I don’t just love makeup, I live for makeup.
I go out on Fridays just so I can show off my new contouring skills. Trips to Sephora are like a visit to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, except with eyeliner. For me, it’s just so much more than feeling like I have to ‘put on a face’ before people see me. It’s a form of self expression.
That all being said, I can recognize that I have kind of a problem. I spend way too much time doing my makeup, I spend way too much money on my makeup, and sometimes it feels like I’m just using it to cover myself up.
So I decided to give myself the ultimate challenge:
A DAY WITHOUT MAKEUP
Getting Ready:
I emerged from the shower fresh faced, and, for the first time in a long time, that’s the way I was going to stay. It takes me a record 23 minutes to get ready, shower and all, when it usually takes around hour. It’s sorta nice to not have to spend so much time getting ready, and I’m not running late, which is a new look for me.
First Exposure:
Walking to my first class feels like walking across the quad right between class changes; everyone is staring at me. Or at least it feels that way. I avoid eye contact with everyone I pass. It feels like nobody wants to look at my face either; maybe they are too offended by my natural look to look directly at me. This is awful. There is no way I’m going to make it through the whole day.
That’s Rude:
The first comment comes at lunch:
“Hey, Hannah, are you ok? You look kinda tired.”
Oh God, I’ve been found out! They know, they know! I’ve been exposed. I look horrible without the thick layer of makeup I slather on each morning. It’s over.
My other friend chimes in, “I think she’s just not wearing makeup.” Her tone is of mild annoyance, as if this shouldn’t be something that needs explaining.
“No I didn’t mean that, I just meant you looked a little zoned out.”
Come to think of it I was daydreaming about the donut waiting for me in my dorm room. My cover is intact, even without my coverup.
Oh God:
I’m headed to work now, without even a lick of mascara to shield me from the cruel outside world. Whenever anybody sees me, I brace myself of the onslaught of “ohhh god, what happened to your faceeee?” but nothing comes. Actually, nobody says anything about the way I look, except one of my coworkers says that she likes my sweater. I will survive to blend another day.
Final thoughts:
For my day without makeup I picked a day that was pretty packed full of activities so the maximum amount of people could gaze upon my unadorned face. Surprisingly enough, nobody really noticed. Aside from the few, you-look-different-but-I’m-not- really-sure-what-it-is comments, nobody had anything to say about my lack of paint. I love to wear makeup, and I definitely will continue to draw on new cheekbones, but it’s a great feeling to know that I’m not covering up anything with my makeup, I’m just enhancing what is already there.