disrespectful to women.
I’m not wearing makeup to impress other girls. I don’t wear makeup in an attempt to attract guys. I have to do a lot more these days to attract college-aged men. My sports knowledge goes further than if my eyebrows are “on fleek” when it comes to impressing guys at bars or fraternity parties.
My makeup routine usually takes me 20-30 minutes. When I have a full face of makeup, I feel a lot more confident. I don’t have to worry about being self-conscious about the way people are looking at my face. Makeup enhances a women’s features. Women can choose to enhance them as much as they want. I just feel the need to enhance mine a little more than others. That fact shouldn’t be anyone else’s concern.
I’m amazed at some of the makeup tutorials I watch on YouTube. Those tutorials are mesmerizing. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go to YouTube and simply type in “makeup tutorial.” You’ll thank me hours later. Some makeup gurus have extreme talent that I hope to one day have too. Kylie Jenner is a makeup genius. She might have a personal makeup team that spends hours on her look, but she still manages to look perfect all the time. She is even in the makeup business now with her lip kits. My next makeup purchase will hopefully be one of them.
Contouring enhances the cheekbone as well as the T-Zone. Mascara makes your eyelashes pop. Each step in my makeup routine is there for a reason. In the end, the main reason is to please myself. If you don’t like the amount of makeup I wear, I’m sorry, but this is something I do for me. I might be beautiful without makeup, but I find myself even more beautiful when I’m confident, thanks to the makeup routine I’ve established for myself.
