Alicia Keys has recently sparked major discussion with her decision to go make-up free. Adjectives such as “brave” are being used to describe her choice to free herself from the societal norm. Though this idea is nothing new, seeing a well-known celebrity take part in such a contradictory stance in a superficial business is almost unheard of. As a society, we are used to seeing females in the entertainment industry done up by the best makeup artists at any given moment. Though her actions have been supported by many people, she is also being deemed as judgmental to others that choose to wear makeup in which she responded:
I decided to try out being 100% bare faced for a week and assess the way I felt about it personally. I usually wear little makeup and I have no problem rocking a bare face every now and then. However, I have never gone a whole 7 days without at least filling in my eyebrows and adding a lip-gloss so I was unsure on how my experience would go.
The week surprisingly went by quickly and smoothly. There were no cons and many pros. There are a few things that I noticed:
1. Clear skin
This should almost be a no brainer. With the laundry list of chemicals that are in just one tube of mascara, my face as a whole has never thanked me more for letting it breathe completely for an extended period of time. Our skin is being affected with even the slightest bit of concealer and powder without us realizing it. Taking breaks are important for the skin and should be practiced frequently.
2. Freely able to touch my face
The most satisfying feeling is being able to rub my eyes and touch my face freely without thinking about getting makeup everywhere or smudging my eyeliner. I was able to do it all the time without any hesitation and it was amazing. Additionally, I could take naps comfortably (because there is nothing worse than falling asleep with lip-gloss and mascara on).
3. Faster morning and night routines
I never realized how much time I would be saving in a week by cutting out makeup application and removal. It does not seem like a lot of time but it can make a difference in different areas of your routine collectively. I was able to get about an average of 30 additional minutes of sleeping time which made me a happier person with more clear skin.
4. People did not notice
I was afraid that I would look tired to the people that do not live with me or see me when I don’t have makeup on. I asked a few people if there was anything different about me and they could not seem to figure it out.
5. Appreciation of natural beauty
I was able to look into the mirror throughout the day and take pride in the reflection being 100% natural and 100% me, no additions or enhancers. This was liberating in the sense that I did not have to worry about reapplying or fixing anything on my face because maintenance was not needed.
Even though I will go back to wearing makeup, I learned that being makeup free for an extended amount of time is doable, has many benefits, and little to no cons. As women, we should be able to confidently rock bare faces without thinking of how others will perceive us. Power to the makeup-free movement!