Two years ago I’ve stopped wearing makeup. I didn’t do it to make a statement or with some other particular reason in mind. I just felt that I don’t need it anymore. I did not want to seem prettier than I am with glossy eye-shadows or hide my imperfections under a thick layer of creams and foundation.
On the contrary, going all natural made me feel sexier and more self-confident.
To all you girls that do love wearing makeup, I mean no disrespect. However, here are six reasons why you may want to go make-up free for at least a week.
1. Your skin will thank you
Even if you don’t realize it, most of the makeup you wear is toxic. Cosmetic products are not subjected to the same checks as food or medicine before being released to the mass market. It is the sole responsibility of the manufacturer to decided whether a product is safe to use or not.
Unfortunately, a lot of them do contain harmful substances that get instantly absorbed by your skin. For instance, popular cosmetics ingredients such as sodium benzoate, propylene glycol and a number of other acids (not to mention parabens and carcinogens) cause allergic reactions on most skin types.
Secondly, if you’d like to have the perfect blemish-free and glowing skin, covering it up with tons of foundation won’t help you with that. If you wear makeup all day, some of it will inevitably seep into your skin pores, causing them to enlarge and result in acne and blemishes.
2. You will have more free time
On average women in the US apply 17 beauty products before leaving the house and spend around an hour to get their looks together. Another study showed that women around the world waste 474 days of their lives applying makeup.
Just think for a second how many amazing things you could do instead – learn a new language, have more incredible travel experiences or master photography.
Once I stopped wearing makeup, I had one spare hour in the morning that I could either use to get extra sleep (which is delightful indeed) or turn into a productive activity like working on my blog or learning French.
Is there’s something you always wanted to start doing but never had time for? Well, why don’t you do it in the morning instead of applying your makeup?
3. You will learn to love your flaws
Learning to love yourself and embrace your flaws is one of the biggest challenges everyone faces. At first, when you go makeup free, you’ll feel exposed. You are no longer hidden behind a fancy facade with all the pimples, freckles and other tiny defects you can’t tolerate disguised under a deep layer of powder.
Do you want to know a secret? No one actually pays attention to your tiny imperfections except you! You should stop treating them like “flaws” and think of them as your “specialty.”
4. You will be more at peace with yourself
One of the most common things I hear from my girlfriends is that “Makeup makes me feel more beautiful.” The truth is – it shouldn’t!
Last year Marc Jacobson models walked down the runway with no makeup; Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Eva Herzigova, Jessica Simpson and even Brad Pitt have been featured on top magazine covers with no makeup or Photoshop re-touсhing.
You should not allow anyone to judge you solely by how you look (and ditch those people who do!) or allow someone to get you down just because they have a different idea about how people should be presented.
Giving up makeup is just another small step towards making peace with your body image and your soul.
5. You will start feeling more confident
Unfortunately, applying mascara and eye shadows will not help you boost your self-esteem and confidence. Instead of covering up yourself, you should focus on loving your natural look and embracing yourself. Your confidence will skyrocket once you learn to accept yourself the way you are.
I used to think that if I were to stop wearing makeup, I would be considered less attractive and date-able by the opposite sex. In reality, I met my significant other while tripping through the moist Indonesian jungles.
He thought I was beautiful from the first moment he saw me hiking up the volcano – all sweaty and red-cheeked. He has kept telling me that I’m beautiful every day since then.
Ditching the mindset that your self-confidence depends on your makeup, you will start building it up on the right principles: self-respect, positive attitude and competence
6. You will start appreciating life on a deeper level
Embracing your natural look is the foundation of a life rooted in simplicity and in harmony with yourself.
Chasing trends and fighting to comply with social norms and beauty standards is exhausting. So is spending a huge chunk of money on beauty products in hopes they would make you feel “prettier” and thus “better,” yet leaving you feeling devastated instead.
Remember, your looks do not define who you are. You are better than this and you are beautiful the way you are!
Going makeup free takes courage, but it’s a rewarding experience indeed.
Featured photo credit: martinak15 via flickr.com
