I first started wearing makeup in the eighth grade. I did not feel the need to start any earlier than that, but I had always been fascinated by it. When performing in shows as a child, I always remembered putting on a bunch of powder and feeling like my mom was stabbing my eyeball with the eyeliner. I had no attraction to putting it on for fun or a daily basis. As time went on, I saw that other girls were wearing a ton of it. I watched videos of girls on YouTube demonstrating their flawless techniques of applying different, colorful products onto their face. I was amazed at their talent. It became a routine where I would wear makeup to school, but I would try out different looks and colors to be fresh.
When I got to high school, acne really kicked in. I got so focused on trying to cover it up with makeup that I did not realize that my skin was more important. I do not remember a single day of freshman year where I did not apply at least some mascara. I was drawn to covering up my flaws instead of embracing them. Yes, acne is normal. It is okay for a teenager to have it. No one is going to judge you if you wake up one day and a pimple has appeared on your forehead.
Sophomore year kicked off, and it finally dawned on me that beauty is not defined by who has the least amount of pimples. Inner beauty is more important than any amount of highlighter or contour on your face. Being nice to someone looks better than MAC lipstick. I stopped wearing makeup to school every day. I focused on saying “hi” to people that I did not know in my classes. Don't get me wrong, makeup is great. I love wearing it. But it is important to also remember that you are beautiful without it, as difficult as that might be to hear.
Makeup is made to accentuate your features. It fascinates me what some people can do to their face with a little bit of it. I learned how to apply makeup by watching videos on the Internet and asking people at Ulta and Sephora for their beauty opinions. Progressively, I bought reputable, quality products and taught myself how to properly handle them. Most of my friends tease me because I have so much of it. I have done some of their makeup for senior photos and prom. It gives me so much joy to get to help them emphasize the naturally beautiful parts of their face. People always ask to borrow my makeup in the dressing room, and it is always interesting to see what products they have that I may have never heard about.
Skincare is something that I really love as well. Over the past year, the amount of acne on my face transformed into something nonexistent. I opened my Timehop app the other day to see a photo of me only a year ago -- my face was covered in acne. Although I recognize that I was still pretty with it, I know that I could have been taking better care of my face. I love the gentle, cleansing feeling I get when I wash my face or wipe off my makeup. My dermatologist has also done wonders with my skin. It is amazing to see how Epiduo and an acne pill can remove all my blemishes, and I mean absolutely all of it. I am not going to lie and say that I wash my face every single night, but it is important to keep it on a routine as much as possible. (I love the Neutrogena Gentle Foaming Cleanser!)
Even drugstore brands can really prove to be great makeup products. For instance, Maybelline Age Rewind’s Concealer stick is one of the best, and their lipsticks exceed drugstore standards. NYX cosmetics can be found at Target, and they have by far my favorite lip products. BH Cosmetics has an online only shop, but they do have animal-testing free, great products, and searching for products is super easy, especially with Pinterest and YouTube. Just remember, makeup does enhance beauty but it is not what you see in the mirror that truly counts.
