I know nothing about makeup. In fact, when I told my roommate I was writing this article, she asked, “Want to borrow my products? Because yours are fake.”
She then informed me that foundation is supposed to match your skin tone. That’s when I learned that foundation and concealer are not interchangeable.
That isn’t to say I have no experience with cosmetics. I had a forced relationship with them through theatre, an activity I was heavily involved with before college. But I don’t own foundation and normally don’t wear any products at all, as I don’t get up early enough to put them on.
I also wear glasses to lecture because it’s easier and cheaper than wearing my contacts.
However, I figured there has to be some appeal to makeup, since plenty of people use it on a daily basis.
Not to mention that I’ll be a hot mess regardless of what I look like, so I might as well be one while looking hot. Hence, my proposal to wear makeup and contacts everyday for a week was conceived.
Day Zero
I was supposed to wake up half an hour early to put makeup on, but instead, I woke up half an hour later than I normally do. As a result, I didn’t wear any products and postponed my makeup challenge to the next day. That’s when I realized that I had one very long week ahead of me.
Day One
This day was Saturday, which made waking up “early enough” much less of a barrier.
I started with concealer (L’Oreal), contour (Wet N Wild), and blush (Amorean Tamspin) for my face. I then used a brow pencil (Elf), a jumbo eyeshadow stick (NYX), and a neutral eyeshadow palette (Covergirl) before finishing off with eyeliner (Rimmel), mascara (Maybelline), and lipstick (Marathon).
I opted for a poorly pigmented eyeshadow palette in order to ease my transition into this challenge. As a result, my eyeshadow was faint in the mirror and close to invisible on camera.
Still, the makeup contrasted my homey look of ripped leggings, a free campus shirt, and dirty hair so harshly that I eventually changed into a nicer pair of leggings. I even bobby pinned my hair into a braided bun, something I hadn’t done since high school prom.
I couldn’t help but feel silly for putting this much work into my appearance on a Saturday morning, but I eventually started to like it. Even simple tasks, such as taking the trash out, didn’t feel as dreadful now that I’d face my neighbors without looking like a slob.
Day Two
My makeup challenge was already starting to feel cumbersome, which was a bad sign as I still had five days left. It didn’t help that Sunday is usually my homework day, a.k.a. not a day I care enough to look good for.
The makeup routine I used was identical to the one described in day one. It was still a natural look, but to transition from no makeup at all to a full face was definitely going to require an adjustment period.
I was also worried my Snapchat streaks would think I was getting desperate on Valentine’s Week. The friends I see in Monday/Wednesday/Friday lectures don’t know about my Tuesday/Thursday life and vice versa, so that wouldn’t be as much of an issue. But my streaks see my face everyday! They were sure to notice my contacts, if not my makeup.
“I should’ve signed up for a ‘Happy to be Single on Valentine’s Day!’ article instead,” I thought. “At least then people wouldn’t think I’m desperate, just strangely proud.”
Day Three
This challenge affected my Monday greatly.
I looked more put together than I normally do on the first day of a school week, and I did get a few compliments for it.
However, I couldn’t help but worry about whether my eye makeup would run down throughout the long day.
The obligatory attention I gave to my hair was also starting to annoy me. I missed not caring enough to fix my baby hairs.
Nonetheless, my efforts did make seeing my reflection a much less painful experience.
Day Four – Seven
Although looking nice did increase my confidence, this makeup challenge was beginning to take its toll.
I normally have no problems waking up in the morning and even get up early enough to “workout” before class.
However, throughout the course of this challenge, I spent everyday hitting the snooze button at least twice. My newly complicated routine made mornings so much harder to get up for.
As a result, I didn’t do my morning workout all week and felt gross by the end of it. I couldn’t wait to spend my Saturday both ugly and relaxed.
I also planned to transition from my poorly pigmented eyeshadow palette to a strongly pigmented one in order to end the challenge with a dramatic conclusion. That never happened.
In fact, I eventually dropped the eyeshadow palette altogether because I couldn’t bring myself to use it anymore.
Conclusion
I have nothing against makeup or those who wear it. In fact, if this week taught me anything, it’s that cosmetics provide the confidence boost everyone deserves.
I used to hate being overdressed, simply because I was afraid people would see me as a try-hard with garish taste. This week made me realize that my fears were largely unwarranted.
However, this week also taught me that makeup has no place in my everyday life, and that’s okay.
I’m more willing to wear makeup for a casual event than I was before. But I’m also more confident in my decision to skip the daily makeup routine now that I know the sacrifices makeup requires.
After all, as far as a typical day is concerned, looking casual — or not — is a choice I deserve to make regardless of any arbitrary justification.
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