I've been pretty interested in makeup my whole life, which means my whole life people have said things to me such as,

"You should be more confident in your real self."

"Boys don't like girls who wear a lot of makeup."

"I think you're prettier without makeup."

Though I appreciate the advice that I never asked for, I think these people have it all wrong. I don't have any issues with how I look without makeup. I could go out in public with a bare face or with a face full of makeup and I would feel equally as comfortable either way. Quite honestly, I feel that it takes a certain amount of confidence to be able to wear a full face of makeup that you've done yourself in public. Frankly, I could care less what your preference is in regards to makeup and how much you claim is, "too much."

I think I speak for a lot of girls out there when I say I don't wear makeup because I think I need to or because I want boys to like me. I wear makeup because I enjoy everything about it.

I see makeup as an art- a skill you can acquire and then build from there. I think it's a real talent to be able to create intricate looks and highlight somebody's natural beauty using makeup. I don't see it as a way to cover up one's natural face, but rather emphasize the features we particularly like.

That being said, I don't feel it is wrong for us to allow girls to start wearing makeup at a young age, as long as we aren't giving them the wrong idea about it. They need to know that makeup is about bringing emphasis to the parts of them they enjoy rather than covering up the parts they don't. If that distinction is clear in their minds, then as far as I'm concerned, they're simply practicing an artistic skill.

Besides all that, it's just a lot of fun. It's interesting to see how far I've come since middle school when I was wearing drugstore foundation that didn't match my skin quite right and mascara that was always leftover from the day before. I also really enjoy looking at a person's features and deciding which products would look best with what I have in front of me. Everybody's faces are different which means everybody looks good with different combinations of products. Additionally, there's no better feeling than perfecting a technique you've been watching videos and looking up online relentlessly as you try to learn how to do it.

I appreciate your concern, but I'm just in this for fun. So your opinion on whether or not I'm wearing "too much" means very little to me.