If you took a look at my Tumblr and YouTube subscriptions, you’d probably think that I belong to Sephora’s VIB program. But you’d be wrong.
I’m one of those gals who roll out of bed half an hour before they have to be somewhere, putting on clothes and eating a granola bar as I head out the door. My morning routine consists of brushing my teeth, washing my face and hoping that I can de-frizz my hair without the use of hair products I don’t have. Going out, when I do, is very similar, except I change shirts four times instead of brushing my teeth. Notice what’s missing there?
I eschew most makeup. I’ll only dab on tinted BB cream for the worst of the pimple days (and sometimes I don’t even bother with that). While my roommate successfully persuaded me to snap up the gorgeous red Covergirl “Star Wars” lipstick when we found the display in Walgreens, I own little makeup aside from my problematic nail polish collection. I dabbled in it as a high school student, and persuaded my mom to do my eye makeup for prom. A peek into a bright blue bag in my nightstand drawer, however, shows expired drugstore makeup from two years ago.
While college is thankfully a “you do you” world, people have noticed that I don’t wear makeup. My eyebrows aren’t “#goalz” and I’m one of countless people who have poked themselves in the eye with a mascara wand. Many friends have begged me to let them do makeovers on me.
I’ve always struggled to justify it in a way that sounds acceptable to the person I’m talking to. I’ve also struggled to pinpoint it to simply one reason. It has to do with the fact that I’m not a great makeup artist. I never got into it as a kid, despite the many makeup sets I was given. Makeup is an expensive hobby when you’re just testing to see what looks good on you, and I never feel that I have the time to do so even if I did. And honestly? I feel so much more comfortable and confident when I don’t wear any.
That’s not to say that I don’t care how I look, though. I try to dress comfortably trendy and make a good impression when I interview for internships and job postings. I’m putting more effort into taking care of my skin — I haven’t yet kicked the habit of eating fried goodness, but I’m constantly refilling my water bottle and moisturizing at night. I love looking at makeup products and looks, but it just comes down to the fact that it’s not right for me.
I’m not about to preach to the people who love makeup because I greatly value the work of the artists who can contour and brighten a face to the point of looking like art. I just know that I’ve never aspired to be one of them — for me, my idea of making my face look flawless rests with my confidence in how I look. I’m making the deeply personal choice to focus my time on something other than makeup artistry, and I’ll never look down on the people who choose to put on makeup. If you’re down with it, there’s so many options for you to explore — I’m just choosing the most comfortable road for me.
Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.
comments