“Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” — Coco Chanel
Ingrid Bergman, Beyoncé , Catherine Anne
No Makeup Monday
Anything worth doing comes with a risk. Would you risk being vulnerable? Would you risk breaking your routine for something better?
Last week I rolled out of bed and decided not to apply makeup. This was before I looked in a mirror. If I had, I would’ve seen the red splotches around my nose, a small acne scar between my brows, and the way my eyes looked dimmer without mascara. Sure I’ve gone days (most weekends, in fact) without makeup. But this felt different – more intentional.
After washing my face and putting on moisturizer, I frowned at the face staring back at me. A face speckled with flaws. Ah well. I’m a woman of my word, so I strut out the door without a single dot of concealer.
First thing, I met a friend for coffee. Immediately I greeted her by saying, “Hey, I’m not wearing any makeup. Sorry I look weird!” She replied, “You look beautiful!”
And you know what? I felt beautiful.
There’s a cultural fixation on how a woman looks, versus how a woman lives. We only have one chance at this life and I, for one, don’t want to spend another minute of it stressing over what other people think about my skin tone or love handles. The only way to change our thinking is to change our values. What do we value in a woman? How about her passions? Her intellect? Her resilience? Her fun-loving spirit and goals?
It’s time to embrace our natural beauty – instead of obsessing over all those little flaws.
Here are a few reasons why you should brave the all-natural look, too!
Health Benefits
1. Your skin will be healthier.
2. You’ll stress less during your morning routine.
3. You’ll save money.
4. You’ll learn to love your “flaws”.
5. You can redirect your time and energy to inner self development.
Positive Growth
6. You’ll be humbled.
7. You’ll be more at peace with your looks, and thereby yourself.
8. You’ll develop confidence.
9. You’ll appreciate compliments in a new way.
10. You’ll see more beauty in life. After all, life is more roses than thorns — so stop and smell them every once in awhile!
Natural Glow
I collected a few quotes (male and female) for their thoughts on a woman going without makeup:
“A fresh face is hello-confident!”
“She’s approachable for sure. Like she comes off more genuine and open to talking.”
“It makes you wonder about her lifestyle, which is probably super cool. Does she wake-up every morning on a beach? Wouldn’t doubt it.”
“I admire the natural glow of someone’s skin when it’s clean and isn’t caked in makeup. Some people get worried about the oily look, but really all that makeup is clogging your pores. In my experience, even a few days without makeup is a big deal for most women. But your skin will thank you big-time.”
“She’s ready for adventure. She won’t spend as much time on her looks, because she’d rather be watching the sunrise.”
“True to herself.”
“I prefer it. As for the acne or freckles or whatever she thinks she has to cover-up, well...that’s what makes her beautiful. Yeah I just quoted One Direction. I own it.”
Her Personality Shines
So I went a day without makeup, which became two days, and turned into a whole week. And guess what? Not a single person said that I looked “tired”. Why? Energy is more important! Positive energy makes you shine. In reality, my eyes looked brighter without mascara and goodness knows I don’t need blush. It’s a relief not to worry about reapplying makeup throughout the day. Up to this point I took the wrong approach to makeup. I was using it to cover-up my perceived “flaws”.
Going without makeup has been a great way to renew my sense of worth. A worth based on who I am, not how I look.
The real question to ask yourself is: who are you doing it for, and what is it doing for you?
Truth is, I don’t want to be noticed for my lip gloss, but for my smile! I don’t want to be judged by my skin tone, but according to the positive impact I make on other people’s lives! I don’t want to cover-up, but to shine! “No Makeup Monday” could be the opportunity for you (or your female friends) to do something different – to demonstrate to women and young girls that there’s more to beauty than skin-deep.
Let’s take the risk. Let’s bare the flaws. Let’s show them beautiful.