Wearing makeup everyday has become such a norm for women of all ages, but not everyone is a fan of it. I have been wearing makeup for a little under half my life, but as I got older I didn’t enjoy wearing it as much as I had before. As I’ve gone through college I’ve become more comfortable with my skin, and now I only wear makeup on special occasions.
So, I thought I’d give my non-makeup wearing self the ultimate challenge: wear a full face of makeup for a full week. Here are 5 things I realized:
1. People treat you different
I knew going into this people would treat me differently, and I was right. People talked to me a lot more than when I don’t wear makeup. I work at Universal and not only were my co-workers more talkative, the guests were nicer too. Though, my favorite thing was when people mentioned how good I looked that day. I would always counter back with, “So I don’t look good without makeup?” Who knew wearing makeup would have such an impact socially.
2. I had more energy in the morning
Usually, I wake up about 20 minutes before I have to leave, but since I had to factor in time to do my makeup, I would wake up 30 minutes early. This did wonders for my energy! I have to focus when applying makeup, so rather than leaving my apartment super groggy, I was completely awake and alert. This left me much happier during my commute.
3. I touch my face A LOT
Since I was wearing makeup, I had to be more conscious about not touching my face so as to not wipe off or smudge anything. It was then I realized how often I reach for my face to wipe away sweat, oil, or even because I have an itch. Touching your face is the worst thing you can do if you want clear skin! After completing the challenge I’ve gotten a lot better about it, but it’s something I still need to work on.
4. Putting on makeup can be fun
During this challenge, I remembered the reason I used to like putting on makeup when I was in middle and high school: I love trying out new looks! When you’re constantly putting on the same face of makeup every day. it can get repetitive and boring. Luckily, since I was doing it for such a short time I got the chance to experiment with my eyeshadow looks and perfect my highlight.
5. I’m comfortable with how I look
I was a little nervous going into the challenge because I was worried I would begin to dislike the way I looked without makeup. Luckily, this challenge helped me realize that I like myself with and without it. While it’s nice that you can cover up the parts of your face that you don’t necessarily love, even without all the makeup you still look beautiful.
Overall, I wouldn’t say this was an easy experience, but it was fun to try out. I got the opportunity to get some use out of products I don’t use often, and it was a fun little social experiment. Now, I’m just glad that my skin has a chance to breathe until the next special occasion comes along.
All images provided by the author