Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

What to Expect When You Go “All Natural”

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Amritha Nair Student Contributor, Virginia Commonwealth University
Keziah Jackson Student Contributor, Virginia Commonwealth University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at VCU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

It’s a cold, rainy day, you have an exam in your 8 a.m. class and you were up until three in the morning studying. The dreary combination of lack of sleep and the grey outside just calls for a “no make up day.” As you put together your backpack and slip into comfy clothes you just know there are some things you are going to experience today, only because you’ve made the courageous and brilliant decision of not spending 20 minutes covering acne marks, highlighting your cheek bones and darkening your eyelids. 

 

There’s nothing on your face to mess up.

It’s a heart stopping moment when you rub your eyes and then think about the eyeliner you put on this morning, but today, that’s not something you have to worry about. Rub your eyes when you’re falling asleep in class, itch your cheek freely and eat anything without thinking about smudging your lipstick.  Feel liberated in your natural appearance and take pride in the fact that you got an extra 20 minutes of sleep this morning.

“Are you tired?”

You’re finally feeling confident and proud of your natural face, when some brutally honest friend or classmate says “Are you tired? Because you look tired.” At this moment many responses run through your mind: “Of course, I am tired. It’s college, I was studying.” Or “Do I look that different without make up?” It takes that one person for you to start questioning your decision to not touch your make up that morning.

You can walk through bipolar VA weather face first!

Rain. Sun. 39 degrees. 75 degrees. VA weather changes so quickly and frequently that either make up melts off from sun or wipes off from the rain.  Good thing you don’t have to worry about that today. Walk to class while looking up at the sky, and freely wipe the sweat or water off your face, because you do not have to worry about messing up your foundation or getting eyeliner on the outer fold of your eyelids. 

You think people are staring at your acne.

No matter where you are walking to or where you are looking, for some reason, you tend to think that your imperfections are the first thing people see when they walk by. You know that it’s probably not true because everyone is too busy, distracted or late to notice. It’s actually scientifically proven that people see their own imperfections before perfections while seeing other people’s perfections before imperfections. So next time you are not wearing make up, and you feel like the little zit on your forehead is a light house, just remember that nobody else has noticed it.

You just happen to slack on everything that day

Whether you decide to call it your “Lazy Day” or you blame it on the two exams you have, your make up is the first of many things you will slack on that day. It could be a mental thing or it could be your excuse, but coincidentally your mind and body decide to slack off on everything. You most likely won’t step foot in the gym, you’ll want to go back to bed all day and your overall interest in classes and meetings will be at an all time low. 

 

We all know the struggle; the struggle of waking up in the morning, and especially after a long night. Sometimes there are mornings when make up is the last thing you want to look at or think about, and coffee is the first. It is okay to make the decision to go out completely natural, and by natural I mean no make up; I don’t mean the boy definition of natural, which means foundation with light mascara and light pink gloss. So, next time you are exhausted after a long night of studying, just give yourself an extra twenty minutes of sleep, and go to class without make up. It’s the most ‘Natural’ reaction there is!

 
Amritha Nair is a double major in Psychology and Business Management at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a member of many organizations on campus including greek life and numerous philanthropic organizations. Her writing has always been an outlet for her; her favorite pieces to write are short stories and poems that usually reflect personal experience or are inspired by other works of art. Other than writing, Amritha loves to swim, shop online, read, and binge watch shows on Netflix. Her heart lies with her family, close friends, and ice cream. You can follow her on twitter and Instagram at amrithanair16!
Keziah is a writer for Her Campus. She is majoring in Fashion Design with a minor in Fashion Merchandising.

HCXO!