For many collegiettes, it seems like we’re in such a habit of rolling out of bed in the morning and naturally going to our vanities to begin applying makeup. It’s such a daily routine, most of us probably don’t even realize we’re doing it half the time (unless we’re really focused on getting the perfect winged eyeliner). Everyone most likely has a reason for wearing makeup, maybe we feel more confident or we wear it simply because we like doing our makeup, but most of us probably feel like we have to put makeup on. It’s almost become a chore, but it doesn’t have to be.
This week, our writers were challenged to participate in No Makeup Monday where we kissed our makeup goodbye and faced the world with fresh faces for the entire day! Here are our reactions and experiences:
Savannah Gaeckler ‘18
Typical beauty routine: concealer + blush + eyeshadow + eyeliner + mascara + lip balm
Average application time: 15 to 25 minutes
“Leading up to No Makeup Monday, anyone I told that I would be doing the challenge thought I was crazy. While I have no problem going out to run errands without makeup, I usually wear a full face of makeup to class. I view college as the starting point of your career and I always want to look capable and professional – which includes wearing makeup in my opinion. So it was only natural for my friends and family to question my declaration that I would be going to school completely bare faced.
I typically wear makeup because it makes me feel like I look my best and overall I just like experimenting with different looks. On this morning, I enjoyed the additional 25 minutes of sleep I allowed myself during which I would normally spend doing my makeup (especially considering that I stayed up late the night before eagerly waiting for Leonardo DiCaprio to win his first Oscar). As I looked at my bare face in the mirror I was very tempted to at least put a little cover up under my eyes, but I knew that I wouldn’t feel as accomplished at the end of the challenge as I would if I were to go the day with a face entirely free of makeup so I just opted for a little moisturizer, an untinted lip balm and a quick combing through my brows.
During the day, I expected to feel exposed and more vulnerable. Perhaps because I was, all of my qualities typically deemed ‘flaws’ were all out in the open. I anticipated to feel some resistance in the amount of sociability I would want to partake in on this day, which did prove to be somewhat true. While I participated in class as much as I usually do, I didn’t feel like I could be as assertive and found myself resisting looking people in the eyes. That is, until a ‘lightbulb’ moment clicked in my head. I realized that my opinions, knowledge and values had not been lost with my makeup for the day. I was still myself. I just looked a little different.
Later in the day while scrolling through Pinterest, I stumbled upon a photo that really resonated with me based on what I learned through this challenge. The photo had a text overlay reading: ‘The trick is that as long as you know who you are and what makes you happy, it doesn’t matter how others see you.’ I spent so much time considering how others viewed me, only to realize that I was still the same me.
Another thing I loved was not having to remove my makeup at the end of the day – something that I usually dread each night!”
Naijasia Thomas ‘18
Typical beauty routine: eyeliner + mascara + concealer + blush + lipstick
Average application time: 25 to 35 minutes
“Mondays are my coffee days. It’s the only day of the week where I allow myself coffee because I typically get up very early to do laundry. My class doesn’t begin until 11:20 am, leaving lots of time for me to get things done! I don’t really ‘wake up’ until around 9:30 am, after the laundry has finished and I can get ready.
My makeup routine is actually not that complicated. I try and stick to the basics with eyeliner, mascara, a little bit of cover-up on my always developing and hereditary moles, along with some blush and finally some lipstick. The look is typically more dramatic on Mondays, I opt for a flesh-colored eyeliner on the waterline of my eyes to make me look more awake. It takes around 25 to 35 minutes for this to be completed.
On account of No Makeup Monday, however, I rolled back out of the bed at 10:15 am to shower and was out of the apartment by 10:40 am! I’ve never been that surprised. Ever. It never actually dawned on me that I was using up so much time each morning doing my makeup.
I don’t usually like to wear a lot of makeup because I don’t want it to be as dramatic of a reaction if I wasn’t wearing any. The comments I got today were more on the lines of ‘There’s something different about you today,’ and ‘You must’ve had a rough night. You look tired.’ Overall, it was a pretty good day without makeup! I felt free (to rub my eyes as much as I wanted) and a little more confident. Go figure!”
Rachel Behling ‘18
Typical beauty routine: concealer + foundation + eyeliner + mascara + eyeshadow
Average application time: 20 minutes
“Going makeup-free for a day gave me the confidence that I needed for myself and let me know that I can handle anything that is thrown at me today, tomorrow and for the rest of the week. On a daily basis, my makeup takes an average of 20 minutes which includes applying concealer, foundation, two types of eyeliner, mascara and eyeshadow. If I am feeling up to it, I also include blush and lipstick. The extra 20 minutes I had this morning that I would normally use to do my makeup gave me extra time to have breakfast and get a head start on homework.”
Jess Speese ‘18
Typical beauty routine: foundation + mascara + eyeliner + blush + brows
Average application time: 20 minutes
“I typically wear a decent amount of makeup for classes, foundation, mascara, eyeliner, blush and I fill in my eyebrows a bit too. It usually takes me about 20 minutes to do my makeup in the morning. When I heard that we were going to do No Makeup Monday, I thought it was a great idea. Sure, on a normal day I wear a decent amount of makeup, but I go to the gym and run errands without any makeup on and I don’t mind it. However, after I already committed to it I realized that I was going to have to give a presentation on the same day. I love makeup. I feel my most confident when I’ve spent time in the morning on my makeup and I’m not ashamed of that. I knew I could go the day without my face made up, but I counted on being able to hide behind my sleeves and blend into the background. I actually was surprised how I felt without any makeup on. I didn’t feel that I was at my most confident, but I still felt good in my own skin. At the peak of my confidence and just a moment before I started my presentation, my professor asked me in front of the entire class if I had been to the beach because I looked sunburnt. I was mostly mortified, but I had to find the humor in it. I gave the presentation, albeit being pretty embarrassed and I realized that other than looking a bit redder, I wasn’t worried about how different I looked while not wearing makeup. I think it’s important to be able to be comfortable with yourself without wearing makeup, but I also think we should be able to do whatever makes us feel most confident, free of criticism.”
Erin O’Leary ‘18
Typical beauty routine: foundation + brows + mascara
Average application time: 15+ minutes
“Unless I’m getting dressed up to perform or go out somewhere, I usually don’t use that much makeup: just some foundation to cover up acne and under eye circles, eyebrow pencil to cover up the splits I cut in them, and mascara to make my eyes look less plain. I happened to be running late Monday morning, so I was relieved when I remembered I was participating in this challenge. Before catching the shuttle to class, I made sure to scrub off the rest of the makeup from the day before. While on the shuttle, I realized that it normally takes me at least fifteen minutes to do my makeup (costing me precious sleeping time each day) and that I could have ended up being even more late if I had put makeup on that day.The rest of my day ran just as smoothly as the days that I wore makeup—mostly because I forgot I wasn’t wearing it. I still only gently touched my eyelashes if I had to rub my eyes and I was only reminded of my face’s nakedness when I saw it the bathroom mirror. Though I didn’t particularly enjoy looking at the reflection of my natural self, I extended this challenge to Thursday in an effort to make myself more comfortable with this, which actually started to work.”
Allie Baer ‘18
Typical beauty routine: foundation + powder + eyeshadow + mascara + brow gel
Average application time: 20 minutes
“This past Monday I did something very out of the ordinary for myself – I wore no makeup. Anyone who knows me knows very well that makeup has always been a major part of my dressing routine. Typically, I wake up and shower and directly after putting my hair in a towel, start my makeup. I wet my pink beauty blender sponge, put my liquid foundation on my face and blend it in for full coverage. Next, I’ll put some powder on with a face brush. I follow up with getting out my eyeshadow palette and usually do some brown or metallic color, usually no eyeliner unless I’m going out somewhere and finish my eyes with some mascara. Then, I use some eyebrow gel and fill in my eyebrows and when that’s done, my makeup routine is too! I usually wear makeup because I enjoy putting it on, it makes me happy, feel beautiful, and confident. I enjoyed going through Monday without makeup so much that I did it on Tuesday too! It made getting ready take a lot less time because I didn’t have to do anything to my face, and I thought I would be more insecure, but I felt fine. I think sometimes we get so used to how our face looks with makeup that when we’re finally without it, our face is foreign to us; and that’s a shame, because I think no matter how we choose to present our faces, we are gorgeous either way.”