On average, a woman will spend $15,000 on makeup in her lifetime. With such a staggering statistic, I cannot help but feel like the minority. For the past few years of my life, I have gone almost every day makeup free.
Do not get me wrong, I have nothing against makeup or the people who wear it; I still watch makeup tutorials and wonder how someone can get their winged eyeliner so perfect! However, when I wake up in the morning, applying makeup is not a part of my routine. And maybe some people admire me or think I am brave for not wearing any, but I don’t like to see myself as brave for not wearing it.
It is just normal to me, and I don’t do it for any reason besides my own happiness. I personally cannot stand the feeling of having makeup on my face, as it makes my skin feel oily and dirty. And to be honest, when I did wear makeup in high school, I would rub it before I was even halfway through the day. I just learned that wearing makeup on a daily basis was not for me.
However, I decided to give makeup another go during my freshmen year of college. I only did the basics, including foundation, eye shadow, and mascara, and even kept up with the routine for a few weeks. I would tell myself that I was a college student now, and I had to put some more effort into my morning routine besides blow-drying my hair and straightening every once in a while. Of course, like before, I found myself getting annoyed with makeup.
The oily and dirty feeling would bother every day, all day, and I would count the hours till I could wipe my face clean again. So, I decided to stop wearing makeup again and I have not looked back. I am happy to say that the only makeup I own is a lipstick sample and some chapstick that is essential during the winter months. Besides that, I own no foundation, no eye shadow, no mascara, nothing.
Now, like stated before, this article is not meant to bash anyone who wears makeup on a daily basis. I understand that most women wear makeup and enjoy it for the most part; I am just not most women in that sense. The main point I want to get across is that every women should live their life how they want to live it. No one is better because they do or do not wear makeup. The image I like to see in the mirror, is not the same one someone else might want to see, and that is okay.